The Human Condition: Sovereignty

By Daniel Schnee on July 6, 2022.

As much as they can be annoying or costly, we must pay taxes to keep our country running as smoothly as possible. They are as certain as funerals, as necessary as oxygen, and it would be nice if some corporations actually paid their fair share.

But some in the U.S. and now Canada are part of what is known as the Sovereign Citizens Movement, which states that people do not have to pay taxes, or indeed follow any law to which they don’t consent. This is based on the idea that individual sovereignty is lost when we follow certain federal laws, that we give up exclusive control of our life, which is our greater, moral right.

Though mostly tax protesters, some activists for sovereign citizenship (SovCits) wish to expand the idea to include any number of laws, or general law altogether. This too is based on the idea of individual sovereignty they perceive in various legal loopholes and procedures, which they assume gives them protection from prosecution or arrest.

Of course none of this is actually true, but some activists and advocates promote the idea, usually to bolster their own financial schemes or the conspiracy theories they wish to promote.

Self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” Romana Didulo is one such advocate, recently promoting herself to “Queen of The World.”

Based out of a travelling RV, Didulo describes herself as an alien “star-seed” with special powers, brags about being a dictator, and proclaims to have access to the vast wealth stored in the Vatican.

Mixing religion, politics, and conspiracy is nothing new; fantastical claims are to be expected in any radical new movement. But Didulo moves into medical territory as well, as she is currently offering her followers potential access to special “Med Beds,” which can supposedly regrow limbs, heal cancer, reverse aging and make one immortal, including president John F. Kennedy, who some claim is alive and well thanks to this technology.

It is always irksome to have to live alongside fellow Canadians who seek to disrupt and disturb our democracy, but our taxes pay for the infrastructure that keeps fringe groups from taking away the rights the rest of us believe in.

The greater issue though is the tragedy of those who get swept up in anti-Canadian, pseudo-legal and religious movements which offer infinite wonders, and leave destroyed lives in their wake.

These groups and their ideas can do great damage, and should be rejected thoroughly. In the meantime we can do good work by not distancing ourselves from any of our friends and relatives who may be caught up in such movements.

Time and kindness are two sides of the antidote that leads people out of destructive movements, and being a psychological safety net waiting for them provides hope of salvation when they are left in financial and spiritual ruin.

Didulo has stated that publishing any article she considers slanderous would result in an automatic 30-year prison sentence. Thus, you and I must keep an eye out for such groups. If they decide they are above the law, you are literally in peril when her mood wills it (though her motto is “God Loves You”).

We pay taxes to support Canada. Let’s continue to pay them to keep it safe.

Dr. Daniel Schnee is an anthropologist and jazz/rock drummer

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