http://www.kahunaburger.com/2008/03/23/a-long-strange-trip-by-tom-hyland/
A Long Strange Trip
by Tom Hyland
I have lived in New Mexico for over 40 years, and 18 of those years in Santa Fe County. Most of my friends are self-created types who work for themselves, as this is also my lifestyle. Having made a living since the age of 17 as a sign maker and graphic designer has enabled me to appreciate the freedoms my lonely schedule affords me, and I have attracted similar life-styled friends who are fiercely independent and curious as to the workings of our government and encroachments upon their rights. It is my impression that individuals who remain employed throughout their lives are less likely to have the time to study, question, or oppose authority. The true reality of the original intent of our nation is that We The People are the authority. All agents, officers, and officials of this nation are our servants, but because it is human nature that a government unchecked will grow into an abusive and dangerous entity, the servants of this nation must pledge an oath to defend and protect the Constitution, which is the foundation of all law and the guarantee that your Rights will remain inalienable.
Part One
In my studies I learned many years ago that the driving code is commercial in nature. I obtained my first driver’s license at the age of 14 after completing a driver’s training class at Roswell High and have been a licensed driver until July 26, 2004. On that day, I visited the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division headquarters in Santa Fe and returned my license, registrations, license plates, Certificates of Title, and anything else that had the word MVD printed upon it. I requested the secretary to print out the latest summary of my “Client History” which defined me as a “Non-Driver” with one surrender and no violations.
By law, the only individuals who are required to license themselves and their vehicles are those who are involved in the commercial activity of transporting goods or paying passengers for a living. We The People have a Right to own the cars we have purchased and travel upon the public Right of Way. However, it has been written since the times of horse and buggy that the commercial activity of transportation shall be a regulated privilege. “The right of the citizen to travel upon the public highways and to transport his property thereon, either by carriage or by automobile, is not a mere privilege which a city may prohibit or permit at will, but a common law right which he has under the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Thomas v. Smith, 154 SE 579.
In my meeting with the directors of the MVD, I opened the books of laws defining these commercial activities and read aloud certain passages describing jurisdiction and intent. I asked the directors if they could prove anywhere, in written law, that the Citizen must relinquish his right to travel and subvert that freedom into a paid-for privilege. The directors were unable to interject any proof at all except to say I am welcome to my opinions. I was reading from a page titled “Definitions,” and I pointed out that the title atop this page wasn’t “Opinions.” From New Mexico Administrative Code Title 18, section 18.2.3.12, is the definition “Driving of Motor Vehicles”: “The department of public safety hereby adopts Part 392 of Title 49 of the Federal Regulations with no amendments.” I offered the page from 49 CFR 392 for them to peruse, which begins with the headline “Driving of Commercial Motor Vehicles.” At that point the directors went silent, and I told them I would return the following Monday and close my account.
About two months later, I was detained in a traffic stop by a Santa Fe police officer whose probable cause for stopping me was her observation that there was no license plate on my pickup truck. I showed this officer an Affidavit, executed on the day of July 24, attesting to the items returned to the MVD. I showed the officer the printout from the MVD database of my status as a non-driver. And, I produced the same definitions from Title 18 and the Code of Federal Regulations I mentioned in the previous paragraph. This officer was confused and unable to reach a decision without calling her commanding officer, and this other fellow arrived shortly thereafter. He read over the same facts, laws, and evidence, and ordered that my truck should be towed away and held in ransom until I became, once again, a participant within the commercial driving codes defined by Title 18. At the moment the front wheels of my truck were lifting off the ground, the original officer said, “So, tell me some more about your rights.” I replied, “These are your rights, too, but you told me earlier that you didn’t want to hear anything about the Constitution or my rights.” She replied, “Yeah . . . that’s correct.”
I immediately phoned Sheriff Greg Solano to inform him of this attack upon my rights and my property. The sheriff, in America, is the only elected police officer, and he has the authority, and duty, to protect and defend his citizenry against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The sheriff has the authority and power to eject any agent from any federal agency operating without court ordered warrant, be it FBI, CIA, IRS, ATF, ICE, or any other problematic initials, that are operating within the boundaries of his county jurisdiction. Every phone call to my sheriff went unanswered. Over the next two weeks, I wrote the sheriff two letters. In a letter to me, Sheriff Solano replied, “. . . until such time as a court of law rules that citizens may declare themselves sovereign, I cannot act to assist you in this matter. As you well know, I am sworn to uphold the constitution and the laws of the federal, state, and local governments. As part of that responsibility, I must rely on court rulings on matters such as yours.” We The People created the sheriff. We created the courts. We created the judges. And there is no court that has the authority to determine if we are sovereign, or not. Sheriff Solano wrote that he must uphold ALL laws. The lawful definition of a law officer is the first paragraph to NMSA 29 (New Mexico Statutes Annotated), titled “Law Enforcement.” It reads, “29-1-1. It is hereby declared to be the duty of every sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable and every other peace officer to investigate all violations of the criminal laws of the state which are called to the attention of any such officer or of which he is aware, and it is also declared the duty of every such officer to diligently file a complaint or information, if the circumstances are such as to indicate to a reasonably prudent person that such action should be taken, and it is also declared to be his duty to cooperate with and assist the attorney general, district attorney or other prosecutor, if any, in all reasonable ways. Failure to perform his duty in any material way shall subject such officer to removal from office and payment of all costs of prosecution.”
It was 30 days later when my truck was returned to me. The third letter I wrote to the tow truck operator, apprising him of his criminal activity of accepting stolen property under the lawless orders of the Santa Fe Police Department, and their likely unwillingness to pay for his defense in an upcoming civil trial, convinced the man that it would be best to remove this truck from his possession. Not knowing when my property would be returned, I had to buy another truck, as I live almost 15 miles from Santa Fe, and I had no practical means to work, or buy food, or attend to my affairs. I need to work, to earn money; however, driving to work is not a commercial activity. If my only activity were transporting signs, then I would be involved in commercial transportation. Driving to work or the grocery store, or taking a bowl of soup to your grandmother is your right.
But . . . is it really my truck? When you go to a car dealership, and if you pay the entire amount, no financing through a bank or loan company, you are given the “Title of Origin” or “Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin.” This is the true title to the car. The car manufacturer builds the car and owns this property until it is delivered to the car dealership. The car and “MSO” is handed over, for the wholesale payment, and now, the dealership owns the car. If the customer purchases the car with full payment, he is given possession of the car and the perfect title, the MSO. Unwittingly, that individual seeks out the nearest MVD office, hands over the perfect title in exchange for the MVD fabricated “Certificate of Title,”–it says “MVD” on it–and now the state owns your car in a commercial privilege defined as “driving.” Your full compliance is met when you attach a license plate, with registration sticker, to the bumper, and you carry the driver’s license on your person. This is what gives the cops the authority to have your car towed away, because, in reality, the state owns your car. If somebody shoves a gun in your face and demands your wallet, that is called “robbery.” If your property or your money has been stolen away without your knowledge or consent, that is called “conversion.” To have been duped into a situation where you unwittingly waive your rights and ownership of property and convert those precious belongings into paid-for privilege is “fraud.” To be held before a judge, or by armed police, and to be forced to pay fines or suffer imprisonment, is “coercion,” “racketeering,” and “extortion.” I have brought charges against 34 individuals, working within the machinery of government of the State of New Mexico, and I will say more about that later.
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