Rising for the Judge, Bowing to the State

[Josh]

Rising for the Judge, Bowing to the State

http://www.lewrockwell.com/lora/m.lora57.html

When one walks into a business, most often you are greeted. As part of treating customers as their very livelihood, companies usually enact policies that make it a requirement for employees to acknowledge the arrival of a client or customer.

Imagine, however, if instead of getting a "hello" or "good morning," the manager of the store asks you to greet him. Further, imagine if the manager holds you at gunpoint and threatens you with imprisonment. Assuming you could escape, chances are that you'd never go back to that store. Yet this is what happens in the courts.

Virtually everyone in the courtroom has to rise when the judge enters. Failure to do so might result in contempt of court – you can get a fine or be sentenced to jail time for your audacity. This is, of course, absurd. First of all, government courts are financed through taxation. People who do not use the system at all, for example, still have to pay. This is a form of redistribution, also known as socialism. Aside from the fact that the resources to run the system are extracted aggressively, often the accused are victims rather than victimizers.

Laws and ordinances regulating peaceful drug or firearm possession or usage, municipal codes regulating assembly, zoning, prostitution and gambling, for example, violate no rights and therefore have no victims. Thus, when an innocent person is brought (violently or through the threat thereof) to one of those government courts, the last thing one expects is to be further humiliated by having to stand for the judge. If anything, the judge should be kissing the defendant's feet and begging for forgiveness.

We should not be surprised that the state does whatever possible to ascertain its aggressive political power in every instance; the courtroom is not an exception. Perhaps in the old days it was customary to rise for the judge. So what? Today, however, I see this not as a gesture of respect but as a demand for obedience. The judge, a state bureaucrat, has no authority over anyone. Prove that the judge and the court deserve any respect. After all, they were the ones (along with the legislative and executive branches) to kidnap people from their homes, families and places of employment, only to be dragged to face "justice." Show that, especially in the case of victimless crimes, the defendant should stand for the judge. The concept of contempt of court, so long as the state holds a monopoly over this institution, is a farce. I believe it is the court, along with all the thugs it employs, who is in contempt.

Anyone willing to show the violence of the court by refusing to obey is a hero. Rising for the judge is bowing to the state.

[dalebert]

Manuel's great. We're lucky he's got a voice on Lew Rockwell.

[doobie]

Rise and stand looking backward.

[slim]

Rise and stand looking backward.

Or you could rise and switch seats with another person in the room. The judge wants to make everyone feel like they are back in grade skool then play games just like you were back in skool.

[Peacemaker]

Good analysis Josh.  I had the idea of everyone wearing black robes when they go....and it just hit me that another idea would be people could is dress up like the Baliffs (blue jacket, white shirt, tie, pants color, handcuffs) as well...and I like the idea of turning around and not facing the judge when the ruler enters in his black dress.   But what I think the best thing to do is not get up (of course you have to be ready to be thrown in a cage on that one with these thugs).

[William]

It's clear that these local judges are insecure Nazis. Many of us didn't stand in federal court and the magistrate just ignored us to his credit.

[Coconut]

Rise and stand looking backward.

Or you could rise and switch seats with another person in the room. The judge wants to make everyone feel like they are back in grade skool then play games just like you were back in skool.

I hate stupid ideas, but lol. FRUIT BASKET UPSET! ... just me?

[oscar_swede]

How about standing up wearing T-shirts with some witty print. Like for instance:

I don't stand out of
RESPECT
I stand for fear of
VIOLENT
THUGS

With the upper case letters printed with a large font.

[dalebert]

It's clear that these local judges are insecure Nazis. Many of us didn't stand in federal court and the magistrate just ignored us to his credit.

Burke didn't pay any attention to us for a while. Most of us never stand. I wonder if a recent case rattled him a bit though because we had quite a crowd that day, most if not all of which did not stand. Then after the case was over, we all got up and filed out and emptied most of the courtroom. We got quite a bit of attention that day. A lot of people came up to us afterward and asked us questions and the general response was actually pretty good.

[wolf]

This is the only judge I have any respect for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Napolitano
Here in Rural Pennsylvania, all the local judges are arrogant conceited assholes with a God complex. They have been known to throw people out of their courtroom if they don't like the way you are dressed. One of them through a young woman out of the court because she didn't wear a dress and carry a purse. At least 2 of the local judges have DUI convictions in NY state and had NY ankle bracelets on while meating out overly severe punishment to PA DUI defendants. There was a rumor going around saying that one of the alcoholic local judges got drunk and ran over someone while on vacation in Florida and and walked scott free while the whole story was covered up.

[coffeeseven]

But what I think the best thing to do is not get up (of course you have to be ready to be thrown in a cage on that one with these thugs).

Agreed.