The Posse Comitatus (from the Latin phrase meaning "power of the county") is a loosely-organized right-wing social movement that opposes the United States federal government and believes in radical localism. There is no single national group, and local units are autonomous. Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Localism usually describes social measures or trends which emphasise or value local and small-scale phenomena. ...

Posse members believe that there is no legitimate form of government above that of the county level and no higher law authority than the county sheriff and that if the sheriff refuses to carry out the will of the county's citizens: Originally, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count (in Great Britain, an earl, though the original earldoms covered larger areas) by reason of that office. ... Sheriff is both a political and a legal office held under English common law, Scots law or American common law, or the person who holds such office. ...

"...he shall be removed by the Posse to the most populated intersection of streets in the township and at high noon be hung by the neck, the body remaining until sundown as an example to those who would subvert the law."

Many Posse members practice survivalism and played a role in the formation of the armed citizens militias in the 1990s. A survivalist is a person who anticipates a potential disruption in the continuity of local, regional or worldwide society, and takes steps to survive in the resulting unpredictable situation. ...

Federal taxes

Members of the Posse Comitatus frequently refuse to pay taxes, to obtain driver's licenses, or otherwise to comply with regulatory authorities. They deny the validity of United States fiat money as not backed by gold, which they claim the Constitution requires. Tax - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Driving licences within the European Union are subdivided in different categories. ... Fiat money or fiat currency, is money such as paper money, that is current or legal tender as satisfaction for money debts by government fiat, that is by artificial law. ... 1922 U.S. gold certificate The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed weight of gold. ...

They have unusual legal documents drawn up and attempt to record them, declaring independence from the United States, or claiming to file "common law" liens against perceived enemies like Internal Revenue Service employees or judges. They are often involved in various tax protests, and have invoked arguments popularized by tax protesters. This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... In law, lien is the broadest term for any sort of charge or encumbrance against an item of property that secures the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation. ... The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the United States government agency that collects taxes and enforces the tax laws. ... A judge or justice is an appointed or elected official who presides over a court. ... Taxation in the United States is a complex system which may involve payments to at least four different levels of government: Local government, possibly including one or more of municipal, township, district and county governments Regional entities such as school, utility and transit districts State government Federal government The federal... In United States tax law enforcement, a tax protester (or tax protestor) is a person who resists or refuses payment of a tax for which he or she is liable based on a belief that the tax laws are inapplicable or unconstitutional. ...

Criminal activities

Some Posse members have engaged in vigilantism. For the aircraft, see A-5 Vigilante. ...

In 1983, Posse member (and accused parole violator) Gordon Kahl killed two Federal marshals (who had come to arrest him) in North Dakota and became a fugitive. Kahl later was killed by Arkansas law enforcement officials in a shootout in which a local sheriff was also killed. 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gordon Wendell Kahl was a member of the terrorist organization The Posse Comitatus. ... The United States Marshals Service, part of the United States Department of Justice, is the United States oldest federal law enforcement agency. ... State nickname: Peace Garden State, Roughrider State, Flickertail State Other U.S. States Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Governor John Hoeven (R) Official languages English Area 183 272 km² (19th)  - Land 178 839 km²  - Water 4 432 km² (2. ...

Other members of the group have also been convicted of crimes ranging from tax evasion and counterfeiting to threatening the lives of IRS agents and judges. This article contrasts tax evasion, tax avoidance, tax resistance and tax mitigation. ... A counterfeit is an imitation that is made with the intent to deceptively represent its content or origins. ... . The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the United States government agency that collects taxes and enforces the tax laws. ... A judge or justice is an appointed or elected official who presides over a court. ...

Racism and origins

Many Posse members embraced the antisemitic and white supremacist beliefs of Christian Identity. Christian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely-affiliated groups and churches with a racialized theology. ...

Some believe that the U.S. Federal government is illegitimate and in the hands of "ZOG," an alleged Jewish conspiracy. Zionist Occupied (Occupational) Government, or ZOG, is a term used to refer to the belief that the United States government is controlled by Zionists where the word Zionists is sometimes used as a euphemism for Jews. ... The word Jew (Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity; and often a combination of these attributes. ... This proposed logo for a U.S. government agency was dropped due to fears that its Masonic symbolism would provoke conspiracy theories. ...

Posse charters were issued in 1969 in Portland, Oregon, by Henry Lamont Beach, a retired dry cleaner and one-time member of the Silver Shirts, a Nazi-inspired organization that was established in America after Hitler rose to power in Germany. 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Portland skyline. ... The Silver Legion of America, commonly known as the Silver Shirts, was an American fascist organization founded by William Dudley Pelley on January 30, 1933. ...

Ironically, William Potter Gale, who is considered the intellectual founder of the movement and was one of its most virulent anti-Semites (telling Kansas farmers in 1982 "If a Jew comes near you, run a sword through him") was, himself, descended on his father's side from a long line of devout Jews. Charles Gale (born Grabfiker), was a Jew who immigrated to the United States in 1896 from Eastern Europe at the age of 14. He changed his name and lied about his birthplace to join the US Army in 1900, eventually converted to Christianity, married a non-Jew, and raised his children as Christians. Several of William Potter Gale's siblings, however, have returned to their Jewish heritage. The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange) and other former communist regimes (light orange). ... 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ...

External links

• Nizkor on the Posse Comitatus Critical article
• The Posse Comitatus by Ian Geldard brief overview of the origins and development of the group
• Hate and Hypocriscy - What is behind the rare-but-recurring phenomenon of Jewish anti-Semites? Features story of William Potter Gale