SECOND IN SERIES: RIGHTS TO TRAVEL STORY CONTINUES….
I began this series by explaining the cancellation of my driver’s license over 3 years ago.
Then, the government took my vehicle.
Just over three years ago I moved from Atlanta to a Georgia town about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. Just before moving from Atlanta, I had two vehicles. One was a nice passenger car, the other was an older stationwagon that I had owned several years and used for carrying merchandise, in my business.
I was grocery shopping in Atlanta in a store directly across from the marta transit station. As I exited the grocery store, I noticed my car was missing. It had been stolen. Frequently thieves would ride marta to the northeast station, walk across the street and steal a car. Unfortunately mine was filled with Christmas shopping packages, and it was never recovered. I had insurance which covered the vehicle but not the contents.
When I moved I drove the older stationwagon to my new residence, parked it and never drove again, because of the expiration of my driver’s license shortly thereafter. I had just spent about $1500 on repairs, renewed the insurance and sent a check to the motor vehicle department for tag renewal.
I moved into an older, restored house in the historic district. In the rear of the house was a garage with no doors, which I used to store a number of things. A nearby neighbor began filing complaints about the garage being used for storage, with the local marshall’s office. This is another story, which includes about five visits by deputy marshalls. On one visit they inquired about the parked vehicle and I informed them I was not driving because my license had been cancelled.
In the meantime, I received a notice from the Department of Motor Vehicles, saying the VIN number did not match the tag and they returned my check for the tag. I did not understand why, because I had been applying for a tag and receiving the annual decal for about seven years on that stationwagon.
Shortly after I received the notice, I had emergency major surgery. Therefore I did not follow up on the VIN number error they had made. My license was cancelled. My priority was recovery from the surgery.
A few weeks later, the marshall’s office paid me a visit. I invited the deputy in. We chatted a bit, before he told me I was in violation of city codes by having a vehicle parked in the rear of private property with an expired tag. I explained to him that I had applied for and paid for a tag, and the story of the returned check. He knew I was ill and not driving and advised me to donate the car. I was stunned at a deputy marshall coming into my home, knowing I was ill and advising me to donate my private property, parked on private property about 300 feet from the street in the rear of the house.
I asked him specifically what the consequences would be if I did not donate. He was quite prepared to confiscate my property, and immediately handed me a paper, which stated a fine or jail or both, for having a vehicle parked in the rear with an expired tag. I read the paper, kept the paper, stood up and said, I’ll think about it.
I had backed the car in when I parked it and wondered how he knew the tag was expired. I remembered the tag was bent underneath. After he left I went out back to check the tag, and had to lie down on the ground to read the bent-under tag.
I thought it over, and reminded myself, of the harrassment of the four previous visits pertaining to the garage contents. I realized they had trespassed without my knowledge, by entering the property and going to the trouble of lying down to read the tag expiration decal. Under the circumstances, and being ill, trying to recuperate, threatened by written notice of a fine or jail or both, I donated the vehicle. My cope-ability, from the marshall’s office harrassment, had reached its end by that time. And this threat was the coup de grace.
After donating the car, I emailed the marshall’s office that I had donated and the vehicle had been removed, hoping they would leave me alone.
I reflected on all that had happened. One vehicle stolen, driver’s license revoked. Tag renewal refused and payment returned. Four visits from the marshall’s office over garage storage. One visit from deputy marshall with threats of fines or jail, if I did not donate my vehicle; I wondered if the devil was loose on a crutch.
I began thinking about the awesome power of political government and how individual Freedom had been eroded, and the staggering degree of encroachment into personal property Rights.
I took inventory of the events, and wondered what I had done wrong to cause it all. Concluded I had done nothing to cause the license cancellation, nor the confiscation of my vehicle. Realized all that had happened to me personally were the effects of the takeover by a centralized government, extending into states and local government employees.
Prior to this period in time, I had always stood up and fought back and resisted the intrusions, but now had reached a state in my life where I simply could not cope and did not have the energy to resist.
My next article will tell a story of how I had resisted in the past.
Shortly after my vehicle was towed away, my son called and said he would arrange a team to assist me in the creation of a blog site to write. I know so little about a computor, he knew I would need help with the mechanics of the electronics. He informed me I would be free to write about any subject I chose, and I agreed. Thus began my writing articles on my blog site, going around the world 24-7. Very carthartic to be able to express my ideas about Freedom, property Rights, political government and the intrusions, plus stories about my life, travels, grandchildren and other subjects I have written about in over 250 posted articles to date.
My next article will be a story about a previous confiscation of my driver’s license and auto tag, which happened in the eighties. How I fought back over a period of eight months and won.
LET FREEDOM RING
Just Me
AC
THE FREEDOM LADY
Email: annecleveland@bellsouth.net
