Have you heard of Jeff Knaebel? Probably not. News of him has been purposefully ignored across mainstream media - the same as with Tom Ball who self-immoliated in New Hampshire earlier this year.

Jeff Knaebel saw beyond the pomp, pageantry and lies of the flag and patriotism to see that government is nothing but a criminal, violent gang and in 1995 he attempted to extract himself from the system - something that is proving nearly impossible to detach completely from. Your government doesn't want to let its tax slaves escape so easily.

In his quest, Knaebel, an American, moved to India in 2006 where he wrote Experiments in Moral Sovereignty: Notes of an American Exile in which he published "My Personal Declaration of Severance and Independence" from the United States.

[Ed. Note: Doug Casey wrote his own personal "Individual Declaration of Independence" on July 4, 1996 which you can print out and sign if you wish to make a formal declaration]

Knaebel then burned his American passport and renounced his American citizenship on June 19, 2009, thus making himself stateless.

He felt that government taxation and restrictions on personal movement and domicile were tantamount to slavery, especially when taxpayers could not opt out of having their tax money spent on war.

He wished to prove by his actions that the current system of World States makes it nearly impossible for a truly nonviolent person to exist. He wanted to move about freely without hiding or risking harassment by governmental authorities. Furthermore, he wished to demonstrate that governments were truly coercive because they did not allow one to withdraw from citizenship, from paying taxes, and from using government identification documents.

He was harassed by the Indian Government until as a final protest he burned himself to death in January of this year near the ancient monastic ruins of Bairat.

GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP AND OPPRESSION

You probably never heard about it. Governments, and especially the US Government, are quick to block any mention of these type of acts. They know that people in the US are reaching their limit with the government (87% of Americans disapprove of Congress) and that it could just be one simple act, like those of Knaebel or Ball that could trigger an uprising.

It is for this reason that the US Government wants an internet "kill switch". It's not to prevent "internet terrorist attacks" - something which has never happened and is basically impossible. It is to prevent the people of the US from organizing and uprising against the government.

Governments have also been fast to institute ways to cut off mobile phone networks as was recently seen in San Francisco when people gathered to protest the killing of a man by the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police. BART cut power to cellphone towers serving its stations to make it more difficult for protesters to communicate.

Written right in the United States Declaration of Independence is the following passage. Note how this passage is not mentioned too often by the government, schools or media:

"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

The US Government has a train of abuses and usurpations too egregious to list for the last century. So, from their perspective, resistance to government must be censored or squashed as quickly as possible - lest the slaves get out of order.

Unfortunately, many governments worldwide are taking their lead from the US and the world has never been less free. And, before it gets better it is probably going to get a lot worse.

PEACEFUL RESISTANCE IS POSSIBLE

It is for this reason that we have a heavy focus on ways to free ourselves from our own governments. Non violent resistance can be accomplished through expatriation of self and wealth, through throwing off government fiat currencies in favor of hard money like gold and silver and seeking out the places on earth that are the least oppressive to your rights and your capital. We will never cease this search until all nation-states finally collapse. To date most of those roads have led us to Asia and Latin America.

[Ed. Note: On September 1st we will unveil to TDV subscribers a new service we have set-up to quickly, easily and cheaply get a second foreign passport in a country that is much freer than the US and who only taxes its citizens on income earned inside of the country - all other worldwide income is not taxed]

Jeff Knaebel knew that there is no way to be 100% free on this planet anymore... but we continue to seek out ways to limit government control and theft on our self and our wealth. At this point declaring your own personal declaration of independence is the only rational thing you can do for yourself and your family.

Subscribe to TDV today to receive the upcoming issue on September 1st to learn how to easily get a second foreign passport and much more.