I read an article today about "sovereign citizens," which were defined as anti-government extremists who argue they are not subject to local, state or federal laws, and some even refuse to recognize the authority of courts or police. I could not find the article (from the Chicago Tribune) in Google.

Have you heard this expression? To me, it seems like an odd definition...and unrelated to the common definition of "sovereign."

Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the Sovereign citizen movement.

Individual sovereignty isn't a new concept. Chaucer wrote about it. http://www.online-literature.c...owthread.php?t=23673

"Sovereign citizens" also make their own license plates since they don't recognize the states' right to make them register cars. Some also claim that any indictment they may acquire is not legal since they spell their name "John Q.: Smith" or something like that. The colon makes them safe from the law, they say, and a court cannot use their name on any legal papers with the punctuation in place. Loony.

I expect the IRS lands them up the river making license plates for others..

Making license plates without a license?

Well, arnie's link is a whole lot different from Geoff's. I think this is a somewhat, anyway, new use of the phrase.