Requirement for Consent

three of the accused witches were outsiders and deviants who were easy targets for suspicion and retaliation. Historians agree that the investigation into witches in this incident was used to conceal a political agenda. The agenda involved a private dispute, and the witch allegation was used as a means to gain political advantage. After this incident, the witch hysteria spread to 200 other accused witches in 24 other surrounding villages. 27 witches were found guilty and 19 were hanged. The witch trials ended in America when the accusers began accusing prominent people, such as the wife of the governor of Massachusetts. At that point, political leaders abruptly stopped the trials because they were not only not benefiting from them, but began being hurt by them. 6.1.1. Scientific investigation and knowledge ultimately was what brought witch trials to an end. Science eliminated the role of superstition in attributing harmful events to supernatural and magical powers. 6.1.2. The wife of the governor of Massachusetts was accused of witchcraft. Once government officials saw that they could no longer benefit, but would be harmed by spreading the witch trials, they put them to an abrupt 14 6.2. Today, people who would have been accused as witches in the 1600’s would now simply be identified by a 15 mental health expert as mentally ill. Unlike the early witch trials, in which the accusers and inquisitors were 16 often religious figures, today’s accusers usually work in the government and they use as their justification the 17 testimony of a mental health professional who: 18 6.2.1. Would be undermining his livelihood and his income by giving a person a clean mental bill of health. 19 6.2.2. Has no moral or religious training. 20 6.2.3. Has a conflict of interest because he is licensed by the same government that is doing the false accusing. 21 As we examined the above list of characteristics that describe witchcraft, some striking similarities became obvious 22 between the way the government treated “witches” back then and the way the same government treats “freedom advocates” 23 of today. Below is a table summarizing the many similarities between the two, organized in the same sequence as the 24 above list: 25 10 11 12 13 end. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6. Why witch trials eventually ended and how these matters are handled today: 8 6.1. Two factors contributed to the end of the witch trials in America: 9

Table 10: Comparison of treatment of “witches” to that of “tax protesters” 26

# 1

Characteristic

Incidence in witches

Incidence in freedom advocates

Historical foundations of the public outcry against witchcraft

NA

NA

1.1

Context of trials

Peak occurred in late 1600’s in rural villages of Europe and America.

Period after World War II, when government no longer needed the income tax but still wanted to expand its power and control over the people in violation of the Constitution. Government greed and lust for power and money.

1.2

Basis for persecution

Main motivation was Biblical prohibitions and superstition by ignorant citizens and government covetousness of property of accused witches. Witch hunts allowed government to confiscate all the property of the witch and not return it to the witch’s family. Were viewed as a “religion” and a threat the Christianity.

1.3

Activities of accused witches

Are viewed as a threat to the state sponsored “Civil religion of Socialism” and a challenge to the authority of the government as the new false “god” and sovereign within society. Ignorant, superstitious, and presumptuous jurists educated in government schools. This ignorance about law is deliberately created by our government by manipulating the public education system to dumb down the population. Ignorant people tend to be more fearful than highly educated people. Associating tax protesters with extremist groups such as “Montana Free Men”, terrorists, and criminals. NA

2

Social Status

NA

2.1

Hatred and fear of most prevalent in

Uninformed,

superstitious,

and

presumptuous people

2.2

Public mobilized against accused by government through

Associating “witches” with immoral and harmful activities.

Requirement for Consent

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Copyright Sovereignty Education and Defense Ministry, http://sedm.org Form 05.003, Rev. 7-23-2013

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