Yearly emissions test reminds of state’s conversion of right into privilege
An emissions test worker in Chattanooga looks over a Honda Odyssey minivan that passed inspection. (Photo David Tulis) The young woman at the emissions testing center has purple dye in her hair. She’s friendly. She asked me for my papers and to step out of the car and to stand over by the blue chair […]
How state gains control of public right of way & innocent private activity
Clarksville, Tenn., patrolmen stop a traveler in a car, presumably with probable cause. (Photo Clarksville police department) Let’s briefly solve a mystery. How is it that state government has authority over people using the public right-of-way in cars and trucks for which they have paid for with their own money? By David Tulis How is […]
The day was warm and bright: A spring refresh in local economy
A child reaches for a flower in an exploration outdoors. (Photo Rochelle Marshall) The sun shone and my children frolicked in the sunshine on the broad path. Rue anemone and trillium lined our way as we journeyed along the stream, up towards the majestic falls. Past the broken log bridge, with the delightful tale of […]
Hirsch rips judge who led jury to rule against constitutional rights
Families take part in a tractor pull event in Lawrence County, Tenn., where a circuit court judge has churned up the soil of legal proprieties in mishandling a criminal case against an innocent Christian traveler. By David Tulis Arthur Jay Hirsch, 65, was convicted in December in a Lawrenceburg, Tenn., circuit court of four counts, […]
Restoring our ancient rights one case at a time: Mr. Hirsch goes to trial
In this building, the Lawrence County, Tenn., courthouse, Jay Hirsch, a user of the public roads, will be tried for refusing to yield his constitutional right to travel. By David Tulis Our interest to defend constitutional liberty reaches into dark areas of oppression about which ordinary people do not think. One is the right to […]
Abortionist is right: Constitutional right can’t be taxed, regulated
Moms ready to destroy boys and girls are checked in this room at The Women’s Center in Nashville carefully designed to prevent vertigo. (Photo The Women’s Center) By David Tulis A constitutional right cannot be taxed or regulated, even if that right involves the killing of an innocent person. Thanks to Roe v. Wade and […]
Musty paper trail confirms highway law respects free travelers
This graphic from an American standards group shows the parts of a highway upon which an auto user may freely travel — namely the roadway. (Graphic American National Standards Institute) By David Tulis Our interest in free markets and the assertion of ancient rights in an era of administrative law and the modern total state […]
How state snips quills of constitutional rights, manhandles ‘free’ people
Citizens with their rights resemble a porcupine, jealous of its space. (Photo Wikimedia Commons) A Lawrenceburg, Tenn., man goes on trial Tuesday on criminal charges that he is using the public roadways without a driver’s license. The arguments of Arthur Jay Hirsch are remarkably insightful, and much in line with my own analysis about the […]
Gnome insists on roadway rights apart from licensing demands
By David Tulis I have a driver’s license. So do you. So why my interest in that user of the road who refuses to obtain a driver’s licenses from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security? Why do I care about him and spill ink on his behalf? Because they are defenders of the […]
Mike Little: Cited to city court, you are wise to know your rights, its limitations
Mike Little is an experienced criminal defense attorney in Chattanooga and an adjunct law course professor at UTC. The candidate for Hamilton County criminal court shares his insights into rights of the defendant and traffic stops. [I feel it will be most useful to hear Mr. Little’s unfiltered explanations about how inferior courts work, given […]