Paper terrorism

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Paper terrorism" is a

pseudolegal documents lacking sound factual basis as a method of harassment against an opponent on a scale described as evocative of conventional armed terrorism.[1] These methods are popular among some American anti-government groups[2] and those associated with the redemption movement.[3]

Mark Pitcavage of the Anti-Defamation League states that these methods were pioneered by the Posse Comitatus.[4] Some victims of paper terrorism have been forced to declare bankruptcy.[5] An article by the Southern Poverty Law Center states that another tactic is filing reports with the Internal Revenue Service falsely accusing their political enemies of having unreported income.[6]

Such frivolous lawsuits also clog the court system making it more difficult to process other cases and including using challenges to the titles of property owned by government officials and others.

bankruptcy petitions against others in an effort to ruin their credit ratings.[8]

In the late 1990s,[9] the "Republic of Texas", a militia group claiming that Texas was legally independent, carried out what it called "a campaign of paper terrorism" using bogus land claims and bad checks to try to congest Texas courts.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Robert Chamberlain and Donald P. Haider-Markel (September 2005). "'Lien on Me': State Policy Innovation in Response to Paper Terrorism". Political Research Quarterly. 58 (3): 449–460.
  2. JSTOR 1144080
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  4. ^ Pitcavage, Mark (June 29, 1998). "Paper Terrorism's Forgotten Victims: The Use of Bogus Liens against Private Individuals and Businesses". Militia Watchdog. Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on September 18, 2002.
  5. ^ "Paper terrorism: How states are, and are not, fighting back". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. August 8, 2017. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
  6. ^ "Common-Law Victims: 'Paper terrorism' isn't just on paper". Southern Poverty Law Center. Spring 1998.
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  8. ^ Maller, Peter; Lynch-German, Lauria (September 3, 2002), 'Paper terrorism' gaining adherents, Journal-Sentinel, archived from the original on April 3, 2005, retrieved October 6, 2022{{citation}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. OCLC 51052255
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