Flag/Banner/Standard as Conflict of Law

Discussion on creating and maintaining Conflicts of Law
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notmartha
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Flag/Banner/Standard as Conflict of Law

Post by notmartha »

I have wanted to do a study on flag law for a while. Searching through the Christ county vault, I came across this info and it motivated me to finally dig in.

Flags have been used since ancient times as symbols to depose one’s law and define one’s nation. I wanted to find out if, historically, there was a flag flown by the soldiers of God to depose His Word as Law and set jurisdiction in His Kingdom. Here is some of the info I’ve found, if anyone else has wondered the same thing. If anyone has done a study on this, please share your findings, especially those related to flags of His Kingdom.

Degel

The Hebrew word degel, Strong’s # 1714, is translated as “standard” 13 times and “banner” 1 time in the KJV. Verses include:
And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts. Numbers 1:52 (KJV)

Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. Numbers 2:2 (KJV) (The word “standard” is continually used throughout the numbering of the tribes)

We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfill all thy petitions. Psalm 20:5 (KJV)
In the New Bible Dictionary, G.W. Grogan writes:
1. Heb. Degel, meaning “standard” or “flag”, is rendered “banner” 4 times and “standard” 14 times in RSV. In the wilderness each tribe was marked by its own banner (Nu. 1:52; 2:2-3, etc). In Ps. 20:5 the word is used for a flag of battle.
Easton’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines “Banner” as:
1. The flag or banner of the larger kind, serving for three tribes marching together. These standards, of which there were four, were worked with embroidery and beautifully ornamented.
2. The flag borne by each separate tribe, of a smaller form. Probably it bore on it the name of the tribe to which it belonged, or some distinguishing device.
Nēs

The Hebrew word nēs, Strong’s # 5251, is translated as “standard” 7 times, “ensign” 6 times, “pole” 2 times, “banner” 2 times, “sail” 2 times, and “sign” 1 time in the KJV. Verses include:
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Isaiah 11:10-12 (KJV)

Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. Isaiah 13:1-2 (KJV)

Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. Isaiah 49:22 (KJV)

Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; Jeremiah 50:2 (KJV)

Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; Jeremiah 51:27 (KJV)

Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. Psalm 60:4 (KJV)
In the New Bible Dictionary, G.W. Grogan writes:
2. Heb. Nēs, meaning “ensign” is often rendered “banner” in RSV. It is usually employed to designate a rallying-standard. In Is. 11:12 the Messiah is said to raise up such a standard, while in verse 10 he himself is said to be one. Perhaps this latter reference is intended to be a link with “The Lord is my banner” (Jehavah-nissi, AV) in Ex. 17:15.
Easton’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines “Banner” as:
3. A lofty signal-flag, not carried about, but stationary. It was usually erected on a mountain or other lofty place. As soon as it was seen the war-trumpets were blown (Ps 60:4; Isa 5:26; Isa 11:12; Isa 13:2; Isa 18:3; Isa 30:17; Jer 4:6, 21; Ezek 27:7).
The following commentary is specific to Psalm 20:5:
“We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.”
Charles Spurgeon writes:
We will wage war in his name, we will see that our cause be good, and make his glory our end in every expedition; we will ask counsel at his mouth, and take him along with us; we will follow his conduct, implore his aid, and depend upon it, and refer the issue to him.


Matthew Henry writes:
We will celebrate our victories in his name. When "we lift up our banners" in triumph, and set up our trophies, it shall be "in the name of our God," he shall have all the glory of our success, and no instrument shall have any part of the honour that is due to him.
W. Wilson writes:
We will set up our banners. Confession of Christ, as the only name whereby we can be saved, is the "banner" which distinguishes his faithful people. O that this confession were more distinct, more pure, more zealous, in those who seem to be his followers, then would they be more united, more bold, in the profession of their religion, more successful in the cause of Christ, terrible as an army with "banners."
Mark Frank (1613-1664) writes:
Our banners. Will you know the staff, the colours, and the flag or streamer of this ensign? Why, the staff is his cross, the colours are blood and water, and the streamer the gospel, or preaching of them to the world. The staff that carried the colours, was of old time fashioned like a cross, a cross bar near the top there was, from which the flag or streamer hung; so as it were prefiguring, that all the hosts and armies of the nations were one day to be gathered under the banner of the cross, to which soldiers should daily flow out of all the nations and kingdoms of the earth.
Joseph Augustus Seiss, author of The Apocalypse: A Series of Special Lectures on the Revelation of Jesus Christ, wrote of Revelations 12:3 in his 27th Lecture:
And from these holy oracles of truth I make it known to you this night, that if you have not yet enlisted under the banner of Emanuel, and at His altar sworn unfaltering allegiance to Him, you are under the Dragon's standard, serving his will, helping on his foul and murderous work, and on the way to share his destiny. God help every one in such a case to see it before it be forever too late! Though involved in Satan's coils, it is not impossible yet to change sides; but it must be done quickly, if ever. Hence, the very first question which we are bound to ask of those to whom we are to deliver the promise of salvation is: "Do you renounce the Devil and all his works,—the vanities of the world and the sinful desires of the flesh?" And for those who decline to do this, now in the time of their probation, there is no hope, and no promise of eternal life.
Miscellaneous definitions and case citations pertaining to flags/banners/standards:

“STANDARD, in war. An ensign or flag used in war.” Bouvier’s Law Dictionary (1856)

"Law of the Flag. An expression applied to the municipal law of the country to which a ship belongs of which the flag is the symbol, when that law is resorted to in preference to the lex loci contractus for the construction and effect of a contract or the determination of a liability affecting the ship or her cargo.

The law of the flag is 'to regulate the liabilities and regulations which arise among the parties to the agreement, be of affreightment or by hypothecation, upon this principle, that the ship-owner who sends his vessel into a foreign port gives notice by his flag to all who enter into contracts with the shipmaster, that he intends the law of that flag to regulate those contracts, and that they must either submit to its operation or not contract with him at all;' Foote, Priv. Int. L. 408; and in England this rule is usually followed, the tendency being that, in the absence of indication of the intention of the parties, the presumption is in favor of the law of the ship's flag; Scrutton, Chart. Part. 11; but in 3 Moo. P. C. N. S. 272; Liverpool & G. W. S. Co. v. Ins. Co., 129 U.S. 397, 9 S.Ct. 469, 32 L.Ed. 788; 12 Q.B.D. 589; 10 Id. 540, it was held that the lex loci contractus must prevail. In his treatise on merchant shipping (3d ed. 170) MacLachlin thus states the rule as to the effect of the law on the authority of the master. 'The agency of the master is devolved upon him by the law of the flag. The same law that confers his authority, ascertains its limits, and the flag at the mast-head is notice to all the world of the extent of such power t bind the owners or freighter by his act. The foreigner who deals with this agent has notice of that law, and, if he be bound by it, there is no injustice. His notice is the national flag which is hoisted on every sea and under which the master sails into every port, and every circumstance that connects him with the vessel isolates that vessel in the eyes of the world, and demonstrates his relation to the owners and freighters as their agent for a specific purpose and with power well defined under the national maritime law;' id.; this was suggested by the author quoted as a possible explanation of the apparently anomalous exception of bottomry bonds from the general rule that the lex loci contractus prevails." Bouvier's Law Dictionary (1914)

"Use of the flag. The most general and appropriate use of the flag is as a symbol of authority and power." The National Encyclopedia (1944), Vol. 4, p. 326.

"NATIONAL FLAG. A flag representing an independent state, especially a nation-state, but by extension the flag of formerly independent states and of non-independent national groups. Although chiefly associated with use by private citizens, either on land or at sea, the term is frequently applied to a design used in any one of six principal functions; see civil ensign, civil flag, state ensign, state flag, war ensign, war flag." Flags (1975), p. 19.

From http://definitions.uslegal.com/l/law-of-the-flag/ :

Law of the flag is a principle of maritime and international law that the sailors and vessel will be subject to the laws of the state corresponding to the flag flown by the vessel. The law of the flag doctrine is chiefly applicable to ships on the high seas, where there is no territorial sovereign. With respect to ships in foreign territorial waters it has little application beyond what is affirmatively or tacitly permitted by the local sovereign.

The traditional statement of the law of the flag doctrine provides that a merchant ship is part of the territory of the country whose flag she flies, and that actions aboard that ship are subject to the laws of the flag state. The law of the flag doctrine does not mandate that anything that occurs aboard a ship must be handled by the flag state. In fact, the United States Supreme Court has recognized that the law of the flag doctrine does not completely trump a sovereign's territorial jurisdiction to prosecute violations of its laws. [United States v. Kun Yun Jho, 534 F.3d 398 (5th Cir. Tex. 2008)]

And from the Christ county vault:
“Section Three. Banner: The Authorized Banner for Christ county, kingdom of God, and this House, shall Herald to Christ's church and all the world the Venue, Jurisdiction, Law of the Place (lex loci) and Law of the Forum (lex fori) for this House and the People therein.”
“The Cross of Christ shall be the color blue, and shall symbolize Righteousness, Judgment, and Mercy. The Union Field shall be white, and shall symbolize Purity and Truth. The Border Stripe shall be the color red, and shall symbolize the Blood of Christ as a covering of Our sins. The Banner shall be presented by being vertically hung or flown. (History: HR 25)”
Ok, if you made it this far, I have a few questions for any People of Christ county.

1. How did you decide on this banner design?
2. Did you have any successes using the banner to depose your Law?
3. Where did you display the banner? House? Car? Sleeve? I’m wondering if it was used effectively to establish jurisdiction over your property.

Anything else y'all would like to add would be appreciated.
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Re: Flag/Banner/Standard as Conflict of Law

Post by editor »

notmartha,

Thank you for this research. I've seen much of it before, but it was another of our members who did it, and this was a long time ago.

I wrote about the one and only time I know of, in which the Christ county Banner was ever brought into a foreign court. It was I who did it, and here is the link:

http://lawfulpath.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... banner#p74

If you want to know anything more about that civil case, just ask.

At the time, we displayed the Banner in our car windows, at the corners and gates of our lands, and at our various assemblies. Any time our Law applied, we heralded it with our Banner.

For example, when some members of the Michigan Militia Wolverines claimed to have evidence that the State Commander and the State XO were secretly working for the FBI, a group of Wolverine leaders asked me to mediate the dispute. I scheduled a time and place for a meeting, and sent formal notice to each of the Wolverine's county brigade commanders. The notice bore the Christ county Banner.

On the day of the meeting it was also our Banner which hung in the assembly hall, and the U.S. flag was nowhere to be seen. This upset many of the assembled leaders, until I explained to them that while they were in the assembly room they were in a foreign country. Finally they all agreed; a quorum was present, and I mediated the meeting which ended in the State Commander and XO being replaced and a pro tempore Commander and XO being elected. The declaration signed by all these leaders, and by myself as mediator also bore the Christ county Banner.
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Re: Flag/Banner/Standard as Conflict of Law

Post by notmartha »

At the time, we displayed the Banner in our car windows, at the corners and gates of our lands, and at our various assemblies. Any time our Law applied, we heralded it with our Banner.
When doing this, did the STATE still have an interest? In other words, were there still tags on cars, property on tax rolls, "proper credentials" in pockets? Did you consider yourself/selves to have dual citizenship in order to carry on your lives in "this state"?

I'm sure you (Editor) understand planes of jurisdiction. It is a principle discussed in Covell v. Heyman 111 U.S. 176 (1884) and later in Ponzi v. Fessenden 258 U.S. 254 (1922). They say, in part:
These courts do not belong to the same system, so far as their jurisdiction is concurrent, and although they coexist in the same space, they are independent, and have no common superior. They exercise jurisdiction, it is true, within the same territory, but not in the same plane, and when one takes into its jurisdiction a specific thing, that res is as much withdrawn from the judicial power of the other as if it had been carried physically into a different territorial sovereignty.
So, generally speaking, does displaying a flag create a new plane of jurisdiction within the same territory where others claim interests, or does it create a new territory? Hope my question makes sense...
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Re: Flag/Banner/Standard as Conflict of Law

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When doing this, did the STATE still have an interest? In other words, were there still tags on cars, property on tax rolls, "proper credentials" in pockets? Did you consider yourself/selves to have dual citizenship in order to carry on your lives in "this state"?
Most of us, myself included, canceled our state drivers licenses. Christ county issued an identification card certified by our Clerk. That, too, displayed our Banner. I had used the Embassy of Heaven (near Eugene, Oregon) to remove my automobile from state title, for which they did a fine job. They issued a plate which I used for five years. Christ county had plans to make a plate for cars, but we never got that far.

As for the land/property tax issue, we never got far enough to tackle that either, though it was a major line of study for us. One of my friends did manage to keep his land for eight years without paying property taxes. I wrote about it here:

http://lawfulpath.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... &hilit=art

To answer your question, in my opinion, the creation of a new territory hinges on full legal title to the land. If you have full title, without obligation to pay property taxes, and without any other disability, then you have created a new territory. An example is the Holy See (the Vatican) which is a walled territory eighty acres in size, located entirely within the boundaries of Italy but, nevertheless, an island of jurisdiction unto itself. The Holy See has a seat, but not a vote, in the United Nations, and is officially recognized as one of the independent nations of the world.

Anything less than full title to the land, and at best you can create a separate plane of jurisdiction.
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Re: Flag/Banner/Standard as Conflict of Law

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editor wrote:To answer your question, in my opinion, the creation of a new territory hinges on full legal title to the land. If you have full title, without obligation to pay property taxes, and without any other disability, then you have created a new territory. An example is the Holy See (the Vatican) which is a walled territory eighty acres in size, located entirely within the boundaries of Italy but, nevertheless, an island of jurisdiction unto itself. The Holy See has a seat, but not a vote, in the United Nations, and is officially recognized as one of the independent nations of the world.Anything less than full title to the land, and at best you can create a separate plane of jurisdiction.
I agree. In addition to creating a new territory, you need the ability to hold that territory. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
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Re: Flag/Banner/Standard as Conflict of Law

Post by notmartha »

Rural Georgia city council votes to fly ‘Christian flag’ at City Hall over objections by its own attorney

From: HERE
Even after the city attorney told them it was a violation of church/state separation, the city council of little Cochran, Georgia, population 5,100, voted last week to fly the “Christian flag” over its City Hall. And the city manager tells us it’s still flying there now.

A local resident alerted us to the situation, concerned that the story wasn’t getting wider attention. WMAZ, a television station in Macon, which is about 40 miles north, wrote a brief piece about the city council’s decision, but our informant told us that the flag was also flying at the Bleckley County Courthouse and other public places.

We called Cochran City Manager Richard Newbern to ask him if the story was true.

“The council voted last Tuesday, on April 14, to fly the Christian flag at City Hall,” Newbern told us. “In the past it has been flown from time to time at City Hall.”

But this time, he says, after the council voted to raise the flag, Newbern thought he better get an opinion from the city attorney.

“The attorney advised that the flag not be flown at City Hall,” he says, and it was taken down. But then the city council voted 5-1 to put it back up, and it’s been flying on a pole outside the building ever since.

Newbern explained that the flag was raised in anticipation of the local “Bible Reading Marathon,” which is sponsored by the International Bible Reading Association and was first held in Cochran in 2003. The event lasts seven days on the steps of the county courthouse, with the Christian flag flying. According to the Bible Reading Marathon’s Facebook page, the setup at the county courthouse is put together by a member of the county staff…

<snip>

The idea for a Christian flag dates back to a speech given at Coney Island in 1897, when a Sunday school superintendent needed to come up with something to say when a scheduled speaker failed to show up. According to the Society of the Christian Flag, in 1908 a pledge was added by a Methodist minister: “I pledge Allegiance to the Christian Flag and to the Saviour for whose kingdom it stands, one brotherhood uniting all mankind in service and love.”

And of course there’s nothing wrong with places of worship and private homes flying a flag that’s meant to express unity between various Christian sects and denominations.

But flying it on public buildings is a pretty blatant violation of the First Amendment, as the city’s attorney tried to warn the city council. And with the flag also flying on businesses and homes in Cochran, it must feel to a non-believer that the town has been taken over by a local theocracy.

<snip>

We asked Newbern if he’s received any complaints from local residents about the flag flying at the public building. “No, I haven’t received any complaints.”
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God under the U.S., huh? Would this still create a conflict of law?
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Re: Flag/Banner/Standard as Conflict of Law

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God under the U.S., huh? Would this still create a conflict of law?
In my opinion, no. It would not create a conflict of law because in this case the United States flag was placed in position above the Christian flag, thereby acknowledging United States jurisdiction as superior to that of God.
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Re: Flag/Banner/Standard as Conflict of Law

Post by notmartha »

I concur. And frankly, it angers me, being very jealous for God.

Deuteronomy 6:13-16 (KJV)
13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
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