A correspondent brought my attention to this important video from Howcast: How To Replace a Lost or Stolen Passport

Click here to view the embedded video.

At 1:34 you can see that the scanned image of my canceled US passport from here has been doctored ever so slightly.

Seeing as we must have shared a womb and all, I do find it strange that Michaela never calls…

Bravo, Jeff!

Ian Freeman of Free Talk Live interviewed Jeff on the air on 4 July 2009.

Listen below or download here. MP3 audio, 5.6MB, 24 minutes 19 seconds.

Via MMD Newswire:

Someone who found my blog and made their way to my other website where I list my instant messaging contacts struck up a brief conversation with me. It is reproduced here, in slightly edited form.

Conversation with He at 3:09 AM:

(3:09 AM) He: Way to go! I hope you find happiness where you’re living now. I understand your feelings very much on the Gov.

(3:10 AM) Me: Hello.

(3:10 AM) Me: Thanks. Which feelings?

(3:10 AM) He: The American Gov………… corruption.

(3:11 AM) Me: Aye. Calling it merely “corruption” is perhaps too kind.

(3:11 AM) He: hahaha……

(3:11 AM) He: Yeah, that’s putting it lightly.

(3:11 AM) Me: Do I know you from somewhere/one/when else?

(3:11 AM) He: No.

(3:12 AM) Me: Ah okay.

(3:13 AM) He: was looking into renouncing my citizenship since they refused to give me a passport because of child support.

(3:14 AM) Me: Won’t work.

(3:14 AM) Me: It’s one of the conditions which if present can be grounds for denial of renunciation.

(3:14 AM) He: am hostage here even though I’m paying support.

(3:14 AM) Me: Yeah, i understand this situation. Didn’t happen to me, but I’ve modeled the possibilities. It’s damned ugly on the outside, must be fucking horrible on the inside.

(3:15 AM) He: Yeah, it’s though……… I guess I’ll run across the Mexican border for vacation and hope I don’t get shot.

(3:15 AM) Me: dubious strategy, without adequate preparation.

(3:15 AM) He: Thanks for the input.

(3:15 AM) Me: You’re stuck with your citizenship, most likely.

(3:16 AM) Me: Unless you can find a way to ditch it.

(3:16 AM) Me: Read the Nationality Act.

(3:16 AM) He: I’m searching.

(3:16 AM) Me: Where do you live?

(3:16 AM) He: Ohio.

(3:16 AM) Me: Big land. Moderately hilly.

(3:17 AM) He: Yeah, and lots of taxes.

(3:17 AM) Me: I’d imagine.

(3:17 AM) He: Thanks for the chat time………… the kids need tucked into bed.

(3:17 AM) He: thanks Mike.

(3:17 AM) Me: Can I have your permission to post this conversation?

(3:18 AM) Me: Without any identifying details?

(3:18 AM) He: Sure, just not my screen name.

(3:18 AM) Me: ok, your SSN is fine, but not your screen name, got it

(3:18 AM) He: Add me.

(3:18 AM) He: Goodnight.

(3:18 AM) He: Thanks.

(3:19 AM) Me: You too. G’night, kids.

The questions folks have about what I’ve done in renouncing my US citizenship and becoming intentionally stateless seem endless sometimes.

It seems that what information is out there in the public sphere doesn’t lead many to a clear picture of the legal reality of things. I guess I’m partly here to help clear some of that up.

A while back I found an article at nowpublic.com by Alvarez Galloso (“Renunciation of US Citizenship Is Not A Joke“) on the topic, which contained an error. In the comments, I pointed out the error, and then forgot about the article.

But I happened upon it again recently, and added a bit more, which I repeat here now.

Mike Gogulski at 17:15 on September 25th, 2008

As a bit of a student on exactly this matter, I must nitpick:

The individual must also make a trip outside of the United States of America to see if the country where he or she wants to become a citizen of will accept him or her

Untrue, and conflates unrelated issues.

First, yes, they must make a trip outside the US. The reason for this is that the law requires the renunciant have demonstrated intent to no longer reside in the US, which excludes renunciation on US territory. But the potential renunciant may or may not have the intent to become a citizen of the country where they renounce their citizenship, and/or may or may not have an intent to become a citizen of some other country. As far as the operation of the legal/administrative process goes, from what I have seen the present or prospective future citizenship of the renunciant is not an issue for consideration by the State Department, unless a broad administrative discretion is applied. Legal residence is a different matter, and can indeed lead to trouble if not addressed properly.

Additionally, many nations are signatories to UN-backed treaties on refugees and stateless persons which provide varying levels of protections to stateless persons found on their territories, at least if they have lawful residence, the most generous of which recognize nearly all of the same rights for them as for citizens. The “acceptance”, at least in theory, is automatic, though there are places in the laws as implemented out there which use the word “may” in places where the seeker of state-recognized status might rather see the word “shall” in relation to the government’s duties. And there’s always that administrative discretion to contend with, too.

The renunciant can certainly make the inquiries and do the research necessary to find out the requirements for becoming a citizen of another country in advance, and without leaving home.

Mr. Galloso replied:

AlvarezGalloso at 18:49 on September 25th, 2008

In this segment, you may be right. Thanks for adding to the discussion.

And I followed up:

Mike Gogulski at 04:48 on May 14th, 2009

Just to follow up, I stand very strongly by my words above!

I renounced my US citizenship on 8 December 2008 in Bratislava, Slovakia. Later, I received a Certificate of Loss of Nationality, and then later applied for and was issued a 1954 Convention Travel Document, a passport-like thing for stateless persons, by the Slovak Ministry of Interior.

Additional information for the would-be renunciant, as well as my own story and radical politics, can be found at my site.

Cheers,

Mike

He’s on something of a wanderjahr through Greater Cascadia, northern Aztlan and nearby regions, hitchhiking and walking. Tonight I asked him, again through SMS, was had happened. Here is his story, with minimal editing, straight off my phone:

They were good people and could do what they want.

I’m sure the foot soldiers of the Khmer Rouge thought the same thing.

And people ask me why I left America… Ha!

I started the site, really, as my own soapbox, primarily intended to be a platform for publicity around my renunciation of US citizenship. Early on I did a lot more writing than I have been lately. Looking back in the archives will show up to 3 posts per day, back in the day, a lot of it reaction to current events. These days my level of engagement with the news has fallen to roughly zero, as it tends to every few years. Now, three posts in a week is a busy time around here. What the future holds is unclear, though I will make one promise: later this year, probably in the summer, there will be a semi-dramatic, fully-anarchist event starring — who else? — me, captured on video and posted here. Stay tuned!

What I did not expect when I joined the blogosphere was to become so much more engaged as a libertarian and anarchist. I did not expect to meet, make the acquaintance and even become friends with so many worthwhile, interesting people. This, truly, is a greater reward than I ever imagined. Thanks to all of you!!!

Significantly, nostate.com became (barely) self-funding in March 2009.

Some statistics, aggregating a year’s worth of data from Google Analytics and other data sources:

Unique visits: 64,381
Pageviews: 103,868
Visitors: 52,749
RSS subscribers: at least 120, counting only those using web-based readers

Top 5 countries, by number of visits:
United States: 45,149
Canada: 4,436
United Kingdom: 3,981
Slovakia: 1,334
Germany: 998

Top content, view count and top referrers thereto:

US government announces new logo: 24,288 (StumbleUpon)
The clown suit defense, and the excuses of symbols: 8,424 (StumbleUpon)
A declaration of separation: 4,141 (whatreallyhappened.com, davidicke.com)
I surrendered my US passport today: 3,872 (reddit, Digg, StumbleUpon)
The penalty is always death: 2,488 (StumbleUpon)
Press release: 2,267 (various)
Fuck the troops!: 2,034 (various)
An anarchist’s declaration: 1,911 (various)
Free Janine! And all political prisoners!: 1,878 (reddit)
Lèse majesté: 1,755 (StumbleUpon)

I also submitted an application there for issuance of a replacement sticker for my residence permit, which I’ll have to pick up there in a couple of weeks.

Slovakia stateless person's 1954 Convention Travel Document, cover

So, I’m now an officially-documented stateless person. I’m also once again officially a human being, at least as far as concerns those annoying institutions like banks, government offices and so on, which treat people like they don’t exist if they don’t have currently-valid state identity papers.

Surprising to me, my new Proof of Humanity actually does have information and the Slovak national regalia on the front cover.

Some interesting text, verbatim from the English version, from page 33:

The holder of travel document under the Convention of 28 September 1954 is an alien with legal status of a person without state citizenship, who was granted a permission for permanent residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic. He/she is under protection of the Slovak Republic. All whom it may concern are hereby requested to afford the holder of this travel document all necessary aid and protection according to international law.

And the data page

Oooooh, protection!

Some typical translation errors there with regard to the use of articles. Neat conflict, too, between what this document says and what my visa says. I’m actually here on a temporary residence permit, not permanent.

In any case, coming back from bureaucroland I couldn’t get Iron Maiden’s old track “Back in The Village” out of my head.

Welcome back to The Village, Number Six.

(Updated: linked to full-resolution images)

Iron Maiden, “Back in the Village”, Powerslave, 1984.

Turn the spotlights on the people,
Switch the dial and eat the worm.
Take your chances, kill the engine,
Drop your bombs and let it burn.

White flags shot to ribbons,
The truce is black and burned,
Shellshock in the kitchen,
Tables overturned.

CHORUS
Back in the village again,
In the village.
I’m back in the village again.

Throwing dice now, rolling loaded,
I see sixes all the way.
In a black hole, and I’m spinning
As my wings get shot away.

BRIDGE
Questions are a burden,
And answers are a prison for oneself,
Shellshock in the kitchen,
Tables start to burn.

CHORUS

No breaks on the inside,
Paper cats and burning barns,
There’s a fox among the chickens,
And a killer in the hounds.

BRIDGE

CHORUS

But still we walk into the valley,
And others try to kill the inner flame,
We’re burning brighter than before,
I don’t have a number, I’M A NAME!

CHORUS x2

Back in the village,
And I’m back in the village,
And I’m back in the village, again

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There was much waiting around the office to do, as the staffers there were quite unfamiliar with the process and regulations for folks like me.

I was required to also submit a certified translation into Slovak of my Certificate of Loss of Nationality of the United States and €33.50 in official duty stamps.

My photograph and fingerprints were taken, and I provided a digitized signature. Looks like my document will have the hated RFID chip with biometric data embedded in it.

In return for all this I received the document below, confirming acceptance and approval of the application. I will return in 2-3 weeks to pick up my passport-that-isn’t-a-passport and to submit another application (and €4.50 in duty stamps), this time for re-issuance of my residence permit sticker. I’ll have to return once more a couple of weeks after that to pick up the sticker.

Potvrdenie o prijatí žiadosti o vydanie cestovného dokladu cudzinca (Dohovor z 28. septembra 1954)

Číslo žiadosti:                  EC-ECBA1-090216-001
Číslo záznamu (Č.p.:):    UHCP-727/RHCP-BA-OCP-Z-2009
Dátum podania:              16.2.2009
Pracovisko podania:      EC2 Bratislava
Adresa pracoviska:        HROBÁKOVÁ 1237/44 BRATISLAVA

Meno:                                             Michael Jude
Priezvisko:                                     Gogulski
Tituly:
Dátum a miesto narodenia:    8.8.1972, Phoenix
Štátna príslušnosť:                  Osoba bez štátnej príslušnosti

Žiadosť o vydanie cestovného dokladu cudzinca (Dohovor z 28. septembra 1954) bola SCHVÁLENÁ

Poučenie:
Žiadateľ bol poučený, že doklad si môže vyzdvihnúť výhradne na tom útvare, na ktorom požiadal o jeho vydanie.

Žiadosť prijal (meno a priezvisko):        Pečiatka a podpis prijímajúceho orgánu:
XXX XXX                                                           [illegible signature, stamp]

Confirmation of acceptance of application for issuance of foreigner’s travel document (Convention of 28 September 1954)

Application number:        EC-ECBA1-090216-001
Record number:                UHCP-727/RHCP-BA-OCP-Z-2009
Submission date:              16.2.2009
Submission workplace:    EC2 Bratislava
Workplace address:           HROBÁKOVÁ 1237/44 BRATISLAVA

Name:                                     Michael Jude
Surname:                               Gogulski
Titles:
Date and place of birth:    8.8.1972, Phoenix
Citizenship:                       Stateless person

The application for issuance of a foreigner’s travel document (Convention of 28 September 1954) was APPROVED

Guidance:
The applicant was advised that the document can be picked up exclusively at that office to which he applied for its issuance.

Application accepted by (name & surname):    Accepting authority’s stamp & signature:
XXX XXX                                                                  [illegible signature, stamp]

I have two tasks:

• Exchange a quantity of Slovak koruna banknotes for euro notes
• Purchase a number of commemorative coins for a friend who is a collector

I hand over the banknotes, my card with my account number and my canceled US passport, asking to exchange the money for euros. The teller lady flips through the passport a few times, checking the data page and my visa page. She types in the passport number and confirms it against my account records on her computer screen, satisfied that they match. She then returns to look, curiously, at the four holes punched through the passport booklet, then picks up a telephone, signaling me to wait a bit.

Nope, that's not the guy.

A supervisor lady comes over. I tell her that the passport is canceled. She steps away to speak to someone out of sight for a few seconds, and comes back to tell me that they can’t accept the passport since it’s no longer valid. “I’m sorry,” I say, “but I probably don’t have any document, then, that will be sufficient.” I present my still-valid Florida driver’s license and the notarized copy of passport and visa I had made before the passport was canceled. No love. The supervisor steps away again, this time for about ten minutes. She’s on the telephone with someone.

While she’s away, I briefly address the teller, saying, “This is a matter of identity; I lost my citizenship, not my identity.” She just smiles emptily, and asks my patience for waiting.

The supervisor comes back and apologizes, saying that she’s spoken to the bank’s legal department. The passport can’t be accepted since it’s no longer a valid document.

All I wanted to do was exchange one pile of fiat currency for a different pile, and maybe buy some shiny metal tokens with the remainder. I didn’t even need any access to my accounts.

I wonder if, when the US State Department person was operating the hole punch on my passport, little wisps of smoke might have been observed coming out — magic smoke which wafted away, carrying my identity as well as my citizenship along with it.

There was a time when presenting ID at a bank was done for only one purpose: to verify that the person attempting to withdraw money from a given account is actually an owner of that account. Just ten years ago in the US I could walk into a bank and deposit cash or endorsed checks into any account, even one I didn’t own, without needing to present any ID at all. I haven’t tracked exactly what’s gone on in the US banking system lately, but with the introduction of POS fingerprinting and all manner of other “Know Your Customer” measures and such mandated under the guise of combating money laundering — which isn’t even a real crime — I imagine the situation there has only gotten worse.

You are not the bank’s customer any more. The bank’s primary customer is the state. You are just an epiphenomenon, fluttering about that core, corrupt relationship.

If the bank people wanted to serve me, they would have responded to my letter asking about alternative forms of identification differently than they did. Instead of saying, “you must bring us one of these official documents,” they could have said, “come to our office, satisfy us of your identity; we will then take your photo and put it in the computer, and establish a password by which you can access your account at the branch.”

Remarkably, I can log on to the bank’s internet banking website using nothing more than a password and GRID Card code. I can move money between accounts, issue payment orders, even invest in securities. Nobody even needs to see my face. Yet that same method of authentication is unavailable or unacceptable if I appear in person at the branch.

So, whatever. My collector friend won’t get his coins unless he can find someone else in Slovakia to deal with it for him. And I’ll phone up the guy I know who operates as a black-market money changer and see what kind of rate he’s giving on Slovak koruna notes. I’ll bet it’s still better than the official exchange rate.

Roderick, do I get Agorist Demerit Points for this, or issue them?