Texas Secessionists Shocked That Feds Raided Their Revolution-Planning Meeting

by Valerie Beaumont 

A group of Texas secessionists just can’t understand why law enforcement busted up their monthly revolution-planning meeting. “We had no idea what was going on,” said John Jarnecke, “President” of the “Republic of Texas.” He claimed, “We knew of nothing that would warrant such an action.”
Jarnecke said in a statement on the group’s web site:

“As if dangerous criminals, many of the Texian [sic] people — generally seniors of respected middle-class business, farming, broadcasting, engineering, scientific, health, veterans and faith-based backgrounds — were one-by-one physically searched on their person and in their vehicles, finger printed, detained and then had their personal belongings and property searched and seized.”

At least 20 law enforcement officers from various departments — the Bryan Police Department, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office, Agents of the Texas District Attorney, the Texas Rangers and the FBI — raided the Bryan, Texas meeting hall where the group was to discuss their “national currency” and develop “international” relations.
Law enforcement fingerprinted and searched all 60 attendees at the meeting, and seized electronic evidence, including computers, cell phones and recording equipment, gold and silver, and thousands of dollars in cash, related to the secessionist group.
While Jarnecke may not “know” the reason for the raid — the feds do. The Houston Chronicle reports that the raid was a response to the group issuing unlawful summonses to a Kerr County judge and bank employee, demanding that they appear in the “Republic of Texas'” “court” at the Veterans and Foreign Wars building in Brian.
The judge and banker had been involved in a foreclosure of Republic of Texas member Susan Cammack’s home. Cammack signed the fraudulent summons, along with David Kroupa, a “judge” associated with the secessionist group. CNN reported at the time:

The standoff occurred in a remote area near Fort Davis, Texas, where members of the Republic of Texas separatist group seized the hostages as retaliation for the arrest of two group members. The group believes Texas should be an independent nation, and its leader Richard McLaren has been wanted since December on charges of avoiding a federal contempt citation.
The hostages were taken after the arrest of the Republic’s so-called chief of security, Bob Sheidt, early on Sunday. McLaren called that arrest a “kidnapping,” and the impetus for taking Joe Rowe and his wife, M.A. Rowe, as hostages.
[…]
McLaren said he also was angered by the arrest in Austin last Tuesday of group member Jo Ann Canady Turner on two contempt charges, stemming from a lien she filed against a moving company that stored her possessions after she was evicted. She was still in custody Sunday.
“When they arrested her, they enacted a declaration of war,” he said.

“You can’t just let people go around filing false documents to judges trying to make them appear in front of courts that aren’t even real courts,” said Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer. He says that, though they were only serving a misdemeanor search warrant, the “show of force” was because of worries that some of the extremists may become violent. He cited a 1997 incident when 300 state troopers were forced into a week-long standoff with a Republic leader.
“We’ve had years of bad press, but we’re not those people,” Jarnecke said of the’97 standoff. “But yes, we are still making every attempt to get independence for Texas and we’re doing it in a lawful international manner.”
The Chronicle notes that:

The Republic has a lengthy list of qualms with the federal government, among them that Texas was illegally annexed in 1845. But most of their complaints have to do with the behavior of the American legislature and executive. Robert Wilson, a senator in the Republic, equated politicians in Washington D.C. to the “kings and emperors” of the past, and sees Texas independence as part of a worldwide movement for local control.
“This is the century for colonialist ambitions to be reversed,” the 78-year-old pastor said. “I’ve watched a lot of things happen, and the people of the world are fed up. The spirit of the world right now is: make things smaller, move governments closer to home, take back self-rule.”
Jarnecke said he was being taxed by a foreign government that he feels doesn’t represent him, and protested having to fund bank bailouts and foreign wars.
“According to the U.S. Constitution, the only place any army should be is guarding our own borders, not invading and trying to impose their will on every other country of the world,” Jarnecke said.

Jernecke claims the group will not turn violent, but intends to work through the courts to gain international recognition of Texas an an independent entity. While he claims the methods are legal, Sheriff Hierholzer disputes that assertion:

“We’ve had a lot of dealings with Republic of Texas members in the past here, too, flooding the court with simulated documents. I don’t have any problem with them going back to the Republic of Texas but they need to do it through the proper legal channels.”

Jarnecke says that he and his group of revolutionaries are close to taking their case for independence to an international court, though he is not sure which one, yet.
“I’m positive we will get out independence back at some point in time,” he said. “Now we’re just trying to nip things in the bud ahead of time to make sure the people are the ones that have the power when it happens, not the government.”