Used To Be A Cop

Kruse: SARASOTA — Last spring a respected detective for this city's police department went to the local courthouse and did something stupid.

At the time, Tom Laughlin, a twice-married 41-year-old father of four, was worried about the unstable economy. He found unsettling politicians' talk about cutting the pensions of public employees, and he didn't like President Barack Obama's health care plan. He had some vague notion of wanting to get back to this country's "roots."

Following the advice of his older brother, he filed a set of strange documents, declaring himself "a flesh and blood, living, breathing, biological man," and an "American National Sovereign." The documents seemed to say he was…