The County Sheriff : Protection from Federal Abuse

You have a friend in your county sheriff—a source of protection from federal control. He has the power, authority, and duty to protect you from oppressive government. That is his job. He is your last line of defense from federal abuse.

 

America has become a battleground. On one side are those who want control: of our property, our resources, our finances, our thoughts and our lives. On the other side are those who demand freedom of choice and action, the right to keep what we earn, and the right to self-protection. Those who want control offer us custodial care in return for their control; given, of course, on their terms. Those who demand freedom aspire to prosperity and the inevitable risks entailed in achieving it. The two do not mix; we will have one or the other, but they do not cohabitate. America’s soul is at stake, and it hesitates on the cutting edge of a ponderous decision.

 

Thomas Jefferson said it well: “When all government shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” Constitutional directives created a great protector for citizens. The county sheriff is the elected (yes, chosen by the people and thus accountable to the people) agent of assistance in our battle for individual rights. Although he is part of the executive branch of government, he is our protector. He doesn’t have to abide by federal regulations if they abuse his “bosses”, the people of his county. Federal agents are required to submit to his authority. He acts independent of all but the people who put him in office and the law of the Constitution.

 

We mainly have Sheriff Richard Mack to thank for the clarification and understanding of this liberty principle. He took the federal government to the Supreme Court to prove that it did not have the authority to commandeer state and county officers to do its bidding. The legislation in question was the Brady Bill, passed in 1994 by Congress under President Bill Clinton. The Brady Bill required sheriffs to enforce unconstitutional federal gun control measures in their counties. No funding was provided, so the sheriff’s department had to pay the bills, and if he failed in his imposed duties he was subject to arrest under the terms of the bill. Thus, a sheriff was required, under penalty of prosecution, to enforce an unconstitutional bill at his own expense.

 

Sheriff Mack declares unequivocally that a sheriff has “the authority, the power, and the duty to be the ultimate check and balance for the American citizenry in (his) county and to defend them against all local and federal criminals.” It falls to the sheriff to have the “guts and dedication to tell the feds that we will no longer tolerate their intervention, control, meddling, mandates, or criminal behavior”. That is clear-cut, simple, and direct. In means the sheriff is in charge.

 

His first duty is protection of your liberty—your land, water, food, air, crops, guns and children. Corporations, bureaucracies, and even the IRS must yield to his authority within his jurisdictional area. He is the executor of the law—the Constitution of the United States, to which he pledged his allegiance in a sacred oath.

 

Some sheriffs don’t realize the extent of their authority. Some, sadly, back down before the power of the national government and its agents. But if your county sheriff will stand true to his oath and serve the rights of his bosses—you, the people—he is your “line in the sand” against encroachment.

 

Get to know your local county sheriff. Introduce him to your children. Tell him what you expect of him and reward his good efforts with recognition. He is your friend and benefactor.

 

- Pam