Note from the editor:
As we shift our focus from DC to Sacramento, we must also remember that important decisions made closer to home means awareness of our county officials as well. The Sheriff in your county is the only elected law enforcement official, the only one that We the People can easily replace. There is a growing movement of county sheriffs who are ready to defend the constitution from attack (from within) and stop Federal overreach at their county line…is your Sheriff one of them? Bill Hunt is running for sheriff of Orange County and is amongst those who were asked about the relationship between the Federal government and the people in this new AP article.
Oath Keepers want sheriffs back as top cop
By MATT GOURAS (AP) – 1 day ago
HELENA, Mont. — For Rex Nichols, the right person to guard against unrestrained federal power encroaching on the rural northwestern Montana county he calls home is a figure straight out of the old West — the aggressive, no-nonsense sheriff.
The retired police officer and investment adviser intends to make that a reality, joining at least a dozen candidates in other states running for office on an intepretation of the Constitution they say means the sheriff is the highest law enforcer in the land, even above federal agents.
“Frankly if he wants to, the sheriff can probably do more for the Constitution and protecting the people than anyone else,” Nichols said.
The candidates are part of a loosely organized nationwide movement called the Oath Keepers, which is enlisting law enforcement and military personnel to vow to refuse 10 orders they say are unconstitutional, from confiscating guns to warrantless searches.
Critics call the Oath Keepers a dangerous anti-government “patriot” group recruiting on the edges of the militia movement and taking advantage of the anger and fear-mongering in some tea party circles.
The Southern Poverty Law Center is lumping the “particularly worrisome example of the Patriot revival” in with the hate groups it tracks. The group issued a report last year saying a new miliita movement is on the rise, and was concerned about the Oath Keepers making inroads into law enforcement.
The Oath Keepers are similar to the tea party crowd in that they often disagree what their movement represents. While bred from the libertarian spirit that courses through the West, the Oath Keepers don’t have a formal structure beyond the vague principles outlined in the 10 orders.
They say the sheriff is at the top primarily because he is the highest elected law enforcement agent in the land, directly responsible to the voters, and argue the Tenth Amendment gives the voters all power not expressly given the federal government under the Constitution.
The movement has gained traction, including in dozen or more sheriff’s races around the West from Orange County, Calif., to…
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