Originally published November 19 2011
Saying no: Sheriffs fed up with worsening federal interference, bureaucracy
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) Adding a new wrinkle to the phrase, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not taking it anymore," several California sheriffs, as well as one from Oregon, say they aren't cow-towing to the federal leviathan anymore.
Last month, at the Yreka fairgrounds in northern California, the sheriffs - who, of course, are elected by the people - gathered with a large group to discuss what to do about Big Brother and his consistent meddling in state and local affairs.
Speaking of the federal bureaucracy, Plumas County (California) Sheriff Greg Hagwood declared, "A giant has been awakened, and they didn't count on that."
One by one the sheriffs recounted their experiences with an ever-encroaching federal government, whether from the aspect of emergency management, the foisting upon local jurisdictions of federal mandates, or the passage of federal statutes which many now feel run roughshod over state and local governments, inhibiting their ability to mold their own laws and policies around the needs of their respective populations.
"I had spent a good part of my life enforcing the penal code, but not understanding my oath of office," Sheriff Dean Wilson of Del Norte (Sacramento) County told the group.
"I was ignorant and naive, but now I know of the assault against our people by the federal government," he said, receiving some of the loudest and longest applause of the gathering.
Event host Sheriff John Lopey of Siskiyou (California) County said one of his biggest pet peeves was the federal government's ever-increasing environmental regulations.
"I have told federal and state officials over and over that, yes, we want to preserve the environment, but you care more about the fish, frogs, trees and birds than you do about the human race. When will you start to balance your decisions to the needs of the people? We are right now in a fight for our survival," he said.
No one makes the case better that the county sheriff is the real supreme law of the land than former Arizona sheriff Richard Mack. Speaking at the event, Mack says the word is beginning to get around.
"It's becoming a national movement now," Mack said, noting he planned to announce in January a national education movement that he anticipates will draw about 200 sheriffs from around the country.
"The county sheriff is the last line of defense guarding our people's liberty," he said.
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