I ran against the guy for a reason. One of us had the courage and knowledge to uphold the Constitution and be a key check and balance against federal government overreach. But he had too many advantages in that election. While 41,000 adults of Ada County understood what was at stake, they weren’t enough.
Today the Idaho Statesman published Raney’s rationalization for subordinating his office to the federal police state. It is hard to describe politely. I suppose I should allow the possibility he is merely mistaken; ignorant of his job and the proper role of the sheriff.
I know the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officer Association (CSPOA) has attempted to reach him numerous times. I know he was given at least three copies of Richard Mack’s book describing his success with the Supreme Court and the key role real, courageous sheriffs play in a free society. There are videos made by dozens of sheriffs who do know their jobs and have the courage to do them correctly.
Here is an overview of the CSPOA. Here is their own site. CSPOA.org Compare the real deal to the wuss, sellout or participant in the fascist takeover.
Oops. Allowing him the excuse of ignorance of the job he is supposed to do is just too much of a stretch for me. He brags of 29 years in law enforcement and eight as sheriff. He should have picked it up by now.
He might think that when the feds declare war on the defenders of the Constitution, he will be on the winning side. Dang fool! His neighbors and the neighbors of every Sheriff’s Office employee on one side and he is on the other. And they want to confiscate tools of self-defense from Idahoans.
I recommend the staff take a leave of absence to coincide with the sheriff’s leave of his senses.
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For reference, below is the CSPOA About page. This is the truth. Compare to Raney’s claims. Which Free Country do you live in?
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TO SERVE AND PROTECT
Almost every state and county have some form of this slogan on their badges, patches, uniforms or the side of their patrol cars. It is intended to inspire motivation and courage within each officer or official to do his or her best. But how often do we really stop and think about what it means?
TO SERVE: Who? THE PEOPLE. Other possible answers that may have been implied our stated outright may include “To serve the government”, “To serve the law” or “To serve your commanding officer”.
While there may be a grain of truth in there somewhere, let’s remember who we’re all REALLY there to serve: The People. The guy next door; the family down the street; the good, hard-working people of this great land who see their liberty as a precious gift and exercise it with great care, being ever conscious not to tread on the liberty of others. Those who still honor our Constitution as the establishment of the greatest form of government ever to exist on Earth.
AND PROTECT: What? THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE. Wait a minute, isn’t our job to write tickets and catch bad guys? We may do a lot of that on a day-to-day basis, but never lose sight of what we are really all about. We are about keeping our communities (and thereby, the nation as a whole) a free, happy, safe place to live.
Why do we catch and punish lawbreakers? Because if our laws are constitutionally correct, they prohibit us from doing only those things that infringe on the rights or freedoms of others.
For example, when a thief takes something that someone else has worked for, he is denying that citizen the right to their own property. When someone commits a violent crime, he is damaging the most valuable real property a person can own, which is their own body. Traffic laws are in place for the same reason: To protect life and property.
But all too often, our lawmakers enact more laws in a supposed effort to protect everyone from everything, even from ourselves. Lawmakers cross the line when they attempt this by violating one of our most precious constitutional rights of all: The right to determine our own destiny.
We often do not realize how blessed we are to live in a land where each of us can choose:
What job we will take, and under what conditions, and when we will change jobs
What education we will gain
Where we will live
How big of a family we will have (or whether to have one at all)
What kind of house to live in
What kind of vehicle to drive
How to restrain ourselves and our passengers while operating a vehicle
What religion we will follow
How, where and when we will invest our earnings
Where, when and what type of medical care we will seek
What medicines we will use
What kind of foods we eat
What kind of milk we drink
What we will spend our money on
How we will use our own property
How we defend ourselves, our families and our property
How we care for the poor and needy in our communities
How to educate our own children
What values/morals to teach our children
OH, WAIT A MINUTE…
We have already lost our rights to do at least half of the things on that list as well as many others, to some extent! What is going on here? Simply this: Power-hungry government officials – backed by people with hidden agendas – have convinced us to sacrifice our freedoms bit by bit, always in the name of some supposedly noble cause (usually something to do with protecting us from some imaginary or greatly exaggerated danger). And with every change they gain a little more power; a little more control.
But what does this have to do with the CSPOA?
The county sheriff is the line in the sand. The county sheriff is the one who can say to the feds, “Beyond these bounds you shall not pass.” This is not only within the scope of the sheriff’s authority; it’s the sheriff’s sworn duty. And what about the little guys; the individual police officers? It’s all about judgement calls. When you pull over a frazzled apologetic mother with a minivan full of crazed kids who has just ‘rolled’ a stop sign, do you treat her the same as you would a pack of bad-mouthed teenagers in a hot rod that smells like dope for the same offense? The people of this land would certainly hope that you would have more charity than that, and we at the CSPOA believe that you do.
Remember to ask yourself, “What is the purpose of this law I am enforcing? Am I helping to serve the people and protect their rights by doing this, or am I doing something else entirely?”
This is why we encourage you, the next time you hear “Serve and Protect” to repeat in your own mind the true meaning, embodied in our slogan: To Serve The People And Protect Their Rights.
