Democracy Raised from the Dead: New Sheriff Needed in StumpTown

Union County led the trend, along with Columbia and Tillamook Counties. The list of Oregon sheriffs – elected officials – who announced their intention to respect our human rights now stands at ten:

Union (Cody Bowen)

Columbia (Brian Pixley)

Malheur (Brian Wolfe)

Yamhill (Tim Svenson)

Josephine (Dave Daniel)

Polk (Mark Garton)

Douglas (John Hanlin)

Coos (Craig Zanni)

Harney (Dan Jenkins)

Lake County (Mike Taylor)

Union’s Bowen said to Governor Brownstain,

Enough of you dictating our state by fear. You have once again initiated what many consider to be an unconstitutional mandate by requiring our children to wear a mask while in school. You have gone so far as to threaten our teacher's livelihoods and their ability to provide for their family with fines and certification revocations if they don't enforce your mandate…. You are inflicting more damage to our children than any virus could ever do.

I agree.

While those ten heroes stand up to Oregon’s Dictator, at the capitol, Marion County’s Sheriff Kast is trying to finesse his fence-sitting: he didn’t take an oath to uphold the Constitution, did he? He doesn’t want to police mask-wearing because that’s someone else’s job, isn’t it?

Baker's Travis Ash is another wishy-washer deferring authority elsewhere. Would you physically force a vaccine on anyone? Similarly underwhelming, Grant County’s Todd McKinley stops at enforcing masks. Whoopty-doo, "Klamath County Sheriff’s Office will not be enforcing masking, social distancing, or mandates that come directly from the state without local representation in the decision-making process." Tillamook is also waffling on the issue, vowing not to insist on mask suffocation but supporting businesses who discriminate against visible smiles and unobstructed oxygen, to whit:

Tillamook County Sheriff Joshua Brown –

With the recent surge in Covid hospitalizations, I have been receiving inquires from the media and public regarding enforcement of the Governor’s mask mandate. The simple answer to that question is that the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office will not be enforcing any mask mandate. I could easily fall back on the adage that we just don’t have the personnel to accomplish this daunting task - which is true - but that would not represent the entirety of the reason for my decision.

The fact is, I don’t believe it is the role of the Sheriff’s Office to enforce what is essentially an Oregon Health Authority directive, not a criminal one. TCSO is not the enforcement arm for OHA and my deputies will not be treating people like criminals if they choose to not wear a mask.

I believe that there is a certain amount of personal responsibility that each of us has and lately seems to be forgotten. If you are not feeling well, whether you suspect its Covid, the flu, the common cold or any other communicable disease, please contact your healthcare provider and consider staying home. Please, don’t go to work, shopping or to a function or event when you are sick. This is what I hope people were doing before Covid, and what we will do after. If you are concerned that an event or activity could potentially be a “spreader” event, then don’t attend it.

A simple remedy for the customer who finds themselves in a business that is making a choice different to their own beliefs in a way that makes them uncomfortable is to simply leave and not frequent that business any longer. If a customer is not complying with the wishes of a business, a representative from that business can ask the customer to comply or leave the premises. If the customer doesn’t comply with that request, then the business should contact law enforcement.

While we will not be enforcing the mask mandate, we will be enforcing crimes such as Harassment and Trespass. If a customer in a business located within the county refuses to leave an establishment after being asked to do so, or there is a physical altercation with another person, Deputies will respond and investigate as they do for other suspected criminal activity. --
Tillamook's Brown

In contrast, the voice of a red-blooded American:

From Sheriff Garton, Polk County, Oregon -

I have been asked recently what my views are regarding our current situation with Covid-19, and the mandates issued by the Governor. First off, the profound impact the pandemic has had on our country and this community should not be undermined. Citizens have lost friends and family members and are understandably grieving. Our children have had their lives completely uprooted and their education compromised. Lockdowns have furthered our ongoing mental health crisis and decimated local economies. Small business has suffered tremendously throughout.

Sheriffs have many responsibilities within the community. All aspects of my job are important but upholding the Constitution and protecting people’s rights is my number one priority. Elected leaders and government officials should always seek to protect those rights. It seems that some believe rights can be altered, suspended, or simply interpreted differently, while promoting the false impression that the government “provides” rights to the people. Bending the foundation of our republic isn’t an option and we should all be united in wanting to secure our rights, liberty, and freedom.

In today’s politically charged climate it is easy to get lost in divisive rhetoric. Everyone has strong opinions, and it seems our two-party system, along with the mainstream media, would rather see us fighting amongst each other than working together for the betterment of our country. It’s not my place to pick sides. Your beliefs are a personal choice and ultimately your right, especially if your actions aren’t infringing on the rights of others or breaking constitutional laws. It is immoral, unethical, and I believe unconstitutional. Moreover, it’s un-American.

I believe in local control, as we are most familiar with the needs and desires of our own community at the local level. The state and federal government have more of a one size fits all approach that does not always work for every community, nor is it necessary in every community. What works in Polk County may not be what’s best for Multnomah County, Benton County, Marion County and vice versa.

Overreaching state or federal authority is very concerning to me as it goes against the principles of our constitution and the structure of this republic. I believe it is a threat to people’s rights and will ultimately have a negative impact on “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’’. The emergency powers granted to Governor Brown by the Oregon legislators seem almost limitless and has essentially taken away a representative government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”.

Unfortunately, information put out by the government has been misrepresented and is sometimes inaccurate, causing skepticism and confusion. One of our biggest frustrations is that we don’t know what or who to believe anymore and some of us have lost trust in our state and federal leadership.

I am not a doctor, scientist, or lawyer. I am not going to debate whether you should or should not wear a mask or get a vaccine. My expertise is in law enforcement, not public health. I don’t see a need to reiterate statistics pushing one side or the other.

The bottom line is, I believe medical freedom is a fundamental right. I trust people’s ability to make their own informed medical decisions. Even if I personally would make a different decision, I respect everyone’s ability and right to decide for themselves, and I believe these decisions should be free of reprisal.

The enticement used by our government during the pandemic to convince people to make potentially life altering medical decisions is immoral, unethical, and should be legally challenged in the highest courts. Threatening people’s livelihoods and future with these mandates is reprehensible and should not be tolerated.

The United States is an exceptional country and Polk County is no different. If we respect the rights of others, including that of private business, we will get through this. I know there is nothing we cannot achieve if we listen and work together. I believe we can eradicate this pandemic with a combination of local control, science, medicine, and common sense. Inherently, the citizens of Polk County are kind and compassionate people. We all want to do what is best for the health and well-being of our fellow citizens and this country.

It’s been a challenging 18 months for everyone. Our first responders and medical professionals continue to be stretched thin and are working in a very challenging environment. I am proud of the hard work and dedication they have shown, and I am honored to be a part of this community in many ways.

As your Sheriff, I will uphold my oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Oregon. I will continue serving my community with integrity and protect the rights, freedom, and liberty of the citizens I serve.

~ Sheriff Mark Garton, Polk County

Crook and Linn Counties announced last year that they wouldn’t police masks or (anti)social distancing... but have become quiet lately. Clackamas, Umatilla, and Jackson Counties remain among the mum despite their healthy constituencies of conservatives. Spineless? Vax-induced spike-protein blood clots to the brain, perhaps?

Oregon has 36 counties in all. Benton and Lane Counties are infected with totalitarian mind-control factories AKA universities. And Multnomah County? Well, how about a moment of silence for the fallen.

Countless Oregonians are losing their jobs rather than succumb to the diabolical clot-shot mandates. The disruption to healthcare and other social services may create the catastrophic chaos that the fake pandemic was designed to manufacture. Law enforcement will become even more vital to civilization. Cheers for the ten sheriffs in Oregon who may be equal to the challenge!

Nationwide, the sheriffs’ movement to withstand tyranny and uphold Americans’ rights is led from Arizona by Sheriff Richard Mack of the Constitutional Sheriffs Peace Officers Association (CSPOA).

Oregon State Police also have some genuine leaders, like 29-yr-old State Trooper Zachary Kowing.

Many lawsuits are underway to defend our medical rights. But the justice system is corrupt. Judges can be the equivalent of the doctors who refuse life-saving ivermectin to covid patients. And, just as covid “vaccines” are a dangerous and unnecessary medical experiment, masks are a medical device that do much more harm than good, especially to kids. It’s child abuse. Law-enforcement officers who strong-arm these medical experiments are violating the Nuremberg code, a crime for which Nazis were hung after WWII.

Bravo to the sheriffs and other officials who have figured that out!

________

The author VC Bestor is Director of the

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a project encouraging women to engage constructively with apex predators.

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