It's called the Tenth Amendment

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Now, much as we hate to admit it, most of us are indeed somewhat intimidated by the sheer size of our Federal Government, and even the power of our States.

We're a whole lot more comfortable dealing with our own local folk, the ones we see on a regular basis in the course of our daily lives, at the grocery store, at church maybe, at the post office, walking down the street, at a local ballgame.

And that's the way it's supposed to be.

Ultimately, we really do, each and all of us, have the power of our own protection in our own hands. 

We the People really do elect, within our own local counties, the people who can and should, and hopefully will, stand for us in the face of ANY threat. 

In our County, NOBODY can threaten us in any way, shape, or form without our own duly elected Sheriff having the Authority to tell them to take a hike or go to jail.

In response to a recent local 'incident' I posted the account. Here's what I had to say to a comment by a friend:

"They high-tailed it when/before the actual Authority of Sheridan County showed up. I'm thinking that the first words out of our mouths should any such thing occur in our presence ought to be, 'I want the Sheriff, right here, right now." And be bloody sure that our duly elected Sheriffs know from the get-go that we expect them to protect us from ANYONE who threatens us. End of rant."

We as citizens are supposed to have rights. If/when those rights are threatened or directly violated, as happened, our first (and maybe only) line of defense is our County Sheriff. So we'd best be almighty careful about who we choose.

Just sayin'.

We as a Nation are too huge for most of us to be able to wrap our heads around. It's incredibly comforting to know that, within the confines of our own home turf, we really do have someone to whom we ourselves have given the Authority to stand for us. 

And, lest we or anyone else forget, it is indeed our own Authority which s/he represents. Whom we elect we can also un-elect if our will isn't represented.

Yep.

We're NOT REALLY as much at the mercy of 'the government' as we've been led to believe we are.

What an odd notion it is going to seem to us, when we finally come to understand more clearly, as a people, exactly what our elder generations wanted for us. 

We're going to have to figure it out for ourselves, and it will have to begin right here, in our own homes, our own communities, our own Counties.

But it is a beginning. As we at long last begin to feel and to exercise our own rights, our own responsibilities, our own prerogatives as We the People, you can bet it's liable to make some people a little nervous. So be it. What begins in our own homes, our own communities, our own Counties will not go unnoticed by our States. They too will begin to take a closer look at their own role. Eventually, God willing, the wisdom of our so-very-local choices will make itself a part of our bigger world.

You see, when we begin to understand that We the People actually DO have the power to elect our own local Sheriffs, imbuing them with the power of our collective will - and when said duly elected Sheriffs get it that their job is to protect us from ANYONE who might threaten us - we will have us the beginning of a mighty strong pool of people from whom to choose for the next rung up the ladder. A Sheriff who proves himself ready willing and able to do the job he's elected to do is going to be a natural choice to trust to carry that same commitment and determination into the State arena. From there, it would be on to Washington.

Wow.

Can you imagine a State/Federal government filled with those who actually know and respect what it means to represent US? Who have proven themselves in our own communities? Who will come back to us once their terms are done with, resuming their lives among us, the ones they've represented?

Yeah. That's the way it's supposed to be.

And we can make it happen, just we our own little selves in our own little homes, communities, Counties.