The Authority of the United States of America is WHAT?!?

Me, I think we as a nation have been trying to look through the wrong end of the telescope. 

IMO we ought to ditch that telescope and go with a microscope, start focusing on what we can reach. 

The way things are right now is bass-ackward from the way our nation is designed to be run. No wonder it's not working the way it's supposed to.

Yeah that's kind of a pretty design, but it is NOT the way things are supposed to go.

Me, I cannot believe I'm sitting here on a 'day off' trying to think of how to explain something to people whose educations OUGHT to have drilled this stuff into them years ago. That's a part of the bass-ackwardness I'm NOT going to get into today, not if I can help it.

Mmph.

What I'm hearing from our young folk is that the rich guys have all the good stuff, the government is in cahoots with them, and we poor folk are stuck doing all the work and paying all the bills, with no end in sight. They're torn between getting mad about it and giving up.

Little do they know the whole situation is absolutely nothing new. The whole concept they're experiencing is exactly why there is a United States of America.

So what does it have to do with telescopes and microscopes?

This:

When you look through a telescope from the wrong end, what you wanted to see closer gets further away instead.

The more we of the general population try to get a handle on what's going on nationally or globally, the further away it all seems to get. Even if we were looking through the right end of that telescope, we wouldn't be able to see the whole of the 'big picture'. We're only going to get more frustrated and upset at what we do see. It ain't all that pretty out there these days, folks.

So ditch the bloody telescope for a while. All it does is make us mad and convince us that yeah our government and our world are seriously out of balance. Trying to use it is just going to make us dizzy. Washington and Wall Street are too far away from the reality of our lives for us to fret ourselves about right now. 

True story, folks. I kid you not. 

There's not a damned thing any of us can do in the immediate future to make those things the least bit different, not right now. We can moan and groan and gripe and complain until the cows come home and it's not going to do anything except waste our breath and our time.

So ditch the telescope for the time being.

Grab that microscope and start focusing on things you can do something about. Instead of whining about Big Government and Fat Cats, put your local area under that microscope.

Why?

Because, my friend, the larger picture that we all think we want to have this huge impact on so everything will change for the better is made up of guess what?

Without getting all technical about fractals and golden ratios and all that, I can tell you this:

The whole is but a bigger representation of its parts.

You want to change Big Government?

Look in the mirror because you yourself are a part of it.

Look within your own family.

Look at your community.

Look at your County.

Look at your State.

You know what you're looking at?

Duh.

See, our nation, the United States of America, and its government, is built on the rebuttable presumption that she has a halfway educated populace who KNOW what the heck said government is supposed to be doing, and not doing.

There's a whole lot of rebutting going on right about now regarding that presumption, both here at home and in the world at large. So be it. That's another thing we can't do anything about at the moment. Let it be for now.

We're all at least partway familiar with our three branches of government, right? Legislative, Judicial, Executive.

How familiar are we with another set of three that's even more important than those? Hmmm?

Federal, State, and We the People, which I've listed in REVERSE order of importance for a reason.

The reason is that the above order is the way We the People have been taught about this hierarchy thing. 

For whatever reason, we ordinary folk have become convinced that we're lucky to even be on that list. When it comes to Authority, what do we believe? That the Feds are at the top of the pile, then the States, and then (maybe) us. We really do believe that, have believed it for a great number of years.

That is NOT the design of our Constitution, people. It is NOT the way our nation is built and not the way it's going to function the way it's supposed to.

Back to telescopes and microscopes.

The Authority of this nation doesn't begin out there somewhere, in Washington or anyplace else.

It starts microscopically small, to go with our theme here.

It begins with you. 

And me. 

And all the them people and the us people that make up WE the PEOPLE. 

Think about that for a minute. It's right there in the Constitution that rules our nation, for cryin' out loud. More than once. 

And we aren't only just the starting point - we are the whole of it. 

WE are the ones, you and me and Jane and John over there, and every other citizen of this Constitutional Republic (what? you thought we were a democracy? oh my. well, that will have to be another post I reckon)

Where was I?

Oh yeah, the starting point of the Authority by which this nation is supposed to be governed.

That would be us.

We're also the next point, and the one after that, and the one after that.

Since the outward spiral of Authority seems to have taken a twist somewhere along the way, there's only one way this nation can get herself back into the balance she's designed to have.

We need to quit worrying about telescopes for the moment and turn our focus to the microscope - we have to look at the beginning point.

That would be us.

Quit trying to look 'out there somewhere' for answers and changes. If 'out there somewhere' was going to fix anything, it would have been fixed long since.

And I'm talking to our young folk here. (Us older ones too, but you young folk have a chance of seeing this thing through so I'm passing the buck to you. You'll be the ones to benefit, too - not us old folk.)

YOU are going to look into your mirror. 
YOU are going to look around you at the people you know. 
YOU are going to decide how much of a difference you are going to make.
YOU are going to decide how much of an impact you are going to have on your own Life, your Community, your County, your State, your Nation, and your World. 

YOU. 
The one you see when you look in that mirror. 

YOU are We the People.

The Authority of the United States of America does not rest with the folks in Washington; it does not rest in the POTUS; it does not rest in any of her many branches and twigs and leaves. 

The Authority of the United States of America belongs to her people, the cellular level of the bigger organism.

YOU.

Intimidated yet?

Nah.

All of what we've been thinking about who wields the Authority in this nation is pretty much hogwash.

Me, I don't expect to see any big huge changes, not in what time is left to me here.

YOU, however,  you our young folk, might just find inside of yourselves the 'whatever it takes' to make things get back to the way they're supposed to be.

I can't make it happen. 

The best I can hope for is that maybe one or two of you will have enough common sense to read your own freaking Constitution, think about what it's saying, and realize that YOU ARE THE AUTHORITY OF THIS NATION. 

Yep. And then proceed to exercise that Authority the way you're supposed to.

How?

By understanding that while you all by your lonesome are not the only Authority in this nation, since every Citizen shares that, you can be a darned important part of the whole.

How?

By looking in the mirror.

Huh?

Well?

Are you or are you not committed enough to making things better to step up to the plate and get things rolling in the right direction?

Me? I'm no politician.

Well hallelujah for that! 

We don't want any more politicians. 

It's not anything anybody has ever been supposed to make a career out of. It's something you take time out of your life to do for a while, because you care, because you want to make a difference, and then you get back to your life.

If you aren't 'public figure' material, look around you for someone who is. Then get them voted into whatever office they might be interested in.

Yes.

I said VOTE.

From the microscopic beginnings, the Authority of the people of the United States continues through every step of the way. Those cells are what makes up the whole thing, you know.

Did you know that your County Sheriff, the person YOU your own self voted for (or not) is the ultimate Authority within your County? Well yeah, if you've read recent posts, you know that.

You know WHY said Sheriff has that Authority? Because that person is representing the collective will of YOU and everyone else in the County. THAT's where the Authority comes from. It comes from US, the citizens of the United States of America. That's how come a County Sheriff can kick the President of the United States out of the County, and jail him/her if they refuse to go. Because the Sheriff isn't acting on his/her own Authority but on the Authority of the people who elected him/her.

NOBODY in this nation has any more Authority than anybody else, unless they're acting in accordance with the collective will of the citizens, Authority which has been accorded them BY the will of said citizens. And the Authority so accorded by the citizens can be revoked, you know. By the ones who accorded it in the first place.

That bit of information isn't bandied about much, is it?

If somebody is in a position of Authority, it is because we said so. That makes it our responsibility to maybe take a bit of interest in who and what we have a say-so about.

I tell ya.

We get so wrapped up in trying to look through that telescope at who's in Washington that we totally don't pay much attention to the stuff that actually matters to us on a daily basis.

That 'daily basis' is a whole lot more vital to our health and well-being than whatever we're trying to see by looking through the wrong end of that telescope. 

I tell you this and I tell you true.

Start taking care of things nearby and get that spiral thing going. What happens on a local level, on every local level of this nation, matters a hell of a lot more than anything else right now.

Why?

Because it is from out of the Center of Authority, the Authority wielded by the People of the United States of America, that the Future is going to unfold. 

It is going to be our own local folks paying attention to our own local elections, and choosing folks who are ready, willing, and able to do the job they're elected to do - by the will of their own local folk - that will bring out the leadership we're all looking for.

No, it's not going to happen overnight. It's going to take a damn long time, and a whole lot longer than it actually needs to take because we don't realize that we can do it.

'A revolution would be quicker' - and yes I've heard those actual words come out of someone's mouth.

'We need to re-write the Constitution' - that's another one.

'The States ought to secede' - heard that one too.

They're all baloney.

A revolution wouldn't speed anything up any, believe me.

The Constitution is fine just the way it is, which people would figure out if they ever took the time to read it.

States Rights are outlined in the Constitution; when it comes right down to it the States have a lot more say-so than we're led to believe. Not as much of a say-so as We the People, but neither are they the helpless pawns of the Feds like some people seem to think.

Looking through the wrong end of the telescope again here.

Start where you're the most comfortable. That's the way it's supposed to be in the first place so what the heck. 

Pay attention to what you see under that microscope. If there's a problem out there at the other end of that telescope, chances are you'll find the virus or bacteria or germ or whatever's causing it right there in the petri dish of your mirror, your home, your community, your county, your state.

We honestly don't have much recourse at the moment for fixing what ails our nation. That's flat out too big for us to even wrap our heads around.

BUT.

We can start trying to knock out that ailment in ourselves, in our homes, in our communities, in our counties ... do you see where I'm going with this?

The Authority of the United States of America - bottom line - is me. 

It's you.

How are we going to wield it?

Why Bother Voting?

The following is from a Facebook discussion on my feed. Bekka reposted Nathan's account of being held at gunpoint by  unidentified people after placing an emergency medical call. 

Here's her intro:
My dear friend was treated very unfairly. What happened to "serve and protect"? What is happening in this world? I'm very confused and very unhappy about it. Is it sad that i think if everyone would just stop voting all together we could start something new in this world?

Here's the discussion that ensued:

Nathan Pitchford
Thanks, Becca. So much scary stuff happening in this world, but I just can't let my hope for the future die. The 1% who have all the power and want to get fat and rich by trampling on the rest of us are desperate because they know that when we open our eyes, they can't defeat us. I truly believe that good will prevail in the end. It's just such a hard path to get there. So much senseless suffering along the way. But people like you give me hope. heart emoticon

Shiela Branson
We can't just stop voting altogether - that path is like saying 'whatever ...' to the few who do vote frown emoticon Which is what the majority of folks actually do (not vote) and look where that's gotten us. It will be when that huge 'silent majority' heads for the voting booths that something new will start.

Bonnie Roth
Voting is still a privilege in our country. If we vote for the individual and not the party, we might get rid of the good old boys not doing the job they were elected for.

Rebecca Knudtson
Nathan Pitchford I admire your optimism greatly. Shiela Branson - its not saying "whatever"to the ones who do vote, it would just be a way for them to wake up and realize that our government is tricking us by making us think we have all these rights and privileges when really we don't. We are getting played and everyone is a victim. Some of us are just too trusting that our government is trying to do good for us when in reality they are just laughing at us like we are fools (cause we are). And Grandma Bonnie Roth - I admire your genuine heart that always looks for the good in whatever bad situation there is, but this is just far bigger than you and I. My opinion is very different from many other people's but that's because I have opened my eyes and started asking questions. I love you all

Nathan Pitchford
I can see your point about not voting, Rebecca -- functionally in American politics it's meaningless and has been for years (It's not how it was originally designed, just the functional reality). The big shadowy corporations that have Washington in their pockets own the government and make all the decisions behind the scenes. And the decisions they make are to poison our food and water and children so that they can keep getting fatter. And they systematically eliminate anyone who knows too much or puts up too much of a protest. But the thing about not voting is that it's not a way forward. And I think that's what people are looking for. I think the silent majority of non-voters that Shiela refers to are those who already know that their vote isn't functionally meaningful anyway, and so they've chosen that path of not voting -- but in a nation this size, there will ALWAYS be a few vocal zealots who think they can change the world without changing the broken system, and that minority will be enough to perpetuate the fraud. That's why I'm so hopeful about the new generation. Phones and videos are ubiquitous and people are fed up. The way I see to topple the thrones of the tyrannical power mongers is in the court of public opinion. Voting by putting their corruption on the internet every time you see it and making it go viral until no one can deny it anymore. Really, whether or not you choose to vote, you ARE voting against corruption by saying, We see you. We see what you're doing, Monsanto. We see what your doing, DEA. We see you and the whole world will see you and the outrage will grow until you can't contain it anymore. Sorry for the novel, just what's on my mind... unsure emoticon

Rebecca Knudtson
I love your novels

Shiela Branson
Bekka, you mean like not voting as a way of protesting against the way our government is being run? A couple of hundred million of us have been doing that for decades. It hasn't worked yet. Believe me, if ever there was an election I would rather 'sit out' and not vote at all, it would be this presidential one. Flip a coin, we're gonna lose either way, IMO. Most of us have been fed up and feeling pointless for a darned long time. So we shake our heads and say, 'Why bother?' Me, I think we as a nation have been trying to look through the wrong end of the telescope. IMO we ought to ditch that telescope and go with a microscope, start focusing on what we can reach. The way things are right now is bass-ackward from the way our nation is designed to be run -  and Nathan's right ... the 'powers that be' like it that way ... while our young folk don't know how it IS supposed to be but are well aware that SOMETHING is way off kilter - they just don't know what.

2020 Candidates Sought : Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!

THERE IS NO HYPHEN IN AMERICAN.

Where are the Candidates who actually get that?

We have to find them in all of our fifty States.

Whoever thinks they can do in 2020 what Ronald Reagan did (in terms of landing 49 out of fifty states in 1984) had darned well better start getting themselves some public attention NOW.

I was looking into the whole thing, trying to figure out what seems to have worked ... and wondering if there are any others among us who are doing the same thing. Said others being people who might actually be able to find a way to do what he did - unify this nation.

In the process of looking at things I was barely aware of at the time I realized that what Reagan did was essentially convince We the People that he believed in us. He believed in us so hard that we started believing in ourselves.

Back in my oh-so-long-ago-now school days I did pick up on a concept or two.

One of my favorites, and one of the most useful ones, was what they called 'The Halo Effect'. It works, truly.

What 'The Halo Effect' says is that people will live up to (or down to) your expectations of them. Works with kids, works with elders, works with friends, works with colleagues ... it flat out works. The key is that you have to mean it.

Example: I work now mainly with elders. I go into it expecting myself to give it my best effort - and so I do. I also go into it expecting said elders to know that their best effort is also just as important as mine. I expect cooperation and respect, the same as I give them, and I get it. 

Once they realize that I fully intend to do my best, and they see that I AM, and that I fully expect the same from them, they kind of automatically become more active in the teamwork it takes to make things work the way they're supposed to. Because I believe that they're going to, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, so to speak.

You don't get that by telling them they can't do whatever it is.

You don't get that by telling them they're afraid to try whatever it is.

You don't get that by telling them that you're going to have to do it for them.

No.

You get it by first of all knowing exactly what they realistically can and cannot do. 

If you know they CAN do something, you expect it of them. Even if they whine and try to get out of it, you know they can, you tell them you're going to do this thing together, and so you do. Together. Or if it's something they don't need your help with, they do it themselves. You believe in them, they believe in you, and they end up believing in themselves. And whatever it is gets done the way it's supposed to get done. People stare and say, 'How did you get them to do that?' Well gee. I didn't. They did. Or we did. Whichever. It got done.

Halo Effect.

Same coin, flip side. Tell someone they're helpless, can't do this or that or the other thing (so you have to do it for them), often enough and guess what. Even though they can do it, they aren't going to. And pretty soon they aren't going to be able to. Tell someone often enough, verbally or by your actions or facial expressions, that they're scared of trying something (or should be), and guess what.

Halo Effect.

So pretty darned soon here somebody better step up to the plate and start telling We the People something kind of different from what we've been hearing. 

Not all of us actually know, any more, that we can do stuff. See, it's been a good while since anybody seems to have believed in us or had much of any kind of positive expectations. We're 'living down to' what's expected of us. 

Whole generations are doing that. We are a hyphen-hated nation.

Labels, I tell ya. I've got a few that apply to me.

I'm an American Boomer. I'm an American getting-up-there-in-years white woman. I'm an American INFJ/P personality type. I'm an American O Negative. I have physical limitations that are only going to get worse. I'm an Alpha Chi. I'm a little over halfway intelligent. I'm one of the 'poor folk'. I'm an American college graduate. I'm in one of the numerous Who's Who books. I'm what used to be called a WASP. My folks back in the day were Quaker-Americans. I'm an American author. I'm an American artist. I'm a Daughter of the American Revolution and a Daughter of the Confederacy (or could be if I were the 'joining' type) I'm working a job instead of having a career, what they call under-employed. There's no Future for me, only years of bare survival before I call it a life and ease on into whatever comes next. I can't do this and I can't do that and I can't do the other thing because because because.

I tell you true.

I'm maybe one of the most hyphen-hated Americans you'll ever meet. Everyone has at least one reason to not like me.

Rich folk look down on my because I'm poor.
Other poor folk look down on me because I'm educated.
Lots of folk look down on me because I've got the infamous INFJ/P personality traits.
Prospective employers look down on me because I'm old and under-employed.
My current employers look down on me because I'm at the bottom of their food chain.
Feminist type folk sneered at me because I belonged a sorority; sorority sisters wondered why I would choose to work at the Women's Center.
People of color might automatically lock me into a 'white' file.
Younger Americans might resent me because I'm a Boomer.
Strong people might look down on me because I'm not as strong as they are.
Some folk might look down on me because I'm Christian.
Others look down on me because I don't belong to a church and therefore am not Christian enough.

Yada yada. There's no way in the world I can make people happy. There's always at least one 'issue' lurking.

Me, I agree with the movie's Rhett Butler: Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. And even that quote is politically incorrect these days. 

I repeat: Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

Who says education has to be an issue, or income level?

And who says race has to be an issue?

Who says religion has to be an issue?

Who says personal preferences have to be an issue?

Who says age has to be an issue?

Who says we all have to be wanting the exact same things?

Who says it's not 'good enough' to save up for what you want, even if it takes longer to get it?

Pfffft.

The 'who' people that say those things are ... um ... I try really hard to not use that kind language out loud. You'll have to read my mind about what I think of the 'who' people that say such things.

If you're physically and mentally able, are good at something, and like it - why aren't you doing it? 

Call me old-fashioned. I happen to think that everyone is good at something, enjoys something, and ought to be doing it. It doesn't necessarily have to be your bread-and-butter only-thing-you-do ... mine isn't, not by a long shot. I happen to not hate my bread-and-butter job (which is nice) but the primary reason I do what I do on that front is to allow me to do the books and the art.

Ha.

If I had someone else to pay my bills and provide me with room and board so I could spend all my time writing and doing artwork ... 

*sigh*

Ain't gonna happen.

I have to do it myself.

And so I do.

Back to topic:

Where is the Candidate who will believe in us?

Where is the one (or the many) who will pay attention to what actually works?

I'm biased but you know what? Business-wise, Sir Richard Branson has some pretty good ideas that work pretty well. So does Jim Bradshaw of Strata Corporation out of Grand Forks. So does Johnny Nolon's of Cripple Creek. Why does it seem to be such a minority view, when it's obviously effective? 

I've never worked for Branson, but the other two I can speak about first-hand. The guiding principles are mighty close in practice. 

In both instances it had a definite 'family' tone, from the top down. And it was 'family first' - from the emphasis on the caring for the families of individuals straight through that sensation of belonging to a big family in the workplace. 'Take care of your people and they will take care of your business' - something like that - it's a quote from Branson. 

The diversity within our 'families' was enormous - but our unity was universal. To this day when I see the Strata logo I think, 'Mine!' And I still feel as though I could walk into Johnny Nolon's as comfortably as I walk into my own home. 'Mine!'

Is there anybody out there who can even see the logic of instilling that kind of feeling in the same across-the-board way that those businesses have? Not even instilling it - more like acknowledging it, nurturing it, and celebrating it?

Diversity notwithstanding, we are all Americans.

When did it become politically incorrect to be patriotic? 

When did it become a shameful thing to be educated? Or talented? Or rich? Or ambitious? Or satisfied as long as the ends are meeting? Or helpful? Or poor? Or 'creative'? Or kind? Or hard-working? Or proud of your heritage (even if it's colonial)? 

I am not Scottish-American. I am not English-American. I am not French-American. I am not German-American. I'm quite very proud of the heritage(s) that the elder generations bring to the table, don't get me wrong here - but I myself am not those generations and nor would they want for me to claim to be. That's NOT what caused them to help found a nation here. They wanted me to claim the legacy they lived and fought and died for.

And so I do.

I say to you:

I am American. 

If you're an American citizen, so are you. That makes us kin.

So tell me: who is going to de-hyphen-hate America?

Who will say to our diversity, instead of using it against us to divide us: "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!" 

Who will say to us: What are you good at, what do you like to do, and are you physically and mentally able to do it? Good. Here's a list of available options. Go train for it. Do it. Do yourself proud and this great big family will take pride in what you do, no matter what it is (so long as it is useful and not harmful).

*BIG SIGH*

I'm beginning to think there is no such person or people. It would take a lot more than one, you know.

It would take all of us.

And it's going to take all of us, not just one person, or the handful who fill the seats of our Houses and our Senates, or the even smaller handful who sit on our judicial benches.

Of course, if you're happy with things the way they are, good for you. I'm kind of happy with mine own little life, truth be told. But I'm all too aware that there are a lot of us who aren't as lucky as I am. I'm happy with what very little I have, probably because being miserable is the only alternative - and too many people would like to see me miserable for me to think that's any kind of a good idea. 

At any rate, I'm not blind, deaf, or dumb (yet). With any luck at all, we'll see a bunch of our folk taking some initiative and maybe coming right out and saying to us: "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!" What divides us is not nearly as important as what unites us. You're an American citizen? Pleased to meet you, cousin - or Grandpa - or niece - or whoever ...

THERE IS NO HYPHEN IN AMERICAN.

Where are the Candidates who actually get that?

We have to find them in all of our fifty States.

Who outranks a County Sheriff in his/her own County? NOBODY

Wyoming's been on top of this for a while now. Where are the rest of us?

https://disinter.wordpress.com/2007/02/18/wyoming-sheriffs-put-feds-in-their-place/

Wyoming sheriffs put feds in their place

February 18, 2007 by disinter

“If a sheriff doesn’t want the Feds in his county he has the constitutional right and power to keep them out, or ask them to leave, or retain them in custody.”

“I am reacting in response to the actions of federal employees who have attempted to deprive citizens of my county of their privacy, their liberty, and their property without regard to constitutional safeguards. I hope that more sheriffs all across America will join us in protecting their citizens from the illegal activities of the IRS, EPA, BATF, FBI, or any other federal agency that is operating outside the confines of constitutional law. Employees of the IRS and the EPA are no longer welcome in Bighorn County unless they intend to operate in conformance to constitutional law.”

The implications are huge:

But it gets even better. Since the judge stated that the sheriff “has law enforcement powers EXCEEDING that of any other state OR federal official,” the Wyoming sheriffs are flexing their muscles. They are demanding access to all BATF files. Why? So as to verify that the agency is not violating provisions of Wyoming law that prohibits the registration of firearms or the keeping of a registry of firearm owners. This would be wrong.

The sheriffs are also demanding that federal agencies immediately cease the seizure of private property and the impoundment of private bank accounts without regard to due process in Wyoming state courts.

This case is not just some amusing mountain melodrama. This is a BIG deal. This case is yet further evidence that the 10th Amendment is not yet totally dead, or in a complete decay in the United States. It is also significant in that it can, may, and hopefully will be interpreted to mean that “political subdivisions of a State are included within the meaning of the amendment, or that the powers exercised by a sheriff are an extension of those common law powers which the 10th Amendment explicitly reserves to the People, if they are not granted to the federal government or specifically prohibited to the States.”

***

http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php?topic=14622.0

This site has an interesting discussion on the topic. Here's my favorite post:

"Basically, the reason they're the top LEO is because they are the only LEO that are elected into office by the people."  November 17, 2012, 11:56:09 pm by 'mtcookson'

***

https://politicalvelcraft.org/2011/09/21/the-sheriff-has-more-power-in-his-county-than-the-president-of-the-united-states-u-s-constitution-u-s-supreme-court-quashes-obamas-claim-to-supremacy-clause/

This one kinda makes me smile.

"Does there remain any governmental Horatius who can stand in the gap; who can lead the Battle for America and restore the Constitution? There is. Lock and load, mount up and prepare for the return of the Sheriff."

We recognize this guy, Antonin Scalia. He's gone from us now but he's left us a Legacy: an abiding Faith in the Constitution of the United States of America and the commitment to both understand and enforce it. Yes, he shows up in the article linked to above.

" ... inside his county – the sheriff has more power than the governor of his state. Indeed, the sheriff has more power in his county than the President of the United States. In his county, he can overrule the President and kick his people out. ... "

I reckon I could go on about all this but, you know, the Constitution kind of already has it locked down.

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."

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.

Held at Gunpoint and Denied Necessary Medical Care

My Experience of Being Held at Gunpoint 

and Denied Necessary Medical Care

By Nathan Pitchford; Martin North Dakota USA (posted here with his permission)

During the afternoon of Wednesday, April 6th, 2016, after calling 911 for an ambulance, I was ordered out of my house by men brandishing machine guns, forced to stand outside in the cold with inadequate clothing for an extended period of time, and denied the medical care that I believed to the best of my knowledge I was in urgent need of. These are the events as exactly as I can reproduce them in writing. Times are only approximate, since I did not have a watch: however, the 911 transcript, as well as the report of Sheridan County Deputy Delbert Hoffman, will assign a definite timeframe to the events.

Approximately 2:00 PM
I was in the garage, trying to start my four wheeler, which had a bad battery. I had my 1970 pickup running roughly, with the garage door open. It was putting out voluminous exhaust. I was able to start the four-wheeler and proceeded to drive it out of town.

Approximately 2:30 PM
I became horribly ill. I was violently puking, my whole body became so weak I could barely keep myself upright, and my thinking became cloudy and confused. I was terrified. I didn't know what was happening to me. I stopped my four-wheeler and stumbled off of it and lay on the ground moaning. A pickup came on the scene and stopped. Two young men exited and asked me if I was all right. I responded, “I'm not all right. I feel so sick.” I asked them to drive me home to Martin. One of them drove me home. I was kneeling in the floorboard of his pickup, loudly moaning. I remember repeatedly saying, “I'm so sorry,” and “You're so kind to me; thank you so much.” The other one drove my four-wheeler home. I stumbled out of the pickup and crawled into the house.

Approximately 3:00 PM
Although I'm still only estimating times, this is where the 911 call can affix an exact time to the occurrence. I called 911 right away. I was obviously in severe distress and not always coherent. I remember saying things to express my agony that could be reasonably construed as suicidal. I also remember explicitly saying that I did not want to hurt myself, and that I needed help. The operator began asking me if there were guns in the house. There are always guns in my house, since I'm a hunter; but I told him they were unloaded and put away. After what I'll very roughly estimate to be fifteen minutes (but again, the 911 transcript can confirm exact times at this point) the operator directed me to the front door. I looked out the door and saw two men in body armor, holding machine guns. I told the operator that there were men there with machines guns and he denied that it was true.

Approximately 3:15 PM
When I cracked open the front door, I saw numerous vehicles parked along the street. I also saw the two men in body armor, holding machine guns. They raised their machine guns to a ready position, ordered me out of the house, and asked me if I had any weapons. I replied, “No! I have a flashlight.” Then I realized I was still holding the phone I had used to dial 911. I frantically said, “It's just a phone! It's just a phone!” They approached me, grabbed the phone out of my hand, and turned me very roughly around and very roughly patted me down and removed a very small pocket knife from my pocket and a Gerber multi-tool from my belt. They also put handcuffs on me, very tightly. When I was finally allowed to enter the ambulance, much later, the ambulance crew saw how red the cuffs had made my wrists. I can personally testify that when I took a bath after 10:00 PM I could still discern two small red marks on my left wrist where the cuffs had been.

Someone standing there, either Sheridan County Law Enforcement, Wells County Law Enforcement, or one of the unknown men brandishing machine guns, asked if he could put the items they had removed from me into my house. At first I said, “Yes”. Then, immediately afterward, I reconsidered and said, “I'm calm and respectful but I do NOT invite you into my house.” The person holding the items said, “It's ok, I'll just set them inside.” Then he stepped into the house, set the items down, and stepped back out. No one else sought entrance into the house after that.

At this point, one of the men standing by introduced himself as Derek. Another man immediately introduced himself as Matt. I believe this one to be Deputy Matt Lisic from Sheridan County. No one else introduced themselves. Neither of the men holding me captive at gunpoint ever showed me a badge or told me who they were. They just continued to stand there with their assault weapons at the ready, refusing to let me leave. The ambulance was parked on the street for an extended period of time, but none of the crew was permitted to evaluate me until quite a lengthy period of time had elapsed.

I began saying, “I'm calm and respectful but I'm so cold. I wish I had a coat.” I said this many times, but received no response from my captors. I was visibly shivering and my nose was running quite voluminously. It was snowing at the time. I was still forced to stand there in the cold, shivering, without adequate clothing.

After I had begun to request warmer clothing, two neighbors, Gina Klein and Mackenzy Klein, walked up to me in the driveway and remained with me until I was finally permitted to warm up in the ambulance. A little later, Stan Klein also arrived. I believe that I heard them advocating for me to receive medical attention, or at least be brought somewhere warm. They are available to confirm their role. Still, no coat was given to me and I was neither brought somewhere warm nor granted a medical evaluation. Finally, after a period of time that I will estimate to be at least half an hour, Doug Helm, operator of an Auto Body Shop in Martin and also a first responder, proceeded to the ambulance from which he brought back a thin blanket to put around my shoulders. I'm not exactly sure for what period of time he had been there; but I remember that he did talk to me, seeking to assess my mental status. I remember he doubted at one time whether I was capable of making a rational decision. I also remember him asking me if I would have hurt myself if I had had access to a weapon. I assured him that I wouldn't have. I expressed to him that I knew I was very ill and needing help and so I made the best rational decision I was capable of, and reached out for help by calling 911. He agreed that that had been a rational decision.

Finally, I was allowed to go into the ambulance to warm up. I was still in cuffs which were very tight and making my wrists ache. The ambulance crew was very considerate and respectful. They took my vitals, which were good. At first, my blood pressure and pulse were somewhat elevated, but after I sat there for a few minutes, they came down to well within a normal range. By this time, the confusion had largely worn off. One of the crew members questioned me about smelling exhaust while I was on the four-wheeler. I remembered the running pickup in the garage. He thought carbon monoxide poisoning might account for the symptoms but no further tests were done.

Deputy Delbert Hoffman arrived next from Sheridan County. He handcuffed me very loosely with my hands in front of me, which was much more comfortable. He then directed me to his patrol vehicle, where I sat in front with him. I informed him of the events. I told him that I had been out gathering prairie crocuses. I assured him that I had not been drinking, nor had I taken any prescription medications or illegal drugs. I told him about my practice of gathering medicinal weeds that grow in the area. I told him that I could provide him further information on species of plants and methods of preparation that I used. I offered to undergo field sobriety tests. He declined. He gave no indication that he doubted my assurance that I had not taken any drugs or alcohol.

In the meantime, Gina Klein had driven to Harvey to bring back my wife, Nicole. When I saw Nicole, I asked Deputy Hoffman if I could go talk to her. He agreed, but first very briefly talked to her alone. Then, he released me and I returned to the house. By this time, most of the symptoms that were associated with the state of medical emergency I had been in when my captors were holding me at gunpoint had been wearing off. I did develop a headache that persisted for that night and into the mid afternoon of the next day. Since then, I have been symptom free. Other than carbon monoxide poisoning, I was offered no competing theory as to what may have caused my symptoms.

Approximately 3:00 AM, Thursday, April 7th.
I had not been able to fall asleep yet. The neighbors started their pickup and the headlights shone through my window into my bedroom. I panicked and nearly dove out of bed onto the floor. Since then, I have startled very easily and felt deeply ashamed to appear in public. I developed a bad cold the next day. I also slept very poorly the next night and was troubled by bad dreams.

Since then, I have been in contact with the Sheriff's office in Sheridan County and I have attempted to contact the Sheriff's office in Wells County. Deputy Delbert Hoffman gave me his personal opinion that the two men who held me captive were border patrol and that they were already in town for a traffic stop when the 911 call came in, and that they responded only because of their proximity to my location. I'm still trying to get definite answers to several specific questions:

Who were those armed men in my driveway?
Why did they order me out of my house at gunpoint?
Why didn't they ever tell me who they were or show me a badge?
When it was clear that I was unarmed and nonviolent, why did they make me stand there in handcuffs the whole time?
Why did they refuse me medical attention, when I had called 911 for an ambulance because I was so sick?
Why did they ignore repeated respectful requests for a coat? Why did they just make me stand there shivering and with my nose running?

I do not believe I was treated with respect for the rights that I should have had as an American citizen. I wish to find the answers to those questions. I seek justice and closure. Furthermore, my conscience will not be clear if I allow those two men with machine guns to continue the practice of holding American citizens captive, inadequately clothed, in the cold, without medical treatment, and without ever telling them the nature of their alleged offense or the reason for being held. I sincerely hope that a satisfactory resolution can be found to this troubling case.

CALL 911? Really?

A friend of mine had a disturbing experience a couple of days ago, which is an understatement.

He'd been out in his garage getting his four-wheeler ready for the summer season, jump started it with his pickup and took it out for a test run. 

When he started vomiting and feeling intense pain, he stopped and curled into a fetal position. 

A couple of guys in a pickup stopped to see if he was okay, which he was not; they gave him a ride back to his home in their little town. His family was off doing school and church things.

He called 911, in pain, confused, and knowing he needed medical help. The person on the other end of the line for some reason asked him if he had any guns. He said of course; he's a hunter. The guns are not loaded and they're put away. The person kept asking him questions until he was finally told to go to the front door because 'I have someone there now.'

When he opened the door it was not a team of EMTs he saw. 

It was several men in body armor with AK 47 rifles pointing at him.

They shouted for him to come out of the house, which of course he did. 

When they hollered at him about weapons he showed them his phone. 'It's only a phone!' They grabbed it from him and threw it off to a side.

Then they cuffed him so tight that the marks on his wrists were still there many hours later. They proceeded to search him thoroughly while he assured them he was being cooperative but was cold and would like a coat on.

Instead of giving him a coat or blanket, they kept him standing out there in the cold, unable to even wipe his nose because of the cuffs.

In the meantime, the ambulance crew wasn't allowed to render the aid he needed. They were there, mind you, but couldn't get out of the ambulance.

To back up just a little, the men with the rifles had been hanging around this little town for hours before the 911 call came in, several cars with their lights flashing the whole time. They'd been searching an out of state vehicle at one point.

Said cars with lights flashing surrounded this guy's house, soon joined by the ambulance and a vehicle from a County Sheriff's Department, from the next county over from the one this little town is in.

And there he stood, shivering in the cold, confused and wondering if they were going to shoot him, not knowing what in the world was even going on, for a good half hour.

Then the Sheriff from his own county showed up, un-cuffed him, and the men with the rifles went back to where they had been for hours before all this happened.

A friend showed up and wrapped him in a blanket. Another couple of friends came and stood close by, not able to do anything to help him. The neighbors were watching all of this from their windows, some of them coming outside.

Finally the ambulance crew got to do their job. They figured it had been the exhaust from the vehicles, even though the garage door was open, that had brought on his symptoms.

The symptoms of whatever had caused the pain and vomiting that had made him call 911 passed a lot quicker than the trauma of the results of that call will.

He never did find out, so far, who those men with the rifles were or what they were doing in that little town, let alone why they were at a medical emergency scene as the result of a 911 call. No badges were shown, no identification except for one man who called himself 'Derek', no explanation as to what the cuffs were all about ... nothing.

My friend will tell his own story in due course . 

I just wanted this in here because it's  important to me. It's only the bare bones right now. We'll no doubt have commentary on it when there's time.

For the moment I have a shift to fill at the job I share with this guy who is not only a co-worker but he and his family are friends of mine.


Signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include:

Dull headache
Weakness
Dizziness
Nausea or vomiting
Shortness of breath
Confusion
Blurred vision
Loss of consciousness