Across the nation, individual liberties are under attack.
You might be feeling the tension and effects of government overreach in the form of mask mandates, disruptions to business and schooling, and restrictions on how you socialize. Through all of this you might be wondering, “Who are my allies?”
Sheriff Richard Mack, founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA), says it’s a sheriff’s duty to ensure that individual liberties are not trampled — even when unconstitutional laws are claimed to be “for the greater good.”
“The Constitution protects us from our own best intentions,” Mack said, including policies put into place “for the greater good” during times of national strife such as a pandemic. His statement is based on the majority opinion written by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in his Printz v. United States ruling. The 1997 case was a landmark states’ rights ruling in the favor of sheriffs, including Mack, who sued the federal government.
Health freedom advocates know there’s not solid scientific evidence to demonstrate that masks prevent the spread of COVID-19’s microscopic particles. Wearing them increases the risk of bacterial skin and lung infections, restricts oxygen flow, subjects wearers to increased levels of carbon dioxide, and poses mental health and personal safety concerns. Mask-wearing has also been shown to increase a person’s susceptibility to COVID.
Still, policies instated for the greater good to curb the spread of COVID-19 are being enforced at the school, city, county and state level in many parts of the country. These mandates leave many individuals feeling like they have no choice whether they can expose their face in public.
Desperate for bodily autonomy, individuals who struggle to breathe while wearing masks — or who feel that wearing them poses a danger — may feel stifled in their attempts to speak out against mask mandates, which are backed by fines and even jail time in some states. Some experts are concerned that these unfounded decrees are merely a “practice run” for further medical coercion.
“I really don’t think they’re going to force us [to be vaccinated], said Richard Mack, former sheriff of Graham County, Arizona, and author of The County Sheriff: America’s Last Hope. “They’re going to make it to where you can’t live without a COVID-19 vaccine, just like they are doing with the masks — you can’t travel, you can’t shop, you can’t go anywhere,” he continued. “The mask thing is just social engineering, getting us ready for the vaccination.”
Thirty-five percent of Americans said in a Gallup poll they would decline a COVID-19 vaccine, even if it were made available free of charge. But Mack suggested that, unless the American public acts quickly to take back their constitutionally bound rights, they may find themselves with little or no choice.
“The sheriff has to start a campaign to educate everyone before that day happens. The sheriff is the top executor of the law and doesn’t answer to anyone but the people,” Mack remarked. Mack went onto say that sheriffs can and should fight against attacks on the Bill of Rights with the help of a local militia, a posse of supporters who stand with the sheriff. “No one can supersede the authority of the sheriff, and they need to make that clear to everyone.”
According to Mack, Sheriffs even have the authority to re-open businesses whose operating licenses have been taken away for not following unjust laws (e.g., adhering to reduced capacity requirements in bars and restaurants under a declared health emergency).
Because of the unique role that sheriffs play in relation to the Constitution, it’s important that voters understand that role to ensure they elect someone who will adhere to the oath of office that all law enforcement officers take. The sixth article of the U.S. Constitution, which is recited at every officer’s swearing-in, obligates sheriffs “to protect individual liberty and God-given rights.” Unfortunately, however, Mack estimates that of the more than 3,000 sheriffs elected nationwide, only about 200 truly understand and uphold their duty to truly protect individual liberties. In some states, legislative bodies are trying to enact laws so that sheriffs are appointed rather than elected. This would diminish their accountability, as individuals in appointed positions don’t have to answer to voters.
As such, Mack and the CSPOA are seeking to stop those changes, but they need the help of citizens across the nation in order to succeed. And it all starts with a conversation.
“Cultivate a relationship,” Mack suggests. “Then, ask your sheriff, ‘Did you take an oath of office?’ Many sheriffs don’t even remember taking it, but they all did. Then ask them, ‘Will you uphold your oath? Will you protect my rights? Because that’s what we voted you into office to do.’”
Mack reiterated however, that not all sheriffs understand their duties and their oath of office. A true constitutional sheriff, Mack said, will stand up for their constituents’ constitutional rights — including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — regardless of what’s going on in the world.
“The Constitution cannot be suspended for the crisis of the day,” he emphasized. “I have a lawful and moral obligation to uphold it to align with God’s law. No other manmade law can nullify the Constitution in any way.”
Mack said that many sheriffs across the nation, including himself, need a “conversion experience” to fully understand their constitutional duties.
Together, U.S. sheriffs and their constituents can take back America and reclaim their personal rights.
“Imagine you are committing disobedience against these ridiculous coronavirus rules and your sheriffs are standing right next to you,” Mack concluded.