victimless crimes

I was interested in a couple of things you said on your site and in your flyers about lawful violations and crimes with real victims. What do you mean by that, and what are your ideas to fix the problem? – Mike Demory

I have spent the last 15 years studying economics, sociology, government and laws from a perspective that is quite different than what is served in our government-controlled schools. Some of it is called Austrian economics and Libertarian politics, but I know it is too different to be well understood and accepted comfortably by all.

So I have concluded that The Constitution is the foundation for our liberty, and that most people can embrace using that as our guide. Every time the Congress and President “expanded” the federal government beyond its Constitutional role, it did so illegally. The states were supposed to be a check against that with the sovereignty they retained in the Constitution, as were the sheriffs with their sworn loyalty to protect the people, the juries who should not convict when the people don’t find the crime to be legitimate, and ALL officers of the government who swear an oath to the Constitution.

All of those are legitimate foundations for reclaiming the freedoms and liberty of the people, and I am actively working on all those fronts. (See Ted Dunlap for Sheriff, Oath Keepers, Fully-Informed Jury, 10th-Amendment Center). However, I think the Sheriffs Office is has the most promise of getting us there in the near term. I sure hope we can expand from the 200 counties in the USA that are thus protected today.

To shift the Sheriff’s Office from a “law enforcement” mentality to a “serve and protect Sheriffs Office”, I think I have to start with the Bill of Rights. Where it says the people’s right to free speech cannot be infringed, the Sheriff needs to make sure it is not – by any government agent. Where they have a right to be secure in their papers and property, we must do all we can to preserve that right against illegal searches, seizures, and SWAT raids if need be.

Victimless crimes are pretty much in that category where Big Government types have crossed the line. Some were well-meaning, trying to legislate morality, but the real culprits had hidden agendas. The side effects are most evident in the ridiculously high USA incarceration rate. “Habeas Corpus” literally translated means “Show me the victim”. The Constitution held our right to habeas corpus inviolate. So should our sheriffs office.

I think this will be easy enough for career cops to “get” and widely understood by them as well as the people who [should] elect me.