Wyoming challenges Feds

[Ol Gabe]

E-Pards & Pardettes All,
First off, I would like to say a big THANK YOU! and that I and my Family really appreciate from the bottom of our hearts all the hard work and suffering that you and yours have gone through in your careers. You have kept us all safe and WE DO acknowledge it in our daily prayers!
The following was sent to me this afternoon by another LEO who I jaw with, and I thought it might be of interest to you. I have no opinion one way or the other but thought it might generate some CAS discussion.
Best regards and thanks for all the hard work and hours you have put in!
'Ol Gabe
...

Wyoming sheriffs put feds in their place
February 18, 2007

Here's one the mainstream media isn't going to tell you: County sheriffs in Wyoming are demanding that federal agents actually abide by the Constitution, or face arrest. Even better, a U.S. District Court agreed according to the Keene Free Press:

The court decision was the result of a suit against both the BATF and the IRS by Mattis and other members of the Wyoming Sheriff's Association. The suit in the Wyoming federal court district sought restoration of the protections enshrined in the United States Constitution and the Wyoming Constitution.

Guess what? The District Court ruled in favor of the sheriffs. In fact, they stated, Wyoming is a sovereign state and the duly elected sheriff of a county is the highest law enforcement official within a county and has law enforcement powers exceeding that of any other state or federal official." Go back and re-read this quote.

The court confirms and asserts that "the duly elected sheriff of a county is the highest law enforcement official within a county and has law enforcement powers EXCEEDING that of any other state OR federal official." And you thought the 10th Amendment was dead and buried — not in Wyoming, not yet.

Bighorn County Sheriff Dave Mattis comments:

"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."

It appears to me that one office where the Libertarian Party should focus it's limited resources is County Sheriff. The change that could be made is nothing to laugh at. Meanwhile, there are still a bunch of nuts wasting valuable resources supporting those that seek offices that will never be won.
Posted by disinter Filed in US Constitution, libertarian, police
Tags: 10th amendment, federalism, Sheriff, state's rights, tenth amendment, Wyoming

[Black Powder]

Oh really?  May not, maybe not: http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2008/04/court_finds_sta.php.

Why is this text appearing all over the place, at least back to Feb 2007?  Is it news?  Can't find any news organization covering it, but I admit to get tired of searching, so maybe it's buried somewhere.  I just can't find corroboration other than the same news release at various non-news sites.

Sure makes me think this county in Wyoming is the place to retire to in 10 years...

Excellent food for thought, regardless.

BP

[RRio]

Sure makes me think this county in Wyoming is the place to retire to in 10 years...

Excellent food for thought, regardless.

BP

My thoughts, also. My youngest is in Laramie at WyoTech, now. He likes Laramie alot. Sounding pretty good to me now.

[kimrennin]

De listing is not going anywhere until Wyoming changes the predatory status of wolves," said Ed Bangs, the federal wolf recovery coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service who is based in Helena.Although reintroduction and recovery of wolves,which began in 1995 and 1996, has been a long and contentious process for all states involved, the battle has been fiercest in Wyoming, observers say. Wolves have been migrating from Canada into parts of northern Montana and Idaho for more than 20 years. But when federal officials began relocating wolves in Yellowstone National Park, which is mostly in Wyoming, local resistance was fierce. A classic Endangered Species Act success story," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of the environmentalist group Defenders of Wildlife. "The remarkable recovery efforts to restore the wolf have paid off, and the states are ready to assume the responsibilities of managing their own wolf populations.The Fish and Wildlife Service wants Montana, Idaho and Wyoming to each set a minimum recovery goal of 100 wolves — including 10 breeding pairs. Hunting would be restricted if the number of breeding pairs dropped to 15.


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kimrennin
Wyoming Treatment Centers

[Ranch 13]

 The story about the BigHorn county sheriff is bogus, but based on a bit of a dust up that happened back about 5 years ago. We have law and order here, always have always will....
The USFS kept changing the rules on the wolf thing. Lets not forget that there was a population of Wolves in the northwest corner of the state , that got wiped out when Sect. Babbit spent 1 million bucks a pop to bring CANADIAN wolves in, mostly in an attempt to rid Wyoming of private property rights.
The Wolves were delisted, until just a couple of weeks ago when the terrorists , and a lackey bought and paid for federal judge in Montana, decided to try their hand at dictatorship, so now we have a federal judge in Missoula that has taken over the duties of the fish and wildlife service with the advice and consent of a terrorist orginization.