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First we had vigilante groups armed to the max cruising public streets to "keep the peace" despite pleas by local law enforcement for them to stay out of the way. Then we had a county clerk that refused to issue marriage licenses because she followed a higher power rather than the law that she pledged to abide by when she assumed the office. Now we have a sheriff in Indiana who declares that, if a law is passed requiring gun registration, he will ignore it and not enforce it because it goes against his interpretation of the constitution. A sheriff declaring that he will not follow the law if he disagrees with it! ! ! Are you kidding me ? ! ? ! How would that work if the sheriff tried to arrest somebody for armed robbery and the perp shot it out with this Barney Fife because the robber didn't believe in that particular law? What is going on in this country? Since when does each individual get to choose which laws they are going to obey and which laws they are going to ignore?
Indiana Sheriff Goes on the Record With Vow to President Obama on Future Executive Actions on Gun Control
An Indiana sheriff went on the record that he would disregard an executive order from President Barack Obama that mandated law enforcement begin registering firearms.
Elkhart County Sheriff Brad Rogers appeared on a local PBS panel discussion about gun rights and gun control in the wake of recent university shootings to say that he wouldn’t obey orders from on high that went against his constitutional oath.
“If President Obama today said, ‘I’m creating an executive order that all sheriffs and police chiefs around this nation need to start registering firearms,’ I will disregard it,” Rogers said during WNIT’s “Politically Speaking” Sunday broadcast.
“We’ve always had this conversation that we need more reasonable gun control put in place,” Rogers said earlier. “But we have what is reasonable, in my opinion, and in fact it’s probably overdone.”
“I’m from the government, and I don’t think the government has any place in gun registration,” he continued. “The government shouldn’t know who’s got weapons … we’ve seen in other countries what could happen when the government knows who has what guns. And so I always discourage people from registering any guns … quite frankly it’s not something we push or promote.”
Another guest, local radio host Casey Hendrickson, said gun registration is a “feel-good” measure that actually “works” only when the government moves against the people. He added that following England’s gun restrictions that there is now a “knife culture” there. “That’s absurd,” Hendrickson said. “It’s not the tool, it’s the bad guy.”
Rogers later added another reason guns in the hands of responsible citizens is a good idea.
“I think people are tired of being victims,” he said. “And a firearm is a great equalizer. Whether it’s a female, whether it’s an 80-year-old, the guy who’s kicking in your front door after he knocked and you don’t answer — that is a very scary event. And you can call 911, but I’m telling you, we’re not gonna make it in time to neutralize the threat … the people of this nation [have got] to take responsibility for their own safety.”
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Fire him. A sheriff should enforce the laws not make them
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“If President Obama today said, ‘I’m creating an executive order that all sheriffs and police chiefs around this nation need to start wearing purple socks,’ I will disregard it,” Rogers said during WNIT’s “Politically Speaking” Sunday broadcast.
See above. Both scenarios have a gnat's chance of happening, so I don't see what the Sherriff is so worried about.
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Another person running for office that hasn't secured the office, but, if she does succeed, claims she won't perform the duties prescribed to the job because of her personal feelings:
Pa. candidate for register won't sign same-sex marriage docs
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — An ordained minister running for register of wills in eastern Pennsylvania says she won't sign-off on same-sex marriage certificates, but won't obstruct couples from getting the documents.
Sharon Valentine-Thomas, currently the mayor of Pottstown, is the Republican challenger to D. Bruce Hanes, the Democrat incumbent register of wills in Montgomery County.
"I am not an obstructionist and will not force my values on others."
Hanes made headlines by granting same-sex marriage licenses before it was legal in Pennsylvania.
Valentine-Thomas says her conscience will not allow her to sign such documents but says, "I am not an obstructionist and will not force my values on others."
Instead, if elected she plans to seek court approval to accommodate her beliefs by having her deputies sign such documents.
She says Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who was jailed for five days for refusing to issue the licenses, has a similar accommodation.
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TheLagerLad wrote:
“If President Obama today said, ‘I’m creating an executive order that all sheriffs and police chiefs around this nation need to start wearing purple socks,’ I will disregard it,” Rogers said during WNIT’s “Politically Speaking” Sunday broadcast.
See above. Both scenarios have a gnat's chance of happening, so I don't see what the Sherriff is so worried about.
I think you are missing the point Lager. You cannot put your personal feelings above the rule of law that defines the society. Especially if you are a public employee, elected or appointed to the position, it is your sworn duty to uphold the laws of that organized structure.