Quote:
Originally Posted by RedBowTies88
I love this sheriff defiance! This is the 3rd I've seen.. other 2 being in oregon.
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Yep! And really, I interpret it more as restraint and adhering to the guidelines of his employment rather than a self-inflation of his own importance.
I would guess that he's probably pretty strict and pursues crimes to the fullest that are
within his jurisdiction. Enforcement of Federal 'powers' is not in his job description and he is affirming that to his constituency.
Too often we see those in power extending their powers beyond their defined purview (SCOTUS creating law, CDC viewing guns in the same light as bacterium,
Federal law evolving into criminal code, etc).
That last parenthetical reference is extremely damaging, I believe.
Originally, the Constitution and Federal law were a framework to prevent Federal powers from interfering with State sovereignty and individual freedoms, nothing more.
It was up to the States to develop criminal codes and prosecute offenders.
(At least, from what I remember from High School Am. History and Civics classes, but it's been awhile so I'm not 100% on that.)