Defend the rights - An interview with Sheriff Mack

Sheriff Richard Mack served in law enforcement for twenty years and was the sheriff of Graham County, Arizona for eight years from 1988 - 1996.

During his tenure as Sheriff, he became the first sheriff in American history to sue the federal government, taking it all the way to the U S Supreme Court, and winning a landmark case against government overreach.

Sheriff Mack was named NRA Law Officer of the Year, received the Cicero Award, the Samuel Adams Leadership Award, and the Elected Official of the Year by the Arizona/New Mexico Coalition of Counties.

Sheriff Mack is the Founder and President of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. This organization is dedicated to the restoration of individual liberty and the

protection of Civil Rights. He has provided hundreds of training seminars to Sheriffs,

Police and Public Officials in all fifty States and in several other countries across the world.

In this episode, we discuss the following:

- What is the job role of a Sheriff in the USA, and how they are appointed. (note, they are not appointed, they are elected).

- Sheriff Mack tells us what is the difference between a police officer and a sheriff.

- . A sheriff In Maryland said this;
“State police and highway patrol get their orders from the Governor,” the sheriff said. “I get my orders from the citizens in this county.”

But what about this counter argument, which often comes from the lawyers.
“… It’s not up to a sheriff to decide what’s constitutional and what isn’t. That’s what our courts are for.” Sheriff Mack responds to the lawyers’ statement.

- Sheriff Mack tells us about the 3 branches of government in the USA. Judicial, Legislative, Executive.

- One of Sheriff Mack’s favourite stories regarding the constitution and sheriffs is the story of Rosa Parks. She was arrested for not giving her seat to a white man on a bus on December 1, 1955.

Should the police officers have arrested her? The constitution says all men are equal. She was in fact charged with disorderly conduct, even though her conduct was impeccable. Sheriff Mack tells us that the police officers should not have arrested her, in fact they should have escorted her home safely.

- We discuss the similarity between the Rosa Parks arrest and the unjust laws created during Covid, regarding lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He tells us his favourite story from Covid. A tale of two cities and a tale of two sheriffs. One sheriff arrested a pastor for conducting church during Covid, but the other sheriff refused to arrest a pastor in his county and instead protected him. Sheriff Mack asks us which sheriff do you want in your county, and reminds us of the first amendment to the Bill of Rights. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion nor prohibit the free exercise thereof.”

- Why did Sheriff Mack sue the US federal government while he was the sheriff. He did win this case in 1997. Six other sheriffs joined him in the case. It is the Mack/Printz v US case. He also explains the Brady Gun Law, which was signed by the Clinton government in 1993. This was the law that precipitated his action.

- Sheriff Mack points out that in fact there were five Brady Bills lined up, so in five years the second amendment would have been completely destroyed. His case stopped the Bills.

- He documented the case in a booklet, “Supreme Court Case for State Sovereignty. Mack/Printz V. USA”, which he recommends all Americans read. It can be bought here, at
https://cspoa.org/product/supreme-court-case-for-state-sovereignty-2/

He can also send a digital version of the book, and this can be organised via email via the CSPOA website.

- Justice Antonin Scalia, presiding over this case, said;

We have held however that state legislatures are not subject to federal direction.

Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will control each other.
The Constitution protects us from our own best intentions: It divides power among sovereigns and among branches of government precisely so that we may resist the temptation to concentrate power in one location as an expedient solution to the crisis of the day."
Sheriff Mack remarks that this is relevant to what happened during Covid. It’s as Justice Scalia is speaking to us from the grave.

- Sheriff Mack has a project now where he is trying to get his book into the hands of every sheriff and every police officer and chief of police in the USA. He is having a big fund raiser for that, and people can donate on his website. (see reference section below).

- We discuss why he founded the CSPOA, the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association in 2011. It was because he wanted to push the decision from his case nationwide and he wanted to push the responsibility for proper training for law enforcement. They are not trained in the constitution. The ultimate responsibility of the police officers is to protect the rights of the citizens.

- What is The National Sheriffs Association. It doesn’t coincide much with the CSPOA. When Sheriff Mack’s case was in court, the NSA never asked the Sheriff to come and speak, but they did ask Janet Reno, the attorney general.

- We have a discussion on why the second amendment is important. He tells us that “the second amendment guarantees the people the right to rebel”. “The worst purveyors of violence and murder in history have always been government.”

Websites and book referenced in the Interview;

- CSPOA website. Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association

https://cspoa.org/

- Book: “Supreme Court Case for State Sovereignty. Mack/Printz V. USA”, Sheriff Richard Mack

https://cspoa.org/product/supreme-court-case-for-state-sovereignty-2/

- Donate to CSPOA

https://cspoa.org/donate/