Guest Editorial T. Sloan

Most law abiding citizens are aware of the Ruby Ridge and the Waco incidents that resulted in the machine gunning in the back by black hooded intruders without badges, of a little twelve year old boy and the killing of his dog, coupled with the murder of the boy’s mother by a sniper while she was carrying a baby in her arms. It all happened, because Randy Weaver sold a sawed off shotgun to a federal officer in a sting operation and failed to appear in court to defend himself. The Waco incident was deemed to be just a self inflicted incineration of a large number of Bible thumping Mormen men, women, and children with legal firearms. Both local Sheriffs claimed they could have handled the issues without violence, all by themselves, just fine.

So what sort of madness was behind the raid on the Nixon Mine property that justified bringing in armed federal law enforcement officers? Certainly no one in their right mind really believes that local residents would have met these goons with armed resistance. It didn’t happen at Ruby Ridge and it didn’t happen at Waco . Yes, people did stand around at huge distances watching the influx of armed federal officers, National Guard, ATF and FBI contingents in their camos parading around the buses and tanks with automatic weapons. Not one local citizen raised a hand or a weapon against those invaders.

It is we the people who continually honor and respect our Constitution in the face of oppression, in the hope that in the future we will be able to punish government goons who do not honor the law. We have always done so in the time honored tradition of a free people by voting their leaders out of office and seeking redress in the courts, not by armed conflict.

If the allegation that local citizens would have presented armed resistance to the invaders is the justification used for the looting and pillaging of the Nixon Mine by the USFS this whole incident in my opinion becomes a huge pile of stinking bullshit.

This isn’t the first time the USFS has committed outrages against the industry that once paid taxes and provided a source of income for the local grocery stores, gas stations, hardware stores, mining equipment suppliers, gold shops, mechanics, restaurants, hotels, and motels many of which have disappeared. Those that remain are on the verge of going broke. After the Black Panther era USFS used the Burn Baby Burn theme to remove habitable dwellings from mining claims. Some locals protested in writing, and some stood by idly and watched. Switching to bulldozers, bold threats and gun waving apparently is a little more environmental friendly.

As a Department of Homeland Security Trainer and Consultant, Former Sierra County Deputy Sheriff, Former Civil and Administrative Officer for the Sierra County Sheriff’s office, NRA Life Member, active member of the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI), member the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Air Squadron, NRA Certified Rifle, Shotgun, Pistol Instructor, and Counter Terrorism Instructor, I find those slanderous allegations against the local citizens of Sierra County to be irresponsible and demand on behalf of my fellow law abiding citizens that the individuals responsible for those insulting remarks and the unwarranted raid on the Nixon Mine Property be made public and held accountable for every item taken and destroyed, no matter how large or small. Superfund does not usurp the United States Constitution, especially Article IV of the Bill of Rights, along with others, and send homeless people in this economy into the jaws of a winter storm with no place to go.

An inventory should be published in local media and made available to the public at USFS headquarters. An estimated value of the property destroyed should be made public as well. The public needs to know if federal law enforcement officers were given orders to use deadly force against Sierra County Citizens, and if so were they armed with automatic weapons? If so, what kind? All records and written reports of every kind pertaining to the invasion of the Nixon Mine Property should be made available including the methods that were to be used to arrest people who might stop by to see what the fuss was about. How were these folks to be transported, what crimes were they to be charged with, and where were they to be incarcerated? Gitmo?

Both the Federal Grand Jury and the Sierra County Grand jury should be looking to make sure these kinds of incidents never occur again. Grand Juries may consider this article to be a formal complaint.

Under what authority were the folks who stopped by to see what was going on to be arrested? I am an expert on what it takes to arrest someone for trespassing on private as well as state and federal property. I have taught it to literally thousands of officers whose responsibility it is to protect federal, state and private property. Based on the allegations in the Mountain Messenger, it appears that the USFS has developed some rules of its own that as an expert I have not been made aware. Trespass is a misdemeanor not a felony!

All the above coupled with the fact that apparently an angry, vengeful, armed mob of federal law enforcement officers and USFS personnel stormed the Nixon Mine Property leads to speculation that these folks, under the leadership of Janet Napalitano have drifted over the edge and are in need of some deep psycho-therapy. It is the same mentality that strip searches a three year old child at the airport and takes knitting needles from grandma.

The folks I know here including myself are fiercely in support of all law enforcement, even when law enforcement screws up. There is nothing that gives the Feds the right to act as vigilantes and threaten Sierra County Citizens with guns and fear of arrest for rubber necking their sideshows. Talk about loose cannons! Does anyone know if they wore hoods? We depend on our District Attorney, Sheriff, and local Supervisor to defend us in these matters. Locals do not engage in armed conflict and no longer hang cattle rustlers or government claim jumpers.

It would seem that a method of defusing situations like this until the USFS and federal law enforcement agents can demonstrate that they will no longer act irresponsibly by threatening local citizens with their guns and fear of arrest (heaven only knows what they brought with them – shudder!), is to do what the Sheriff did in Idaho after the Ruby Ridge incident. The Sheriff took away all federal gun privileges i.e. no concealed weapons, no transport of weapons, and no exposed weapons and made it clear he would arrest them if his order was defied. Our Sheriff can do that, and he should in my opinion do so without delay, before one of these goons shoots one of us.

In defense of the people of Sierra County there is much more that could be said about this matter. In conclusion though, it goes without saying that the five star idiot(s) responsible for this gross abuse of power and back stage intrigue should be stripped of all authority, blackballed, fined and drummed out of the federal service forever. Many civil and criminal violations were committed during this raid. It is not enough that our local officials speak up. Now is the time for them to take action.

Will all the guilty parties stand up, identify yourselves by name, take one step forward, and please get the hell off our airplane!