So the inhabitants of flyover country have no rights as to how their personal or community property will be used?
And the sheriff is apparently an idiot for helping the feds. Very shortly, the feds will be taking over law enforcement on the local level.
The sheriff will then be their water boy.
Well, I guess he is already.
All the equipment & vehicles the locals think they own are just pre-positioned federal assets
All that federal money for SWAT teams, Nomex jumpsuits, body armor, helmets, weapons... All those big brawny MRAPs. You don't think Uncle Sugar handed those over the the podunk towns without extracting a few concessions now did you? I'd bet long and hard that any and all such grants come with the hooker that says that they can be "Federalized" and used by the national government in "times of emergency".