Posted on 12/09/2011 8:34:45 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Brad Rogers, Sheriff of Elkhart County, Indiana, is withstanding FDA bureaucrats who are harassing citizens in his county. The Complete Patient reports,
The U.S. Justice Department has withdrawn its subpoena of Indiana raw dairy farmer Richard Hochstetler to appear before a federal grand jury.
He was scheduled to testify tomorrow in Detroit, in connection with an outbreak of illnesses linked by public health officials, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to the milk of his Forest Grove Dairy. But yesterday he received a certified letter saying that his subpoena was being withdrawn.
The withdrawal came after Roger’s Sheriff’s Department told the FDA to back off:
He wrote two letters to the Justice Department warning it not to conduct inspections of Hochstetler’s farm without a warrant from a local judge. In the process, he got into a debate over the limits of federal power and the U.S. Constitution with the Justice Department’s Goldstein.
Earlier this month, Rogers emailed Goldstein that there had been “a number of inspections and attempted inspections on (Hochstetler’s) farm…” He warned that “any further attempts to inspect this farm without a warrant signed by a local judge, based on probable cause, will result in Federal inspectors’ removal or arrest for trespassing by my officers or I.”
Finding itself losing battles on local food control lately, the FDA has been itching to make a public example of someone, and it appears Hochstetler is such a target. Yet its allegations of illness fly in the face of the evidence as “extensive testing of Hochstetler’s milk in 2010 had shown no signs of campylobacter.” Nevertheless, “FDA officials had targeted Hochstetler and another farmer, Richard Hebron, of Family Farms Co-op, in meetings in 2009.” It’s clear the FDA is just trying to create a publicity case—a not-uncommon tactic in Federal history.
But now not only its evidence but its tactics are being withstood. A Kentucky Food Freedom blog explains the inspiration behind men like Rogers:
Sheriff Brad Rogers is member of the County Sheriff Project, a project that Richard Mack (one of the five Sheriffs that stood against the Brady Bill) and others began as an effort to educate its members on their oath to uphold the Constitution and stand up for the citizens against federal tyranny.
Elkhart County Sheriff Brad Rogers was well informed on the rights of his citizens and took action to protect them against the overreaching arms of the DOJ, the FDA, and the USDA.
When asked about the legal attacks, the Amish Hochstetler responded in faith: “I never got too excited about it. It is spiritual warfare between good and evil and if we have God on our side, we will win.”
Having God on your side means having His righteous law on your side, and it’s good to have a local sheriff with the knowledge and courage to stand against unnecessary Federal intrusions into their local jurisdictions. If we are to restore freedom in America, it must begin with God, and it must begin locally. For more on restoring local sovereignty, read here.
For those farmers already tied up in the court process, there is the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund ready to help. Check to see how your state views raw milk sales and learn what you can do to further the cause of food freedom.
Hooray for sheriff Brad! I’ve developed such a disdain for government agencies such as the FDA, TSA...
Good post. We need more officers like this.
It’s interesting that your local Sheriff (based in English common law?) could be one of the major ways of combating the onslaught of the 0bamaNation.
I wonder if County Sheriffs can stand up to Agenda 21 incursions?
Didn't Joe Arpiao say something like that right after the imaculation?
this is quite amazing, and impressive.
I work in an industry regulated by the FDA, and they are a bureaucratic nightmare. They will seize millions of dollars for testing, with no replies on when they might release it, reasons for doing so, without explanation. In my view, they have basically unlimited power and could bankrupt any business overnight if they chose to do so.
Well done, Sheriff. Well done indeed. The only thing that would have topped this off nicely would have been including a copy of the Indiana law covering the use of deadly force against armed trespassers by private citizens.
L
As I recall, federal officials are required to get the permission of a local Sheriff before they can do anything within a county. In the hierarchy of law enforcement protocol, a County Sheriff trumps everyone. This law is virtually never enforced though, but it is on the books.
This could be the line in the sand we’ve been looking for.
Never underestimate the constitutional authority of the local sheriff.
It’s easy for me to imagine the FDA meeting where they decide to specifically target an Amish guy, figuring that he’d be the least likely to have sophisticated legal defenses available.
Nice Work Autobots..destroy those punk-bi#$h Decepticons!!
It was my understanding for years that the Sheriff was the highest elected official in a county. And as such, any Federal law enforcement activity in his county had to have his approval. Am I correct? Does anyone know?
Pinging the Agenda21 folks!
This is about the FDA interference of Farmers selling fresh products directly to the public...and a local sheriff stood up to them.
For other information on this subject, I just received this email regarding the efforts of sheriffs on behalf of our Constitution:
Sheriff’s Stand To Help Save America - Following Our Founding Fathers:
Please consider donating $1.00 (more is better!) It would be ‘something’ to give encouragement to the courageous action of dedicated sheriffs who need to meet on Jan. 30, 2012 for the saving of America. With the betrayal of our federal government, if the military/police follow their orders...our sheriffs who stand with the constitution are a great hope for America. They need our support and prayers:
http://www.cspoa.org/
http://www.countysheriffproject.org/
http://www.sheriffmack.com/
http://www.defendruralamerica.com/DRA/Home.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
However, if you feel uncomfortable with sending any personal info over the net, I’m sure that you as a FReeper have other ways to support this worthy effort. Some of the sites give snail mail addresses for those who have the concern about using credit cards online, etc.
If you want to be on or off the Agenda 21 ping list, please notify me by Freepmail. It is a relatively low volume list in which we have been exploring the UN Agenda21 and related topics. We have collected our studies with threads, links, and discussions on the Agenda 21 thread which can be found here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2738418/posts?q=1&;page=509#509
Historically, the Sheriff is the only true deputy of the people. Elected locally, his authority is granted from the people’s own, natural and God given right to self defense. Town Cops traditionally were not agents of the law but administrative citizen arrests. This is why the Jails were run by the Sheriffs. Town or City cops had to take those they arrested to “County”, to the “Count”. If he or the Sheriff did not agree to retain them in custody, they were and had to be lawfully released, as it was ONLY the Sheriff who could detain a citizen.
We need to return to this principle. Local cops, nor the Feds, can cross that line, except, in the case of fraud or abuse. In which case it should first be the State Governor who steps in before the Feds. Leaving the Feds as a means of last resort should the entire state be corrupt or turning a blind eye, as in the cases of racism in the South.
Largely myth. The power of the office is defined by the states. Some states grant considerable authority to sheriffs, others much less.
In my state, Texas, the County Sheriff lives in mortal fear of the Texas Rangers who have statewide authority, and the commissioner’s court that holds the purse strings. Want to see a Texas sheriff sweat bullets, let the rangers drive up to inspect the jail, or catch him/her (Dallas county sheriff is female) waiting to testify before the commisioner’s court to beg for overtime money.
hillsborough County, Florida’s Sheriff[Davidn Gee] would be too afraid of losing his Federal Grants to stand up to them.
Hillsborough County, Florida’s Sheriff[Davidn Gee] would be too afraid of losing his Federal Grants to stand up to them.
It’s not enforced because it’s not true. I defy anyone to show me this anywhere on the books. The truth is that the power of the County Sheriff varies wildly from state to state.
Some states like Massachusetts, the sheriff isn’t even involved in law enforcement. The sheriff’s department there is relegated solely to running the jail, and acting as badged process servers.
Other places like New York and parts of Colorado, the sheriff isn’t even an elected official. It’s a largely ceremonial position, and the sheriff is appointed by, and serves at the pleasure of the mayor.
Other states like Alaska and Connecticut have done away with the position altogether and it simply does not exist in those states.
Reading this thread, it’s obvious that many FReepers have confused tradition with codified law.
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