Editor:
Perhaps it should not be hard to understand how some have written critically of our sheriff because he had the courage to say he would not enforce laws recently passed by the Colorado legislature. A member of that legislature, our own Don Coram, once ignorantly stated publicly that "no law is unconstitutional until the Supreme Court says it is."
Another American, one obviously more in our sheriff's camp than Rep Coram, once wrote, "... the law is often times nothing but the Tyrant's will and always so when it violates the rights of the individual." That was of course none other than the author of our Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson.
One could only wonder if the government worshippers and sycophants who are critical of our sheriff for his stance had lived in the 1930s, would they have insisted "The Law for Restoration of the Professional Civil Service" of April 7, 1933, be strictly enforced? Would they have demanded the "Nuremberg Laws" be adhered to as well? I'm sure they would have wanted the "Gun Law" passed on March 18, 1938, strictly enforced. After all, they were voted into law by the Reichstag in Nazi Germany, the equivalent of our legislature or Congress.
Couldn't happen in our country, many would claim. Perhaps they have never heard of the Dred Scott v. Sanford case where our own Supreme Court declared that all blacks - slave as well as free -were not and could never become U.S. citizens. Only historical ignorance would prevent them from knowing of the Jim Crow laws that were enforced in this country from 1877-1954, or Major General and later President Grant's General Order #11 which expelled all Jews from areas under his control in 1862.
Historical ignorance and government worship have led to some of the darkest times in our world's history; disarming the populace at large in many countries led to the deaths of millions in the 20th century; all accomplished with laws passed by tyrants; amazing that politicians with an approval rating lower than traffic jams can be revered by so many Montezuma citizens.
Michael Gaddy
Mancos
