Former sheriff: America must revive Constitution

YAKIMA, Wash. -- A former sheriff from a rural county in Arizona captivated a Yakima crowd of about 350 people Thursday night with the story of his evolution from a ticket-writing happy police officer to a libertarian crusader for Constitutional rights.

Richard Mack said he had a “conversion” to the Constitution in the 1980s when he was wearing a badge for the Provo (Utah) Police Department and he was about to write a ticket on a woman who had run a stop sign in Utah. He said the woman had a car full of unruly, unkempt kids and was driving a beat up Datsun station wagon.

“I said to myself, ‘what am I after? I’m after setting records for writing tickets.' That’s what my sergeant said to do. But ticket writing is abuse of government power,” Mack said.

His talk, presented at the Yakima Convention Center, was sponsored by Yakima Freedom Partners, which describes itself as a loosely organized coalition of groups “dedicated to the preservation of individual freedom, Constitutional liberties and limited government.”

The groups include Grassroots of Yakima Valley, 912 Project, Constitution Party, Respect for Law/Yakima, The John Birch Society, Tea Party of Yakima STOP! Committee of Yakima, Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and Oath Keepers.

Audience members included active Tea Party participants as well as regulars at anti-illegal immigration events. Also in the crowd were Yakima County Sheriff Ken Irwin and Yakima deputy police Chief Kelly Rosenow.

Susan Youngstrom of Yakima said she turned out as a way to express her belief that the federal government has gone too far and reaches too deeply into individuals’ lives. “We need change. There’s just too much government,” Youngstrom said.

Mack spoke at length about the need to elect local leaders who are well versed in the Constitution. “My message is forget about Washington, D.C. and concentrate on those people right here. Washington D.C. is too corrupt, too bought and paid for.”

Mack said America “is dying” and needs a movement to revive the Constitution. He said the movement must not be characterized by hatred or violence.

“This is a movement of love and patriotism. We have to make sure we are not antagonistic to anyone. This is not a violent movement nor is it a movement of hate or anger. We’re Americans, Christians and we love our families, our country, and we need other people to feel that when we’re talking to them.”

A graduate of Brigham Young University, Mack started his career in law enforcement with the Provo Police Department, working many years as an undercover narcotics officer. He later moved to Graham County in southeast Arizona, where he was sheriff from 1988 to 1996. He lost his bid for a third term, running as a Democrat. He subsequently ran for U.S. Senate in 2006 as a Libertarian.

Mack became famous among gun-rights activists by successfully challenging a portion of the Brady Bill in 1994. Three years later the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the provision in the legislation that compelled state and local law enforcement officials to perform mandatory background checks.

Mack’s star dimmed for a time and he turned to selling cars. But the Tea Party movement has his star rising again and he’s been a guest speaker around the country before patriot groups.

In general, he believes the federal government has reached well beyond the powers granted to it originally by the Constitution. The antidote, he argues, is to depend on local officials, especially the sheriff, because “the sheriff answers to the citizens.”

Mack will be teaching a class in the Constitution next month in Oregon, and he said 15 county sheriffs have signed up.

At the convention center on Thursday night, Steve Winmill, 48, of Yakima, crossed his arms as he stood along the wall near the room’s entrance to the presentation. A friend had suggested he come.

“I teach a class in my home on the Constitution and what he’s saying is absolutely correct, especially about state sovereignty,” Winmill said.

As a military veteran, one of Winmill’s main concerns is that public servants understand the Constitution, which he began studying about seven years ago.

“I took an oath to uphold the Constitution when I joined the military but how am I going to uphold it if I haven’t even read it?” he asked.

The importance of a strict reading of the Constitution was a point Mack repeated during his speech.

“Isn’t it going to be a great moment when our sheriff, county attorneys and county commissioners get together to formulate a plan to follow our Constitution strictly and honestly and with all our hearts and souls?” Mack said.

Mack’s mostly white and older audience listened intently to his words, nodding emphatically or clapping hard at pauses.

The recently passed health-care reform legislation, according to Mack, is an unconstitutional usurpation of power that belongs to the states and the people. “Your are not sovereign if you bow down to nationalized health care,” he said.

He echoed remarks made earlier in the evening by state Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley, that the states should nullify the new legislation. Idaho recently took such action, and Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna is one of 13 attorneys general who will challenge the new law’s constitutionality. He is expected to argue, among other things, that individuals cannot be forced by the federal government to sign a contract to buy insurance.

Washington State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz attacked McKenna in a news release Thursday.

“Rob McKenna is telling the people of Washington a phony story about why he is attempting to block health insurance reform in Washington State,” said Pelz.  “He claims to be acting nobly to support the U.S. Constitution when he in fact is simply another Right Wing ideologue supporting the National Republican Party Strategy to protect the Insurance Industry.”

Leah Beth Ward can be reached at 509-577-7626 or lward@yakimaherald.com