In
our last newsletter we stated that Sheriff Mack was traveling with some
others to offer support to the Bundy family at their Ranch in Nevada.
OK, actually there was one place where we mistakenly said 'Brady'
instead of 'Bundy' and believe us, our web guy heard from you about that
one. Nothing this significant ever happened on an episode of 'The Brady
Bunch'. But we digress. Here is Richard Mack's firsthand account of
what occurred at the BUNDY Ranch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Bundy Siege Report:
As
previously reported, I went to the Bundy Ranch last weekend. I was
accompanied by my son Jimmy, Wendy Larchick (a lawyer) and her father
Gale (a retired police officer). We all drove together from Mesa, Az to
Bunkerville, NV. As we neared "ground zero" we became frustrated by
the horrible stop-and-go traffic. While sitting on the I-15 freeway I
received a call from one of our CSPOA members who had arrived the day
before. He was on the front lines of the 150 or so crowd of men and
women who were marching towards the makeshift BLM corral to free the
Bundy cattle. Come what may, he and the others were determined to set
the cattle free. This CSPOA member was a 15-year law enforcement
veteran and understood the gravity of the situation in which he had
voluntarily placed himself.
Over the phone he said, "Sheriff,
these agents are going to kill us. At first, they threatened to arrest
us, but now they are threatening to shoot us. There is no question in
my mind, they are going to kill us. Please, just tell my wife that I
love her." He abruptly hung up and I sat in my truck stunned. I told
the others in the vehicle with me what he had said, and they suggested I
put on my emergency blinkers and go around the stalled traffic on the
right side shoulder. I did exactly that. Several highway patrol units
were doing the same thing and heading to the exact place we were. The
entire situation appeared worse than bleak.
When we arrived, we
were met by Stewart Rhodes of Oath Keepers and we went into the ranch
area with him and another driver in a 4x4 pickup. As we approached the
scene we could tell that no shooting had occurred. The word was out
that the BLM and their hired mercenaries were leaving. No one really
knew why. My CSPOA contact said the military weaponry was there, the
shooters were ready and had given warnings of the impending attack and
then suddenly, they stood down without explanation. Some said the Clark
county sheriff brokered a deal with them, after stating for weeks that
he had "no authority to interfere." Others had stated that the
women up at the front of the marchers had forced the would-be shooters
to back off. Others said it was just a miracle. In fact, quite a few
said that!
There were approximately 600 to 700 supporters
surrounding the area where the cows were now being set free. I was
asked to help with crowd control as some of the hero cowboys and
cowgirls were worried that too many people near the cattle might spook
them and cause a stampede. The crowd totally cooperated. As the captive
cattle came out and trotted along the ravine just under the I-15
overpass, a feeling of reverence swept over the entire crowd. You could
have heard a pin drop on the desert sand! It was among the most sacred,
solemn, patriotic moments of my life. Most had tears swelling in their
eyes or rolling down their cheeks. As the last animal crossed over to
freedom, we all started hugging each other. My son hugged me with tears
in his eyes and the rest of us, mostly total strangers, embraced as the
spirit of liberty overwhelmed us. I imagine we felt the same as the
Founding Fathers did when they knew they had been spared by the hand of
God against overwhelming odds.
When Media Dogs Attack
After
we rode back to the stage location several reporters asked me for an
interview. My heart was still full and my eyes still moist. I told them
about the brave women who were there at the Bundy Ranch, putting
themselves in harm's way for freedom and the Bundys. The women had
indeed put themselves in front with the men and I was trying to honor
them for their bravery. I remembered how, in the car on the way over,
Wendy Larchick had told me that she planned to go to the front. Clearly,
if the feds had started shooting everybody in the crowd would have been
killed, just like with Waco and Ruby Ridge. Please remember that my
main purpose in going to this location (and at all events I speak at)
was to see that we remain strong yet peaceful, and that we don't
escalate to violence! I don't want to see anybody get shot; man or woman, protestor or fed!
Anyway,
on one of the interviews I did, I said "we strategized" to put the
women in the front (referring to my casual conversation with Wendy in
the car where we discussed this as a possibility), and before I knew it,
the scent was picked up by the thirsty dogs of the mainstream media.
And you know, once those dogs get a hold of you, they're trained to
never let go! Almost immediately we started getting REALLY angry calls
and emails from CSPOA members and others.
Those who have been
willing to listen to the whole story seemed to understand, but I have
been rather shocked (and a little disappointed) to find out that many
people who had heard me speak, who I had met, who believed in our cause
strongly enough to donate from their own pockets, would suddenly and
viciously turn on us like that because of one comment blown out of
proportion in the press. But such is the nature of mass media, and such
is the paranoia they nurture to cause members of the
freedom/conservative/
Anyway, in
case you're still on the fence about this whole affair, let me make it
perfectly clear that putting the women at the front was was never
planned by anyone. The women just did it because they knew it needed to
be done, and they were not afraid. Not at any time did the Bundy family,
the CSPOA or any of the Oath Keepers make any suggestion to use women
as shields or to put them in front, and children were never mentioned at all. I did not even see any children at the scene, yet many of the commentaries on my statements say that I said to 'put the women and children at the front.'
I
am impressed with all the women who participated that day and what
they did in their brave stand for liberty. I want to give them credit
for a peaceful resolution in a volatile life-and-death situation. We
would not have made it without them! I feel horrible about any
comment I made that sounded as though we intended to use women as
shields. I want nothing to detract from that precious patriotic moment.
I need to also say that there have been many, many people who
have written letters of support to us and who have donated generously to
the Bundy Ranch Fund. In fact, the supporters far outweigh the
detractors. We're inserting an especially nice letter in the next
section, with permission.
Thanks to your generous donations, so
far CSPOA has sent the Bundys over $5,000 and paid for over $7500 in
food and supplies. We also paid for the hotel rooms for about 15
people, including the state reps and senators from the AZ legislature.
I wish each of you had been there to witness this amazing and miraculous event. I also recommend that you go there for yourselves and meet this wonderful family on your own. The Bundys are great people and would enjoy meeting each one of you. Personally, I have never met such a faithful, loving, united, prayerful, and utterly Christian family in my life!
Thanks to you all for your support and prayers! I am sure we will have to maintain a presence there for months to come.
Sheriff Mack (Ret)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We want to see YOU at the Bundy Ranch. We can't afford to pay your way to get here, but we will use whatever donations we receive to assist those who come in some small way. The more support we show in numbers, the more seriously they will take us. If you are not able to attend, please consider donating to a special fund we have set up for this cause. For those of you who can't make it and would like to help CSPOA and Oath Keepers pay for this huge undertaking, please contribute whatever you can.
Donate to the Bundy Ranch Fund
A Letter of Support
Dear Mr. Mack,
I
have been a member of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers
Association since January 2013. In December of 2012, I had the privilege
of talking with you over the phone about your outstanding work. Since
then, my admiration of your organization, as well as the many honorable
officers who proudly associate themselves with it, has grown
exponentially.
The
efforts of CSPOA in defending the Constitution of the United States,
protecting the rights of citizens, and the proper education of officers
across the country is all the reason I need to be a supporter. However,
every time I see this organization actively stand behind the
courageous efforts of its members and other Americans who find
themselves harassed by federal bullies, it only makes me more proud to
be a member!
In 1770, Edmund Burke, in Thoughts on the Present Discontents,
wrote: "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will
fall, one by one." And so, given our turbulent times... associate, I
must. Still, I believe there is an urgent need for every American to do
more, something that stands as a testament of commitment to those who
stand loyal to liberty and the defense of our unalienable rights. As a
former Marine and Texas Private Investigator who assisted law
enforcement and county prosecutors in evidentiary matters, son of a
mother who was a Deputy Sheriff and U.S. Air Marshall and a father who
served his country with distinction in WWII, I understand the
consequences that can befall our country if we don't have enough good
people willing and ready to do their duty. Needless to say, without men
and women of strong character - like members of CSPOA - the prospects
for America would be more dire.
It
is the solemn responsibility of every officer of the law to serve his
community with the utmost reverence for the Constitution. The CSPOA is
the only national organization of its kind I am aware of that has a
mission statement expressly representing this kind of ethos as an
undeviating matter of standard operating procedure, rather than mere
public relations hype. Given this, I am proud to now step up to the
plate in 2014 and support CSPOA as a Life Member.
Godspeed! And thanks for all you do!
Sincerely,
Jack E. Jackson
(CSPOA - Life Member/Deputy)
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