Opinion: Bay County Bill of Rights Sanctuary Ordinance

Two Bay County patriot groups, the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) and the John Birch Society (JBS), are asking the Bay County Board of Commissioners to create and pass a Bay County Bill of Rights Sanctuary Ordinance. As JBS Bay County Chapter Leader, I have been involved in the discussions with the commissioners and Sheriff Ford.

I have to admit, after the discussion with Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers of America (CSPOA) representative Bill Mitchell, RLC Bay County leader Karen Custer and Bay County Commissioner Doug Moore I had to assess my support with some introspection. I have a solid respect for Mr. Moore. He considers the best law is the one not passed. He has a good point, and for the most part I agree. He doesn't pull punches, and he is an honest, common sense kind of guy. Plus, after he and I had a discussion on the Constitution last year, I learned that he does know and honor the Constitution.

My self-assessment made me ask myself: "Am I doing this with the crowd, or because I truly believe in it? And, will it do any good?" It's true, I would not necessarily have come up with the idea, myself. But I have considered issues along those lines.

I honor our Supreme Law of the Land. And, of course, with that goes the Bill of Rights. But, the Bill of Rights is in large part a clarification of the Constitutional principles already set forth.

For instance, Article I, Section 8, clauses (approx.) 13-17 prescribe and identify our right, our obligation, to keep and bear arms at home; that they need to be latest military type issue; and that congress is responsible for supplying our arms for prescribing our military training regimen while the states provide the officers and the training. All able-bodied men are included. That is what describes, (to me) in no uncertain terms, that the state militias are, Constitutionally, supposed to be the standing army of America. The 2nd Amendment simply reiterates why it's necessary: "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free state..." The 1st amendment is a reinforcement of the Declaration of Independence: All men are created equal with certain unalienable God given rights. There was even some discussion among the Founding Fathers about whether a Bill of Rights should be included.

So, onto my self-evaluation. Can I honestly justify, to myself, a Bill of Rights Sanctuary Ordinance? And what good will it do?

In the mid 19th century, prior to the Civil War, a French Foreign Minister named Alexander Tocqueville visited America, and was extremely impressed with the growth and prosperity of this country at that time. He left us with many quotes, but the two which struck home to me were: one, He found that it was uncommon to find anyone in America that did not know the Constitution; and two, that America was a moral country, and after attending church meetings of various different congregations he concluded that America is great because it is good. "If America ever ceases to be good, it will no longer be great." (I hope I quoted that correctly, if not, it's close.)

So the difference between then and now is that the vast majority of citizens knew the Constitution, and the churches now typically reach only 1/2 capacity rather than overflowing attendance.

Now, I'm a God-fearing man. But what can any of us do in that arena other than set a good example? In some cases this goes a long way, but to others it is lost. Preaching repentance is our Godly duty, but folks have their agency, so the final decision rests with each of us, individually. Without agency we would be subject to the instincts of the animal kingdom. Gods work would fail, and that's something that will never happen.

But, knowledge of the Constitution is still possible. It's absolutely uncommon for folks to know, or even think abut the Constitution anymore, unless they think their "rights" have been violated. But, most folks have no idea what their rights truly are, or that PERSONAL MORAL RESPONSIBILITY is the inseparable companion of our rights.

That is the reason I chose to present the JBS "Constitution is the Solution" video series whenever I can at Republican HQ. I believe the most important thing we can do is know our Constitution. The more exposure I can give the public to the Constitution, the more my efforts pay off. It's all a numbers game when it comes to the popularity of an idea, and that is what we are playing, the numbers game. Preach to 100, reap 5. It's a slow process, but it's the only thing that truly works.

For me, a Bay County Bill of Rights Sanctuary Ordinance is another avenue of public exposure to the Constitution. Can it be enforced? Probably not where the rubber currently meets the road. But, it can bring more Constitutional awareness to our community, and that is my goal. We need to educate from the bottom up, not the top down, to have lasting results. It will take a long time and much sweat and toil.

But if we can do it, then the Constitution will, in the future, be taught to our children, again, and revered in our grade schools and universities, and be reestablished as not only the Supreme Law of the Land, but the popular Supreme Law of the Land.

If I were looking at just whether or not this can be enforced, or what good it will do right now, I would have serious doubts.

But what I'm hoping is to bring the unchanged Constitution to the favorable front of everyone's mind, and encourage personal moral responsibility. Is that a worthy goal?
I think it's at least worth trying for.
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