The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) held a successful convention last Friday and Saturday at the Ameristar Hotel in St. Charles, Missouri, a large suburb west of St. Louis. (See video below.)
Featuring a variety of nationally recognized speakers delivering dozens of liberty-promoting messages, the hundreds of lawmen and lawmakers in attendance were reminded of the vital role played by state and local law enforcement and elected officials in repelling the federal government’s assault on freedom.
A central aspect of the state and local counter-offensive is the nullification of any and all unconstitutional acts of the federal government.
Presentations on the first day of the convention were divided into four sections: The Constitution and the Oath of Office; The Right to Keep and Bear Arms; State Sovereignty and the Tenth Amendment; and American Liberty: Whose Job is it?
Representing The John Birch Society, this reporter spoke during the fourth segment, describing threats to liberty posed by the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the effectiveness of state measures refusing to enforce those provisions inside state borders.
Other keynote speakers included Sheriff Richard Mack, founder of the CSPOA, who recounted his experience fighting the Brady Bill and winning his case at the Supreme Court.
Several state legislators reported on the success of efforts in their respective states to resist federal overreaching into matters not within its constitutional purview.
Former state Representative Charles Key of Oklahoma and current state Reps. Paul Curtman of Missouri and Matt Shea of Washington spoke specifically on their individual contributions in advancing the cause of liberty and restoring the sovereignty of their respective states.
Each of those state lawmakers has sponsored bills nullifying acts of Congress exceeding the boundaries built by states around the powers of the federal government.
During breakout sessions held Saturday, June 1, attendees could choose from over a dozen smaller meetings, each covering a topic central to fulfilling the overall mission of the convention to “equip sheriffs, peace officers and public officials with the necessary information and public support to carry out their duties in accordance with their Oaths of Office.”
From the demise of due process under the NDAA to the federal infringement on the right to bear arms, there was a common thread running through all the presentations: the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution are in clear and present danger from the federal government and that states “have the right, and are in duty bound, to interpose for arresting the progress of the evil” attendant on the nearly constant federal assault on liberty and the attempt by many to convert states into mere subordinate units of an all-powerful central authority.
With the invaluable information provided to them at the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association’s Convention, local law enforcement and state and local elected officials can step confidently into the breach and fearlessly defend the life, liberty, and property of all citizens within their jurisdictions.
