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| Oath Keepers stationing themselves as snipers near Bundy Ranch near Las Vegas last year |
You'll recall the Oath Keepers, a heavily armed, anti-government "Patriot" group, from their standoff last year at the Bundy Ranch near Las Vegas, Nevada, and also stationing themselves armed with heavy duty assault rifles outside military recruitment centers this year after the Chattanooga shooting.
In addition, they made an unsettling appearance in Ferguson, Missouri, with their assault rifles, walking among protesters in an act of intimidation.
Now, the group says they will offer to be Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis' "personal security detail" in order to stop federal marshals from arresting Ms. Davis should she renege on her agreement to not interfere with the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Rowan County.
Via Right Wing Watch:
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes announced yesterday that he had reached out to Davis’ lawyers at Liberty Counsel to offer the protection of his group, which he says is already forming a presence in Rowan County, Kentucky, where Davis was recently released from jail after prohibiting her office from issuing marriage licenses.
Rhodes said in a statement that his position has nothing to do with gay marriage, but rather his conviction that Davis had been illegally detained by the federal judge who held her in contempt for violating multiple court orders.
Rhodes said that the Rowan County sheriff should have blocked U.S. Marshals from detaining Davis, but since neither the sheriff nor the state’s governor will do their “job” and “intercede” on behalf of Davis, the Oath Keepers will have to do it instead. “As far as we’re concerned, this is not over,” he said, “and this judge needs to be put on notice that his behavior is not going to be accepted and we’ll be there to stop it and intercede ourselves if we have to. If the sheriff, who should be interceding, is not going to do his job and the governor is not going to do the governor’s job of interceding, then we’ll do it.”
Rhodes says his guys are already in the area and more are on their way. He says his group plans to "lead by example" should law enforcement seek to arrest Ms. Davis again.
In my opinion, this is basically private citizens choosing to take the law in their own hands (or oppose it). Bad idea.
Let's see: assault rifles in the hands of folks who aren't trained to handle high pressure situations.
What could possibly go wrong?
Listen to Rhodes below discuss the issue with Jackson County, Kentucky, Sheriff Denny Peyman:
