William Norman Grigg
Lew Rockwell Blog
May 1, 2014
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| Image: Sheriff Ed Brown (YouTube). |
Sheriff Ed Brown considers himself to be the owner of every human
being residing in North Carolina’s Onslow County – but he counsels his
subjects not to worry, for his is a benevolent dictatorship administered
by quasi-divine people endowed with transcendent wisdom.
“The vast majority of our Duties and Functions are performed with only our conscience Watching and Directing us,”
Brown explained in a full-page advertisement for his re-election campaign. “Those
in the law enforcement profession have complete power over you, your
life, your family, your loved ones, your rights, your freedom, your
future and everything precious to life. From the very word of a Law
Enforcement Office [sic], all those Precious Things of Life hang.”
As the acknowledged author of the advertisement, Sheriff Brown bears
sole responsibility for both its candidly totalitarian content and its
eccentric use of capitalization.
After the ad prompted criticism from some Onslow County residents,
Brown objected that
his words were misunderstood, and that his intent was to say that the
criminal justice system “covers and protects” every aspect of a
citizen’s life. But this clarification merely emphasizes the claim that
police have power over citizens – that they are masters, rather than
servants.
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