In a deliberate “show of force,” federal and local police
forces raided a political meeting in Texas, fingerprinting and photographing
all attendees as well as confiscating all cell phones and personal recording
devices.
Members of the Republic of Texas, a secession movement
dedicated to restoring Texas as an independent constitutional republic, had
gathered Feb. 14 in a Bryan, Texas, meeting hall along with public onlookers.
They were debating issues of currency, international relations and celebrating
the birthday of one of their oldest members. The group, which describes itself
as “congenial and unimposing,” maintains a small working government, including
official currency, congress and courts.
According to MySanAntonio.com: “Minutes into the meeting a man among the onlookers stood
and moved to open the hall door, letting in an armed and armored force of the
Bryan Police Department, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, the Kerr County
Sheriff’s Office, agents of the Texas District Attorney, the Texas Rangers and
the FBI.
“In the end, at least 20 officers corralled, searched and
fingerprinted all 60 meeting attendees, before seizing all cellphones and
recording equipment in a Valentine’s Day 2015 raid on the Texas separatist
group.”
“We had no idea what was going on,” said John Jarnecke,
president of the Republic of Texas. “We knew of nothing that would warrant such
an action.”
Information
Liberation noted, “The pretext of the raid was
that two individuals from the group had reportedly sent out ‘simulated court
documents’ — summonses for a judge and a banker to appear before the Republic
of Texas to discuss the matter of a foreclosure. These ‘simulated documents’
were rejected and the authorities decided to react with a ‘show of force’ –
twenty officers and an extremely broad search warrant.”
The invalid court summon was signed by Susan Cammak, the
Kerr County homeowner, and David Kroupa, a Republic of Texas judge from Harris
County.
The search warrant against the Republic of Texas authorized
the seizure of “all computers, media storage, software, cell phones and paper
documents.” Kerr County sheriff Rusty Hierholzer said the seized devices “will
be downloaded and reviewed to determine if others conspired in the creation and
issuance of false court documents.”
Police searched and fingerprinted each person at the
meeting, but they did not perform cheek-swab DNA testing as the warrant
allowed.
“You can’t just let people go around
filing false documents to judges trying to make them appear in front of courts
that aren’t even real courts,” Hierholzer, who led the operation, told the Houston
Chronicle.
“The Republic has a lengthy list of
qualms with the federal government, among them that Texas was illegally annexed
in 1845,” wrote TeaParty.org. “But most of their complaints have to do with the behavior
of the American legislature and executive. Robert Wilson, a senator in the
Republic, equated politicians in Washington D.C. to the ‘kings and emperors’ of
the past, and sees Texas independence as part of a worldwide movement for local
control.”
Hierholzer determined a “show of force” consisting of
officers from city, county state and federal law enforcement to serve a search
warrant for an alleged misdemeanor crime was appropriate due to the potential
for physical resistance by the group.
The Houston Chronicle reports, “He said he had worries that
some extremists in the group could become violent, citing a 1997 incident when
300 state troopers surrounded an armed Republic leader for a weeklong
standoff.”
“Contrary to patently false reports
by KBTX that the Republic of Texas and its assemblage were a militia group,”
states the Republic
of Texas website, “the truth is that the Republic of
Texas is a self-determined people attempting to throw off the yoke of military
occupation of Texas through peaceful and lawful process.”
“We’ve had years of bad press, but we’re not those people,”
said Jarnecke of the 1997 incident. “But yes, we are still making every attempt
to get independence for Texas and we’re doing it in a lawful international
manner.”
The raid has angered many people. “The tactics used went
well beyond what was necessary to address a few individuals over a matter of
disputed paperwork,” reported Information Liberation. “It is clear that full-blown
raid was performed to intimidate and harass every member of the group. … The
irony of the situation is that the thuggish tactics employed by the police and
federal government actually validate the concerns of the members of the
Republic of Texas and other Americans who would prefer independence from the
United States federal government.”
No arrests were made, and the case is still under
investigation.
Source:http://www.wnd.com/2015/03/feds-raid-texas-political-meeting/
Comments
The wide-spread reaction to local
control is alive and well and as old as the hills. When you destabilize Iraq,
the Kurds ban together to defend themselves. UN Agenda 21 smart growth
implementation in the US is enough to quell the yearning for local control. We
are fed up with the Feds and our States enabling them to continue their
spending spree. We may see more of this in other states.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party
Leader
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