On November 17, 2015, our FreeNebraska leader Lory Storm sent the following email to Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward.
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 9:39 PM
To: Dave Ward
Subject: Hammond
Sheriff Ward,
I’m writing to ask that you please extend the Constitutional protection that only you, the elected Sheriff of Harney County, can extend to the Hammond family. They need your help to protect them from an overreaching and corrupt federal government. The Constitution of this great country creates a federal government with limited and enumerated powers, not one of which is owning land outside of Washington DC or forcing private property owners to abide by laws they themselves do not abide.
The travesty of this trial has already done enough damage to the Hammond family and has emboldened the BLM. You can stop this from escalating further by using the authority granted you by the people of Harney County to protect and uphold the Constitution of these United States.
If you will not, then We the People will have no choice but to stop them ourselves. We have grown weary of being pushed around by an abusive and lawless federal government and will simply stand no more. We would rather this end legally and peacefully with the elected Sheriff.
Sincerely,
Lory Storm, Western District Commander
Free Nebraska Constitutional Militia
On November 21, 2015 Sheriff Ward replys …
On Nov 21, 2015, at 12:42 PM, Dave Ward
Dear Lory,
Thank you for your time in this matter. I take my oath of office and my duties as sheriff very seriously, along with the safety and security of the citizens in my community.
ORS 206.010 explains the duties and responsibilities of sheriff in the state of Oregon. My Oath of Office reads as follows:
“I, David M. Ward, having been appointed to the office of Harney County Sheriff, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States of America, the Constitution of the State of Oregon, and the laws thereof, and I will faithfully and honorably perform the duties of Harney County Sheriff to the best of my ability.”
This was not a “victimless crime” not only was public property destroyed, but also the private property of neighboring ranches. Crimes were committed. Grand juried. Prosecuted and convicted by a jury of their peers.
As an American citizen, the Sheriff of Harney County, and a retired soldier of the United States Army, I hold the Constitution of the United States of America and all of our freedoms very near to my heart.
Not everything you read on the internet is true. Please feel free to read through the attached documents and make an informed decision on where you stand.
Thank you for standing for our nation,
Dave
Here is Lory’s response to Sheriff Dave’s reply …
Sheriff Ward,
Thank you for your response, I really do appreciate it. However, I think it may be you who is missing some of the facts in this case. I have no first hand information, but I am a 5th generation rancher who lives on a ranch surrounded on 3 sides by the U.S. Forest Service. I can tell you first hand that they have burned my ranch at least 3 times in the last 15 years. Twice with lightning started fires that they opted not to aggressively fight, as they would make nice “controlled burns”. Their controlled burns ended up displacing more than two thousand head of cattle and burning over 65,000 acres of private property. This included several homes and cabins. Were they held liable? Absolutely not. When the controlled burn they started got away from them and burned almost 12,000 acres of private property were they held liable then? No they were not.
I’ve been a federal forestry contractor for over 10 years and have been on the front lines of many fires where I was told that aggressive suppression action was not the goal. Management of the fire, that was the goal. Well I can tell you, fire won’t be managed by anyone but God himself Sheriff Ward. The Forest Service was just as liable for the damage to private property in each of these settings and I could list several dozen more that I have personally worked on.
The fire at my ranch burned more than 5 miles of fences leaving us without any pasture in which to hold our livestock. When it came time to rebuild that fence, instead of sharing the cost with my neighbors as I would on private property boundaries, I was offered fence posts so small as to be worthless and told to get busy. The U.S. Government shared no other part of the expense or labor required to rebuild every fence on my ranch. So, not only were they not held liable, I was forced to pay for their error in judgement.
We cannot have a Constitutional Republic when there is a class and group of people who are constantly above the law. That is not a representative democracy, but a dictatorship. A ruling class of elites who can break any law, damage any property and harass citizens without any fear of reprisal whatsoever. In fact, any one who does speak out, like the Hammonds and Bundys have done, are threatened with physical violence and raids upon their homes.
We the People must insist that all laws that apply to the people also apply to the governing elite. It is the way our government was designed to work and it is the only thing that separates us from any other country on earth. Our rights were not given to us by our government, but by our God. Government cannot take them from us and they cannot excuse themselves from our laws as they attempt to. At least, not if we refuse to let them.
In writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson listed the many abuses the colonists suffered at the hands of the king. If you truly do believe in our Constitution and wish to see this country survive, please take a moment to read it again. You will see that many of the grievances that led the colonists to Revolution are many of the same abuses we face right here, today. Mr. Jefferson told us, should those instances occur again, that it was not only our right, but our duty to overthrow such a tyrannical government and institute a new one. The American people are there Sheriff Ward. We’ve grown weary of giving away most of our hard earned money to an abusive and tyrannical government who abides by no laws but their own.
Now, please remind me what the Hammonds are guilty of that the federal government is not also guilty of?
I realize that these emails are probably being read and scrutinized by federal agents in Oregon. I would just like to pose a question to one of them, how do you sleep at night or look at yourself in the mirror in the morning?
Any harm that comes to the Hammonds will be answered, mark my words.
Sincerely,
Lory Storm
Free Nebraska Constitutional Militia
I have been advised there is additional communications between Lory and Sheriff Ward … I will post them as they become available.
