Constitutional County? Time to Speak Out!

Pressure continues to declare Klickitat a Constitutional County 

Our friends at Concerned Citizens of Klickitat County (KVERGE) notified us that considerable pressure is continuing to be directed at the Klickitat County Board of Commissioners to bring our county into the so-called "Constitutional County" movement. This movement is directly tied to the Constitutional Sheriff notion that a county sheriff's authority supersedes that of the state and federal governments. Its roots go back decades. Southern states used a variation of this concept, calling it "nullification," and asserting their authority to continue Jim Crow laws after a Supreme Court decision made them illegal. In the 1970s, the concept manifested itself in the guise of  "Posse Comitatus," an anti-government/anti-Semitic and racist ideology. One of its adherents, Gordon Wendell Kahl, murdered two U.S. Marshals and an Arkansas sheriff in 1983.

The sheriff as the ultimate authority--even beyond that of the U.S. Supreme Court? Imagine this scenario. Jane Doe, a resident of Texas, comes to Portland or Vancouver in order to have an abortion. Afterward, she comes to Klickitat County to be with family. Texas says the woman broke its law and demands extradition. Washington State law protects the woman from extradition. How to resolve the quandary? Sheriff Bob Songer decides that Texas is right, arrests the woman, and unilaterally extradites her the very same day. 

KVERGE encourages county citizens to speak out against this nutty concept. The County Board of Commissioners allots citizen commentary time beginning at about 1 p.m. at its weekly public meetings. Please consider adding your voice. The Board of Commissioners webpage has Zoom links to its meetings. Join via Zoom and have your say!