Ah, I so love it when a right-wing, self-righteous, anti-government group gets caught doing something illegal and has to bow down before the rule of law.
Earlier this month Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, conservative Portland talk show hosts Lars Larson and Victoria Taft, plus a bunch of other Tea Party types assembled for a "Gathering of the Eagles" at the Ames Ranch in normally sleepy Jefferson, Oregon -- between Salem and Albany, just off I-5.
However, the organizers somehow ignored the fact that the crowd of more than a thousand people needed a permit from Marion County in order to legally assemble.
Of course, this inconvenient truth likely would irritate the don't tread on me sensibilities of Gathering of the Eagles, who say on their web site:
Dear Ladies, Gentlemen, and Patriots.
Again, we gather as patriots for a common cause because of over taxation and the oppression of government.
I say to you, silence in the face of evil is evil. Our God will hold us guilty. Not to speak is to speak for evil. Not to act means the destruction of our nation and our very freedoms which men died for. We are the beneficiaries of that righteous sacrifice. We are the trustees of their ultimate gift.
...Together we have picked up the gauntlet and we gather together for the battle to take back what is rightfully ours. Freedom, God, and the principles that we believe in, principles that the government has lost. Our Enemies are socialism, liberals, excessive taxes, and more taxes after taxes until we have nothing for our businesses or ourselves.
Who prospers? Socialism and government employees. But while the government prospers, people suffer, businesses leave or die, and employment dies. Socialism always fails.
OK. But you still need a permit.
The "oppressive government" of Marion County Code Enforcement sprang into action when the number of people attending this year's Gathering of the Eagles was brought to their attention (not by me).
Acoording to a Marion County staffer, a letter was sent to the organizers telling them to obey the law next time.
The letter advised them of the need to get a mass gathering permit if they intend to hold another event next year. We sent the letter to the property owner as our enforcement ordinance "holds" the property owner responsible for an event that occurs on his/her property.
We will certainly keep an eye on this for next year. The letter also advised them of the need to begin the permit process several months in advance. That should "do the trick".
Good work. Nobody is above the law, especially people who seem to believe that they are beyond the law.
The Gathering of the Eagles needs to realize that patriots come in a marvelously diverse variety of forms.
Public officials are patriots. Private citizens are patriots. Gays are patriots. Heterosexuals are patriots. Liberals are patriots. Conservatives are patriots. Atheists are patriots. Religious believers are patriots.
There's a whole lot that isn't right with The Gathering of the Eagles. Here's a few examples of wrong-headed thinking from their statement of "what we believe."
We believe in a Godly nation and a Christian nation. We believe that God exists and He has made himself known. We believe that certain spiritual truths exist in all free governments and that these pillars of faith must be maintained in our government to guarantee our freedoms.
...We believe that Liberalism and Socialism is the enemy of our people.
...We believe that government administrators should not have more power than any one man.
...We believe People have the right to bear arms and the duty to overthrow their Government when it fails to perform and when resolution and legislation fail to correct it.
...We believe administrations who violate our constitutional rights and lawmakers who pass laws they do not read should be held accountable and not only sent home for their wrong doings but punished to the full extent of the law.
OK. Thanks for sharing. But you still need a permit.
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