Tonasket gets it
"A tiny town shouts 'Whoa!' to Patriot Act":
But you don't have to dig very deep at Tonasket City Hall to find the small seed of a populist uprising planted this spring and spreading like cheatgrass down to the county courthouse in Okanogan - and beyond.
It's a simple, two-page resolution supporting the constitutional rights of Tonasket's 1,000 citizens - and directly opposing one of the most significant acts of Congress in recent history.
"The Tonasket Resolution" is a symbolic broadside at the USA Patriot Act, the far-reaching "terror-obstruction" measure approved by Congress six weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and the Washington, D.C., area.
And The Tonasket Resolution as reported in The Seattle Times:
Section 1. The City of Tonasket supports all lawful and Constitutional efforts to prevent and investigate terrorist or other criminal acts and prosecute their perpetrators.
Section 2. The City of Tonasket believes that sufficient Constitutionally acceptable tools existed, prior to the passage of the "USA Patriot Act" or other such restrictive acts, for Law enforcement to accomplish their intended lawful purpose.
Section 3. The City of Tonasket believes that any act, enactment, law, or legislation, etc., which dilutes, weakens, or denies the State and / or Federal Constitutionally guaranteed Rights of the Citizen is void from its inception, is unenforceable in our jurisdiction, and should be quashed, repealed or found by a court of jurisdiction to be unconstitutional in part or in full, as appropriate, to protect the Rights and Freedom of the Citizenry.
Section 4. The Tonasket City Council strongly encourages all citizens, organizations, and governmental legislative bodies to study, for understanding, the State and Federal Constitutions and their history, and the Bill of Rights and its history so that they can recognize and resist attempts to undermine our Constitutional Republics and the system of government that has brought our civilization so much success.
Section 5. The Tonasket City Council believes it is the duty of every citizen to protect and defend the State and Federal Constitutions from all enemies - foreign and domestic - and to demonstrate outspoken respect for the Rights that have been paid for with the blood and sweat of the American People throughout our history.
Note to "demonstrators" who smash windows, block traffic, cause mayhem - you don't effect change. Grabbing headlines with hooliganism is marketing mob violence, not positive change. The residents of Tonasket made a positive change, one that reaches far outside their Washington State city.