To the Editor:

Kay Scheurer’s commentary in the Blue Mountain Eagle July 18 was composed of hearsay and has spawned fears among some in Grant County.

We live in a Republic with a democratic voting process. One can endorse, support and vote for whomever they please, even if it is a member of their own organization. To discriminate in the workplace because of this freedom is illegal and lacks common sense and courtesy.

The meeting Scheurer spoke of was attended by Posse members, with a majority being concerned citizens. There were no “implied threats,” and “alarming and outrageous behavior” from those in attendance did not occur.

“Ultra-right wing groups, Posse Commitatus, radical groups, militia-minded, antitax, antifederal-government, inflaming the relationship, something more ominous underfoot here than rattlesnakes, political strong arm, rein in the voices that claw at the wounds of dissention,” Scheurer stated. Lurid sensationalism with nothing to back it up.

Another citizen, fearful of the above, wrote last week, “The thought of a Posse Comitatus acting in the county is scarier, knowing the kind of individuals attracted to those organizations.”

Webster’s defines posse comitatus as “The body of men that a peace officer of a county is empowered to assist him in preserving the peace, making arrests and serving writs.”

Who comprises the sheriff’s posse? It is the men and women who also serve as EMTs, volunteer firemen, military veterans, those willing to spend days and nights in search and rescue, road guards on fires doing two-week twelve-hour shifts, have had background checks and are your friends and neighbors.

Scheurer painted all with the same black brush, though she alludes to “thinking people.”

One can only hope that those who read the commentary will consider the source. It was a shameful disservice at best.

For the record, I have not been or will be a part of any effort to recall county Judge Mark Webb.

Dave Traylor

John Day

Editor Note: Our version of Webster’s refers to “posse comitatus” as a Medieval Latin phrase meaning “power or authority of the county.” Derived from that phrase, a posse is defined as body of persons summoned by a sheriff to assist in preserving the public peace, usually in an emergency.

Concerns voiced by some observers recently may reflect, in part, recollections of a loose-knit group named the Posse Comitatus that formed in the 1970s and sparked concerns nationwide because of its vigilantism and agitation against the federal, state and local government powers.