Silent Protest Constitutionalist Group Can’t Find Town Criers For Protest

They planned to stand on the front steps of every county courthouse across the state - boldly declaring the names of government officials illegally holding office.

But the scheduled day came and went without a single “town crier” showing up in North Idaho last weekend.

And none are expected any time soon.

A constitutionalist group called the Idaho Sovereignty Association has declared that Idaho’s government officials are illegally in office because they did not utter the words “so help me God” when they were sworn in.

Officials call the claims ludicrous - and irrelevant. As it turns out, many officials - including those in Kootenai and Bonner counties - did use the four-word phrase before taking office.

Idaho Sovereignty also has submitted an arrest warrant to the Idaho Supreme Court demanding that Ada County magistrate Patricia Flanagan be arrested on charges of grand theft - for stealing constitutional rights.

If the Supreme Court doesn’t follow through and arrest her, Idaho Sovereignty members said this week that they’ll begin steps that could end in the justices being arrested.

“We’re restoring lawful government,” Gary DeMott of Boise, the group’s founder said Wednesday. “None of them are above the law.”

Lawrence Wasden, the state attorney general’s deputy chief of staff, laughed out loud at the proposition.

“It’s pretty absurd,” he said, calling the group’s claims “completely unfounded.”

Last weekend was the scheduled date for town criers to descend on each of the state’s 44 county courthouses. Among those in Kootenai County allegedly holding illegal office: Commissioner Dick Compton, clerk Dan English and Prosecutor Bill Douglas.

Although a group did show up in Ada County to name the alleged illegal office-holders, DeMott could name few other places where town criers appeared.

Gorden Ormesher Sr., a Coeur d’Alene constitutionalist, was asked by DeMott to do the town crying in Kootenai County. He declined.

“We’re fully well aware that all of the public officials have not sworn the duly authorized oath to the constitution,” he said. “But I don’t know what value there would be of running down there and shouting it from the courthouse steps.”

Despite the poor turnout, the group’s effort are far from over, DeMott said. Any Idaho citizen can now remove the county officials from their office, he said Wednesday.

They won’t have much luck in Kootenai County. “So help me God” is printed in capital and bold type in the county’s official oath.

“It’s been around for years in the same form,” said Tom Taggart, county administrator.

In Bonner County, all sheriff’s deputies and county officials utter the phrase before taking office, said Sheriff Chip Roos - one of nearly 400 officials around the state to receive papers accusing them of illegally taking office.

Ada County Commissioner Gary Glenn said “so help me God” before he took office “as a personal preference.”

Either way, it doesn’t matter whether government officials say “so help me God” or not when taking office, Wasden said. Both are legal.

Still, Idaho Sovereignty’s effort are far from over.

The group plans to ask the Ada County sheriff to arrest the Supreme Court justices for “aiding and abetting” if they do not respond to the arrest warrant for Judge Flanagan, said Butch Thornton, a member of Idaho Sovereignty.

That’s “not very likely,” said Ada County Sheriff’s Capt. Roy Holloway.

If the sheriff refuses to arrest the justices, it will be up to the county coroner to arrest the sheriff, Thornton said.

“If he doesn’t do it then we’ll have to go to the governor or the attorney general,” Thornton said.

Despite earlier reports that Idaho Sovereignty planned to make the arrests themselves, DeMott said his group has no intention of doing that.

Instead, he said the group will take the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court if they have to.

, DataTimes