"If All Else Fails" podcast (Stefanik, constitutional sheriffs, etc.) by North Country Public Radio

[RSherman]

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1222751117/if-all-else-fails

Totally recommend this podcast. It just posted today, with 7 episodes. Two reporters from NCPR have investigated and interviewed people in the North Country of NYS about far right ideology and the rise of extremist groups/militias.

As we all know, Elise Stefanik repeats far right talking points such as "replacement theory".

There are clips of the Lewis Co. sheriff, Mike Carpinelli, who is a constitutional sheriff and member of Oath Keepers. He refused to speak with the reporters, but there are clips of him at meetings threatening to go into schools and arrest teachers if they are caught talking about such things as gender identity.

Fulton Co. sheriff Rich Giardino is a member of Protect America Now, a far right sheriffs group. I used to ride for the FultonCo. Sheriffs K9 fundraiser. I won't do it anymore since Rich is getting more and more radicalized. At the last event, he pointed to his puppy and said "She's a girl now but the government says she can choose what she wants to be". How was that necessary and what did it have to do with anything? My uncle hangs out with Rich and I have noticed a change in him. I can't be around him because he espouses conspiracy theories and even made a comment about civil war.

The North Country has been experiencing leaflets and parades by Proud Boys and the KKK.

[SalviaBlue]

1. K&R

[zanana1]

2. This made my blood boil.

Are we going to let these groups of dipshits intimidate us? They should be disbanded now.

[RSherman]

3. Giardino won't enforce laws

As part of the interview, Giardino (Fulton Co. sheriff) said it's up to individual county sheriffs to decide which laws to enforce. He personally believes NY's Safe Act is unconstitutional (no, he is not a member of the Supreme Court), so he said if he got a call that someone was in Price Chopper with a gun and PC has a no guns policy, he would not arrest the man. He would just ask him to leave.

Members of the North Country already feel aggrieved with loss of jobs, etc. Many large employers such as prisons, hospitals, and schools have closed. Same with well paid middle class manufacturing jobs. Either no or unreliable internet and cell service, so it's hard to work from home or be an entrepreneur. Lack of public transportation and housing, affordable or otherwise. I think it's super irresponsible for the Lewis and Fulton Co. sheriffs to be sitting on powder kegs, espouse far right wing ideology to get people fired up, then support guns, guns, guns. Sounds like a dangerous soup to me. Aren't the sheriffs supposed to keep us safe?

[erronis]

4. I really hope this production is given a wide distribution.