Well this is frightening. A group of armed vigilantes have claimed they’re heading to Rowan Kentucky, presumably to open fire on any US marshals who try to arrest Kim Davis if, tomorrow morning, she elects to violate the terms of her release:

The Oath Keepers, the anti-government “Patriot” group that mounted an armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management at the Bundy Ranch, stationed armed guards outside of military recruitment centers after the Chattanooga shooting, and unsettled Ferguson protestors when they showed up carrying assault rifles, is now offering anti-gay Kentucky clerk Kim Davis a “security detail” to protect her from further arrest if she continues to defy the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling.

That’s right: Oath Keepers are protecting someone that is blatantly breaking the oath they took for their job.

You now who’s going to love them? All the hardcore right wingers who shout “treason” and “sedition” every time an elected leader does something they don’t like. You know, the ones who scream about how Obama and Hillary are “lawless”. You know, the ones who practically jerk themselves off on the daily telling themselves how they love the Constitution more than anybody else. You know, the people who bitch non-stop about how Obama cozies up to terrorists. But when a group of armed vigilantes undercuts the law and the courts created and vested with power by the Constitution? Then they’re all about it.

Matt Barber of the Liberty Institute, who’s big on decrying the supposedly lawless decision of the Supreme Court, suddenly loves lawlessness:

Boots on the Ground in Kentucky – http://t.co/a8QHZrQxDg — Matt Barber (@jmattbarber) September 10, 2015

Hypocrite. Yeah, boots on the ground, and law-breaking idiots in those boots.

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes announced yesterday that he had reached out to Davis’ lawyers at Liberty Counsel to offer the protection of his group, which he says is already forming a presence in Rowan County, Kentucky, where Davis was recently released from jail after prohibiting her office from issuing marriage licenses. Rhodes said in a statement that his position has nothing to do with gay marriage, but rather his conviction that Davis had been illegally detained by the federal judge who held her in contempt for violating multiple court orders.

If only there was a body appointed by the Constitution to determine what’s legal. Wouldn’t that just clear everything up? Oh, that’s right: this pack of hillbillies has a greater right to determine what’s legal than every court in the land. Got it.

Rhodes said that the Rowan County sheriff should have blocked U.S. Marshals from detaining Davis, but since neither the sheriff nor the state’s governor will do their “job” and “intercede” on behalf of Davis, the Oath Keepers will have to do it instead.

As it turns out, their job is to enforce court orders, not defy them. And if you’re all pissed off about government officials not doing their jobs, there’s this little clerk in Rowan County…

In fact, you know who’s actually doing his job? Judge Bunning, by enforcing a court order that’s been affirmed by the 6th Circuit and the Supreme Court. That’s literally what he’s supposed to be doing.

“As far as we’re concerned, this is not over,” he said, “and this judge needs to be put on notice that his behavior is not going to be accepted and we’ll be there to stop it and intercede ourselves if we have to. If the sheriff, who should be interceding, is not going to do his job and the governor is not going to do the governor’s job of interceding, then we’ll do it.”

Yeah, stupid judge insisting a single person can’t deny gov’t services to citizens entitled to them and enforcing a court order on a lost lawsuit that lost on every appeal. What’s the world coming to?

“This is exactly the kind of thing that our Founding Fathers dealt with when dealing with the magistrates and the officers of the crown who wanted to run roughshod over the rights of the colonists without a jury indictment, without any of that,” Rhodes declared. “Same thing. They’re going to show their power and show you who’s boss.”

Yeah, the Founding Fathers (who wrote a Constitution creating the courts and vesting them with power) really knew what was up. If only they’d left us some kind of document detailing how to resolve cases like this.

There’s a reason they didn’t write, “legal disputes should be resolved with gunfire by whatever jackasses feel like they’re above the law.” Jesus Christ, these guys are the reason the greatest terrorist threat to the US isn’t Islamic militants, but right wing Christians.

Here’s what this whole thing really boils down to: a bunch of yokels think they’re above the law, they have guns, and they’re insisting they’re willing to end lives over it.

Anyway, I’ve contacted a few law enforcement experts for comment on what happens in a situation like this (not all of whom disagree with Davis on the morality of same-sex marriage). One sent me this:

These people are nothing more than an average sovereign citizen. If this situation were to occur in our county we would issue a statement to the group stating the conditions of bond were broken for whatever reason and ask for cooperation. If they refuse cooperation then each one of them would as well be in violation of harboring a fugitive. At that point all you can do is try and make this as peaceful of a situation as possible, continue trying to negotiate with them without getting any blood spilled and, if need be, sending a Special Response Team to deal with the situation. In any situation our goal is to get cooperation regardless of what their views are. We trying get them to see all we’re doing is following the order of the law. When a judge or federal judge orders law enforcement to do something we are to abide by that order. If not we also are breaking the law. So like I tell people I’m not going to risk my life and my safety just to allow you to break the law In conversations that I have had with sovereign citizens on regular traffic stops I have no idea what it is that caused these people to feel as though they are above the letter of the law. Some are very cooperative understanding people who want to help me do the job that I am supposed to do while others continue to make it difficult the entire time. Around this area so far I have had very cooperative people who are understanding in the fact that I have my views, they have their views and I try to meet them in the middle somewhere.

Another sent me this:

I would be seriously surprised if there was any significant portion of the law enforcement community who would side with Davis and the Oath Keepers et al. Most law enforcement officials primary loyalty is to their perceived duty to uphold the law, and they have an understanding that jail time for “contempt of court” is a long standing and legitimate use of the law. An individual cop’s opinion on this might degrade the further he/she is down the evangelical rabbit hole, or if they work in a jurisdiction which does not place as much emphasis on a proper legal education for it’s officials- in other words: Billy Bob who got on the force cuz his uncle is the chief. So basically I don’t doubt there will be the stray law enforcement officer who will be sympathetic to Davis and her self appointed guardians, but they will be few and far between. And if the judge see she should be re-arrested, the U.S. Marshals (and pretty much all federal law enforcement for that matter) are very serious people who take their oaths very seriously.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to violence. It’s an incredible shame some people are so attached to depriving their fellow citizens of equality they think it’s justified to end lives. Is there any doubt that it’s religion which has gotten these people to this point?