Filing an official complaint against a rural sheriff could backfire.


Sooner or later FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) always puts in an
appearance...ANY action involving people could backfire.

Count me in the group believing:
- the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior;
- an excellent modifier of future behavior is belief/knowledge that you as an
individual likely WILL be held accountable for societally unacceptable actions
on your part;
- principle matters;
- hope as the sole basis for society is bleakly laughable, given human nature.

Failure to make a serious attempt to hold the overly-full-of-self official(s?)
publicly acting in defiance of laws and publicly advocating illegal use of
(deadly) force - as were both present in this instance - is a proven recipe
for more of the same.

Others have touched upon various - sensible - possible approaches soaring
practitioners might consider applying in the wake of this appalling abuse of
power. More power to everyone on this front; such things should be a routine
part of our soaring-related activities.

But to do so to the exclusion of in some way or ways holding irresponsible
public officials' feet to the fire would be a serious, bad-behavior-enabling,
error.

Given Robin Fleming's dismal post-soaring-flight experience of last summer,
who among us would want to experience anything remotely similar? Why not? A
famous statement of Patrick Henry's comes to my mind...

Bob W.