This time, a real posse

You've heard the term "posse"; right? If you're old enough, you probably heard it in terms of men on horseback, tearing off down the trail behind the sheriff, in pursuit of the bank robbers.

And then, of course, there is Sheriff Nygren's Posse - political fund contributors who think that a decal on the back window of the car or a license plate frame is going to get them out of their next ticket.

And then there is the posse of 2012.

Josephine County, Oregon is in that state's southwestern corner. Look on your map for Grant's Pass. The population in 2010? 82,713. About one-fourth of the population in McHenry County. How big is it? 1,640 sq. mi. of land (and 2 sq. mi. of water).

Compare that with McHenry County. Our population in 2010 was 308,760. And the size of McHenry County? 610 sq. mi.

And the law enforcement for Josephine County? Three patrol deputies. That's three (3). Each working eight hours/day, five days/week. (The next time you are complaining about a long response time from MCSD, be glad you aren't in O'Brien, Oregon.)

An Associated Press article includes this sentence: "Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson says he's glad for the help but warns that law enforcement is dangerous work."

Think we'd ever hear that around here? No way. People out West have the right to defend themselves outside their homes. Not here. If you hear glass break in your back door, you have to wait for the thief to enter your house and threaten you with bodily harm or death. Then you can defend yourself.