Why Does Rod Taylor Think He Is A Patriot?

Radical right extremist and county commissioner candidate Rod Taylor is shocked that Coos County Sheriff Craig Zanni endorsed Melissa Cribbins for commissioner. Overheard on a local talk radio program, Taylor couldn’t understand how a so-called “constitutional sheriff”* wouldn’t throw his support behind someone who attended and participated in the January 6^th insurrection in Washington, DC.

Granted, Zanni has signaled plenty of support for Taylor’s politics. The sheriff sat by idly while Taylor and his Citizens Restoring Liberty (CRL) clan disrupted a county commission meeting and, according to one unconfirmed report, has attended CRL meetings. Commissioner Bob Main**, a close Zanni ally has also attended their meetings and even sat quietly last August 2021 while the county health director was threatened over COVID-19 safety policies.

One can somewhat understand why Taylor might expect Zanni to be in his corner or at least not endorse his opponent. What is unfathomable is why he thinks anyone who has sworn an oath to uphold the US Constitution would favor a domestic terrorist. That said, if Zanni is a member of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Police Officers founded by the anti-government Richard Mack, then he may interpret the constitution to mean whatever he wants it to or feels like at any given moment in time.

Mack, for those who don’t know, is on the board of the far-right militia group, Oath Keepers. Members of the Oath Keepers have already plead guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction for their part in the insurrection. The trial of its founder, disbarred lawyer Stewart Rhodes, is well underway.

These are the people who influence Taylor’s thinking and beliefs.

Trump lost no less than 70 lawsuits relating to the 2020 election and his allegations of voter fraud. Absent any evidence, the courts determined there was no substance to the claims. Even the most ardent Trump supporter ought to be questioning the Big Lie.

Thanks to the House Select Committee on January 6, we now know that Trump knew he lost the election but perpetuated the Big Lie because losing was “embarrassing.” Surely, given all the information that has been learned about Trump’s culpability, most of it from Republicans and Trump staff members, we should expect a mea culpa even from a zealot like Taylor.

Understanding that no one likes to admit their idol has betrayed them and therefore allowing for some stubborn and irrational refusal to accept the obvious truth, Taylor’s participation in an armed insurrection is wholly unconscionable. It is traitorous. Swearing fealty to one man, regardless of whether he’s a fraud like Trump or a saint, is the antithesis of a real democracy.

Obviously, anyone who would bring up his and his wife’s sex life to avoid answering substantive questions about his plans as a commissioner will not have the integrity or strength of character to apologize to real patriots.