A Conservative Dream Playing Out In Small Town Pennsylvania?

Or not:



Gilberton, Pa., Police Chief Kessler Blocks Town Meeting With Armed Militia


That an unbalanced gun-nut could rise to the position of police chief in small town America is not surprising, that he could command a paramilitary unit to bar citizens from attending a town meeting is something no one except some creative Hollywood script writer would imagine for a movie, and then decide it was too crazy an idea--no one would believe that an American town would tolerate a maniac like that for its chief law enforcement officer.



And yet, it happened:




"Police Chief Mark Kessler has been heading up the Gilberton Police Department for several years. To an outsider, his life as the face of law in a small town was about as uneventful as you would expect. That is, until last month. On July 15, Kessler received international attention by posting a YouTube video in which he slammed 'libtards,' called John Kerry a traitor, bashed the U.N., and fired off dozens of rounds from an automatic rifle. 

A few days later, Kessler followed up on his first video by firing off more rounds of ammo in response to anyone who was offended by his first video. But in Gilberton, Kessler is known for a lot more than YouTube videos. In addition to being the town’s police chief, Kessler is the head of the Constitution Security Force (CSF), a 100-man militia that vows to protect gun rights in the small town. 

For years, residents of Gilberton have been uncomfortable with Kessler’s antics. Some even feared that he could begin using his militia to police the town. After Kessler’s videos were posted, residents of the town finally had something they could use against him in an attempt to remove him from his post as police chief. 

A town meeting was called, during which Kessler was suspended for using borough property for personal use. The town council ruled that Kessler used police department guns without permission. But the meeting was all but uneventful. 

At the meeting, more than 100 of Kessler’s militia members showed up. The men, all carrying firearms, blocked the entrance to the Gilberton Town Hall and prevented residents from going inside. Few managed to get past Kessler’s security, but those who did spoke to town councilmen about their disdain for Kessler and the position he holds in the town."