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Opinions/Editorials Title: ‘I knew they were here,’ West Texas sheriff says of ISIS Midland sheriff doesn’t think U.S. is serious about securing border Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter became somewhat of a sensation last year after appearing on national television outlets such as Fox News and CNN warning of an ISIS presence in Texas. It would be naïve to assume that they are not here, Painter told a CNN news anchor in an interview. He used the cable news soapbox to send a firm message to the terrorist group, saying, "If they rear their ugly head, we'll send them to hell." The "ugly head" has reared, according to CNN reports. Days after two gunmen were shot by law enforcement outside an anti-Islam Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest in Garland, ISIS allegedly claimed responsibility for the attack. If ISIS' clam is valid, Painter's words could have proven to be prophetic. "I knew it was happening; I knew they were here," Painter said Friday. "Now, we've sent two to hell, and we're waiting on the others. "I spoke the truth. I said what was in my heart, what was in my mind and what I know to be true," Painter said. "I'm not going to lie to the people. Law enforcement knows these people are here. We're constantly watching for them." Painter also echoed the what other state officials -- such as then-Gov. Rick Perry -- have expressed regarding an ISIS presence across the U.S.-Mexico border. "I think there is the obvious great concern that, because of the condition of the border from the standpoint of it not being secure and us not knowing who is penetrating across that, individuals from ISIS or other terrorist state could be, and I think there is a very real possibility that they may have already used that," Perry said during a speech last year at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative advocacy group. However, Homeland Security officials have said that there is "no credible intelligence to suggest that there is an active plot by ISIL to attempt to cross the southern border," according to a report last year in the New York Times. "I have no doubt that they have contacts in Mexico supporting them," said Painter, who once served as chief deputy of Presidio County, which spans 135 miles of the southern border, according to the county's website. "They're a huge threat because it is an avenue of approach to get into the U.S. We're the only nation in the world that does not use the military to secure our border. We're not serious about it." If an event similar to the Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest were to be held locally, Painter said that no matter the organizer's intention, he'd carry out his duty in protecting the First Amendment. "I would have snipers set up to protest (such an event). I believe in the First Amendment," he said. "The event in Garland, even though they knew there would be trouble, law enforcement was there. They were set up to be a presence in the event something happened, and unfortunately it did and they took care of business." History shows that Painter's conviction has been put to the test. In 2006, Painter and the Midland County Sheriff's Office were tasked with providing security as a Klu Klux Klan demonstration was held within the county. About 500 people lined the streets to protest the 25 Klan-affiliated attendees, according to a Houston Chronicle report, while Painter and his deputies kept the peace. "They sent notice they were coming, they posted it on their website. They came to Midland County, and we were ready for them," he said. "But they were given the opportunity to express their freedom under the Constitution. And he'd do it for an Islamist group, too, he said. "We need to protect our Constitution, and the best way to do that is to support them," Painter said.
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#1. To: Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter (#0)
So did you bury them with some pork?
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