Howard Buffett ranch: A 25-year lease?

Hickman: Staying in the county, let’s pivot to something different. There’s been speculation about Howard Buffett’s ranch along the border. Terry Jo?

Neff: We’ve heard for months he might sell. Frank, you toured the property recently. What’s happening?

Antenori: The ranch sits right on the border. Mr. Buffett has invested heavily there and supported the sheriff’s office in various ways.

Antenori: What we’re exploring now is a potential 25-year lease to the county. It would likely be jointly managed by the sheriff’s office and county facilities.

Antenori: There are substantial structures — conference rooms, guest housing, training facilities. It could be used for deputy training, county conferences and retreats.

Antenori: There’s already a small range the sheriff uses for short-range training. We’re evaluating the full scope of potential use and cost. Staff will present a proposal, and the board will decide whether it makes sense.

“This started as a pretext about immigration and fraud… it’s WELL beyond that now. It’s into your 2nd/4th/6th Amendments… We’re performing CPR on what may already be a corpse called the Constitution… Wake up. This isn’t just Minneapolis. It’s ALL of us.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz demanding the state take three specific actions before federal immigration agents would consider reducing their presence in Minneapolis, including handing over voter rolls.

In the letter, Bondi blamed both state and local leaders for the unrest that has come in response to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations. She said that Walz could "restore the rule of law."
...
Bondi set out a list of three demands in the letter, including that the Department of Justice be given the state’s voter registration records, that the state repeal the "sanctuary policies," and share its records on Medicaid, and Food and Nutrition Service programs.

Cochise County, with its 84 miles of international border and vocally MAGA-aligned sheriff, appears to be a nexus for unfolding cronyism and profiteering under this new Trump administration.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office recently received a million dollar federal taxpayer-funded grant-- at least a quarter of which appears to be earmarked largely for the travel expenses of Sheriff Mark Dannels, so that Dannels may spread the gospel of “standing united and border security.” This is an interesting expenditure of taxpayer dollars, given Dannels’ history of ties to far-right extremists and dubious border security claims [read more here and here].

Further, Dannels has seemingly used his public office and public law enforcement agency to undertake an advertising campaign for a private defense contractor. This campaign has not only benefited the profit-driven corporation in its quest to attain contracts under the reign of Trump, but has also likely enriched the corporation’s board members and others receiving equity compensation. Among this defense contractor’s board members is a Trump ally who served in a Project 2025 leadership position, and appears to have provided guidance to the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup.

The Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup was an entity Dannels was also also involved with. This group worked throughout 2024 to shape policy and plans meant to implement Donald Trump’s mass deportation and other national security objectives.

Cochise County, with its 84 miles of international border and vocally MAGA-aligned sheriff, appears to be a nexus for unfolding cronyism and profiteering under this new Trump administration.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office recently received a million dollar federal taxpayer-funded grant-- at least a quarter of which appears to be earmarked largely for the travel expenses of Sheriff Mark Dannels, so that Dannels may spread the gospel of “standing united and border security.” This is an interesting expenditure of taxpayer dollars, given Dannels’ history of ties to far-right extremists and dubious border security claims [read more here and here].

Further, Dannels has seemingly used his public office and public law enforcement agency to undertake an advertising campaign for a private defense contractor. This campaign has not only benefited the profit-driven corporation in its quest to attain contracts under the reign of Trump, but has also likely enriched the corporation’s board members and others receiving equity compensation. Among this defense contractor’s board members is a Trump ally who served in a Project 2025 leadership position, and appears to have provided guidance to the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup.

The Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup was an entity Dannels was also also involved with. This group worked throughout 2024 to shape policy and plans meant to implement Donald Trump’s mass deportation and other national security objectives.

I need to say something that's been bothering me for a while, and I'm saying it as a Marine Corps veteran who leans center-right.
This isn't partisan. This is an observation.
We've slow-faded into accepting militarized police as normal, and nobody seems to notice or care.
Even as a USMC pilot, I went through six months of infantry training as an officer before flight school. I've worn the gear. The helmet, the tactical vest, the whole kit. And I can tell you from experience, it changes you.
There's a psychological shift that happens when you strap that stuff on. You feel different. You carry yourself differently. You start seeing the environment differently. In the Marine Corps, that shift was appropriate because it's a combat culture and organization.
But these are American streets. American citizens. And we've got law enforcement dressed like they're kicking down doors in Fallujah to serve warrants in suburbia.
What happened to high standards and real policing tactics? Think Adam-12...Officers Reed and Malloy. Crisp uniforms. A revolver. A baton. High standards and professionalism. They looked like public servants because they were public servants. They de-escalated. They talked to people. They were part of the community.
Now? Tactical gear, beards, ball caps, Oakley sunglasses, sleeve tattoos, and a tactical kit that would make special operators jealous. And we've turned it into a fetish. We celebrate it. We assume that because someone looks hard, they must be professional.
They're not.
I loved the Marine Corps. But I'll be honest, I was also blinded by it for a while. Mission first. Unit over everything. And that mentality made sense in that context.
But law enforcement doesn't get that critical examination. "Back the Blue" has become a shield against accountability. A blanket assumption that a badge plus gun equals hero. That tactical gear equals competence.
It doesn't.
Most people who join law enforcement aren't special operators. They're average people who desperately want to belong to something bigger than themselves. I understand that impulse deeply, it's why I joined the Marines. But wanting to belong doesn't make you qualified. Looking the part doesn't mean you can perform under pressure. And wrapping yourself in warrior aesthetics doesn't make you a warrior.
Old school law enforcement represented something. Standards. Bearing. Discipline. Professionalism that was demonstrated, not costumed. A revolver and a baton meant you had to rely on your training, your words, your judgment, not overwhelming firepower.
What I see now in law enforcement is the costume without the culture. The gear without the training. The authority without the accountability.
Are there good people in law enforcement? Of course. I know some personally. But this reflexive "law enforcement can do no wrong" mentality is lazy, dangerous, and intellectually dishonest.
A woman is dead. And before we sort ourselves into teams and start assigning blame, maybe we should ask harder questions:
Why do we accept a militarized police force as normal?
Why do we assume tactical gear equals tactical competence?
Why have we let "Back the Blue" become a substitute for actual standards?
I wore the uniform. I went through the training. I know what that gear does to your head.
It shouldn't be normalized on American streets against American citizens.
And we shouldn't pretend everyone wearing it is qualified to carry it. The fact that he called her a “fucking bitch” after he shot her three times should be a huge red flag for all of us.