Rammell Awaits Ruling Of Idaho Supreme Court

AP Story on Rammell’s Supreme Court Case Inaccurate; Nothing to do with the Elk Escape, not prompted by fence violations

May 13, 2009, a road I have been on for a decade came to an end with my appearance in the Supreme Court of Idaho, while another road, my quest to become Idaho’s 33rd Governor, began.

When I decided to become an elk rancher in 1994, I had no idea of the political ramifications of my decision. However, it quickly became apparent that “freedom to pursue your dreams” came with the contingency “as long as it is politically correct.”

Private elk ranching opened my eyes to the tyranny in government. Administrative agencies rule with an iron hand. They make the rules, they enforce rules, and they judge the rules. They are judge, jury, and executioner. And if you disagree, they will crush you.

I once testified before the legislature about what I felt was unreasonable rules. I said, “If you don’t want us in business, please pass a law that makes it illegal. However, if elk ranching is legal, then please, do not put us out of business with unreasonable regulations.” My plea fell on deaf ears. I had no choice, but to protest.

In 2003, during a Dept. of Ag inspection to verify my inventory, a $3,000 bull elk had one of his antlers torn off. One antler bulls aren’t worth much, so he was destroyed. I sought redress and was denied. The next year when they came out to inventory the herd [only done on elk ranches], I denied them access. They obtained a search warrant, worked the herd, hurt several, then searched my home and confiscated my records. After the search and seizure they wrote up the charges. I was charged with nine counts of violations. $5,000 for each of the following: not gathering and restraining my elk for the inspection, not filling out an intrastate movement form, failure to tag my calves by the end of the year, failure to account for missing tag numbers [the head count was correct], failure to pay annual $5 per head registration fee [only required on elk ranches], and $1,000 each for the following: a post without staples, a pole knock off on one end, two posts wider than 24 feet, and a narrow gap in a gate a calf might squeeze through.

They held a kangaroo court hearing where I was only allowed to talk about the fence violations. They fined me $29,000 and added another $29,000 for attorney fees. I appealed. We won’t know for several months the ruling of the Supreme Court. However, regardless of the decision whether or not to retry the case and let me present evidence as to why the rules were unreasonable, I am proud of the stand I made.

Rex Rammell

208…

367 Talon Dr.

Rexburg, Idaho 83440