EDITOR:
I write today not in anger, but in clarity—to correct the record and stand for what is right.
Recently, a good man, Tom Norris, was denied the opportunity to serve on the Mid-Continent Public Library board simply for being associated with me. Why? Because a small group of entrenched political actors in Platte County decided to smear my name rather than face the rising call for change.
The text message from Platte County Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker made it clear: this wasn’t about Tom’s qualifications—it was about me, and the false narrative they’ve created to keep me and those who believe as I do from participating in civic life.
Let me be clear: I reject the label of “sovereign citizen” entirely. It’s a pejorative term that has been weaponized to silence lawful dissent. I believe wholeheartedly in the rule of law, the Constitution, and the importance of public accountability.
My friends and I are not extremists. We are veterans, small business owners, parents, and committed citizens who have dared to ask uncomfortable questions and challenge the status quo. At the heart of this entire controversy is a simple educational trust—a private covenant formed by citizens of Platte County to study our founding principles and learn how to assemble peacefully, lawfully, and effectively, just as our Founders did.
The Platte County Settlement Covenant is not a rebellion; it is a classroom. We teach process, order, and how to lawfully exercise our rights. And for that, we have been vilified.
Behind closed doors, county officials and Republican Party insiders have conspired to blacklist anyone associated with our efforts.
They’ve called us “insurrectionists”—a dangerous and defamatory lie. I have been told, falsely, that I’m under FBI investigation. That was disproven—directly—by a federal agent. Yet the lie continues to spread. And now, citizens like Tom Norris are being punished simply for knowing me.
Ask yourself: Who benefits from this fear mongering? Who told Commissioner Fricker we were a threat? Who decided that a grassroots revival of civic engagement was something to suppress?
Was it the chair of the Platte County Republican Central Committee, Tammy Thompson, who advised officials that our educational work was dangerous? Did she influence the Platte County Board of Elections counsel, Scott Campbell, to wrongly declare us unfit for service? Did they mislead the board into violating our rights based on false legal claims?
This isn’t about public safety. This is political retaliation, plain and simple. It’s a desperate attempt to cling to power by discrediting those who are stepping up to serve with integrity.
But the truth is stronger than any whisper campaign, and the people of Platte County are paying attention.
We love our community. Our families are rooted here, and our devotion to Platte County is the reason we stepped up in the first place. Our mission has never been partisan or divisive—it has been about restoring trust, encouraging civic education, and building a culture of peace, participation, and responsibility.
We believe in government of the People, by the People, and for the People—not a political class that fears accountability. That’s why we’ll continue to gather, to teach, and to serve—lawfully, peacefully, and with integrity.
If you’d like to join us in changing Platte County for the better, our doors are always open and we welcome you.
For God and Country.
--Joshua Lehman
Platte County Citizen
Advocate for Lawful
Governance
