IF HE WINS, WE LOSE

If nothing else in Liberty County politics is obvious, the changing trend toward voting more for the conservatism we have seen in Austin and away from voting for the liberalism of the Democratic Party and Barack Obama is now prevalent among our citizens. That could mean we continue to elect more Republicans. It could mean voters recognize the corruption and the good ole boy network we have had for years and we are tired of it and we are not going to take it anymore.

But for those of us that fall in any of the above categories, we need to realize in order to make significant strides toward what we consider positive change, one thing must happen. To stop the liberals, the Democrats, the corruption, the good ole boys, or whatever name someone wants to use, they must not have a pipeline to continue their dominance in the courthouse. This will not necessarily happen by electing different clerks or a different county judge or a different commissioner. To put it simply, if Democrats continue to be able to target specific cases and run them through Democratic Judge Rusty Hight's court, they will continue to do what they have done in spite of all the other changes voters have mandated.

There are two district courts in Liberty County. The 253rd District Court race was settled in the primary and voters gave longtime Judge Chap Cain nearly 70% of their votes. Judge Cain has been known for many years as a conservative law in order Judge, but this election his desire to disassociate himself from the economic and legal/policy decisions of Barack Obama caused him to switch parties. His appearance on the Republican Party primary ticket was met with overwhelming acceptance by voters who agreed with his sentiment.

But voters must be aware that Judge Cain's opponent in that Republican primary race was hand picked and promoted by District Judge Rusty Hight who currently sits on the bench of the 75th District Court. Hight failed in his attempt to defeat Judge Cain with a candidate of his own choosing, but that is not the end of the shenanigans going on under and around the black robes of this Judge. Hight's connections in the local Republican Party are now legendary among those who keep up with local politics. But voters became aware of and rejected Hight's father-in-law and his bid to maintain his status as the Republican Party Chairman. Liberty Dispatch and concerned voters were more than concerned when Hight's father-in-law, Lester Wisegerber consistently told voters that "it doesn't matter whether a candidate is a Democrat or Republican". When the only person in the county that was elected to promote Republicans started promoting non-partisanship, voters for the first time in the history of the county ousted an incumbent Republican Party Chairman and Hight is now left unexpectedly going into this election without his family connection on the other side to help out.

Some Hight supporters may have counted on another dirty trick that was played using inside connections. But they must have been more than disappointed when they woke up one morning to Liberty Dispatch's breaking news about another crime in the courthouse. News about someone stealing mail and trying to influence voters to vote for Hight's candidate for District Judge rather than Judge Cain must have shocked any Hight supporters hoping to hear breaking news that would help their side win. Soon it will be revealed this report was about former Democratic Party Chairman Elizabeth Beausoliel's attempt to sling mud on Judge Cain. Speculation ended when videos revealed Beausoliel was in possession of mail stolen from the courthouse mailroom. The public still awaits the results of an FBI investigation which will reveal any other individuals involved in this scandal and will show a lame attempt to falsely accuse Cain of accepting a campaign contribution that went over the legal limit. Beausoliel has been Rusty Hight's campaign manager in the past (though we can all guess that her name will now not appear in his campaign literature).

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen what the closest friends of Wisegerber that continue to work in the Republican party will do to help Rusty Hight gain re-election. Will they support the change the voters have indicated they want or will they be subversive and be traitors to the party they have sworn to support and tell people to vote for Hight? Will they help re-elect the one person that can continue business as usual in our courthouse? It remains to be seen.

Murmuring and whispering campaigns about the morality of Hight's opponent have been the weapon of choice by Hight supporters thus far. A poor choice of political tactics for people that support someone who lives in the proverbial glass house. This kind of campaign will be met with facts and a much more open and honest discussion about the morality topic Hight supporters have chosen. Liberty Dispatch has investigated both candidates and will soon post the details of some of what has been uncovered. But for now we want to reassure anyone who wants to vote for change that is being subjected to the nasty mudslinging Hight whispering campaign. In a morality comparison, you don't want to choose Rusty Hight.

If Hight wins, we all lose.

Liberty Dispatch Supporter