TAKING AIM IN THE BLAME GAME

At first the great deceivers lurking in the shadows trying to influence WE THE PEOPLE said, “ None of it is true.” They said it is just more ‘lies” from a desperate local Republican party that almost never gets any attention because they are all a bunch of nuts.

But then the votes came in. The election results were a clear indication of the voters’ distrust of the media and local Democrats and a desire to hold public officials accountable. Judge C.T. “Rusty” Hight was swept out of office! No one we talked to can remember the last time an incumbent District Judge lost his re-election bid. It was a drum beating that saw Hight lose most voting precincts and the night ended early for those hoping for his return to office.

The post-election silence signaled a shift in the blame game. In more recent days, some have gone from blaming the struggles of the entire local Democratic party on what they call “rumors” from conservatives in the area and Liberty Dispatch to blaming defeated Democrats. For these people either self-deception or manipulation is a way of life. They seem to never skip a beat when they go from saying Judge Rusty Hight never let convicted child molesters walk to District Attorney Mike Little is not responsible for the liberal rulings and unreasonable releases of horrible criminals from Hight’s court.

Oh what a difference a few weeks and an election loss can make! Those saying Hight lost because he was a disloyal traitor to the Democratic party and that he had his father-in-law and other Republican officials secretly campaigning for him – those same people just three months ago denied any of that subversive behavior was going on. Some of those same people are now saying those deceptive tricks cost Hight votes on both sides and that Mike Little’s strong three decade loyalty to the Democratic party should not be associated with Hight’s behavior. “ Our District Attorney is as loyal a Democrat as Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy. Republicans are just trying to use Hight to win the District Attorney position. It is all political gamesmanship.”

While Liberty Dispatch may concede that Judge Hight was the key figure in trying to play both sides of the political aisle and push key Republicans into bad mouthing his opponent, we are not convinced the District Attorney was not involved in the scheme. A small handful of the same people within the make-up of the local party have continued to push for the idea that Mike Little is an acceptable choice for Republicans in two years. Liberty Dispatch has long recognized this little ban of would be power mongers just want their friends to be in office and that they could care less about the truth in advertising involved in trying to get enough votes into win. But we think it is obvious by now, Mike Little as big a Democrat as the legends that party has produced throughout their reigning, ruling, and ruining Liberty County over the last 100 years.

People trying to place all of the blame for the inexplicably light sentences of sex offenders, child molesters, and other horrible criminals at the feet of a defeated and politically embarrassed Rusty Hight, are purposefully ignoring that many of those “deals” Hight cut were not done at the original trial. Mike Little had to either be part of the deal making or at least know about the deals unless his little image makers are arguing he is ignorant of what judges and convicted criminals do after trial. If he claims ignorance, it would leave all of us wondering about his signature on the drastic sentence reductions that have occurred just days after the trials and the sentencing were considered final by the public.

It may be convenient for Democrats and for those wanting their friends to stay in power to aim their blame at defeated candidates. That strategy may seem the best course for achieving whatever it is that are hoping to accomplish, but two things remain evident to us. Mike Little, no matter what he tries to portray as far as his political party affiliation is concerned, has been a loyal hard working member of the local Democratic machinery that has played politics with our court system. He is either sat blindly or he has been the architect of some of the most liberal ways of dealing with some of our worst criminals while at the same time he has been harsh and deceptive in trying to crucify his political enemies.

He can not blame Rusty Hight sufficiently or cover up enough to free himself from how far he has strayed from what a good public servant should be. Changing political strategies or parties or friends will not clean up the mess he has been very involved in making.

Our suggestion is a good long look in the mirror. Not alliances with those in the Republican party who have little integrity. Not continuing to spend taxpayer’s money and time trying to stomp out political opposition. Just a look at the man in the mirror.