MAN WITH A GUN! [News Tip]

Attn: Erin McCoy,

Seems like forever since I've heard from you.  Did you get my last email(s)?

I think the last one I got from you, you were indicating that your tech heads claimed that the "Smiley" images are [believed to be...???] working.

And, I emailed you back...eager to use those images in my essays...and confessed to my own failure in confirming the working images, as documented in my Reader's Forum [Government] essay "htmltest"...offered to buy you lunch...if you could be so kind as to demonstrate proof positive that they DO work...any which way you can?

Maybe you just weren't hungry on that day...and...I also recall...you were prepping for stepping out for some personal vacation time.

I reckon everybody needs the occassional relaxation time...can't fault you for that.  But, the news goes on and a lot has happened since then.

Six weeks ago, I submitted a SECOND formal complaint, detailing unAmerican Activities happening in and around Nelson County, to interim Secretary of State Elaine Walker.  If you've been reading MY forum, you know I was none too happy when the local election board censored my first complaint...submitted upon November 2010's Official Election Officer's Sheriff's Report...clearly addressed to [then] Secretary of State Trey Grayson.

They killed it...without so much as an acknowledgement or an admission being made to either the Secretary of State, or to my supplied email address.  The County Election Board intercepted that report and diverted it from its intended destination...into an undisclosed filing cabinet...somewhere...forever hidden away...never to be heard from, again.

I don't think they were supposed to do that...and, after confronting County Clerk Elaine Filiatreau on this matter, she conceded that this incident might should best be reported.

She gave her approval...insisting that it should be me who contacts The State, not her, the Officer In Charge...and she promised to cooperate fully with any investigation...and with that, I moved forward.

As per Filiatreau's instructions, I reported this activity to our Boss, Elaine Walker...via the Secretary of State's own modern-day website, since you simply cannot trust a complaint submission to be delivered when it's rendered upon the old-fashioned "Official" sheriff's report...which must first make it past the local Election/Censorship Board.

Did all that on 9/24/2011...that'd be 'bout six weeks ago...and I openly followed up and informed the general public of that event, in my online political column..."Censored Sheriff Summons Secretary of State"....as seen here...

http://www.kystandard.com/forum/4031?sort=desc&order=Created

Haven't had a human response to any of it.

Hmmm...imagine that!

You know, Erin.  I'm just a poor struggling webpage programmer...but I believe I could come up with a more effective web CONTACT page, for The Secretary...got it on the drawing boards, now...one that comes with an internet-connected ankle-biter bracelet for the person who's supposed to be monitoring that expensive communications channel.

Whaddaya' reckon us taxpayers have already paid for this kind of highly efficient, if not outright "exemplary" service?

Now, rather than continuing on, beating a dead horse...you know what I'm talkin' about...you submit an essay concerning voting issues to your local newspaper, as a veteran Election Officer...only to have it censored by a post-teenage editor with a pre-teenage mentality...with that ignorant decision being staunchly backed-up by none other than the mighty [moronic] President Of The Kentucky Press Association, a former sales want-ad girl who can only babble 'We reserve the right" as her defense for blatant censorship.  You then contact your worthless State Senator, Jimbo 'Da Wrestler' Higdon, only to have him respond with "Thanks for the email." and then, duck the censorship issue entirely.  You go on to submit an Official Sheriff's Report to the Secretary of State...only to have it secretly scratched by unseen members of the local election board, the very people who are supposed to be ensuring your democratic rights...and then, nearly exhausted, you contact the short-term Secretary of State, using the latest hi-tech methodology...only to have that bought-and-paid-for service completely fail...effectively meaning...it's okay to snub and ignore an Election Officer...again and again and again!

Rather than do all that, it might just be better to change my tactics.

I couldn't help but notice how much respect and courtesy the town council came up with, when that outta' town visitor popped in on their regularly scheduled meeting...with a side-arm strapped to his belt.  Looked like one of them itty-bitty un-impressive 9mm-type pea-shooter pistols, to me.  But, whatever it was, nobody objected when he asked for a little podium time in order to correct the foolish notion that some narrow-minded small town clique can issue orders which supercede State and Federal gun laws.

Got himself some front-page newspaper coverage...yes he did...bigass picture, and all of it...and then went on to have near State-wide exposure when the Louisville news channels picked up on the story.

Seriously Erin.  All this time I've been following proper procedures...employing The Ghandi Principle of intelligent, open-handed, non-violent protest...but, what with all the people involved, runnin' interference and hampering forward progress, well, followin' proper procedures simply ain't gettin' the job done.

Obviously, we all now know, packin' heat into a public meeting has got to be the right way to go.

Gotta' be!

Now, way back when Editor Tolliver was deciding that the smart thing to do was to censor a guy like me...with Publisher Sizemore agreein'...'cause Tolliver's got a college degree'...I advised them to seriously consider what they were doing.

I know me...and if I tell you you're doin' stoopid sh!t...time and again...and you STILL persist in your foolishness...refusing to take heed?  I'm more'n likely gonna' slip you enough rope to hang yourselves, just so's I can have some fun publicly revealing the many fools who silently operate below the public's radar scope.

It's just my lovable nature.

And talk about stoopid?

I even took the time to explain.  The Watchdog of Democracy that they're tryin' to keep muzzled, knows exactly what he's talkin' about.  I worked as both, a marijuana rollin' paper salesman...and, as an occassional gun-dealer...down at Keene's Depot, right across from the town's country club, for 16 years!

It's only how I got to know...everybody.

Anyways.  During those sixteen years as a gun dealer, I managed to acquire a weapon or two...never thought I'd be faced with a situation where I'd be forced to have to use one...but I've got one of those very photogenic, para-military, low-slung, quick-draw holster rigs that I use with my tricked-out stainless-steel combat .45 caliber automatic.

It really looks quite intimidating.

[Picture me now as Ghandi...with a gun!]

No need to fear me when I'm packin'.  I'm a sworn Officer of the State of Kentucky and in my youth I used to train with other law enforcement officers down at the Louisville firing ranges.  Got a long history of placing my shots [verbal and/or otherwise] squarely in the X-ring.  Just call me SWAT...Special Weapons...And [especially] Tactics.

Who knew, back then, that I'd grow up one day to be...Homeland Security?

After all, if Election Officers, sworn to protect the free and unencumbered voting rights of every citizen in America...providing liberty and justice for all...if we aren't your foundational, fundamental, Homeland Security officers...then, you tell me, what are we?..just cheap Election Day labor?

I think...NOT!

In spite of the KY Standard's Editorial declaration that packin' guns into public meetings might not be such a good idea, due to the possibility of heated debates and discussions, well, we've got this Election Officer's Meeting comin' up on 11/3/2011, at 7:00pm, and I sorta' wanna' play dress-up.

I'm thinkin', maybe I can get some of that same kind of respect they showed that other guy...you know...maybe have my fully-cooperative County Clerk give me 'bout 5-10 minutes worth of time to address my fellow election officers.

I might ask 'em, how come I can't phrase the statement...'Kentucky finishes BUTT-last in the Nation'...without some newspaper twit cuttin' it down to...'Kentucky finishes last...'?

Was it really her intent to improve my jargon?...or just a feeble-minded attempt to water it down...maybe knock the caustic edge off, just a bit?

And, why can citizen Kenny Fogle publish, 'How would Jesus vote in today's races?'...but an Election Officer [and former altarboy] can't be published asking the question, 'How would Jesus Vote on Pot?'.

If an election officer utilizes his Official Election Officer's Sheriff's report as something more than just a worthless waste of out-house paper...clearly addressing its message to The Secretary of State...should local cliques be allowed to stifle it?  Or, should they simply do their job, and pass the message along?

If the local election board was doing the proper thing, intercepting official government documents and handling the Secretary's business, then, we must ask ourselves, do we even need a Secretary of State?

Why wasn't I informed, by this all-powerful board, of their decision to squelch me?  My email address was conveniently posted right there for any of the gutless members to use in order to contact me!

What?

Is the local Election Board, in reality, just another brood of spineless yellow-bellied chickens?...political cock-roaches hiding from The Light?...working in service to LandMark Communications, instead of the voting public?

Is this kind of subtrefuge and clandestine behaviour consistent with County Clerk Elaine Filiatreau's personal vision of honest and 'Open' government?

With the Clerk's permission...[chuckle, chuckle]...I contacted The Secretary of State via the Official State website...and six weeks later, have yet to establish anything resembling human contact.  Is that the way modern Kentucky Government is supposed to work?

If an election officer [persistantly] addresses legal questions to Law Enforcement, or political questions to local government office-holders, doing so within a very public forum, such as, 'Letters To The Editor'...is a complete lack of response to a fellow officer, a fellow representative of the Kentucky voting public, is that really, deep down, the appropriate response?

In a free society that's supposed to be practicing a separation of Church and State, how come the parish priest can go on TV espousing that a vote on Marijuana Reform is...'just a bad idea'...but an election officer can't publicly inquire of the most holy reverend, 'When is it EVER a bad idea, in a Democratic society, to poll the population on Big Money, Life or Death, Crime and Punishment issues?'

Gosh Erin.  In my quest to nail the guilty parties responsible for censoring me, I do believe I could just go on and on and on.

Probably would've been best for everybody if The Kentucky Standard had simply granted me the same kind of courtesy, word-space, and respect they grant to all of their 'approved' writers.

Shucks, I DON'T mind if some of the people up at the newspaper are too stoopid to agree with me...just as long as they're smart enough to print me.  I DO mind when a pair of mental midgets seek to exert undue influence over local politics by publishing the political opinions of a select few, while feeling dictatorial enough to totally censor the political opinions of others...up to, and including, the opinions of honest, intelligent, election Officers, at work here in the Great State of Kentucky!

That ain't the responsibility of a reputable newspaper.  They should print all the political opinions being expressed...in unbiased fashion...and then let the public sort it out.

But these clowns want to play by a different set of un-American rules...so let 'em learn a hard lesson.

Listen up Kentucky.

There's a new Sheriff in town...one that spits Truth in the faces of bashful politicians like Clint Eastwood spittin' tobacco juice on a dog.  Difference is...if you recall in the movie...the dog had the dignity to growl back.

You heard me!

Justice is comin'.

And now it's got a time and a date and a place.

I'll see you all on November 3rd...7:00pm...at the Election Officer's meeting.

Joe O'Bryan
Election Officer Sheriff
Commonwealth of Kentucky