Do you know why corrupt Pete Ricketts is now a U.S. senator? It isn't just because he abused the power of his office when he proclaimed--from his government website, no less--that Charles Herbster was guilty of sexual assault and should seek treatment and beg forgiveness from the women Ricketts assured people he assaulted.
And it isn't just because he had the support of Republican Senators Geist, Albrecht, Sanders, and Linehan, who also proclaimed Herbster guilty AND who started up a so-called "Herbster Witness Defense Fund" website, which seems to have served its intended purpose and has long since disappeared into the ether. It was gone even before Slama dropped her lawsuit against Herbster. And what of all of those other "victims" that the website was set up to assist? This is an abuse of governmental authority that our new AG should look into.
But that is the real heart of the problem, you see. None of our elected officials are doing what they SHOULD be doing. There is never any accountability because so many--both inside and outside of our government--have become conditioned to simply accept corruption in politics as "just the way it is."
There is great irony in the fact that many in political circles have said that MY behavior toward our politicians is inappropriate and lacks decorum. What they are critical of are my calls for accountability from REPUBLICANS, and I believe that they don't like me speaking up because it highlights the fact that they are not calling for accountability themselves. So, even as they proclaim ME to be inappropriate because I refuse to genuflect to corrupt Republicans, THEY are the ones who are covering for truly inappropriate behavior from those like Ricketts and his cohorts when they turn a blind eye to it and fail to speak out against it.
I am also often criticized for failing to focus my efforts on the corruption of Democrats instead of Republicans. But why would I? Doing that accomplishes nothing whatsoever. If changes are to be made which would oppose Democrat corruption, then those changes must come from those in our government who claim to oppose Democrats. And so when those Republicans don't fight against Democrat corruption, but instead emulate it, then I think that the appropriate place for conservatives to be critical is toward those Republicans who are putting their own political aspirations above doing the job of representing the people.
Where the hell was the voice of the "new" leadership of the NEGOP? Even if they believed that it would have made no difference to have spoken up, they should have done it anyway, to send a message to Pillen that what he does is being watched. But those in the NEGOP are only interested in the "business" of the NEGOP, and criticizing Republicans (even when they SHOULD) is bad for business. There is ZERO accountability, and people (if they are truly serious about wanting things to change) should be letting NONE of them off the hook. They are accomplices to corruption when they turn a blind eye to it.
The audio below is the commentary I gave at the public hearing for the proposed changes to legislative rules. I would have liked to have stayed to give public comment on other proposed rule changes as well, but my schedule would not allow for it. There were, I think, 55 rule changes that they went through, one by one. I was fortunate that the one I most wanted to speak to was early in the list. It was the one that Senator Hunt proposed to get rid of the opening prayer in the legislature. Boy, I wish I had more than two minutes to speak! (And I actually think they cut my time a bit short! Senator Erdman was raising his hand up as I spoke, as if he wished to cut me off or interrupt.) I don't think that our legislature will actually get rid of the opening prayer, but I do think they ALL (on both sides of the aisle) have forgotten why it is important for the prayer to be said there.
I have been told by some that I should not criticize Republicans, with the explanation being that we should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. But a failure to hold corruption accountable cheapens the good and robs it of its meaning.