and apparently so does his staff
the embattled kentucky good ol' boy gubna' ernie fletcher is not having a good year so far in aught-six either. you'll remember that late last year he was wrapped up in a scandal involving vicious partisan firing practices of state employees. fletcher had promised to clean house, but then went and pardoned his director of personnel and efficiency, basil turbyfill, and twelve other administration officials after they were all indicted on charges of personnel law violations. well, it turns out that the wildcat poster boy for the culture of corruption may have to look into the possibility of pardoning his own pasty butt.
flip now or flip flop later
what basil turbyfill and the others were indicted for was the unlawful firing of a bunch of damned dems and anyone else who may have financially supported one. a dark meeting was held where the list was officially put into the minutes, and
according to roger alford of the associated press, fletcher boy's own calendar has provided the smoking gun that places him in that very meeting.
ernie's director of spin, jodi whitaker, has downplayed the significance of the meeting, but we'll see if her web of b.s. can counter eye-witnesses:
Dan Druen, the former deputy commissioner for administrative services, said a memo that's become known as a "hit list" of hourly state workers to be fired was given to top administration members in Fletcher's presence.
Druen, in an interview with prosecutors in August, said Transportation Cabinet officials compiled the list last spring and that it was the second memo targeting protected state employees for transfers or firing.
Vicki Glass, spokeswoman for Stumbo, said documents turned over to the Personnel Board "are highly relevant," and that Fletcher's calendar is a key piece of evidence in the case.
"It puts him in the very meeting where the hit list was produced," Glass said.
Prosecutors released a transcript in September of the Druen interview as part of court filings in the ongoing investigation into personnel practices by Fletcher's administration.
(
lexington herald-leader)
and, the troops aren't taking it well. the gubna's communications director brett hall blew his top yesterday, throwing out profanity laden f-bombs and taking the lords name in vein while bitching out the lexington herald-ledger's religion beat writer frank lockwood for his reporting of the gubna's prayer breakfast. add this to the list of "couldn't have made this shit up if i tried."
but, you have to grade the poor bastards on a curve for their persistance. fletcher's minion chief of staff stan cave tried to excuse it away:
"We have all said or done things we wished we hadn't.
(
lexington herald-leader)
apparently sometimes republicans are capable of speaking the truth. and by the way . . . yes, virginia, there is a fitzmas claus - look, he's flying over the bluegrass state right now!
christian dem in nc predicted that this scandal could trickle down to the house, where we could pick up "one, maybe two seats." he may damn well be right.