I posted the following in the discussion at http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/app/blogs/politicalblog/?p=7855, in response mostly to Pat Duffy's attack on Sam Kooiker. Since Blogmore regularly deletes my comments, I decided to put this one here, as well.
As I have said a few times, I couldn't care less who is mayor of Rapid City. I do care about liberty and justice, and I have no reason to think the next mayor of Rapid City shares my concern. Duffy sometimes seems like he shares it. However, I don't get the direction of his salvo in the Kooiker discussion.
Kooiker didn't interview the drivers and others who were indicted in the landfill case in a small interrogation room in the courthouse and then compare the story of each with the stories of the others. Kooiker didn't indict the indictees. Kooiker didn't prepare the case against them. The honors there go to the Rapid City Police Dept. and to Glenn Brenner's office.
Brenner and whoever from his office actually stage-directed the Meidinger trial obviously didn't bring a case with them. For a defendant to not have to present a single witness to get an acquittal demonstrates that the prosecutor was either incompetent or malicious. Brenner's office has repeatedly shown a capacity to be both.
What does that have to do with Sam Kooiker?
11 comments:
Rearranging the deck chairs, Bob?Brenner is an earth hater and misogynist who will use whatever tool he can, including Kooiker, to sink Pete Fuller for seeing the whole iceberg.
I hope they print your piece, Bob. I don't see why they wouldn't.
Very good Bob.
The spouting about no fraud in the landfill with charges now being dropped against another three in the landfill case, does not tell the whole story as I read it.
They will now become witness' for the state in exchange.
Why do I not see publication of this campaign twist?
Am I wrong?
If the drivers are used as state's witnesses, that would provide at least some explanation for recent turns of events.
Bob;
Didnt Brenner hire 2 prosecutors from Meade County, the same ones that kept a fella named Hieb locked up for way to long after they knew he wasnt guilty ?
Wasnt Jennfer Udder one of those ?
Yep, Jennifer and anudder one too.
Les,
You haven't seen publication of this campaign twist here on the forum, because unlike Duffy, I feel no desperation to try a case in the media.
Mr. Duffy has the right to spew whatever on Blogmore. (And shame on them for allowing it.)
I allowed Bill's link to it because I believe most of our readers here know enough about the process to know that Kooiker had nothing to do with the indictments or the prosecutions.
There's little doubt in anyone's mind that illegal stuff was going on because Jerry Wright wrote a memo to drivers and scale operators telling them he personally witnessed the crime and told them to stop it.
Ron Weifenbach and Kooiker both received evidence that crimes were taking place and had to push hard to get them investigated. Those investigations resulted in new camera security systems at the scale house, a city employee being fired, indictments, the city cancelling a garbage hauling company's permit to work in Rapid City and a civil suit.
Out of all that, one case has been adjudicated. Charges in others were dropped in exchange for testimony.
I would remind our gentle readers that it was Patrick Duffy who was photographed on the courthouse steps smoking a fat cigar and celebrating to the press that his clients in the Sue case had been convicted of only some of the felonies with which they had been charged.
I find it hard to believe that Duffy really thinks spewing hate at Kooiker for pursuing an investigation and then making a point politically that his opponent went kicking and screaming into that investigation, benefits his clients in any way.
He has threatened to badger Kooiker if he gets him on the stand, which I assume will be noted by the prosecution and the judge in the case.
Boy, for once having the landfill be practically Sam's only issue, his supporters are sure doing everything to walk it back these days. "Landfill? What? Who? Me? Trial by media? Not moi."
Pretty funny.
What goes around comes around, as they say boys.
Instant karma.
Yes, Bill, it's very funny that a landfill employee kills himself after being accused of participating in a fraud.
You're a laugh a minute, Bill.
Nice try guys.
All you have to do to measure your guys participation in the drumbeat is go back through the history of this very blog and read your own comments.
You are as responsible for the hysteria as anybody.
In fact it's the reason I don't co-host here anymore. You dudes went off your rockers over this, and wouldn't listen to anyone when they tried to calm you down.
Own it brothers.
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