ThinkMasa Exclusive
Laws? We don't need no stinking laws!
Galena Missouri –
A Direct Violation
Judge Alan Blankenship turned democracy on its head recently when he ruled that the City of Branson West possessed no legal obligation to respond to letters sent to them. The judge’s ruling is a direct violation of the Missouri Sunshine Law, which states that governmental agencies must not only respond to letters, but must also do so within a fixed time limit of three business days.
Contentious
On November 24th, 2009, in a contentious courtroom hearing, Judge Blankenship was asked whether he was Jewish. The judge tersely replied, “I’m not gonna answer that.” Perhaps the judge’s most telling response occurred seven days later, when he recused himself.
Politically Transformed
Blankenship’s questionable ruling occurred in the wake of three on-going misdemeanor cases. The defendant in those cases, Mr. Shazer Everquar, is alleged to have committed three acts of third degree assault. That’s 3 X 3, ladies and gentlemen. Interestingly enough, Mr. Everquar transformed into a wanted criminal in the eyes of Branson West five months after he ran for Mayor. And once again, six months before he ran for Alderman. Which climaxed in an arrest of the candidate on the eve of the election.
Accusations But No CSI
All three cases are based solely on accusations alleged by rather dubious “victims”. Meanwhile, neither Stone County Prosecutor, Matt Selby nor Branson West Prosecutor, Kari Walden have offered any objective scientific proof into evidence such as fingerprints, footprints, tire tracks, photographs, videos, weapons, blood or DNA. Of course, let’s face it…It’s kinda hard to come up with scientific proof when what you’re alleging…never happened
The Flavor of Uniformity
NO one steps out of line in Branson West!
So we mustn’t be critical of Selby and Walden…they’re trying their best with what they’ve got…lots of accusations. To give it dimension and flavor, in one case, they brought in all of the officers of the entire Branson West Police Department… I kid you not.
In a single case, every Branson West Police officer in the entire department filed at least one report against the defendant. Now wasn’t that nice and uniform of the Branson West Police Department to get everyone involved? Did we mention that, until it is statistically proven otherwise, the Branson West Police Department possesses the highest racial profiling scores in the entire State of Missouri?
A Gesture Is a Crime?
Apparently, Walden would throw the book at this guy
As if that isn’t bad enough…to say the accusations were “trumped up” would be an understatement. For example, one of the (frankly outrageous) charges being brought by Ms. Kari Walden is that Mr. Everquar “made a gun-like gesture” (we kid you not).
The City of Branson West, Missouri is currently conducting a criminal trial in Stone County 39th Circuit Court…on the basis that a gesture is a crime!
Evidently, the defendant had not consulted his American Totalitarian Book of Gestures to find out which gestures are allowed in America these days and which are not.
Branson West Police Department
Government Stonewall
Mr. Everquar has written letters to the Branson West Police Department asking definitive questions and requesting specific paperwork. The City stonewalled Mr. Everquar by first providing “lawyer” type answers that circumvented Mr. Everquar’s questions. Then they stopped answering altogether.
Missouri Sunshine Law
Judge Alan Blankenship is on the record as having ruled that it was ok for Branson West not to respond to Mr. Everquar’s letters. Which may suit the local politics…but it does not suit Chapter 610 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, otherwise known as the Missouri Sunshine Law.
A booklet on the law is available on line from Missouri Attorney General, Chris Koster. The stated purpose of the booklet is to help public officials comply with the Sunshine Law and assist all citizens in better understanding their rights to an open and accessible government.
Said Everquar, “Essentially, the judge ruled against democracy!”