Fletcher-McAnulty playing fast and loose with...well, everything damn it!

[Democrat 4 Ever]

I posted this over in the Kentucky forum but think it needs a little wider distribution. A bit of back story - Fletcher is the indicted repug Gov. of Kentucky. He has already issued blanket pardons for all of his staff before any indictments were issued by a Grand Jury in Frankfort thinking he would shut down the investigation. (Instead, all he got was a cabinet full of politicall appointees that can't take the 5th as they are in no danger of incriminating themselves.) The entire Repug Party of Kentucky is embroiled in a hiring scandal of standard repug proportions. Anyway, in an effort to load the dice, Fletcher is is the process of a little "court packing" of his own. For your reading pleasure -

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Readers of BluegrassReport.org are well-aware of the controversy surrounding the temporary appointment of Court of Appeals Judge William McAnulty to the Kentucky Supreme Court by indicted Governor Fletcher (R) following the early retirement of McAnulty's buddy, Supreme Court Justice Martin Johnstone. my note - (there is interesting speculations on why Johnstone decided to retire at this time)

McAnulty was appointed to serve out the final few months of Johnstone's term despite the fact that McAnulty is in a tight race with Circuit Court Judge Ann Shake for the fall election to the court. While Shake refused to be played a pawn by our disgraceful governor and did not submit her name for consideration, McAnulty did ask Fletcher to be appointed.

Well, the shameful story gets even worse.

I'm told by a few sources that on August 15, a special swearing-in ceremony is being assembled at the Capitol for the additional 2+ months that McAnulty will serve to complete Johnstone's term.

But get this, 4,000 invitations have been sent out for McAnulty's "swearing-in" ceremony. To top it off, the state is paying for all the invitations, the postage, the food, and other costs associated with the event -- essentially a "McAnulty for Supreme Court" campaign event at taxpayer's expense.

It seems that McAnulty wants to get as much mileage as possible for his 100 days or so on the bench to help him win the election to a full-term and Fletcher wants to look like he cares about African-Americans for the first time in political career, after cutting a deal to temporarily appoint the first to the Supreme Court, even if for a few months.

The disgracing of our Judiciary continues. Let's be sure to elect Ann Shake in November (in Louisville) to the Supreme Court and not let these players get aware with this continued travesty.

If anyone has a copy of the invitation, I'd love to post it here. Please e-mail to me at [e-mail] .

http://www.bluegrassreport.org/bluegrass_politics/2006/...