It Is Time to Clean House

It Is Time to Clean House!

March 28, 2008

How did it happen? That is the real question that will emerge if John Pettit is indicted and convicted on the alleged charges that he is facing. How can this have happened? The answer is simply that it is Washington County and we allowed it to happen.

For years we have elected a group of individuals that have been more than willing to be corrupt. We have elected them at every level.

Every crooked cop, every crooked judge, every crooked District Attorney, every crooked politician in this county is our fault.

For too long we have accepted corruption as the way of life here. Keep quiet, don’t say anything and the evil ones will leave you alone.

Now is the time to change the culture of corruption that allegedly turned the jailhouse into a Playboy mansion.

The Federal government is apparently (according to sources) attempting to prove that our county jail was used by those in power including possibly some county employees to provide a steady stream of sexual partners.

If this is true, Washington County is actually worse than any of us imagined.

Worse is the possibility that those in power had an idea of what was happening at the jail and did nothing. That is right... nothing.

Worse is the fact that in the wake of the federal investigations there is no investigation into the jail by the local officials.

Think about it. Can you imagine anywhere else where there would not be a public and very vocal investigation of the county jail after the reports that are surfacing?

At least one person, Commissioner Diana Irey told us this week that something should be done. When we asked Commissioner Larry Maggi about the problem all we received was silence.

It is time for the Commissioners to act. It is time for the prison board to act. The problems at the county jail need to be INDEPENDENTLY investigated on behalf of the county. A group of attorneys and individuals that are respected and had NO TIES TO PETTIT need to be formed to investigate the county jail on behalf of the taxpayers.

The civil rights of prisoners matter regardless of their crime. No woman needs to be forced into sex, even if she is a prisoner. No prisoner should be forced to satisfy the sexual cravings of those in power.

No prisoner deserves to be beaten for nothing more than to satisfy the internal cravings of a prison guard.

No prisoner deserves to be treated like those in the county jail have allegedly been treated.

If there is no problem, than an INDEPENDENT panel will verify that fact.

But if there is a problem, then the lid should be blown off the jail.

Only an independent group can end the stink that surrounds the jail and is making its way to the courthouse.

We the public deserve a detailed county lead investigation in the actions of everyone involved in the Pettit affair.

It is time for a real house cleaning in Washington County. The question is whether Bracken Burns, Diana Irey and Larry Maggi are really willing to make it happen.