Long Weekend Recovery

Independence Day weekend saw thousands of Oklahoma families hit the lake and campgrounds to enjoy a celebration of our nation's independence.  Some had fireworks, others had copious amounts of  alcohol to accompany said fireworks.  For yet others of us, we gathered with friends and family at the house; having a much more quiet and intimate celebration.  Either way, it was awesome to see people out and about enjoying the holiday.  

The long weekend came after what was decidedly a long week that was frustrating, shocking, disappointing, and it was capped off with a revelation that an Oklahoma City "icon" would be leaving.  The weeping and gnashing of teeth could be heard as far north as Nebraska as Oklahoma sportscasters announced with tears in their eyes that Kevin Durant was heading to San Francisco to play for Golden State.  

First, we had the weird results of the GOP primary, and then the news about Durant.  I suppose I was surprised at the sadness and mourning experienced by Oklahomans at the announcement that Durant was to take a two-year deal for around $50 million.  Two years; $50 million.  Oklahoma City is a good media market but there is no way we can compete with San Francisco; regardless of how many ferris wheels Kirk Humphries puts by the river.  We probably could have handled the salary, and there is no doubt whatsoever that the legislature would have made available even more tax breaks to the Thunder to keep him here.  But alas, his departure has caused great dismay.  

Take a breather for a moment and think about how Seattleites like myself felt when Clay Bennett and his band of boys took the Sonics from Seattle and moved them to Oklahoma City.  Perhaps now some Thunder fans will get an inkling of how we felt.  

Just remember OKC Thunder fans: The team could have been moved to Denton, Texas.

To top it all off, the FBI Director said that Hillary was careless with classified information but did not recommend that she be prosecuted.  In essence, they found plenty, but because her intent was not untoward, she should be allowed to go about her business.  To me, it's tantamount to letting a drunk driver off because he/she didn't intend to kill the innocent family, but rather it was nothing more than an accident and shouldn't be prosecuted.

We live in some seriously jacked up times.

When I was in the Navy, there was no way in hell that intent had anything to do with whether or not you were prosecuted for the mishandling of classified materials.  I suppose times have changed, but you can rest assured that if it were you and me under investigation for what Hillary did, our asses would be tried and hung long before it became public knowledge.  This once again proves that there are two sets of justice in this country:  One for the rich, one for the rest of us.  It's time to tip the scales and change things by almost any means necessary.

We will have a long time to recover from the events of the previous seven days and in November, it's time to take no prisoners.

Of course, this is just my opinion and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.

Ron "Gorilla" Black

Solutions to Wad Panties

State revenue is down which means that state agencies will be feeling a pinch.  It's what happens.  The liberals are blaming Republicans for tax breaks for the state's bread-and-butter industries; oil and gas.  The Republicans are blaming "100 years of mismanagement" rather than taking responsibility for the fact that the mess we're in is an equal opportunity destroyer and that politicians of every breed are to blame.  Republicans and Democrats alike are culpable for the place we're in right now because for both parties, the only solution is to raise taxes.  

Liberals want to raise taxes on the rich.

Conservatives want to raise taxes on the poor.

The bovine fecal matter stacks up so high in the Oklahoma legislature that you need wings to rise above it and largely, it's the career politicians who are left holding the bag.  Their greed and desire for power has overruled any common sense they may have possessed at a time in the past and it will never return.

With all of that taken into consideration, I have some budgetary solutions that will work to more effectively use state tax dollars and to rein in the madness under the methane gas-filled dome.  These solutions are going to piss off some people and those are the people we should vote out of office with impunity.  They are the problem, not the solution.

1.  Reduce Legislative Pay:  Pay for all state legislators and their assistants, envoys, project managers and the like should all be cut in half.  If you don't think they are overpaid, consider these little positions for the State Senate alone:

Randy Dowell        Chief of Staff      $128,947   Been there since 1997

Jonathon Nichols    Legal Council     $120,138  Been there since 2000

Caroline Dennis      Dir. of Ops        $120,128  Been there since 1982

Trait Thompson       Capital Proj. Mgr.  $86,957.

Those are JUST a few.  You see very familiar names when you go through the list of Senate payroll recipients like; Trait Thompson, Jonathan Nichols, Sharon Veazey, Claire Mcatee, or Nancy Pellow.  You got to see this madness.  I mean it.   The State Senate and staff should take a 50% pay cut and the position should remain at that specific salary.  Period.  It's amazing how much money is being slung around to and for our elected legislators.  

Here are more for you to review.  Bring a barf bag.

Attorney General

Corporation Commission (Note the total salary number.)

Boll Weevil Eradication Organization  (Yes, it really exists.) 

Department of Corrections (Your butt will pucker.)

Department of Tourism (The salaries are completely out of control here.)

State Treasurer

Department of  Veterans Affairs

2.  County Official Pay Reduction:  Like the legislators and their staff, County elected officials should receive pay that is commensurate to the average median income of their respective counties.  Makes sense, doesn't it?  Their pay should NOT be based on how much money is in the county, but rather the average income of the citizens therein.  This alone will save millions of dollars a year and when you take into consideration the number of staff members they have, when the same formula is applied, the savings to the taxpayers within that county will be astronomical.

3.  Statewide Elected Officials:  This is really a no-brainer.  Take the average median income of the state of Oklahoma and that will be their base pay.  They would be entitled to travel pay when on state business throughout the state, but beyond that, their pay should be capped as should their staff members'.

You can see how these three suggestions/solutions would create a huge problem from some elected officials so I implore you to ask your elected officials whether or not they would support a proposal such as what I have here.  If they say no, they are NOT citizen/legislators but rather are bottom-feeding blood-suckers.

Spread the word.  People need to know.

"Gorilla"

 

Chronically Skeptic

Close your eyes for a moment and think about the Presidential campaign this year.  Which candidates stand out in your mind and why?  Next, think about the whole "Education Savings Accounts."  There are a lot of people coming out in favor from the conservative right and the conservative right does nothing without a profit motive.  Who makes the money, who stands to win, who stands to lose, and why should we give a damn.  Now, think about the last time you watched the morning news and think about the stories.  How many "bad news" stories permeated the fabric of your being this morning?  

All of these and a whole lot more contributing factors have created a generation of skeptics who are tired of the profit motives of the right, the socialism of the left, and the lack of trustworthiness of electronic media.  Talk radio, for example, is the same as it has always been on a national, syndicated level.  It's all the same and they are all puking out the same tripe day after day.  Local talk radio in this market basically consists of consultants who are probably just using the airwaves to plug their clients. 

No one should have any question as to whether or not we deserve to be skeptic.  We have earned it and frankly, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

It's no wonder that there are so many people who have become chronically skeptical.  Promises are made by politicians who desire to garner our trust and our votes, but once elected, those promises fade away like cotton candy does in the mouth.  I used to keep track of campaign promises and how they were left unfulfilled by the Governor, members of the State House and Senate, as well as the United States Senate but I gave up after realizing that the campaign rhetoric will never match the actual performance of the same.  

Look around you, friends.  Wake up and smell the bullsh*t that has surrounded us for far too long.  It's there, it stinks, and it is staining our shoes.  

How do we rid ourselves of this mess?  First, we become skeptical of things around us that are of human origin.  Matters of politics, economics, campaigns, consultants, and property are all external and guided and ruled by man therefore, they are destined to fail at some point.  The whole natural gas and oil bust has been kind of an example of how unpredictable the world around us can be but conversely, matters of faith and conscience are found in the spiritual realm and there is where we cannot afford to be too skeptical.  

Sure, we are to "study to show ourselves approved," which means that there will always be a sense of skepticism, but feelings themselves are deceptive and we should be skeptical of emotional responses to eternal truths.

I hope that makes sense.

Of course, these are just my opinions and I could be wrong, but I am skeptical that I am.

Gorilla

Anheuser-Busch Shenanigans

Casually watching the news last evening, I saw a story on News 9 about Senator Clark Jolley's bill to bring the state into the 21st Century by allowing real adult beverages in convenience stores and grocery stores.  Jolley had his argument down solidly and the naysayers had to resort to the fear of "the loss of jobs" as a result of a bill.  

First, when an advocacy group opposes a bill that makes sense and is more progressive in nature and they start rending their clothing and dress in sack cloth and ashes, you can pretty much rest assured that they are full of crap.

Second, Anheuser-Busch responded on the same network of the story with their opposition advertisement.  They, of course, found a less than flattering photograph of Sen. Jolley and proceeded to completely twist what Jolley had said on the news report just seconds previously.  What does that tell you?  The ad was not, by any stretch of the imagination, straightforward and it was designed to simply scare the people of Oklahoma that there could be "job losses."  With Devon and other energy companies laying off people, AB knows that the people are terrified of more of the same.

They are playing to the lowest common denominator:  Fear.

Sadly, much of the media is playing up to that fear.  Lawton station KSWO opens their headline with:

"A provision to a bill looking to change Oklahoma's beer laws could force Anheuser-Busch out of the state."

This is a desperate act of a television station that is begging AB for some of those advertising dollars.  Absolutely pathetic.  It makes one want to say, "Get off your knees, KSWO, you're embarrassing us."

The story goes on to quote AB executives but fails to even mention the author of the bill or the number of the bill.  This is corporate propaganda being slung out there by a bleeding media who is clamoring for every single advertising dollar they can muster.  Gone are the days of legitimate, objective news reporting and these shenanigans prove that the media is not to be trusted and that it's always best to do much of your own homework.

I did my homework and the aggregate result was that my bovine fecal material detector went nuts as soon as the AB commercial appeared on the television.   We're so far through the looking glass on this issue that Alice is shaking her head at us.  We expect politicians to spin their news, but local media has been the last stronghold of true journalism and now, they are mouthpieces for advertisers.  Talk radio is a dismal failure, the newspaper hard copy sales are deplorable, and apparently television news is now taking the lead in propaganda pushing.

It's bloody pathetic.  Jolley's resolution is a good one and will no doubt get some tweaking.  Watch and mark your calendars because the fear tactics of AB will once again be proven unwarranted.

Of course, it's just my opinion and I could be wrong; but I seriously doubt it.

Your Gorilla

Polishing the Brass On the Titanic

I didn't watch any of the debates, nor will I.  Sitting back and observing the shenanigans put on by supporters of this campaign or that campaign is entertainment enough.  Old school terms like "socialist" or "fascist" are being tossed about like bread crumbs at a duck pond.  The supporters eat each other alive while the candidates and their consultants ride along in their luxury bus, enjoying air conditioning and not being troubled to get their hands dirty.  Sadly, this isn't the first election cycle to see such mayhem.

There have been vitriolic campaigns in the past on a state, local, as well as federal level that have been nothing short of blood baths.  The John Kerry Swift Boat attacks, previous Congressional races where the big question of the day was, "Are you now or have you ever been a Democrat?" Of course, there was the now famous Willie Horton attack ad campaign, and now, negative robocalls have replaced door hangers largely.  

The truly sad thing about it all is that this fighting, bickering, attacking, and abuse are doing nothing but feeding the flames of the militants on either side of the aisle while the Average Joe is opting out of the "gotcha game."  If we don't get our shite together, we're headed for disaster.  In other words, we're polishing the brass on the Titanic as it's going down.

One would think that in this day and age, common sense could be included in the process, but unfortunately, it is as elusive as Bigfoot.  Here are some common sense answers to questions that I think could be easily adopted and solve a whole lot of problems.

1.  School Nutrition:  This should be a no-brainer, kids.  Children are going to school hungry and in this great country, that shite just doesn't need to happen.  Yes, it costs taxpayer dollars but since we're a "nation founded on Christian principles," makes sense that our charity would extend to feeding children.

2.  Environment:  What in the hell is wrong with us?  We have scientific evidence that humans are jacking up the planet - like the deal with the rubbish island floating around in the Pacific Ocean.  That's just ate up with stupid and we should be doing something about our end of the madness.  We are messing with entire ecosystems and that is wrong no matter how you slice it.  Unless you're Rush Limbaugh or Shawn Hannity and produce more methane than a 5,000 head cattle ranch.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

3.  Guns:  I believe that the Heller decision was the right decision and yes, I'm a beastly 2nd Amendment supporter.  There are some things that need to be fixed, however.  We need to make sure that parents who own firearms are held responsible if their children access those firearms and cause bodily injury or death.  Common sense, people.  Yes, concealed carry permits should be issued for college students who meet the already stringent requirements (you gun-grabbers forget that you have to be 21 to even own a handgun).  

4.  Welfare Reform:  Those receiving government welfare should be means-tested to ensure that it is warranted even though 90% of the time, it's not.  We have created a generation or two of dependency on the government teat to gain sustenance and it's wrong.  And that's just the oil and gas industry.  (See what I did there?)  You see, my friends, the oil and gas industry have these little associations that are created to lobby for bills that benefit the oil and gas industry.  Most of the time, it's to eliminate taxes as much as possible for them.  They hire these "legislative liaisons" who are little more than brothel employees, deciding which candidate gets the "VIP treatment" while fundraising for elections.  Meanwhile, the poorest among us are struggling and oil and gas CEO's are struggling to decide what Bentley they will drive any particular day.  It's common sense, people.  If a company posts profits, they don't need corporate welfare and an argument can be made that no company should be receiving government hand outs.

Those are just four ideas upon which maybe, just maybe we can agree upon.  Both sides of the aisle need to shut the vitriol down and start providing solutions.

Of course, it's just my opinion and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.  

Ron "Gorilla" Black

Just...Breathe...

It was a cloudy, rainy day much like any other spring morning.  He unlocked his car, started it up, and headed off to work.  On the way, he tuned in to his favorite morning talk show host on the radio.  The voice on the radio was a familiar one - one that he had listened to for years.  The dialog (rather, monologue) was as vitriolic as ever, the commentary blustering over the airwaves with the intent of raising the blood pressure of its listeners.  As he drove along, something snapped in his mind and he just couldn't take all of the "liberal media" and the onslaught of the "gay agenda."  He began to sweat, thinking of ways he could help the cause to bring the country back to the God-fearing, Jesus-loving, pew-jumping place to live it supposedly had been.  His blood pressure soared, the frown on his face showed his discontent and disgust.  A car passed him with a bumper sticker that said, "Co-exist," in the form of various religious symbols.  He came completely unhinged, screaming and yelling obscenities that would make even Marylin Manson blush.  He arrived at work and continued about his day, angry and pissed off but he couldn't figure out why...

We have so many messages bombarding us on a daily basis that our minds have collectively reached an overload.  Thousands upon thousands of Americans walk around pissed off - pissed off at something, but they are just not sure as to why.  Social media is filled to overflowing with rants and rhetoric from the "Sky Is Falling Church of the God Squad" that is so off-base and ludicrous that when you read them, you can actually FEEL yourself getting dumber.  

(Just Breathe)

This recent wave of bigotry and hatred masked under the name of "Religious Freedom," is both fascinating and horrifying at the same time.  It's like watching a colonoscopy while tripping on mushrooms.  Look, I am a Christian and not a good one at that.  I do know a few things about theology, but I'm not some Biblical scholar like Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern.  I can find a few references in Scripture about different lifestyles, but the problem is in that of interpretation - not that we all interpret it how we see fit, because that's garbage.  But rather from a sense of grammatical/historical hermeneutics (study of interpretation based on historical reference points and the text of the manuscripts themselves as we know them).  It takes one hell of a lot of hermeneutical gymnastics to get where some of the God Squad is headed.  

(Just Breathe)

Let's just say for a moment that the Perfect Ones are correct in their interpretation.  What does that mean?  They adopt these hard line stances from the Old Testament and allow them to flow into the New Testament without considering the rule of unintended consequences.  The punishments for these lifestyles that supposedly threaten the sanctity of marriage are similar to those who have committed other violations of the Big Ten.  

(Just Breathe)

And they forget that Jesus said, "not one jot nor tittle of the Law will pass away," and it is HE who is the fulfillment of the Law in all its splendor.  HE is the one who went to the Cross and took on the sins of humanity.  Consider these thoughts:

1.  Theocracy:  Anyone in the midst of this so-called "religious rights" movement who tells you that it is not about trying to establish a theocracy is full of it.  Whether it be intentionally or unintentionally, that is the aggregate result.  

2.  Dominion Theology:  Pay close attention to this and don't let it slip by you.  Dominion theology is a theological construct that states that Biblical Christianity will rule all areas of our contemporary society.  Reconstructionism, if you will.  More clearly defined:

Those who hold these views believe that it is the duty of Christians to create a worldwide kingdom patterned after the Mosaic Law. They believe that Christ will not return to earth until such a kingdom has been established. The principal goal, then, of dominion theology and Christian reconstructionism is political and religious domination of the world through the implementation of the moral laws, and subsequent punishments, of the Old Testament (the sacrificial and ceremonial laws having been fulfilled in the New Testament). This is not a government system ruled by the church, but rather a government conformed to the Law of God.

3.  Sharia Shame:  As you consider 1 & 2 above, remember that these politicians are the same ones screaming at the top of their lungs about the supposed incursion of Sharia law in this country.  It's poppycock and it is designed to scare the hell out of you and make you have a knee-jerk reaction and recruit more Christians to run for office - regardless of their qualifications.

 

4.  Quantity, Not Quality:  For the people who are pushing an anti-gay agenda agenda, they vote the

way their pastors or religious leaders tell them to.  They will, of course, deny this but ask them to answer this question - If churches should be allowed to be political, why doesn't the Church pay taxes?  They will become incontinent and accuse you of being Anti-Christ and offer you treatment at the Sally Kern Repent For Jesus Rehabilitation Programming and Kosher Pizzeria.  But the only reference to taxes made to the Church as a whole in the Scriptures is where Jesus told the Pharisees AND his disciples, "render unto Caesar what it Caesar's and render unto God what is God's."  Wow.  Jesus nailed it again.  We have reached a point of complete hysteria on this garbage they call talk radio, the Fox News Channel, and TBN.  The ignorance and completely unsound principles of  Biblical hermeneutics is creating a political society where the logical conclusion will be debtor's prisons, and rehab centers for the "lost."  It's insane.  

 

Fight back, my friends.  It's simple to do.  Just.  Breathe.  Stop for a moment and JUST BREATHE.  And when confronted by these Pharisaical reconstructionists with their overt douchebaggery, encourage them to join you and JUST BREATHE.

 

We are ALL created in the Imago Dei.  Sorry if that pisses off a few of the religious zealots out there.  Y'all just need to remember what His commandment was; "To make disciples," not create Pharisees and develop theocratic governments.

 

This is just my opinion, and I could be wrong...but I absolutely doubt it.

 

 

 

Weekend Musings Around The Cave

The week has been a wild one to be certain, and the hits keep coming - politically, at least.  So, let's review, shall we?

Olbermann Resigns:  On Friday, Keith Olbermann abruptly announced his departure from MSNBC's top-rated show.  Granted, MSNBC lagged far behind the big dog of cable news outlets, Fox News, but Olbermann was their star.  He did not say why he was leaving, MSNBC has simply said that they have agreed to discontinue his contract.  Conservatives hate Olbermann and are celebrating his departure.  I, for one, am not.  As the proverb goes, "iron sharpens iron" and while his political leanings where clearly left of center and his rhetoric often enraged, he was the most intelligent of the left-leaning commentators out there.  Conservatives need someone like Olbermann, we need a challenge once in a while.  Unfortunately, we often participate in media that "tickles our ears" and tells us what we want to hear - never really having our minds challenged.  Talk radio has generally become one big blob of talking points memo utterances and Republican platitudes.  Olbermann challenged the establishment, asked the hard questions and rubbed our noses in it when our Christological political figures failed to do what they promised.  Pretty sad, really.

Judge Smudge:  You're not going to get an argument from this little gray duck that the judicial system is a mess in Oklahoma - nor will you get an argument that political corruption and cronyism is rampant.  But I must admit that even this story shocked me.  A high profile judge has been getting paid fraudulently for children allegedly under her care.  It's like something from a Lifetime movie, but it's true.  This is the same judge who stepped down from the Ersland case after prosecutors accused her of misconduct.  Apparently, they had no idea just how much.  Read the Oklahoman story here.

Deafening Doak Silence:  Former State Senator Randy Brogdon issued a statement about his employment with the new Insurance Commissioner and it has apparently been so powerful as to silence all the critics and even the often conservative-critical Oklahoman.  Fortunately, Representative Richard Morissette is still paying attention and has authored legislation to clarify what many believe to be our founders' intentions - that legislators need a two-year cooling off period before taking a cushy state job...like Brogdon's $100k/year job and former House Representative Mike Thompson's $100k/year job.  Mind you, it's more money than either of these boys have probably made and legislators are frothing at the mouth for such taxpayer income.  Whether the bill goes anywhere or not is really up to us.  We'll keep track of all the "no" votes and maybe someone will show up in those Districts in a couple years and raise a little hell.  It does go to show us all that it really is about money, not political principle. 

At the end of the day, there are those of us to take a step back, look around and wonder whether or not the "system" as we know it can ever be repaired.  We make headway, then we lose ground.  Perhaps it is just the fight itself, the struggle internally and externally that keeps us going, striving and desiring more from our existence.  Politics is a good place to vent because it's "safe" in many ways.  We expect the political process to be flawed and our expectations are often fulfilled with little effort and it feels good to let loose on the political establishment and to be honest, the establishment makes it bloody easy, doesn't it?

Keep checking back...

McCarville Poll: Doak Deal Stinky

The radio legend, Mike McCarville, took a poll on his blog and sure enough, public sentiment is what reasonable people figured it to be:  John Doak's appointments of former legislators violates the spirit of the law.

He had a football in his ads.

From McCarville's site:

Do the appointments of four former legislators to state jobs violate the spirit of the "no hire for two years" law? (One falls outside the provision.)
No...they're not paid with tax dollars 27% 43
Yes, clearly 60% 96
Yes, but justifiable to use their experience 4% 6
The law should be changed to allow this if "fees" pay their salaries 9% 15
160 votes total

I have read and heard some of the most ludicrous arguments supporting newly elected and sworn in Commissioner Doak as well as the Governor's choice of Glenn Coffee as  Secretary of State.  Most of the apologetics revolve around the "spirit" of the law versus the "technicality" of the law.  The Attorney General's decision, justifying this type of cronyism came about to appease the legislature and career politicians.  The decision itself will probably be challenged and the hope is that the Supreme Court will eventually rule and side with the framers of the Oklahoma Constitution.

Let's be honest here:  Mike Thompson has a real estate background and campaigned about his experience in the same - but not insurance.  In addition, it was Randy Brogdon who said that the state of Oklahoma shouldn't receive federal dollars but ironically, the job he took with Doak is funded with federal dollars...and neither does he have experience in the insurance industry.

John Doak filed suit a year ago, stating that "fees" are really "taxes."  But yet, he has used the term "fees" to hire legislators within the two-year window.  You have to decide whether or not this is acceptable.  According to McCarville's poll, you do not.

We have to decide when enough is enough.  More and more people are getting very, very angry and in 2012, the tide will begin to change once again in the other direction if this type of behavior is tolerated.  And in 2014, if the GOP continues this downward spiral of parsing words, technicalities and misdirection, there will be a severe price to be paid.

Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied

Some years ago, I wrote a polemic or two dealing with the deplorable acts of some televangelists and in a few cases, saw religious broadcasters actually remove individuals from the airwaves.  There was one pseudo-televangelist that was particularly troublesome (Bob Larson) because his theological construct was exceptionally dangerous.  His theory was that Christians could be possessed by demons. 

Lady Justice Not Blind

In the midst of the doctrinal debate, I became friends with a staunch agnostic who absolutely hated Bob Larson.  He had been after Larson for years and really made no headway, but his hatred for the man simply burned deeper than anything I have experienced until recently.  This friend would get enormously frustrated with the process of working within the wonderful world of evangelical broadcasting and he used to say to me all the time, "justice delayed is justice denied." 

I used to disagree with the man but I think he may have been on to something.  Today, the airwaves are littered with numerous televangelists whose doctrines of greed have become the norm rather than the exception.  Politics is much the same way as well, isn't it?  Year after year we experience corruption, cronyism, broken promises...and every election cycle, we drink deep.

Conventional Christian wisdom dictates that we are to "wait upon the Lord," to be patient, kind and loving in our endeavors - even in the face of liars and the most depraved of humankind.  My agnostic friend disagreed.  He believed that immediate action was required to achieve that which he called "justice."  Christians understand that in order to receive "justice" it is to be meted out equally and that isn't something those who have a grasp of Romans 3 truly desire.  But there are times that try the very fabric of your being.  Times and circumstances that cause every molecule in one's existence to shudder, to demand "justice" of some sort.

We know, and history has proven, that money and privilege can buy influence.  O.J. Simpson was found "not guilty" by a jury of his peers even in the face of reality.  Regardless of the evidence, regardless of the testimony, he was found "not guilty."  Contrast that with the case of Jeffrey Todd Pierce.  A man without influence, and he certainly had no friends in the prosecutor's office, who was found guilty of a crime he did not commit  and it took 15 years of agony in prison to actually PROVE his innocence.  Think about that for a moment:  He had to PROVE his innocence. 

Law enforcement officers bust their chops and put their lives on the line every single day to keep us safe and to keep the roads safe only to have their reports called "hearsay" by an attorney who sleeps under the blanket of freedom and protection others provide.  It's the world in which we live and try as we might, our efforts are much like the author of Ecclesiastes states:  "Chasing after the wind."  Law enforcement busts them, the system puts the influential back out on the streets with impunity and then the system scratches its collective head and wonders why so many take the law into their own hands and mete out their own brand of justice.

Other countries, in some ways, have a better grasp on these types of issues than we Americans.  For example, in Europe, if a televangelist makes an outrageous claim, they must prove their claim or be booted off the airwaves.  It's basic "proof in advertising" that somehow eludes us.