Shoot Up Here among Us

As she requested, Nancy Worley has been granted a delay in her trial.  The trial was originally scheduled for a June 18 start date, but Worley's attorneys contend they need additional time to review evidence provided by the Attorney General's office. 

 

Worley's trial should be an interesting spectacle. An employee who worked for her in the Secretary of State's office filed a complaint stating she sent a campaign letter to Secretary of State employees seeking their support and involvement in her campaign.  The letter included an envelope that solicited monetary contributions and had places to mark if someone wanted a bumper sticker, yard sign or other material.

 

Worley doesn't deny sending the letter and, in fact, has acknowledged sending the letter in public comments. The Montgomery Advertiser reports that Worley's attorney, James Anderson,said  "Worley wrote the letter because she wanted to avoid discussions about the campaign during office hours." He even went so far as to say ""No good deed goes unpunished."

 

While it's Anderson's job to defend Worley and get her off the hook, his comments are absurd, based on the evidence shown on television and described in other media. 

 

If Worley wanted to avoid discussions about the campaign during office hours, why would she initiate a discussion by sending the letter to her staff?

 

Was it really a such good idea for Worley to send a campaign letter to people she can fire or otherwise discipline?  If not illegal (although I suspect it was illegal) was it ethical?  (I know, I know. A discussion of "Alabama government" and "ethics" often leads to pronounced cognitive dissonance.)

 

Personally, the most amusing statement this week was Worley's invocation of Jerry Clower. She said she is ready to go to trial but that her attorneys wanted a delay.  She said, ""I always quote the Jerry Clower story where he was chased up a tree by a bobcat and he told someone on the ground, 'Shoot up here among us. One of us needs some relief.'"

 

I love Jerry Clower's homespun, down home humor. And I'm familiar with the story she mentions. However, her overall comment is absurd. Anyone who has followed Worley's exploits knows that what she wants, she gets. And if her attorneys are seeking a delay, they certainly have her blessing.

 

Frankly, I think it's Alabamians who need a relief. From Worley.