Kentucky taxpayers have battered wife syndrome

The Bluegrass Institute today threw cold water in the face of the state's sleeping giant of an electorate and wonders how much more of a shock is required to create a constructive uprising.

"Kentucky's unaccountable education bureaucracy spends money with insufficient oversight and fixes it's own report card every year. Kentucky's politicians increase spending on themselves and borrow by the billions when your money runs out. Secrecy in Frankfort is so entrenched, the media watchdogs can't even be bothered to push for honesty and openness. "Needy" citizens have too little accountability for their bottomless bowls of entitlements. And "economic development" bureaucrats pick business winners and losers with money they take from those who they prefer to be on the losing end."

Isn't it just about time to hit back?

Another inconvenient Lexington Jail scandal fact

The upcoming explosive civil lawsuit filed by vindicated whistleblower John Vest against the city of Lexington, current Mayor Jim Newberry, former Mayor Teresa Isaac, and others will be heard in Jessamine County.

Fayette jail scandal live

I will be on the Leland Conway Show Monday morning at 9:15 talking about the latest on the Fayette County Detention Center scandal.

Anything in particular you want to hear about?

Setting the record straight on John Vest

An anonymous, middle-of-the-night commenter on another post continued the same line of attack used by Fayette County Detention Center Director Ron Bishop and former Lexington Mayor Teresa Isaac against federal whistleblower John Vest. Here is the comment:

The day of the FBI raid on the Lexington jail, Isaac and Bishop both went on the attack against Vest. Their main contention was that Vest made up the charges of abuse on inmates to promote himself in his campaign for Jessamine County Jailer.

Given the five indictments Thursday, we can safely set that allegation aside. The FBI isn't in the habit of letting itself be used to further a local candidate's political ambitions and only the hardest head could still insist such a thing in light of the rapidly advancing legal proceedings.

The anonymous commenter mentioned Vest's one public statement since this whole ordeal started and blames that for his current unpaid leave status with the city of Lexington. What the commenter doesn't mention is that the inmate beatings stopped immediately after the FBI raid and resumed literally within an hour after Mayor Isaac stated publicly that she had viewed the evidence and saw nothing wrong. Some people, such as this anonymous commenter, don't want you to have any idea the pervasiveness of the illegal activities and atmosphere of indimidation going on in the jail.

The truth is federal authorities wrote Vest's statement and I helped him organize a press conference after Isaac's ludicrous assessment. That is when it became clear that the cover-up went all the way to the Mayor's office and that he had to get out fast. The continuing effort to smear John Vest is not surprising, though. That kind of behavior is par for the course from desperate criminals who are used to hiding behind offices and titles and getting a pass for their activities.

Three chickens roosting, two geese a cooking...

The Fayette jail story is growing tentacles.

Jake at Page One jumps on it as only he can:

"The Fayette County Jail. Federal whistleblower. Ruh ro. Cover-ups, lies, firings, indictments, white washings. This is going to be the biggest story to rock Lexington in a decade. Mainstream media: wake up because it’s about to get crazy."

Just got a comment in on another thread saying:

"If you think third shift intake was bad. Second shift was over the top! Bowles, Herbals and the former Sgt "the mouth" Baker should start thinking. Reams got it going on too.
Admin has bailed on you and so will Risk Managment. Your ship is about to sail."

I have no idea who sent this anonymous comment, but all the names check out with multiple sources inside the facility. My best sources all started out as anonymous tips and I protect all my sources. If you know something that isn't getting out there, give me a call.

Tell the truth, Jim

The sheeple have spoken

Talk, talk, talk

Indicted Fayette County Detention Center guard Lt. Kristine LaFoe won't talk now, but she was pretty chatty as recently as last week.

When asked about the federal investigation into inmate abuse at the Lexington jail, she was telling co-workers that the investigation was going nowhere.

"That shark's belly-up. It's dead in the water," she said.

You want to stay current, don't you?

With the Kentucky General Assembly set to go in for a special session and spend a bunch of your money on June 23, wouldn't you like to have a good way to keep up with what they are actually doing?

The mainstream media is mostly giving them a pass on the details of the upcoming pension bill. But you don't have to be left out in the dark. A non-biased website that makes it easy for you to keep up on your own is www.kentuckyvotes.org.

If you sign up for a free account on Kentucky Votes, you will receive an email each day there is legislative activity (including the pre-filed 2009 bills which start appearing soon!).

Unanswered questions at the Fayette jail

There are a lot of unanswered questions about the inmate abuse scandal in Lexington. Here is one I'm anxiously awaiting the answer to:

I just sent this one.

And, the plot thickens...

Fayette jail whistleblower is the real story

The mainstream media has had twenty-four hours to get the Fayette County Detention Center prisoner abuse story right. For the most part, they failed.

While nearly every other local reporter covering the story scampered to Mayor Jim Newberry for his whitewash, WTVQ reporter Kellie Wilson took a drive out to Nicholasville and knocked on the door of federal whistleblower John Vest, who was quoted in her story.



While Newberry was busy suspending the five indictees with pay "pending an investigation," Vest remains on administrative leave without pay and without the benefit of a credible internal investigation. And all he did was present evidence to the FBI that was then dismissed sight unseen by former Mayor Teresa Isaac and FCDC Director Ron Bishop. In fact, the one official investigation so far vindicates Vest, paints Bishop and Isaac as shameless liars, and leaves observers wondering why Newberry tried to fire Vest.

That's why Vest is suing all three of them.

If you think this story has run it's course, think again.

Federal search warrant remains sealed

FBI Chief Division Counsel David Beyer told me this morning the sealed search warrant that kicked off the 2006 raid of the Fayette County Detention Center hasn't been unsealed and probably won't be for a while.

That sheds light on two lies that have endangered lives in Lexington.

Despite Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry's ridiculous claim that the federal investigation of FCDC is somehow limited to the third shift at the facility and former Mayor Teresa Isaac's ridiculous claim that her twenty five years as a civil rights attorney qualified her to say definitively that no violations happened at the jail, the fact remains little is really known about how far the dangerous behavior at the jail goes.

That's Reality 2, Lexington political hacks 0, if you are keeping score at home.

Who are the others, Mayor Newberry?

Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry gave the city council Thursday night details about the Little Abu Ghraib action at the Fayette County Detention Center. One part of his statement deserves further scrutiny.

According to the Lexington Herald Leader, "He said the problems seemed to be contained to the third shift at the jail."

That's interesting. Can't imagine who or where he got that from. He should tell us how he knows this, or at least who the other criminals are.

Not that someone who is being sued for abusing a whistleblower will understand this, but in the interest of public safety, Mayor Newberry really should spill the beans about who else on third shift is involved, and here is why:

From the United States Department of Justice:

"The first count of the indictment alleges that the five defendants conspired with each other and with other unindicted individuals to assault inmates without justification, and to cover up their conduct by filing false reports and charges."

So Newberry says he knew what was going on at the jail all this time, yet he left the five indictees on the city payroll. Now we find out that he has the remaining unindicted co-conspirators "contained" on third shift. The public needs to know, Mayor. Who are they and when will you be placing them on leave with pay?

You've got a funny way of cooperating there, Mayor Jim Newberry

Just got the following statement from civil Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry in my email. His statement needs a little clarification:

"While the alleged violations occurred in 2006, prior to our administration taking office, we have over the past 17 months proactively implemented various measures to help ensure a safe and secure facility for both our employees and the inmates."

Right. You also have proactively tried several times to fire whistleblower John Vest and have fought him vigorously in his civil suit against the city. How has that made anyone safer? No, I'm completely serious. How does abusing a whistleblower make anyone safer anywhere?

"In 2007, we installed video cameras in the intake area, one site of alleged criminal activity, and have completely restructured staff in intake."

And you left Director Ron Bishop and Deputy Director Don Leach in place to continue the same policies that caused the problem. Wonder why?

"We have been aware of the ongoing investigation at the jail and will continue to fully cooperate. Sgt. John McQueen, Corrections Officer Clarence McCoy, Sgt. Anthony Estep and Lt. Kristen Lafoe are employed by the Division of Community Corrections. Scott Tyree is a former corrections officer who has transferred to the Division of Water & Air Quality. The employees will be suspended with pay, effective immediately, pending further investigation."

How have you cooperated with the investigation? Name one way. Who did you speak to and what did you say? And it is very interesting that Scott Tyree was allowed to transfer out of the jail while whistleblower John Vest was put on the street. The taxpayers of Lexington will be paying the upcoming civil judgement to Mr. Vest (who never got the benefit of an investigation) for years to come and you could have avoided the whole thing. "Aware?" Care to rephrase that, Mayor Newberry?

INDICTMENTS!

The United States District Court in Covington this afternoon handed down indictments in the Fayette County Detention Center inmate abuse scandal. Indicted were: John McQueen, Clarence McCoy, Kristine Lafoe, Scott Tyree, and Anthony Estep.

Charges include conspiracy, falsification of records, and obstruction of justice.

Now is when the fun starts because the heat is on Mayor Jim Newberry, who gets to see his role shift from mayor to defendant in the civil case which just got a serious boost. And what about former Mayor Teresa Isaac and FCDC director Ron Bishop, who both said two years ago there was nothing to this and that whistleblower Cpl. John Vest was lying about the whole thing?

Stay tuned to Kentucky Progress as the prosecution phase begins and the investigation continues. The behind the scenes scrambling right now is hilarious and suggests Newberry and friends really convinced themselves this thing was going to dry up and blow away. Newberry didn't even know that any of these indictments were about to hit until someone in his office read it here this afternoon. His efforts to separate himself will only make him look more foolish than he already looks.

Don't just stand there, Jim, fire somebody!

Pins and needles

The federal grand jury considering the two year investigation of the Fayette County Detention Center inmate abuse scandal is working at this very minute and may be doling out some indictments at any time.

We aren't solving the pension crisis

We have been down this road before. Every time the projected growth of a government program is trimmed even the slightest amount, the "stakeholders" clinging to that government program scream bloody murder that people will die in the streets because of the cut.

The same thing is happening in reverse with Kentucky's public employee fringe benefits crisis, now $27 billion in an ever-deepening hole.

House Dems are talking now in terms of "saving" $500 million a year and "fully funding" the programs by 2025.

Don't be fooled. All they have agreed to do is "cut" the growth rate of the $27 billion hole that needs so desperately to be filled up. They aren't really cutting anything or saving anything, unless you really want to get excited about the possibility that in a few years things won't be quite as horrible as they will be if we do absolutely nothing.

The teachers union giving their stamp of approval to this agreement should have been a dead giveaway.

No, state government websites weren't hacked

If you need to go on the legislature's websites this morning, you may be in for a little wait. Or it may be a long wait. No one knows for sure.

It seems BellSouth is having some technical problems. Just a quick taste of the technical problems state government is going to have waiting for 2025 when Speaker Jody Richards says the public pension systems will be fully funded.

No education in the second kick of Draud's mule

Education Commissioner Jon Draud could have avoided his whole tearful "I have sinned" moment today if only he had supported putting the education department's checkbook on the internet.

Bruce Lunsford knocks himself off message

Bruce Lunsford got a baptism by fire today when he forgot where he was, tried to cover it up, and then tried to blame it on Republicans.

First, he went to Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond:

Then, he got his story straight:

And then, after the Republican Party of Kentucky had a field day with the slip-up, Lunsford campaign spokeswoman Allison Haley tried to blame the whole thing on Republicans when she told the Lexington Herald Leader "their time would be better spent trying to address the energy crisis."

That's just it, though. While the Lunsford campaign thinks botching a photo-op at a gas station is going to change something, Republicans in Congress have been prevented by "environmental" zealots from expanding energy exploration.

Another thing: as fun as Lunsford's misstatements are, some of the things he has said on purpose have been even better. Like this and this.