Pardon Who?

I just finished calling the Attorney General's office*, and I urge all of you to do the same. Fletcher has chosen to give a blanket pardon to any and all of his aides for their involvement in the hiring irregularities. In my opinion, the governor has gotten the cart before the horse on this one. His pardons make every accused wrongdoer look guilty. Perhaps they are guilty. The major Republican response to improper hiring by the Governor's office has been to spout the childish argument that "The Democrats did it too."

It is a tired argument. Every Kentuckian knows that the mess in Frankfort is pervasive. Fletcher ran on a platform largely of being the man to bring honesty and integrity back into state government in the wake of Paul Patton's pardons of Democratic Aides. Kentucky elected him because of Patton's corruption. Now we must hold him accountable for his actions.

He has the right to pardon any aide. However, it is time for the Attorney General to recall all those who have been pardoned and let them testify again. With blanket immunity, they cannot take the 5th. They are in no danger and therefore compelled to tell the truth, the whole truth, about what our governor orchestrated and how deep the corruption runs. We should know who was involved and we should hold Fletcher personally responsible. After all, the Republican Governor represents the party that has made "Personal Responsibility" their theme. I, for one, cannot pardon the Governor for failing to accept the weight of that responsibility for himself and his staff.

* To contact the Attorney General, call 502-696-5300 and tell the operator that you want to leave a message for the attorney general.