By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
Indicted lawmaker Rep. Barry Moore (R – Enterprise) is a free man once again. He and his family have a great deal to be thankful for, as the system worked, and this time it worked in his favor.
I sat through the trial and I must say, I would have cast a different lot than the 12 good citizens of this jury.
I owe Bill Baxley an apology. I never thought that his incoherent ramblings added up to a strategy, much less a win. I was wrong.
Even though Moore admitted to the jurors that he had been less than truthful, they still saw it fit to set him free.
Naturally, it took Speaker Hubbard about 10 seconds to crow like the cock of the walk, but he should not forget that today’s cock of the walk is tomorrow’s feather duster.
Hubbard faces 23 counts of public corruption. 23 counts that involve big money, State resources and using his office of personal gain and more. These charges can’t be turned into the sort of “he said/she said” style argument, that was key to Moore’s acquittal.
Hubbard will have videos, mailers, and a panoply of press conferences to accuse the Attorney General’s Office of a political persecution carried out by a rouge prosecutor.
So what? Lying liars, lie. That’s what they do.
Hubbard will also begin to bare down on House members who have not towed the line during the last few months.
Like the threats against Josh Pipkin who dared run against Hubbard’s chosen one, Barry Moore, Hubbard will “bring down holy hell” and “beat the everlasting sh*t” out of those who even look at him cross-eyed.
Isn’t it a little strange and even a bit sacrilegious to use terms like “holy” and “everlasting” in reference to doing harm to another human being, whose only wrong is opposing your will?
It also seems telling that Hubbard uses biblical sounding nomenclature to speak about destroying a political opponent.
But Hubbard is a bully and a thug, who wraps himself in the Flag and the Holy Scripture while blaspheming against them both.
Hubbard and former Gov. Bob Riley paid for Moore’s defense and they got their monies worth. They can now spin Moore’s acquittal as if it were their own.
It is a sad day for justice in our State, but that was just one battle in a long campaign to clean up public corruption.
This is a fight for the heart and soul of our State. Will it suffer under the corrupt regime of Hubbard and his cronies, or will it be lead by honest men like Gov. Robert Bentley?
After next week’s election, Gov. Bentley will have an opportunity to take back our State from the thugs. May God give him the strength to do so.
Oh, and Van Davis and Matt Hart aren’t going anywhere. They are heavy weight boxers who know how to lose a round and come back harder and more determined.
As for me, I am ready for that next round.
