You Can't Make This Stuff Up

Benton County at least deserves its own political blog, if not a dedicated show on Comedy Central. Our state's most Republican County continues to provide good theater and an abundance of poor candidates who keep getting elected by the discerning voters living under the influence of Wal-Mart. Heck, they can't even elect a Republican judge with the independence and ability to hear and decide a simple alimony case between former Republican U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson and current Republican State Representative Donna Hutchinson.

Here's the latest dispatch from the GOP's Northwest Arkansas Funny Farm. They've got this guy named Andy Lee, former Executive Director of the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce and who is drawing a disability pension from the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department, running for Sheriff again. He claims to hold the world record for longest serving Republican Sheriff in Arkansas. This is the same political genius who thought he would be appointed U.S. Marshall by Bush for losing a federal court case on posting "Andy's Ten Commandments" in the local jailhouse and who lost a primary campaign for United States Senate when GOP primary voters choose the more qualified Jim Holt to carry their banner in 2004. He also lost a barrel of laughs race for Sheriff in 2006, but he is undaunted.

Now former Sheriff Lee, who once sued 16 people claiming that his reputation as Benton County Sheriff was damaged by repeated allegations of wrongdoing, is making allegations of wrongdoing against the Benton County Sheriff. Lee claims that current Sheriff Keith Ferguson made a racist remark to a Hispanic waiter at Whole Hog Cafe in Bentonville, during a Republican function last month. Not only is he making a big deal about this in the media, Lee said he was going to tell on Ferguson to the feds at Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Many people think that making racist remarks about Hispanics in a county that elects baiters like Mayor Steve Womack will help Sheriff Ferguson's reelection campaign, but he said, "If I start answering or responding to e-mails sent to newspapers from people with an ax to grind with me or opponents running for the same office, then it would take up all my time. I'm not getting involved in that type of political debate." Why not?

The third announced Republican candidate for Sheriff, Rogers Police Sargent Kelly Cradduck, was at the meeting but declined to comment on the matter. Sargent Cradduck is the police investigator who spends hours each day surfing MySpace.com and other web sites searching for signs of clothing and fashion accessories that provide evidence of gang membership.

You're making this too easy for me.