Beatin' Around the Bush in Hubbardland

Our next chapter of “Malice in Hubbardland” type corruption in Lee County reveals even more malfeasance while observing flawless (from jury selection to plea agreement) intendance by the jurist our Alabama Supreme Court appointed to preside over Lee County DA Brandon Hughes’ ethics case, Judge Pamela (Willis) Bacshab. This “retired” Colbert County Judge has many decades of experience ‘in the trenches.’ According to a UNA biography, Baschab started as an Assistant DA in Mobile County before working several years in her family’s firm of Chason & Underwood in Foley. She began her private practice in Elberta [1987] as this city’s first attorney. Baschab was later elected to serve four years as an Alabama District Judge in Baldwin County, then four years as Baldwin County Circuit Judge, and 12 years on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals as presiding judge.

Some recall Baschab as “The Walking Judge” where she tirelessly traveled all of Alabama to increase awareness of cronyism and special interests harming our State. Given how jurisprudence in Lee County has decayed these past years, sitting in a courtroom ruled by this hard-working, competent judge was a very welcomed breath of fresh air. Baschab’s careful work ethic and righteous presence served to further highlight how poor our District Judge was documented to be in comparison - esp. when shown to execute legal documents OUTSIDE his jurisdiction to be used in the effort to remove DA Brandon Hughes.

The Assistant DA who put documents under Judge Bush’s nose likely expecting another instance of failure to exert the minimum standard of jurisprudence or undisciplined negligence (does it really matter?) landed a nice federal job. Easy to imagine some jury members considered this employment upgrade (after a witness stand appearance painfully displayed his inability to accomplish a simple warrant correctly) was in return for his actions before Judge Bush and testimony to remove DA Hughes. This shameful performance seemed to provide enough added poor ‘optics’ to scramble State prosecutors toward an immediate plea agreement before even more of Judge Bush’s incompetence and testimony of this sort was revealed in front of a competent, no-nonsense Judge like Baschab.

Panic for a plea agreement was no surprise to those with insight about timing and motivation on Hughes’ prosecution with so many other, much bigger, smelly fish to fry in Hubbardland. Hope that federal agency considers investigating what appears to be a suspicious hire of this former Lee County Assistant DA after what I observed; having someone willing to be part of what jurors witnessed in Baschab’s courtroom in any legal/law enforcement type Agency’s employ may generate even greater future embarrassment. Another bright-line moment of the difference between an excellent jurist like Baschab and Judge Bush’s failed stewardship of his courtroom these past years was dutifully swearing in the defendant and putting on record Mr. Hughes’ understanding of the plea agreement she was entering. Judge Bush’s public service has been known to sentence defendants (still waiting to be sworn in or allowed witnesses on his behalf against Hubbardland politburo minions) without a trial.

I offer no justification or comfort for Brandon Hughes’ rumored infidelity or a despicable employee’s after-hours behaviour and bellowing at a righteous, hard working cleaning lady. Given God’s blessing of my bride these past three decades, I find it difficult to evoke empathy toward those who squander one of the greatest blessings I’ve known in my life. Pragmatic about our world of uncompetitive duopoly party elections, I understand the very short supply of candidates who exhibit professional and private integrity. I’ve supported Sect. Merrill knowing his problems with fidelity and find this private flaw disappointing; saddened this evil makes him so easy to neutralize as we’ve now observed with former Lee County DA Hughes who was making great progress reducing the docket and addressing corruption in his professional capacity. Clearly many other public servants, far more despicable like Clinton and Trump types, are also elected without my vote/support.

When first elected, I supported Bush. Judges Russell Bush and Jacob Walker were among the few duopoly candidates I voted for… as written in several columns these past dozen years, I suspect few ballots are cast in Alabama with as many write-ins as mine. I refuse to not vote in a race simply because both duopoly candidates are unacceptable. When non-duopoly votes begin to exceed margins of victory, the losing candidates will be incentivized to notice.

Now, Judge Walker has abridged serial felon Mike Hubbard’s sentence because some reduction on appeal without displaying similar adjustments for past serial felons Walker has sentenced - some who may be (in)correctly serving three time loser outcomes. Similarly, most I spoke to thought well of Judge Bush in his early years of service. Now it is difficult to find those speaking well of him, making their case for his laziness, incompetence, irrational rulings and in a station above his capacity/intellect. Again, not a justification for one who is taking a paycheck for the position; I’ve declined high paying jobs not confident I’d be able to accomplish well, but I have on occasion requested my Alabama House and Senate member champion more judgeships allocated to Lee County’s hyper-subsidized growth destroying the quality of life for most long time residents.

Pray our Alabama Attorney General demonstrates consistency to investigate and prosecute the many other instances of malfeasance and using public office for personal gain in matters of $14,000 or more in Lee County. Payments made in a manner the common citizen taxpayer cannot follow (covering-up misconduct as bad/worse than Mr. Hughes) appear to be there for the prosecuting by those allowed the tools and resources to investigate Hubbardland. A Lee County director was removed for what some asserted off the record is a similar dollar amount. A corrupt county administrator executed an illegal change order for $100,000 also without legal approval; fraudulent traffic studies by an illegal (unbonded) highway engineer to benefit a crony developer are among the many wrongdoings documented and brought before the DA. Other much bigger smelly fish like documented collusion between Blue Cross and EAMC undisciplined by the County who ‘kites bonds’ to pay legal settlements for their wrongdoings were not brought to DA Hughes’ attention once neutralized by Felon Hubbard minions - it has been sent to our State DA Steve Marshall who doesn’t seem to know how to respond to the facts presented. Recent ‘streamlining’ championed by one of the bigger enablers of Lee County Commission corruption now impedes public citizens being seen/recorded putting the County on notice of their illegal activities.

When first elected, DA Brandon Hughes would listen and at times address issues I’d research and elucidate in the Gazette. The most egregious was Gig-city Opelika theft from OPS (electricity) rate base payers pressed by citizen investigator Kelly W. Curenton. The corrupt mayor Mr. Curenton exposed did not like the compelling parallel drawn that similar actions up in Bristol, Virginia landed some politicians in prison. There was a palpable change in DA Hughes’ tenor when a well documented illegal change order appeared to be getting too close to the most corrupt Lee County commissioner’s purse. After fellow

Commission watcher Peter Byrd was harangued by this commissioner and Byrd wouldn’t yield, he unleashed a campaign to do everything in his power (even if outside his authority) to attack those supportive of efforts to watch and question politburo actions. Soon thereafter, DA Brandon Hughes was indicted on perjury to cover-up infidelity, charges of using his office for personal gain, auto theft, etc.

Lee County’s interim DA installed made it clear she does not want citizen input from those keeping watch over commissioners - understandable if aligned with Felon Hubbard minions or afraid to be bullied/suffer inconsistent scrutiny when addressing corruption Riley/Hubbard Inc. directly promotes. Corrupt minions in Hubbardland make this point loud and clear to those they want to neutralize. No longer interim with Hughes permanently removed, Lee County’s current DA described the office a ‘frat house’ under Hughes’ stewardship. Some observers of her courtroom performance found it odd she didn’t have the courage to make a stand on the matter for herself and others (like a righteous cleaning lady traumatized when simply trying to do her job) until it would land her in the DA’s job at least until the next election. It appears she will be exactly what Hubbardland minions want in the DA’s office so I forecast re-installation in her Republocrat primary.

A recent Assistant DA hire under our newly installed DA’s supervision made it clear in motions submitted to Judge Russell Bush’s District Court he would do our most corrupt commissioner’s bidding against a Lee County Commission watcher asserting ‘particularly reprehensible’ behaviour impossible to justify with the Alabama code. Increasing a 3 month ‘forgive exercising my Civil Rights’ probation agreement into 24 months (some say a 2 year sentence disenfranchising his ability to appear, observe, submit grievances, etc. before county politburo members) further emboldened this corrupt commissioner to so easily abuse his power and status without proper jurisprudence oversight in Judge Bush’s Court. I remain amazed the divorce/parental rights and gun rights advocates in Lee County have put up with Bush’s laziness, poor rulings, etc. these past years.

Perhaps further evidence of how greatly our duopoly ballot box is failing in Hubbardland which re-elected this serial felon claiming ‘Belief in Mike Hubbard’ while his despicable actions were well known to anyone wanting to see…

Bush could display some long overdue integrity by apologizing to Lee County and others outside his jurisdiction (specifically Chambers County) he’s offended and failed to provide the minimum standard of jurisprudence then revisit all the cases he’s mishandled. If nothing else, invite victims back into his courtroom to properly adjudicate/enter plea agreements after putting defendants under oath. If unwilling to show any contrition or efforts to correct his wrongdoings, then resign immediately in hopes someone of higher intellect and integrity (more like what we observed from Judge Baschab) may improve judicial results in this District judgeship.

In closing, Judge Bush was elected to protect citizens from corrupt commissioners, sycophantic assistant DAs and poor attorneys who operate in bad faith as officers in his court, clearly failing to provide the minimum standard of care. The political theft he’s aided and abetted is every bit as deleterious as the non-political theft which will undoubtedly rise with the over subsidized, cancerous growth in Hubbardland promoted by the cronyism for those wanting to pillage our productive citizens. It was hard to avoid ‘daydreaming’ a little in Judge Baschab’s courtroom to consider where my county may be today with more righteous, hard working, competent jurists like her instead of what we’ve observed out of Judge Bush and others on the decay in Lee County… still an epicenter of corruption in East Alabama.