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| Tie your shoe and worry about the issues facing our Republic, not creating your enemies list. |
Congressman Long told the FBI that there were confrontations outside of his Ford 150 with Bozo the Clown on the dash while he was on the campaign trail. I have shared with my readers these confrontations in which I and other voters attempted to engage candidate Long with politically related questions during his public campaign appearances. Here is one of those videos so you can see what Congressman Long and his office used to justify the FBI's visit.
From the Spending Revolt Bus Tour at Doling Park:
Now remember, Billy Long has been walking around Washington DC in love with the mainstream media offering them sound bite after sound bite like "I was Tea Party before Tea Party was cool." However, Long's actions, since videos like this and the Long is Wrong follow under the First Amendment, specifically free political speech, and no threats were ever made against Billy Long on the blog, in person, or even in private, one has to wonder how committed Billy Long is to upholding the Constitution of the United States when he continues to work against political free speech. This isn't the first time Long or people connected to Long have tried to hush me at first offering a job and then trumping up accusations against me and 17-year-old blogger with the Federal Election Commission. All I have done is write a blog, a blog that Billy Long is guilty of giving energy too. Had Long simply ignored all of this, the Long is Wrong blog may have never picked up steam.
I have been bombarded with support in various forms since the story broke yesterday, and I appreciate the comments and e-mails. I wasn't expected that. I have been worried since this took place on Tuesday that Billy Long does indeed have an enemies list and that he is abusing his federal power by pulling information from government sources about his constituents in the district that he feels may stand in the way of his reelection chances in 2012.
Through Eli Yokely at PolitiMO, I am afraid I may be right. Yokely posted a story about the FBI's visit and had this interesting quote for an "anonymous" GOP source he claims isn't connected with Billy Long. Pay attention because Yokely, as good of a reporter as he is just got duped and failed to follow up with a question before he published his article.
Regarding any sort of motive, an individual with knowledge of the investigation emailed PoliticMo, the story is “not as big as some would like it to be.”
A Republican operative not directly associated with Long said, “As much as Clay or the media would like to say its politically motivated, I think Billy was honestly just a worried by his behavior coupled with Bowler’s past personal issues.”
"Past personal issues?" What does Billy Long and members of the GOP (the we want to protect your Constitutional rights party) know about past personal issues without invading my privacy as a private citizen to even make such a statement? It appears to me Billy Long and his cronies in their first days in Congress may have began abusing their power early to begin collecting dirt on those who challenge them. Why else would you say something like that.
So let's get it out in the open. I have nothing to hide. If Mr. Long has an enemies list and thinks he is going to embarrass me with "past personal issues" then let me have the courage that Billy Long has never shown as he continues to lie about his own vices and share with you what this testicle lacking GOP operative who doesn't even have the courage to put his name on the his quote is talking about.
In 1990, I joined the United States Army. I have a good record of serving honorably in the United States Army, something Billy Long didn't have the courage to do. I went through basic training while this country was at war knowing that I may soon be sent too.
In the Army, I learned respect and leadership. I grew to appreciate the professionalism of non commissioned officers and how they carried out their jobs to ensure each soldier was prepared and their basic needs met. I loved how the Army made 50-60 men all from different backgrounds into one cohesive unit based on commradory.
In the six years I served, I received an Army Achievement medal for heroic actions while stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. I received another accolade for putting a fellow soldier before personal goals as her health was threatened while climbing Pikes Peak in Colorado and used the leadership I learned in the Army to get this soldier down the mountain and to safety from nearly 11,000 feet up. I am proud of my service in the United States Army.
After some time away from the Army, I began missing the military life. I began looking at the Navy for their technology programs. I soon decided to enlist. From day one, I noticed the differences between being a soldier and being a squid. Throughout the entire process, the leadership in the Navy combined with the lack of commradory began to be apparent to me and another prior service Army guy who enlisted in the Navy who I became friends with. We both talked about NCOs in the Navy really didn't seem to care much about your overall welfare during your service. I began to realize I probably should have stayed in the Army as the differences in services were too great for me ever to respect the uniform of the Navy and those who were in charge.
It was in my first fall of my enlistment that I saw two sailors steal my car and drive off from the parking lot within Great Lakes Naval Training Center. I was in another car pulling into a the same parking lot, and seeing and knowing who these two sailors were that had taken my car without my permission. We tried to chase them down, which led to a chase outside of the base into North Chicago and Waukegan. Cell phones weren't the norm 16 years ago, so we had no way of quickly calling the cops. We followed hoping they would surrender, but they didn't. They drove the wheels off my car recklessly as you see in many getaway chase scenes. For our own safety we, pulled over and called the cops.
The next day, my car was found and impounded. I was left to pay for all the legal fees. I also followed up with the Great Lakes Police. When I got to my car, both sailors had left their Dixie Cup hats in the car. I gave this evidence to the Great Lakes Police. For some reason, not wanting to cause a stink, they swept it under the rug and didn't press charges to the two sailors because I got my car back despite them leaving parts of their uniforms, which are stenciled, in my car.
The lack of leadership in the Navy was apparent to me. In the coming month, I spoke to family and friends about my experience. A few people told me just to smoke some pot and offer to take a urine test to get out. I told those friends that wasn't my style and I didn't want to smoke pot anyway. So, I came to the conclusion, why not just write a letter to my NCOIC asking to be released from Navy contract.
I cited examples of why I wanted out. For some strange reason, without the word suicide or any indication that I would hurt myself, the NCOIC obviously felt it was his duty to ensure may safety and drove me to the hospital to speak with a Navy psychologist. That night they made sure I wasn't going to hurt myself, and released me having me schedule an appointment with them the following day.
As I was counseled, the woman asked do you want to be in the Navy. I said no. That was it. They began out processing me. Without much clinical analysis other than a brief bout of depression, the discharge papers read personality disorder, which I never thought to request a change to. Of course, compare this little fact with what this unknown GOP operative told Yokely, and ask yourself what is going on with the powers that be in the "we want to protect your Constitutional rights" GOP in Southwest Missouri? Is it normal for the GOP and their new Congressmen to pull as many documents about their constituents and begin using them for political advantage against their constituents?
As well, the FBI agent referred to one municipal violation, which isn't even the equivalent of a misdemeanor according to the Ozark city attorney.
It appears to me that Congressman Billy Long, who was too busy to attend the reading of the Constitution, has obviously been up to creating an enemies list, pulling documents pertaining to those he considers his enemies, and then using a tragedy in hopes of political payback. This my friends alarms me, especially for someone who claims to be Tea Party but obviously has a disregard for personal privacy rights as anonymous operatives try to smear my character with words they use carelessly.
I have nothing to hide. I am proud of my accomplishments in life. I am an Eagle Scout, served in the Army and achieved two great honors, made the honors list and presidents list multiple times in the colleges I attended, a college graduate, a former USCF licensed road cyclist who raced on multiple cycling teams in Chicago, have ran a small business called SpringSource, have been a little league coach, a Boy Scout leader, active in my church, participate in charitable events, and became good friends and engaged in multiple political conversations with all but one of the men who ran against Billy Long. Nearly all of them have given me positive feedback of our interactions and for the help I gave them in helping get their messages out during the 2010 campaigns. Not too shabby for an unknown blogger just a little over a year ago. In fact, I multiple candidates are now coming to my defense on this matter.
I am not going to let a Congressman trump up charges and use his power in Congress to pull dirt on me to justify his political motivations which appear to be political payback. We have a First Amendment right in this country, and if Billy Long feels threatened by that, then perhaps he's in the wrong job. I hope voters figure that out in the next two years.
It's apparent, considering what Sheriff Jim Arnott told PoliticMO, there appears to be some good ol' boy insider cronieism going on here with conflicting stories from the FBI and the Greene County Sheriff's office. The FBI agent he received the complaint from Billy Long's office, however, Sheriff Arnott says his office received the complaint and followed through with it.
The real question is, why did Sheriff Arnott receive the complaint when I live in Christian County under Sheriff Joey Kyle's jurisdiction, especially when the Long campaign had no problems identifying me as Christian County resident when they filed the Federal Election Commission complaint against me and the 17-year-old blogger? The bottom line here is Billy Long, within the first week in office is already abusing his power. Make no doubt about that. Perhaps, Billy Long knew Sheriff Kyle wouldn't pull up the dirt Billy Long wanted.
