Thanks for doing this!

Hurrah for you! I'm a kindred soul. I don't spend time blogging, but was so upset by Mike Scott's display that I found myself online this morning, searching for the uniforms name, and looking for ways to express my concern. Here's my take:

So I turn on the news Monday morning and - what a way to start the week! I was shocked to see a uniformed official making a blatant and ugly statement designed to endorse one political candidate and slur another. This was on official, charged with serving the taxpayers of his county and/or state, fear-mongering on their dime. I'm wondering if there are legal ramifications. He represents the taxpayers when he is in uniform - and his actions imply the police department endorses a political candidate. Can we, as taxpayers, file suit? Or at a minimum, demand a public apology?

And then there's Palin... I get a chill when she accuses Obama of palling around with domestic terrorists. Would this type of administration usher in a new era of McCarthyism? Will the witch hunt be on for domestic terrorists and their sympathizers? Perhaps dissenters will be shut down and any police officer that refuses to "play ball" will be dismissed. I, for one, do not want this type of administration in power - or their gung ho sheriff knocking on my door.

Cheers, LilFlVoice, Zemer and Synchronicity. And great question...it seems like being a hate propagandist in a public, uniformed appearance would be an ethical violation for an elected official. I will look into this.

Reading Sheriff Mike Scott's bone-headed, stubborn defense of his use of words is possibly more infuriating than the original action. Does he think we are stupid? I know it's a familair assumption of the right...in the vacuum of ignorance, every violation of truth and trust can be dutifully accepted, re-packaged, even vindicated.

The only reason Sheriff Mike Scott of Lee County, Florida, uses Barack Obama's middle name at a political rally is to rattle a divisive, cultural saber, making an issue of this "different" name, allude to that rascally devil Saddam and of course, all at once, race bait the crowd. It is to take a word, a name, and use it as a cultural, racial, religious dagger while decidedly shoving it into the hearts and minds of the American people. It is disgraceful and Sheriff Scott defending it as simply an inexplicable desire to use Obama's full name is even more shameful. Liar. Bigot. Sore Loser. Ex-Sheriff.

Thanks, anjinsan! I just found Sheriff Mike Scott's re-election site. Can you believe he is actually running this year for another term and acting so defiant and unapologetic to his constituents in Lee County?

To email him at his campaign site, go to: mike@wewantmike.com.

We don't want mike! I wonder if wedontwantmike.com is taken??? Maybe I should check....and post my open letter there!

Thanks for that letter. It was time well spent.

Early this am I e-mailed the AG of Florida with this exact complaint. Possible hate crime instigation? By a public servant(?) in uniform no less. What a scary sight, it turned my stomach. I am old enough to remember Hitler, in uniform and screaming hate.

I took the liberty of posting the sheriff's email address and campaign address on other sites and asked people to bombard his sorry ass with letters of disapproval of his disgusting behavior.

Thank you for writing to this pathetic officer. This hate speech has run its course in America and it is time for it to be called out and buried deep. We want a new direction for our country and a new
higher level of discourse starting NOW.
Obama has a very nice gentlemanly nature that will serve as a good role model...and we can leave this kind of hatefulness behind forever.

Wow--incredible news. I am so glad to hear Sheriff Scott may be held accountable for the abuse of his office in spreading divisive, racist propaganda. I will stay tuned and add all these links to the new site I am creating tonight....www.wedontwantmike.com.

I am sure that you fired off a letter of outrage to the Obama campaign after Obama told supporters to "get in people's faces". Right?

OBAMA's statement -- the statement of the actual top of the ticket -- was over the top, and offensive.

This campaign is going to get very ugly before it's over, and we have Obama to thank for taking it there.

Check out http://sheriffmikescott.blogspot.com

This is sooo Dumb!!!! Please deal with the simple fact that Obama's middle name is Hussein. It was not something Mike Scott invented, it is real. Who cares anyway, get a life. Why don't you try to focus on something that actually matters!!!

Ok I live in Fort Myers, Florida, I was born and reaised here. Mike Scott is a good man and the best sheriff we have ever had. He is not a hateful person. You people DO NOT know him, so how can you pass judgement on him? If you were to actually go back and watch any interview he has ever done or any speaking engagement he has ever done you would know that is him. This has gotten out of control. There are people saying hateful things about him sending hateful e-mails, and yes if you dont live here than why make it you business? He did not do anything wrong you just do not know who he speaks. He has cleaned up Fort Myers, and he had attacked drug dealers and hookers should he be punished for that to? People are so small minded and they tend to put their oun little spin on things. I guess this country is rich, rich with stupidity. Im sure our for fathers are turning in their graves right now over how dirty this election has gotten. would this be an issue if obamas middle name was joe??? I THINK NOT!!! for people to encourage people to hate someone they dont know like this, and it started over people thinking Mike Scott was being hateful, whick he was not being by the way. So you encourage hate to fight hate, that is smart thinking. That is why this country is a mess not because of the people we vote for but becayse of hate. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. he never showed hate and he went through a lot mort than most people he was at the front line fighting for equal rights and he always told people not to hate that fighting hate with hate is wrong. If Dr. King was to act like like people are acting over Mike Scott would obama have the chance to run for president, Dr. King stood up for him. Dr. King knew this day would come when a man of color would maybe become president. It has gotten so nasty im ashamed. McCain is being linked to being just like Bush,whats the difference I will tell you the difference is that Obamas middle name is was true. Im one of the undecided voters, and i know as nasty as this election has been I hope an independent jumps in last min. Even early on in the election it was obama vs. clinton and that was really nasty, then it was obama vs. mccain and is really nasty. My 8 yr old acts like more of an adult than our canidates. There is an old saying prople in glass houses should not toss stones, another old saying is if you have nothing nice to say say nothing at all, or 2 wrongs does not make a right. Does any of them sound familier? Well just remember I dont know any of you that posted hateful comments, but dont judge people unless you know them and a 30 second sound bite played on national tv is not knowing him. Go to our local tv station and watch other events he made speeches at or watch is debate with Shope or watch an interview he has given to the media about a drug bust or crime needing solved the same night this happened 10-6-08 he spoke about Lee County commishioners cutting funding to the DARE program and just see who he is whe he talkes, you will have another view of who he sounded when he made the statement about obama, he was not being hateful thats how he talks. www.nbc-2.com or winktv.com before you pass judgement please do the reasearch. Thank You from a Fort Myers Florida native

If you read what I wrote above you post, If ya'll would take the time and go to our local tv stations and watch his interviews you would see that is how he talks. Mike Scott does alot in the Black community, he is not racist. He does his shopping in that area and talks to the business owners, he listens to their concerns and then he acts on them to make them safe. He is being judged by his tone, when that is his tone all the time. Some one on this site sate up a web site www.wedontwantmike.com the owner of that site dont even live here. Im just asking that ya'll watch some of his interviews on www.nbc-2.com or winktv.com ( His past stuff not just the video from monday) get a look at the person and how he is before sending him hateful stuff or saying hateful things about him. He did not try to sway voters. Obama and McCain and their running mates have said things just like that the only difference is Mike Scott (whos middle name is Joseph and he uses it all the time) said Obamas middle name. Some times a name is just a name. What makes this different is the small minds of people looking for something more. There is nothing to be read into it. Now there are 2 more people who used Obamas middle name that are in trouble, Thats crazy. The US is in such big trouble but ya'll focus on the petty stuff. if we are going to ruin the lives of 3 men for saying something that some people took wrong and made it into a racists issue then this country will always be divided. If Mike Scott and the 2 State Attorneys are getting in trouble for saying their statements than every one who holds an elected office that speaks at any rally for either Obama or McCain should get in trouble because they say the same statements. what good for one is good for all. The point Im tring to make is there is no bad motive in Mike Scotts voice when he made that statement, and move on and quit making a mountain out of a mole hill. Worry about the trash talk, and name calling going on between Obama and McCain and the lies that they tell people so they can get elected, because everything they say they will do for us if we vote for them if it does make it thre Congress it will not happen. so remember that when obama says he will give us tax breaks, or he can fix this counrtys money problems, or lower gas prices, or McCain when he says that he will do this or that congress holds the power to do those things not the president. If ya'll think either one of the presidental hopefuls care about us (well just our vote thats all) or they can relate to us your kidding yourselves. When was the last time you brought home 4 Million a year. When was the last time either Obama or McCain made $7.50 an hour or even $ 20.00 an hour, My guess is they have not had to live like that, When was the last time they we close to loosing their home because of all the layoffs? The need to bring our factorys back to the us and stop sending our work our of the country, well wait the president does not have that power. So do the research and see how people are and how they talk on a day to day basis before judgeing them. The way I look at it if Obama himself doesnt have is panties in a wod than neither should anyone else. Thank You from a Fort Myers, Florida Native

Speak, just FYI--Sheriff Scott has shut down the wewantmike.com site. For one thing, he was starting to catch heat over his campaign song. He had some local hack re-record it with different (juvenile) lyrics, but didn't obtain any permission to use the material. Since he was always ranting about objectionable lyrics in rap songs, his theft of material from a Rasta man looked a little hypocritical.

Hey Starfish-

Thanks for the update! I had no idea about the "I Shot the Sheriff" controversial tune on Sheriff Scott's site. I can't believe they pulled his entire campaign site down. Seems like aplogizing for his antics this week and removing the Marley tune would be much easier. :-) Bizarre.

Here's the statement. I've never seen anything like this before. Is it even possible to do this? Talk about the "thought police." Sheeesh.

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