Torrance County Commissioner backed down

It would appear Torrance County Commissioner Lonnie Freyburger's resolution to strictly prohibit the public from operating audit and/or visual recording devices is dead, at least for the time being.

The Independent, an East Mountains and Estancia Valley newspaper, link, reports that Freyburger's motion will come back without the controversial element in blatant violation of state law and the First Amendment.

There are two horns on Freyburger's bull; one was to gore Edwina "George" Hewitt who was by all accounts, videotaping him as he wielded Torrance County citizen's power and spent their resources.

He claims the tapes were then unethically altered before being posted on YouTube, though he is yet to point to actual evidence that would substantiate his allegation. Evidence that would be a cinch to produce, if it actually existed.

The other horn on Freyburger's bull; he doesn't want people to take snippets of the truth and use them out of context.

There are laws that deal with slanderers and libelers. If they were of use to the Commissioner, he would use them. It's not like he would have to pay for lawyers; he already has one. A lawyer who, by the way, had to "think for awhile" about whether Freyburger could ignore First Amendment rights and State law and then get away with it.

Freyburger's premise is fundamentally flawed. The idea that commission could put its own record on the internet, and that, that record would somehow be invulnerable to being chopped into snippets and used out of context, shows a bone numbing lack of awareness of video software applications.

The bigger problem is the lack of consequences he will pay.

It's not alright for pols and public servants to screw up and then say, never mind.

There is something wrong with commissioners and school board members who abuse their power to stifle legitimate petition of government for redress of grievances.

Like every pol and public who got called on their bullshit,he will just pretend it never happened.
The only mechanism the people have to deal with this kind of betrayal is recall. Recall is difficult, a deliberate decision made by the people whose recall we discuss.

I would suggest that there is another option; torches and pitchforks. If you think about it, when in the entire history of the planet, has a tyrant ever been overthrown except with torches and pitchforks?

Enough of the great unwashed gather together in one place to insist; It's time for you to go.Actual torches and pitchforks, in this case, are unnecessary.

All that is necessary, is more than a handful of peasants who have had more than enough of Lonnie Freyburger.

"All that is necessary for evil to prevail in the world,

is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke