While honorable Sheriffs and Judges are busy keeping the citizens of Wyoming constitutionally protected by exercising their rights UNDER the constitution, here in Calhoun County we would be happy just to elect a Sheriff who will not simply go along with the common corrupt practices of other local law enforcement officials in the area. A sheriff who would make us actually feel secure and safe!
The common practices of secrecy and lies, falsifying stories to obtain search warrants, and permanently misplacing important evidence have been the order of the day over the past several years, with more and more corruption finally brought to light by fed up citizens. Common public opinion has grown ever more distrustful of the octopus of local law enforcement with all it’s accompanying choking and squeezing tentacles called “the legal system”. And unfortunately, the “authorities” have not been particularly forthcoming in keeping the citizens informed regarding the outcome of their ” internal investigations”. It would be a blessing to have a sheriff who would simply DO A GOOD JOB, be HONEST and straightforward, and use his power to make this county a better place for EVERYONE. Is that too much to ask?
Now, it’s my understanding that we have two candidates running for sheriff who have both been sheriff of this county once before. My first thoughts regarding these men run to remembering when they were previously in the Sheriffs office. I never paid much attention to these things back then, only to notice that when Allan Parsons was the sheriff, people seemed to have very little bad to say about the man. In fact, I heard quite a few folks say he was a pretty good sheriff. Perhaps even fondly remembered by some.
The other previous sheriff, Bill Stemple, was a bit of a different story. It seems that he rubbed a few folks the wrong way. Quite a few. Not particularly paying attention to details at the time, I can only say from experience that I have heard a lot of people complain that they didn’t like him.
With that said, I was approached a few days ago by someone with a bit of information regarding Mr. Stemple that they thought was important enough to be shared with the voters so they could make an informed decision at the ballot box. Which got me curious and I did some research of my own.
Apparently Mr. Stemple has a habit of keeping secrets. While he was a member of the House of Delegates his claim to fame appears to have been NEVER telling the citizens of Calhoun County about his voting record, and is allegedly one of the only delegates who was not interested in keeping the citizens informed.
“Representative William F. ‘Bill’ Stemple REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY RESPONSES TO CITIZENS ON ISSUES THROUGH THE 2006 NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST WHEN ASKED TO DO SO BY
Key national leaders of both major parties including:
John McCain, Republican Senator
Geraldine Ferraro, Former Democratic Congresswoman
Michael Dukakis, Former Democratic Governor
Bill Frenzel, Former Republican Congressman
Richard Kimball, Project Vote Smart President
Over 100 news organizations throughout the nation also urged their candidates to supply their issue positions through the National Political Awareness Test.”
http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=10642
Further investigation reveals that every single issue he voted on, he voted with the majority. A yes man, he voted straight yes on everything. Much like a school boy taking a test he is unprepared for, who simply marks “D” for “none of the above” after every question, leading one to the question of whether or not he actually READ any of the bills he voted on.
One would think that a candidate’s unwillingness to tell anyone his positions on the issues would make it very difficult for people to know why they might want to vote for him…
I discovered that Mr. Stemple did THREE tours of duty in Viet Nam. Yup, you heard that right, he WENT BACK FOR TWO MORE. Infantry, on the ground. Military thru and thru, he apparently has no problem with a little killing… This seems to ring true, as the LAST time he was sheriff, there was a little issue over the shooting death of a mentally ill woman who had called her case worker and was awaiting her arrival for some help. Apparently Stemple, escorted by a deputy and Trooper Doug Starcher, arrived at the woman’s home before the case worker could get there and were greeted by a disturbed woman with a gun. The deputy, who it turned out was NOT legal to carry a weapon at that time, severely overreacted and shot and killed the woman. However, an internal investigation did not find anyone accountable… Where have I heard that before?
Now, take this for whatever it’s worth, as I could find no documentation on this, being “secret” and all. However I am assured that it IS documented. We’ve all heard about “secret societies”. There are all manner of them, but because of the very nature of their SECRECY, it’s hard to know much about them or what they really do. The idea of secret societies conjures up unsavory and evil images of the occult, the “New World Order”, the “Illuminati”, etc. In fact the Freemasons, and the KKK are both examples of commonly known “secret societies”.
My sources tell me that Mr Stemple either WAS or still IS a member of a secret society within the WV State Police. Doesn’t THAT make you feel secure? Are you feeling SAFE yet?
How many other secrets Bill Stemple is hiding remain to be seen. His previous sheriffhood came with some mighty convenient arrangements. He worked closely with and lived next door to WV’s Finest, infamous Trooper Doug Starcher, for years. How handy. It would not take much to imagine the smell of conspiracy in the air in that neighborhood.
I bet most of you were unaware that Bill Stemple was a land speculator. He managed at one point to obtain around $800,000 in taxpayers money for the purpose of building a “plant” of some kind in Grantsville. Probably one of those imaginary businesses that was going to be built at Calhoun’s big “Industrial Park”… He was even “hired” as personnel man… But, again, no explanation was ever offered publicly as to where the plant or the money went, but some of the people who were in on the deal ended up owning some of the property…
We know we’ve had a lot of problems with our “Public Servants”. Maybe a little more than the average? Within ranks locally, the crime rate is THRU THE ROOF as compared with the general population of the county. We know there are foul things afoot in politics and government in general. WV has become internationally famous for corruption in high places. And they say the police state in America is gaining ground rapidly. Wouldn’t you rather put your trust in someone who doesn’t have the habit of keeping secrets? Someone who is not quite so used to using a gun to solve problems? At this point, what we DO need is a hero. Someone who does not see the citizens as enemy combatants, but as friends and neighbors, to be protected. Someone who will stand up for WHAT IS RIGHT for a change. Living in Calhoun County is like living in a small town. Many folks know each other or at least have heard of each other. We have VERY LITTLE real crime. Most folks are good folks. Not a whole lot of excitement for a sheriff. So, things could be A LOT BETTER easily. Think along the lines of “Andy of Mayberry”. It’s not unrealistic! The world OUT THERE may be a really scary place, but the world HERE is pretty calm by comparison. Why does it have to be so difficult? We could sure use a little SANITY for a change, don’t you think?
A person who cannot or will not take a public stand on the issues, one who gets involved in questionable activities and with questionable people when they should be visibly above reproach, a person who could even possibly be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from doing too many tours of duty in Viet Nam, does not seem like the best choice to lead us into sanity.
Calhoun Underground 