SHOULD SHE HAVE THAT POWER?
Let’s be clear: S.C. eleventh circuit solicitor Donnie Myers and Richland County, S.C. councilman Kelvin Washington are bad dudes – and not just because they both got popped for driving under the influence within the last few days (here and here).
Both are corrupt … and both should have resigned from office in the aftermath of their recent arrests.
Unfortunately, they didn’t … angering S.C. governor Nikki Haley, who has someone become the arbiter of “moral turpitude” in South Carolina.
“When you look at any elected officials that believe they are above the law, there’s a problem,” Haley told reporters this week. “I think they should both resign. I think right now that our office is looking at options and continue to see where we go from here. This has been an issue that has been a problem in South Carolina for a long time. When you have elected officials that are actually getting arrested for that, that’s a real problem.”
We agree with everything Haley said … expect the “option” part.
Governors can remove local elected officials from office if they are indicted for a crime of moral turpitude – a vague, catch-all term that could conceivably be used to describe any offense.
Haley wants to apply this term to DUI – unilaterally claiming the authority to remove any elected official from office who is arrested on such a charge.
Do we support her on that count? No.
Haley’s proposal sounds harmless … helpful, even. And we have no doubt that the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) crowd will wildly embrace it. And certainly there are some DUI arrests – specifically those resulting in injury or death to innocent bystanders – which ought to give a governor grounds to remove the public official in question from office.
But given the inherently corrupt nature of Palmetto politics – and the near certainty that such a broad power would be abused by Haley or other governors – we cannot approve such a far-reaching measure.
Seriously: Imagine a small-town mayor who refuses to go along with the governor’s office on something. What’s to stop the S.C. Highway Patrol – which is under the governor’s authority – to arrest that official on suspicion of DUI whether it’s warranted or not?
God forbid the official had a glass of wine with dinner – or for that matter the three vodka tonics Haley used to enjoy each night she made the scene during her time as a member of the S.C. General Assembly.
We want Myers and Washington to resign, too. They’re scum. And we have no problem making an official’s indictment on a felony DUI charge a crime of moral turpitude – subject to removal from office at the governor’s discretion. But to extend such blanket authority to governors – the right to remove local elected officials on the mere basis of a DUI arrest – is dangerous.
49 comments
She really shouldn’t be throwing rocks about “Public Officials” who do shameful things while in office. She might break something close to home.
She broke Mikie’s pecker a long time ago. Some of the girls at PP2 could verify that?
The Governess has “people” to drive her drunk ass home!!
“three vodka tonics Haley used to enjoy each night she made the scene”
Thinking about a DUI — Who drove her home?
OH MY!!!! At the Trump rally in Columbus Tuesday when Trump mentioned Haley they booed and many started chanting ‘Build the Wall’.
Need brick donations?
Shows how racist and stupid they are. Haley was born in Bamberg and her parents hail from India so a wall makes no sense. Sounds like you found a crowd as dumb as you to hang with, congrats. P.S. get a job
After her and Will ( or whoever) “finished”, Michael drove them home.
yeah, right after Will was through “driving it home” ..!!
Exactly!!!!
If you go to a Gentlemen’s Club and you see a couple there the man is commonly a cuckold, there to help pick out a guy to peter slam his wife while he watches and masterbates. Have been approached many times in my younger years when I used to go to those sort of places. The very idea was repugnant to me and the ladies were mostly incredibly hot, trophy wife types, very surprising.
Interesting viewpoint, Taz! I would have figured maybe the wives expressed an interest in other females and maybe the guy was trying to encourage it. That, or perhaps he was trying to get her bi-curiously interested so she would be open to a threesome with another chick. The idea you described never crossed my mind, but I guess that does happen.
Among other times, I had it happen at both of my brother’s bachelor parties, in front of my Father. To this day he is probably telling people of his amazement that there are couples out there like that.
No wonder they call you Tazmaniac!
I agree on the “repugnant” thing. A couple of decades ago, I met this absolutely hot red head through a mutual hobby. She was rather flirty and forward, which I was definitely okay with. As time went by she let it be known that she was married. Call me an asshole if you like, but I had no problem with that so long as I didn’t work with, call a friend, or otherwise know, her husband. Those three things are deal killers.
Our talks seemed more and more headed towards a meeting when she said something about me coming to her home and meeting her husband. I told her I didn’t want to meet him as I wouldn’t be able to have anything with her if I did. She said that I had to meet him first before anything else happened.
All kind of creepy scenarios crossed my mind and I declined further contact with her.
I’ve never been able to verify this, but the word is Donnie Myers is a member of DDAMM …
I don’t think they should be forced to resign. I think they should be forced to resign from a jail cell. In this day in age with Uber and Lyft, there is no excuse for being stupid enough to drive drunk. Morons.
When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property. ~ Thomas Jefferson
Be careful Governor.
Mahoney and Jones, two judges, were each arrested on drunken driving charges. When they arrived in court on the appointed day, no one else was there, so instead of
wasting time waiting around, they decided to try each other. Motioning Mahoney to the stand, Jones asked, “How do you plead?”
“Guilty”
“That’ll be fifty dollars and a warning from the court.” Jones stepped down, and the two judges shook hands and changed places.
“How do you plead?” asked Mahoney.
“Guilty.”
Mahoney reflected for a moment or two. “These drunken driving incidents are becoming all too common of late,” he pointed out sternly. “In fact this is the second such case in the last quarter of an hour. That’ll be one hundred dollars and thirty days in jail.”
If I didn’t see the time stamp I would say you were watching the Romney speech. LOL
Cousin Judge reminded me of one our Grandad’s favorite stories about justice in rural Alabama:
—————————-
One of my Granddads stories was about the traveling salesman
who was stopped for blowing his horn at a pack of mules in the road and scaring them into the fields. The local constable immediately took the salesman before the magistrate who found him guilty. The magistrate closed his eyes, flipped the pages in a big book, and then placed his index finger on a spot on the page. “The fine is $1.35,” he
declares.
Afterwards the salesman asks the constable, “What was that all about?
The constable tells him, “Well, you see, we’re too poor around here to have any law books, so we just use the Sears & Roebuck catalog. The magistrate closes his eyes, flips the pages, and the fine is whatever his finger lands on. You’re lucky he flipped to the pants page. If he had landed on the tractor parts page you might not have enough money to pay and you could have gotten ten days on a road gang!”
I believe DUI would be a crime of moral turpitude for any person who has made a career out of DUI arrests.
Moral turpitude is a legal concept in the United States and some other countries that refers to “conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty or good morals. This term appears in U.S. immigration law beginning in the 19th century.
The concept of “moral turpitude” might escape precise definition, but it has been described as an “act of baseness, vileness, or depravity in the private and social duties which a man owes to his fellowmen, or to society in general, contrary to the accepted and customary rule of right and duty between man and man.”
Moral Turpitude is something that is applied subjectively!
Niki is out of control and is a national embarassment to SC the way she is trying to get herself into the,national spotlight. The problem with Myers case is that he has been charged but he hasn’t been to court. If we like it or him it really doesn’t matter , what matters is his right to a trial. I get so tired of everyone knowing evrgthing the think and people are being on trial in the media. Honestly, I don’t believe they will win the case against Donnie and I believe this because they are putting it in the media to be on trial and that is the first sign of a weak case. We see this time and time again. If Donnie is found or pleads guilty I agree he should step down. But, we should never take away someone’s rights because a dumbass governor wants a federal position and will put,her,nose in everything so she can be in the media
+10
Think she didn’t feel loved a s a child and hungers for attention.
—- if only she had been allowed to enter the Junior Miss Bamberg contest in the 3rd grade (?)
And not been abused as a child.
I think it’s a crime of moral turpitude to repurpose 80’s couch fabric into dresses.
Yes! Who killed the recliner?!?!
Maybe she can get a reduced sentence for it being a crime of passion.
10+
So you’re saying she used the unstained parts?
damn! you beat me to it!!
Charged and convicted are 2 different things…..
Okay Nikki..as much as.it sickens me that I agree with you on something, then remove Steve Benjamin also. It’s the right thing to do. But also be aware, after your vodka binges, someone could have done the same to you. Three drinks would have constituted a DUI.
Dictator in hooker boots.
Didn’t you dance at the gay club Time Out and wear boots like that?
No pogo that was you.
I agree with Scum Sucking Haley. They should resign right after Scum Sucker Haley resigns.
I can think of about a half dozen other reasons that most of Richland County Council should be removed.
She needs to remove herself.
better check the record of SC Supreme Court Chief Justice Toal. 2 hit and run arrests and DUI and NOTHING.
The rigging of an Article 15 hearing for a predetermined outcome is a far greater crime than a DUI as mentioned. This was under Haley’s command and she chose to ignore it. The ethics commission never mentioned her lack of response. That’s the equivalent to a Grand Jury hearing and it’s known as “selective enforcement”.
There was a judge once that got convicted of DUI. He didn’t resign. He later found another defendant guilty of DUI. The defendant complained and asked how they would be able to pay the insurance. The judge replied, ” The same way that I’m paying mine.” The moral of the story is that if Donnie gets convicted of DUI he shouldn’t have to resign. If his constituents want him removed then they will vote him out of office.
There are some corrupt judges in Lexington county she needs to fire to for misconduct toward staff.
haley experiences spontaneous eruption of morality:
http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article66404402.html
surely it sounds like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1k_dKwMswc