We can only WISH that we had prosecutors with the fortitude and dare I say "honor" and sense of duty to bring Perdue to justice. Again, it's not personal for I don't know Perdue personally. I know people who have gone to church with Perdue. I've attended the church that Perdue once attended. I know people who think he's wonderful, an advocate for children and other causes. I have no doubt that he has some redeeming human qualities somewhere. I have also stood a few feet from the man holding a sign that said "Sonny Lied." I have looked him in the eye and seen contempt for truth, contempt for the rule of law, contempt for the principle that citizens are supposed to be the true rulers in our system.

What I despise is not Perdue, the man, but rather his behavior: his abuse of power to enrich himself and friends, his arrogance and certainty that he is above the law, his willingness to tell bold-faced lies or evade the truth for political gain or survival, his utter disregard for principles and for the honor that high elected office should require. Though some dutiful journalists have challenged his behavior and actions on the record, what I see as too prevalent is the attitude among people that we have no choice but to accept this brazen abuse of power. It sickens me. I've seen nothing in the last decade to suggest that anyone will give it another thought after Perdue leaves office.

Making it seem obvious that Georgia voters have NOT learned any lessons from Oaky Woods and assorted other Perdue scandals, Governor-elect Deal has his own scandal baggage that doesn't bode well for the future. In the voters' defense, it was another "lesser of two evils" choice between Deal and Barnes. The major parties place electoral victory above all other considerations (such as principles!)...and everyone has to live with no REAL choice and the smelly results. Perdue-v-Barnes....Perdue-v-Taylor...Deal-v-Barnes. I mean...really!! Is this really the best Georgia has to offer?

We all know that the answer is an emphatic "NO!" Yet, we muddle along, accepting this insult to our forefathers and the Founding Priniciples for which they sacrificed so much.

The Oaky Woods scandal seems to be fading into obscurity already, a small victory for preservation, the taxpayers getting the shaft and the corrupt elite skating away to the bank....justice denied. Essentially, Perdue's cronies emerge with 10,000 acres of land for a net cost of $3 million ($32MM minus $29MM -- plus the cost of lobbyists), or about $300 per acre. They can sell it at market price and still reap 500% to 1000% profit. I can't help but wonder if there's another shell corporation (along the lines of MarySon, LLC) somewhere that will get a cut of those profits.

While I'm happy as an outdoorsman that part of this unique property will be preserved, I'm outraged as a taxpayer that my tax dollars are lining the pockets of Perdue and his cronies. But more importantly, I'm outraged that there are not thousands of citizens outside the governor's mansion waving torches and pitchforks and pressing prosecutors for indictments. I'm annoyed that the media isn't hounding the governor relentlessly to explain himself. At the very least, we know that Georgia law was trampled when Perdue failed to report his interest in the property adjacent to Oaky Woods - the fact that MarySon, LLC was created for the obvious purpose of concealing said interest is a no-brainer. The previously published land scandal time line puts all the details together for prosecutors to determine who has jurisdiction. Peruse them and judge for yourself.

Georgia could have bought the entire tract for a little more than we're paying for half. Perdue's greed and arrogant disregard for the people who elected him risked losing the entire thing to condos and golf courses. If historians of the future have any sense of morality, then history will expose Perdue for the sleazy crook he is and the dereliction of the people of Georgia will be laid bare, too.

Words fail me. It's impossible to muster the language to adequately describe the disgust, the anger and the heartbreak. The most painful aspect is that we, the people, elected him and then RE-elected him. We, the people, are letting him laugh all the way to the bank without so much as a fine or formal rebuke. Are we Georgians better off now that we were eight years ago? There's little doubt that Perdue is... along with a few of his friends.

"The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference." --Bess Myerson

"...such is the tragi-comedy of our situation----we continue to clamour for those very qualities we are rendering impossible.... We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst." ---C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man