Who's to Blame?

Lately, I have received a lot of e-mail questions/comments asking me about Hobson. Contrary to popular belief, I don't hold any grudges against him. I've learned that sometimes we must let go and let God. My response is my responsibility. I have talked to Hobson on several occasions and when you talk one on one with Hobson you get a glimpse of the man behind the badge. I don't know what led him down the path or how he became intermingled with the political crooks that are now ruling the City of Lumberton, but there's another side of Hobson that often not seen or protrayed on this blog. After he was hired, several articles surfaced regarding his past. I started blogging about what I found and I blamed Chief Fortenberry and the Board of Aldermen because they didn't do a simple Google search. Today, they're still hiring officers without conducting a background check. I guess some lessons are harder to learn, but at what point do they realize they are responsible for the public safety of the citizens of Lumberton? Placing out-of-control officers on the streets of Lumberton, armed with a weapons, is not an effective way to govern. But I think the path that led Hobson to team up with this board was two-fold; they wanted someone they could control and he wanted to be the Chief of Police. As far as they were concerned, it was a win-win situation.
Later, Bobby Gibson and his crew initiated Operation Collateral Damage. They didn't care who or what was affected by their decisions as long as Hobson targeted those that were causing trouble for the board. It wasn't about what was legal or illegal; it was about putting certain people in their place. If Hobson did their bidding, they would keep him on as chief, as long as he overlooked the criminal activities of their family members. Do you think Bobby Gibson wanted an officer like Franklin patrolling the streets of Lumberton, especially with all the alleged drug/criminal activity that's taking place in his own family? Do you really think Rebecca Hale wanted an outspoken officer like Cassandra Fortenberry on the police force knowing that her husband was growing marijuana and starting fights in the middle of Main Street? Had Cassandra been on the department, Owen Hale would have felt like he was in a Monopoly game. "Do not collect $200, go straight to jail." They need Hobson to do their dirty work. They couldn't shut down the Lumberton Informer, so they sought other ways to keep me silent. That's when they brought in the Byrd-dog. He probably spent days looking for something he could use to target me and the best he could do was to find a parking violation. Byrd reminds me of that lying spirit in 1Kings 21-22. Just like the deceiver in the Book of Kings, Byrd said, "I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all of his prophets. . " Please don't miscontrue that passage. I'm not saying the board is prophetic, I'm saying they're pathetic. The board also grew weary of Mayor Holder and her in-depth knowledge of the law and her willingness to share it with the board and citizens of Lumberton. At some point, it became harder for them to continue to pretend they were ignorant of the laws, especially since the mayor was constanlty sharing her knowledge with the board and the general public. The board was no longer satisfied in stripping Mayor Holder of her superintending authority as mayor, they decided they would attempt to strip her of her freedom. As a result, Gibson and Hale, allegedly signed the paperwork to have Mayor Holder arrested for obstruction of justice.
Now that they can no longer hide their dirty deeds, the maggots are turning to flies and they're trying to distance themselves from the mess they've created. At the last board meeting, it seemed that Hobson was taken by surprise when he discovered that Matthews had been terminated. When it was announced that it was a 3-1 vote I was almost certain that Rebecca Hale had cast the dissenting vote, but to my surprise, it was Hobson' ride or die chick, Timothy Johnson, that voted against the termination of Matthews. I guess he was letting Mayor Pro-Tempore, Bobby Gibson know that he could veto the action but Gibson did not stand up for his hand-picked chief. Instead, he let the vote stand. Most of the things that's taken place in the City of Lumberton has been done with the approval of the board. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't hold Hobson culpable for his actions, but I truly don't know what I would have done if I were in his shoes. Do I do my job to serve and protect the citizens of Lumberton or do I do what's required of me by the board that put me in the position of chief? It's easy for me to sit back and give my opinion from the sidelines, but no one really know what they would do until they are put in that situation. I would like to think that I would rise above the fray and be a man of integrity, but when dealing with politics, integrity is the exception, not the rule. There is a lot of honest, hard-working people that still reside in this town. Why do we have a police department that's more concerned with parking issues than they are with parents speeding down the streets with their child in their laps? Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad that people are finally starting to speak up and come forth, but there is still more work to be done. We can't continue to allow the board to endorse the unlawful/unethical actions of the Lumberton Police Department. We can't continue to stand by and watch the innocent get targeted with tickets and unnecessary towing while the guilty get a free pass because most of them are related to an elected official. If the rule applies to Mayor Holder then it damn sure should apply to Rebecca Hale and Bobby Gibson.