It's likely no one in town will give me any credit for breaking the story that KTAR 92.3 FM is getting moolah from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for top lip-flapper Darrell Ankarlo's book tour. (Sniff.) But that's OK. You know who broke that story, boyos. In fact, should anyone forget, they can check the date on last week's Bird column.
I'm mentioning this because KTAR, the official radio station of County Attorney Andy "Candy" Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is reporting that the MCAO's eminence greasy Barnett Lotstein, has just admitted that the deal to sponsor the Ankarlo book tour has cost the county over $11,000 in RICO funds.
But Lotstein said the taxpayers shouldn't fret, it's just RICO cash. Funny money that's not directly from the taxpayer.
Pardon for me for a moment while I catch my breath:
BWUAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA-Oh-Oh- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAHAHA!
Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Anyway you slice it people, RICO money is our money, money confiscated by our servants (yes, I said servants) in law enforcement from criminals and criminal enterprises. It's not meant as the personal cash cow for a County Attorney to promote himself, or the book tour of a media toady.
Supposedly, Candy Thomas' rival Tim Nelson is making a stink out of the C.A.'s sponsorship of FM bigot-boy Darrell Ankkkarlo's local book signing tour for his racist tome, Another Man's Sombrero. Good for Nelson, I reckon. But where's the love, Tim? No shout out for your homey Lemon-man? Nothin'?
What am I, the Rodney Dangerfield of the Phoenix press corps? I don't get no respect, no respect at all...
I see my pal Nick Martin of the East Valley Tribune is also reporting on the story. Again, no mention that The Bird first busted Ankarlo's balls on this one. BTW, Martin is reporting that it's $11,500 that the C.A. has paid KTAR in the Ankarlo deal.
(I hear my colleague Sarah Fenske went to the big Tim Nelson-Gerald Richard debate last night. I didn't make it, so look forward to her report from the front tomorrow. She may have more info on all this.)
I was also the first to put in a public records request on this item. But the MCAO refuses to comply with my public records requests. (Hmmm, wonder why?) The MCAO is in violation of Arizona Public Records Law because of this, like anyone gives a rat's ass.
Don't worry me none. My revelations concerning this and other controversies, like the MCSO's Honduran scandal, and more recently, the family violence allegations against Russell Pearce, have fired up other reporters, and led to many just embarrassments for deserving pols.
So if these reports have some small part in the ultimate defeat of the tyrants who currently lord their power over us, and help bring them to their knees in November, that will be better than any number of acknowledgements from my fellow reporters. Capisce?
