I've been railroaded twice in my career. Once was after speaking out at a meeting I attended while on my own time. I actively spoke out against the changes that were going to be made in our department, and questioned the Commissioner on his failure to know anything about the facility he was visiting. He was booed and over 1,000 people walked out on him. Within the next week, I was brought up on charges by the department for an argument I'd had with an inmate. The incident itself wasn't out of the ordinary. It happens all the time in prisons. But, because I had embarrassed the Superintendent and his lackeys, I was made an example of. They wanted my job, but they only got a months pay.
The other time I was disciplined was for bringing my laptop computer into work a few times, and going online with it. Again, they wanted my job, but got a $3,000 fine and a year's probation.
Now, I realize that in both cases I gave the big-wigs the opportunity to burn me. You can't be outspoken or a wave-maker without expecting the other side to look for any chance they can get to go after you.
The incidents I mentioned took place 10 years apart. As I said before, the argument I had with the inmate is an occurrence that happens every day in prisons. In most cases, these arguments never get a second glance, but in my case it did, and only because I had ticked someone at the top off. The laptop incident could have probably been overlooked by the administrators. After all, other officers and supervisors had been caught with televisions in their offices and received no punishment whatsoever. In my situation, the use of my laptop spanned a few days. In the case of the televisions, they had been used continually by the staff over months and years. I used the facility phone line to connect to the internet. They used the facility cable system to get programming. My first reaction to the lack of discipline for these individuals who were caught with the TV's was: "Maybe I should have brought a TV in instead of my laptop." However, I never made a stink over it, paid the fine (it took three years), and never looked back.
The point I am trying to make is that there is always someone out there in the position to burn you. If you tick people off, and you put yourself in the position to be burned by those people, you will get burned. Nobody's squeeky clean. I gave these people the ammo to go after me. And Rush delivered himself up on a silver platter for the DA in Florida.
It happens in schools, colleges, churches, communities, and on Internet Conservtive Forums. I have learned that when I speak out and make people mad, to do as you have done - take my medicine and live to fight another day.
I don't care what people think of me. I believe what I believe and my enemies can go pound sand.