Huckabee Son Hangs Dog, Father Fires Cop

Rat Tube / Newsweek ^ | 12/15/2007 | Michael Isakoff

[NavVet]

“……..But John Bailey, then the director of Arkansas’s state police, tells NEWSWEEK that Governor Huckabee’s chief of staff and personal lawyer both leaned on him to write a letter officially denying the local prosecutor’s request. Bailey, a career officer who had been appointed chief by Huckabee’s Democratic predecessor, said he viewed the lawyer’s intervention as improper and terminated the conversation. Seven months later, he was called into Huckabee’s office and fired. “I’ve lost confidence in your ability to do your job,” Bailey says Huckabee told him. One reason Huckabee cited was “I couldn’t get you to help me with my son when I had that problem,” according to Bailey. “Without question, [Huckabee] was making a conscious attempt to keep the state police from investigating his son,” says I. C. Smith, the former FBI chief in Little Rock, who worked closely with Bailey and called him a “courageous” and “very solid” professional…..

[Ingtar]

The son was 17 per one of the articles I saw.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Ahhhh... the perfect family...

Sorta like Pappy O’Daniel and his kid in “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?”

[1Old Pro]

Hanging a dog? That can’t be normal, even in Arkansas.

[af_vet_rr]

I hope this isn’t true but in the US, you can lie, steel, deceive, slander, cheat and manipulate but hurt a dog and your toast.

The thing about those is, as bad as those are, they are moral failings, whereas torturing animals is usually the sign of some sick psychological problems.

Normally, I would be thinking "do we have a future serial killer on our hands?", but a friend who works in a criminal psychology-related field, said Huckabee's son did this with several people from the Boy Scout camp watching, which is not the norm for future serial killer types. She said it was just the sign of somebody out of control and with some serious problems.

Like everybody else, she said the coverup is much more troubling, but not because it's an abuse of Huckabee's office, rather because it sends a sign to the son that you can do bad stuff and get away with it, with just a slap on the wrist.

[LibLieSlayer]

You are 100% correct!

LLS

[from occupied ga]

And where is he now

Trying out for Falcon's quarterback.

[a real Sheila]

Hoo boy.

As an animal lover (and sympathizer for any innocent creature who cannot speak for itself) this is very troubling.

I think the whole Michael Vick episode clearly showed how MANY Americans feel about animals, especially dogs.

I just cannot find any argument in favor of Huckabee on this one, EVEN if his son were say, 9 or 10 when this happened, but he was TWENTY-FOUR?!!!! Yikes! He looks like a real loser in the photo.

THis will come back to bite Huckabee....and it should.

[a real Sheila]

I agree.

[najida]

Loved and pampered kids do become sociopaths.

Kids who are emotionally neglected, abused and don’t bond with parents become animal torturers (and sometimes serial killers). Spanking wouldn’t have done a lick of good by the time they start manifesting the behaviors. Too late by then...they don’t have a moral compass or much of a conscience (if any).

Another term is RAD or reactive attachment disorder.... hardest kids in the world to reach. Scariest thing is when they figure out what you want and pretend to be perfect angels. Then you are SCREWED! Because you will never ever know who they really are.

One term I heard that I like is emotional color blindness. They can fake feeling and behaving like they’re supposed to, but inside-— they’re either totally empty or just feel a burning rage. If you are lucky (if they are lucky) they have some vestiges of emotions and a conscience and you as an adult can help it grow and develop.

[Calpernia]

>>>Hey, Arkansas! How’s the AIDS-tainted blood case coming along?

http://www.justwhatithink.com/blog/index.php?post=s1178422535
Tainted Blood Series - 1

[cvq3842]

Oh my.

I think this whole episode sinks the Huckabee campaign.

[maggief]

I didn't know that tree used to be so thick ...

[Calpernia]

Tainted Blood Index:

http://www.justwhatithink.com/blog/index.php?post=s1178422880
Tainted Blood Series - Links

[Pravious]

That family photo is enough to stop me from ever voting for the guy. Usually, I’d draw away from blaming the parent(s) for their offspring’s behavior, but I can tell you that MY kids would never, EVER harm an animal this way. All it tells me is that the kid was either brought up wrong, or is an untreated psychopath - and either way it looks bad. The fact that Daddy reputedly tried to cover it up, and now most certainly tries to dismiss it tells me he’s nothing more than a lying POS whose concept of right and wrong depends on how much power it gets him.

[NautiNurse]

This topic is simply one in a kettle of problems with Mike Huckabee’s suitability for POTUS. Too much of his delivery is right out of the Bubba Clinton playbook. Huckabee has been burning the midnight oil for years learning the Clinton con game.

[cvq3842]

I know what you mean.

[From many - one.]

Very often the abuse is hard to see. I don’t doubt that the parents seemed ok, but is it possible that they “over disciplined” one kid, or consistently favored the others.

I agree that there is a genetic component. It is well known that some severely abused kids grow up fine.

[Politicalmom]

I bet Rooty-Tooty could give him some excellent advice...but they both need to cut down on the makeup. It makes them look cheap.

[claudiustg]

-—It’s OK, it was only Mitt Romney’s dog...-—

Huckabee: Did I mention that my degree was in religion and not theology? Discuss among yourselves.

[carton253]

Thank you for your post. To be so blase over death... and to excuse it as a “teenage” prank is pathetic. Simply pathetic.