Well, this time the AP has really done it. Dateline Custer County, Oklahoma: Sheriff Mike Burgess resigns after authorities charged him with running a sex-slave operation out of his jail using female inmates he bribed for the purpose. So, which party did the AP tell us our crafty entrepreneur was from? Well, they seem to have forgotten to mention it... shocking, I know.
Oklahoma sheriff charged with using inmates as sex slaves
ARAPAHO, Okla. (AP) — Authorities have charged a western Oklahoma sheriff with coercing and bribing female inmates so he could use them in a sex-slave operation run out of his jail.
Custer County Sheriff Mike Burgess resigned Wednesday just as state prosecutors filed 35 felony charges against him, including 14 counts of second-degree rape, seven counts of forcible oral sodomy and five counts of bribery by a public official.
Yikes, just plain yikes! It looks like our salacious sheriff of that unknown party is really in dutch for this one.
Among other things, Burgess is accused of having sex with a female drug court participant who was in his custody. The crimes are to have occurred between October 2005 and April 2007.
A federal lawsuit filed in October claims Burgess told one drug court participant he would have her sent to prison if she didn't comply with his sexual demands.
The lawsuit, filed by 12 former inmates, alleges the sheriff's employees had them engage in wet T-shirt contests and offered cigarettes to those who would flash their breasts.
One prisoner alleged she became a jail trusty [sic] with more freedom after agreeing to perform a sex act on Burgess, but lost that status when she later refused.
Burgess also faces two counts each of sexual battery, rape by instrumentation and subornation of perjury, and one count each of engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses, indecent exposure and kidnapping.
I am amazed that with all this information, the AP couldn't find room to mention -- even if just in passing -- that our overly friendly sheriff was a Democrat. (As this .PDF Document from the Oklahoma Election Board shows. See page 30)
Yes, it turns out that our sex pervert isn't a Democrat from New York as one might suspect, but a Democrat from Clinton, Oklahoma. And a fitting name his hometown has, indeed.
He's been the elected sheriff of Custer County since 1994 but it looks like this fellow is getting his “last stand,” anyway.
But, don't imagine that the AP is the only one that missed that one little factoid in the story. While ABC News has this sensational bit of the tale:
"During the night of their stay at the Biltmore Hotel, Sheriff [Burgess] directed and required that [the woman] stay with him at the hotel rather than go with other participants and their counselor for dinner," according to the probable cause affidavit for the sheriff's arrest. "Sheriff [Burgess] took [the woman] to his room at the Biltmore Hotel where he engaged in multiple acts of sexual intercourse with [the woman] during the night."
... they DIDN'T have the sheriff's party.
Neither did USA Today, nor KOCO, eyewitness News 5 from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Yeah, there is a LOT of info out there about our busy little sheriff. Everything but his party affiliation, of course.
Where's that "Republican culture of corruption" we kept hearing about before 2006, again?
(Photo credit: USA Today)
(h/t newsbusters reader Dennis Lathem)
Note: edited to remove mistaken assumption that the AP story had the word "trusty" misspelled.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Hmm...Not sure about his
April 18, 2008 - 02:57 ET by JerHmm...Not sure about his party, but by his dress, demeanor, occupation, and use of the flag as a photo prop, I'm gonna guess he's a "conservative". :>)
Jer
edit: Just wanted to note that by "occupation", I was of course referring to "sheriff" and not his "sex-slave operation".
If-then
April 18, 2008 - 08:53 ET by RiharI'm not sure I follow you Jer. Obama uses the flag as a photo prop (when a disabled vet gives it to him), dresses the same, has a similar demeanor, and is an elected official. Do you mean he's a "conservative" too?
I don't think Obama wears a cowboy hat though, at least not yet.
When a liberal speaks, the truth is busy elsewhere.
Tasteful attire...
April 18, 2008 - 10:10 ET by Karma...would preclude wearing a cowboy hat with his bowling shoes.
I love playing Hide the
April 18, 2008 - 02:56 ET by mastersofdeceitI love playing Hide the Democrat!
Hey mod.... Shhhh! The
April 18, 2008 - 14:34 ET by bigtimerHey mod....
Shhhh! The leftists in the msm don't want this known....as usual...some things never change.
Great find.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
I guess they thought they'd run the photo
April 18, 2008 - 03:16 ET by reasonsjesterAnd people would assume he was Republican, Jer.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. - Marcus Aurelius
Good point, reasonsjester...
April 18, 2008 - 07:59 ET by JerGood point, reasonsjester...that AP crowd is a sly bunch. Maybe Rupert Murdock can rein in the conspiracy now that he's a director. [I think with AP...could be Reuters.]
Jer
Appearance = reality.
April 18, 2008 - 08:10 ET by sarcasmoUntil there's a standard rule for party identification in scandal stories, they will continue to attract bad press accusing them of being a sly bunch despite their incredible journalistic brilliance. It's time for a style rule, so that we can ever-in-hell give this dead horse a rest. Imagine what Warner would have done if they'd included a simple "(D. OK)." Is that little piece of informative ink really too much for critics like us to ask of "professional" journalists?? If so, why???
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
sarc...you know that I
April 18, 2008 - 08:20 ET by Jersarc...you know that I largely agree with you on this issue, but does it really need to extend to the level of county sheriffs...[and county--or municipal--tax commissioners, magistrates, court clerks, etc.]?
Jer
You already know the answer:
April 18, 2008 - 08:39 ET by fosstenYou already know the answer: Only if they would normally include an (R) if a Republican did it.
AP Stylebook says...
April 18, 2008 - 10:41 ET by Hero SquadSarc brings up a good point. So I pulled out my trusty AP Stylebook (2004 edition) to see what it has on the subject of party affiliation.
No mention of the need to be consistent in your usage. So it looks like it leaves it up to the publication to determine it's own rules on when to use it. Simply say, "Hey, the public doesn't care about the party affiliation of an elected sheriff charged with a crime!"
For consistency's sake, I would think they should add, "In instances where an elected or appointed public official is charged with a crime, party affiliation should be mentioned with the first reference to the official's name."
*****
"People only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues." - George Will
I'd LOVE that rule...
April 18, 2008 - 10:45 ET by sarcasmoEspecially if combined with my "if voters saw the abbreviation at election time, then readers need to always see that same abbreviation come scandal time" rule, since some Sheriff races are apparently nonpartisan. I'm really trying to bend over backwards to be fair to the news media here.
Does anyone know where/when the AP denizens get together to drink too much & discuss/change the stylebook? How could ordinary peons like me get them to change it and eliminate this problem? (One would hope one of 'em might be looking at this very thread, and slowly tiring of the dead-horse beating!)
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
In the book's forward it
April 18, 2008 - 11:26 ET by Hero SquadIn the book's forward it says "It is still distilled from a thousand suggestions and ideas, and several big desk and online dictionaries."
So apparently, suggestions are taken. Maybe there's a suggestion box at www.ap.org
I wonder if Warner compiled some of the many examples of inconsitencies in the use of party affiliation and submitted it as "Exibit A", if it might have an impact on clarifying this rule for future editions.
*****
"People only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues." - George Will
Dang, it JUST happened...
April 18, 2008 - 14:42 ET by sarcasmoApril 14th. Maybe they could have done a joint session with the MRC's Dishonor Awards? Oh, to be a fly on THAT wall for the shouting-match. :)
Anyway, I think that what I'm proposing sounds both reasonable and timely. Maybe by some miracle they'll notice, do something about the problem via their AP Stylebook, and spare this particular dead horse some future beatings.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
I'd say yes, if party ID was an election-issue (at all)
April 18, 2008 - 08:39 ET by sarcasmoIt's a scandal issue (every time). At least here in FL, party ID is mentioned in Sheriff campaigns. Assuming OK sheriff elections are similar, that means Warner has scored a direct-hit for bias on this one, IMO. The fact that we need to beat this dead horse is sad, and it may annoy you, but as I showed above, VERY little ink could cure it and would have no-doubt shut Warner up entirely. Instead, we have to bust more of the same-old "Journalism 101" media bias.
And as I already mentioned, we know for a fact that party-ID would be mentioned every-time for any hypothetical large-L Libertarian or a large-G Green offender accused of such a lurid crime, so the "major" party status of other perps should not earn them any media-slack whatsoever, if only in the name of "nonpartisan" fairness and to avoid accusations of antilibertarian bias. This is one of those issues where I'm very, very firm in my beliefs, but part of that is because I've never seen anything even close to a logical argument against those strongly held views.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
If the news
April 18, 2008 - 09:45 ET by JerIf the news services habitually identify locally-elected scandal-implicated Republicans, then I would concede the practice should be extended equally all the way down the line to dogcatcher.
But, even then, don't expect a cessation of dead-horse beating at NB. There could be a near-unanimous disclosure of party afiliation in a scandal case, but if one obscure source failed to identify [the Democrat], it would more than likely be the subject of yet another "Name the Party" blog.
Jer
Well, this is the AP
April 18, 2008 - 09:54 ET by sarcasmoNot exactly obscure. I think we're in violent agreement. What we need to do is get the attention of gatherings of J-school professors where they drink too much, and get them to formally propose a standard. It's going to be very hard to prove the bias allegation in your first paragraph without the joint NB/MediaMatters study I've proposed, where the opposing interns are likely to fall in Carville-Matalin love. I'm reliably told the interns are safe and that study's not going to happen, so the next best thing would be an anti-bias standard that gets widely adopted. If it led to 90% fewer "Name the Party" blogs rankin' on the media for this Journalism 101 issue, wouldn't that be a good thing?
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Well, this is the AP....Not
April 18, 2008 - 10:35 ET by JerWell, this is the AP....Not exactly obscure.
True, and my hypothesis was admittedly exaggerated to underscore my point. However, there are instances where I have pointed out a putative example of AP bias in this area has been cherry-picked from related or updated AP reports which do make an appropriate disclosure.
Generally, those posts are treated with the same degree of importance were I listing my preferences in laundary detergents. They are ignored or dismissed, I can only presume, for being antithetical to the sustaining premise of "The Cause".
Jer
Surprising that FOX didn't care about his party,
April 18, 2008 - 04:11 ET by BlindSighteither.
http://www.foxnews.c...
Our guiding principle is clear. We must lead the world to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions and we must do it in a way that does not undermine economic growth or prevent nations from delivering greater prosperity for their people.
BlindSighted
April 18, 2008 - 04:28 ET by mastersofdeceitYou realise that's an AP news release?
One would expect Fox to
April 18, 2008 - 08:05 ET by JerOne would expect Fox to possess an investigative capacity at least equal to Warner's.
Jer
Significant omissions
April 18, 2008 - 05:49 ET by Blogger Guy00001Whenever the media omits certain significant information about lawbreakers, we know enough to put it back in. When they omit the race, we immediately think "Black". When they omit the religion, we immediately think "Muslim". When they omit the party, we immediately think "Democrat".
I think he needs some....
April 18, 2008 - 06:04 ET by old croon the job training from Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona.
Let him do some time with Joe,
He will begin to know,
When things get slow,
You can't treat your inmates like a ho.
Actually, "trusty" is the correct term/spelling
April 18, 2008 - 06:06 ET by sarcasmoAnswers.com has more. I was going to make a bad joke involving that word, oral sex, and inmates' teeth, but I bit my tongue instead...
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Capitalism
April 18, 2008 - 06:11 ET by OrroHave to give him credit for recognizing an opportunity and taking advantage of it. The only difference between him and other elected officials much higher in the hierarchy is his scale of operations is smaller and he got caught.
Orro http://www.dragonlas...
Devil's Advocate
April 18, 2008 - 06:23 ET by SupermanAre any Sheriff's ever really identified by their political party?
Absolutely
April 18, 2008 - 06:28 ET by sarcasmoSee any media coverage of it, every single time a Large-L Libertarian runs for that particular office, along with the predictable hysteria of how electing a lowly county official who happens to be sensible will threaten the holy drugwar.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Yes
April 18, 2008 - 08:52 ET by RiharIt is in Texas. Not to mention mayors, Attorneys General, City Council...
When a liberal speaks, the truth is busy elsewhere.
Rihar... Montana
April 18, 2008 - 14:54 ET by bigtimerRihar...
Montana too.
These are all elected here by party.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
...Justices of the peace,
April 18, 2008 - 14:56 ET by Lord Elicani...Justices of the peace, and just about everything else.
Murrow turning over in his grave
Murrow turning over in his grave
Ed Murrow had a child and the damn thing went wild
- Lindsey Buckingham
It's as plain as the nose on
April 18, 2008 - 07:00 ET by motherbeltIt's as plain as the nose on your faces! It's says "Oklahoma sherrif"....he's a member of the newly formed "Oklahoma" party!
Missing Link
April 18, 2008 - 07:30 ET by allanfWarner, for a story like this it is appropriate that the link KOCO, eyewitness News 5 is missing.
Does anyone else here smell "Movie of the Week" on ABC?
Movie of the Week...
April 18, 2008 - 09:44 ET by PewahYeah, I'm almost positive that this scenario already played out in a Movie of the Week...lol. My questions is, how did this happen when study after study has proved that R's like to have it more than D's?! You would think that with their reputations in question regarding sexual appetite that the AP would have boasted by adding the "D" after his name.
Warner...I see where your
April 18, 2008 - 10:14 ET by bassndudeWarner...I see where your going with this, but here, most candidates for sheriff dont run for that office on party. I mean some do, but most dont. Sheriff is supposed to be a law enforcement office, not dem or rep and candidates run on those platforms, not the political party. Now, that said, I dont think that there is a republican in Clinton or Custer county. It is one of the few dem strongholds in this state. But, I guess you need to live here to know that. Most of us take it for granted that everyone down there is democrat.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Warner I heard that .....
April 18, 2008 - 10:27 ET by shawn228......the janitor and the person that does the rectal probes for drugs were democrat as well. Great job for busting this liberal. Keep up the good work.
WTH, Why would they
April 18, 2008 - 10:29 ET by TheGunslingerWTH,
Why would they mention the sheriff's political party? What does that have to do with anything? How is it related to his job?
Now that you mention it, I'm fairly certain I've never seen a sheriff's political party mentioned in an article. Never.
Oh boy, it's tough going with a slow news day, eh?
Unfortunately, you weren't able to pull the rabbit out of the hat on this one.
I'm inferring
April 18, 2008 - 10:38 ET by sarcasmoSheriffs elsewhere don't run as partisans. I can assure you, they do run partisan races in FL. How about this for a proposed rule: If voters saw a "R" or "D" (or any-other letter) on their ballots or on campaign-signs at election time, then readers always need to see that same abbreviation in the story/stories come scandal time. Fair?
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Chuckle...
April 18, 2008 - 10:57 ET by Roger the ShrubberHater, er, Leon, er, Gunslinger,
As a Pennsylvania resident, surely you know that county sheriffs are an elected position. Surely, someone as bright and politically-astute as you would surely know that any elected position is open to scrutiny and politics.
Likewise, in Oklahoma, all county sheriffs are elected positions.
Be the position district attorney, sheriff, assemblyman, or councilman, party affiliation is relevant.
I guess we all know where that rabbit is stuck.
I've never seen a sheriff's
April 18, 2008 - 11:02 ET by bassndudeI've never seen a sheriff's political party mentioned in an article. Never.
That is a statement made by someone with,
1). A very short memory.
2). Very new to reading.
3). Someone that has no idea that the Sheriff is elected to office.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
More Odd Exceptions
April 19, 2008 - 00:02 ET by reasonsjesterWT Story That Refuses to Call Kansas AG Morrison a Democrat, But
Instead Labels Him a 'Republican turned Democrat' In Sex Scandal (This
Story is a Great Case - Republican is used four times, and Democrat one
other additional time - not in reference to Morrison - for a total of
"one and a half").
Overall, if a Democrat local or state officeholder was mentioned in a scandal, a whole host of mealy-mouthed qualifiers ensued.
An Exception That Proves The Rule
April 18, 2008 - 23:59 ET by reasonsjesterA fascinating hitpiece on "Conservative Democrat" Sheriff Ellsworth
pssst whats the password?
April 19, 2008 - 00:05 ET by shawn2283/4 of your paste say you need a password
A Few Examples of Repub. State & Local Officeholders in Scandals
April 19, 2008 - 00:06 ET by reasonsjesterRan a Lexis-Nexis of "Republican sheriff scandal" and got these relevant news stories:
OC Sheriff Mike Carona Under Fire in Bid for Third Term (logged in to L-N only)
An especially funny version comparing Carona to Richard Nixon
Global Broadcast Database - Oct. 9, 2006 (L-N only -concerns a Republican sheriff and a campaign spending scandal)
These stories all made a point of labeling the offending local office holder a "Republican" or "GOP" member.
A similar search: "Democrat sheriff scandal" produced NO relevant hits at all
(you might be able to go back to 1957 and find something but I don't
want to hear about it).
District Attorneys & State Attorney Generals
One concerning DA Jeanine Piro
Houston DA resigns over e-mail scandal
Just for kicks Lexis-Nexis "Republican scandal" and "Democrat scandal" (each without quotes). Each search turns up 997 hits (for newspaper and wires). The hillarious thing is when you look at the Democrat scandal search: They're all about Republicans! This usually means that for each Republican scandal, the "journalists" typically discuss how Democrats can exploit it.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. - Marcus Aurelius
That' because
April 19, 2008 - 00:08 ET by exLibWhenever there's a Democrat scandal the media immediately references Republican scandals. The point being that it's OK, cause everybody does it. Or to just keep repeating that Republicans are corrupt.
Whenever there's a Republican scandal it stands on it's own or is indicative of a party-wide problem.
I only see one example of a sheriff
April 19, 2008 - 00:11 ET by shawn228in your links and i can' open it up. All you other ones are regarding a DA or something separate.
reasonsjester...Unfortunatel
April 19, 2008 - 00:19 ET by Jerreasonsjester...Unfortunately, I don't have Lexis-Nexis and your first four links were inaccessible. But when the officeholder is engaged in a political campaign, I can understand the inclination for party identification.
I did read the article about the Houston D.A. and I think it is a good example for your position--although the identification is made indirectly by noting his fellow Republicans called for his resignation.
Finally, are you saying the 997 hits didn't identify any scandal-marred Democrats occupying office at any level? I have seen numerous instances where they have been designated as Democrats.
Jer
Interesting
April 22, 2008 - 03:10 ET by reasonsjesterI searched several pages and they all referred to Republicans being criticized by Democrats. Of course, my research was not comprehensive - you may have found a few examples. My post should be taken as a generalization, there may be exceptions. However, from the search I ran, which I spelled out so it can be replicated, I wasn't able to find Democrat Sheriffs or DAs in news stories about scandals. Next time I do some research maybe I will do Google News searches - so more people can get in on it easier.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. - Marcus Aurelius
Sorry Guys
April 20, 2008 - 08:41 ET by reasonsjesterI thought I made it clear that you need Lexis-Nexis to get the links. The first three links are for Republican sheriffs - but are only two cases that I was able to locate. I tried finding the links on the web, but was unable because the news wires cited are for subscribers only. The latter links are for DAs, which I found relevant because they are local officials that one does not usually affiliate with party (until the Mike Nifong story, that is). Next time I will do web-only since not everyone uses the subscription service Lexis-Nexis.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. - Marcus Aurelius
No problem, rj...you did
April 20, 2008 - 15:47 ET by JerNo problem, rj...you did make that clear on 2 of your 5 links. I've been thinking about subscribing to L-N...it would be a very useful service.
Jer
On the other hand
April 18, 2008 - 22:58 ET by reasonsjesterSheriff's run on party tickets, and you can be sure if this clown was Republican it would be in every news story. Hell, the rare time they catch a tax-paying Republican breaking a crime, they make sure to publish his voting record.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. - Marcus Aurelius
Don't see it
April 18, 2008 - 10:58 ET by scotthI get the bias for members of Congress, Mayors, etc. And I agree that there is regarding the citation of (R)s and the omission of (D)s. On this one, however, I don't. I don't recall ever seeing a story regarding a sheriff where the political affiliation is cited. I'd need to see a story regarding a Republican elected sheriff scandal where the affiliation is listed. I agree with Superman.
It appears, from the photo,
April 18, 2008 - 11:30 ET by KarmaIt appears, from the photo, that he is (R-OK) right-handed from Oklahoma.
Guess which party....
April 18, 2008 - 14:13 ET by Tim the EnchanterGuess which party... is this a trick question?
"Democrat culture of corruption"
April 18, 2008 - 14:35 ET by Gary HallThe filp side, Warner, is that the voting public simply is not aware - they do not strongly associate corruption with the Democrat party these days. Oh the older ones might remember it was there, but when they pick up the paper, or tune into Katie, there's just seldom any mention of the label D in association with corruption or crimminal activity. And this is not only the voting D(ics) out there, this void is showing up on the R side as well.
And missing even more than the lack of fair labeling, is the actual lack of coverage. The majority of mainstream R's out there are stuck reading, watching and listening to the same ole MSM outlets as the mainstream D(ics) out there. Most don't step up and subsribe to the National Journal or the Weekly Standard. So, as a result of this ongoing bias in labeling, along with the gross censorship of so many notable news stories about D(ic) criminal activites, most folks in the mainstream simply have not heard of the corruption or scandals or corporate fraud, etc., when it is rooted with someone with a D next to their name.
Believe it or not, even in 2001, when this - JAMES RIADY PLEADS GUILTY - was coming down I was running into quite active conservatives who had not a clue as to who James Riady was. And for the icing on the cake, I'd bet you even today, that only a minimal % of the national press is aware of the final score, in that Clinton game of corruption - they had no interest in knowing about it.
"Aside from the AP surely
April 18, 2008 - 15:52 ET by thebronze"Aside from the AP surely meaning that "One prisoner alleged she became a jail trustee" instead of a "trusty,""
"Trusty" is indeed correct, not "Trustee". An inmate that is given certain priveleges to help with the operation of the jail (keeping other inmates in line, etc.) is called a trusty, not a trustee.
A "trustee" is a legal term. A "trusty" is not a "trustee".
Clear on that?
Everyone should be...
April 18, 2008 - 15:55 ET by sarcasmoAs I made the correction hours-ago.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Sorry... correction made
April 18, 2008 - 16:56 ET by Warner Todd HustonSarc and the bronze. Have been away from the computer for most of the day. I made the correction.
Now, here is the more important question. I didn't know the right jail slang for these situations. So, that is why I made a bad assumption.
BUT.... BOTH of you guys knew the right jail terminology! I find that suspicious! Where HAVE you guys been and what sort of people do you hang with!!??
LOL
I must admit to
April 18, 2008 - 17:11 ET by sarcasmoA fascination with crime, criminals, and (worst of all, in some eyes) "thinking like a criminal." But it's all in an effort to avoid crime, even though I suspect I'd make a pretty good perp sometimes! ;) I also find myself fascinated with the subject of cheating at card games (especially poker) even though I never would want to cheat personally, simply in order to better detect any cheating by others. And I am intrigued by picking locks too, but don't worry, I'm no good at that...
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Party?
April 18, 2008 - 19:06 ET by cziganThis has been going on since the 1970's - the LSM only identifies the party of a miscreant if they are Republican. All demoncRATs are given a free ride by the 'becoming less-vast left wing media'.
dishwasher a democrat
April 18, 2008 - 23:39 ET by shawn228So if the dishwasher and the guy that cleans the toilets were part of the action, would party affiliation matter as well?