Wearing of the uniform at politcal events?

Read what reporters at the L.A. Times had to say about Sheriff Lee Baca:

"Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca admitted Friday that he broke state law by making a political endorsement while in uniform for an online campaign ad touting Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich for district attorney.

"Baca's acknowledgment came after inquiries from The Times about a video on Trutanich's campaign website that shows Baca wearing his badge and his department-issued sheriff's uniform."

Now, contrast that (OK, it's California state law that was violated by Sheriff Baca) with the white shirt, sheriff's department patches and badge of the McHenry County Sheriff's Department being worn by Undersheriff Andy Zinke at McHenry County political gatherings.

Whether or not Illinois law allows or prohibits it, Zinke should not be wearing his uniform to political events, whether in preparation for his own 2014 campaign or someone else's 2012 campaign. It's common sense not to do so!

Note that I don't mention any 2012 campaign by Zinke. Basically, all he has to do is keep enough distance from hot water and wait for Keith Nygren to retire as soon as Nygren hits the 28-month mark before the next General Election for the office of sheriff. That mark will hit about July, and rumor has it that Nygren will bail out (err, "retire") in August.

It's a sure thing that Nygren will stall on Seipler's reinstatement and leave it in Zinke's lap. In other words, Seipler will get another six months of back pay, all because of Nygren's ego. Nygren lost all his hands in the poker game with Seipler. Nygren lost before the arbitrator, before Judge Meyer, before the Appellate Court, and at the Illinois Supreme Court, which refused to hear his case (of course).

Didn't his lawyers tell him that he was holding a losing hand and that a bluff wasn't going to work against Seipler?

Yet Nygren still won't "give up". He can't "retire" now, or it would throw the sheriff's office into the November 2012 election cycle, where a lot of people are ready to vote for any strong candidate who will face off against Zinke.

So expect to continue to see the white shirt at future political events. Unless, of course, some small shred of integrity grabs Zinke in the gut and he changes clothes before showing up at the political gatherings.

Gee, by now, maybe Zinke is wishing he'd found my email in his Spam file a year ago in September. Or did he really read it after I sent it but choose to ignore it? Maybe, if he had just acknowledged it or even replied to it, I might not hold the opinion today of him that I do.