Wow........it's apparently nearing a conclusion, eh citizens? What a long strange trip it's been. Some seedy characters, a murder, a ne'er do well in and out of reform school slacker, and oh.........a Victoria County Sheriff who some now think is queer as a football bat, others think(rightfully so) is a sexual predator. On top of the pile of questions is one from Bighorn......how did this chamelion get elected three times to such a high post. That is not as much a surprise as one would think. I mean, look at the highest office in the land. The guy in that position, is obviously retarded - certifiable Special Olympics, short bus material, and he was elected twice. Facts that are now surfacing in the Ratcliff case, are no doubt, egg on the face of Victoria citizens, voters, and elected officials who were  sucking(no pun intended) up to him, throughout his tenure as the top county lawman. It would be interesting now, in light of all we know about his little tryst, to go back and peruse the Advocate archives with a timeline of his antics, to compare to his work accomplishments and his personal and business affiliations over that period, don't you think? Bottom line, it appears that a lot of inept public officials are going to feel the backlash from this now that the facts are out, and that Ratcliff basically got away with his crimes with only the stigma of what he did as public record, but still a free man. This wasn't about sex. Sex is a good thing. This wasn't about homosexuality........to each his own. This was about lying, and deception, and a person of trust, working for you the citizens of Victoria County, all the while, leading a double existence and a slimy secret he kept from all of you.........gratifying his own sexual urges on the clock, while you were paying him and innocently thinking he was good enough to elect over and over. Hopefully, now that your head is out of the sand, you'll be a bit less accepting of your elected officials' stories, and ask for some accountability..........

Funny thing about all of this is that to me, Ratcliff didn't even look the part of a Texas Sheriff, but more like a bookworm.......well the worm part turned out to be the case. My one run in with the county boys occurred many many years ago, and the guy that shook me down, truly looked the part. Big Oscar......about  9 feet tall as I recall, and wore two guns and a ten gallon hat, and drove a red Roadrunner with dual whip antennas.......like something right out of Dicks of Hazzard or Husky and Starch. I can't remember if after they took my load of agricultural imports away, if I got to ride downtown in the Red Plymouth or that of the Texas Ranger who helped with the operation. Shame of it was big Oscar never made sheriff.....jus' a big ol' dep'ty dawg. The Sheriff, old Monte, was an old drooler that Oscar had to yell at to be heard when he was trying to impress upon him what a scourge I was, what with my flag rolling papers, and long hair......That was a long night........and another story all together. As a preview, I will tell you that it ended a few years later with some good ol' boy politics and rich folks pulling some strings, and a clean record on my part.........