Once upon a time (read: a couple of years ago), Hicks was on a phone call with one of our county commissioners. Hicks asked him an unassuming question during the course of the conversation, to which the man replied, "That depends...which hat am I wearing?"
"Which hat am I wearing?" was "from which point of view shall I lie to you?" And that's how it all started, folks. That flip question flecked a tiny chip off of a massive iceberg of corruption, chaos and ineptitude...the size and scope of which is still, to this very day, being revealed.
Astounding. Disappointing. Ongoing.
I won't go into the history nor the details, but if you want to study up, feel free to click here and start at the beginning of the Hicks Watchdog page. I'll warn you: there's A LOT. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not smart enough to understand it all, but I CAN tell right from wrong and I CAN tell you that I married a fierce, unblinking warrior who fights for what is right. Every. Damned. Day. And that's a real problem for the corrupt cronies. Hicks is someone who doesn't bow before them, rather he disagrees and, even worse, challenges them. That's a concept they simpy cannot compute.
From the front row, it's simultaneously hysterical and heartbreaking to watch. It's a riot to see how the SWAMP-dwellers react...they're self-identifying. It's a crazy game of Whack-A-Mole because when Hicks calls out someone who is sketchy, another person'll pop up and react viscerally and, more telling, disproportionately. Welp, there must be a reason for that, huh? On to the next contestant! It's tragic because the murky well of corruption is vast and seemingly bottomless. It's exhausting.
From where I sit and what I see, no one can out-work Hicks. He is a man possessed with finding the truth and outing those who aren't sure which hat they're wearing. Hicks works day and night; on the computer, on the phone, finding facts and verifying them from at least two different sources. I watch him as he measures every single word of every single post he writes. He's constantly asking himself, and others, "Is this correct? Do I have hard evidence to prove that I'm right?" He wrings his hands over every detail. I can testify that people only see about 1/3 of what he writes. He'll write something and then sit and stew on it; weighing the pros and cons of posting it. "Is my message on target? Will it impact the people whom I want? Will this make people stop and think?" He'll sit at his desk, frustrated and weary and ask, "Is this all worth it? Am I making any difference?" Yes and yes. You're doing great, Hicks, keep fighting. It's all worth it.
To those who support Hicks, to those who first hated Hicks but realized that he's been brutally honest all along and now appreciate Hicks: I thank you. Grab your drink, your popcorn and sit next to me and enjoy the show.
To those who oppose Hicks, to those who think that he's a liar and a bully; I feel badly for you. My wish is that you'll take a pause; come around to realize that the man you've been fighting so hard against has been simply standing up for the truth and what is right.
Hicks marches forward, in wedge-formation, a half-step at a time, in his quest to obliterate the Clermont Count SWAMP. True to his word (and to his true nature), he's reliable, responsive and RELENTLESS.
I couldn't be more proud as I give him a standing ovation.