Willie Jessop wants to be a good neighbor
 
Over the Back Fence
Eldorado Success
 
Willie Jessop appeared Monday, January 12th at the Schleicher County Commissioners Court meeting to say that the residents at the YFZ Ranch just want to be good neighbors and asked the commissioners to help him make that happen.

First of all, Jessop says he wants representation on local governing bodies. He points to the fact that the YFZ Ranch pays lots of taxes and refers to the Revolutionary War mantra of taxation without representation.

Jessop also wants representation on juries and questions the method by which jury pools are selected in Schleicher County. At one point he suggested jurors are picked from the phone book.

Thirdly he notes that there are a lot of talented people at the YFZ Ranch, like doctors and RNs who could share their expertise if called upon.

Fourthly, Jessop says he doesn't want the tax dollars paid in by the YFZ Ranch to be used against the people at the YFZ. His reference here is to the local Sheriff's Department.

And, finally, he says the folks at the YFZ Ranch are not all criminals or out to soak the government, at which time he referred to a 2004 article in the Success about the practice of "Bleeding the Beast."

Well, lets take his points one at a time. First of all, the folks at the YFZ Ranch don't pay that much in taxes, not if you spread the $550,000 tax bill among the six hundred or so folks who were there at the time of the April 3rd raid. That comes to less than a $1,000 per person, and at that rate, maybe I'm the one that's overtaxed and under represented.

Besides, you can't get elected to a local board if you don't register to vote then file to run for office. So, there's that.

Secondly, most people I know try to get out of jury duty. Still, it's not hard to be picked for a jury. You just have to register to vote so that your name shows up in the jury wheel from which potential jurors are drawn at random. But since the good folks at the YFZ didn't register to vote until recently, they haven't had the opportunity to be picked. Don't worry, that time will come.

Thirdly, I doubt if anyone wants a doctor under indictment for failure to report abuse to be giving advice about how to run a hospital or a clinic.

Fourthly, I don't want my tax dollars used to enforce laws that I disagree with — laws like speed limits and seat belts. But the government does it anyway. And, they use those laws against me all the time...like every time I get a traffic ticket.

Finally, I don't know anyone who thinks all the folks at the YFZ Ranch are criminals. I certainly don't, and never have. In fact, I think most of them are honest and hard working people who have been poorly served by their leaders.

As for the article we printed here on Bleeding the Beast, anyone who reads it, and I doubt Willie Jessop has, will note that we cite the sources for our information and we asked Warren Jeffs and/or any of his followers at the YFZ Ranch for their input...input that we are still waiting to receive.

As I said before, the people at the YFZ Ranch have been poorly served by their leaders. It doesn't appear that Willie Jessop is going to be the one to turn that around.
 
myeldorado.net
Originally published January 15, 2009
 
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