You can't pick your family

You stalkers may remember that I'm from a little town called Palmyra.  I've lived here my whole entire life.   You may also remember that my dad has been involved in politics my whole entire life.  When I was growing up he was involved on the county level but after he retired he ran for the town board....of Palmyra... And if you have a tv or internet (& don't live in a hole), you may have heard about a lovely little scandal involving a fraud case & whistle blower regarding people on the board... of the town of Palmyra...

(This ringing any bells?  UH, yea...)

If you haven't had the great privilege to see this on the news... no worries - I will hook.you.up.  BUT before I do - 2 things:

#1-  The whistle blowers name is Alvin BROWN.  If you are friends with me on Facebook, or have known me forever & a day, you may know my maiden name is BROWN.  Lord, have mercy.

#2 - WHEN you watch the video (because you MUST), please notice during Alvin BROWN's interview in his home where I eat lunch everyday, in the background there is a family photo on the wall.  There's a girl in the bottom right hand corner that looks JUST like me in the late 90's.  SIGH.  

Surely you can tell where this is headed.  Please, join me in my horror here. 

Speechless?  Yea, me too....

So-I also work here in town & everyone knows dad.  EVERYONE.  Not that they all LIKE him by any means, but they know him & they know me.  And guess who everyone asks when they want all the dirt?  Mmmm hmmm, you guessed it.

This has been brewing for a while.  I've heard dad talk about this & the investigation but honestly I just blew him off because he's a wacky old man who THRIVES on this kinda thing.  AND since he's a politician, I figure he's just as big of a crook as the next guy.  Honestly.

Even when he testified in front of a grand jury on Tuesday I thought nothing about it.  Just a lot of drama & political bull s*** that I don't really care about.  At all.  Tuesday afternoon, some of my co-workers started asking me questions.  And I started to hear the words indictments & felonies.  Instantly I was convinced that they were all going to the big house... & I thought it was funny.  

Now-before you judge me, let me explain.  I've seen a LOT of things... I've heard a LOT of things.  I know that he has not done everything on the up & up...he has just never been caught.  I'm just being honest with you here...  Eventually I found out that all of the board members EXCEPT dad was being indicted because he was the one that turned them in.

My favorite question so far has been, "Why did he do that?  She was just trying to make a living."   

Yes, what she allegedly did was illegal.  She was allegedly collecting unemployment & working, then having the checks she was paid made out to her husband so she could continue with the unemployment.  I'm sure there are lots of other people who do the same thing.  Dad can say all day long he was doing what he thought was right, but I don't believe that either.  (Again, I know we all have our stupid family drama & dynamics & none of us grew up the same.  You weren't subjected to the things from him that I was.  You don't know the kind of man he is.  I would appreciate not being judged on this subject.)  I have nothing to do with what he does.  He's a 71 year old, hard headed, mean, old man.  He sure as hell isn't taking orders from me.  What he does has NO bearing on me just as what I do has none on him.  (Can ya tell this is a bitter subject for me?!)

So, when you hear about our little town on the news, please - think of me, cringing at every word...