Two days ago, I was told that the wife of Ron Hankins of the Somervell County Hospital District board members went into Red Barn and gave a pretty horrible, inflammatory, and innuendo-ridden letter to Mr Parker directed to Parker's stepson; the letter was addressed to the stepson as was the envelope. She apparently said she had received that letter anonymously and that she hadn't shown it to her husband, father of the son, yet. The son asked me to post the link to the letter, which is on his site, and said he believed the letter was an attempt to stifle his free speech, although it's unknown who actually wrote it.
Here is the link to that letter which is posted on a prominent site on the internet. BEFORE YOU CLICK, be aware that there is some very foul language on that link. You've been warned. Update: appears Red Barn has removed that foul letter from its site, it was terrible.
Now, here's what I don't understand about this. If this were me, and I was sent a nasty, inflammatory, threatening letter about one of hub's children (I am their stepmother) , the FIRST thing I would do would be to take it my husband to deal with. I certainly wouldn't go run down to take a hurtful, slanderous document down to pass on to his child without telling him.Second, I would expect that my hub would take this to the sheriff's department immediately. In NO circumstance would I, as the stepmom, bypass either of those steps and go take something like this to the people being smeared. Even if the letter had gone to the sherrif's department, why act as a delivery person to take that letter to Red Barn and without the father's knowledge? Also, as a mother, I would want to protect my children from smears, not help get slander in front of their eyes to be, at best, hurtful. From the web link
She showed the letter and a plain envelope to John Parker. She discussed the letter with him, pointing out that 'JRH' was Jared's screen name on the internet. She proceeded to comment on how 'nasty' things were getting. She asked John if "fighting Ray" was worth it?
Sounds like a veiled threat to me. Here *someone* knew that Jared was speaking his opinion on the internet, AS ANY CITIZEN CAN DO, and decided to trump up a hateful smear, with the stepmom personally delivering it without the father's knowledge and with the comment to John Parker referencing Ray Reynolds.
Again from the external site where the letter is posted.
The letter -which contains 0 claims against Jared Hankins, his mother, and John Parker- is a juvenile and pathetic attempt to curb free speech. None of the accusations are worthy of a response. However, this is very illustrative of the cowardly, foolish and above all mean-spirited attitude of those who oppose the proper & efficient operation of the hospital by the duly elected board of directors.
All I can say is WHAT THE FOOL! Something doesn't pass the smell test.
P.S. I certainly hope that this letter has been turned into the Sheriff's Department, including the envelope, and checked for fingerprints. Makes me feel pretty sad for democracy when there are people who attempt to subvert it through threats, lawsuits, or other undemocratic means.
P.P.S. Were this me, I don't know that I would have posted that awful letter. But, you know, someone clearly was trying to make a point to shut Jared up, and I applaud him for not giving in to threats. Anytime someone tries to expose someone else with the threat that if the person doesn't do X, the info will come out, that bullying and extortionistic tactic should be confronted. So bravo to Jared. What was said in the letter, which I did NOT read in its entirety, has nothing to do with him as an adult son.