NOW THAT ITS OVER — as the only witness subpoenaed to this hearing who was interrogated, solely for the purpose of exploring whether or not I was The Shadow (the only real member they were ever interested in) or somehow participated in the alleged “leak” of sealed documents (wrong on both counts), I have plenty to share with readers about my own experience with this case.

But for now — and I’m now exercising that right of free speech that Shelli won for us all yesterday — while I am glowing with relief for Shelli and the First Amendment like everyone else on this page, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind my friends in Saline County of who attacked the First Amendment, and that like so much else they have done, it was an attack.

A d r i a n   H e n l e y . . . . GUILTY.

B r e n d a   M i l l e r . . . . GUILTY.

D a n n y   S t e e l e . . . . GUILTY.

Mr. Steele viciously and aggressively pursued Mayor Jill Dabbs for more than a year, lobbing one false charge at her after another, unsuccessfully attempting to get the county prosecutor to charge her criminally, finally getting the AEC to strain skyscrapers through cheesecloth to even tag her with “letters of caution” just so he could say the word GUILTY loud and strong.  Like our bloggers, she did no wrong except to be elected, and that is simply something he would not stand for.

Recall was in the plan from before she was sworn into office.  And Adrian Henley has been leading the way, which is the closest thing to leadership he’s displayed since being re-elected by the eyelash of a gnat.  At first, he maintained his infamous hate website, deceptively titled “ImprovingBryant.com” as an anonymous administrator, later admitting to having a half dozen other partners in the effort, but refusing to name them.  No wonder.  The site is peppered with lies, distortions, half-truths and misinformation.

Brenda Miller is the lightweight of the group, but still a rabble-rouser, chirping to the media that Dabbs’ exercise of her right to determine her own staff was somehow sacrificing the greatest minds of local government — as if the dismissed staffers were the only ones who could do the job.  Whenever she could get in a soundbite, she falsely reported the anguish of a frightened city staff wondering who would be next on the chopping block, like the shackled office workers in a fantasy scene from the movie “9 to 5.”

Her big moment in the spotlight was her role in “Beergate,” an aborted attempt to use promoter James Ballew as a weapon against the mayor, suggesting graft, corruption and misuse of funds between them, and violation of liquor prohibition in a city park by Dabbs.

Ballew not only didn’t stay put for Miller’s manipulations, he collected his toys and took Bryant’s premiere Fourth of July event “Family Fest” with him.  Rather than endure her abuses and wrongful suggestions of misconduct, he simply ended a 13-year Bryant tradition, costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenues.

The timing of this was made all the worse by an offer from Benton Mayor Mattingly to move the event there.  Benton rolled out the red carpet for the first Benton Freedomfest, and outside of the crippling temperatures, it was a resounding success for Ballew and the city.

So attack seems to be what these three are best at.  Serving their wards never occurred to them.  No ordinances written.  No service to committees.  No town halls.  No addressing city and ward problems and issues.  No open door to the public.  Just attacks, for an entire year and at the public’s expense to try to get rid of a mayor they had just elected.

Why should trampling the First Amendment to serve their interests be any surprise to us?

Everyone in Bryant, but particularly in Wards 1, 3 and 4 need to remember that the same ones who attacked Mayor Dabbs over falsely contrived issues and drove Bryant’s Family Fest out of town are the same people who attacked (but never sued) Shelli Russell, demanding the private IP addresses of your friends and family members while violating our Constitutional privileges of free speech — all to carry out political revenge on anonymous detractors.

Remember, in this case, you only get libel when you add LIE + BULL.  Remember that come election time, won’t you, Bryant?

Let’s all thank Judge Arnold, give Shelli a hug (and a check) and celebrate the victory — but remember who brought this to court and endangered our freedoms in the first place.