Intimidation is defined as “a communication that makes you afraid to try something” and “being made to feel afraid or timid.”
Let me give a concrete example.
Two weeks ago, photos appeared showing Spike Maynard vacationing in Monaco with Don Blankenship:
But there are also 10 photos filed with the Supreme Court of Appeals of women who were traveling with Spike and Don. For several weeks we’ve been left guessing who those companions might be. That’s because the photos were sealed, by the plaintiff’s lawyer who filed them, to protect the women from public embarassment.
Well, it seems Spike was nice enough to drop hints about the identity of his companion: she is a subordinate employee of the Supreme Court. Real honorable fella, don’t you agree?
But even better, it looks like he dropped a veiled threat. He said:
The chief justice acknowledged the woman he took with him on his European venture is an employee of the state Supreme Court.
“We were both single and seeing each other,” the 65-year-old Mingo County native said . . .
“We don’t have any policy that prohibits that,” he said. “I really need to speak to that at length and I will at some point.”
Maybe I’m paranoid, but I read this to say that if the female companion says anything about the trip to Monaco, Spike will publicly drag her ass, her dignity, and her reputation through the mud. At some point. And at length.
And, of course, employees of the Court are “at will” employees. That means he could have her fired for any reason — including for being honest. Honest with the judicial ethics commission. Honest with a cop. Honest with a federal prosecutor.
So the word of the day is: Intimidation.
And, if there’s truly a God, tomorrow’s word will be one of the following: indictment; obstruction of justice; or resignation.
