At my request, Curt Hopkins at the Committee to Protect bloggers has posted this updated report on the travails of Lance Dutson, the Camden, Me. web designer who seems to have uncovered smarmy and perhaps corrupt behavior by the Maine Office of Tourism's surrogates. The whole affair smells rancid to me.
Lance figures out that a state bureaucrats who are supposed to serving citizens appear to be competing with them instead--unless, of course, you are part of their old boy circle. This is a story seems to be about sweetheart dealing, bullying lawyers, a slimeball PR practitioner, and a shadowy character who somehow evolves river-rafting guide to a workplace competitor. Except this guy gets to manipulate the system or so it appears. It also appears that, he gets paid to manipulate it by multiple sources.
I have used several disclaimers in the above paragraph because, this pack denies these charges. But instead of serving up disclosure and transparency they have decided to intimidate and threaten Lance Dutson. Lance could be wrong in his charges. he admits it as well. But from where I sit, his detractors are acting in a most suspicious manner.
The bad guys are playing dirty to silence Lance but they don't realize it's too late for that. I'm still wading through it all and will be writing more about Lance in the next few days. Lance, they are after you because you have hit nerves of truth. Hang in there. The truth will prevail and these creeps will not.
