As the hours count down to election day on Nov. 5, mud is flyingand hip boots becoming necessary as voters trudge through the muck.But, that is politics and, unfortunately, the unpleasant part ofour democratic system.

It is unsettling, however, when the mudslinging involvescandidates for Mississippi Supreme Court — our highest court issupposed to be above all that. That, too, is politics and thereason a different method of selecting Supreme Court justicesshould be found here in Mississippi.

The mudslinging hit locally this week in the form of an unsignedletter that was left in bathrooms and on tables of at least onearea restaurant. The letter accuses one of the candidates ofharboring a child-molester by employing the accused, who is anattorney, with the candidate’s law office days after the attorney’sarrest. The letter, which includes affidavits and the arrestwarrant, goes on to say the reason for the employment of theindividual was because he represents several big name clients onthe Gulf Coast, and the candidate’s law firm would monetarilybenefit from the employment.

The letter questions the character of Jess Dickinson, sayinggreed was the motivating factor behind his candidacy. It alsoquestions whether Dickinson is the right person for the job of aSupreme Court Justice. The letter is unsigned except for a crypticline at the bottom, which says PAP (Parents AgainstPedophilia).

Dickinson denies the contents of the letter, calling it a”complete lie.” While Dickinson admits a law partner knows theindividual, he says the attorney has never worked for his firm norhas his firm ever handled any legal work for the accused attorney.He says the letter is just another example of mudslinging in theclosing days of the race.

It is a sad day for Mississippi’s judicial system when suchmudslinging is part of the selection process of our state’s highestcourt. It is also a sad day when special interest groups such asthe state’s trial lawyers and the medical and business communityfinance judicial campaigns. But that’s politics…

In the final days of every election those who are desperate dodesperate things, and anonymous letters such as the one mentionedabove begin making the rounds. It was a similar stunt by acandidate in the 4th congressional district race a few years agothat ruined the chances for a front-runner. Justice was served whenthe stunt was traced to an opposing candidate who was eventuallyconvicted on federal election fraud charges.

What is especially sad about the current mudslinging is that thename of an innocent victim — a teenage girl — has been broughtout into the public domain via the legal documents attached to theanonymous letter. While the name was blocked out in the letterspassed out locally, according to Dickinson, the teenage victim’sname could be recognized in letters passed out on the coast.

Politics is tough, but when an innocent teenager’s name getsdragged into the heat of a political battle, something is wrong –terribly wrong.

Write to Bill Jacobs at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, Miss.39602.