January 2023

Qualifier: I am an independent. I have been elected to public office as an independent (city council post) and as a Democrat (justice of the peace) and announced for state senator as a Republican (forced to drop out after a medical issue).

At precisely 5:00 on the afternoon of December 31, a certain state government (“arkansas. gov”) email address expired, went dark, no longer worked. Messages sent thereto were, within a second or three, returned as “undeliverable.” It was of no moment to the public at large and, as the New Year was only hours distant and there was no breaking story demanding information or comment from the statewide law enforcement agency, likely not a soul in the news racket paused to note it. In the days ahead, however, surely any number of reporters and editors would, from habit, send a cyber question to that email address (or touch their speed dials) and then, only then, remember that Bill Sadler had retired.