It's a pretty good bet that the next target of candidate for all positions, winner of none Martin Lindstedt will be U. S. District Court Judge Richard E. Dorr.
It was this Dorr who slammed shut Lindstedt's lawsuit against Governor Matt Blunt. The case wasn't dismissed entirely, though Dorr's displeasure with Lindstedt came through loud and clear in documents filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
If you remember, Lindstedt, who has been a candidate for everything from U. S. Senator to Sheriff to East Newton R-6 Board of Education, sued Blunt, who held the secretary of state's office at that time, because Blunt would not list Lindstedt on the ballot under his pet name Martin "Mad Dog" Lindstedt.
In his lawsuit, he asked that Blunt be listed as Matt "Runt" Blunt on the November ballot. For some reason, that didn't happen. Lindstedt was also displeased that Blunt would not put a link to Lindstedt's website on the state website, as he did for other candidates.
In his initial response to the lawsuit, Blunt was clear about why no link was established. "Plaintiff's website is inundated with racism, anti-Semitism, profanity, and calls for open revolt against the government," Blunt's response said. "Plaintiff refers to himself as 'probably the most clever and ruthless of the Revolutionary Resistance political activists in Missouri,' and 'the only candidate...who is an overt White Nationalist,' as well as 'a genuine racist.' "Blunt said that he could not quote any further from Lindstedt's website. "Respect for the decorum of this court makes it inappropriate for the secretary to extensively quote from (Lindstedt's) website."
Lindstedt said the claims made in Blunt's response were a "farrago of half-truths, outright lies and smarmy witless pleadings." Lindstedt referred to Blunt as a "moral and mental flyweight." Lindstedt defended his racism, saying it "doesn't hold a candle to that of the Founding Fathers, especially George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, etal, who owned entire herds of negro slaves and never thought for an instant that such persons were anything other than property to be disposed of, much less being equal."
In his first ruling issued today, Judge Dorr said that Lindstedt's lawsuit appeared to be against the secretary of state in his official position, "as his complaint challenges conduct in the recent state election." Citing the decision of "Johnson v. Outboard Marine Corp." which says that "in order to sue a public official in his individual capacity, a plaintiff must expressly and unambiguously state so in the pleadings, otherwise it will be assumed that the defendant is being sued only his official capacity."
Applying that decision, Dorr removed Blunt as a defendant and substituted Secretary of State Robin Carnahan.
In his second order, Dorr noted a federal rule that requires that pleadings and motions should not be used for any improper purpose "such as to harass."
He noted that Lindstedt continually referred to criminal acts and said that Blunt should be punished. "Plaintiff also inappropriately refers to defendant as Runt Blunt, not only in the caption of the case, but throughout the filings and engages in other name-calling."
Dorr said Lindstedt also made a number of frivolous comparisons "such as referring to the 'punishment' he wishes for defendant's 'crimes' to be similar to 'a chicken-killing dog forced to wear its dead victims."
Lindstedt also threatened to "do everything in my power to embarrass and humiliate" Blunt.
Dorr gave Lindstedt 20 days to show cause why the case should not be dismissed.