Transcript of School Board President Stu Madison's attack on Alden Nellis. Taken from the official Cleburne ISD recording of the meeting January 11, 2010.

School Board President Stu Madison:

“...And claims of equal representation and Democratic Republic aside, you're the same person that stands up every month with us and will not cover your heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. You're the same person that admitted they voted for a white male against a Hispanic male you you come here telling us that we're not representing the public the way you see fit You're the same person that has a Confederate Flag as draperies in your upstairs window. You're no patriot, sir. You're a pot-stirrer and you're using a dirty stick.”

School Board Member Brent Easdon:

“Stu, I understand what you're saying but I wish you wouldn't verbally attack anybody and single anybody out.”

Stu Madison:

“I think I've been verbally attacked here, and this is on the agenda, and I think I see what the motives are.”

Here are the facts about Alden Nellis:

He does not use Confederate Flags as draperies in an upstairs room. The curtains do have a stars and bars print. This coordinates with Nellis' collection of Civil War Flags which his sister hand-stitched for him while he was serving in the Army, and which were diplayed in the room. Nellis also has an extensive collection of Civil War books and artifacts. Mr. Madison has never been inside Nellis' house and is not likely to be invited.

He does stand and put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance out of respect for the Flag of the United States.

Alden Nellis says he did not vote "against" anyone in the last School Board election. He did campaign for Wendell Dempsey because he felt he was the best qualified. For the record, all four of the School Board candidates were from the Southwest part of town. Also, how Nellis voted is not a matter of public record.

Furthermore, Alden Nellis did serve three years in the Army and was honorably discharged. He was on duty 24 hours a day as sole teletype and crypto repairman in Panama during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the first few years of US involvement in the Viet Nam war. We have been told that Mr. Madison never served in the armed forces. Please correct us, Mr. Madison, if you did.

He was accepted to SMU's law school (but studied geology instead). He is widely read in the law.

Questions:

Were Mr. Madison's words uttered with malice?

Did Mr. Madison intend to defame Alden Nellis' character?

Does Mr. Madison, who is an attorney and Johnson County's chief prosecutor, know the definition of slander?

Is this proper conduct for an elected official in a public meeting on school property?