The state’s two largest newspapers are standing semi-solidly and solidly against the corrupt behavior of Governor Steve Beshear’s administration.

Here’s the semi-solid piece from the Courier-Journal’s editorial board about the unbelievable firing of Ron Mills:

Cabinet records show that Mr. Peters and others convened a meeting in October 2008, at which Mr. Mills was invited to explain why the 2/3 (or “33 1/3”) policy was illegal. Nonetheless, according to another e-mail, Deputy Secretary Hank List instructed Natural Resources Secretary Carl Campbell, who was Mr. Mills’ boss, on Jan. 9 to “let all the permit applications that include the 33 1/3 provision out of the door.” Mr. Mills subsequently refused to approve five permits that relied on the policy, but Mr. Campbell signed them. All five were for Western Kentucky mines operated by Alliance subsidiaries.

Did Mr. Peters and his lieutenants really open a can of worms purely on their own? If the law says that a coal company must have the consent of all the property owners, what is the cabinet’s legal basis for reducing that standard to 2/3?

It is time for Kentuckians to hear from the Governor. Mr. Beshear must either own up to the 2/3 policy — and defend its legality and Mr. Mills’ termination — or he needs to explain what went haywire on his watch and how he plans to fix it. Silence won’t dissipate the smell.

And here’s the solid outrage from the Herald-Leader’s editorial board:

Peters has insisted that Mills was fired because he fell short as a manager, not because he was less than accommodating to coal, and that Gov. Steve Beshear had nothing to do with the firing.

Mills, a lawyer, says he was told that Beshear was involved in the decision and that he was fired because of his stand on the permitting issues.

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The legal controversy is probably headed for court. An environmental group has said it will sue the state for permitting mining in areas where companies have yet to obtain the right to mine.

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Since he’s relatively new to state government, he can be forgiven for not understanding that accommodating the coal industry is a tradition that runs so deep that stretching the law to help coal has become second nature in the agency he oversees.

How else to explain the miles of headwater streams buried under mining waste with no regard by the cabinet for the cumulative effects on water?

The miles of mountain forest laid waste with no regard for the law’s requirements for post-mining land use?

Beshear’s own upper-level staff members tell us the governor and his crew were directly involved in the firing of Ron Mills. Ron Mills knows they were directly involved. And it seems everybody and their mother knows why. Kudos to both the C-J & H-L for standing up for Kentucky and for the truth.

Unfortunately for Kentucky, neither will have an impact on what’s the come. Gas Station Governor Steve Beshear, his handlers and the rest in Frankfort will never own up to what went down and why it went down. They’ll continue to go after critics (like the time they killed my GLI advertising contract). They’ll continue to hide behind a curtain of corruption. Kentucky will continue to suffer. And Steve Beshear’s 39% approval rating will continue to snake lower and lower.