Sunday, June 10, 2012
My, My How The Sentinel Editorial Positions Change
This editorial in today's Knoxville News Sentinel is a two faced McElroy Special. It demonstrates how McElroy and Barker turn on people. Back when Jack McElroy joined with some disgruntled citizens and was suing Knox County Commission, Commission Chairman Scott Moore and Commissioner Paul Pinkston. They believed and reported that Judge Blackwood was the bomb when Blackwood ruled that he could not fathom that Commission Chairman Moore couldn't remember a phone conversation and thus removed Chairman Moore from the county commission. McElroy praised Judge Blackwood back then.
Now McElroy and Barker are editorializing that Blackwood has been ruling in secrecy and not in an open and transparent manner. Are we supposed to buy into the McElroy and Barker world that this is a new trait of the Judge? Or is it that McElroy and Barker have turned on the Judge now but didn't bother as long as they were happy with the outcome?
I don't know Judge Blackwood, so I can't opine on his manner of working through the system. I do not believe that just because Judge Baumgartner was on drugs that all these people need new trials. I believe Judge Blackwood is wrong in awarding new trials. I also do not believe the evidence revealed that Chairman Moore should have been removed from office. But Chairman Moore left and hasn't raised any resistance to Judge Blackwood. But boy howdy has McElroy and Barker raised objections. I am perplexed, if Judge Blackwood is now the enemy of McElroy. I don't know what to think.
In my opinion, Blackwood is still chapped that the TBI file on Baumgartner was not shared with him at the sentencing of Baumgartner, the file was in the hands of the prosecutor, a special prosecutor at that. Blackwood slaps Baumgartner on the wrist and then all h#ll breaks loose when the TBI file becomes the basis for the motions for new trial. Prosecution put a bag over Blackwood at the time of sentencing all in an effort to go light on Baumgartner, who was subsequently indicted on federal charges and who knows how that will end up.
ReplyDeleteBlackwood was and is not one of the "good old boys" of the local bar, wasn't indebted to Baumgartner for anything, and is going to stick it to the locals for their attempt to sand bag him on Baumgartners sentencing.