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Today's Opinions

  • Largen column misleading on Robinette stand

    In the Friday, July 27, column by Gerald Largen, he states he has heard some disturburing news about this candidate and that candidate, all the while supporting the current property assessor. 
    Mr. Largen, having been a somewhat successful attorney, knows that putting forth conclusions built on hearsay are typically the folly of the weak. I have much respect for him and don’t see that he needed to lower his standards to for seeking the truth to support one candidate over another.

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  • 1st Amendment violation not needed for justice

    By KEN PAULSON
    First Amendment Center
    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Alvarez come two news items that remind us that lies about military service are best addressed with existing laws and information, not new and overbroad legislation.
    Last month, the Supreme Court in a 6-to-3 vote struck down the Stolen Valor Act, which had made it a crime to falsely claim military honors. The Court found that the act violated the First Amendment, criminalizing deceitful speech without a showing of fraud or other criminal activity.

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  • A VIEW from LICK SKILLET by Gerald Largen: Things we should consider in assessor’s race

    The reader will recall that many months have passed since it was announced that we had given our farm here in Lick Skillet to the State of Tennessee, subject to the reservation of a small part thereof for our continued use for life as our homeplace.

    Well, you may have wondered what has happened since then?

    The answer is that for the state to implement a new project takes quite some time, as it should, but progress is being made, albeit slowly.

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  • Rockwood makes big impression on stranded group

    I would like to extend a big thank you to the community of Rockwood.

    On July 13, we were returning from a week-long mission trip from Williamsburg, Ky.

    Due to a traffic tie-up, we got off Interstate 40 and entered into Rockwood. Not a mile into the town our bus broke down. The bus had about 20 youth and eight or so adults, and it was hot! A few of the adults got off with all the youth because we needed to go the the restroom.

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  • GUEST OPINION: McCain stands up for Muslims — and America

    By Charles C. HAYNES
    First Amendment Center
    Last week, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took to the Senate floor to defend Huma Abedin – a Muslim American who serves as an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

    Although a small blip in the news cycle, McCain’s speech may ultimately prove to be a turning point in the struggle to combat Islamophobia in the United States.

    Witch-hunts, history teaches, cease only when witch-hunters go too far — and some courageous soul dares to cry “enough.”

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  • Congress should not be ‘bought’ by Big Business

    On Friday last, July 21, I received in the mail from Public Citizens, a petition to U.S. Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander to be signed and returned by me, urging them to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC ruling.

    Later the same day I read an article in the Roane County News by Gene Policinski, in which he referenced a poll which showed two-thirds of the respondents disagreed with that same ruling.

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  • Reappraisal process needs investigation

    On Oct. 17, 2010, I called the State Board of Equalization requesting the forms to initiate the appeal process at the state level.  

    Several days later, the package arrived in the mail and consisted of some basic instructions which included some examples of what form the evidence to be presented should take.

    The packet came by return mail to the correct address. I make this point because this is the last piece of correspondence that has actually been sent to the correct address.

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  • GUEST OPINION: Quote approval in news is shoddy journalism

    “One gets an image of reporters as
    trained pets, willing to sit up on command in hopes of being tossed a morsel of ‘news’ — morsels that in the end are much like today’s dog food: processed. shaped, and as bland as possible so as to be acceptable as widely as possible.”

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