Sat
Mar 3 2007
10:16 am
Roane County news on Don Williams
By: WhitesCreek

Gerald Largen wrote a fine compliment to Don Williams in Friday's Roane County News. He is a respected attorney and journalist. When he speaks, 70% of Roane County shuts up and listens. The other 30% get pissed at him for telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Gerald makes the point that Williams' commentary on national affairs is at least as good as the national columnists Jack McElroy pays for.

Gerald doesn't use email and never goes online, and the one computer I have seen in his office does not seem to work. One must purchase a copy of the paper in order to read Gerald's comments. I'll try to give you just enough excerpt to get you going.

"...Don williams proved that a fellow with the right kind of mind and character can write the most pointed, honest, and courageous commentary possible wherever (he is ) located. For more than three years, the writers who saw through the Bush pretentions could be counted on one hand: Paul Krugman, Molly Ivins, Don Williams and one or two others saw that the emperor had no clothes...and said so."

"Don Williams did tell, and people like Jack McElroy couldn't stand it."

"One thing is plain...The Knoxville News Sentinel under Jack McElroy, has severed any connection...with the heritage of its founding editor, Edward J. Meehan. It is now just as rigid, right-wing, and reactionary, as the old Knoxville Journal ever was..."

...Gerald Largen

Tamara Shepherd's picture

Filling Molly's shoes?

Submitted by Tamara Shepherd on Sat, 2007/03/03 - 10:45am.

Thanks for sharing this, WhitesCreek--I certainly wouldn't have seen it anywhere else but here.

Hopefully, Largen's thoughts will generate affirming comments to Don among Roane County readers and beyond just those we offer here or in letters the N-S may or may not publish.

I understand from McElroy's comments that the N-S had asked that Don write on only local, not national, subjects. Has McElroy explained, though, either in the N-S or on his blog, why he elected to let Don go, rather than to just obtain another local columnist able to write on national issues from the perspective of the right (if, indeed, his concern was to maintain balanced commentary)?

This question is key in my mind, and in the minds of other of Don's supporters, I would think--especially so on the heels of the N-S losing syndicated columnist Molly Ivens.

Have I missed some explanation somewhere?

jhow66's picture

donna

Submitted by jhow66 on Sun, 2007/03/04 - 11:57am.

Yeah. Donna quit-not fired.

WhitesCreek's picture

Offensive, 66, Very!

Submitted by WhitesCreek on Sun, 2007/03/04 - 12:09pm.

"donna"

I guess this is a conservative's way of letting us know how bigotted they are.

(Unless 66 is one of those self lothing homosexuals so prevalent in the Republican party. Hmm, that might explain it, actually...You can come out, 66. It's ok. We're very accepting here. Well, except about people who hate, that is.))

Bbeanster's picture

You may be right, Steve,

Submitted by Bbeanster on Sun, 2007/03/04 - 12:20pm.

You may be right, Steve, although it appears to me that 66 thinks being called a woman is about the worst thing that could happen to a guy. Probably goes back to its childhood and bad experiences with its mother. We should be sorry that 66 had a lousy mamma.

Tamara Shepherd's picture

Retract my question

Submitted by Tamara Shepherd on Sun, 2007/03/04 - 12:25pm.

I should have jumped back over here last night, after Don offered his own commentary on the thread containing his column.

It's perfectly apparent to me now, on the basis of Don's commentary, that McElroy's admonishment to "keep it local" became an issue only recently (disclaimer: unlike some others, I have *not* been able to follow Don's column over his complete tenure, so I was *not* aware of what topics he might have written on throughout his affiliation with the N-S).

I've written Don off-list to apologize for my sluggishness in reaching a complete understanding of what the N-S has done. Like I say, until I heard from him directly, I felt as if I had only part of the story. I *did* have just part of it, and I must sadly join those of you calling this action against Don a travesty.

And 66, a good rule of thumb for you might be to ask yourself if you'd be willing to post the same hateful, manic comments if you were not hiding behind a screen name. Go away.

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