I will go on record with my guess on the outcome of the Sunshine trial as “not guilty”. Of course I know that what happened was completely unethical. Almost all of the local bloggers will agree on that. Bloggers are a very vocal minority in Knoxville, but most Knoxvillians don’t ever bother to vote in local elections. They just don’t care enough. They shrug and blindly trust whoever the people with money and power put in public office. Not questioning authority is all the rage in our country right now. Someone said to fence in our local elementary school. I asked why and everyone cocked their heads and looked at me like I spoke a foreign language. Why would they question what they are told to do when they can just do it?

We don’t want our elected officials functioning according to flow charts. We want them to think about each situation uniquely. If they are good people, they will at least attempt to do the right thing. Our council did not attempt to do the right thing. They were self serving, conniving and laughing in the face of the people they are supposed to represent. Theoretically, we put the right people in office on election day, but we just don’t put our money where our mouth is. Those who vote, vote as they are told to vote instead of thinking for themselves. Most people, just don’t vote. As long as people don’t think and don’t vote, unethical abuses of power will occur. A guilty verdict won’t stop this behavior. Each and every one of us showing up at the polls and making well thought out, non-partisan decisions will change this behavior.

Update: The jury slapped the council in the face, but there will still be no justice until we get these people out of office and put good people in their place. The same morons who re-elected the term limited officials will re-elect the good ol’ boys.