Pubdate: Mon, 19 Sep 2005
Source: Roanoke Times (VA)
Copyright: 2005 Roanoke Times
Contact:  http://www.roanoke.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/368
Note: First priority is to those letter-writers who live in circulation area.
Author: Robert Milliron

NO ONE COULD BELIEVE SUCH HYPERBOLE

The asinine comment by the current U.S. Attorney for the Western
District of Virginia that the conviction of Dr. Cecil Knox was "the
most significant conviction in this district in the past 30 years"
(Sept. 3 news article, "Dr. Knox pleads guilty, surrenders license")
says more about the mental state of the U.S. attorney than anything
else.

Look at the facts: Dr. Knox initially faced more than 300 felony
counts, was acquitted (or charges were dismissed) of most of those in
the first trial, and ultimately pleaded guilty to four, for which he
may never serve one single day.

And to say that this particular case is "the most significant in the
last 30 years" is very much akin to the comment by the president who
appointed him that combat in Iraq was over a year and a half ago
(before 1,800 more U.S. servicemen were killed).

But the real tragedy of John Brownlee's supercilious comment is that
he is denigrating the job that has been done in the U.S. attorney's
office "in the past 30 years" by men who obviously had two qualities
he lacks: competence and integrity.

Robert Milliron

Roanoke
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake