| It's The Law |
| By Constable Roy L. Denton, retired |
There have been a few of the local folks around Rhea County who have sent me e-mails saying how they
thought I was the "WolfEagle" behind the "WolfEagle" in this online newspaper site.
I have also been accused of actually being "Crakston Cryler", the editor of RheaCountyNewspaper.com.
Then again, such assertion leaves the other contributors like Gracie, Kay Adams, Kent Believit among
others, to feel left out.
I remember many moons ago I was a constable for the 5th District of Rhea County. Man, were those
some exciting and eventful times. Hell, I even had a deputy walk up to me one day and say in a surprised
look, "Roy, you ain't dead yet"?
I swear this dude looked as if I just ruined his whole day when I said, No, I ain't dead...yet".
But anyway, the column I wrote back then was published in the Mountain Morning News (MMN). That
new breed of newspaper challenged the comfort zone that the Herald-News had enjoyed for years and in
spite of Ed Emens, John Carpenter and the gang saying how "Rhea County didn't need change" and
"hey, it may not be legal but that's the way it's done around here" attitude, the MMN flourished. Well, at
least it flourished until after the 1998 County Executive election and Carol Ann Barron lost her job as
county attorney. Carol Ann was the sister of brothers Kenny and David Lester. The Lester's published the
MMN.
In any event, I am not going to go on and on about what happened 10 years ago, but I will say this.
Research, polls and other intelligence gathered showed that the MMN was averageing around 5,500
PAID circulation a week. In fact, I even helped deliver the papers from the company in Chattanooga that
printed them back to the MMN headquarters which was later turned in to a doll shop. Whewwww Boy
MMN had calculated that out of the over 5,000 paid readers each week around 500 of them were very
supportive and interactive readers of a column I authored called "It's the Law".
This column was initially written by me explaining various laws and so forth because at the time I was a
constable. At that time being a constable and having 35 cents meant you might get a cup of coffee. Other
than that, it was a severe pain in my butt in more ways than one.
In any event, I was given broad latitude by the editor of MMN to write whatever i wanted and the Lesters'
were eager to see my column evolve into what most people called it as "Oma Goodness". The
heightened popularity did well for the newspaper but worried the Herald-News.
Now, years later, it seems the Herald has even a bigger worry...
Oma Goodness was to Wart County as an FBI probe is to Rhea County. Lethal.
But that was then and this is now.
I have found this RheaCountyNewspaper (RCN) idea a great idea and I managed to get in on the ground
floor and write for it. It is nothing special for me to write for RCN as I am sure that any person reading this
can write for it. All I ever figured anyone had to do was write it down and e-mail it to the editor and it gets
printed. Real names or phony names, it doesn't matter.
I have noticed, as well as provided instructional information as to several reasons "why" people are
afraid, or intimidated to speak their mind in fear of retailiation. Who can blame them?
Back when the Herald-News started it's Sound Off! section, I really liked the idea. However, it sure didn't
take long to see that even with anonymous letters and submissions, the Herald-News refused to print
certain letters that were critical of certain people.
As with the delimia concerning June Griffin and the famous charge of "Intimidating the Civil Rights" of
an ILLEGAL MEXICAN who had no rights to even violate (ADA Pope must have graduated from
Turnipville Law Academy) the Sound Off section had massive sound offs downgrading June but virtually
not a single one in her favor. I have always signed my name to everything I every submitted to the
Herald-News and those jack-legs started refusing to print letters to the editor from me. In fact, they
somehow would not print Sound Off letters either. It didn't take me long to realize once again just what a
joke Rhea County's ONLY newspaper was making out of the entire county.
I have supplied John Carpenter, Ed Emens and past reporters at the Herald-News with many, many
headline stories and much information. As time went by it seemed that my butt was getting chapped but
for the life of me I couldn't figure out how.
Well, I found that Judas comes in many forms.
Betrayal comes in the form of a starving buzzard as well as a walking bearded pair of eye glasses with a
belly. Trust me, I know who they are.
But to sum this all up, because I do not like to type, even if all evidence is to the contrary, and say this last
thing. You will not find Oma Goodness as Oma Goodness was a decade ago here. You may not even
see Oma Goodness at all. But then again, when Oma Goodness was created I never intended that either.
So...who knows...
Constable Roy L. Denton, retired
District 5
Rhea County, Tennessee
thought I was the "WolfEagle" behind the "WolfEagle" in this online newspaper site.
I have also been accused of actually being "Crakston Cryler", the editor of RheaCountyNewspaper.com.
Then again, such assertion leaves the other contributors like Gracie, Kay Adams, Kent Believit among
others, to feel left out.
I remember many moons ago I was a constable for the 5th District of Rhea County. Man, were those
some exciting and eventful times. Hell, I even had a deputy walk up to me one day and say in a surprised
look, "Roy, you ain't dead yet"?
I swear this dude looked as if I just ruined his whole day when I said, No, I ain't dead...yet".
But anyway, the column I wrote back then was published in the Mountain Morning News (MMN). That
new breed of newspaper challenged the comfort zone that the Herald-News had enjoyed for years and in
spite of Ed Emens, John Carpenter and the gang saying how "Rhea County didn't need change" and
"hey, it may not be legal but that's the way it's done around here" attitude, the MMN flourished. Well, at
least it flourished until after the 1998 County Executive election and Carol Ann Barron lost her job as
county attorney. Carol Ann was the sister of brothers Kenny and David Lester. The Lester's published the
MMN.
In any event, I am not going to go on and on about what happened 10 years ago, but I will say this.
Research, polls and other intelligence gathered showed that the MMN was averageing around 5,500
PAID circulation a week. In fact, I even helped deliver the papers from the company in Chattanooga that
printed them back to the MMN headquarters which was later turned in to a doll shop. Whewwww Boy
MMN had calculated that out of the over 5,000 paid readers each week around 500 of them were very
supportive and interactive readers of a column I authored called "It's the Law".
This column was initially written by me explaining various laws and so forth because at the time I was a
constable. At that time being a constable and having 35 cents meant you might get a cup of coffee. Other
than that, it was a severe pain in my butt in more ways than one.
In any event, I was given broad latitude by the editor of MMN to write whatever i wanted and the Lesters'
were eager to see my column evolve into what most people called it as "Oma Goodness". The
heightened popularity did well for the newspaper but worried the Herald-News.
Now, years later, it seems the Herald has even a bigger worry...
Oma Goodness was to Wart County as an FBI probe is to Rhea County. Lethal.
But that was then and this is now.
I have found this RheaCountyNewspaper (RCN) idea a great idea and I managed to get in on the ground
floor and write for it. It is nothing special for me to write for RCN as I am sure that any person reading this
can write for it. All I ever figured anyone had to do was write it down and e-mail it to the editor and it gets
printed. Real names or phony names, it doesn't matter.
I have noticed, as well as provided instructional information as to several reasons "why" people are
afraid, or intimidated to speak their mind in fear of retailiation. Who can blame them?
Back when the Herald-News started it's Sound Off! section, I really liked the idea. However, it sure didn't
take long to see that even with anonymous letters and submissions, the Herald-News refused to print
certain letters that were critical of certain people.
As with the delimia concerning June Griffin and the famous charge of "Intimidating the Civil Rights" of
an ILLEGAL MEXICAN who had no rights to even violate (ADA Pope must have graduated from
Turnipville Law Academy) the Sound Off section had massive sound offs downgrading June but virtually
not a single one in her favor. I have always signed my name to everything I every submitted to the
Herald-News and those jack-legs started refusing to print letters to the editor from me. In fact, they
somehow would not print Sound Off letters either. It didn't take me long to realize once again just what a
joke Rhea County's ONLY newspaper was making out of the entire county.
I have supplied John Carpenter, Ed Emens and past reporters at the Herald-News with many, many
headline stories and much information. As time went by it seemed that my butt was getting chapped but
for the life of me I couldn't figure out how.
Well, I found that Judas comes in many forms.
Betrayal comes in the form of a starving buzzard as well as a walking bearded pair of eye glasses with a
belly. Trust me, I know who they are.
But to sum this all up, because I do not like to type, even if all evidence is to the contrary, and say this last
thing. You will not find Oma Goodness as Oma Goodness was a decade ago here. You may not even
see Oma Goodness at all. But then again, when Oma Goodness was created I never intended that either.
So...who knows...
Constable Roy L. Denton, retired
District 5
Rhea County, Tennessee
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