Comments on Advance Indiana™: Tully Asks Why Peterson Is MIA On Coroner Fiasco

Anonymous darling,You said:"Whatever the Constitut...

2006-12-11T14:19:00.000-05:00

Anonymous darling,

You said:
"Whatever the Constitution says, the Mayor and Congresswoman have a distinct moral obligation, as leaders of their party, to use that bully pulpit and get rid of this clown by whatever legal means they have at their disposal."

That is the point, they do not have any legal means at their disposal. That is how the Constitution is relevant.

If you are arguing the moral issue, then I'll repost what I put initially:

"Strategy. What do you want the end result to be? The fact that the Mayor is not telling the Star or Matt Tully about what he may or may not be saying to Ackles doesn't mean he is not engaged. I find it odd that no one sees how unproductive the Mayor demanding Ackles resign might be. The Mayor can't force him to resign and a statement like that could backfire on him. Let me be very clear, I have absolutely no insight into what if anything anyone is saying to or about Ackles. But, seriously, if you want the guy to resign, which would you prefer- I'm stepping down b/c I respect the will of the people OR- I'm stepping down b/c the Mayor told me to? If Ackles wants an out, which do you think he would prefer? Nobody likes being bullied, and when your back is to the wall, well, most people become pretty stubborn."

You may not agree with that, but, I think you are chasing a red herring by focusing on the Mayor. It will not happen that way, it SHOULD not happen that way, sweet anonymous.

Whatever the Constitution says, the Mayor and Cong...

2006-12-11T11:41:00.000-05:00

Whatever the Constitution says, the Mayor and Congresswoman have a distinct moral obligation, as leaders of their party, to use that bully pulpit and get rid of this clown by whatever legal means they have at their disposal

And eat massive amounts of crow for slating said clown in the first place?

Nah. They'll just try to distract the plebs with shiny objects and wait until 2008.

Erin, my dear, regardless of your age (I always as...

2006-12-11T11:35:00.000-05:00

Erin, my dear, regardless of your age (I always assume a lady is younger until proven otherwise) (just good manners), the Constitution means little in this argument.

I am fully aware of the Consitutional duties of coroner. I think Wilson may need a brush-up on appointment of persons to vacant offices, though...I'm pretty sure the governor appoints all judicial offices, including prosecutor, until a special election can be called. Could be wrong. With marion County judges, he has an obligaitojn to appoint persons of the same politicla party, to keep balance. (A lot of good that's done us)

Whatever the Constitution says, the Mayor and Congresswoman have a distinct moral obligation, as leaders of their party, to use that bully pulpit and get rid of this clown by whatever legal means they have at their disposal.

I am an ardent opponent of charter schools. For many reasons, which I'll go into on another post.

But this mayor has used his pulpit on that issue ad naseum. Locally, regionally and nationally.

I'm betting that many folks would consider proper death investigations, to be more important than charter schools. Frankly, how dare the Mayor use his pulpit for anything untikl he uses it on this issue. I can't think of anything more important to our safety than proper death certificates in a murder trial.

We only die once, thankfully.

In Marion County, under this coroner, if it's under unusual circumstances, heaven help our survivors.

And heaven help us all if we're supposed to believe this new pathologist can solve anything. Criminal defense attorneys will have a field day with anything she signs onff on.

The Office of the Medical Examiner of Cook County ...

2006-12-11T11:20:00.000-05:00

The Office of the Medical Examiner of Cook County is an example of how to run things correctly. As an Investigaor, I have researched many "alternatives" to our office and have been impressed with the framework the office has developed. Indianapolis doesn't have a clue--Cook Co does 6000 cases/yr, about 4500 forensic autopsies. They employ approx 14 Forensic Pathologists and 26 Investigators. The operation is gigantic. And yet, with all those cases and all that staff, they manage to do things right. 26 Investigators and no one is stealing anything. 14 Forensic Pathologists and no one has a history of disciplinary action. Our office manages to become a Cirque du Soleil with just 12 Investigators, and ONE pathologist who will report to work today. I figured the rest of the country would be following our story and having a good laugh from it--I know I would. I am formulating my exit plan to be carried out by the end of the year. Of course, they will conveniently blame as much as they can on those of us who have done nothing wrong but who manage to get out. My entire world consists of affadavits and attorneys to protect my flawless record. These people are a bunch of criminals--they are scary. I haven't worked a case this week, but I can only imagine what the families of Marion County are thinking. Torture. Statement from Da Coroner: "No comment." Brilliant. Well, he doesn't have to speak--as long as he can read the words "D Felony", he'll at least know what is happening to him along with the rest of his disciples.

Peterson is likely just following in the footsteps...

2006-12-11T10:11:00.000-05:00

Peterson is likely just following in the footsteps of former mayor Steve Goldsmith (R) who said nothing for more than a year after corruption was birthed in the Marion Co. Coroner's Office.

No one complained to or about Goldsmith's quisling-attitude so why are people expecting the mayor to jump in early on this issue.

Until you Hoosier Hayseeds change your laws to have a medical examiner, you should expect these types of problems.

All of us at the Cook Co. ME's Office are watching, and waiting and some are snickering at your incompetence. If you believe the coroner is incompetent, look at who put him in office!

"With all the obvious flaws of delay, untidiness, ...

2006-12-10T22:29:00.000-05:00

"With all the obvious flaws of delay, untidiness, and potential for abuse, we have not yet found a better way to preserve freedom than be making the exercise of power subject to the carefully crafted restraints spelled out in the Constitution"
-Supreme Court Chief Justice Burger

"The Framers of the Constitution viewed the principle of seperation of powers as the absolutely central guarantee of a just government"
-Justice Scalia

Those young, cute, little, naive men- you tell 'em anonymous! Tell 'em what Judge Judy said! That'll teach 'em...

Actually anonymous, this cute little mind spends i...

2006-12-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

Actually anonymous, this cute little mind spends its time studying the real law and the real Constitution and not Judge Judy.
You might want to check what the IN Constitution has to say about the position of Coroner before you start advocating for the Mayor to behave in an unconstitutional, illegal and undemocratic manner.
If it is naive to believe that we should operate in a manner consistent with the Constitution, then I'm there for life, dear little anon.

And, for the record, your off on my age, but, that is alright, can you role it back to, oh, I don't know, 22? That was a good year!

Ah, Dear sweet young innocent Erin...your argument...

2006-12-10T21:47:00.000-05:00

Ah, Dear sweet young innocent Erin...your argument about waiting for voters to take care of their 2004 mistake is fraught with peril. And painfully youthful...I don't even know your age, but I'm guessing that idealistic mind can't have seen its 25th year yet.

Few officials have the critical statutory duties as the coroner. We live and, regreatably, we all die. Some of us too soon, or by unnusual means. Enter the Coroner's office.

As Judge Judy says, the coroner "puts a period at the end of it." His office is probably second only to the prosecutor in terms of the justice system working correctly, in homicide cases.

"Dr." Ackles is a complete and total nincompoop. He is an embarrassment to the voters of this county. Waiting for two more years could mean thousands of death certificates are signed too early, too late or, not at all. ANd to take care of this problem, he fired the people who were competent, albeit disagreeable with him. How freaking arrogant and disrespectful of taxpayers' trust.

If he won't go on his own, the mayor should use his bully pulpit to force him out. The mayor and Congresswoman Carson are the titular heads of their party.

The mayor uses his bully pulpit for charter schools, violent video games and police and fire mergers.

He could and should do the same for those who have passed on.

Anything less is shameful.

We can and must do better.
If Ken Ackles has no shame, and it's pretty apparent he doesn't, that bully puplit needs warmed up. Fast.

I think Wilson, Erin, and Sir Hailstone should all...

2006-12-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

I think Wilson, Erin, and Sir Hailstone should all get together and whine about everything. God help their spouses if they're married........Can anyone actually talk about the issues at hand anymore or do we go off in political tangents about 3rd world dictatorships? BOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGG

for that pseudo-monarchist: "Май синяя птица мухы ...

2006-12-10T21:28:00.000-05:00

for that pseudo-monarchist: "Май синяя птица мухы счастья вверх по вашему носу!"

It is unfair to paint with such a broad brush the ...

2006-12-10T21:05:00.000-05:00

It is unfair to paint with such a broad brush the situation with a few African-American officeholders to encompass an entire race

That was not my intention. I will not contend there are no corrupt white politicians both GOP and 'Rat. Prime example being Tom Schneider for the GOP and the Lawrence Utilities deal. I just attempted to make the observation that at the present the polticians with the image problems here in Marion County just happen to be A-A, not that "all" A-A politicians are corrupt.

There's a brouhaha brewing in Hammond as we speak about some money Cabela's paid to Tom McDermott Snr. for what appears to be little or no work. Tom McDermott Jnr is the mayor and an occasional host of fundraisers for Mayor Bart. The contention by some is that money went from Cabela's to Dad to Mayor Son - in essence a bribe to a public official.

Seems corruption more runs along the lines of being 'Rat in Indiana these days.

Wilson maybe you can understand this:Может быть, в...

2006-12-10T20:48:00.000-05:00

Wilson maybe you can understand this:

Может быть, ваш герой Фидель Кастро скоро умрет, и вам придется за свой молоди героя.

Written in the mother tongue of your role model nation - the Soviet Union.

Sir,AI said it well. My point is that corruption ...

2006-12-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

Sir,

AI said it well. My point is that corruption knows no race (or all). Race is totally irrelevant and shouldn't be used in an argument about corruption.
Enough said as I'm becoming redundant after AI's post.

We shouldn't be too hard on poor Hailstone - he is...

2006-12-10T20:30:00.000-05:00

We shouldn't be too hard on poor Hailstone - he isn't his usual sweet self today - he's highly distraught over General Augusto Pinochet's death ...

Sir Hailstone said, "It appears among blacks, corr...

2006-12-10T20:22:00.000-05:00

Sir Hailstone said, "It appears among blacks, corruption is "normal". Look at any African nation outside the Arab nations in the northern part of the continent. Nearly every one has some sort of corruption going on like Nigeria or Rhodesia - or no functioning government such as Somalia."

It is unfair to paint with such a broad brush the situation with a few African-American officeholders to encompass an entire race. You really should be ashamed to make such a statement, Sir Hailstone.

How would your logic work when applied to Russia? ...

2006-12-10T20:15:00.000-05:00

How would your logic work when applied to Russia?

Or Italy - the world standard for racketeering and corruption. Where are you going with this?

My previous answer was in a direct answer to Ruth Holladay's question of why Mayor Bart would not step in to resolve the MCCO situation. Mayor Bart does not want to upset or offend the black power structure in Marion County.

We know Hailstone calls some women "bitches", he w...

2006-12-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

We know Hailstone calls some women "bitches", he writes of the stench of this being a gay website, he knows all about Black corruption - I bet he has some problems with the Protocols of the Elders of Zion too ... and I aint talking TCP/IP here !

Sir, spill the dirt! What do you have on Condolee...

2006-12-10T19:47:00.000-05:00

Sir, spill the dirt! What do you have on Condoleeza and Colin Powell?

Umm, or look at Botswana, Togo, Morroco, S. Africa...

2006-12-10T19:40:00.000-05:00

Umm, or look at Botswana, Togo, Morroco, S. Africa? The greatest government corruption on the African continent has a name- Colonialism- as in qualifications, ability etc. don't matter- just the color of your skin. And that was NOT black people sir.

How would your logic work when applied to Russia? (Hint: they are white!)

Once again, Wilson's logic is flawed. The countie...

2006-12-10T19:33:00.000-05:00

Once again, Wilson's logic is flawed. The counties that use MCCO for autopsies generally have a very small case load and certainly can look elsewhere for pathology services if they are told by MCCO that there will be a delay in autopsy. The cost is pretty much the same regardless of where the autopsy is done. Transportation costs may be higher, but that is usually passed along in the form of higher funeral expeneses. And does Wilson seriously think some retired cop, truck driver, etc who is the coroner for a doughnut county is going to be taken seriously if they complain to the Mayor or prosecutor. They won't even listen to the people closest to the situation who describe in detail all the crap going on there everyday........Wilson and his uneducated posts....As sure as death and taxes.

BUT since the mayor is the poohbah and Ackles is o...

2006-12-10T19:28:00.000-05:00

BUT since the mayor is the poohbah and Ackles is one of "his" guys, both being D's,

Ruth, Ken Ackles is NOT one of Bart's guys. He's one of Julia's people.

Is Peterson afraid to stand up and do the right thing if he's going to piss off black Democrats?

I think he is. It appears among blacks, corruption is "normal". Look at any African nation outside the Arab nations in the northern part of the continent. Nearly every one has some sort of corruption going on like Nigeria or Rhodesia - or no functioning government such as Somalia.

About the only guy I can think of who opened his mouth re: corruption was Jim Bradford, and right away he was labeled a racist

Yep. Unfortunately.

Arnie,I mean, really, what did the guy write exact...

2006-12-10T19:24:00.000-05:00

Arnie,

I mean, really, what did the guy write exactly? From what I read it looks like he didn't add a single bit of info except to reword the Star editorial, which had already called on the Mayor to speak out, and some snarky commentary re: The Mayor being at a National League Of cities conference which is NOT hard to find out- all that requires is looking at the Mayor's schedule. Well, he did apparently find out the name of one of the meetings at the conference. Journalism at it's finest.

I could have written the same article just from cutting and pasting other stories from the Star.

erin, you are so right on many of your points in p...

2006-12-10T17:38:00.000-05:00

erin, you are so right on many of your points in particular in regards to Tully. He is just not very good or insightful.
The star only does and will do only fluff.

On an unrelated point to my earlier posts, can I j...

2006-12-10T16:50:00.000-05:00

On an unrelated point to my earlier posts, can I just say I find all cheering over Matt Tully to be rather bizarre. If you all are so concerned about this, why do you not demand that the Star stop writing silly fluff stories about "where's Bart"? How about actually calling the pathologist in question, people who have worked with her in other states? Putting the lawsuits in some context for readers (are these unusual lawsuits for a pathologist of her tenure? In comparison to other pathologists employed in the state or around the country?- After all, the R's are the party of "stop the frivilous lawsuits" and "tort reform" drumbeat- why the lack in critical analysis here?). Tully should dig a little bit and actually see what he can discover about what is going on rather than writing totally superficial pieces that don't help anybody evaluate what is actually happening. Oh wait... that sounds like a lot of work. Maybe you should just call IBJ.

As far as "peashakes" go, veteran's wives perhaps ...

2006-12-10T16:43:00.000-05:00

As far as "peashakes" go, veteran's wives perhaps can explain to us all the video poker machines and other such illegal gambling devices in Legion and VFW Halls scattered around Indianapolis and likely in Putnam County too!?