Actually, I spoke to one of Blanks' campaign people yesterday about the letter. It contained allegations of wrongdoing that we hadn't substantiated, so we didn't run it, I explained to her.
She seemed to understand.
I did, however, pass the letter to our news department, and connected the caller to a reporter.
Here is part of our policy, which we have published frequently, on election letters:
Election letters
Criticism: Opinions about a candidate’s fitness or unfitness are welcome; allegations of misconduct are not. To raise that kind of issue, call the news department at 373-7001.
I'm sure JR has an opinion on this but "letters to the editor" decisions are made by Allen Johnson who sits on the other side of some legendary brick wall down on Market Street.
I have an opinion on why it wasn't published in the N&R: it probably has to do with the fact that Blanks is responding to Barnes' blog entry - not a LTE or N&R story - and then goes on to raise an unrelated issue in the same letter (re: the Taser thing).
BJ (not sure if it was a nickname in college), reminds me a lot of Boss Hogg. Sits back, and lives off the system.
I have never seen an elected offical try to work the media as hard as he does...when he should at his desk trying to crunch numbers on how to spend money by what we need to be more secure, instead of what is the newest gadget on the market.
Between him, Hege, and the nutt in Alamance county, the triad seems accustomed to electing jokes to the sheriff's office.
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