Recent editorials from Tennessee newspapers:
___
Feb. 9
The Johnson City Press on lowering unnecessary driving risks:
Pet owners sometimes place their furry friends (and themselves) at unneeded risk. One such example of this is seen regularly on area streets.
State law forbids a driver (and passenger) from holding an infant or a child in their laps while the vehicle is moving. Doing so poses a great safety risk to both the child and the driver.
Yet, every day there are Tennesseans who take to our streets with a small dog sitting in their laps.
This is not only dangerous for the animal, it also puts the lives of the driver and the other motorists who share the roadways with them in jeopardy.
In a collision, an air bag can deploy with a force of up to 220 miles per hour, which represents a crushing blow of 880 pounds to a front-seat passenger.
Police say pets should always be properly restrained (preferably in pet containers) while in a vehicle. That means no uncrated dogs should be riding in the beds of pickup trucks or riding in the laps of either the driver or passenger in the front seats of cars.
We would also like to offer another piece of advice to passengers: Keep your feet on the floor.
You’ve no doubt seen people in vehicles with their feet propped on the dash or stuck out a window. This is extremely dangerous.
If an air bag deploys, feet on the dash can result in knees being slammed into the chest or face. Broken bones and contusions are bound to follow.
That’s why drivers should ask their passengers to always buckle up and to keep their feet where they belong.
Online: https://www.johnsoncitypress.com
___
Jan. 31
The Kingsport Times-News on the decision not to seek the death penalty in the murder of a 15-month-old girl:
One of the toughest calls a district attorney must make is whether to seek the death penalty in a murder case. There are many factors to consider, not the least of which is the prosecutor’s primary responsibility to not so much convict as to see justice done. The court of public opinion should not be a factor.
In the case of Megan Boswell, Sullivan County District Attorney General Barry Staubus made the right call. Instead of the death penalty, the state will seek life imprisonment without possibility of parole if she is found guilty.
Boswell is charged in the death of her 15-month-old daughter, Evelyn Mae Boswell. In February of last year, the baby’s grandfather reported her missing, saying he had not seen the child since early December 2019.
The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department launched an investigation and several weeks later under a search warrant found the baby’s remains.
Throughout the investigation, Megan Boswell repeatedly denied knowledge of what had happened to her baby, making claims that authorities say were false. She was jailed on those charges until indicted on multiple counts including two of felony murder, one based on aggravated child abuse and one on aggravated child neglect.
Staubus explained that he made the decision not to seek the death penalty after talking with members of Evelyn’s family and reviewing all the evidence in the case. But a legal precedent, based on a previous Sullivan County case where a death sentence was overturned by the state supreme court, also came into play.
In 1996, a Sullivan County jury convicted Bobby G. Godsey of Kingsport of first-degree felony murder for killing a 7-month-old baby. Staubus assisted in that prosecution. Godsey was given the death sentence, but in 2001 the Tennessee Supreme Court unanimously found Godsey’s death sentence disproportionate when compared to sentences imposed in similar cases and modified Godsey’s sentence to life without parole.
A death sentence in that case was clearly unjustified. The injuries to the baby apparently occurred when Godsey lost control due to the baby crying. Godsey did not plan to take the child’s life.
We may never know the exact circumstances of Evelyn Boswell’s death, and it remains to be seen what Staubus’ office will present as evidence during trial. But unless premeditated murder can be proven beyond doubt, the death penalty should never be an option.
Online: https://www.timesnews.net
Please read our comment policy before commenting.