Awesome Blogging

It has been a very interesting week in my little corner of the blogosphere. As you who are regular readers know I've been following a plea deal case going on in a nearby county. It has escalated from a mere mention in the Coeur d'ALene Press last Saturday to a full blown daily dialog on Huckleberries hosted by Spokesman Review Associate editor Dave Oliveria

All sides have come out and made their opinions known. Some are personal friends of the Judge and lawyers, others live in the community where the coverage has been, hopefully, more thorough. Some have been weighing in on the pure emotionalism of the case, some on the sloppy journalistic effort and still others just trying to get a handle on what exactly happened.

I don't know if true investigative journalism has gone the way of budget cuts but this story would not have had as much play if all parties had been interviewed and their stories corroborated before anything went to print. That being said, I want to applaud those in the blogging community who have cared enough about the varying implications to weigh in.

We may not be the Huffington Post but we do have a community that provides a true public service. We opine, argue, discuss and evaluate. When the dialog remains civil, as it mostly has in this case, more and more comes out as to what the story actually is. I hope the dialog doesn't stop.

Lots of questions have been raised as to the integrity of all sides involved. That there is a culture of fear and retribution in the area of the incident would seem to be true. There are legitimate questions as to various relationships between the lawyers and the accused , law enforcement and the Judge that need to be clarified.

The fact that the youngsters had been drinking, and questions as to what was actually said, the fact does remain that egregious actions took place. Hiding beneath the veil of intoxication lies the truth that there are some severe prejudices alive and well. The way the story has been evolving it would appear they exist in varying degrees among all those involved.

It is important to have everything clarified. For justice. For peace of mind. It would appear that if the press can't or won't put forth the effort to do it the bloggers will. So for all of you who have taken the time to ask good questions, given good answers or have just plain given things a lot of thought. Kudos!