Fletcher Long (L) and Carrie Gasaway (R)
Are you still under a rock? Push, while I lift, and we'll get it moved so you can crawl back into the light. Are you ready for this one? I'm not certain if you're fully aware, but two prominent Clarksville attorneys were recently convicted on extortion charges. Yes, extortion.
My recent memory of the topic has been limited to Mayor Carmine de Pasto's extortion threat in "Animal House." That being typed, maybe I've been the one living under a rock? The thought of a local, high profile law firm extorting money from a Montgomery County resident is both confidence shaking and unsettling. How many of us have truly been comfortable with hope as the best alternative? In this case hope may be all that remains for us. We're each left to hope this crime was an isolated incident without any similar allegations on the horizon. Personally, I find that to be a tough sell and suspect a little digging will uncover other issues. The mantra of past actions serving as indications of future intentions has always been reliable in my world. It is just a personal opinion and perhaps I'm wrong? I'm honestly not certain and even more uncertain of knowing the real details pro or con.
Now let's get to the elephant in the room.
Newly convicted extortionist, Attorney Carrie Gasaway, is the wife of Circuit Court Judge John H. Gasaway. Depending on whom you speak with the current Mrs. Gasaway has carried a rather questionable reputation in the local community. To further add mud to the water a previous public reprimand, involving Judge Gasaway's role in the courts with his wife, give an additional pause for concern.
Is it blind trust to assume a long time marriage between an unethical attorney and a trustworthy judge is plausible?
It's as simple as two people with very different core values sharing a roof and planning their lives together?
Those two conclusions require leaps for a much more athletic person than myself. The clear solution to this good ol' boy problem is easy - transparency. There just isn't a legitimate way around the need for a 3rd party audit of Judge Gasaway's caseload. Nothing is more important than the integrity of our courthouse.
And Mr. Long? I'd like to suggest the Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart movie Get Hard as must see TV. Consider it part entertainment and part educational.
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