Wait a minute! Doesn?t Cooper get day in court?

By the sound of things, state Sen. Jerry Cooper has already gone to trial and been convicted. Why else would there be calls for his resignation?

To this day, Cooper has not been convicted of any crime surrounding a 1999 land deal that saw him sell Cooper Manufacturing to Anthony and Teresa Auyer. It took nearly seven years for authorities to even get an indictment. It appears federal prosecutors have grasped at straws more than they have compiled a rock-solid case against Cooper.

There is absolutely no reason for Cooper to resign the Senate seat he had held since he was first elected in 1985. To do so would appear to be an admission of guilt and Cooper is pleading not guilty.

To demand his resignation under the guise it would better Tennessee is a farce. Such a move could not better this state when it tramples on one of Cooper?s fundamental rights as an American ? the right to a fair trial.

The charges against Cooper are by no means a slam dunk. While the Auyers did plead guilty and were sentenced to time in federal prison, local property appraiser Jimmy Passons pled not guilty and was acquitted by a jury earlier this year.

While Tennesseans have a right to hold our elected officials to a higher standard, we should not wrongly lump Cooper in with other lawmakers indicted on the Tennessee Waltz undercover sting. He was not caught on tape taking a bribe. Rather, he was selling a piece of property in an attempt to escape personal financial problems and bring jobs to this community.

Let?s hear what a jury has to say before telling Cooper what he should do in the best interest of this state.