Tim Burchett, the mayor of Knox County, Tenn. (both counties and cities have mayors in Tennessee) was listening during my Sept. 4 radio appearance with Phil Williams on WOKI.  He contacted me and expressed his interest in the Earhart story, and I finally met him at his office in downtown Knoxville yesterday.  We talked for about 40 minutes, and I brought him two copies of Truth at Last.

His father was in the Navy in World War II, he said, and he (Tim)  had always been interested in the Earhart case.  He asked many intelligent questions, but mainly listened as I explained the situation — both with the so-called Earhart “mystery” and the current media blackout of Truth at Last.  Such is the pathetic level of interest in the now three-month old book that this blog registered only one visitor on Oct. 1.  To say the book and this blog and web site are on life support and need serious help is severe understatement. Seriously: One visitor? Can you spell “hopeless”?

Perhaps it is, but the mayor has some ideas about how he can help this book and its worthy cause, and I hope to be reporting soon on those efforts and their results.

Thanks also to Carol Anderson of the Knoxville Welcome Wagon Club, who was also listening Sept. 4 and has asked me to speak to her group’s monthly meeting of about 50 women ages 50 to 70 during the first week of November — the day after the most important election we’ve seen in our lifetimes, in fact.  I didn’t realize this when I accepted her invitation, but since she had to change a previously scheduled speaker to accommodate me, I’ll have to live with the possibility that I might be forced to address this group on the morning of a national tragedy.  Let’s hope and pray that will not be the case. 

Postscript: Added March 12, 2013:

I never heard from Mayor Tim again, and he ignored several emails I sent.  He proved to be just another politician, full of false promises.