There is an old saying that defines an ?expert? as being someone with a briefcase who is more than 50 miles from home. By that definition when Robbie Thomas came to Bardstown last week to weigh in on what caused the horrible fire Feb. 6 at 135 Guthrie Drive, a blaze that claimed the lives of 10 people, he was speaking as ?an expert.?
He had a briefcase and the Ontario, Canada, resident was certainly more than 50 miles from his home. Thomas? conclusion ? the fire was set. His evidence was a gasoline can he spotted in the back yard. This stunning revelation came after he spent less than an hour at the fire scene Friday morning.
You see, Thomas is a psychic or so he claims. That means he can sense what has happened and does not need to bother himself with the hours of intense, scientific examination carried out by the Kentucky Fire Marshal?s office. The real experts concluded there was no evidence about what may have started the fire but believe an errant, un-extinguished cigarette was probably the culprit. If the cause could have been pinpointed to an accelerant such as gasoline or the malfunction of a furnace it would have been in the fire marshal?s self interest to have made that finding. To claim that the agency overlooked the burn patterns and residue that would have accompanied the use of gasoline is not only ludicrous, it is a gross insult to the still grieving families of the victims.
The Thomas entourage attempted to gain creditability by enlisting members of the Bardstown Fire Department to accompany the ?seer? to the fire site Friday. Wisely, Chief Anthony Mattingly declined to take part.
Later, in a press conference, Thomas said the department had requested a copy of his findings. This contention proved to be as flimsy as his ?gasoline theory.? Mattingly said he would look at any ?report? Thomas developed but only so he would know what kind of story the Canadian was peddling.
One does not need second sight or have the ability to read auras to understand the Thomas trip here last Friday was more about promoting his upcoming U.S. tour that kicks off next month in Bardstown than it was about helping the families who are still reeling from their loss.
Exploitation of the Feb. 6 fire is just as reprehensible coming from a self-proclaimed ?medium? as it was coming from a Topeka, Kansas ?church? group.
http://www.kystandard.com/articles/2007 ... iews01.txt
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