Karen Carter v. William Jefferson

I'm not comfortable with local ministers supporting Rep. Jefferson in the run-off. Aside from the church-state-tax-exempt issues, how is a vote for Jefferson a benefit for their "flocks" (I'm guessing "parishioners" isn't the right word) rather than a personal power play? And after the conflicts some have had in the past with Nagin, why support Nagin's candidate? If the vote is really about their flocks, the decision should be based on something other than using conspiracy theories of whites taking over to dupe the uninformed. Just because black men are often wrongly accused or suspected and judged more harshly does not mean that every accusation of a black man is false. For some fights, it's worth losing a few or losing some face to win the long-term or larger goal but is that what Jefferson is? With post-breach New Orleans getting (somehow, somewhere, at some point in time) millions in rebuilding dollars, is it wise to have (more) tainted leaders? Isn't that part of the reason it took so long for help to come? (Not that Carter is pure; I'm no fucking idiot. Look below.) Yesterday I used the expression "pearls before swine" (no insult to swine intended) and that’s what some folks outside the Gulf South think of sending money to NO. And as time goes on, more people and businesses leave or decide not to come back.

Should the wronged be supported? Yes. Is racism gone? No. Does corruption further the interests of the black, or white or Spanish-speaking or Vietnamese or East Indian or West Indian, folks in this congressional district? Or black folks in general? How can it? The idea once in power should not be to imitate the corrupt and exploitive colonizer--They got theirs and now it's our turn!--but to change the exploitive nature of power and governance, to move forward rather than look for revenge or your own piece of the pie (or ass, whichever the case may be).

A student told me that based on anecdotal "evidence" from friends, she suspects many HBCUs are subject to inefficiency, budgetary wastefulness and poor student services and treatment. That bugs the shit out of me, almost as much as SMother's clan's tenet that you treat strangers like sugar and family like punching bags full of bat shit.

I can't stand exploited people exploiting other exploited people for fun and profit. My over-developed (or developmentally-stuck) sense of fairness leads to much fury-fueled irrational ranting and bitchiness. I want Nagin and his cronies, the "St. Charles and Rex krewe elite," our state and federal representatives and agencies to stop using the used and blaming the victims and side-stepping their own complicity and ulterior motives that have our asses stuck where they are right now.

Karen Carter's legal contracts draw fire--Nola.com

Carter's advantages over Jefferson--Louisiana Weekly
William "Bill" Jefferson gets powerful endorsement from Shepard--BayouBuzz
Shepard backs Jefferson in 2nd District runoff--Nola.com
In a career knotted with family ties, Rep. William Jefferson has long been hounded by ethics questions--Nola.com
FBI looks at agency that oversaw charities linked to lawmakers--Nola.com
Blanco releases copies of federal subpoena--Nola.com [hardly seems a coincidence]

Tim Tagaris
Let’s Talk Political Turkey--Oyster's link round-up
All LA politics is localer
Don’t forget