Ray Nagin's Trial

It's pretty disgusting to watch the Ray Nagin trial here in New Orleans.  It's also very interesting how some cities just attract the worst politicians and in which political malfeasance runs rampant, unchecked and, worse, accepted as the way of doing things.

New Orleans is an old city, and a beautiful city.  It is also a corrupt city; from its police force to its leaders.  Everybody has their palm out and it's greased palm Sunday down here.  Being on the take is a religion.  Killing and cover ups are business as usual for the police.

I don't get it.  I lived very close to Chicago for most of my life, and Chicago and Cook County are as enmeshed in politics for sale as any city in America.  The cops carry throw away guns for their justifiable homicides in the windy city. Maybe things are better there --- maybe not. 

For some reason, New Orleans can't seem to clean itself up.  It's better, since Hurricane Katrina wiped out and washed out great areas of the city.  It didn't quite get rid of all the rats, though.  Ray Nagin is one who made a final effort to shake down people and businesses after the Hurricane.  Maybe he had PTSD.  Maybe the temptation was just too great.  I can name a lot of things I claim I wouldn't do, but if you lay it out on a finely appointed table in front of me; well; maybe my resolve isn't as steadfast as I think it is.  Maybe that's the truth about Ray Nagin.  Or maybe Ray Nagin just came under the spell of New Orleans politics ---- which has to be a little like heroin addiction.

I love New Orleans and I hate what politician after politician, police chief after police chief, and fat cat after fat cat has done, and continues to do to the city.  I think the entire city should be turned over to the musician's union.  Let the musicians run New Orleans.  Let the artists run New Orleans.  Let the street people run New Orleans.  Anyone but the cuckoo birds who look at New Orleans as a good place to launch their political careers. 

Southern Louisiana is on the migratory flight plan for almost every bird in North America.  Especially the cuckoo birds.