A month or so ago, when William Jefferson was indicted, there seemed to be a general celebration among the people I talked to about it. People were glad that the crooked politician and State-embarrassment had received what he had coming to him.
Not so with this Oliver Thomas thing.
I actually heard a commentator on the radio say he was shocked but not surprised. I took that to mean he would never be surprised about any corruption that went down in city politics but he didn’t think it would originate from Thomas’ office. Thomas seemed to enjoy support among the only two political parties that mean anything in town: The blacks and the whites.
I was neither shocked nor surprised. Perhaps that’s the beginning of the “it’s never going to change” semantic setting in.
But the optimist in me does continue to look toward the local officials for, well, leadership, though Bart says we should only look to them for competence (he’s right). Maybe I’m just still caught up in that romanticized ideal that was sold to us in bogus high school history classes. Old habits die hard.
I do have hopes for real leadership in New Orleans. I think, after all the good, hard-working people have been through, we deserve it. Disaster or none, we’ve earned our future.
I still belive a politician could do that for us if we simply found one and elected him or her. I’m not as jaded as my cyber-friend Jeffrey, though, his outlook is palpable – he has put up with their shit longer than I have.
Point is: I loved it when Thomas told the thugs to check their cards at the Parish line. It was during those sublime days back in January. He probably meant it. He wanted to believe it. His error was not thinking that his crimes were as dangerous as theirs. His anger was an illusion of leadership. Thomas’ corruption was Formosan.
Hey, we are all familiar with Napoleonic code around here aren’t we? Perhaps all local politicians should be guilty until proven innocent. As a man that is increasingly pro-resignation and pro-impeachment, I might have to start doing that.
I look forward to the continuation of Jim Letten’s investigations and I applaud his efforts thus far. No, I don’t think that the indictments hurt the recovery. I think they are the most promising signs of progress. More political attrition please.
When he said for the thugs to check their cards at the parish line, that was such utter grandstanding for his high school buddy C-Ray.
No plan, no nothing, just harass the common citizen.
Oliver was usually afraid to do something political, because that may piss off someone somewhere, and he didn’t want that.
Thomas’ corruption was Formosan.
You mean the termites did it? Just kidding. I know what you feel – after a while of working at City Hall, my husband was neither shocked nor surprised, while I was both. You think you know someone and have them pegged, and BOOM!
People would like to think that politics corrupts, but that’s anthropomorphizing a concept. Politics corrupts the corruptible, I just didn’t think OT was one of them.