G
Gandalf Grey
Guest
LIARS IN WASHINGTON, LIARS IN DETROIT
By Bill Gallagher
DETROIT -- Detroit's mayor is facing felony perjury, conspiracy to obstruct
justice, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office charges. Kwame
Kilpatrick says he's innocent and promises when a jury hears "the facts" he
will be vindicated.
While quite different in many obvious ways, Detroit's embattled mayor and
our nation's lame duck president are quiet alike in fundamental ways: Both
loudly and frequently claim God chose and anointed them for their duties and
both use lies on a monstrous scale to get what they want.
President George W. Bush has survived largely unscathed by avoiding oaths
and the high risk of perjury. When Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President
Cheney's former chief of staff, lied under oath to conceal his role in
trying to discredit former ambassador Joseph Wilson, who told the truth
about a monumental lie used to sell war with Iraq, he was convicted of
perjury. Bush quickly commuted Libby's sentence and he will surely get a
full pardon before the president rides into the Texas sunset.
Bush respects and rewards the loyalty of liars who protect him, as does
Kilpatrick. Bush and Kilpatrick came from different backgrounds and took
different routes, but both arrived in the halls of power to exercise control
in isolated fortresses of arrogance.
Bush came from inherited wealth and the entitlements that come with it.
Although a barely adequate student, he went to the best schools. Bush's
excesses disabled him, but he later claimed God saved him from the grip of
Jack Daniels. He then turned to politics for his salvation.
In his book "The Faith of George W. Bush," Stephen Mansfield describes how
Bush, then governor of Texas, told evangelist James Robinson about his
divine summons to the Oval Office.
Bush used the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks to transform a suffering nation
into a bellicose bully and deliver billions of dollars of taxpayer money to
military contractors, obscenely enriching his family, friends and political
supporters.
Kwame Kilpatrick did his own lying and undoing. Kilpatrick grew up in a
political family. His mother, Caroline Cheeks Kilpatrick, is a member of
Congress and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. She was a longtime
state representative before moving on to the House. Her son took her seat in
the state legislature and quickly rose to become Democratic minority leader.
Kilpatrick's father, Bernard, is a former Wayne County commissioner and
former deputy county executive. Wayne County, by the way, has a larger
population and budget than many states.
Kwame Kilpatrick was a fine student at Detroit's prestigious Cass Tech High
School. He was a gifted athlete and played football on a scholarship at
Florida A&M. He was an NFL prospect, but an injury derailed that career
path.
Kilpatrick is an imposing figure, a mountain of a man. He earned a law
degree. He is smart, charismatic, articulate and passionate. He is also
arrogant and self-destructive, and like Bush, claims God chose him for the
office he holds.
Preparing for his run for mayor in 2001, Kilpatrick described how he arrived
at his decision to Detroit's Metro Times. He didn't mention his political
pedigree and the fact that term limits were forcing him to give up his seat
in the legislature and he needed a job.
Kilpatrick said his age -- 31 at the time -- made him wonder if he was ready
to become mayor. So, as he told the Metro Times, he sought prayer: "He
opened his Bible and turned straight to the book of Samuel and its account
of how a 30-year-old David became king and went on to unite the 12 tribes of
Israel."
The Lord had spoken. "That day, I decided to do what God wants me to do,
instead of making excuses," Kilpatrick said. He conquered a divided
electorate, choosing among a field of 21 candidates, giving Kilpatrick with
a well-known name more than 50 percent of the primary vote. He waltzed
through the general election.
Detroit's long-declining downtown was already showing signs of revival, much
of it the work of Kilpatrick's widely respected predecessor, Dennis Archer.
But Kilpatrick comfortably rode the wave of progress and the city
successfully hosted high-profile events like the Super Bowl and Baseball's
All-Star Game.
Detroit, however, still has impoverished neighborhoods, and the loss of jobs
in automobile manufacturing adds to the suffering. But as the people
struggle, Kwame Kilpatrick lives like a Saudi sultan in America's poorest
large city.
Often wearing a diamond stud earring, Kilpatrick was called America's
hip-hop mayor. He and his police security entourage tooled around town in
luxury Lincoln Navigators as they hit the nightclub scene with regularity.
They lived and traveled high, running up huge tabs on city credit cards for
important events like a night at a strip club in Washington, D.C. Rumors
began circulating about parties at the Manoogian Mansion, the mayor's plush,
publicly provided residence on the Detroit River.
Two Detroit police officers -- Deputy Chief Gary Brown and mayoral bodyguard
Harold Nelthorpe -- began looking into reports that some officers had padded
overtime payments and, at one wild party at the Manoogian, a stripper hired
for the occasion was injured in a fight.
The woman, Tamara Green, known as "Strawberry," was murdered four months
later in a drive-by shooting. The motive and murderer remain unknown.
Michigan's attorney general, Mike Cox, once called the party where Green
allegedly performed "urban legend." He's now re-opened that investigation.
Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope were fired when Kilpatrick learned they were
snooping around. His chief of staff, Christine Beatty, engineering the
dismissals. Brown and Nelthrope filed a whistleblower lawsuit, and a jury
awarded them $6.5 million dollars.
Kilpatrick vowed an appeal but suddenly dropped it, and the city agreed to
pay the officers $8.4 million. The reason for the flip-flop soon became
apparent.
During the trial, Kilpatrick and Beatty both testified that they had not
plotted to fire the officers and they did not have a sexual relationship.
Those lies were exposed when the Detroit Free Press got hold of text
messages Kilpatrick and Beatty sent on their city-owned pagers.
The messages -- clear and raunchy -- show how they schemed to fire the
officers and how they described their sexual appetites and planned their
encounters. When the lid blew, Beatty was sacked and Kilpatrick made an
address on live TV from his church, flanked by his wife. "I'm sorry," the
mayor said, while he never explained for what. He pleaded for privacy.
"Oaths mean something," Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said, in
announcing the criminal charges against Kilpatrick and Beatty. "Honesty and
integrity in the justice system is everything. That is what this case is
about."
Worthy spoke with outrage about what happened. "This was not an
investigation focused on lying about sex," she said. Noting the fate of the
fired officers, she added, "Their lives were forever changed. They were
ruined financially and their reputations were completely destroyed because
they chose to be dutiful police officers. The public trust was violated."
Kilpatrick vows to stay in office, to the benefit of countless relatives,
cronies and contractors. He blames the media for his plight and hides behind
his family, his race and religion.
On a radio talk show hosted by a family friend, Kilpatrick proclaimed, "I
believe I am on an assignment from God."
Here's my simple prayer: "Dear God, Don't give any more assignments to
George W. Bush or Kwame Kilpatrick. Amen."
Bill Gallagher, a Peabody Award winner, is a former Niagara Falls city
councilman who now covers Detroit for Fox2 News. His e-mail address is
gallaghernewsman@aol.com.
Niagara Falls Reporter www.niagarafallsreporter.com April 1 2008
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
By Bill Gallagher
DETROIT -- Detroit's mayor is facing felony perjury, conspiracy to obstruct
justice, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office charges. Kwame
Kilpatrick says he's innocent and promises when a jury hears "the facts" he
will be vindicated.
While quite different in many obvious ways, Detroit's embattled mayor and
our nation's lame duck president are quiet alike in fundamental ways: Both
loudly and frequently claim God chose and anointed them for their duties and
both use lies on a monstrous scale to get what they want.
President George W. Bush has survived largely unscathed by avoiding oaths
and the high risk of perjury. When Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President
Cheney's former chief of staff, lied under oath to conceal his role in
trying to discredit former ambassador Joseph Wilson, who told the truth
about a monumental lie used to sell war with Iraq, he was convicted of
perjury. Bush quickly commuted Libby's sentence and he will surely get a
full pardon before the president rides into the Texas sunset.
Bush respects and rewards the loyalty of liars who protect him, as does
Kilpatrick. Bush and Kilpatrick came from different backgrounds and took
different routes, but both arrived in the halls of power to exercise control
in isolated fortresses of arrogance.
Bush came from inherited wealth and the entitlements that come with it.
Although a barely adequate student, he went to the best schools. Bush's
excesses disabled him, but he later claimed God saved him from the grip of
Jack Daniels. He then turned to politics for his salvation.
In his book "The Faith of George W. Bush," Stephen Mansfield describes how
Bush, then governor of Texas, told evangelist James Robinson about his
divine summons to the Oval Office.
Bush used the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks to transform a suffering nation
into a bellicose bully and deliver billions of dollars of taxpayer money to
military contractors, obscenely enriching his family, friends and political
supporters.
Kwame Kilpatrick did his own lying and undoing. Kilpatrick grew up in a
political family. His mother, Caroline Cheeks Kilpatrick, is a member of
Congress and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. She was a longtime
state representative before moving on to the House. Her son took her seat in
the state legislature and quickly rose to become Democratic minority leader.
Kilpatrick's father, Bernard, is a former Wayne County commissioner and
former deputy county executive. Wayne County, by the way, has a larger
population and budget than many states.
Kwame Kilpatrick was a fine student at Detroit's prestigious Cass Tech High
School. He was a gifted athlete and played football on a scholarship at
Florida A&M. He was an NFL prospect, but an injury derailed that career
path.
Kilpatrick is an imposing figure, a mountain of a man. He earned a law
degree. He is smart, charismatic, articulate and passionate. He is also
arrogant and self-destructive, and like Bush, claims God chose him for the
office he holds.
Preparing for his run for mayor in 2001, Kilpatrick described how he arrived
at his decision to Detroit's Metro Times. He didn't mention his political
pedigree and the fact that term limits were forcing him to give up his seat
in the legislature and he needed a job.
Kilpatrick said his age -- 31 at the time -- made him wonder if he was ready
to become mayor. So, as he told the Metro Times, he sought prayer: "He
opened his Bible and turned straight to the book of Samuel and its account
of how a 30-year-old David became king and went on to unite the 12 tribes of
Israel."
The Lord had spoken. "That day, I decided to do what God wants me to do,
instead of making excuses," Kilpatrick said. He conquered a divided
electorate, choosing among a field of 21 candidates, giving Kilpatrick with
a well-known name more than 50 percent of the primary vote. He waltzed
through the general election.
Detroit's long-declining downtown was already showing signs of revival, much
of it the work of Kilpatrick's widely respected predecessor, Dennis Archer.
But Kilpatrick comfortably rode the wave of progress and the city
successfully hosted high-profile events like the Super Bowl and Baseball's
All-Star Game.
Detroit, however, still has impoverished neighborhoods, and the loss of jobs
in automobile manufacturing adds to the suffering. But as the people
struggle, Kwame Kilpatrick lives like a Saudi sultan in America's poorest
large city.
Often wearing a diamond stud earring, Kilpatrick was called America's
hip-hop mayor. He and his police security entourage tooled around town in
luxury Lincoln Navigators as they hit the nightclub scene with regularity.
They lived and traveled high, running up huge tabs on city credit cards for
important events like a night at a strip club in Washington, D.C. Rumors
began circulating about parties at the Manoogian Mansion, the mayor's plush,
publicly provided residence on the Detroit River.
Two Detroit police officers -- Deputy Chief Gary Brown and mayoral bodyguard
Harold Nelthorpe -- began looking into reports that some officers had padded
overtime payments and, at one wild party at the Manoogian, a stripper hired
for the occasion was injured in a fight.
The woman, Tamara Green, known as "Strawberry," was murdered four months
later in a drive-by shooting. The motive and murderer remain unknown.
Michigan's attorney general, Mike Cox, once called the party where Green
allegedly performed "urban legend." He's now re-opened that investigation.
Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope were fired when Kilpatrick learned they were
snooping around. His chief of staff, Christine Beatty, engineering the
dismissals. Brown and Nelthrope filed a whistleblower lawsuit, and a jury
awarded them $6.5 million dollars.
Kilpatrick vowed an appeal but suddenly dropped it, and the city agreed to
pay the officers $8.4 million. The reason for the flip-flop soon became
apparent.
During the trial, Kilpatrick and Beatty both testified that they had not
plotted to fire the officers and they did not have a sexual relationship.
Those lies were exposed when the Detroit Free Press got hold of text
messages Kilpatrick and Beatty sent on their city-owned pagers.
The messages -- clear and raunchy -- show how they schemed to fire the
officers and how they described their sexual appetites and planned their
encounters. When the lid blew, Beatty was sacked and Kilpatrick made an
address on live TV from his church, flanked by his wife. "I'm sorry," the
mayor said, while he never explained for what. He pleaded for privacy.
"Oaths mean something," Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said, in
announcing the criminal charges against Kilpatrick and Beatty. "Honesty and
integrity in the justice system is everything. That is what this case is
about."
Worthy spoke with outrage about what happened. "This was not an
investigation focused on lying about sex," she said. Noting the fate of the
fired officers, she added, "Their lives were forever changed. They were
ruined financially and their reputations were completely destroyed because
they chose to be dutiful police officers. The public trust was violated."
Kilpatrick vows to stay in office, to the benefit of countless relatives,
cronies and contractors. He blames the media for his plight and hides behind
his family, his race and religion.
On a radio talk show hosted by a family friend, Kilpatrick proclaimed, "I
believe I am on an assignment from God."
Here's my simple prayer: "Dear God, Don't give any more assignments to
George W. Bush or Kwame Kilpatrick. Amen."
Bill Gallagher, a Peabody Award winner, is a former Niagara Falls city
councilman who now covers Detroit for Fox2 News. His e-mail address is
gallaghernewsman@aol.com.
Niagara Falls Reporter www.niagarafallsreporter.com April 1 2008
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson