It’s a corruption thing, you wouldn’t understand
Adam Groves reports there may be some link between the Black Caucus and The Tennessee Waltz:
The Legislative Black Caucus, which has recently come under fire for gaps in disclosure of funds for its annual Legislative Retreat, now appears to be linked to Tennessee Waltz, the undercover FBI operation that exposed several corrupt law makers. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that undercover FBI agents posing as E-Cycle reps hosted a dinner during the legislative retreat and along with Charles Love, an indicted “bagman,” tried to convince several black legislative leaders to take an E-Cycle junket to Miami.
So, our reps are ready to apologize and make it right, you would think. Guess again:
Some black leaders say they are concerned that most of those indicted in Operation Tennessee Waltz are black, but investigators in the federal bribery sting say they don’t, and can’t, consider race.
State Rep. Ulysses Jones, D-Memphis, said the racial breakdown “raises eyebrows” and that blacks and whites are discussing it.
“Within the political community, a lot of people are starting to see there are a lot of African-Americans targeted,” said Rep. Jones, who has said he was offered bribes in the case and suspects he was videotaped by the FBI.
How about being concerned that most of those indicted in Operation Tennessee Waltz are crooks?
Update: Joe Public:
I really can’t say for sure that there was no racial bias involved in the FBI sting. I can’t read the investigators’ minds.
October 19th, 2005 at 3:34 pm
Joe Public:
“I really can’t say for sure that there was no racial bias involved in the FBI sting. I can’t read the investigators’ minds.”
I can’t either. But I also wouldn’t get too excited about if there was any bias (not that I endorse any bias — I think there should not be any) because the individuals that were offered bribes would have turned them down if they were not crooks. If there was a bias regarding who was offered a bribe and many of those who were the object of the bias accepted the bribe then they are in the ironic position of reinforcing the perception that the bias is justified.
October 19th, 2005 at 3:56 pm
I completely agree, bob. I also said, in the same post, the following (since I’m being all quoted here at Uncle an’ everything):
If there was such a thing as racial bias in this investigation (or partisan bias, for that matter), the only thing that means is that we need to catch and convict the rest. It does not in any way suggest that those already caught should not have been. A criminal is a criminal, regardless of race, political party, religion, gender, dentist, bank, or briefs/boxers preference.