Showing posts with label Jefferson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jefferson. Show all posts
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Conspiracy Theory
A few weeks ago I wrote about how James Bernazzani is getting the short end of a political stick. Well, guess what? It's shorter than we thought. Mr Bernazzani has declined to transfer to Washington, electing to remain in New Orleans though he will not run for public office. The thing is, it was recently discovered by some smart cookie that even if Bernazzani had a desire to run for mayor in 2010, he couldn't! He simply has not been a resident of the city long enough. Now I'm just "blue-skying" here, (I hate that term, let's just say I'm whistling outta my ass,) but exactly which jackasses pushed JB into the electoral spotlight in the first place? Didn't they know he was ineligible? Or was this in fact, an assassination job? In light of the facts, I am more convinced than ever that JB was pushed into this fiasco with the sole purpose of getting him transfered or fired. Oh well, our loss huh?
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Jimmy, We Hardly Knew Ye
It's been three short years since FBI Special Agent In Charge James Bernazzani came to New Orleans. Transferred to our city just months before Hurricane Katrina, Bernazzani wasted no time in ferreting out the government weasels who have been nibbling away at our city's political infrastructure; two of the more notable clans being the Morials and the Jeffersons. But now those days are over.
Gambit, New Orleans' Weekly Newspaper, ran an item in their April 22nd Scuttlebutt section reporting that "heavy hitters (read: financial backers) with conservative leanings," (ie: Republicans,) had been pressing Bernazzani to run for mayor in 2010. Both WDSU TV 6 and WWL Channel 4 picked up the story and questioned Bernazzani, who never said that it was his intention to run. He told the reporters that it was a decision that, if made, would be made at least ten months from now.
For that simple statement though, James Bernazzani has been transferred back to Washington DC effective immediately. You see, there's a little set of Federal guidelines called the Hatch Act which prevents JB from entering any partisan election as a candidate. Go read it. It's short. I'll wait.
Pretty cut and dried, eh? The thing is, Bernazzani did not state an intent to run. The FBI, however, feels that his thinking about the job creates a conflict of interest in the public eye. I can't say I blame them. What happens if his investigations turn dirt up on his political foes? That would look pretty suspicious, wouldn't it? Keep in mind that the FBI holds JB in the highest regard. They're simply making a pre-emptive strike on what might have become a difficult situation. Still, I can't help thinking that JB's getting a raw deal.
Rawer still is the deal the City of New Orleans gets. We are losing one of the most honest public servants we have ever had. I mean, the guy was eroding corruption in our city like it was one of the Army Corps levees. He's not a moron, (and I know morons,) and I know for a fact that he's familiar with the Hatch Act. He spoke to legal counsel before appearing on TV in order to conform to the Hatch Act, so what's up with the reassignment?
Could it be that he was torpedoed? Was he getting close to someones dirty laundry? Did they ask a few cronies to get the ball rolling in the hope that JB would be summarily dismissed from his duties? Hmmmm. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Or is it possible that the Current Administration, already disillusioned because Katrina failed to wipe New Orleans off the map, started this whole thing in order to make life easier for the local Republicans? I mean, you can't steal cookies when there's a big, tough Italian-American pit-bull guarding the cookie jar, now can you?
Either way, what's done is done and there's no use crying over spilled agents. First Ape George Bush recently referred to New Orleans as a "City of hope," so we can hope JB's replacement is just as smart and tough. But there's a sliver of sunlight peeking out from behind this dark news cloud. JB has spent the last 25 years with the FBI and is just four years from retirement. He says he loves this city and cares what happens to it and to its residents.
And he hasn't decided whether to accept the transfer yet.
Gambit, New Orleans' Weekly Newspaper, ran an item in their April 22nd Scuttlebutt section reporting that "heavy hitters (read: financial backers) with conservative leanings," (ie: Republicans,) had been pressing Bernazzani to run for mayor in 2010. Both WDSU TV 6 and WWL Channel 4 picked up the story and questioned Bernazzani, who never said that it was his intention to run. He told the reporters that it was a decision that, if made, would be made at least ten months from now.
For that simple statement though, James Bernazzani has been transferred back to Washington DC effective immediately. You see, there's a little set of Federal guidelines called the Hatch Act which prevents JB from entering any partisan election as a candidate. Go read it. It's short. I'll wait.
Pretty cut and dried, eh? The thing is, Bernazzani did not state an intent to run. The FBI, however, feels that his thinking about the job creates a conflict of interest in the public eye. I can't say I blame them. What happens if his investigations turn dirt up on his political foes? That would look pretty suspicious, wouldn't it? Keep in mind that the FBI holds JB in the highest regard. They're simply making a pre-emptive strike on what might have become a difficult situation. Still, I can't help thinking that JB's getting a raw deal.
Rawer still is the deal the City of New Orleans gets. We are losing one of the most honest public servants we have ever had. I mean, the guy was eroding corruption in our city like it was one of the Army Corps levees. He's not a moron, (and I know morons,) and I know for a fact that he's familiar with the Hatch Act. He spoke to legal counsel before appearing on TV in order to conform to the Hatch Act, so what's up with the reassignment?
Could it be that he was torpedoed? Was he getting close to someones dirty laundry? Did they ask a few cronies to get the ball rolling in the hope that JB would be summarily dismissed from his duties? Hmmmm. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Or is it possible that the Current Administration, already disillusioned because Katrina failed to wipe New Orleans off the map, started this whole thing in order to make life easier for the local Republicans? I mean, you can't steal cookies when there's a big, tough Italian-American pit-bull guarding the cookie jar, now can you?
Either way, what's done is done and there's no use crying over spilled agents. First Ape George Bush recently referred to New Orleans as a "City of hope," so we can hope JB's replacement is just as smart and tough. But there's a sliver of sunlight peeking out from behind this dark news cloud. JB has spent the last 25 years with the FBI and is just four years from retirement. He says he loves this city and cares what happens to it and to its residents.
And he hasn't decided whether to accept the transfer yet.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
The Jeffersons
Oh we movin' on up, to the east side...
Certainly one bad apple don't spoil the whole damn bunch, but in the case of the Jefferson family, the bunch may have been spoiled to begin with. I really hate to call negative attention to New Orleans, (yet again,) but my calling is quite clear. After doing a little digging through the Times-Picayune, I collected a few tidbits which I'd now like to share, but get the Alka-Selzer out, what follows is not for the weak of stomach.
US Representative William Jefferson is currently under indictment for 16 counts of bribery, racketeering, fraud and obstruction of justice in a case which has already seen two of his cronies plead guilty. This would be the iGate deal in which Jefferson allegedly used his official clout to broker deals in Africa. Despite the fact that Jefferson was caught on tape soliciting a bribe and was found with $90,000 of that money squirrelled away in his freezer, (which he has yet to "rationally explain" as he promised,) an amazing number of his constituents refuse to believe he is guilty, instead opting for all manner of explanations from "political witch-hunts" to racism. Indeed, his constituents are so enamored of him, he easily coasted to a recent re-election victory over opponent Karen Carter even though her funds outweighed his at a ratio of 4.5 to 1. (Jefferson had slightly over 50% of the vote. Of course, only about 20% of the registered voters bothered to go to the polls.)
According to documents, Bill Jefferson made sure that not only he profited from his office, but his family as well. The indictment lists "Family Members 1-5" as beneficiaries of his supposed shady dealings, one of which is thought to be Andrea Jefferson, Bill's wife and manager of ANJ Group LLC which reportedly received money from the iGate deal. Andrea made headlines back in 1994 when she was paid $50,000 by Grambling State University to teach a class which had a grand total of one student. She also sued Southern University in 2003 for firing her from a top position. Part of the settlement was a job as a fundraiser which paid $72,000/year and it is rumoured that hubby Bill used his local clout to arrange the settlement.
The indictment also indicates that his brother Mose (referred to as "Family Member 2") was also part of the scheme. Mose Jefferson has recently been linked to a bribery scheme involving Ellenese Brooks-Sims, former New Orleans School Superintendant, who entered a guilty plea concerning $140,000 dollars in bribe money she received from Mose, a former cog in Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's political outfit. (And we all know what a shining example of political incorruptability that outfit was.)
But like Bill, Mose knows how to take care of the family too. Mose is the head of BEP Consulting which owns an eight unit building in Central City. This building houses the "unofficial" HQ of Bill's political group, the Progressive Democrats, the office of former city council-whore Renee Gill Pratt and some of the Jefferson families other "non-profit" organizations. Ownership of the building has been shuffled between many of the Jefferson's through the years, each time being sold for just $10,000. Care Unlimited, one of the Jefferson's pet projects housed in the building, has received millions of dollars in state grants thanks to Gill-Pratt who is also a former (or possibly current) girlfriend of Mose and former aide to Bill. One of the units in the building is rented out for 21,000 taxpayer dollars per year, (twice the cost the building was purchased for by BEP,) to current state rep Jalila Jefferson-Bullock, daughter of Bill.
But wait... there's more!
Yet another sister, Betty, was helped to the tax assessors office by Bill and his political groups. Soon after winning the job in 1998, she slashed the taxes on a 27 unit apartment building owned by brother Bill to almost nothing. Betty and Mose also garnered criticism in trying to profit from a deal involving school uniforms in 1989 when she sat on the New Orleans School Board but no wrongdoing was found.
Not related by blood, but by marriage, (and possibly by deed,) Bill's brother-in-law, former state judge Alan Green, is currently serving a four-year sentence for accepting bribes from a bail bonds company in Jefferson Parish.
And some time back, Bill inked a deal with Daimler-Chrysler to donate 16 automobiles to the city for help in recoving from Hurricane Katrina. Although the vehicles were signed over to the New Orleans City Council, most were then handed back to "non-profit" organizations run by Jefferson family members or associated with the Jefferson political machine. In fact, at least four of the autos were donated by then current councilwoman Renee Gill-Pratt. (Remember her?) She sent two of the autos to Care Unlimited, one of which she had been using as her personal vehicle until she was caught. Soon after her defeat in the last election she was hired by, (take a guess,) Care Unlimited, where she has resumed use of her shiny new auto. Luckily, the money still rolls into Care Unlimited thanks to generous help from Jalila Jefferson Bullock who now sits in the legislative seat once held by Gill-Pratt.
The FBI is currently investigating organizations for- and non-profit connected to the Jefferson camp, including the Central City Adult Education Agency, N.O. Drug Education Intervention, Care Unlimited Inc., and Orleans Metropolitan Housing and Community Development Incorporated. One has to wonder how many worms you have to uncover in a basket of apples before you realize that they're all rotten. Why has no-one ever put all this together before? Surely New Orleans District Attorney Eddie Jordan is smart enough to connect the dots. Oh, but then Eddie is a close and personal friend of Bill. In fact, Bill was instrumental in furthering Jordan's career. Jordan, likewise, is a staunch supporter of Jefferson. Fucking Scumbags.
From the cotton fields of Lake Providence, (where Bill and his siblings were born and raised,) to REMCO, (a rent-to-own company owned by the family which faced continual tax problems,) to the slumlord years of the 80's, (Bill's housing units were some of the most distressed in the city and were plagued by tax problems,) and to Harvard and law firms, (yes, more tax woes,) political organizations and Capitol Hill, life has been a strange road for the Jefferson family. The family farm on Jefferson Road, (yes, named after the family,) in Lake providence no longer stands, destroyed ages ago by a tornado. The cemetery where his parents are buried lies along the road amid the cotton fields they once worked, but at the end of Jefferson Road there's a very foreboding structure. Surrounded by fences and razorwire stands the Lake Providence Jail. Now that's irony for you.
Certainly one bad apple don't spoil the whole damn bunch, but in the case of the Jefferson family, the bunch may have been spoiled to begin with. I really hate to call negative attention to New Orleans, (yet again,) but my calling is quite clear. After doing a little digging through the Times-Picayune, I collected a few tidbits which I'd now like to share, but get the Alka-Selzer out, what follows is not for the weak of stomach.
US Representative William Jefferson is currently under indictment for 16 counts of bribery, racketeering, fraud and obstruction of justice in a case which has already seen two of his cronies plead guilty. This would be the iGate deal in which Jefferson allegedly used his official clout to broker deals in Africa. Despite the fact that Jefferson was caught on tape soliciting a bribe and was found with $90,000 of that money squirrelled away in his freezer, (which he has yet to "rationally explain" as he promised,) an amazing number of his constituents refuse to believe he is guilty, instead opting for all manner of explanations from "political witch-hunts" to racism. Indeed, his constituents are so enamored of him, he easily coasted to a recent re-election victory over opponent Karen Carter even though her funds outweighed his at a ratio of 4.5 to 1. (Jefferson had slightly over 50% of the vote. Of course, only about 20% of the registered voters bothered to go to the polls.)
According to documents, Bill Jefferson made sure that not only he profited from his office, but his family as well. The indictment lists "Family Members 1-5" as beneficiaries of his supposed shady dealings, one of which is thought to be Andrea Jefferson, Bill's wife and manager of ANJ Group LLC which reportedly received money from the iGate deal. Andrea made headlines back in 1994 when she was paid $50,000 by Grambling State University to teach a class which had a grand total of one student. She also sued Southern University in 2003 for firing her from a top position. Part of the settlement was a job as a fundraiser which paid $72,000/year and it is rumoured that hubby Bill used his local clout to arrange the settlement.
The indictment also indicates that his brother Mose (referred to as "Family Member 2") was also part of the scheme. Mose Jefferson has recently been linked to a bribery scheme involving Ellenese Brooks-Sims, former New Orleans School Superintendant, who entered a guilty plea concerning $140,000 dollars in bribe money she received from Mose, a former cog in Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's political outfit. (And we all know what a shining example of political incorruptability that outfit was.)
But like Bill, Mose knows how to take care of the family too. Mose is the head of BEP Consulting which owns an eight unit building in Central City. This building houses the "unofficial" HQ of Bill's political group, the Progressive Democrats, the office of former city council-whore Renee Gill Pratt and some of the Jefferson families other "non-profit" organizations. Ownership of the building has been shuffled between many of the Jefferson's through the years, each time being sold for just $10,000. Care Unlimited, one of the Jefferson's pet projects housed in the building, has received millions of dollars in state grants thanks to Gill-Pratt who is also a former (or possibly current) girlfriend of Mose and former aide to Bill. One of the units in the building is rented out for 21,000 taxpayer dollars per year, (twice the cost the building was purchased for by BEP,) to current state rep Jalila Jefferson-Bullock, daughter of Bill.
But wait... there's more!
Yet another sister, Betty, was helped to the tax assessors office by Bill and his political groups. Soon after winning the job in 1998, she slashed the taxes on a 27 unit apartment building owned by brother Bill to almost nothing. Betty and Mose also garnered criticism in trying to profit from a deal involving school uniforms in 1989 when she sat on the New Orleans School Board but no wrongdoing was found.
Not related by blood, but by marriage, (and possibly by deed,) Bill's brother-in-law, former state judge Alan Green, is currently serving a four-year sentence for accepting bribes from a bail bonds company in Jefferson Parish.
And some time back, Bill inked a deal with Daimler-Chrysler to donate 16 automobiles to the city for help in recoving from Hurricane Katrina. Although the vehicles were signed over to the New Orleans City Council, most were then handed back to "non-profit" organizations run by Jefferson family members or associated with the Jefferson political machine. In fact, at least four of the autos were donated by then current councilwoman Renee Gill-Pratt. (Remember her?) She sent two of the autos to Care Unlimited, one of which she had been using as her personal vehicle until she was caught. Soon after her defeat in the last election she was hired by, (take a guess,) Care Unlimited, where she has resumed use of her shiny new auto. Luckily, the money still rolls into Care Unlimited thanks to generous help from Jalila Jefferson Bullock who now sits in the legislative seat once held by Gill-Pratt.
The FBI is currently investigating organizations for- and non-profit connected to the Jefferson camp, including the Central City Adult Education Agency, N.O. Drug Education Intervention, Care Unlimited Inc., and Orleans Metropolitan Housing and Community Development Incorporated. One has to wonder how many worms you have to uncover in a basket of apples before you realize that they're all rotten. Why has no-one ever put all this together before? Surely New Orleans District Attorney Eddie Jordan is smart enough to connect the dots. Oh, but then Eddie is a close and personal friend of Bill. In fact, Bill was instrumental in furthering Jordan's career. Jordan, likewise, is a staunch supporter of Jefferson. Fucking Scumbags.
From the cotton fields of Lake Providence, (where Bill and his siblings were born and raised,) to REMCO, (a rent-to-own company owned by the family which faced continual tax problems,) to the slumlord years of the 80's, (Bill's housing units were some of the most distressed in the city and were plagued by tax problems,) and to Harvard and law firms, (yes, more tax woes,) political organizations and Capitol Hill, life has been a strange road for the Jefferson family. The family farm on Jefferson Road, (yes, named after the family,) in Lake providence no longer stands, destroyed ages ago by a tornado. The cemetery where his parents are buried lies along the road amid the cotton fields they once worked, but at the end of Jefferson Road there's a very foreboding structure. Surrounded by fences and razorwire stands the Lake Providence Jail. Now that's irony for you.
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