For the last several hours, (and I'm certain for the next several as well,) Talk Radio has been abuzz with that very question. What sentence should be given to Former Louisiana State Senator/Former Louisiana Congressman/Convicted Felon William Jennings Jefferson? (Check out his Wiki page. They've already added "convicted felon" to it.) The 'Man-In-The-Street' has suggested everything from complete exoneration to the death penalty. I have the answer.
One year in jail for every year he pretended to be working for the people of Louisiana. While he was first elected to public office in 1979 he has only been a federal politician for eighteen years, from 1990 to 2008. The crimes in question come directly from his time spent as a member of the US House of Representatives and that's where my reasoning comes from. Eighteen years. Does he deserve more? Probably, but I think eighteen years is appropriate. He would be 80 at the time of his release.
If he lives that long.
No parole, no time off for good behaviour. Face it, the 'good behaviour' deal is actually geared toward violent offenders. It's a gift if they can manage to act like a human being. Jefferson is not a violent criminal and I don't expect him to start shivving prison guards ten minutes after he is placed in custody. Parole is derived from the French term for "(spoken) word." It became linked to prisoner release as the inmate in question gave their "word of honor" that they would not return to a life of crime. Bill Jefferson? Word of honor? Thank you for applying, next inmate, please.
The airwaves are filled with people who think that anything more than fifteen years would be excessive. Former US Attorney Harry Rosenberg posits that Jefferson will eventually receive between 10-15 years.
Comparisons have been drawn to Edwin Edwards who received ten years in prison for his roles in bribery schemes to award riverboat casino licenses in Louisiana. While the crimes may appear similar, at least Edwards was actually bringing businesses into the state and jobs to his constituents. Jefferson was buying himself and his family into foreign based businesses with no benefit whatsoever to the people he represented.
Comparisons have also been drawn to Bernie Madoff whose Ponzi Scheme siphoned over ten-billion dollars from unsuspecting investors. Madoff received a sentence of 150 years for his shenanigans which some people think is far worse than Jefferson's crimes. They claim that Jefferson never harmed or killed anyone by accepting bribes. I think they're wrong.
While Jefferson never actually pulled a trigger or slit a throat, money that he and his family collected through Federal Government grants intended for the numerous "non-profit" organizations they own ended up lining their own pockets. Money which could have been the difference between a child picking up a pen, brush or math book instead of a gun or a crack pipe. Can you honestly tell me, with a straight face, that Bill Jefferson's actions caused harm to no-one?
For those of you thinking that eighteen years is too light a sentence, remember there's the forfeiture. The thinking here is that Jefferson will end up having to forfeit at least a half a million dollars which he and his family members profited through his shady dealings. I think that's abysmally low. Let's set a precedent and force him to pay back the Federal Government every cent he made from his salary as a congressman. Let's make that the rule of law for any public official convicted of corruption. Jefferson's forfeiture hearing is set for today.
Jefferson's actions have cast doubt on his entire career of "public service" and for that, he should pay dearly and lose his entire paycheck from his "service" on Capitol Hill. That would add just over 2.7 million dollars to his forfeiture, and for Bill Jefferson, a man who worships the all-mighty dollar, that would hurt him more than any prison term.
UPDATE: Jefferson's forfeiture hearing ran its course today, and as expected he will have to cough up over $470 million, plus millions of shares of (now worthless) stock in a (now defunct) Nigerian telecom company. Next up is his sentencing, scheduled for October 30th.
Showing posts with label William Jefferson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label William Jefferson. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Charges, Jail Time and the Saints Win THe Superbowl!
I am now an official correspondent for Humid City! In order to save byte space on the interweb I have linked this entry to the original post. To read about the Jeffersons new woes and how the Saints will win the Superbowl, mosey on over here.
Friday, September 7, 2007
The Race Is On!
It was only a matter of time before Bill Jefferson played the race card and apparently, that time is now. Jefferson's lawyers have filed a dozen motions for dismissal of charges but the one that really kills me is the one which claims that his trial was set in Virginia in order to reduce the chance of minorities on the jury. Jefferson wants the trial held in Washington, DC and has filed motions to view any and all documents regarding choice of venue in order to prove that racism was a factor in the choice.
Jefferson is basically saying that minorities are more likely to find him innocent and that white people are all racists and will find him guilty, an incredibly racist viewpoint in and of itself. Does Billy think black people are so stupid that they won't be able to understand the facts? Or is there some sort of unwritten rule that all black folks stick together when one of their own is on trial? Or does he simply distrust all white people? Either way, it's just more proof of how unfit he is to hold public office.
Jefferson is basically saying that minorities are more likely to find him innocent and that white people are all racists and will find him guilty, an incredibly racist viewpoint in and of itself. Does Billy think black people are so stupid that they won't be able to understand the facts? Or is there some sort of unwritten rule that all black folks stick together when one of their own is on trial? Or does he simply distrust all white people? Either way, it's just more proof of how unfit he is to hold public office.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Had Enough Yet?
David Vitter is spending our tax dollars on whores, Kathy Blanco is pushing through an 11 million dollar pay raise for every politician and state employee, Bill Jefferson and cronies, (the Judge Greens and the Gill-Pratts and other cronies,) are currently ripping the proverbial copper wiring out of every buisiness and governmental seat they occupy, Eddie Jordan has re-spun the revolving door formerly used by Judge Charles Elloie to release murderers and rapists, and Mayor C Ray Nagin is cramming his campaign coffers full of contractor cash in Kansas City, MO.
Any one of the above would be cause for alarm, but taken together it's amazing that you're sitting in what's left of your storm damaged home calmly reading this. (What's left of) the population of New Orleans and it's surrounding areas should be camped out in front of City Hall, the Governor's Mansion, and in front of every single local politicians home demanding wholesale slaughter! We should be pelting our so-called "leaders" with rotten tomatoes as they step from their luxury cars and walk smugly to their offices. We should be jamming their phone lines with complaints about their behavior. We should all be on strike, bringing this city to a standstill until our voices are heard and our problems dealt with by those who have sworn to work for us! We should be ashamed of ourselves for electing these scumbags in the first place.
The coming elections will be a great measure of just how incompetent we, the people are. Blanco has already realized the futility of running for re-election and is chomping at the bit to disappear from the public eye so that we forget about her incompetent "leadership" during Katrina and Rita. (Have you noticed that her "legacy" project, Kathleen Blanco's Louisiana Road Home Project no longer bears her name in the newscasts as it did at the beginning?) Vitter remains silent on his whoring, (and honestly I don't care what he did, it's the hypocrisy of his values and his inability to show up for work that piss me off,) but his days are pretty much numbered. Eddie Jordan will have to overcome his laissez-faire attitude to the safety of New Orlenians and his racist nature in order to retain his comfy job. (When he took office he fired about 50 people, mostly white, to which he replied that he fired black people too. He got it backwards though. He should have said he fired two black people.) The Jeffersons, et al, are moving on up to a dee-luxe apartment in Club Fed so regardless of elections, they'll be safely put away where they can intermarry and inbreed to their hearts content. And little C Ray has no chance of winning the gubernatorial race, does he? No matter how many votes he buys with his out-of state chitlin dinners and his whitey bashing charm, there are 63 parishes he needs to sway and that just ain't gonna happen, right?
Right?
Right?
Any one of the above would be cause for alarm, but taken together it's amazing that you're sitting in what's left of your storm damaged home calmly reading this. (What's left of) the population of New Orleans and it's surrounding areas should be camped out in front of City Hall, the Governor's Mansion, and in front of every single local politicians home demanding wholesale slaughter! We should be pelting our so-called "leaders" with rotten tomatoes as they step from their luxury cars and walk smugly to their offices. We should be jamming their phone lines with complaints about their behavior. We should all be on strike, bringing this city to a standstill until our voices are heard and our problems dealt with by those who have sworn to work for us! We should be ashamed of ourselves for electing these scumbags in the first place.
The coming elections will be a great measure of just how incompetent we, the people are. Blanco has already realized the futility of running for re-election and is chomping at the bit to disappear from the public eye so that we forget about her incompetent "leadership" during Katrina and Rita. (Have you noticed that her "legacy" project, Kathleen Blanco's Louisiana Road Home Project no longer bears her name in the newscasts as it did at the beginning?) Vitter remains silent on his whoring, (and honestly I don't care what he did, it's the hypocrisy of his values and his inability to show up for work that piss me off,) but his days are pretty much numbered. Eddie Jordan will have to overcome his laissez-faire attitude to the safety of New Orlenians and his racist nature in order to retain his comfy job. (When he took office he fired about 50 people, mostly white, to which he replied that he fired black people too. He got it backwards though. He should have said he fired two black people.) The Jeffersons, et al, are moving on up to a dee-luxe apartment in Club Fed so regardless of elections, they'll be safely put away where they can intermarry and inbreed to their hearts content. And little C Ray has no chance of winning the gubernatorial race, does he? No matter how many votes he buys with his out-of state chitlin dinners and his whitey bashing charm, there are 63 parishes he needs to sway and that just ain't gonna happen, right?
Right?
Right?
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.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Paris & the Two Jeffersons
Three things I really need to get out of my head. Each should really have its own in-depth entry, but I tell ya, I'm just not in the freaking mood. Sometimes it gets to be a real drag when you're the only one that notices the emporers cock is hanging out. Oh well, I started it and I'll be damned if I won't keep it up.
Paris:
Whew! What a relief! I thought for sure Paris Hilton would get shivved in the yard by the Aryans or something, but it looks like she's safely out of harms way. After serving just three days in stir, Hilton was released to the hard scrabble environs of her Hollywood Hills masion to serve out the remainder of her sentence. No comment was made by "authorites" other than to say the release was "due to an unspecified medical condition."
Yeah. She's a pain in the ass.
I'd ship her out too if I had her on my cell block. Can you imagine it? "It's cold in here! When's high tea? Can I get a TV? Why do you keep all the cells locked? Did anyone leave me any messages? Is my time up yet? What was on Oprah today?" This is simply good sense on the part of the "authorities" and the whole "Celebrity vs Joe Ordinary" debate it has spawned will eventually fade into history as will the skeletal human sperm receptacle known as Paris Hilton. (Though not soon enough for my taste.)
By the way, the current skinny on the "medical condition?" It's a tie between a full body rash and a nervous breakdown. Poor baby.
Jefferson One:
One "man" who's praying for the Hiltonian form of justice has got to be Congressman William Jefferson (D-New Orleans.) In hiding since his indictment a few days ago, Jefferson is in hotter water than the crawfish I 'berled' last weekend. Under 16 counts ranging from bribery and racketeering to wire fraud and obstruction of justice, Jefferson is facing over 200 years in prison if found guilty. Not only that, but he may actually be considered a flight risk as the Feds have frozen $500,000 in assets and 33 million shares of stock.
Now I'm one of those people who still believes in the concept of 'innocent until proven guilty,' but in Jeffersons case it's simply a matter of 'innocent until they get around to sentencing.' He had $90,000 in marked bills from a federal sting operation, (which Jefferson admits, was "a sting operation," as if stating that fact proves his innocence,) stuffed in his freezer, wrapped in foil, hidden in frozen food boxes. Two of his aides have already made guilty pleas connected to the case. Documents have been uncovered instructing that money from the Nigerian deal for which Jefferson is indicted be siphoned into accounts of five Jefferson family members, listed only as family members 1-5. Wow. That's brains there! Don't call them by name, but do mention that they're family!
Add to this the fact that Jefferson commanded the National Guard to drive him to his New Orleans home to recover personal property at the height of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath while residents were still dying at the Convention Center, (and ordered an airlift for himself once the National Guard truck became hopelessly stuck in the mud in front of his home,) and the fact that his brother-in-law was recently convicted in an unrelated bail-bonds scam in neighboring, ironically named, Jefferson Parish and you get a clear picture of the "man" known locally as "Dollar Bill" Jefferson.
While steadfastly denying any wrong doing, (Jefferson claims he never did anything detrimental to his constituents, a nice, selectively worded phrase,) he plans on running for office again as soon as this mess is cleared up. If he had any idea the damage he's done to the City of New Orleans he'd shut up, plea bargain for whatever he can get, and fade quietly into the woodwork, As it stands, he plans on fighting to convince a jury, a judge and the nation of his innocence and in doing so, runs the risk of dragging down his entire family along with the city he claims to love so much.
Jefferson Two:
The Jefferson Parish Council, (for you folks elsewhere, we have parishes instead of counties,) ramrodded a law which would allow the revocation of liquor licenses of bars which had an "incident of violence" 300 yards from the door of the establishment. Well if that's not some useless freaking legislation, I don't know what is. Council members were quick to add that there will be a review process to determine if a bar had any bearing on the violent acts in question, but this does nothing to quell the actions of violent morons across the parish.
All this does is create a long, drawn out process in which fines are collected, lawyers are paid, and buisiness owners are inconvenienced. It does absolutely nothing to deter crime! Why not raid the problem bars? If a bar continually has violent acts occurring in front of it, send in the stormtroopers! Here's a novel approach: patrol questionable areas with police officers! The Jefferson Parish council has made a move which looks like they're addressing crime issues, but in fact, they are simply passing the buck. It seems to me that if a violent act is comitted in Jefferson Parish, the council should lose their jobs, seeing as how they failed to keep the area crime free. That may sound stupid, but it's basically the same as blaming the bar owners.
This action comes on the heels of yet another shooting at Kenny's Key West, a bar which has been around longer than most incurable diseases. Kenny Vincent is legendary for spotting trends in the nightclub buisiness and eventually tailoring his venue to suit the fad. From disco to new wave to rock, Kenny's has always changed with the times and its recent incarnation as a hip-hop gangsta thugz paradise has apparently bitten the owner in the ass. Twice. This is the second shooting in just under a year at the club and will apparently be the last as Vincent has surrendered his liquor license under pressure from local authorities. And why not? He's made his millions. Why does he need the hassle? It's probably cheaper than finding the next trend and retooling.
However, this means that the gangsta thugz will have nowhere to 'partay' for awhile. That is, until they begin infiltrating other area bars and bringing their 'high-caliber' lifestyles to those establishments. Hmmm. But then that means more bars will begin losing licenses and be forced to shut down, and perhaps that's what this moronic law is all about: closing down the nightclubs. It's been tried many times before, but this time the council may have found a way to do it. It's enough to make one wonder how many council members have relatives and friends with designs on existing bars or the real estate they sit upon.
Perhaps Paris Hilton will tire of Hollywood and move here. She can buy Kenny's and hire Billl Jefferson to run it for her. It could become a nice little bar where local politicians meet to discuss how to avoid responsibility and compare secret bank accounts. Maybe they can spread some Boudreaux's Butt Paste on Paris to help with that rash. Stranger thing have happened.
Paris:
Whew! What a relief! I thought for sure Paris Hilton would get shivved in the yard by the Aryans or something, but it looks like she's safely out of harms way. After serving just three days in stir, Hilton was released to the hard scrabble environs of her Hollywood Hills masion to serve out the remainder of her sentence. No comment was made by "authorites" other than to say the release was "due to an unspecified medical condition."
Yeah. She's a pain in the ass.
I'd ship her out too if I had her on my cell block. Can you imagine it? "It's cold in here! When's high tea? Can I get a TV? Why do you keep all the cells locked? Did anyone leave me any messages? Is my time up yet? What was on Oprah today?" This is simply good sense on the part of the "authorities" and the whole "Celebrity vs Joe Ordinary" debate it has spawned will eventually fade into history as will the skeletal human sperm receptacle known as Paris Hilton. (Though not soon enough for my taste.)
By the way, the current skinny on the "medical condition?" It's a tie between a full body rash and a nervous breakdown. Poor baby.
Jefferson One:
One "man" who's praying for the Hiltonian form of justice has got to be Congressman William Jefferson (D-New Orleans.) In hiding since his indictment a few days ago, Jefferson is in hotter water than the crawfish I 'berled' last weekend. Under 16 counts ranging from bribery and racketeering to wire fraud and obstruction of justice, Jefferson is facing over 200 years in prison if found guilty. Not only that, but he may actually be considered a flight risk as the Feds have frozen $500,000 in assets and 33 million shares of stock.
Now I'm one of those people who still believes in the concept of 'innocent until proven guilty,' but in Jeffersons case it's simply a matter of 'innocent until they get around to sentencing.' He had $90,000 in marked bills from a federal sting operation, (which Jefferson admits, was "a sting operation," as if stating that fact proves his innocence,) stuffed in his freezer, wrapped in foil, hidden in frozen food boxes. Two of his aides have already made guilty pleas connected to the case. Documents have been uncovered instructing that money from the Nigerian deal for which Jefferson is indicted be siphoned into accounts of five Jefferson family members, listed only as family members 1-5. Wow. That's brains there! Don't call them by name, but do mention that they're family!
Add to this the fact that Jefferson commanded the National Guard to drive him to his New Orleans home to recover personal property at the height of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath while residents were still dying at the Convention Center, (and ordered an airlift for himself once the National Guard truck became hopelessly stuck in the mud in front of his home,) and the fact that his brother-in-law was recently convicted in an unrelated bail-bonds scam in neighboring, ironically named, Jefferson Parish and you get a clear picture of the "man" known locally as "Dollar Bill" Jefferson.
While steadfastly denying any wrong doing, (Jefferson claims he never did anything detrimental to his constituents, a nice, selectively worded phrase,) he plans on running for office again as soon as this mess is cleared up. If he had any idea the damage he's done to the City of New Orleans he'd shut up, plea bargain for whatever he can get, and fade quietly into the woodwork, As it stands, he plans on fighting to convince a jury, a judge and the nation of his innocence and in doing so, runs the risk of dragging down his entire family along with the city he claims to love so much.
Jefferson Two:
The Jefferson Parish Council, (for you folks elsewhere, we have parishes instead of counties,) ramrodded a law which would allow the revocation of liquor licenses of bars which had an "incident of violence" 300 yards from the door of the establishment. Well if that's not some useless freaking legislation, I don't know what is. Council members were quick to add that there will be a review process to determine if a bar had any bearing on the violent acts in question, but this does nothing to quell the actions of violent morons across the parish.
All this does is create a long, drawn out process in which fines are collected, lawyers are paid, and buisiness owners are inconvenienced. It does absolutely nothing to deter crime! Why not raid the problem bars? If a bar continually has violent acts occurring in front of it, send in the stormtroopers! Here's a novel approach: patrol questionable areas with police officers! The Jefferson Parish council has made a move which looks like they're addressing crime issues, but in fact, they are simply passing the buck. It seems to me that if a violent act is comitted in Jefferson Parish, the council should lose their jobs, seeing as how they failed to keep the area crime free. That may sound stupid, but it's basically the same as blaming the bar owners.
This action comes on the heels of yet another shooting at Kenny's Key West, a bar which has been around longer than most incurable diseases. Kenny Vincent is legendary for spotting trends in the nightclub buisiness and eventually tailoring his venue to suit the fad. From disco to new wave to rock, Kenny's has always changed with the times and its recent incarnation as a hip-hop gangsta thugz paradise has apparently bitten the owner in the ass. Twice. This is the second shooting in just under a year at the club and will apparently be the last as Vincent has surrendered his liquor license under pressure from local authorities. And why not? He's made his millions. Why does he need the hassle? It's probably cheaper than finding the next trend and retooling.
However, this means that the gangsta thugz will have nowhere to 'partay' for awhile. That is, until they begin infiltrating other area bars and bringing their 'high-caliber' lifestyles to those establishments. Hmmm. But then that means more bars will begin losing licenses and be forced to shut down, and perhaps that's what this moronic law is all about: closing down the nightclubs. It's been tried many times before, but this time the council may have found a way to do it. It's enough to make one wonder how many council members have relatives and friends with designs on existing bars or the real estate they sit upon.
Perhaps Paris Hilton will tire of Hollywood and move here. She can buy Kenny's and hire Billl Jefferson to run it for her. It could become a nice little bar where local politicians meet to discuss how to avoid responsibility and compare secret bank accounts. Maybe they can spread some Boudreaux's Butt Paste on Paris to help with that rash. Stranger thing have happened.
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