Michael Strickland
Adventure along with an iconoclast
Real Name: Michael Strickland Member Since: August 21, 2007 Last Signed In: November 29, 2008 Profile Views: 886 Blog Views: 6268 Potty Training CONSERVATION MATTERS: Tips for a Sustainable Thanksgiving No worries for Idaho State University Following This Historic Election, Discover One of the Civil Rights Movement's Unsung Heroes Babies and Beethoven: Infants can tell happy songs from sad, BYU study shows Pocatello will have a very special visitor on Monday, November 17th I Just Voted Obama Backers Gleeful While McCain's are Glum BYU statistician simulates “If the election were held today” Barack Obama is gunning for a national landslide August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 Also see: http://essenceblack.blogspo... 
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Corrupt Black Politicians, Bush the First, Bill Clinton, and Bush the Second
A federal jury convicted Newark, New Jersey ex-Mayor Sharpe James and his former mistress Wednesday of corruption stemming from the cut-rate sale of city land, the Idaho State Journal reports.
James was convicted on all five charges he faced, including fraud and conspiracy. Under federal guidelines, he could face seven to eight years in prison, but a judge could impose as much as 20 years on some individual counts. James could also be stripped of pensions that provide a six-figure annual income. I was born in Newark, and lived in Essex County, of which Newark is the hub, for 37 years before moving to Idaho.
With today's news, it is official that every mayor of Newark since 1962 has gone to the slammer.
Two of these dirty politicians, Ken Gibson and James, are black.
There is another interesting, albeit perverse, backdrop to this story.
During the first Bush administration in the late 80s, I remember my father, a fixture at the Essex County courthouse in Newark, saying "they're tying the noose around Sharpe's neck."
Prosecutors had the James Gang "dead to rights."
The federal indictment was in place and ready to be moved on.
Then a funny thing happened: the charges disappeared.
No one heard anything more about them, and James, who never had a job in the private sector, but drove a Rolls Royce and owned millions of dollars in Real Estate, went on to govern Newark for three more terms.
James' heavy-handed, take-no-prisoners style made him the most brutal and corrupt mayor since Daly ran Chicago.
And the poor, African American citizens of Newark, the ones who needed real leadership and services, paid the price.
Why did the charges disappear the first time?
Two words give us the answer: Bill Clinton.
The initial indictment of James came at the tail end of the first George Bush presidency.
Then Clinton won.
The president of the United States appoints the US attorney for all states, including NJ.
Do you think that Slick Willy was going to go after the black mayor of the one of the largest cities in the most densely populated Democratic hotbead in the country?
Clinton stayed in office, allowing Sharpe to dodge a bazooka.
Urban black Americans got jipped.
But times have changed. Christopher Christie, the current US attorney for the state of NJ, has put more than 100 corrupt politicians in jail.
He was appointed by George W. Bush.
Now we see why Sharpe's charges didn't disappear again.
Black Americans need leaders who will uplift us, not ones who pillage the very communities they are sworn to serve.
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