My President Is Black (Circle the Bandwagons)

Now that it's all said and done, I can say with a bit of certainty that I really didn't think I would ever see a black President. It wasn't a conscious thought like "oh no, hey, there will never be one of those", but it was there nonetheless. In truth it never really crossed my mind. It wasn't something that I thought about. And, because of that, it was never something that I would aspire to. And that's the most profound effect.

I'm not sure if that's a statement to my own ideas of self worth, or the motivation I received from my communities to become something greater. I don't think it is. That is to say, I don't recall being told I "couldn't be anything I wanted to be." In fact I distinctly remember my parents, teachers, preachers telling me explicitly that I could be whatever I wished. And I know that my own father knows that I have that potential. It's been quite obvious to me since for the majority of my life he's been pushing me, much to my....discomfort, to be much better.

Still somehow, "president" was never in my mind. And to me that is the single greatest effect of racism and "post-racism" in the post civil rights era. There are still inferred ceilings, and boundaries that direct our aspirations, our goals and our actions. And seeing these boundaries broken opens up the mind to all the possibility that this life has to offer. I grew up, never realizing, at least consciously, that I had the potential to be President of the United States. I was fortunate enough to have successful family members - engineers, doctors, lawyers, public servants, scientists; and I was fortunate enough to know some very successful men and women in my community. And even with all that positive influence, there were some things I never thought possible for myself. Imagine what it must feel like to live in this world without half of the influence I've had in my life? What does this world look like to someone who can't see themselves holding a steady a job, much less becoming becoming President?

And the obligatory, "And what can we do about it?"

Mayor Dixon

So I read the 30-some odd pages of Mayor Dixon's indictment. Now, I will admit right now that the only other indictment I have ever read was Michael Vick's and I have to say it is really quite thorough. There's been a lot of argument about the charges against Mayor Dixon, some saying that they are "trumped up" or not really important and I have to say that there is a part of me that agrees.

When I read the charges and take off my skeptic hat it is reasonable for me to say that, "she really did make a mistake in filing her ethics forms." The gift card thing is another matter, and though probably improper, I know that for some community service projects I've been a part of in the past I would often solicit gift cards from donors, and then purchase items myself with them to donate. Just to be sure that the people receiving the gifts got what was intended. So its reasonable for me to assume that Mayor Dixon did the same thing. It is a little shady that cards were left over and not returned, or immediately donated elsewhere, and that some of them did in fact turn up in the hands of some city employees. But she also ran this alleged gift card scam/"Holly Trolly" every year so it is plausible that she simply kept the cards for the next year. In either case I don't think it would be terribly difficult to prove her guilt or innocence. There should be witnesses who could testify that the items listed in the indictment were actually donated to needy families instead of supplementing Mayor Dixon's Christmas shopping and once the defense is able to put them in front of a judge- case closed.

At the end of the day, as far as the gift cards are concerned, I don't really care. Unless the charge is bribery I don't really care what the developers give Dixon. It isn't taxpayer money, and I'm sure other folks have done much worse. Everyone's got a little corruption in their past or in their future, if her's is some gift cards and fur coats to steer some business to developers to get rid of some of the blight in this city, I'll take it. I like the direction the city is taking with respect to these slots so as long she doesn't get any more fur coats from them to get rid of the proposed taxes for the gaming co's we're all good.

One thing that I thought was strange about this indictment is that the theft and perjury charges seem to imply that Mayor Dixon was given items in exchange for favorable treatment toward the developers, but they don't actually say it. That is to say, she is charged with lying about receiving gifts, but not charged with bribery because of them. That seems like a hole to me. What's the point of alleging that these developers gave her all this loot, if there isn't a bribery charge there?

Councilwoman Holton didn't get away so easily.