Tenn. State Senator Resigns After Arrest

AP ^ | 5/28/5 | ROSE FRENCH,

[SmithL]

Nashville -- Powerful state Sen. John Ford, now under house arrest as he awaits trial in a federal corruption case, has resigned, according to a letter read Saturday by the lieutenant governor.

"I plan to spend the rest of my time with my family clearing my name," Ford said in a letter read by Lt. Gov. John Wilder to the Senate.

Ford, a member of the Senate for more than 30 years, was arrested Thursday as part of a two-year FBI sting operation nicknamed "Tennessee Waltz."

[blackie]

Hang 'em High ~ Bump!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"He is charged along with four other current and former state lawmakers with taking payoffs, and he is also accused of threatening to kill a witness."

Change the "He" to "She" and by-golly we've got ourselves a HillaryGate! (Yeah. I'm dreamin'.)

[i_dont_chat]

"spending the rest of his life". . . AFTER HE GETS TREATMENT FOR HIS DRUG ADDICTION.

MPO.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

I looked at enough of them to satisfy me that none were about to list the fact. Don't forget DeLay is a (R).

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

["I plan to spend the rest of my time with my family clearing my name,"]

That WILL take the rest of his time.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The trial ought to start just about primary time.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Well since it was Memphis, it is safe to assume that he is a 'Rat.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

The article did mention the mane "Republican" twice, in an apparent effort to hoodwing readers into associating the perp (a Democrat) with the Republican Party. Nauseating, but not surprising.

PS: According to McCain's logic, Ford isn't corrupt, but the presence of the money was corrupring. Therefore, this is all the FBI's fault. Thus, the FBI must be tightly regulated.

[Bullish]

HE SHOLD HAVE RESIGNED AFTER THIS:

Here's another recent story about the distinguished State Senator from Tennessee:

---

Commentary: Sen. John Ford’s Constituents Should Thank Him for His Service, Then Show Him the Door

Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 By: Tonyaa Weathersbee, BlackAmericaWeb.com

Something that a University of Memphis history professor recently said troubled me. Mostly because I fear he’s right.

The professor, Charles Crawford, told the Associated Press that the reason why embattled Tennessee state Sen. John Ford, a Memphis Democrat, may not be tossed out of office by his constituents is because he’s “the African-American political leader that a lot of white people love to hate, and that makes him a hero in his district.”

Some hero he is.

The political legacy that the 62-year-old Ford began building in the 1970s is quickly devolving into the stuff of a “Jerry Springer Show” episode. During a hearing earlier this year on whether his child support payments should be increased, Ford told a judge that he was responsible for maintaining two households – one with his pregnant ex-wife and their three children, and another with a girlfriend and their two children.

And neither one of those women were responsible for Ford being in that hearing. A third woman whom he had impregnated was the one who wanted more money from him.

Sounds to me as if he may be more Mack Daddy than lawmaker.

And the fallout behind Ford’s peccadilloes is mounting.

Since neither house that Ford keeps with his ex-wife or girlfriend is in his district, the revelation that he travels between them has led to questions as to whether he lives in the area he represents. He is also being investigated on ethics charges for receiving more than $230,000 from a consulting company with financial ties to the state’s Medicaid program for the poor. He even wrote a law on his own behalf; a law that keeps child support payments lower when a father has to support other children.

But in spite of Ford’s scandalous behavior and dubious ethics, I can see how he may very well wind up being more victim than villain to the people he represents.

Many times, black people in poor, struggling districts tend to respond to the person who articulates their anger and their frustration over their lives. The economic and social isolation, plus the feelings of victimization by a larger society tend to create a feeling of “us versus them.”

Because of that, embattled public figures like Ford are viewed as a metaphor for all the evils that dog black people. Many of us tend to automatically defend our celebrities and elected officials, because we see them as one of us. We see the white reporter asking tough questions of people like Ford as attacking the race, not trying to inform us about someone who may not be operating in our best interest.

That makes it easy for politicos like Ford to claim that they are the victim of the “white media.” But those who are tempted to buy into that excuse need to get a grip. And soon.

Ford is no victim of the media. He’s a victim of his own bad judgment, hubris and lack of control. The media didn’t make him go out and create his own harem. He did that. And it didn’t make him abuse his power either. He did that.

What also makes Ford’s situation even worse is that he became involved in politics in the 1970s, during a time when the white power structure was really working hard to discredit and destabilize strong black leaders. So to me, Ford, of all people, should have known better than to fulfill the worse stereotypes that many white people already hold about men like him.

Yet it is a certainty that at some point, Ford’s personal troubles will become so burdensome that it will limit his effectiveness in office. And his constituents need to consider that.

They shouldn’t view this situation in terms of what’s black and white, but in terms of what’s real. They need to ask themselves whether he is the best they can do. They need to ask themselves whether they are hurting white people – many of whom want to brand poor black people as unintelligent anyway – or are they hurting themselves if they keep a guy like Ford in office and all his accompanying baby mama drama.

Ford may have done some good things in his time. If so, it’s time for the people in his district to thank him. And to tell him goodbye

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

DC Mayor Marion Barry was caught on film in a hotel room smoking crack with a prostitute. He blamed it on Whitey and the Republicans, and was re-elected Mayor (after he got out of prison). Most of his constuents believe that the evil white Republicans were to blame.

Some of my favorite Barry quotes:

"If you take out the killings, Washington actually has a very very low crime rate."

"Bitch set me up."

"The laws in this city are clearly racist. All laws are racist. The law of gravity is racist."

"I am making this trip to Africa because Washington is an international city, just like Tokyo, Nigeria or Israel."

"The brave men who died in Vietnam, more than 100% of which were black, were the ultimate sacrifice."

"I read a funny story about how the Republicans freed the slaves. The Republicans are the ones who created slavery by law in the 1600's. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and he was not a Republican."

"What right does Congress have to go around making laws just because they deem it necessary?"

"People blame me because these water mains break, but I ask you, if the water mains didn't break, would it be my responsibility to fix them then? WOULD IT!?!"

"I am a great mayor; I am an upstanding Christian man; I am an intelligent man; I am a deeply educated man; I am a humble man."

[Lazamataz]

LOL, those are some doozies.

[angelsonmyside]

Great article to see how long it's going to take him. Hope this link works because it makes for great reading and gives a little more insite as to how corrupt this THUG really is.


http://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/05/03/69130206.shtml?Element_ID=69130206

[fieldmarshaldj]

Alas, Bryant prosecuted, but was not able to convict Johnnie's brother, Harold, Sr. The fact that Bryant was later elected to "Senior's" adjacent Congressional district was a source of consternation.

[thelastvirgil]

Smart move on the part of Uncle Johnny. Now he will demand a speedy trial, be acquitted by an all-black Mempis jury, and can run in the special election to fill his old seat. Nobody will oppose him, and he'll be back to business as usual in record time.

His biggest hurdle? Finding the time for the parades and medal ceremonies that will inevitably follow his being set free to raid the public trough once again.

[Brian Mosely]

Ford quit the Senate shortly before being tossed out!

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050528/NEWS0201/50528001

"Ford's resignation comes just as the Senate's Ethics Committee was preparing a six-count complaint against the Memphis senator that almost certainly would have lead to his impeachment.

"We would have had the votes to oust Sen. Ford from office," Senate Majority Leader Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, said. Ramsey also said the ethics committee, which he chairs, came to this decision after months of research and hundreds of interviews."

[EricT.]

I would like to see Zack Wamp run for Frist's Senate seat.

[NCC-1701]

"...I plan to spend the rest of my time with my family..."

Which one? He has several "families" so that is a difficult choice to make. This has got to be one of the most memorable Memorial days Memphis has had in a loooooooooooooong time. It just keeps getting better. Now, one other thing could make this complete. The arrest, resignation, and conviction of Memphis Mayor Willie W. Herenton. I still think he's involved in the Tennessee Waltz. Ding dong, the witch is gone!!!!!

[NCC-1701]

Junior can forget about the US Senate. There are factors working against him that even the Ford name can't overcome. One is he's John's nephew. Another is he's from Memphis. He's a dimoCRACK. And he's a black dimoCRACK. Those factors are looked down on in middle and east Tennesse. In fact, those two regions hate Memphis and anything related to Memphis. I know, I live in Memphis and am aware of that dislike they have for us. Harold Ford, Jr. in the US Senate, forgidaboutit.

[vetvetdoug]

Marion Barry and the Fords in Memphis are connected. Barry was reared in Memphis and went to college at Lamoyne-Owen College in Memphis before moving to D.C. Barry returns to Memphis often to visit with his criminal cohort politicians.

[thelastvirgil]

And, yes, Barry grew up in Memphis a contemporary of present Memphis mayor, His Highness, King Willie Herenton.