Posted on 09/30/2005 8:35:12 PM PDT by John Semmens
Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans, lashed back at critics after the FBI discovered that up to 700 so-called members of the city police force simply did not exist. Funding for many of these officers was provided by the federal government.
"During the storm and aftermath we'd heard reports that hundreds of New Orleans police officers had deserted their post," said an FBI spokesman. "Further investigation indicates that these posts had never been manned and the funds supposedly paid in wages has disappeared."
"Sure we overstated the number of officers on the force," said Nagin. "We did this to deter crime."
As Nagin explained it, the phantom officers were used as a decoy to frighten would-be offenders. "Just as George Washington lit fake campfires to lull the British troops before his surprise attack at Princeton, we in New Orleans have employed a similar strategy."
The effectiveness of Nagin's alleged strategy is in doubt, though. New Orleans has one of the highest crime rates per capita in the nation.
As for what happened to the funds that were supposed to have paid police salaries, Nagin asserted that they were used to hire consultants and purchase computer software needed to sustain New Orleans' "virtual police force."
"The software had to be custom made," said Nagin. "It's not something you can buy at CompUSA. Software designers don't come cheap. Neither do the public relations experts who developed our media campaign."
The media campaign featured TV spots of various street people implying that they could be undercover cops. In one ad, an apparently toothless derelict looks into the camera and says "I be watchin' you. So, don't you go misbehavin'."
Unimpressed by Nagin's explanation, the FBI asserted it will continue its investigation.
(Excerpt) Read more at azconservative.org ...
I now went to the original site and it does appear this piece was satire. That would be very hard to see if you just went to the site which is not all satire. I do think this thread should have been posted as "satire".
My comments re halliburton remain unchanged.
Well there goes Nagin's reputation for being honest and smart! Now he will forever be known as crooked and dumb!!!
LOL, no wonder the liberals have phantom voters, scare off the conservatives....
What did each fake fire cost George Washington?
apparently you were not too far behind it though... this is SATIRE
(just kidding)
ack - had me going there!
Nagin took a page from Saddam, (fake it till you make it). The problem with Nawlins is that it is corrupt to the core. Damn, that sounds like Saddam as well!
Satire must have grains of truth to make it effective. This article was a veritable beach.
Leni
"Sure we overstated the number of officers on the force," said Nagin. "We did this to deter crime."
Phantom cops to patrol the ghost infested graveyards?
Very believable satire
LOL! But how can we tell the difference when the players in this tragedy seem to be caricatures and their behavior a farce?
Sad part of this is Nagin was likely the most intelligent candidate when he ran for mayor.
Next time say "satire" or something to that effect in the title, please.
It would also be interesting if the press would check the names of the phantoms to see how many times they voted...
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Typical Thugocrat cesspool of crime and corruption.
No wonder the Black Caucus, and all the other cover-up artists for Nagin, et al, have been working so hard to throw out "red herrings" about the Feds...to keep focus off this den of slime.
This is satire. Click on the link at the top and read the rest of the "semi-news" items.
Not that Nagin isn't dirty, and stupid, but this story is made up. Close, but no cigar.
We have fake government workers being paid so funds can go somewhere else; like the governor in New Jersey hiring a gay lover as Homeland Security Director. Is there anything more threatening to the republic?
I hear Tammany Hall all over.
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