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Ray Nagin and the Chocolate Factory
Sierra Times ^ | 1/23/2006 | Selwyn Duke

Posted on 01/23/2006 4:08:17 AM PST by FerdieMurphy

Sometimes the news’ timing is bittersweet. On the heels of a piece I just wrote about modern man and the wrath of God, New Orleans Mayor “Sugar Ray” Nagin chimed in with his own thoughts on the matter. While he seemed to agree with those who attribute Hurricane Katrina to divine retribution, his conception of God’s priorities differs a tad from those of the Pat Robertsons, Jerry Falwells and Hank Irwins of the world.

Sugar Ray said, “Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country.”

And, “Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves.”

Sugar Ray also expressed a desire to resurrect New Orleans’ “chocolate” city status, saying, “It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans –- the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans. This city will be a majority African-American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans.”

So the Mayor has originated a new theory in the universe of theological thought: God as divine confectioner. It seems to me, though, that if God had any preference for the Big Easy whatsoever, it was for saltwater taffy.

Many things course through my mind when pondering such sentiments, especially in light of Sugar Ray’s subsequent apology. And prominent among them is that Mayor Sweet Tooth has nothing for which to apologize.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no confection...er, affection for this sweets-talking liberal, a man who would be out of his depth as one of Willy Wonka’s Oompa-Loompas, never mind as mayor of a metropolis. Although, I must say, his defense against the accusation of divisiveness was classic: “How do you make chocolate? You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That is the chocolate I am talking about. New Orleans was a chocolate city before Katrina. It is going to be a chocolate city after. How is that divisive?”

Great spin, Sugar Ray, I must say. That’s a recipe for vindication worthy of the combined efforts of Dick Morris and Emeril LaGasse. Only, if it’s true that lies have short legs, we’ll have to call it Essence of the Ephemeral.

Sugar Ray also pleaded that he simply got caught up in the moment, which is, oh...let’ say, an artificial sweetener. I watched footage of the comments, and they were anything but extemporaneous. A little hint, Sugar Ray: claims that you were caught up in the moment aren’t too convincing when it’s obvious you were uttering words rehearsed well before the moment.

This matters little to me, though. Because, you see, I’m truly sick of phony apologies brought about by politically-correct pressure-cooking. Quite frankly, I’d like to know what Sugar Ray –- and everyone else, for that matter –- really thinks about a subject. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with flavorful characterizations. Thus, instead of busying ourselves posturing, pouting and feigning umbrage, why don’t we focus our energies on gleaning insight from such comments?

For instance, it occurs to me that when he juxtaposes a statement about God’s disfavor with our Iraq campaign with the assertion that God “is upset at black America also,” it’s possible that he doesn’t really consider blacks to be part of our country. In other words, the Iraq situation is the milk’s handiwork, while the dark chocolate, constituting a different nation altogether, has an entirely different province. But I thought they both had been mixed together, forming a delicious drink? Perhaps we’re milk chocolate when credit is due the nation, but separate ingredients when it’s time to take responsibility. It’s all very confusing...if not fattening.

Of course, let’s read between the lines. It should come as no surprise that Sugar Ray wants New Orleans to be Hershey, La. – he’s up for re-election this year. Sugar’s thoughts most likely are, “If I don’t increase the local calorie-count fast, I’ll be looking for another job come November!” As far as Sugar Ray is concerned, it isn’t true that milk does a political body good.

There are also a few things I can say about the issue of God’s wrath. While I really don’t think that God cares very much about filling New Orleans’ cup with milk, dark chocolate, coffee candy, lemon drops, cinnamon jellies or any mixture thereof, I’m no hypocrite. When Pat Robertson claimed that Ariel Sharon’s stroke was God’s punishment, I defended him against those who reflexively scoff at any talk of divine retribution, despite the fact that I attribute Sharon’s malady more to adherence to Sugar Ray’s preferred diet. So I’ll not score the Mayor for asserting that God governs the affairs of men.

Not surprisingly, however, Sugar Ray hasn’t come under nearly as much fire for purporting to know God’s mind in these matters as Robertson, or, for that matter, Irwin, who also saw God’s hand in Katrina. Of course, while much of this involves the greater scrutiny placed on milk than chocolate in today’s kitchen, it also has to do with the fact that Sugar’s fashionable criticisms are far more pleasing to the politically-correct, junk-food palate. After all, while he imputed wickedness to the Iraq venture, no mention was made of the fact that he presides over a city that hosts the Mardi Gras, a buffet of decadent gastronomical oddities –- including fruits, nuts and tarts –- that have a penchant for unwrapping themselves in public.

No, were it not for the use of racial metaphor (something I studiously avoid), this little tempest in a bain marie would have been unlikely. Why? It’s as simple as apple pie: when men like Robertson, Falwell or Irwin speak of God’s wrath, they’re usually proscribing indulgence in addictive sweets that liberals find sinfully delicious and won’t do without. They tell us to eat our vegetables to achieve spiritual health. Sugar Ray’s menu selections accord far more with libertine tastes.

To the aspiring chocolatier’s credit, he did point out to his audience that the best way to have a healthy body is to take responsibility for your own diet. Sugar Ray said that he had an imaginary conversation with Martin Luther King Jr., who told him,

“I don't think that we need to pay attention any more as much about other folks and racists on the other side. The thing we need to focus on as a community –- black folks I'm talking about –- is ourselves...We as a people need to fix ourselves first.”

Sugar Ray also bemoaned the infighting among black leaders and said that King would not cotton to the fact that they are, “most of the time tearing each other down publicly for the delight of many.”

My, my, methinks such talk of responsibility and bitter chocolate could be a bitter pill to swallow.

As for Sugar Ray and his political future, don’t count him out too fast. He may yet cook something up. ‘Cause, y’know, the Candy Man can.

For my part, I’m more interested in turning America into the land of milk and honey.

Biblically speaking, that is.


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; US: Louisiana
KEYWORDS: chocolatefactory; thehistoryfactory; willywanker
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This fool knows as much about running a city as a cat knows about driving a car.
1 posted on 01/23/2006 4:08:18 AM PST by FerdieMurphy
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To: FerdieMurphy
Racial bias . . . . . Chocolate city!!???

Gee, how could anyone construe anything racial about that? But, let's put the other foot in the mouth and suppose that a white mayor said something about a vanilla city?? Would he get the same kind of pass from the MSM that Nagin is getting??

Enquiring minds want to know.
2 posted on 01/23/2006 4:21:41 AM PST by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: FerdieMurphy

3 posted on 01/23/2006 4:27:58 AM PST by maggief (Hillary!/Belafonte '08)
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To: FerdieMurphy

There was a big fudge industry in NO too. Fudge packers everywhere you looked.


4 posted on 01/23/2006 4:29:14 AM PST by NaughtiusMaximus (DO NOT read to the end of this tagline . . . Oh, $#@%^, there you went and did it.)
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To: FerdieMurphy
Try my chocolate salty balls......
5 posted on 01/23/2006 4:30:45 AM PST by Vaquero ("An armed society is a polite society" Robert Heinlein)
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To: FerdieMurphy

The cat can get under the brake pedal, causing a crash.


6 posted on 01/23/2006 4:32:34 AM PST by The Red Zone
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To: FerdieMurphy

Now this was a sweet article.


7 posted on 01/23/2006 4:41:42 AM PST by freema (Proud Marine FRiend, Mom, Aunt, Sister, Friend, Wife, Daughter, Niece)
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To: FerdieMurphy

Or perhaps God was testing Nagin and he failed big time.


8 posted on 01/23/2006 4:49:24 AM PST by mtbopfuyn (Legality does not dictate morality... Lavin)
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To: FerdieMurphy
Sugar Ray said, “Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country.”

God destroyed this country?

Yo, Ray. You want to see what God destroyed? Take a look at the earthquakes in the middle east. Or the tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

Was God punishing someone for those?

9 posted on 01/23/2006 5:02:14 AM PST by CPOSharky (Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Like demoncrats.)
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To: maggief


Bwahahahahahahha.


10 posted on 01/23/2006 5:06:28 AM PST by SouthernFreebird
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To: FerdieMurphy; maggief; Vaquero; freema; CPOSharky

11 posted on 01/23/2006 5:06:49 AM PST by demkicker
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To: FerdieMurphy
Why does he pronounce chocolate as Chock-lit?
12 posted on 01/23/2006 5:08:10 AM PST by luvbach1 (Near the belly of the beast in San Diego)
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To: FerdieMurphy

He is not stupid but was just grandstanding. Read his bio in Wickipedia. He has a bachelors degree in economics and a MBA and was a life long republican and exec. at Cox until he decided to run for mayor.


13 posted on 01/23/2006 5:09:02 AM PST by oilfieldtrash
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To: maggief
I always thought of NOLA as a praline city.

The memory that stays however, is a vomit and mold city.

14 posted on 01/23/2006 5:10:35 AM PST by battlegearboat
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To: FerdieMurphy
Sugar Ray also bemoaned the infighting among black leaders and said that King would not cotton to the fact that they are...

Nothing like bringing up the word cotton into this piece in order to gin up some controversy and to pick at the scab wounds of racism.

15 posted on 01/23/2006 5:15:56 AM PST by LowCountryJoe (The Far Right and the Far Left both disdain markets. If the Left ever finds God, the GOP is toast.)
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To: oilfieldtrash
He is not stupid but was just grandstanding.

If that's the case, then he hides his intelligence well.

16 posted on 01/23/2006 5:17:43 AM PST by Max in Utah (By their works you shall know them.)
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To: FerdieMurphy
For me the best thing that came out of the N.O. mess was freedom. Freedom from white guilt. The minorities have circled their wagons around a group of leaders that only subscribe to the victim mentality and play the race card and guilt card with every hand. You show the world, daily, which side of the producers/users equation you want to be.

To the majority of the minorities that have fallen into this plantation trap I say it could not happen to a more deserving people. Keep up the victim mentality and while you sit on you fat welfare ass waiting for this white guy to give you more money, I'll be out earning it and keeping it to myself.

To the few who want to be Americans and not xxx-Americans you are welcome into my neighborhood and my home anytime. The rest of you low lives, FOAD.

17 posted on 01/23/2006 5:21:30 AM PST by Wurlitzer (The difference between the left and terrorists is the terrorists don't claim to support the troops)
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To: FerdieMurphy

All these folks that try to attribute the bad stuff to "God is mad and venting His anger" need to do some studying. God need do no bad because Satan is very capable. The storms are merely a natural part of what makes the world go around and God's role is to give us an opportunity to make something good of it, while Satan's intent is to use it to turn folks away from God. To attribute natural disasters to God is ignorant, misguided, or intentional evil.


18 posted on 01/23/2006 5:23:10 AM PST by trebb ("I am the way... no one comes to the Father, but by me..." - Jesus in John 14:6 (RSV))
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To: oilfieldtrash

I wonder how much he paid for that MBA?
Buying is the only way that illiterate race hustler could obtain an MBA.

ragin is nothing, but another leaderless poverty pimp, blaming the honkies for any difficulties in life.

America does not need that POS in any form, shape or manner serving in an elected position

Typical divider and will never be a uniter, for the hate of (whitey) has been inbred.

Envisioning The Truth,
NSNR-THM


19 posted on 01/23/2006 5:50:27 AM PST by No Surrender No Retreat (Xin Loi My Boy!!!!)
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To: trebb

Well said. Thank you for expressing my feelings!


20 posted on 01/23/2006 6:02:37 AM PST by COBOL2Java (Freedom isn't free, but the men and women of the military will pay most of your share)
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