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Stupidity so bizarre is difficult to process
The Memphis Commercial Appeal ^ | December 2, 2006 | Wendi Thomas

Posted on 12/02/2006 12:50:22 AM PST by mcg2000

Today I'd like to award my first "On the Pipe" awards to Memphis City Councilmen Rickey Peete and Edmund Ford, both arrested Thursday on public corruption charges. No insult to addicts intended, this award goes to anyone whose behavior is so bizarre, so devoid of any common sense, so head-scratchingly stupid that the only explanation is a serious addiction to the crack pipe.

What makes Ford's and Peete's stupidity so memorable, so worthy of the "On the Pipe" award is the timing.

In August and October, federal prosecutors say Ford took a total of $6,900 in bribes to get the City Council to vote yes on a billboard placement issue. In September and October, Peete allegedly took $12,000 in bribes to rig the same vote.

But weeks, months and even a full year before Ford and Peete were accused of being on the take, elected officials across the state were dropping like flies after the smack-down of the FBI's Tennessee Waltz corruption sting.

In mid-August, before Ford or Peete allegedly took the bribes, former county commissioner Michael Hooks Sr. pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges of taking $24,200 to get government contracts for a phony computer recycling company, E-Cycle.

In June, former state senator Roscoe Dixon was convicted of taking $9,500 in E-Cycle bribes.

And more than a year ago, in August 2005, both Chattanooga lobbyist Charles Love and Memphis would-be politician Barry Myers pleaded guilty to their roles as bagmen in the same scheme.

Anyone with half the brain God gave him would say to himself: Self, maybe now isn't the best time to be engaging in shenanigans, not when the feds are on a rampage, looking for crooked elected officials they might devour.

Black man after black man was making federal court appearances just down the street, while Ford and Peete were trotting their behinds into city hall, for what I fear was business as expected, if not business as usual.

Were they that destitute as to risk their careers and their freedom for penny-ante payoffs? Or could it be that they'd gotten away with similar scams for so many years that they thought their super powers rendered them invisible, if not invincible, to investigating eyes?

Whatever the combination of arrogance or naivete or desperation, if they did what they're accused of, they have to be dumber than a box of rocks.

I'm all for learning from your mistakes, or the mistakes of others. Ford apparently gleaned nothing from his brothers John, Harold and Emmitt's legal woes, and Peete, well, I am thoroughly convinced that he's beyond redemption.

This glad-hander of the first order has already done two years in prison for doing what Operation Main Street Sweeper charges he's done again.

In 1989, he was convicted of taking $1,000 for his council vote on a housing development, and then voters re-elected him to the council. (Is it considered progress that this time Peete is accused of taking exponentially more than the chump change he took before?)

If you believe everyone can be bought for the right price, then Ford and Peete, and all of the 15 other elected officials or administrators that have been caught by Main Street Sweeper and Tennessee Waltz, if guilty as charged, sold their souls, their reputations and their careers for cheap.

I guess that's what the pipe will do to you.


TOPICS: US: Arkansas; US: Mississippi; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: 600wrec; anotherfaultyford; corruption; democrats; ford; fordfamily; haroldfordjr; liberals; libs; memphis; onthepipe; ratcrime; tennesseewaltz
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Edmnund Ford


1 posted on 12/02/2006 12:50:23 AM PST by mcg2000
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To: mcg2000

Got to the dictionary and look up "socialist crook politician" and you see that picture.


2 posted on 12/02/2006 12:53:26 AM PST by Rome2000 (Peace is not an option)
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To: mcg2000

Sometimes, Wendi Thomas gets it, then she runs back to the kool-aid. For this one, she gets it. (evene if she is an occasional moonbat)


3 posted on 12/02/2006 12:56:31 AM PST by Maigrey (On weekend Prayer Vigil for the Texas Termite. The task is not over, by far.)
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To: mcg2000

No, it was Kramer. Kramer from Seinfeld I tell ya. He hates these coloreds. Damn racist ruined everything...


4 posted on 12/02/2006 12:59:12 AM PST by kinoxi
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To: Rome2000
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

I see we have the same dictionary.

5 posted on 12/02/2006 1:33:22 AM PST by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: mcg2000

RACISM THREAD!!


6 posted on 12/02/2006 1:44:32 AM PST by Dallas59 (Muslims Are Only Guests In Western Countries)
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Comment #7 Removed by Moderator

To: mcg2000
Anyone with half the brain God gave him would say to himself: Self, maybe now isn't the best time to be engaging in shenanigans, not when the feds are on a rampage, looking for crooked elected officials they might devour.

There is so much of this going on, that even a massive FBI sting is a drop in the bucket. They were just playing the odds...with a "it wasn't me, it was the man" defense in their hip pocket.

8 posted on 12/02/2006 1:51:22 AM PST by TankerKC (When I think about me, I touch myself.)
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To: mcg2000
"In 1989, he was convicted of taking $1,000 for his council vote on a housing development, and then voters re-elected him to the council."

HA!!
Seems a lot of "On The Pipe" awards are in order.

...one for every voter.

9 posted on 12/02/2006 2:13:23 AM PST by Landru (That does it, no sleep number for you pal.)
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To: mcg2000

I didn't know that hats were still in. Is that a pork pie hat on the gentleman in the background?


10 posted on 12/02/2006 2:19:22 AM PST by csvset (Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil & inhumane)
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To: Landru

It seems that too many Tennessee politicians are addicted alright, addicted to all that ready cash they've been getting in bribes for a very long time. If the Feds don't stop them with some jail time, they just keep getting themselves elected as "darling public servants" and keeping all that ready cash rolling in. (Tennessee and probably quite a few other states as well; Louisiana comes to mind offhand.)


11 posted on 12/02/2006 2:51:05 AM PST by Twinkie (Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God . . .)
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To: Dallas59

The paper had a qoute yesterday from a Rhodes prof...seems he seems racism in the 'targeting' of black pols. I'm sure the Feds shopped this around to whites as well it just that the blacks were the only ones to take the graft. 15 have been indicted so far in the two stings 13 are black, 2 white and only one a Republican, the rest demoRATS.


12 posted on 12/02/2006 2:57:04 AM PST by GailA (Proud to admit I'm a quilt-a-holic.)
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To: martin_fierro

Very Good!


13 posted on 12/02/2006 3:26:27 AM PST by Coldwater Creek (The TERRORIST are the ones who won the midterm elections!)
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To: mcg2000
I'm all for learning from your mistakes, or the mistakes of others. Ford apparently gleaned nothing from his brothers John, Harold and Emmitt's legal woes, and Peete, well, I am thoroughly convinced that he's beyond redemption.

Notice how delicately she tiptoes around the tulips. She identifies this Ford as the brother of Harold Ford, Sr, but never manages either to identify the whole Ford family as DemonRats or to say that the newly indicted Ford is Harold Ford, Jr's uncle. It's quite a family where all four of the senior brothers have been indicted for one crime or another. Indeed, an uncharitable person might even say it's a political crime family.

14 posted on 12/02/2006 4:06:37 AM PST by libstripper (!!)
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To: martin_fierro

RIGHT ON!!!


15 posted on 12/02/2006 4:07:42 AM PST by libstripper (!!)
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To: libstripper
A story about a republican would never fail to mention those connections.
16 posted on 12/02/2006 4:30:27 AM PST by TankerKC (When I think about me, I touch myself.)
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To: mcg2000

That does seem pretty stupid, to do that and take bribes when so many other nearby politicians were getting nailed for the exact same thing.


17 posted on 12/02/2006 4:55:03 AM PST by Chewie84
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To: Chewie84

More than likely they have been at this for years and just figured "In for a penny..."


18 posted on 12/02/2006 5:40:42 AM PST by TangoLimaSierra (Personal responsibilty; the remedy for PC.)
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To: mcg2000

Also, notice that the Feds held the indictment until after the election. Don't need anyone thinking that this was done to smear Jr. in his Senate quest.


19 posted on 12/02/2006 5:58:09 AM PST by STEAMER (My dog ate my tagline.)
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To: mcg2000

Follow the money...


20 posted on 12/02/2006 6:42:55 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (BTUs are my Beat.)
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