Posted on 06/02/2006 9:37:17 AM PDT by ncountylee
The lineup of civil rights pioneers who stepped to the podium before Mayor Ray Nagin's inaugural address Thursday would have been hard to imagine at his first swearing-in four years ago. But as evidenced daily in hurricane-torn New Orleans, Katrina changed everything.
On stage with the mayor was U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, who in 2002 helped orchestrate then-Police Chief Richard Pennington's hard-hitting campaign against Nagin, a political novice whose support from corporate power brokers and a broad base of white voters earned him the moniker "Ray Reagan."
Under federal investigation for allegedly taking bribes in exchange for brokering business deals in Africa, Jefferson, who represents most of New Orleans and the state's only majority-black congressional district, began his comments with a nod to changing times.
"Ray, what a difference four years makes," said Jefferson, the state's first black congressman since Reconstruction.
Also featured were the Rev. Jesse Jackson; U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.; and Dorothy Brown, the circuit court clerk in Chicago and a Louisiana native.
All heaped praise on Nagin and called on him to help bring home thousands of displaced black residents, many of whom voted to give Nagin a second four-year term in the May 20 runoff against Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, who is white.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
George Bush creates hurricanes!!!!!!! And he aims them right at black people!!!!!!
Good God, when are we ever going to hear the end of this whining and moaning and groaning about how "Katrina" was America's first black hurricane, and the White House did nothing to help?
It reminds me of the old saying: "If you want to keep on gettin' what you're gettin', just keep on doin' what you're doin'!"
Well, Marion Barry was not ousted...
Nagin was again elected as Mayor...
Jefferson will be?
...The Politics of Color/Canadian Reporter...
Time to clean out the sewer we call Washington, D.C.
Nothing strange about it.
If we're talking about the content of our character, Nagin had barely a thimblefull more than Landrieu.
Two crooked Black rats. What's surprising about that?
Oh, yeah, that wasn't why they were there.
Meeting of the OJ Jury.
A Chocolate lovers love fest?
The whole affair looks like a slight to Cynthia McKinney.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.