Nagin is Nuts

Off Topic Politics and World Issues
1

Tell me this guy isn’t batshit crazy. No wonder NO fell to chaos under this fine leadership. What a dumbass. Maybe him and Sheehan could get together and we could finally get some real answers from god. They seem to have his ear.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060116/ap_on_re_us/katrina_nagin
New Orleans Mayor Says God Mad at U.S.
By BRETT MARTEL

NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin suggested Monday that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other storms were a sign that “God is mad at America” and at black communities, too, for tearing themselves apart with violence and political infighting.

“Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it’s destroyed and put stress on this country,” Nagin, who is black, said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day.

“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.”

Nagin also promised that New Orleans will be a “chocolate” city again. Many of the city’s black neighborhoods were heavily damaged by Katrina.

“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,” the mayor said. “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.”

Nagin described an imaginary conversation with King, the late civil rights leader.

“I said, What is it going to take for us to move on and live your dream and make it a reality?' He said, I don’t think that we need to pay attention any more as much about other folks and racists on the other side.’ He said, `The thing we need to focus on as a community ? black folks I’m talking about ? is ourselves.'”

Nagin said he also asked: “Why is black-on-black crime such an issue? Why do our young men hate each other so much that they look their brother in the face and they will take a gun and kill him in cold blood?”

The reply, Nagin said, was: “We as a people need to fix ourselves first.”

Nagin also said King would have been dismayed with black leaders who are “most of the time tearing each other down publicly for the delight of many.”

A day earlier, gunfire erupted at a parade to commemorate King’s birthday. Three people were wounded in the daylight shooting amid a throng of mostly black spectators, but police said there were no immediate suspects or witnesses.

2

So, what part is nuts, the fact he’s chosen to make a statement concerning unity and responsibility on Martin Luther King Day, or something else?

3

He is as crazy as Pat Robertson.

Remember when Nagin claimed Bush was going to have the CIA kill him?

4

The guy has lost it. I’ve never, and still will not put the blame on him, however he has completely lost it. If you hear the sound bit of this, you will think you are listening to some jack jaw bible slapping buffoon that’s showing out for his “peoples”…

It’s shit fucks like him that make a lot of people in this country not want to help New Orleans. When I heard this speach tonight, I would have liked to hit the floor.
If you hear another part of the “speach” he talks about the shootings in yesterdays MLK Parade…he calls the people that shot into the crowd “knuckle-heads” That’s not what I call ruthless killers. He needs removed NOW!
Full ebonic mode.

If a white person said what he said, the outrage would be deafening.

5

This is fascinating, because some of the right wing in here have said statements similar to his, minus of course the God is mad stuff.

Then, with respect to God is mad, we have Pat Robertson, who didn’t really catch a lot of flack from the right for making similar statements along that vein.

So, I’m confused, who can say such things, and when can they say them?

Finally, no, I’m not saying whether or not I think he is or isn’t nuts…

6

[quote]vroom wrote:
as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day.

So, what part is nuts, the fact he’s chosen to make a statement concerning unity and responsibility on Martin Luther King Day, or something else?[/quote]

LOL! You’re awesome Vroom. You should forward your resume to the DNC as that piece of cherry picking was truly great.

No, the parts I was refering to were the parts where he claims that he has had a two way conversation with the almighty, his comments about NO being a “chocolate city”(unless I took these comments out of context, this sounds fairly racist to me). I mean seriously,

[i]“Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it’s destroyed and put stress on this country,” Nagin, who is black, said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day.

“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.”

Nagin also promised that New Orleans will be a “chocolate” city again. Many of the city’s black neighborhoods were heavily damaged by Katrina.

“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," the mayor said. "This city will be a majority African American city. [u]It’s the way God wants it to be.[/u] You can’t have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn’t be New Orleans.”

Nagin described an imaginary conversation with King, the late civil rights leader.

“I said, What is it going to take for us to move on and live your dream and make it a reality?' He said, I don’t think that we need to pay attention any more as much about other folks and racists on the other side.’ He said, `The thing we need to focus on as a community ? black folks I’m talking about ? is ourselves.'”

Nagin said he also asked: “Why is black-on-black crime such an issue? Why do our young men hate each other so much that they look their brother in the face and they will take a gun and kill him in cold blood?”

The reply, Nagin said, was: “We as a people need to fix ourselves first.”[/i]

7

Flamer,

What’s the matter with interpreting the will of the Almighty? Be careful, Nagin is not the first politician to do this!

I also don’t see a problem describing an imaginary discussion if it is held as representative of what he feels the late MLK might opine.

Anyway, yeah, the speech is a bit out there, though I do wonder if the word chocolate is to imply neither simply white nor black? Perhaps the city should be as it was before the disaster, and I really have no idea what the numbers were at that time.

I’m simply skeptical that you are twisting this yourself, performing your own nuancing and cherry picking, when the truth may not be as you state it, given the occasion of the speech.

8

Vroom, he stated in his speech that he believes that NO should be a “chocolate city”, “that’s the way god wants it”. Did one of his conversations with god reveal this to him? The left will villify Bush for praying and reflecting with faith on issues, but nagin can have a bona fide conversation with not just god, but MLK too?

WTF?!

So, by nagins interpretation of god’s word, would god be upset if a bunch of honky’s (vanilla’s?) moved down there? What’s fucked up is that he’ll go from talking about unity and coming together, right to "It would sure be a shame if too many white folks were to populate NO.

I’m not cherry picking, I posted the entire article and highlighted the high spots. And to think that these racist statements were made on this day. That’s sad.

He’s not just crazy, he’s a racist too.

9

Flamer,

I’m not really interested in sticking up for Nagin, but you are really stretching here.

Saying “God wants X” has nothing to do with having a conversation with God, and you surely know that.

Bush feels that God put him in place as president for a reason. Do you think Bush was claiming he has had two way conversations with God?

As for the rest, I’ll wait for the clarification or apology from Nagin. People get carried away in speeches sometimes, on both sides of the fence. Your interpretation is very much out to get the man, for whatever reason I can only speculate.

10

As long as they pay for it with chocolate coins and not my tax dollars, I’m fine with their mayor being a racist Willy Wonka-wannabe.

11

[quote]vroom wrote:
Flamer,

I’m not really interested in sticking up for Nagin, but you are really stretching here.

Saying “God wants X” has nothing to do with having a conversation with God, and you surely know that.

Bush feels that God put him in place as president for a reason. Do you think Bush was claiming he has had two way conversations with God?[/quote]

You’re right, I misinterpreted the speech in that he sugested a two way conversation with god. The conversation was with MLK.

However he’s still crazy for believing that gods will is that NO be a predominately “chocolate city”. Does he really think that god gives a shit if NO is predominately white or black? No, god doesn’t give a shit, however it sounds as if nagin does.

[quote]
As for the rest, I’ll wait for the clarification or apology from Nagin.[/quote]

As will alot of folks. We’ll see.

[quote]
People get carried away in speeches sometimes, on both sides of the fence.[/quote]

No excuse, on either side of the fence.

[quote]
Your interpretation is very much out to get the man, for whatever reason I can only speculate.[/quote]

I don’t care for the man, that’s a fact that I won’t deny. But I don’t have to go out of my way to “get” him, he’s doing a pretty good job of looking like a douchebag all on his own.

12

I agree that he is showing a crazier side of himself he seemed pretty level headed for a while…

13

He had a lame explanation of what he really meant last night on the local news channels. Even after his explanation, it’s still not right for him to say what he said. It has more to do with him representing this City, and doing it poorly. The last thing this city needs is for the mayor to be sending out messages that are open to a lot of speculation as to their meaning. And messages that could be received wrong and are a negative reflection of his leadership and are hurting the city and the people that live here chances of getting help.

Slice it any way you choose, he did all of that and then some.

So far I’ve concluded,
1- Blacks (normal, average blacks) think he is an idiot from the south.
2- Republicans (normal, average Republicans) think he is an idiot from the south.
3- Northerners (normal, average northerners) think he is an idiot from the south.
4- Idiots (normal, average idiots) think he is an idiot from the south.
5- Southerners (normal, average southerners) think he is an idiot IN the south.

He’s proving all of his critics correct. I’ve been in this guys corner up until now, and NOW he needs to step down.

14

You guys just don’t like Nagin.

Look, I saw the explanation (and speech) on CNN (a few times now). His explanation was about dark chocolate and white milk being mixed to make something special. He also said New Orleans was chocolate before the disaster.

So, that part is a non-issue.

Now, if you can’t handle him believing that New Orleans should be rebuilt the way it was before, big deal.

Also, if you can’t handle him using the concept of a conversation with MLK, big deal.

This is much ado about nothing. All you guys are doing is showing your own colors in this matter.

Although, there is certainly nothing wrong with finding Nagin an incapable or corrupt politician, if you like.

15

[quote]vroom wrote:
You guys just don’t like Nagin.

Look, I saw the explanation (and speech) on CNN (a few times now). His explanation was about dark chocolate and white milk being mixed to make something special. He also said New Orleans was chocolate before the disaster.

So, that part is a non-issue.

Now, if you can’t handle him believing that New Orleans should be rebuilt the way it was before, big deal.

Also, if you can’t handle him using the concept of a conversation with MLK, big deal.

This is much ado about nothing. All you guys are doing is showing your own colors in this matter.

Although, there is certainly nothing wrong with finding Nagin an incapable or corrupt politician, if you like.[/quote]

I watched the speech and still don’t see the big issue. If New Orleans was predominantly black BEFORE Katrina, what is racist about pointing out that his goal is to return it to the way it was in terms of what gave it life to begin with? I find it hard to believe that anyone took that as “kill whitey”. I am also intrigued by those who claim “christian conservativism” but then ream someone for claiming they “speak with God”. Someone needs a freaking lawyer before they speak in public anywhere today. We get it, many of you don’t like the guy. Why not just say you don’t like him? Bush has made way more verbal faux pas than this yet you all cover for him any chance you get.

I personally would have worded it better…MUCH better, but I see what his point was and I suspect many of you actually do as well. I don’t even know enough about the guy to respect him much at all, but aside from being an apparent poor public speaker and a “politician” with all the negatives that implies, I don’t see the need to look at this one speech as equivilent to lunacy.

16

[quote]vroom wrote:
…

Then, with respect to God is mad, we have Pat Robertson, who didn’t really catch a lot of flack from the right for making similar statements along that vein.
… [/quote]

Pat Robertson is almost universally condemned by the right and left wing on this forum.

17

[quote]Professor X wrote:

I watched the speech and still don’t see the big issue. If New Orleans was predominantly black BEFORE Katrina, what is racist about pointing out that his goal is to return it to the way it was in terms of what gave it life to begin with? [/quote]

Would you feel the same way if it was a white mayor saying his city should remain white?

18

Doogie,

There is a huge difference between keeping people out and bringing people back.

He, Nagin, was saying the mixture of black and white in New Orleans was part of what made it a great city, and that it should return to the way it was.

If anyone out there is searching for ways to make that idea a significant racist issue, it is only showing your own leanings…

The speech itself is a non-issue, in my opinion, and probably in the opinion of most people that don’t have a huge racial chip on their shoulder.

19

[quote]vroom wrote:
Doogie,

There is a huge difference between keeping people out and bringing people back.

He, Nagin, was saying the mixture of black and white in New Orleans was part of what made it a great city, and that it should return to the way it was.

If anyone out there is searching for ways to make that idea a significant racist issue, it is only showing your own leanings…

The speech itself is a non-issue, in my opinion, and probably in the opinion of most people that don’t have a huge racial chip on their shoulder.[/quote]

After he back-pedaled, and made the chocolate milk explanation, I agree that there was nothing wrong with his comments. However, he’s already made comments about not wanting Hispanic workers in the city rebuilding, so he has a history of this kind of crap. And I still say that if a white mayor of a historically white city said, “We want to keep the ice cream that is this city vanilla by returning the white people”, you’d be shitting yourself crying RACIST!

20

[quote]doogie wrote:
Professor X wrote:

I watched the speech and still don’t see the big issue. If New Orleans was predominantly black BEFORE Katrina, what is racist about pointing out that his goal is to return it to the way it was in terms of what gave it life to begin with?

Would you feel the same way if it was a white mayor saying his city should remain white?

[/quote]

Amen.

Is it not racist to say that it’s god’s will that the city be a majority black?
Is it not racist to sugest that it would be a shame if too many white folks repopulated NO?

Use your head. I would bet that god doesn’t give a shit about the color of the city. It appears as though nagin does though. And it’s interesting that you would defend this Prof.