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My Mayor, the Jailbird
I got an IM from a friend today asking if I were watching the news. Considering the fact that I was at work, I of course replied with a smart-allecky remark. When he didn't immediately respond, I became alarmed and decided to I consult my trusty, dusty news source, CNN.com. I didn't see anything breaking there, so I went to my second source, ClickonDetroit.com.
Ah, I see Mayor Kilpatrick is in the news. Actually, no so much in the news but in jail. The mayor of one of the nation's largest cities. Jail.
As a life-long Detroiter I have to say that I am embarrassed beyond words. Not to say that his whole scandal hasn't left me embarrassed already, but jail is like the icing on the embarrassment cake. This development is national-news worthy, and places yet another stain (do we even have any room left?) on the fabric of our city. Mr. Kilpatrick has taken us through so much regarding the scandal that his supporters would have you believe is about cheating on his wife. While it plays itself out that way in the media, the heart of the matter is that he was caught lying on the stand, under oath. He perjured himself, which is a crime. In this country, crimes are usually punished. Mr. Kilpatrick has skated in the time since Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy brought charges against him; he's been able to roam about the country virtually unfettered, so long as he informed the court and the travel was business-related. He has since put himself in predicaments that have jeopardized the job that he perhaps should voluntarily vacate as well as the reputation of the city he runs: a physical altercation with a Sheriff's Department employee and an unauthorized trip to Canada. The judge overseeing his case (the Honorable Judge Ronald Giles) seems to have had enough Mr. Kilpatrick's seemingly charmed existence and knocked his ass down a peg, placing him in the clink for the trip violation (although one wonders why this didn't happen sooner when he shoved the Sheriff's Dept. employee).
Words cannot express how his behavior and disregard for the law should be condemned, simply because Mr. Kilpatrick seems to have a Narcissistic complex and condemning his behavior wouldn't resonate with him anyway. We concerned citizens can only pray that Mr. Kilpatrick does the right thing and steps down. I hardly doubt he will, though, and I'm not sure what the city can do as a collective to repair the damage of this scandal. I can speak on how we're a scrappy li'l city and we've survived worse, and sure, we have, but all things considered, I can't help but long for a new locale with a Mayor who sits in City Hall, and not County Jail.
Ah, I see Mayor Kilpatrick is in the news. Actually, no so much in the news but in jail. The mayor of one of the nation's largest cities. Jail.
As a life-long Detroiter I have to say that I am embarrassed beyond words. Not to say that his whole scandal hasn't left me embarrassed already, but jail is like the icing on the embarrassment cake. This development is national-news worthy, and places yet another stain (do we even have any room left?) on the fabric of our city. Mr. Kilpatrick has taken us through so much regarding the scandal that his supporters would have you believe is about cheating on his wife. While it plays itself out that way in the media, the heart of the matter is that he was caught lying on the stand, under oath. He perjured himself, which is a crime. In this country, crimes are usually punished. Mr. Kilpatrick has skated in the time since Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy brought charges against him; he's been able to roam about the country virtually unfettered, so long as he informed the court and the travel was business-related. He has since put himself in predicaments that have jeopardized the job that he perhaps should voluntarily vacate as well as the reputation of the city he runs: a physical altercation with a Sheriff's Department employee and an unauthorized trip to Canada. The judge overseeing his case (the Honorable Judge Ronald Giles) seems to have had enough Mr. Kilpatrick's seemingly charmed existence and knocked his ass down a peg, placing him in the clink for the trip violation (although one wonders why this didn't happen sooner when he shoved the Sheriff's Dept. employee).
Words cannot express how his behavior and disregard for the law should be condemned, simply because Mr. Kilpatrick seems to have a Narcissistic complex and condemning his behavior wouldn't resonate with him anyway. We concerned citizens can only pray that Mr. Kilpatrick does the right thing and steps down. I hardly doubt he will, though, and I'm not sure what the city can do as a collective to repair the damage of this scandal. I can speak on how we're a scrappy li'l city and we've survived worse, and sure, we have, but all things considered, I can't help but long for a new locale with a Mayor who sits in City Hall, and not County Jail.
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