Monday, October 5, 2009

#977. Real Leadership from the 3rd District in Florida


"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard."
These words flowed from the pen of H.L. Mencken and hit you with the ferocity of a Kimbo Slice right hook. When you think about the United States in 2009, the quip from Mencken rings especially true when you consider the idea known as gerrymandering:

"Gerrymandering is a form of boundary delimitation (redistricting) in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are deliberately modified for electoral purposes, thereby producing a contorted or unusual shape. The resulting district is known as a gerrymander; however, that noun can also refer to the process.

Gerrymandering may be used to achieve desired electoral results for a particular party, or may be used to help or hinder a particular group of constituents, such a political, racial, linguistic, religious or class group.

When used to allege that a given party is gaining a disproportionate power, the term gerrymandering has negative connotations. However, a gerrymander may also be used for purposes perceived as positive, notably in US federal voting districts boundaries which produce a proportion of constituencies with an African-American or other minority in the majority (these are then called "minority-majority districts")."

Every state in the Union has an example of gerrymandering (an interesting slide show of gerrymandering in various states can be found here), and numerous states that have Black people in practice this to ENSURE that they receive a voice. Democracy in action.

Business Week published an interesting article that discussed the effects of gerrymandering that have directly lead to the creation of a new generation of Black leaders, many of whom remain ensconced in office to this day:

"To most Americans, gerrymandering is probably something of a dirty word. It implies the creation of oddly shaped congressional districts designed to give one political party an unfair advantage over another while creating legislatures that are not reflective of the voting population.

Although that’s often been the case, the racial gerrymandering following the 1990 Census was designed to make Congress more reflective of the voting population by increasing the number of minority representatives.

The courts created new majority-minority districts in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, and strengthened minority control of an existing majority-minority district in Mississippi...

....Examined in this light, it appears that the liberal strength in the southern House delegations increased noticeably between 1992 and 1996. The fraction of liberals in the South grew from an average of 38 percent in 1986-1990 to an average of 44 percent in 1992-1996, Shotts found. “I was stunned by the data,” he said.

Liberals who first won election to the House in 1992 after racial redistricting took effect included Eva Clayton (NC), Melvin Watt (NC), Cynthia McKinney (GA), Sanford Bishop (GA), James Clyburn (SC), Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX), Bobby Scott (VA), Earl Hilliard (AL), Corrine Brown (FL), Carrie Meek (FL), Alcee Hastings (FL)."

One name sticks out like a sore thumb in that list of distinguished leaders, Corrine Brown of Jacksonville, Florida:

"Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Brown attended Florida A&M University, from which she received a bachelor's degree in sociology. She also earned a master's degree in education from the University of Florida, where she was also awarded an educational specialist degree.[2] She received a Honorary Doctor of Law degree from Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, and has been on the faculty at the latter two schools and at Florida Community College at Jacksonville.

Brown was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1982. She served five terms, gaining wide recognition in the Jacksonville area, and served as a delegate to the 1988 Democratic National Convention.

After the 1990 census, the Florida legislature carved out a new Third Congressional District in the northern part of the state. This district was designed to enclose an African-American majority within its boundaries. A horseshoe-shaped district touching on largely African-American neighborhoods in Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, and Ocala, the Third District seemed likely to send Florida's first African-American to Congress since Reconstruction, and Brown decided to run."
Black people in this gerrymandered district have done a wonderful job of sending an articulate, thoughtful and intelligent individual to Washington as they continue to re-elect her, even though she lets slip a fact like this (usually reserved for when Black people are conversing amongst themselves):
"Brown, D-Fla., issued an apology on Thursday for remarks she made a day earlier when she said Hispanics and whites "all look alike to me."
Black people truly believe that all white people look alike, but Brown made the mistake of lumping Hispanics into the same stew as whitey, which is an unpalatable mix for all involved. Remember, Black people don't like to admit they are now the third largest racial group in America, after Hispanics.

Brown also took it upon herself to ENSURE that her home was protected from a tropical storm and left her constituents high and undry:

Controversy During Tropical Storm Faye

"On Friday, August 22nd 2008, during the height of Tropical Storm Faye, which was pounding the North Florida area with heavy rain and winds, Ms. Brown called up the City of Jacksonville to request pumps and sandbags be brought to her house along the Trout River because it was flooding. According to Brown, she made several phone calls to Jacksonville's Public Works Office for free sandbags, FEMA and the US Army Corps of Engineers, Home Depot to find sandbags, before she finally reached Adam Hollingsworth on Friday, chief of staff for Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton. Hollingsworth once worked for Ms. Brown before this job with the city, according to an article on the Florida Times-Union website.

City vehicles showed up, with a crew of inmates because the city uses low-risk inmates to do work, to sandbag the garage and front door after she was flooded with about a foot of water. Brown got angry with the reporter from Channel 4 doing the interview, demanding that the City of Jacksonville figure out how much it cost and she would "pay the bill" to silence any controversy. According to her neighbor, Joe Deloach, asked for the same help from the crew of inmates sandbagging Ms. Brown's property, but was denied and laughed at by the crew working on the project."

But Ms. Brown continues to be the finest politician Democracy can find to represent the Black people in the 3rd District of Florida. Perhaps no video in the history of the world showcases the wonderful education system the United States enjoys and the wonders of Democracy better than Corrine Brown congratulating her Florida Gators for winning the 2008 BCS championship.

Brown used her allocated five minutes on the hallowed floor of the United States House of Representing (er, we mean Representatives) to bestow upon the Gators a tribute that even Tim Tebow couldn't help but laugh at:

"The University of Florida may be wishing it could travel back in time and reconsider awarding U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown two advanced degrees after video of her congratulatory speech to the BCS Champion Gators hit the Internet, lest they become confused with a Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too.

According to the official House Record, the speech was succinct, factual, and spoken clearly in the English language common in the American political arena. What actually transpired broke the time, space, and grammatical tense continuum (this is what your 8th grade teacher always warned about, and why basements are stocked with canned food). If there's one thing we can't shy away from, it's a governmental records cover up.

Rep. Brown (we're sure she's lovely, really) dressed appropriately for the role in a crazy orange silk cocoon. Upon taking the floor of the House, she proceeded to make mincemeat of sentences, the word "offense," and reading comprehension in general. Players and "Curch Urban Meyers" were "gratulated" on their "BSC" bowl victory and subjected to a hearty "Go, Gator!" (isn't this a team sport?). Speedster Percy "Harvey" was singled out for his "gustly" performance. Of UF's quarterback Tim Tebow, Ms. Brown opined: "It is matters the most the pressure he was under." Seriously, Brown has been an elected official since 1982. She can read, right?"

Mencken was a gifted writer and incredibly prescient in his warnings of the power of Democracy to give the people exactly what they want (case in point, Zod-Obama).

Black people have not received a great return on investment from the gerrymandering experiment in the 3rd District of Florida, as Brown has been re-elected time and time again, despite her inability to put together a cogent sentence.

Every time Brown makes a decision, Democracy gives it good and hard to the upstanding citizens of the 3rd District, for Stuff Black People Don't Like includes real leadership from the 3rd District of Florida, as the individual they help send to Washington DC every two years epitomizes why Democracy is the God that failed.



21 comments:

Surferchick said...

How this moron became an elected official is beyond me. Not only is she an idiot, she abuses her power.

What the hell is that rant and rave about some football team? Who gives a shit? This is what we're paying our tax dollars for?

A complete oxygen thief. Somewhere in Florida a village is missing their idiot.

STP said...

As Ive said many many times. Name one place, just one with majority black rule anywhere in the world that is a success.

Anonymous said...

STP:

Barbados

Anonymous said...

More monkey business by Brown the kaffer.

Anonymous said...

If I buy a Florida A&M degree off of craigslist, can I run for office too!

Dave said...

More proof we're in the end-times....

Anonymous said...

I live in her district and vote against her at every election. When I saw her district map connecting Orlando by a thread to Jacksonville my jaw dropped. Even in fourth grade they taught us that Gerrymandering was wrong. God help us. I truly believe democrats want to destroy our country. Mayday Mayday we're going down........

STP said...

To anonymous, David Johnson is virtually white.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Thompson_%28Barbadian_politician%29

Despite being independent, they maintain very close ties to the UK.

Anonymous said...

david johnson or thompson? david thompson has been prime minister since 2008. they have been successful long before he came to that position. preceding him was a black man. regardless of their ties, they are a successful black country with a black majority run by black people.

Anonymous said...

To STP and Anonymous:

In addition to the white prime minister, Barbados has a whopping population of 279,000, hardly a representative example of Afro-rule. In addition, money-laundering is a significant problem, as in many other nominally-successful Afro-Caribbean nations.

Anonymous said...

he said to name one. that is one. regardless of how many, they are a majority black population ruled by black people.

Porter said...

"they are a majority black population ruled by black people."

So is the Holyfield family.

http://binside.typepad.com/binside_tv/evander_holyfield/

But SBPDL I have to thank you for drawing my attention to this video. I was actually pounding the table trying to draw breath from laughing so hard--the subtitles were brilliant.

I also noted with a chuckle your emphasis on a certain term. I hope your highlighting of this ENSURES that people far and wide will watch that video. Though no public plan will INSURE their health if they choke on a chicken bone from laughter. Of this, I can ASSURE you.

B. Herder said...

Although this is disgusting, this is how it works.
The black that screams 'KATRINA!!'loud enough gets the grease.

Lemme clue y'all in to something.
Having been a city/snivel service employee for one of the largest workforces in the US (Los Angeles Dept of Water and Power)for 15 years and now being, again for 10 years, a city employee for a town of 300 (Where it is JUST me .. ONE full-time employee)...
There are things you just do NOT do.
The very first thing is, there will be no work done for an elected city/county/state official.
Anything. Emergency or not. This can be construed as 'Gifting of funds' and is the kind of shit that can get you fired OR land you in the slammer. Even if they DO pay for it, a smart manager will put them LAST on the list, to make it look legit and proper. You HAVE too. It's all politics and covering your butt.
That Hollingsworth fellow is an apologetic moron. As a city agency you CAN NOT make decisions based upon 'Oh, well, she is a single woman, blah blah blah.' That's BULLSHIT. He KNEW who she was. He bowed down. You need to make decisions based upon NEED.
This would be like a whole hillside is on fire threatening several neighborhoods, and the fire department pulls right up in front of the mayors house to keep his roof watered down. Even if they DO say "I'll pay for it" it doesn't matter, you just don't do that. You go to the first house in the most need.

Note, how's Brown's 'logic' is typical of all 'Black logic' (If you can call it that..)

The first rule is:
Shout down your accuser.
If you can scream out your hibbity-bibbity-bliz-blazz-razz-ma-tazz LOUDER than the person you're sparing with.. That just automatically makes you 'right'. Right?

Rule 2 is:
Play the sympathy/Race card. This usually slides right in seamlessly from the first rule. This, however can be the *first* rule, depending on how much effort needs to be put into it, or if they feel they can go right in for The Kill.
Actually, I'm shocked as hell that Brown didn't IMMEDIATELY start screaming "KATRINA!! KATRINA!!"
Usually, if the sympathy card (Is a single woman, say .. Any more important than say, a male confined to a wheelchair?)does not get the immediate response, the race card is played. This is usually asserted with quips of:
"Hater"
"Oppressed"
"Disadvantaged"
"MY RIGHTS"
"Human rights"
"Slavery"
"Da White Debbel"
Etc. You know how it goes.

Rule 3:
Get indignant. Get REAL FUCKING indignant. As if "How DARE you **QUESTION** what I do!!"
Brown skipped from rule one right to rule three while just barely brushing rule two.
She knew DAMN WELL, if she screamed loud enough, her wheel was going to get the grease. And that Hollingsworth fellow (Who ought to be fired at most, and slapped upside the head several times, at least)played right into her hands.
Oh, that right. Had he had the city crew throw sandbags around the house of the guy in a wheelchair first..'HATER!!'

Anonymous said...

porter,
stp said to name a place. the holyfield family is not a place.

Porter said...

"the holyfield family is not a place."

Correct! Good thing I didn't say they were.

Anonymous said...

and so what is the point of that statement? we are talking about a place with a majority black population, with black people in control which is successful. barbados is, the holyfield family is not.

stay on topic please.

t_c_ said...

Barbados is? Barbados? Is that one country (entity) that is self-ruled by Black city officials that is not gone FUBAR? One out of how many? I need to see a percentage. I need to know if Barbados is a variation of a means.
How many cities, towns, etc are ruled by a primary Black caucus add the number of governments in the Caribbean, i.e., Haiti, and add the number of self-ruled Black African countries/towns/villages? Then one would have to show you have to success and failure rates in certain categories: economic, health, crime, education, and so on. I would even use the criteria - "is a non-native person willing to move there to fine betterment?"
I would bet my money most (70% and higher) of these Black ruled entities will be in the "F" category. So, yes maybe, without even looking at the statistics that Barbados "may" be an "ok" self-contained Black ruled over Black subject successful place it does not mean that is the average circumstance for any of the other places to which it is compared to given the same criteria.

Porter said...

Anon:

"we are talking about a place with a majority black population, with black people in control which is successful"

Correction: *You* were talking about that. *I* was talking about "a majority black population ruled by black people."

But the only way you could know that would be by reading the passage I quoted and was specifically responding to.

With the Holyfield "family" consisting of 11 children by eight women, I think it does rival Barbados as a "majority black population ruled by black people."

Anonymous said...

t_c_


stp said to name one.

that is one.

they are more than "Ok"

read up.

if you want to change the context of the conversation by adding stipulations that were not part of the original thread that will require that we start a new conversation.

insofar as this conversation is concerned barbados meets the requirements requested.

Anonymous said...

this is sad and pathetic, but how is it worse than all of the worthless white politicians who rig elections or manipulate public office for their own self interest? especially considering how many more white politicians there are who do so?

Anonymous said...

Barbados is a tax shelter. If you don't know what that means then you aren't worthy of a rebutal to your claims. All I will say is that Barbados money does not come from Barbados.

Dave