Wendi, honey… you’re right. It’s The Man’s fault that more black politicians than white were caught for taking bribes. It’s also The Man’s fault that there are more black children than white children born out of wedlock. Obviously all statistical differences are the result of a conspiracy.

How would that work, anyway? Secret brainwashing program to discourage black men from proposing? Let me know your theories.

I don’t care if you’re black, white or a purple people-eater, wrong is wrong regardless of race. Do we know that the informant was told to approach these two council members? Perhaps I missed it in the CA, but shouldn’t that question be answered before we assume or suggest that the Feds are targeting primarily black politicians? I don’t want to believe that it is true, and I won’t assume it to be true until there is more evidence.

Phillip:

1. Edmund Ford, it apparently bears repeating, has not been found guilty. Please tell me why he should not be given the presumption of innocence.

2. The shared race between Edmund Ford and My Harrison is meaningless. Do you really think that no black person could be prejudiced against another black person? Or be so caught up in the system that they buy into the hype?

3. In Memphis, the majority of politicians are black, so it would follow that most of the people caught in Operation Main Street Sweeper would be black. That’s logical and doesn’t appear to be unfair.

However, the sweeper sting has caught three people. Tennessee Waltz was purportedly a statewide sting, caught 15 people, two of whom are white. The state legislature is overwhelming white. But the dancers in the waltz are overwhelmingly black - and Democrat. I think that’s worthy of further investigation.

And speaking of further investigation, now that I’ve shared my thoughts publicly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the feds came tap, tap, tapping at my door!

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t watching you.

I think I - and anyone who speaks out against power - has fair cause for concern.

Will My Harrison herself come knocking on my office door? Unlikely. Am I keeping my nose extra clean just in case? Absolutely.

The community’s suspicions about abuses of power by authorities are absolutely justified. I won’t regale/bore you with my personal stories of mistreatment by authorities, but I would wager that most people in the black community or any often-disenfranchised community have plenty stories to tell.

I suppose if you’ve never been looked on with suspicion throughout your life, it’s hard to imagine why someone else would be anxious. If that’s the case, you are fortunate. Be glad, but don’t dismiss the very valid concerns of others, just because it didn’t happen to you. Yet.

I’ve been trying to find a way to tackle the questions you asked in your opening paragraph without offending you. Here’s my attempt, and please consider what I’m saying before you get your back up. This is a difficult subject to discuss calmly, but I think it’s worth discussing.

“Are black people genetically predisposed to corruption? Or is it, as some have suggested, that people with less financial means, who are more likely to be black, are more suspectible to bribes?”

Are black people genetically predisposed to corruption? Absolutely not. I don’t believe that for a minute, although I’m aware that there are people who believe that, and I understand that the existence of people who believe that makes black people quick-tempered on the subject. If I were black, and I knew that some people would jump at the chance to take anything that casts any black person in a bad light as proof of “racial differences”, I’d be touchy too.

Are they taking bribes because they’re poor? I doubt it - I bet if I took $5,000 out of Edmund Ford’s bank account, he’d think his missus bought herself a new dress and never question it.

So are there any other possible reasons that there might be more black politicians than white taking bribes in Tennessee?

Looking at the numbers provided by police departments, it’s easy to see that there are certain crimes which are committed more commonly by black people than white. The reasons are complex. But whatever the cause, the fact remains that few white children are shot out of their mother’s arms by white gang members. That’s only one example; it only takes the most cursory look at statistics to see that there are race-related patterns of crime. Is this because white criminals aren’t caught and prosecuted? Sometimes. But not always. There aren’t hordes of white Gangster Disciples getting the nod from the white police. White people, even poor white people, simply don’t commit certain kinds of crimes as often.

Why not? I dunno. I can make some guesses, though. I guess, for example, that taking a bribe looks less risky if your brother has been in jail for fraud and it didn’t hurt his career or his social standing one bit. Carjacking looks better as a hobby if your older brother is a carjacker. Drug dealing seems like a good career option if everyone in your neighborhood deals drugs.

I absolutely do not believe that black people are genetically predisposed to crime. I also absolutely do not believe that the dispropotionately black population of our prisons is caused entirely by disproportionate enforcement of the law. I do believe that people, most people, are neither very bad nor very good. They do what their friends do. If their friends have good lawns, they have good lawns. If their friends take bribes, they take bribes.

That’s what I believe is happening in Tennessee’s legislature. A pocket of corruption, which happens to be mostly black, simply because the people who first started down that road in this location happened to be mostly black.