Hey, I can’t do any wrong…I am a minority!
The former Atlanta mayor, Bill Campbell has been convicted of tax evasion. Of course, this may have been the least of his crimes as he was acquitted of other charges of racketeering and bribery. He was the epitome of a corrupt mayor who was in office from 1994 to 2002 including the period when Atlanta hosted the centennial Olympics. However, news from the city informs me that certain Campbell supporters are now resorting to ungainly tactics of associating race with his conviction. “Some noted Atlantans have alleged that there is broad conspiracy to prosecute African Americans who get elected or appointed to high office.”
This is a classic last-resort measure often adopted by corrupt and criminals who incidentally also belong to the minority class. Azharuddin used a similar card when he was embroiled in the match-fixing scandal. I instantly lost any respect or sympathy I had for him then. I have little tolerance for such buggers who remember their minority status when they are in trouble and not when they were at the heights of their power. In Atlanta, African-Americans have always been in the seat of power (Attorney General, Labor Commissioner, Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice, etc.) especially in recent times. The current mayor, Shirley Franklin is doing an exemplary job and is counted as one of the top five mayors in the country. She is trying to bring back Atlanta from the troubled times that Campbell left it in. But she isn’t attributing her success to her race (why should she?) so what makes Campbell and his coterie think that we will sympathize with his minority card?
