It Wasn't My Fault, I Was Drunk

The Hon. Trey Radel

When a private citizen gets caught using illicit drugs, he or she will be prosecuted and serve time in prison where they will meet like-minded junkies with neck tattoos and bad attitudes. When a mayor of a major North American city, or an American congressman gets caught, even admits to buying the drugs, nothing is done and they aren't even terminated from their job. 

Of course, I'm referring to Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto, and Trey Radel, the congressman (R-FL). In Ford's case, his excuse was that his judgment was off because he was in a drunken stupor. In his mind, that should excuse him. He will continue on as mayor of Toronto, at the taxpayer's expense, although all responsibilities of the office will be assumed by the Deputy Mayor and City Council.


In the case of the 37 year old, freshman congressman Radel, he said that it was an "extremely irresponsible choice," and like Ford, was due to the disease of alcoholism. He got a year probation and gets to keep his job.

Other high-profile politicians who have admitted to using drugs are: Barack Hussein Obama (you may have heard of him), and former New York Governor, David Paterson. 

The Hon. Marion Barry

The only politician to be busted and incarcerated for what would be a "no brainer" for the rest of us is former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry. He got nailed by the FBI for buying and using cocaine back in a 1990 sting operation. He served a whopping 6 months in a federal prison then got elected to the DC city council in 1992. Two years later, he returned to his position as mayor and served from 1995 to 1999. Evidently, the use of cocaine by a politician who is "cool," does not preclude him from office if he's a liberal.

There are other "alleged" users, but without proof, I will not mention them. (It would be unfair to G.W. Bush, Charles Wilson (R-Tx), Sen. Chuck Robb, and Ron Dellums (D-CA) to say the least.)

It seems that it would practically take an act from above to terminate the services of our politicians unless they literally get caught with the smoking gun. This is also true with the issue of competence.

If any private company had 3 years to design a website and it did not work on schedule, the website executive would be fired faster than you could say, "It was the video, the video, look, a squirrel." If an employee lied time after time to his boss, he would be terminated faster than a tingle travels up the leg of Chris Matthews. Our president works for us, the American people. In effect, we are his boss, if you believe what Jefferson said about government and what the Constitution describes. But Obama has repeatedly lied to his boss. If he didn't lie, then Obama is as incompetent as the government employed website company, whose CEO, Toni Townes-Whitley, was a BFF of Michelle Obama.

But nobody gets fired under Obama. If they take the bullet for him, or lie for him, they get promoted. Maybe the problem isn't that of politicians; maybe the fault is ours due to our failure to do anything about their incompetence. Maybe we're too drunk to know better.

My latest novel, Jihad Joe, is about Islamic terrorism and suspense. In it I challenge the precepts of the religion through my protagonist, Zed Nill, a journalist, captured by terrorists and who is destined to be killed if the American President refuses to release three Gitmo prisoners.  Of course, American policy demands we never give in to terrorists, and for Zed, the clock is ticking.

Jihad Joe Soft Cover

 click here for ebook version   

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