The Mayor Needs To Own This One

There haven't been many people in the New Orleans blogging community that have defended Ray Nagin. I don't think I have defended the mayor as much as I have tried to stress the need for concrete evidence before putting any criminal labels on him. That's a general principle I have. There are some people in the community that go far beyond what I have said and fiercely defend the mayor and any attacks against him as a racist conspiracy to take down black politicians. I have never came around to that conclusion but there have been some over the line things said and done to get them in that frame of mind. It is those things the mayor has played to.

Well now it's time for the mayor to do the right thing by the people who have been trying to support him through all this turmoil and come clean on his vacations. This morning in the paper he claims that the vacation his family took in November of 2005 is a blur. Mayor Nagin, please don't do this and make your supporters look foolish. I'm not going to be long winded about this. I would just like to say that in 1991 on the last day before Christmas vacation me and my high school classmates exchanged gifts. My friends Kendra and Nicole bought me a Georgetown hooded sweatshirt with a hat to match. It came in a white box and both of them gave me a card with kind words that I still had up until the flood. My point is that if I can remember getting a sweatshirt and hat back in 1991 despite all the things that have happened to me, there is no way you don't remember the details of someone paying for your entire family to go to Jamaica. I realize it was after the storm and you were dealing with a lot of serious things. Most people who survived the storm can tell you every little town, person, and conversation they had before they got back to the city. I am certain if a friend of mine would have took me to Jamaica to get away I could tell you everything about that trip. Saying you don't remember just sounds ridiculous to anyone with common sense. Even if you have decided to go with the 'I can't recall' strategy, at least do the city a favor and acknowledge that this all seems questionable. That way we won't have to waste all the time, energy and hurt feelings arguing about a vacation you obviously went on because your family's names are on the credit card statements. If a story comes out and there is no proof I will be the first one to say back off the brother if you don't have evidence. When the evidence is obvious then you need to take responsibility and admit you made and error in judgement so we can move on. You need to speak up on this one.