RIGHT NOW! - with Timothy Crawford

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon Indicted for Corruption

 

Do Wrong Dixon Does the City Dirty

Here we go again.  Another politician bites the dirt.  Sheila Dixon, Baltimore, Maryland's first female elected Mayor was indicted today on charges of corruption.  The charges stem from accepting gifts, furs, travel tickets and back massages from her former developer and boyfriend, swanky businessman Ronald H. Lipscomb.  Lipscomb who was also charged earlier this week with a short list of similar bad goings on.  Ms. Dixon has seen better days.

The Dixon investigation isn't new.  Dixon has been a juicy target of a nearly three-year probe by State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh (Pitbull Rohrb) into corruption at City Hall, an investigation that has centered on allegations that Dixon has used her office to award lucrative contracts to various people including her sister, her then-boyfriend and her former campaign chairman.

Rohrbaugh must've took popping the Mayor's bubble personally.  The Baltimore Sun reports the State Prosecutor was even nabbing Dixon for accepting gift cards from a couple local real estate developers.  Gift cards?  Come on Rohrb, gimme a break! 

Gift cards doesn't sound too bad until you add in details, such as it wasn't a couple cards, it was more like 19 or 20, and the cards were supposed to go to help needy Baltimore families, instead Dixon used the Best Buy cards for herself, purchasing personal items, including a digital camcorder, a Play-Station 2 and other very, very sweet electronics. 

Dixon is also being hammered for greasing the palms of her former campaign chairman, Dale G. Clark, who received $600,000 over six years for developing a computer system for the City Council.  Man, I'm in the wrong business!  There's also some fishy goings on's surrounding a company called UTECH which received over a million dollars worth of Government contract award money.  The fishy thing is, UTECH has no real address, files no taxes and the owner is supposedly cooperating with the Prosecutors investigation. 

In laymen's terms that means the UTECH owner is what they call dry-snitchin for the man, which is a big no-no, especially in crime filled BODYMORE - Baltimore.

I've only heard the prosecutors side of the story, but Of course, the fur dawning Dixon denies any wrongdoing, releasing this statement:

"I am being unfairly accused. Time will prove that I have done nothing wrong, and I am confident that I will be found innocent of these charges.... I want to make it clear, though, that I will continue to put all of my energies into running the City of Baltimore during these perilous economic times."

So Dixon, you're denying any wrong doing?  I hear you Mayor.  Keep fighting the good fight.  You go lady.  I'm sure these allegations are false.  100% fabrications right?  After all, you wouldn't actually help old friends, boyfriends and partners out by sending city business there way thus defrauding the good citizens of Baltimore now would you?  Of course you wouldn't buy yourself Sony Play-stations and camcorders with the poor little homeless children's monies would you?  Of course not! You're a woman of character who'd never stoop so low as to betray your city and shame yourself and your office, you know, you being the first black-woman to serve as Mayor of Baltimore and all, right?  I'm counting on you Mayor Dixon, because if you did cheat the citizens of Baltimore I'm going to rub Lawry's salt and Frank's Hot Sauce in the wound every chance I get. 

Did you hear me?  Lawry's Salt and some thick Fank's Hot Sauce!

Rumor has it, Naresse Campbell a character on HBO's powerful series, "The Wire" was loosely based on Mayor Dixon's life in the City Council.  It may seem far-fetched, but picture this; Naresse Campbell was a shrewd and crafty character determined to play the political game and win at any cost, whether it took blackmail, payoffs or perjury.  Naresse was game enough.  Is it possible Naresse Campbell was playing Sheila Dixon or flip it, maybe Sheila Dixon was playing Narresse Campbell? 

 ...either way Dixon better watch her back.  I saw "The Wire".  I still haven't gotten over what they did to "Stringer Bell" and my man "Boadie".  Maybe the Mayor should've watched a few more "Wire" episodes, better yet, she should've learn the lyrics to the theme song below...

Tom Waits - Way Down in the Hole

(Theme Song from the Wire)

When you walk through the garden
you gotta watch your back
well I beg your pardon
walk the straight and narrow track
if you walk with Jesus
he's gonna save your soul
you gotta keep the devil
way down in the hole
he's got the fire and the fury
at his command
well you don't have to worry
if you hold on to Jesus hand
we'll all be safe from Satan
when the thunder rolls
just gotta help me keep the devil
way down in the hole

Bad Marketing

 

Ding Dong! There are a few business rules you don't break.  Don't piss off your customers and never talk politics.  Somehow the Colony South Inn in Clinton, MD managed to do both. 

These guys must be rocket scientists.  The Colony Inn is located in an overwhelming Obama state in one of the strongest, most committed, most devoted Obama counties, and the manager decides it's a good idea to put a huge McCain/Palin sign in front of the establishment?

To rub more salt in the wound, It turns out local Democratic Activists regularly rent the posh Colony South Inn to hold their elitis convention meetings?  Talk about ungrateful business owners. 

"While a business has the right to display what it chooses, the public has a right to show its contempt for that decision, including boycotting," said Mel Franklin, president of the Greater Marlboro Democratic Club.

Did Mel just say boycott?

So now the Colony South Inn is losing business, getting negative emails and loads of rude phone calls.  The funny thing is these guys seem suprised at the blowback their getting in a state where 77 percent of registered voters are, you guessed it: Democrats,

"I didn't even realize it was going to be like this," said Alan Vahabzadeh, Colony South General Manager. The last thing "we want to do is lose business,".

This story just goes to show you at least some small businesses aren't failing because of the economy, high gas prices or American jobs going overseas, some are failing because they're run by not so smart people who make very bad decisions. 

Hey, Alan Vahabzadeh, the Republican motto is "Country First" not "Stupid First".  Do you think John McCain or Sara Palin would risk taking food off their tables to hang a "Alan Vahabzadeh" sign in their front yards?  Neither should you. 

Update:  Oh yeah, Hey Alan, Barack won doofus!