Americanpolitics

Former, four (4) terms D.C. Mayor, Marion Barry is back in the news, this time for stalking an unnamed woman. Barry’s indiscretion while Mayor of D.C goes to show how forgiving the American people can be. I will never forget, in fact I remember with humor, in the early 1990’s how Barry was caught on surveillance video, in a hotel room, smoking crack and begging to get laid, with a wife at home – how humiliating.

As a result of this video, Barry was charged with counts of perjury, drug possession and conspiracy to possess cocaine however, he was convicted on only one charge of possession of cocaine, served six months in federal prison and after being released went on to regain his seat as Mayor of D.C. in 1994. I was shocked and amazed that he was re-elected.

The unnamed woman in the recent charges against Barry, flagged down a police officer and told the officer she was being stalked by Barry, who was then arrested, charged with misdemeanor stalking and released. Still in politics, Barry is a D.C. Council member representing Ward 8, who just can not seem to stay out of trouble. He has been stopped on traffic violation charges more than once and on one of those occasions taken into custody with the smell of alcohol on his breath while refusing, at the police station, to submit to a urine test.

In 1977, Barry escaped death when he was shot near his heart during a two-day siege of the District Building. He survived that brush with death to become the 2nd elected Mayor of Washington D.C. In 1995 he was successfully treated for prostate cancer, shortly after regaining his Mayoral seat after his release from prison.

At 68 years old, I guess he still feels he has the mack-daddy in him and it also seems like the people of D.C., particularly Ward 8, can not get enough of his less than sober personality, having been stopped by Park Police in 2002 and found with traces of marijuana and cocaine in his car – old habits are hard to break.

You would really have to understand the makeup of D.C., the nation’s capitol in order to understand how he is still in politics after all the wrong he has been caught in. It amazes me how long he has lasted in the city of D.C. as a “political figure” with the support of many people but particularly the support of the people in Ward 8.

Yet Obama, being in office only five (5) months, is bombarded by so much criticism that it takes my breath away since he is doing good works throughout the world with no ethics violations to speak of in his career as a public servant – go figure the minds of Americans.

And that’s the way I see it!!!!

Steven Raichlen 4-pc. Barbecue Starter