An online poll by America Online suggests a large majority of Americans do not believe New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is sincere in his apology about remarks calling for his city to become a "chocolate city" once again.
With nearly a quarter-million participants thus far, the unscientific survey shows nearly two out of three people – 64 percent – say Nagin is "not at all sincere" with his apology. Only 9 percent believe he's "very" sincere, and 27 percent say he's "somewhat" sincere.
On Martin Luther King Day this week, Nagin stated:
"We ask black people: It's time. It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild a New Orleans – the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans. And I don't care what people are saying in Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day. This city will be a majority African-American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."
As WorldNetDaily reported, Nagin sang a different tune less than 24 hours later.
"I apologize to any resident in this city that may have been offended," the mayor said. "That was not my intention. If I could take anything back, I thought the Uptown comment was inappropriate. If any people are working hard to rebuild this city, it's the people Uptown."
Explaining his remarks, Nagin said, "Unfortunately, everything I say today is scrutinized to the nth degree."
"It was Martin Luther King's birthday," he said. "I thought it was appropriate to address some of the concerns and frustrations I'm hearing from the African-American community."
Internet entrepreneurs are capitalizing on the comments by selling T-shirts bearing the official's image dressed as Willy Wonka.
Some in the public have felt Nagin's comments were racist in nature, with the suggestion the city was ordained to have a majority-black populace.
WND has been inundated with e-mail from readers about the issue, with the vast majority of messages concurring about the racism:
# This whole story makes me want to ask anyone, especially Nagin, if he remembers when New Orleans was first settled – and by whom? Wasn't it primarily the French? I doubt there were many chocolate French people at that time. (Debbie Rendall, Chicago)
# Not only does Chocolate [Nagin] appear to be a super-racist, but he's a black separatist as well. I would like to know why some of these folks refer to themselves as African-Americans. In my opinion, there is no such thing. Either they are African or they are American! They should make a choice. This is another example of people not wanting to blend in with our American culture and society.
He and his people can have New Orleans. But, I wish that the U.S. government wouldn't spend any of my hard-earned tax dollars in helping to rebuild a city that was doomed from the start (below sea level). Since Chocolate is chocolate, our federal government will make this happen anyway. And stupid me, I grew up thinking we were all just Americans! (Tim Scott, Largo, Fla.)
# First off, I do not believe he is a racist. ... To the point of us all being Americans, that's bullc---. Whites are the first to see color, but let a black try to come with the color line, then you cry foul. I can attest to that myself. If America is supposed to be this great country then why can we see the speck of immorality in another country's eye and not see the log of immorality, injustice, poverty in our own eye? (C.P.)
# Fruitcake in da 'hood! (Adrian Wainer, Dublin, Ireland)
# Thank you for the article on the jerk mayor in New Orleans. He wants an all-chocolate city – he can have it. I, for one, and I would imagine there are others, will never set foot there again, nor will I spend another dime there. How is he going to support this all-chocolate city without income from us pathetic whites? (S.E. Burris, New Mexico)
# If a white mayor from Alabama would have said, "God wants this to be a vanilla city," the dung would have hit the fan with a hailstorm. By now, he, the white mayor would have had to resign and the lawsuits would have been pouring in like a broken levee. Oh, that's right, I almost forgot. It was the "white folks" that blew the levees in the first place. Silly me!
We have had thousands of police officers and firemen who came down here risking their lives, getting shot at by black thugs while in the process of saving the lives of black residents. For what? A slap in the face by a racist mayor? These people came because they did not see color, they saw humans in need of help as they left their own families. ... I wish people from around the country would boycott New Orleans. Because from now on, there is no reason for anyone that is not black to come here. ... I hang my head in shame to say that I am from a city that I was once so proud of. We are the laughing stock of the country, and rightfully so. If I was a working stiff in Iowa, I wouldn't give a plug nickel to rebuild this chocolate city. (Sean M. Sullivan, police detective, New Orleans area)
"“More Iraqis think things are going well in Iraq than Americans do. I guess they don’t get the New York Times over there.”—Jay Leno".
posted on January 19, 2006 02:00:31 PM new
Bear the poor man, I already commented that Mayor Ray Nagin, D-New Orleans shouldn't be in politics any longer. Bear so worried and desperate to find fault with Democrats he make double posts about the same subject. Poor Bear, so desperate.
Bears posts "Nagin eats his own words"...
posted by Bear on January 17, 2006 01:59:13 PM.
My reply to that post was on January 18, 2006 at 06:38:14 AM.
Bigpeepa said, Nagin should not be in politics any-longer and won't be soon. All the politico's claiming Gods ear and use God's name as threats in speeches are finished.
Looks like I am one of the 64% that doesn't find Nagin's apology sincere. Looks like the AOL poll is right on to me.
ITS NICE BEING A PROGRESSIVE WATCHING DESPERATE CONSERVATIVES DESTROYING THEMSELVES.
BEAR SUCH A DESPERATE MAN HAVING TO MAKE DOUBLE POSTS ABOUT THE SAME SUBJECT. YES!!
posted on January 19, 2006 06:22:19 PM new
Bear... always reaching... That is what a 3rd grade education will get you though. I think it is quite obvious that Nagin's statements were wrong, and now you are doing nothing but beating a dead horse.
posted on January 20, 2006 03:49:54 AM new
Bear threw out some neocon bull roar. The bull roar hit a fan and blew back onto his face. Bear and Liar_K are both walking around with dirty faces lately. YES!!!
