Burnt Orange Report

Ray Nagin

By Jim Dallas

As you may know, embattled New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin supported President Bush in 2000 and was a Republican before switching parties shortly before filing his candidacy for mayor in 2002 (more or less because a Republican is unelectable in New Orleans). Nagin has since had sort of a mixed record with endorsements (backing Bobby Jindal for governor and John Kerry for President).

Given that the GOP has been pretty solicitous of (some would say desperate for) support from just about any person of color, one might imagine that the right-wing spin machine might have eased off of Nagin by now; the Hurricane is over, no need to deflect blame on to state and local officials anymore.

Which makes me even more perplexed by the latest e-mail from the NRA, which reads more like a political hit on Nagin than, you know, your typical paranoid "cold dead hands" banter:

The controversy over gun confiscations erupted when The New York Times reported that the New Orleans Superintendent of Police Eddie Compass directed that no civilians in New Orleans will be allowed to have guns and that "only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons." ABC News quoted New Orleans' Deputy Police Chief Warren Riley, saying, "No one will be able to be armed. We are going to take all the weapons."

This week--fast on the heels of the restraining order--Compass abruptly resigned his post. At the same time, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's office was quick to distance itself from the statements made by Compass and Riley.

The one big question that remains to be answered is who actually issued the controversial confiscation order in the first place.

Under Nagin's leadership, the city's murder rate increased and there were frequent reports of corruption within the police department. In addition, during the region's wide-spread, post-Katrina violence, looting, and civil unrest, roughly 250 police officers deserted their posts. Amidst the anarchy, a television crew filmed police officers apparently participating in the looting of a store.

That last paragraph seems especially gratuitous. Granted, the NRA has every right to stand up to anyone who would take your guns away from you (and that's why I'm on their mailing list). But continuing the "Nagin/NOPD = anarchy" meme really doesn't seem to have much to do with the merits of the gun controversy.

I'm beginning to get the nagging sensation that there's more at work behind the sense than simple issue advocacy. The fact that I can't ever seem to tell whether the NRA is representing its members or the vast right-wing conspiracy is one reason why I can't stand the current NRA leadership. Of course, my grand scheme is to get more Democrats (like this guy) to join up so we can take over (our motto: "you can pry my gun -- and my social security check -- out of my cold dead hands").