Another one bites the dust; almost like one a day [View All]

[dajoki]

Posted on Wed, Nov. 01, 2006
Arza's resignation avoids racial division in House

DAVID ROYSE
Associated Press
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/elections/15904561.htm

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.

<<snip>>

But when someone in a public position makes a racial remark it opens old wounds that most people nowadays don't want to revisit.

"That is the most painful thing you can do to an African-American," said Sen. Fredrica Wilson. "It brings up all the vestiges of slavery and hate and a period where men were hanged for no reason and beaten."

<<snip>>

Arza, a Hialeah Republican, admitted leaving obscenity-laced, racially tinged messages on a colleague's voice mail. He said he was drunk, that his remarks were out of character, that he wasn't a racist, and begged for forgiveness.

His colleagues begged him to quit the Legislature to spare them the painful prospect of having a debate about just what it means to be a racist.

"Fortunately, his resignation spares us and the citizens of Florida from having to delve deeper into this sordid affair," said Rep. Terry Fields, D-Jacksonville, who was assigned to the special committee that had scheduled three days of hearings.

Arza now also has to face criminal charges. He was charged with two felonies Wednesday, alleging witness tampering and retaliating against a witness, Rep. Gus Barreiro, who had filed a complaint with the House against Arza over another alleged remark. Barreiro had alleged Arza had used a racial slur when talking about Miami-Dade schools chief Rudy Crew.
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WP
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

Scandal Rocks Nevada Governor's Race

By SCOTT SONNER
The Associated Press
Tuesday, October 31, 2006; 8:54 PM

RENO, Nev. -- Nevada's race for governor was barely a contest at all until it took a scandalous turn a few weeks ago, when a cocktail waitress accused Rep. Jim Gibbons of trying to sexually assault her in a parking garage after a night of drinking just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The lurid allegations in the closing weeks of the campaign have put the race back in play and put the one-time Republican front-runner on the defensive. Policy issues have taken a back seat to dueling news conferences, a burgeoning criminal investigation and a mystery over what exactly is on the parking garage's surveillance video.