Ophelia -- a mission from God

Ophelia Ford, famous for her involvement in the contested Tennessee state Senate election where dead people voted, says she is being used by God:

"Nothing like this has ever happened before. That's why God is using me -- little old me -- to make needed laws that needed to be changed ... God is using me, can't you see it? The writing is on the wall. He chose little old me to use. I don't know when you all are going to get that. It's not about me. I've been chosen. I was chosen to get into this election by the Lord I serve," she said.

Somehow that triggered a "Blues Brothers" flashback where Dan Ackroyd said, "we're on a mission from God" and Aretha Franklin shot back, "Don't you blaspheme in here."

Everyone knows God works in mysterious ways, but surely Miss Ophelia doesn't think the Big Guy is using the dead-voter scandal to change the absentee ballot or voting district laws? Maybe she meant tightening up the entire process. With that I'd agree.

The Senate is moving forward on the election and expects a settlement sometime in April. The plan is send letters to each of the challenged voters (not the dead ones) and offer them the chance to prove their residency.

More Memphis politics....

Memphis mayor W.W. Herenton was scheduled to testify in the trial of former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell in February. The trial is coming to a close, but we've seen no reports locally about what Mayor Willie had to say. Searching around, this was the most up to date story I could find, dated in early Feb:

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton said today that his expected testimony at the federal corruption trial of former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell is the result of a subpoena obtained by the defense, not by prosecutors.

Herenton declined to comment on the substance of his testimony expected this month in Atlanta. But he issued a statement saying his administration "in no way, form or fashion, has been accused of any wrongdoing."

One would think a local news outlet would have commented had anything major transpired, right? Guess we can take the loud cricket sounds as an indication this thing is effectively dead and buried.

MEDIA HEATHENS 3/11/06

Mayor Herenton was asked Friday about Miss Ophelia's divine providence comments. First, a flashback:

On New Year's Day two years ago, Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton said he was chosen by God and had been given a vision for the city. Herenton told a prayer breakfast crowd that, "The God we serve doesn't give everybody a vision. Everybody doesn't see what I see."

Regards Ms Ford, the mayor chastised thusly:

"Some of the reaction sometimes from the media gives a person like me the view that maybe the media community is almost atheistic, that you're atheists," Herenton said, adding that the media's views are not the same as those with deep profound Christian values. "It is a part of our basic spiritual foundation that some of us believe that God does in fact choose people for certain purposes. "Now the universe may not believe that, but because Sen. Ford stated that -- to me it is not something for the media to ridicule."

Herenton has a minor point. The black community, especially in the south, has a culture of religion. There's virtually no way to separate the church and state, which is why during election season you'll see a steady stream of politicians in the pulpits. However, this cultural phenomenon should not be immune from criticism just because it involves the Almighty. Simply questioning a politician's assertion they've been preordained doesn't mean the questioner is an automatic atheist. The Founders might have also have felt preordained but they rarely spoke of it in public.

The Mayor needs to understand the media's job is to question things. For example, if Terry Roland had said, "I believe I was sent by God to straighten out this corrupt system" I'm sure Herenton would expect the media to look into it. Skin color shouldn't make a difference.

There is some irony. George W. Bush has also hinted perhaps he was pre-ordained to become the president. By my calculations, that seems to place him on the same team as our Memphis democrats. God does work in mysterious ways indeed.