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DEL.ICIO.USThe real question is whether voodoo is a legitimate campaign write-off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wall Street may be imploding. Your retirement and your job is in peril. Possibly, your dog is searching Craig’s List for a more reliable animal companion.
But there are times when minor issues have to be pushed aside in order to deal with a question of epic moral and legal magnitude, which is this:
If a Cobb County commissioner were to go to a voodoo priestess and request the death of the man who defeated her in a primary, would the fee be considered an allowable campaign expense?
You have probably already heard about this, via today’s AJC article or the one in the Marietta Daily Journal.
According to a Cobb County police report and newspaper accounts, District 4 Commissioner Annette Kesting in August approached a South Carolina voodoo priestess and handed her a picture of Woody Thompson, a Republican-turned-Democrat who defeated her in an August primary runoff.
Kill him, Kesting allegedly suggested. A bounced check for the $3,000 service caused the voodoo specialist to report the matter to authorities.
Kesting calls the whole thing ridiculous, and says it never happened, but the priestess offers a pretty good description of Kesting’s car, according to the MDJ.
So again: If the incident happened, and if Kesting used campaign funds to hire a voodoo technician, would this an allowable expense under state law that can be paid with campaign funds?
“Is this an ordinary and necessary expense? Is this what you’re asking?” said Rick Thompson, executive secretary for the State Ethics Commission.
Sure.
Thompson thought about it. “I don’t know what to say,” he began. “The staff would certainly look into it, if a complaint we’re filed. Yes, I definitely think it would warrant looking into.”
On the other hand, Thompson continued, campaign funds cannot be used to finance misdeeds. Hiring a hit-man, for instance.
But wouldn’t voodoo be just another form of negative advertising? the Insider countered. An alternate means for one candidate to transmit bad thoughts about another candidate?
Remember that this summer, Focus on the Family posted a video in which a fellow wondered —facetiously, the group said afterwards — if it would be wrong to pray for a torrent of rain to fall on Barack Obama during his outdoor speech to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
“Definitely, we’d hand it to commissioners for their consideration,” Thompson said.
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Comments
By Kat
October 7, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this
Look at the mess the minorities have made in Clayton County and now look at this idiot black county commissioner in Cobb Couty hiring a voodoo priestess. I can only imagine the catastrophe that awaits us if Obama and his radical minions take power. All hail to The Chosen One… Obama, Obama… he will lead us us to change. Barf!!!
By Kat2
October 7, 2008 12:48 PM | Link to this
Why drege race into it, Kat??? Can’t an idiot just be an idiot?
Sheesh — we white people make a bigger deal out of race than black people on these boards.
AJC reeks.
By S. Johnson
October 7, 2008 3:45 PM | Link to this
the real question here is why sam olens and other elected republicans are giving donations to democrat woody thompson and not assisting the republican candidate barbara hickey
By Angela
October 9, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this
Rply to Kat’s comment October 7, 2008 12:25 PM
Here we go again. What would trailer-park- trash , dirt-black feet, with chewing tobacco stains on their chins, White folks do if they could not deceive themselves into thinking that they are better than a Black, HARVARD Law grad, who is a US Senator , and the next President of the United States of America? Hate is a disease with no vaccine, but can be healed through loving others as we love ourselves. Let us give LOVE a VOICE!. It is the CHANGE WE NEED!
By Raven
October 9, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
Next time, use a credit card. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on spells against my political opponent (who so deserves it) and have no intention of stopping. Next: “Living in Hell” spell to mess up their mind. And by the way, I’m white and the spells have helped me come ever closer to being elected.