When will the media turn its attention to Clinton and her close friendship with the late Harry Lee?

[chascarrillo]

Honestly, the late Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Sheriff Harry Lee - a close personal friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton, makes Rev. Jeremiah Wright look like a piker.

Details here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4917694

The white-flight suburbs around New Orleans are in many ways worse. During the 1980s, Jefferson Parish sheriff Harry Lee famously ordered special scrutiny for any black people traveling in white sections of the parish. "It's obvious," Lee said, "that two young blacks driving a rinky-dink car in a predominantly white neighborhood? They'll be stopped."

The New Orleans Gambit newspaper reported that 1994, “after two black men died in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center within one week, Lee faced protests from the black community and responded by withdrawing his officers from a predominantly black neighborhood. ‘To hell with them,’ he'd said. ‘I haven't heard one word of support from one black person.’”

The Gambit also reported in April of this year that in Jefferson Parish officers were found to be using as target practice what critics referred to as “a blatantly racist caricature” of a Black male. Sheriff Lee laughed when presented with the charges. "I'm looking at this thing that people say is offensive," he says. "I've looked at it, I don't find it offensive, and I have no interest in correcting it."

These accusations of “target practice” gained force a few weeks later with the May 31 killing of 16-year-old Antoine Colbert, who was behind the wheel of a stolen pickup truck with two other teens. 110 shots were fired into the truck, killing Colbert and injuring his passengers. In response to criticism from Black ministers over the incident, Lee responded “they can kiss my ass.”

http://minorjive.typepad.com/hungryblues/2005/10/a_little_more_c.html

NYT on the Clintons connections to Lee, including a fundraiser last year: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/us/politics/20commence.html?_r=1&fta=y&oref=slogin

[jobycom]

1. Why should they? Was he her spiritual advisor? Did she ever name a book after something

he said to her? Is there some reason, other than political fundraising, to believe he influenced her in any way?

And are you saying that the media was right to attack Obama over Reverend Wright's comments?

What a dishonest post.

[chascarrillo]

2. I think keeping a close friendship with a racist piece of trash like Lee would be newsworthy.

And, yes, I think close friends influence each other. If there's something dishonest about that... I ain't seein' it.

[splat]

3. If she's still friends with him, that's news!

[1776Forever]

4. He was at a fund raiser in May '07 - I found another that says he past away Oct. '07

Colorful Louisiana sheriff Harry Lee dies at 75
Mon Oct 1, 2007

By Russell McCulley

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0134121820071001

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee, the "Chinese Cowboy" whose colorful style and controversial policies made him one of Louisiana's best known politicians, died on Monday of leukemia.

Lee, 75, had been sheriff of the suburban New Orleans parish since 1980 and was running for re-election this month.

[Window]

6. Like Betty Davis once said to a reporter regarding Joan Crawford's passing,

my mother told me to never speak ill of the dead. She's dead, good. Same for Lee. He's dead, good.

[sandnsea]

5. That's racism against blacks

Where's the problem with that?

:sarcasm:

[Hippo_Tron]

7. Harry Lee was scum and the Clintons should've had the good sense to keep their distance