Chocolate City

I am sorry to say that this delicious sounding concept is not one of my own, or even another's gastronomical fantasy. It is one of two apology-provoking ideas that New Orleans' Mayor C. Ray Nagin proposed earlier in the week, this one referring not to a decaying city rebuilt with cocoa but instead to his hope for the future demographics of his city.

It follows his publicly delivered theory, presented Monday at a speech commemerating Martin Luther King, that God punished America with Hurricane Katrina because we started the war in Iraq. For an open-minded person such as myself, it didn't sound too far-fetched. I mean, it's not like he proposed that the holocaust never happened. There's evidence for that little horror in history, but the president of Iran didn't apologize after throwing the possibility out for consideration. So apart from the meteorologist's explanation for the disaster, Nagin's suggestion is just as viable as any.

However, I do feel that Mayor Nagin owes us an apology, but for a lot more than his eyebrow-raising comments. Nagin needs to apologize for spending his time in the Mayor's office coming up with these controvesial statements instead of getting off his chocolate ass and leading the resurrection of a nearly demolished center of Southern history and culture. Only half the number of previous residents in New Orleans have returned since September. Yet Nagin stated only last month: "I can see in your eyes, you want to know, 'How do I take advantage of this incredible opportunity? How do I make sure New Orleans is not overrun with Mexican workers?'" If the French had taken the same attitude 300 years ago, we wouldn't have a creole city to bring back to life and Mayor Nagin would be writing Pat Robertson's routines instead of his own bullshit.