Fuck AI

What team sports politics combined with legalized (and illegalized for that matter) bribery does to a motherfucker

Deborah Dunlap, who owns a monster chunk of downtown Pensacola, invited me to a party at her house where she was introducing a young black woman, new on the political scene and running for city council.

Brian Spencer, local architect, pulled the candidate aside and wrote her a $1,000 check and spoke to her a bit. She won and you know damned well Brian had her ear. In the next year or two, Brian was on the council.

$1,000 is pocket lint to a man like that. Eating at his restaurant under his condo, easy $150 for a couple. His architecture firm scored multi-million dollar contracts. I know. I printed the plans.

It's hilarious how poor and unimportant I was to be at such a private event, only knew her as a customer at the shop I (mostly) managed, Digital Now. Got to hang there one night as the Mardi Gras parade went past her balcony! Good times. Also funny that the old boys network hated her guts because she wouldn't play their games. She just wanted what was best for downtown. And yes, "best" would make her richer, but that wasn't so much her thing. Talked to her and her daughter at the Goodwill one Saturday. "It's $1 on green tags today!" I know Deborah, that's why I'm here!

Yeah, I'm naming fucking names. Though it was 20-years back, we need to name fucking names.

tl;dr: Buying politicians is stupid cheap.