The FBI's raid of the office of Congressman William J. Jefferson of Louisiana, has resulted in some strange political bedfellows. Bill Frist, has broken ranks with some of his fellow Republicans to defend the actions of the FBI. Well, it's about time.

I must admit that this situation just doesn't look good for Rep. Jefferson. With alleged ties to schemes with Nigerian businessmen, recorded conversations and that $90, 000 found in his freezer, it's just downright funky. How Jefferson gets out of this is beyond me.

Personally, I hold Black politicians to a higher standard than others. Yeah, that may not be right but, damn, Blacks folks, as a group have so much more ground to cover politically, economically and educationally. To have folks, elected officials none the less, proceed to rip-off others and not look out for the community is inexcusable.

OK, so that sounds twisted to you, right? Well, I'm dealing with reality. I don't condone illegality but dammit, Black politicians appear to be only group of elected officials who don't look out for their people because they are so busy looking out for themselves. To add insult to injury, Black voters continue to put the crooks 'n liars back in office.

Well, I may be in the minority, but I don't give passes to Black politicians just because we are the same hue. Just like ministers, Black politicians are held to a higher standard in my book. No passes and no free rides. It's time for Blacks to hold political, economic, religious and education leaders accountable. It's just that simple.

As far as Congressman Jefferson is concerned, the jury is still out and the American public should be questioning the motives of the politicians who so vigorously defend him. Hey, don't get mad at me because it's the truth!

© 2006 VANESSA BYERS, Vanessa: Unplugged