Yet, she makes it hard by being as vigorous as the ex-AK governor in seeking publicity. Just this week, as she headed off to federal prison for 42 months, she did it twice.
- She tried to cast an absentee ballot for her son in the District 7 Boston Council race. As usual, she blew the details — mailing it in to arrive after she was in prison, hence it would not count. That's like the way she didn't file taxes.
- More meaningfully, she left town looking bitter and fairly crazy. She advanced claims with zero evidence that three black ministers worked with the FBI to entrap her.
As usual, the best report on the messiest of messes, the FBI assertions, is in the DotNews. There News Editor Gintautas Dumcius has all the details, response of the accused ministers, and everything short of editorializing (my job, eh?).
Among the bizarre aspects of all this is that she stated repeatedly that she will run for office upon her release. As she likes to put it, she wants to continue her public service. So, we incredulous observers are left to wonder just what she thinks apparently unsubstantiated accusations against three leading ministers will do to advance that return. One in particular, Gideon (formerly Gilbert) Thompson of Jubilee Christian Church across of Simco's on Blue Hill Avenue runs a mega-church of about 7,000 members. So how smart is pissing him and his congregants off with questionable charges?
Moreover, she seems to be betting on clannishness. Even though there is no evidence of her collaboration charges, her implication is that the three preachers would somehow be traitors to black Bostonians if they helped the feds in any way (squealing as it were). She seems unaware that many black Bostonians had said how disgusted and embarrassed they were by her pathetic stuffing of a bribe into her lingerie.
Instead, she headed off to prison somehow alleging that she had been wronged...by other African Americans. Not only did she have no proof, even if the trio had either helped the investigation or did nothing to protect her after she took bribes, what remains is that she was the criminal and not them.
Many of us, pinkos and locals of color as well, are uncomfortable with, unhappy with, or angry at FBI entrapment in general. At least in Wilkerson's case, she had a long, well proven history of tax evasion and financial shenanigans. In contrast, ex-City Councilor Chuck Turner was entrapped in the same sweep, but he had no previous violations or reasons to suspect him of corruption.
Setting up such stings seems quicker and more efficient than doing real investigation and police work. It stinks though and leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth. If this is what Wilkerson aimed to show, her unproven and unprovable accusations of others doesn't illustrate that. Rather, this looks and sounds just like more of her pattern of trying to shift the blame for her failings to others.
A few people do emerge from prison wiser, more mature, and more focused. We can hope that for Dianne Wilkerson. She is going in badly, but she'll have 42 months to plan the next phase of her life. If she truly wants to return to what was for a long time a solid political career, she'll need an attitude overhaul.
Tags: massmarrier, Boston, corruption, Dianne Wilkerson, stings, FBI, home rule
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