Ethics

David Barber: The Capt. Renault of Alabama

By Ed Brayton

Set your irony meters for stun, kids; here's your daily dose of hypocrisy as an anti-gambling official in Alabama wins a big jackpot:

The latest down there is that David Barber, the appointed head of the state Task Force on Illegal Gambling, won a jackpot gambling in Mississippi. So while he's fighting gambling in Alabama, trying to keep it illegal, he's popping over the border for some quick cash. The Dothan Eagle reports:

"On a recent visit to Mississippi, I visited a legal casino and won a $2,300 prize playing a legal game," Barber wrote in his resignation letter to Gov. Bob Riley. "While my actions were in full compliance with the law, I am convinced that the forces that operate illegal casinos in Alabama will focus on my actions as part of their continuing effort to smear you and your Task Force."

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on February 05, 2010 (boomark / email).