Speaking of Incorrigible Scumbags...

Bribery: It's not just for disgraced Massachusetts State Senators anymore.

FBI arrests City Councilor Chuck Turner

The FBI arrested Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner this morning on charges he accepted a $1,000 bribe and then lied about taking the money in a widening federal corruption inquiry.

A 12-page affidavit filed this morning in US District Court alleges that Turner was surreptitiously videotaped accepting the cash in his district office on Aug. 3, 2007, in exchange for pushing for a liquor license of the Roxbury nightclub Dejavu. Included with the affidavit are two photographs of Turner allegedly accepting the bribe. In one image, Turner's trademark white goatee is clearly visible as folded green bills are pressed into his hand.

I don't understand, he was always such a pillar of integrity!

Pornogate, anyone?

And, in typical Mumbles fashion, Boston Mayor Tom Mumbles Menino (gasp! surprise! shock! horror!, outrage!) passes the buck.

Asked whether Turner should resign, Menino said, “That’s somebody else’s decision, not my decision.”

Courage.

Leadership.

Spinal fortitude.

Not.

Let me help you out, Tom. The answer is "HELL YES!". How hard is that?

First, Wilkerson, now Turner. This can only mean one thing.

Ensuing cries and accusations of racist witch hunts in 10...9...8...

UPDATE: 7...6...5...4...3...2...1...lift-off.

Prominent members of Boston’s black community decried the arrest of a second top black politician in the span of two months, saying the scandals have rubbed the city’s deep racial scars raw.

The Rev. Ray Hammond, a well-known minister who called for Sen. Dianne Wilkerson to step down after her arrest, said some residents have questioned why the bribery sting has only ensnared blacks - Wilkerson and now Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner.

“As there appears to be an effort to root this out, people are wondering ‘Why is it only black officials that have been targeted,’ ” asked Hammond, who serves at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain. “I’m not willing to say this is inherently racial, but given our history as a nation, people of color tend to be a little suspicious.”

Nope. Couldn't see that coming.