A person familiar with the case said a bill of information is expected to be filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court against Officer Michael Hunter Jr. The person was not authorized to discuss the case and therefore spoke on condition of anonymity.
A police report says Hunter drove officers to the bridge in a rental truck and fired three shots during the incident.
Prosecutors are running low on time, because most of the charges they would seek to bring have a five-year statute of limitations -- giving them a deadline of August or September 2010.
Some reading this who are not familiar with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina may not recall the infamous 'Danziger Seven' Indicted in 2006 were: click on picture for larger version
From left: Robert Barrios, Robert Faulcon Jr., Ignatius Hills, Robert Gisevius Jr., Kenneth Bowen, Anthony Villavaso II, and Michael Hunter Jr. (AP Photo) (AP)
I'm usually not a political poster, too many nuances in politics for me to deal with. But lately this "tea party" bullshit has been gnawing at my nerves. Americans DON'T act like this against fellow Americans. What's wrong with this?
I read somewhere in the NOLA blogosphere about an editorial that says all of this violence is related to the GOP-ers reacting in fear about all the "non whites" taking over power in this country.
Well, good old boys, time to roll with the changes. High time to roll with the changes if you ask me.
Going to look for that link........................
Until I read the columns linked below, I always thought I was being a little sensitive to some of the Republicans' insane rants and raves and lies against President Obama. But now that I read it in black and white, I see how crazy these people really, really are!!!
then there's an op ed called The Absence of Class which begins A group of lowlifes at a Tea Party rally in Columbus, Ohio, last week taunted and humiliated a man who was sitting on the ground with a sign that said he had Parkinson’s disease. The disgusting behavior was captured on a widely circulated videotape. One of the Tea Party protesters leaned over the man and sneered: “If you’re looking for a handout, you’re in the wrong end of town.”
Another threw money at the man, first one bill and then another, and said contemptuously, “I’ll pay for this guy. Here you go. Start a pot.”
Yup, class missing there!
H/T to Greg Peters and Charlotte Hamrick via Facebook.
I usually don't believe in lynchings, but after reading this story and looking at this video, I do. Reading the story made me immediately cry. The story starts at the 1:20 point of this video.
Police say they have rescued a severely malnourished 9-year-old Louisiana boy who was being held as a prisoner in his own home.
"He was weighing 38 pounds," Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's spokeswoman Kim Myers said. She the child was being held in the room with a dog leash.
He was also covered in bruises and burns on his face and body.
"He had a second degree burn on his back that was caused by a sock that had rice in that was heated up and was placed on his back," Myers explained his stepmother allegedly was responsible for the abuse.
Further allegations are even more graphic and outlined in the news release from the Sheriff's office below. Be warned the claims are disturbing.
Police say the stepmother, 27-year-old Jaime B. Day, is facing dozens of charges and locked up with a bond at more than $5 million. Her two children living in the house were reportedly not abused.
The new release says Day was "depriving the child of food, not allowing him to eat with the family but forcing him to watch the family eat. It was also determined the boy would be so hungry at times he would eat his own feces and drink his own urine to survive."
The child's biological father, 30-year-old Murray Day, turned himself in late Tuesday. His bail is set at $2 million.
Read the entire news release:
On February 19 the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office received a complaint from a woman living in Moss Bluff concerning the welfare of a nine year old child. When questioned by CPSO Deputy Jason Schnake, the complainant advised him the child was very thin and possibly being forced to stay in his bedroom. He also learned the child resided with his father and stepmother in south Lake Charles.
Schnake traveled to the house in south Lake Charles to check on the welfare of the child. Once inside the house he observed a dog leash that was tied from one door knob to another to keep a nine year old boy weighing 38 pounds inside the room where he was laying on the only thing in the room, a filthy foam pallet on top of box springs covered with blood. On the pallet was a bloody and urine saturated sheet. The smell of urine was very strong in the room. The boy was dressed in a t-shirt, shorts and wearing a diaper with multiple bruises to his body and face.
The boy was taken to the hospital where he stayed for 13 days. It was determined at the hospital his body temperature was 92 � which indicated he was in hypothermia due to malnutrition.
Further investigation revealed his stepmother, Jaime B. Day, 27, 2841 Southern Ridge Dr., Lake Charles, was depriving the child of food, not allowing him to eat with the family but forcing him to watch the family eat. It was also determined the boy would be so hungry at times he would eat his own feces and drink his own urine to survive.
There was a 2nd degree burn on the boy's back caused by Day placing a sock containing rice that was heated up on his back.
Day has been charged with 25 counts of cruelty to a juvenile and 2 counts of 2nd degree cruelty to a juvenile. Judge David Ritchie set her bond at $5.5 million. She has been booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center.
The father, Murry Dalton Day, 30, same address, is being charged with 5 counts of cruelty to a juvenile; and 1 counts of 2nd degree cruelty to a juvenile. Judge David Ritchie set his bond at $2 million. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. He is expected to turn himself into the Calcasieu Correctional Center today.
After examining the child, doctors have verified the injuries and the malnutrition are consistent with child abuse. Detectives have determined this abuse occurred from late last year until present.
There are two other children in the home � a 4 year old boy who is the biological child of the Day's, and a 6 year old boy who is Jaime Day's child and adopted by Murry Day. Those two children do not appear to have been abused. All three children have been removed from the home.
Six years ago, the biological mother of the 9 year old boy's parental rights were terminated when the Office of Community Service determined physical abuse had occurred. Murry Day was given custody of the boy at that time.
CPSO Detective Michael Primeaux is the lead investigator on this case. The investigation is continuing with more arrests possible.
The child was suffering from burns... there was blood and urine all over the room at the south Lake Charles home.
And of course, in cases like this, families of these abusive animals are coming to their rescue. From this website: Several people, who know the family, have posted comments of support for Jaime, on our Facebook page. Some said the boy already had sever mental issues. Several attempts have been made by 7 News to speak with these people, but no one has come forward. 7 News also attempted to speak with Jaime Day's attorney, Walter Sanchez. He also declined to comment.
Today was my Friday off and it promised to be a rain free day (finally), so we decided to grab the cameras and ride around to see what was going on in the East and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
New Orleans East was hard hit by the storm and is finally looking like she's getting help. Right after the storm, we took a bike ride on a levee that was completely run over by the storm surge, bringing HUGE boats with it. Check out the pictures here.
for anyone interested, these are called "bottom dump trucks". (I only mention it because I had a difficult time finding a picture of the trucks that are doing the work).
This levee seems to be on a fast track to being repaired and raised. Day and night there has been a parade of heavy-duty "new fangled" dump trucks bringing landfill into the East from points beyond. They must be on a tight schedule, too because these drivers are literally hauling ass, making the corner from Powers Junction to Highway 11 to get back to I10 and to wherever they're picking up their landfill.
For all of you who don't work at Michoud, Folgers or Textron in the East, this is what is known as Powers Junction, where Highway 11 meets Highway 90. Boring geographical fact: Highway 11 runs from New Orleans to Maine. Powers Junction is where it ends.
So, after searching for a part that came off of my car one morning last week at Powers Junction, we decided to check out the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. We visited this area of wetlands rebirth last July.
The boardwalk has been kept safe - we saw indications of replaced boards where needed.
What was so awesome about being at this place, just 10 miles from New Orleans, is the quiet. It's soothing.
Our approach to the outlook in one section of the boardwalk disturbed the "pouldeaus" - better known as American Coots. They're some kind of waterbird that like to hang out in this area in winter. They were cautious, but kept their distance from us.
After exploring the NWR, we decided to head to the city of Bay St. Louis for lunch. Glad we did. We had some great fried catfish at Rickeys and then made sure we took a picture of this for days when we need a smile.
The man in the above picture is Lance Madison. The fear in his eyes breaks my heart. He is on his knees and surrounded by a group of thugs: New Orleans cops. For reasons beyond my comprehension, these thugs decided to frame Mr. Madison. This is AFTER they murdered his severely mentally ill brother by shooting him 7 times in the back.
Those reading this who are not familiar with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina may not recall the infamous 'Danziger Seven' Indicted in 2006 were: click on picture for larger version
From left: Robert Barrios, Robert Faulcon Jr., Ignatius Hills, Robert Gisevius Jr., Kenneth Bowen, Anthony Villavaso II, and Michael Hunter Jr. (AP Photo) (AP)
Sgt. Kenneth Bowen was charged with one count of first-degree murder of James Brissette. Bowen also was charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murder of Leonard Bartholomew III, Susan Bartholomew, Lesha Bartholomew, Jose Holmes Jr., Lance Madison and Ronald Madison, who allegedly was fatally shot by another officer. Lance Madison was shot at by police, but not injured, according to his attorney. The three Bartholomews and Holmes were treated for gunshot wounds at West Jefferson Hospital, according to all accounts.
Sergeant Robert Gisevius was charged with one count of first-degree murder of James Brissette and two counts of attempted first-degree murder of Lance Madison and Ronald Madison.
Officer Anthony Villavaso was charged with one count of first-degree murder of James Brissette and four counts of attempted first-degree murder of Leonard Bartholomew III, Susan Bartholomew, Lesha Bartholomew and Jose Holmes Jr.
Officer Robert Faulcon was charged with two counts of first-degree murder of James Brissette and Ronald Madison. He also was charged with attempted first-degree murder of Leonard Bartholomew III, Susan Bartholomew, Lesha Bartholomew and Jose Holmes Jr.
Officer Robert Barrios was charged with four counts of attempted first-degree murder of Leonard Bartholomew III, Susan Bartholomew, Lesha Bartholomew and Jose Holmes Jr.
Officer Michael Hunter was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder of Lance Madison and Ronald Madison. Officer Ignatius Hills was charged with one count of attempted second-degree murder of Leonard Bartholomew IV.
Nearly three years after the incident, charges were dropped against the thugs do to a screw up in ex D.A. Eddie Jordan's office:
From the above link: Murder and attempted-murder charges against seven New Orleans police officers -- accused of shooting unarmed civilians on the Danziger Bridge after Hurricane Katrina -- were tossed out Wednesday by Criminal District Court Judge Raymond Bigelow, who concluded that a prosecutor violated grand jury secrecy.
Assistant District Attorney Dustin Davis, who has since left the office, showed a snippet of grand jury testimony to the supervisor of several of the accused officers.
"The violation is clear, and indeed, uncontroverted. The state improperly disclosed grand jury testimony to another police officer, " Bigelow said, reading his ruling from the bench.
Yesterday (February 24, 2010), a former NOPD supervisor pled guilty to covering up what really happened. From the NOLA dot com website an excerpt: Admitting a cover-up of shocking breadth, a former New Orleans police supervisor pleaded guilty to a federal obstruction charge on Wednesday, confessing that he participated in a conspiracy to justify the shooting of six unarmed people after Hurricane Katrina that was hatched not long after police stopped firing their weapons.
The guilty plea of Lt. Michael Lohman, who retired from the department earlier this month, contains explosive details of the alleged cover-up and ramps up the legal pressure on police officers involved in the shooting and subsequent investigation. It's unclear when Lohman's cooperation with federal authorities began, but he presumably is prepared to testify against the officers he says helped him lie about the circumstances of a shooting he immediately deemed a "bad shoot."
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
I think (I HOPE) that this is a turning point in the whole mess that took place after the storm. The innocents involved, such as the ones in the Danziger bridge case can finally put this hell behind them, although the pain and memories will never fade.
John McCusker / The Times-Picayune Police must be held to the law, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said on the steps of the federal courthouse Wednesday.
Keep up the great work, Mr. Letten and crew!
Update March 9th, 2010 And the dominoes are starting to fall. On March 8th, former NOPD Jeffrey Lehrmann, 38, was charged late last month with misprision of a felony -- or knowing about a crime and failing to report it, according to a bill of information unsealed . Defendants who are charged by bill of information, rather than grand jury indictment, have typically signed plea agreements with the federal government requiring them to cooperate. Lehrmann, now an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Arizona, is at least the second former officer to cooperate with prosecutors, adding steam to a probe that is certain to include additional indictments of NOPD officers. Lerhmann's role in the incident was after-the-fact: He was one of two detectives who supposedly interviewed and took statements from the civilians wounded in the police shooting.
Two weeks ago tonight the Saints won the Superbowl. It's still kind of dream like to me and - I'm sure a lot of other fans - to hear and say "The Saints won the Superbowl".
One of my favorite NOLA bloggers, dillyberto found this video taken just as Tracy Porter intercepted the ball in the 4th quarter of the SB. Who Dat.
a perfect video recap of the Saints Superbowl parade. Hard to believe this parade was put together in less than a week. Via New Orleans!!! Who Dat Saints!!!
.....Gambit calls Chris Rose — columnist, comedian, raconteur — the paper’s newest contributing writer.
Rose’s first essay will appear as the cover story in the Feb. 16 issue of Gambit and on its Web site, Blog of New Orleans. Thereafter, his column will appear weekly alongside the paper’s other award-winning columnists: Clancy DuBos, Jeremy Alford and the pseudonymous Blake Pontchartrain.
In the past month or so many happy, crazy, wonderful events have occurred in the Gulf Coast area it seems as if - after 4.5 years - the tides are finally turning from "shit out of luck" to "wow, that was nice!".
The denizens of Southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast have been witness to some of the most bizarre "good" scenarios since 2010 began. No one could make this stuff up! I hope someday somebody makes a movie out of what's happened so far!
Now, I'm not a writer or a big sports fan (you caught on to that, didn't you?). I'm just an observer of mankind in my home area. After the New Orleans Saints finished their regular season in an unprecidented winning season, I started paying attention and here's what I have found.
It all began with the New Orleans Saints unbelievable 2009 Season. They've been slowly building up to where they ended up this year since 2006 when Sean Payton and Drew Brees and company joined the Saints.
Because of the genius of Sean Payton, the Saints secured home advantage for the two playoff games.
Game number 1 was against the Azirona Cardinals and their great Quarterback Kurt Warner.
So many Saints heroes in this game. But as the Saints know, there's no "I" in "team".
Playoff game 2 was against the very "sore losers" team, the Vikings and their over the hill but still damn good "Brett Farve. Not a class act, but an egomaniac
I loved this game.
I think this was the first time in Saints' Fan History that a million tears of joy were shed....openly by men as well as women......not just because the Saints WERE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL FOR THE FIRST TIME, but for all of those fans who never lived to see this day. Yes, Katrina you bitch. They were there in spirit.
After the game ended there was an instantaeous eruption of fans - who were watching the game in the quarter - into the streets, hugging, high fiving and screaming with joy
Following that (well, there was a week or two to kill between games) came the ever popular Bobby and Buddy D Brawds in Dresses Parade. This parade proved that the male Saints fans are very secure in their masculinity to don a huge assortment of womens' dresses and parade from the Superdome to Bourbon Street in honor of Buddy Diliberto, a beloved legend in New Orleans sports broadcasting.
Buddy loved the Saints and one day said that if they ever went to the Superbowl, he'd wear a dress. Buddy died in 2005 but his followers remembered his words. A parade was basically thrown together in a week. It was a walking parade which grew into 85,000 strong. Unbelieveable. In the following clip, witness the "father of the Who Dat Nation", former Saints Quarterback Bobby Cajun Cannon Hebert, get into character (helped not doubt with some heavy alcohol consumption)
It was such an awesome day. Buddy D would've been happy.
On a side note, there are several NOLA bloggers who are die hard Saints Fans who held their own tribute to Buddy D that day. I love this. And these guys, even though we've never met.
Next came Superbowl week, with all it's hype. But two days before then, a wonderful thing happened:
Saints number 57 - Ricky Jackson - inducted into the Hall of Fame.
A day later Mitch Landrieu was elected Mayor of NOLA, effective in May. One of the best things to happen to the city since Katrina.
A day later, pigs flew, hell froze over. Our Saints won the Superbowl
I know people who drove for 2 hours to be in the French Quarter after the game. I just went to bed extremely happy.
Two days later: The Lombardi Gras. Close to a MILLION people attended the Saints Victory Parade.
Mardi Gras starts in full throttle this weekend, weather permitting. It's gonna be nice to rest from so much excitement.
The Gulf Coast has had a wonderfully wild ride this month and a lot of people are feeling that this surge of positive activity shows that we are finally turning the corner from the pains of Katrina.
I am not a very good writer and I was trying to put together something that would explain what the Superbowl win by the Saints means to the Who Dat Nation. Luckily, I ran into this post by a New Orleans artist named Mardi Claw .
The National Football League appeared to back off Friday on its trademark ownership claims to the phrase "Who Dat" and the fleur-de-lis logo, saying it is challenging the sale of items only "when those products contained or are advertised using other trademarks or identifiers of the Saints."
"Who Dat we do not claim to own by itself," said Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the NFL. "It's when Who Dat is used in conjunction with Saints marks that it's a problem."
McCarthy said T-shirts and items with Who Dat and a fleu-de-lis logo unlike the one owned by the Saints is allowed as long as they are not advertised as being Saints or NFL paraphernalia.
Seattle "radio personality" Dori Monson opines that fans shouldn't root for New Orleans in the Superbowl just because of Katrina was rainstorm that happened 5 years ago.
Contributor Written on January 27, 2010 It happened...
The Colts have made it to the Super Bowl. Quietly, humbly, efficiently they came out in the second half and delivered the knockout blows needed to beat the pesky New York Jets.
Every Colts fan has been salivating for this for two seasons since the last trip to Miami.
Every Colts fan is ready, ecstatic that his team has made it this far. As the clock ticked down in the AFC Championship game, the realization hit me that another Super Bowl win would fully validate the career of my favorite athlete (do I need to say his name?).
And then...
The Saints come marching in—guns blazing, classy group, everything you could want out of a football team.
Everyone knows the story, Katrina hits, devastating the city of New Orleans...
Who do the people turn to but their lovable loser football team.
They back them, despite the fact that they’ve never been to a Super Bowl, that they’ve had more losing seasons than I’m sure fans care to recall...
The city pulls itself up from its bootstraps, and this team gives it something to stand behind, to root for, to be so proud of.
Which then leads to the question many Colts fan ask themselves...
Why did we get stuck playing the most likeable football team in the history of lovable losers?
I won’t cut corners here. I’m die hard. I hope it’s a great game. I hope Peyton throws for 400 yards and five touchdowns and solidifies himself as one of the all-time greats.
In the end, this game is different from any of the others. I don’t hate the Saints. In fact, I’d say they might be my second favorite team. I don’t want to see Drew Brees being carted off the field at any point in the game, or any other Saints player for that matter. I don’t want any questions about who the better team was when that final whistle blows.
I want a hard-fought battle between two of the classier organizations in the NFL.
I hope both teams walk off the field with their heads held high. I hope fans of both of these franchises cherish this game, this season and the careers of so many great players who will take the field on Super Bowl Sunday.
Which brings me to admitting maybe the hardest thing to say as a Colts fan...
If we gotta lose to someone, might as well be you guys...
There, I said it. Now I look like a sentimental softy. I’m sure my die-hard status will be in question to many a Colt’s fan...
I don’t care. Your story is amazing and your team might be bigger than any one game or even the man(ning) I have idolized since he stepped onto a football field.
Best of luck to all of you, the team, the fans, and the New Orleans community. I’ve rooted hard for the Saints every game of the season, how could you not?
From "al.com": Saints brutalized Favre What did the Saints did to Brett Favre bordered on criminal. The only way they could win was to knock him out of the game.
And the all time "wah, wah" reaction to the Saints routing of the Vikings comes from than that wild and crazy kind of guy, Deion Sanders. From his public tweets, we see that he's got the mind of a 12 year old..... girl:
Well, let's go colts!!!! Let's go Peyton!!!!!!! 7:38 PM Jan 24th That's horrible 7:35 PM Jan 24th I'm not even gone congratulate yall. 7:34 PM Jan 24th Watch, those refs are gonna be on 60 minutes in a few years talkin bout how they got paid to help the saints win. 7:32 PM Jan 24th Ya booo the saints! They're cheaters!! 7:31 PM Jan 24th Cowboys should of been in the super bowl first of all 7:30 PM Jan 24th Duce mcallister is kind of fat 7:29 PM Jan 24th Yall saints fans can't seriously be happy with yall selfs. Yall did not win this fair. The refs helped yall! 7:27 PM Jan 24th RT @DHarrisIV: welp the superbowl is gonna suck -- amen 7:24 PM Jan 24th @mackmaine they cheated bro. Vikings should of won 7:23 PM Jan 24th in reply to mackmaine These refs need to jump off a building.. Head first 7:22 PM Jan 24th I love Bret. I wanted him to win so bad. 7:21 PM Jan 24th Man I'm bout to cry.
Later, in a recap of the game on TV, Mr. Sanders said something to the affect that the jails in New Orleans would be full of drunks on Sunday night.
Deion, there was no rioting, no overturning of police and other cars, no buildings set on fire, no looting and hardly any arrests on Sunday night....unlike other cities that have won championships. All that occurred was jubulation by Saints' fans. Where else would the fans come prepared with tubas and other brass instruments to celebrate their team's victory? Only in NOLA, baby.
So let's let the sour grapes just move on and turn into raisins. We know how hard our Saints worked to get to Superbowl and that's all that counts.
The Corps is telling us we have to pay big bucks for documents we’re entitled to under federal law!
We requested documents from the Corps’ Public Affairs Office after we discovered they’re paying a PR company called OPP almost $5 million of our tax payer money to improve the Corps’ image after its levees failed in August 2005.
Levees.org wanted to know more about this PR Campaign by OPP, so we filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) last June.
The Corps partly fulfilled our request but now say we can’t see another page unless we pay! We applied for a waiver – since Levees.org is requesting information for the public good – but we were DENIED."
I'm just an uneducated person when it comes to laws, but the above statements make me scratch my head. How can the ACOE demand money for articles requested under the Freedom of Information Act?
* from NolaDishu's roundup: Big fuck yous to Fox and company. Instead of giving us a good NOLA musician, you incestuously cross promote us some talentless fuck from your crappy show. You inflict Joe Buck on us. Ugh. Stick to sucking during baseball season.
Billy Sothern-a criminal defense attorney and writer in New Orleans-and the author of "Down in New Orleans: Reflections from a Drowned City." Nola Nik: Billy's on Salon.com Today. discusses how the press is inconsistent in telling the stories in Haiti....just as they were in New Orleans after Katrina. A good read. Here is an excerpt:
While I admire some of the reporting I have seen from Haiti and feel like I am getting a picture of what is happening there (while having to hold back tears at the horror of some of the things that I am seeing), it is worth remembering that there will be things, like the "Babies Getting Raped in the Superdome" story after Hurricane Katrina, that may not hold up under the clear light of day, which will hopefully come soon for Port-au-Prince and Haiti.
After President Obama urged Americans to contribute money to earthquake recovery efforts and directed them to the White House website to learn how they can help, Limbaugh suggested that visiting the site will just get someone on Obama’s campaign e-mail list. (We checked the website's short blog post, which has direct links to the Red Cross and the Center for International Disaster in neat bullet points -- no e-mail forms to be seen.)
"We've already donated to Haiti,'' Limbaugh told the caller on his radio show. "It's called the U.S. income tax."
I'm not trying to compare the Katrina and the horrific 7.0 earthquake that hit the country two days ago, along with dozens of aftershocks. But after listening to the news this morning and crying - knowing we now share in the aftermath experience of waiting for help while our fellow citizens suffer and die.
The logisitics of disaster assitance are far more difficult for Haiti. The country has no heavy machinery and must rely upon it to be air dropped or shipped in. Keep these people in your prayers. So many are suffering.
The most important donation a person can make now is the donation of cold, hard cash. Due to the technological advances of social networking, you can donate thru your cell phone and the donation is added to your bill.
Mark over at Toulouse Street mentions how to donate via Wyclef Jean's website here.
It's looking like the Red Cross is getting all the biggie donations. If you would like to donate to them , here's the website. But heads up. The CEO for the Red Cross - Gail J. McGovern - earns a salary of $565,000. (thanks to Lisa/Loki for the link to a great website called Charity Navigator , where you can check out all charities).
On the same hand, there's a Charity called Hope for Haiti, whose charter states "....works to improve the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly children, through education, nutrition, and health care." Their CEO makes 53K/year.
The mere mention of Letten's name sends shivers down the spines of crooked pols and evokes cheers from citizens, but he gives all the credit to his staff, fellow prosecutors, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies. While his office has amassed an impressive record on many fronts since Katrina, 2009 was a banner year for Letten and his team of modern-day Untouchables: more than a dozen high-profile criminal indictments and trials against political crooks from every corner of southeast Louisiana — and major investigations are, says Letten in his best Eliot Ness game face, "ongoing."
Now matter what happens agains the Carolina Panther's tomorrow, I just want to be on record that the 2009 New Orleans Saints team AND fans have given us all more joy than we expected. Bless you boys!!!
...absent the Noah-like flooding of New Orleans because of levee failures, Katrina would have taken second place to Rita.
Hill effectively resisted simply saying 'Katrina flooded New Orleans.' Indeed, that would be like saying traffic broke the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis. Both the traffic and Katrina exposed structural flaws. Both revealed blatant civil engineering mistakes.
Says McQuaid, using Katrina as 'shorthand' and its association with a natural disaster is confusing because it implies "what the heck are those people doing living down there?"
And responsibility for the failures belongs overwhelmingly and primarily to the federal Army Corps of Engineers.
Thanks to all of the folks from Levees dot org who have relentlessly fight to bring out the whole truth in the flooding of NOLA post Hurricane Katrina.
Not from Louisiana this time. From the Huffington Post dot com comes the story of a 73 year old Colorado state employee who stupidly (my opinion) forwarded an email which shows President Obama shining the shoes of Sarah Palin. The small minded woman used her work email account to forward the email.
What in the world is wrong with people? Can they not just accept that Obama IS the president and support him? Why are they so racist?
Michael Lohman
Jeffrey Lehrmann
