Dummy of the Day

Danny Willingham of eastern Slidell.




According to WWL TV
The wife told deputies that a family acquaintance told her that on three different occasions Danny Willingham offered him $10,000 to kill his wife. Strain said that none of the offers were accepted and no attempt was ever made on the wife’s life.



The couple co-operated the now closed Blue Dog Bait Shop on Hwy. 90 near the Mississippi state line. They were in the process of getting a divorce, but their community property agreement had not yet been reached.

The couple, who had a history of fighting, were in the midst of a “contentious property settlement,” when the murder-for-hire plot unfolded, Bonnett said.

The couple frequently fought over the ownership of the bait shop as well as the couple’s home, a tugboat parked on the Pearl River behind the shop at 47611 Louisiana Highway 90 in Slidell near the Mississippi border.

Willingham is no stranger to domestic violence arrests. In January 2006, he was arrested after he locked his wife inside the bait shop and used his backhoe to push “mounds of dirt and debris” against the door, preventing her from escaping, Bonnett said.

Stuck inside, she called authorities, who eventually arrived and opened the door.

But before Willingham was handcuffed, deputies allowed him to eat a sandwich and drink a Coke inside his store to quell his diabetes. He then asked to use the restroom.

He was granted permission, but only if a deputy escorted him to the bathroom.

Willingham “didn’t like that idea,” according to police reports and said, “I might as well just (urinate) on the floor.”

With that said he unzipped his pants and used the bathroom in front of deputies. In addition to false imprisonment and battery charges, the stunt also landed him obscenity charges, Bonnett said.

In January 2008, he was also arrested on domestic violence charges, including disturbing the peace, false imprisonment and resisting arrest.




Sounds like a real piece of heaven, doesn't he?

Scuzzbucket of the Week

From WWL TV:

A Slidell woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a case where the car she was driving struck and killed a Slidell man who was riding in his wheelchair along a Slidell area road, according to the St. Tammany Sheriff's Office.
St. Tammany Sheriff's Capt. George Bonnett reports that 40-year-old Kimberlin Edwards has been charged with vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and having an open container in the vehicle.

The accident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. along Donya Drive in the Slidell area. Capt. Bonnett says that deputies received word that a vehicle struck a man in a three-wheel motorized vehicle.

Witnesses told deputies that they saw a white Buick Rendezvous, driven by Edwards, traveling at a high rate of speed along the roadway when the accident occurred. The 53-year-old victim died at the scene. His name has not yet been released by the St. Tammany Sheriff's Office.

According to Capt. Bonnett, Edwards and a female passenger were located nearby. He adds that both Edwards and the passenger were taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Capt. Bonnett says that Edwards failed an intoxilyzer test.

NOLA provides an example on surviving the latest American "tragedy"

True to form, Mark over at Toulouse Street "writes a letter" to America regarding how to handle the stress the last few weeks have brought in his post " Buddy can you spare some bootstraps "




New Orleans has rehearsed the complete collapse of the American Dream for the last three years, and yet every day you can find us at the neighborhood bar sipping a cold one while discussing the Saints and the venality of politicians, or at that restaurant around the corner getting a po-boy. Life goes on. Come the Fourth of July, you’ll find Going Fourth on the River, a bit choked up as we watch the bright red, white and blue bombs bursting in air. No, we don’t believe in that old American Dream anymore, at least not in the way you still do, America. We have a clear-eyed take on what government has become, what insurance companies (for us) or banks (for the rest of you) are really about.........If you want a lesson on how to survive the next few years, I suggest you hop on a plane or gas up the car and come on down to New Orleans–before someone cuts up those credit-cards–and we’ll show you how it’s done, and throw in a good time to boot.



thanks, Mark.

The November 4th Ballot

You'll be voting for more than the next president on the ballot in two weeks.

There are several amendments on the ballot which will require you to do some homework to make an intelligent decision.




Here are some websites that explain the ballots in plain english:

The Bureau of Government Research"
The Bureau of Governmental Research is a private, nonprofit, independent research organization dedicated to informed public policy making and the effective use
of public resources for the improvement of government in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

They have created a comprehensive report that details - in everyday English - each of the four constitutional amendments on the ballot. This is the place to go to make a wise decision on the amendments.

SOS LOUISIANA DOT GOV
The Louisiana Secretary of State
skip to main | skip to sidebar Thanks, Katrina
Observations from Slidell, Louisiana, where - along with the rest of the Gulf Coast - we are coming back from Katrina's wrath
Trying to keep the world aware that we are still not okay 3 years post Katrina.

Showing posts for query BGR.ORG. Show all posts Showing posts for query BGR.ORG. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
This Saturday's Election

Curious about all the stuff the ballot this Saturday? Here are some resources.

BGR.ORG
The Bureau of Governmental Research is a private, nonprofit, independent research organization dedicated to informed public policy making and the effective use of public resources for the improvement of government in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

They have created a comprehensive report that details - in everyday English - each of the constitutional amendments on the ballot. This is the place to go to make a wise decision on the amendments.

SOS.LOUISIANA DOT GOV
The Louisiana Secretary of State
Here you can find sample ballots by Parish

Vote Smart dot org.
By typing in your zip code on the left hand of the page, you will
be presented with all the information you need in making decisions in
this election. It doesn't include the amendments, but is chock full of
information about the candidates and incumbents.

CABL dot org
The Council for a Better Louisiana
In depth information of both the candidates and the amendments.

LA-PAR dot org
Louisiana Public Affairs Research Council
For a pdf guide to the constitutional amendments click here

Vote LA dot org
By putting in your address at this website you will be given a sample ballot
to familiarize yourself with the candidates and amendments. This site doesn't explain the amendments, though.


Proposed Amendments

1. Term Limits for Members of State Boards & Commissions
2. Time Limits for Calling Special Sessions
3. Temporary Successors for Legislators Ordered to Active Military Duty
4. State Severance Taxes to Parishes
5. Transfer of Special Property Tax Assessment Level
6. Re-Sale of Certain Expropriated Property
7. Investment of Non-Pension Benefit Trusts

So there you go. Vote informed.

addendum: I went and voted on the first day of "early voting" and it took an hour from when I arrived at the polling place. Lots of people interested in this election.

Time for a Smile

With thanks to Greg over at Suspect Device, I present to you how life is over in New Iberia, Louisiana.

Seems that a Mr. Mike Romero was in a quandry about what to do with his cows during Hurricanes Gustav & Ike after watching his calves die in Hurricane Rita in 2005. Well, sir, let me tell you....Mr. Mike has stirred up a hornets nest down there.




Y'all think the comments in the Times Pic are bad?

Get a load of some of these (and I haven't edited anything:


Are you people thinking about this??? Go ride by the neighborhood those "innocent" cows were housed. See how close the houses were to the fence (maybe 2ft if that) then imagine all the dung seeping through the fence onto your yard, along with the smell, flies, mosquitos. Remember there was no electricity, so the windows had to be raised. The cows pushing your fence, because there hungry and want to eat, because poor, innocent Mr. Romero didn't feed his precious animals for 3 days. That is why he choose not to bring them to the sugarena. He would of hadtotakecareofthem

" well i evacuated my animals!! some to New Iberia & some to Broussard! so i wouldn't be charged & no one is picking on me do we leave the animals drown like in hurricane Rita?? or do we take them out during a mandatory evacuation?? "

" Good ole Mike has once again proven that he's about as smart as a bucket of hair. A real close race with his sister Nancy ROFL! "

" If we can tolerate the smell of the horses in the parades, which quite frankly, serve no entertainment value in a parade, then surely these neighbors should tolerate the emergency situation this man found himself in! Get over it already! "


Thanks, Greg for the Monday smile.

Joe Six Pack

Found at Humid City, cross posted from Copperwise:


Sarah Palin et al like to call us "Joe Six-Pack," and they think we like it too. They think it sounds folksy and homey and cute.

Sure. It's a folksy, homey, cute way to euphemistically call us something very close to trashy, ignorant hillbillies. We're just not supposed to be smart enough to realize it.

See, JSP isn't referring to our rock hard abs. JSP literally means "the blue collar guy who picks up a six pack of cheap beer every night after work and goes home to watch Nascar (and probably beat his wife/kids and light a cross on the black neighbor's lawn but we won't say anything about that wink wink nudge nudge)." That is the message that they are trying to get across to America.

There's a lot more to the post. Read it all, you will love it.

Not Katrina Related, but...

Insane McCain


From the huffingtonpost dot com


In military parlance, Mr. McCain -- the candidate -- is now behaving in a manner "unbecoming an officer" -- notably the highest-ranking officer, as Commander-in-Chief of the United States military and as the President of the United States.
His campaign is guilty of inciting crowds to hatred against a political opponent by intentionally spewing racist lies and fabricated vitriol, questioning our next President's patriotism in a time of war, tacitly approving his own campaign's spokespeople and advertisements' specific statements that his political opponent is "palling around with terrorists," Mr. McCain indelibly stains the "honor" he has been accorded from years of public and military service.
He has now earned the ignominious fate of a public "court martial" in polling places all across America on November 4th.
Article 133 stipulates that the maximum punishment for violations of this code of conduct is:
• "Dismissal,"
• "Forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and"
• "Confinement for a period...for which a punishment is prescribed in this Manual, or, if none is prescribed, for one year."

Just how many of these infractions has the esteemed former Navy flyboy committed? According to the U.S. Military Code's complete list of punishable "conduct unbecoming" offenses: 10 out of 10.
John McCain has run a dispirited, dishonorable, duplicitous, wedge-issue driven and erratic campaign during a time when his country is at war and faces the gravest economic crisis since the 1930's. His political stunts -- the most egregious of which is named "Sarah Palin" -- are more than cagey electoral strategy. They are hazardous to the health and welfare of this nation.
The conduct of his 2008 campaign should alert the nation as to what kind of White House he would champion and this should disqualify him for the highest office in the land.

As Rolling Stone author Tim Dickinson writes in the October 16, 2008 issue, the true story of the "make-believe maverick...reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty." There were hints of these troubling character flaws in his youthful pre-war years. Dickinson notes that even as a young man, McCain wasn't particularly popular. "His friends seemed to dislike him, with one recalling him as "a mean little fucker." That "mean little fucker" is still quite alive and well in McCain's shrinking, 72-year-old, 5' 9" frame.

Both articles are worth reading, IMHO.

Katrina Memorials

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr. reads his opening remarks before he and city council members took turns reading the names of the victims killed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina August 29, 2005 at the rededication ceremony of an updated monument at Shell Beach Saturday October 11, 2008. The event was originally scheduled for the third anniversary but was delayed due preparations for Hurricane Gustav.



Other Katrina Memorials along the Gulf Coast:

Here is a link to photographs of Banksy's Katrina Memorial to the 9th Ward (before a lot of them were painted over in gray…what a waste)




Biloxi, Mississippi

New Orleans


Ninth Ward (2007)



Pascagoula, Mississippi

Ninth Ward's Slow Recovery

Slow repopulation strands 9th Ward businesses
From New Orleans City Business dot com:


Three years after the storm, the Lower 9th Ward remains a shell of its former self. Basic services such as grocery stores or easily accessible health care are virtually nonexistent.
So Sankofa Marketplace organizers decided to bring these services into the community, even if it’s only once every 30 days. In addition to spotlighting local businesses, it offers fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood, free health screenings, arts and crafts, and live music.


The Sankofa Marketplace is held on the second Saturday of the month with the second scheduled for Saturday. Its scope goes beyond assisting local businesses.
The goal is to not only provide vital services lacking in the storm-damaged neighborhood but also to spur economic development by highlighting the growing demand for such services.



The concept of SANKOFA is derived from King Adinkera of the Akan people of West Afrika. SANKOFA is expressed in the Akan language as "se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenki."
Literally translated it means "it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot".
"Sankofa" teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is, we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone or been stripped of, can be reclaimed, revived, preserved and perpetuated.
Visually and symbolically "Sankofa" is expressed as a mythic bird that flies forward while looking backward with an egg (symbolizing the future) in its mouth.


City Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis said the Lower 9th Ward has been neglected in a recovery process bogged down by too much planning and not enough action. And private investors won’t come until the city begins to inject recovery dollars into the area and revitalize its two main corridors — Claiborne and St. Claude avenues.
But there is hope.
“We finally have the recovery dollars in the city budget, so things are going to start happening,” Willard-Lewis said. “I’m so disappointed that the process has taken this long but the commitment has been made and now it’s about execution.”
Until that happens, Ferdinand and the other Sankofa Marketplace organizers know it will be left to community members to bring their struggling neighborhood back from the brink. She just hopes that by the time the city jumps on board it won’t be too late.
“It’s been three years we’ve been waiting for something to happen and I can see three years becoming four years, becoming five years. If it’s not time to start now when is it? The Lower 9th Ward became this symbol of disaster, but it hasn’t come to represent a symbol of recovery as well.”•

Voice of the Wetlands Festival 2008

From the VOW website on the recent storms affects in Southeast Louisiana:

We are currently recovering from hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Houma took a direct hit from Gustav, and although Ike hit over 300 miles west of here, our parish suffered significant damages. The winds from Gustav damaged structures, and the winds from Ike flooded an enormous number of homes in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. The water in our parishes came only from wind... no rain. We need better levees and more buffers such as an increased amount of wetlands to better protect our homes from this kind of disaster.

The flooding that occured recently from Hurricane Ike was almost an exact repeat of Hurricane Rita. This very well could have been prevented, had our coastal restoration projects that are so badly needed been actually implemented. We are weary of the politics and the red tape, and we need action.

Tire Safety

Check your tires.


Here's a report about tires sold as new that could be as old as 12 years old when you buy them.

Very dangerous.