Month: September 2010

From the putting in the fix files Scott Walker skates on his DUI trial via a bullshit technicality

Scott Walker / The Sun Herald

Alright folks, who else is wondering how much Judge Cecil Byrd was paid to let the obviously drunk Scott Walker off the hook on a bullshit technicality? The Sun Herald has the breaking news story:

The DUI trial of Scott Walker has been dismissed because of a “faulty affadavit” after it was pointed out in court that the deputy clerk who signed it did not add her title after her signature.

Justice Judge Cecil Byrd said that to try him on a new charge on the same accusation would constitute double jeopardy, which is what defense attorney Keith Miller argued.

So much for law and order republicans eh?  And the beat goes on…

sop

Updated per Sock Puppets comments.

Peggy Barton: Tom Wilkinson’s Continuing Legacy of Arrogance and Incompetence to Further Facilitate Corruption Part I. A guest post by Whitmergate

When Steve Theriot was unlawfully appointed by the Jefferson Parish Council to be Parish President as a result of Broussard’s resignation, he chose, in concert with the six Council members who ushered him upon us, to appoint Peggy Barton acting interim Parish Attorney. And what an act it’s been…

It was Deja Vu …and live on Cox TV too. Our backdrop is during one of the Council meetings around the time the public records debate was heating up as a result of a sudden and dramatic shift in policy resulting from Anne Marie Vandenweghe’s reassignment. She was removed from the Public Records Department only to be replaced by Greg Giangrosso, a Wilkinson lackey. Under Vandenweghe’s direction, public documents were just that, Public Records readily available in most instances to those qualified to request the same. Giangrosso’s assignment was and is to stonewall the release of Public Information which he and his superiors, Peggy Barton and Louis Gruntz, have decided taxpayers are to have limited access to in almost all instances. The response that one receives from Giangrosso is a pasted legalese form letter citing erroneous legal precedent for not honoring the Public Records Request. Margie Seemann (CFGG) was pressing the Council to explain why documents regarding information of a similar topic which she had previously received under Vandenweghe’s tenure, was now routinely denied under some broad and vague “governmental” exception. It was at that moment when Peggy Barton opened her mouth to defend the indefensible, everyone in that Council Chamber and watching TV, could foretell the response as though it would have been uttered by her mentor Tom Wilkinson, himself. She looked down at Ms. Seemann, a facial expression of pure contempt and as sarcastic a tone as one could muster, stated that she would review “OUR” records and “SHE” would determine what would be made available to the public at some later date. And there you have it, Wilkinson in drag…without the proverbial…FUCK YOU, SUE ME! Continue reading “Peggy Barton: Tom Wilkinson’s Continuing Legacy of Arrogance and Incompetence to Further Facilitate Corruption Part I. A guest post by Whitmergate”

Jim Brown

Thursday, September 30, 2010
Linville, North Carolina

EDUCATONAL REFORM- ESSENTIAL TO OUR FUTURE BUT IGNORED IN LOUISIANA AND OTHER STATE ELECTIONS

With a major national election just a month away, the stakes continue to get higher. Will the republicans regain control of congress, and will the President have his hands tied on major policy decisions for the next two years? Every major spending issue, the cost of the war, the national debt and healthcare can trace a viable solution to educational reform. A well-educated workforce is the key to pulling the country out of the present economic doldrums. But in election contests nationwide, and particularly in my home state of Louisiana, improving public education is rarely, if ever, mentioned as a campaign issue.

Here in the Bayou State, the major race involves a Republican incumbent US Senator being challenged by a sitting Democratic congressman. The contest has become a major mud fight with no policy proposals. The idea of creative educational programs has not crossed the lips of either candidate, nor has it in any other federal race. In a special election in the deepest of the deep southern states to fill a vacancy for the office of Lt. Governor, a press forum was held this week where all major candidates attended. A little lip service was paid to increasing state funds to LSU, the flagship university — but nary a word was spoken about reform at the elementary level, where the whole process begins. Continue reading “Jim Brown”

Round 3: Rebuttal briefs filed in Rigsby qui tam – shhh, this one is a secret

State Farm’s  “dickin’ around” to make a “Scruggs sideshow” out of the Rigsbys’ qui tam case reached a new low when the Company moved to declassify the deposition testimony of The Rendon Group (TRG) CEO John Rendon — but, as SLABBED reported, TRG hired Jackson attorney Frank Trapp to call the good neighbor’s “dickin’ around” hand (and, yes, I meant to imply State Farm’s  Motion to Dismiss for alleged seal violations was self-stimulation).

That said, State Farm must have really gotten off when it filed a sealed rebuttal to the Rigsbys’ Response after Frank Who – a cousin of Olivia Manning and former all SEC linebacker – hit the Company with a Motion to Intervene opposing the good neighbor’s Motion to Declassify Rendon’s testimony.

The docket also provides proof of State Farm’s false claim about the Court’s earlier Order denying the Company’s motion to dismiss for alleged public disclosures in violation of the qui tam seal: Continue reading “Round 3: Rebuttal briefs filed in Rigsby qui tam – shhh, this one is a secret”

Lifestyles of the rich and famous: Who owns the Monroe Mansion that was raided last week by the FBI in connection with the River Birch Scheme?

Note to this post:

The hat tip for this post goes to a reader who did some exhaustive internet sleuthing.  We hope our readers can fill in the gaps. ~ sop

It is no secret that Fred and Jennifer Heebe moved to 5531 St Charles Avenue in early 2009. The question is do they really own the property and what role does the mansion’s former owner play with respect to the property today? To wit:

Yes the Heebe’s are there as evidenced by this and this (we previously highlighted the second link in connection with a Desiree Rogers post I did back in the late spring).

At the end of this article by the T-P’s Kate Moran Jennifer Sneed Heebe confirms her and her hubby Fred are in the process of buying the house.

Here is where it begins to get murky.  According to the Orleans Parish Tax Assessor the property is owned by 5531 St Charles Avenue, LLC which lists the property’s previous owner, Susan D Krohn on the mailing address. The Secretary of State shows 5531 St Charles Ave LLC as having a sole member, BLU, LLC.  I could not find anything on BLU at the Louisiana Secretary of State Website. Continue reading “Lifestyles of the rich and famous: Who owns the Monroe Mansion that was raided last week by the FBI in connection with the River Birch Scheme?”

State Farm execs for Palazzo…..

I tell you what folks, all that stuff you hear about how State Farm CEO Ed Rust Jr hates our own Congressman, Gene Taylor must be pure bull because if they were trying to beat him they sure as heck should NOT have given money to his Republican opponent, Steven Palazzo, especially out of Bloomington.

I don’t do much political blogging, at least in the classic sense, but with the silly season heating up the shots are both plentiful and cheap so I can’t resist and I’ll add Palazzo might as well be getting money from child molesters as from a home office State Farm Exec after the raping they put on a great number of people (read voters Steven) here on the coast after Katrina.  We’re certain here at Slabbed Palazzo would do a bang up job representing Ed Rust in Congress.

The smart money is seeing this contest a bit differently.
Continue reading “State Farm execs for Palazzo…..”

Bang bang that awful sound – TP names the baby who shot…down

When she “was five and he was six” and they “rode on horses made of sticks”, surely they didn’t ride into Galatoire’s to make the “awful sound”!

Today’s Times Picayune reports the  identity of the “baby” who “shot…down” in Galatoire’s gun mystery, owner revealed:

On Friday afternoon, the convivial hum of a dozen simultaneous conversations in the sanctum sanctorum of New Orleans’ social set, Galatoire’s, was pierced by the unfamiliar crackle of a gunshot.

Luckily, no one was injured by the errant bullet, which apparently was fired when a purse containing a .38-caliber pistol fell off a table near the foyer and went off when it hit the floor. The bullet lodged harmlessly in a panel of black wainscoting. Police came and took an incident report. No one was arrested.

But the episode soon took on a life of its own Continue reading “Bang bang that awful sound – TP names the baby who shot…down”

I hate it when blogging gets in the way of work: Some transparency over at the Picayune sure would be nice.

LA State Senator Julie Quinn

Bunhare gets the hat tip in comments concerning a Brendon McCarthy story on a gun going off at Galatoire’s during lunch on Friday. The comments to the story identified the shooter as Louisiana State Senator Julie Quinn, current squeeze of Jefferson Parish President to be John Young.  I checked in on the story a time or two myself and noted a couple of the early comments were deleted. The story attracted over 130 total comments as of 6ish AM this morning. 

I mention this because Whitmergate sends this via email: 

I just went to the NOLA story and 23 posts have been removed all having to do with Young/Quinn…only one remains 

I took a peek and sure enough the axe indeed fell on McCarthy’s story, which did not identify the owner of the gun which was reported to have accidently discharged. 

I’ve had journalists tell me privately they do not read the comments to their stories and I think I remember Jarvis DeBerry writing same in an OpEd he wrote not that long ago. Coming from the finance boards at places like Yahoo, I’m a firm believer in the Predictive Value of Stock Message Board Sentiments so I read the comments, even the ones from the many idiots who post newspaper story comments. There are lots of idiots on the stock boards too so I can speed filter to the discriminating bloggers.  Ironically after Bunhare first posted with us I noted this person as a quality Times Picayune poster applying these concepts so I guess it is only natural Bunhare would give us the tip on Quinn.  Great minds obviously think alike.  😉 

So what do we know at this point: Continue reading “I hate it when blogging gets in the way of work: Some transparency over at the Picayune sure would be nice.”