Day: July 27, 2012

Remember that buzz I spoke of a few weeks ago? A superseding Indictment was unsealed today against Aaron Broussard and Tom Wilkinson

Here and here are a couple of places I alluded to what was coming in fact aside from the comment I left about the buzz.

Aaron Broussard took $66,000 in bribes from a Kenner communication company, feds say

I love the news media personalities that are involved with the company that allegedly paid Broussard those bribes.  Y’all can elaborate in comments on that part and I need help from my commenters to fill in those blanks as I am multi-tasking mightily today.

I’m personally following the money folks as specified in Karen Parker Broussard’s factual basis so that everyone involved in both the crimes and subsequent attempted coverup should be brought to justice. Let’s review: Continue reading “Remember that buzz I spoke of a few weeks ago? A superseding Indictment was unsealed today against Aaron Broussard and Tom Wilkinson”

“I love a parade”: While Rome was burning down Chris Roberts was angling to ride in the Saints Superbowl Victory parade

Today’s installment of documents laid on me by my gabby cousin Slabb O’Leak deals with a parade but this was no ordinary parade folks, no sir. This was a special parade indeed so to refresh everyone’s memories we need to hit the way back machine and head back to February 2010. Our own AROD was cooling his heels in the St Bernard Parish prison, arrest on charges trumped-up by US Attorney Jim Letten, who evidently had the manpower to burn (as also illustrated by Sal Perricone spending large parts of the day playing on the internet) despite the rampant political corruption. Less than a month before, Parish President Aaron Broussard had resigned in disgrace due his own corruption scandal, portions of which are coming to trial in just a few months.  Interim Parish President Steve Theriot had already been installed via the bums rush by the Parish Council and had been on the job for around 3 weeks.

It was a crazy time for the political classes in Jefferson Parish and  indeed our readers may recall that Theriot was a very busy man at that time and had actually pushed back his coronation and genuflection ceremony with Ashton Phelps and the gang at the Times Picayune because he was so busy and rightfully so as “Rome” was literally burning down .  But what was TheRiot and his band of 6 dwarfs on the Parish Council actually doing then?  Easy folks, they were negotiating with Ray Ray the Chocolate guy to ride in the Saints Superbowl victory parade and it consumed lots of time. Continue reading ““I love a parade”: While Rome was burning down Chris Roberts was angling to ride in the Saints Superbowl Victory parade”

Jim Brown

Friday, July 25th, 2012
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

IN LOUISIANA THEY’RE ASKING — WHO’S IN CHARGE?

In an effort to end up on the Romney ticket as the vice presidential nominee, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has been out of the state almost 30% of the time in recent months, crisscrossing the nation speaking and raising money on Romney’s and his own behalf. He’s rarely been visible in his home state, but voters are getting to know him far and wide in the likes of New Jersey, Alabama, Oklahoma, North Carolina, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Virginia, Illinois, West Virginia, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, D.C., Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington State. So the question is — who’s in charge when the Louisiana Governor is on the road?

The Baton Rouge Morning Advocate posed this question to Jindal’s press secretary recently. Her response was, “the Governor remains the Governor wherever he is.” Apparently, her mindset is that the governor is always available by phone or email, so he never really is “away.” Not so, says the Louisiana Constitution, where clear language states: “When the governor is temporarily absent from the state, the lieutenant governor shall act as governor.” I know a good bit about this issue both as one who helped put this provision in the constitution, and as a statewide official who has held the title of “Governor” on several occasions when the line of succession came to me.

The most recent constitutional convention which was held in 1973 was called by the Louisiana legislature to update and rewrite the state’s founding document. I was an author of the legislation creating the convention, and I also served as an elected delegate for the one year undertaking to draft a new constitution. With little controversy, the convention overwhelming adopted the provisions that transfer authority to the lieutenant governor when the governor is out of state. The intentions of the delegates were quite clear. Continue reading “Jim Brown”

Built on the twin lies of Sunshine and “Robust”: Boss Hoggs promises on the State Port at Gulfport nothing more than hot air

One of the larger post Katrina rebuilding stories here on the coast was then Governor Haley “Boss Hogg” Barbour and his economic development people diverting over $500 million dollars of recovery money meant to build housing for displaced storm victims to build “The Port of the Future” at the State Port in Gulfport. Wild promises of the port’s potential were made and I highlighted some of those promises in this post way back in 2008 where coastal residents were promised sunshine in the process due to the doubts many local area residents were harboring way back in 2008 when the money was diverted.

I mention all this because while I have been neck deep with my gabby cousin Slabb O’Leak, Anita Lee over at the Sun Herald blew the port’s BS out of the water this week because it turns out those plans Boss Hogg so publicly touted have been revealed to be BS and the locals are furious. This could well grow into a major scandal and it is my hope the OIG from HUD and possibly the Office of the Attorney General take a peeksie at how the recovery money was diverted, based promises that have since proven to be fictitious since the federal government may well have been misled.

That said I hope it is lost on no one the same political power brokers out of Jackson that brought us the port disaster have already annointed career politician and legacy political hack Billy Hewes as the next Mayor, almost a full year ahead of the election. Now for some links to various stories by the Sun Herald’s Anita Lee on the subject:

Leaders, community frustrated by port plans, progress

Gulfport councilman calls for change at port

MDOT commissioner talks connector road, tolls and curbing travel

The bottom line is the farther out from Katrina we travel, the more tarnished Haley Barbour’s legacy becomes as his empty promises continue to float to the surface.

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