Day: February 3, 2013

DMR Scandal Day 101: Bill Walker Speaks!

I’m going for my white shrimper boots ’cause it’s getting deep!

DMR’s former chief denies wrongdoing through attorneys ~ Anita Lee

What a way to introduce yourselves folks as Team Walker has lawyered up with State Farm’s Mississippi law firm Baker Donelson, one of the prototypical sleazebag large law firms we’ve profiled on the pages through the years. I personally have no use for 99% of people that do that first initial middle name thang as it betrays a certain amount of pompacity that is a personal turn off but they are now Team Walker.

No word yet on whether Bernie Grimm will be hooking up with Baby Walker.

A quick word on the recent DMR / Rigsby chatter.  I can tell you I had no clue until it showed up in comments yesterday but I can now confirm hindsight reveals they had a sense of humor about Slabbed’s coverage of Scott Walker’s drinking habits. If they became spillionaires that’d be fair game but as a general rule we try to steer clear of guilt by association.  There is a certain irony to Walker lawyering up with the same firm that has worked to crush his nieces that I hope is lost on no one.  I personally think Cori and Kerrie have the far better lawyers.  :mrgreen:

Guest post: Jefferson Parish Citizens for Good Government on the new Inspector General

Supporters of Good Government:

Citizens for Good Government is jubilant over the selection of David McClintock as the new Inspector General for Jefferson Parish. After checking out the resumes of the three finalists and observing the public portion of their interviews by the Ethics and Compliance Commission, CFGG agreed that McClintock was the one we wanted for Jefferson Parish’s first IG. We were thrilled when the Ethics and Compliance Commission was equally impressed with Mr. McClintock and voted unanimously for him.

The Ethics and Compliance Commission did an outstanding job in getting us to this point in the Inspector General selection process, and we are extremely appreciative of their hard work and conscientious effort. Since they are not compensated for doing this job, the reward for them will be what we believe is a gigantic step toward good government in Jefferson Parish.

It is significant that our new Inspector General will be completely independent and is being financed without an increase in taxes, since his office will receive its funds from a rededicated millage. Although it took three years, Citizens for Good Government is thrilled at the results of our own quest for an Inspector General, and we believe it has been well worth it.

CFGG first suggested an Inspector General for Jefferson parish in November of 2009, when the political scandal was breaking. We met with a Jefferson Parish councilman at that time and urged him to support a completely independent Inspector General for Jefferson without a tax increase. Continue reading “Guest post: Jefferson Parish Citizens for Good Government on the new Inspector General”

Other voices | Wednesday’s Wars: Hagel. Does he love Israel enough?

Published on Feb 1, 2013

Decorated Vietnam War veteran and two-term United States Senator Chuck Hagel spent 8 hours on the witness chair, trying to convince 26 members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that his love for Israel was sufficient to warrant confirmation as Secretary of Defense. Everything else was of secondary importance for the Committee.

I watched the hearing gavel to gavel … from 9:30am to about 6:00pm. The slobbering and fawning over Israel was embarrassing. Israel was mentioned constantly, and usually referred to as, “our most important ally.” The names and security needs of the 27 countries who have provided troops to fight and die alongside ours in Afghanistan were not mentioned or considered.

No Committee member was so uncool as to mention that Israel did not assist us in either Iraq or Afghanistan. I guess the lesson is that once you achieve “most important ally” status, you don’t need to actually do anything … just cash the checks. Good work if you can get it.

When not questioning whether Chuck Hagel loved Israel enough, Republican Senators went to considerable length to probe whether Hagel would be willing to demonstrate that love by killing Iranians. Hagel repeated the Obama position that all options involving Iran and the nuclear problem are on the table. Continue reading…..