I invite all of my media brothers and sisters to sleep well tonight under the blanket of freedom provided by Slabbed New Media, Bobby Truitt and yours truly. Click the pic to score the 25 page opinion. I’ll have more a bit later.
Day: September 5, 2013
Thursday Music: Special Secret Dedication
Wishful thinking or reality? Former St Charles Parish DA says FBI investigation crumbling
There is actually a good bit I could write on this topic, especially the initial “Lettenmego” part but I won’t in the interest of time:
Probe into former St. Charles DA still open ~ Gordon Russell
Vital background on this story which Slabbed broke way back in 2011 can be found here.
New Orleans firefighters oust leadership of long-troubled pension fund: T-P coverage Pusillanimous
New Orleans firefighters oust leadership of long-troubled pension fund ~ Richard Rainey
And now the pusillanimous part:
UPDATE: References to past news reports about failed investments by the firefighters pension fund were removed from this story pending further investigation.
Luckily for everyone Lee Zurik over at Fox 8 has investigated and now Fox 8 has a whole page of stories on the topic and of course there are the good people over at The Bright:
The New Orleans Firefighters Retirement Fund has gone through many problems in recent years. The money has been poorly invested in various projects including a hedge fund that failed. There is also evidence that the money was invested in golf courses and other ventures.
And just a few months ago NOLA.com had this:
The audit shows that the firefighters fund’s board has also gotten into the film business, including a $225,000 loan to Tell Tale Heart LLC “for the production of a movie” that went into default. The loan was made in May 2012 as part of a deal that supposedly was to earn the fund a healthy 20 percent return. Tell Tale Heart was supposed to pay back the money and the 20 percent profit in November. Even though it has not done so, the fund still listed $51,000 in investment income from the deal in its 2012 audit. Continue reading “New Orleans firefighters oust leadership of long-troubled pension fund: T-P coverage Pusillanimous”
Because each and every one of them sold us out and voted for it: An NFIP Disaster Update
Lets take a trip down memory lane folks to those less pleasant days after Hurricane Katrina when everyone was busting a$$ trying to get shelter. Those like me that were slabbed out had rebuilding choices to make. Those that were flooded out had a seemingly more straightforward choice to make in fixing or selling the shell. Haley Barbour was even Johnny on the spot passing out homeowners grants to assist those that were outside the flood zone that flooded but the grants had a catch in putting a covenant on your land requiring flood insurance, essentially in perpetuity.
And Today?
FEMA’s high-risk premium guidelines described as disheartening by Cedric Richmond ~ Bruce Alpert
Today our own Congressman is virtually in hiding, possibly planning his family’s next taxpayer funded land swindle, perhaps soliciting yet more campaign cash from the very State Farm Execs that hosed people over down here after the storm. Whatever he is doing you never see the guy here on the Mississippi West Coast save for an occasional, tightly scripted event that excludes the general public but that is OK because I’ll take a tip from those inane Steve Scalise commercials the American Chemistry Council has been running locally.
Call Steven Palazzo at (202) 225-5772 and ask him why he put the interests of a multinational insurer ahead of the people that elected him. Ask him why an insurance company that does does nothing but push a few papers get 30%, that’s right 30%, of the exorbitant flood premiums FEMA will be charging. Tell him you’ll be voting for someone next year that represents the people of South Mississippi instead of a national political party, his double dealing family and insurance execs from Illinois. Continue reading “Because each and every one of them sold us out and voted for it: An NFIP Disaster Update”
Jim Brown’s Weekly Column: Are we all Federal Criminals Living in Louisiana?
Thursday, September 5th, 2013
New Orleans, Louisiana
ARE WE ALL FEDERAL CRIMINALS LIVING IN LOUISIANA?
Congress is going “new law” crazy. In the nation’s capitol, hundreds of proposed new laws are being introduced every month, creating numerous new regulations and crimes. And Louisiana congressional members are joining right in this push for more federal intrusion into what was previously the purview of the states. Senator Mary Landrieu has proposed 29 new laws and resolutions in this current year alone. Her opponent in next year’s senatorial election, current Congressman Bill Cassidy, is right on her heels with 17 new offerings.
Anyone who actually takes the time to read the U.S. Constitution will see that there are only three crimes specifically enumerated as federal offenses: treason, piracy and counterfeiting. So why has Congress undertaken an overzealous expansion of criminal laws?
A report from the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Legal and Judicial Studies recently determined that there are some 4500 federal crimes listed in the US Code. It used to be that Congress would create one particular crime by passing a new law. But in recent years, multiple crimes are listed within the same statute. One new law enacted right after 9/11 contained 60 new crimes. Was that really necessary? Continue Reading………………