Thoughts On Labor Day 2008

Today is the day that we remember all those that fought against companies big and small, so that all workers could attain decent rights. Since the ascent of neo-conservatives, those rights have been on the decline, especially so since George Bush took control of the country. Well this is the last of this holiday under his watch and it couldn't come soon enough. We also remember every worker and honor them whether they were in combat with corrupt Pinkertons or not.

Those that are conducting search and rescue operations today will be in our hearts, as they save the lives of people that are being affected by Gustav as I write this. The worst of the storm is coming in now and although the Hurricane is tracking south and west of New Orleans, all those that live along the Gulf Shore need be most careful.

Last time our government failed us as a nation when New Orleans drowned. Now as we are nine weeks and a day from the Presidential election, Republicans are on their best behavior. That does not mean however, that they believe in helping people out if it isn't an election year. The core of their movement believes that government does not work for capitalism and that government must be cut down into nothing but a military and a police force in every locale. They have also been on the side of business when it comes to fighting for the common man.

Although neither side is perfect, the only way to affect change this year and win back the rights we have lost is to cast a vote for Barack Obama and the progressive Democrats running down the ticket from him. He has shown all along that he cares about all Americans, not just the richest among us. John McCain however, well he just went down to Mississippi this weekend for a photo-op. When Katrina hit three years ago and he was not in the spotlight, he was busy eating birthday cake with George Bush. That shows you what kind of President he'll be.

Vitter Has A Problem With Prostitutes And Parking Signs

To be fair to Senator Vitter he wasn't the one driving the car, but as for the prostitutes, thats all on him.

Larry Craig's Protege Lives In Louisiana

Parish Councilman Joey DiFatta never made it to the big time like Larry Craig, in fact, he bowed out of a State Senate race in his home state of Louisiana. He was promising to defend conservative values from extreme liberal groups, whoever those are. Joey was going to clean up Louisiana but instead chose to leave politics, something completely foreign to the Senator from Idaho. Larry must be really be disappointed in his protege. Why use that word, protege? Ask the police.

From The Times Picaynue:

On Thursday, reports The Times-Picayune, Parish Councilman and GOP state Senate candidate Joey DiFatta, 53, denied that his dropping out of the Senate race had anything to do with documents outlining two encounters with police, who held him in suspicion of "lewd behavior" in public restrooms.

(snip)

"The detective asked DiFatta, 'What do you want?' according to the report, and he replied, 'I want to play with you.'"

Police reports, found here in .PDF format, outline a 1996 "peeping Tom" encounter and a 2000 "toe-tapping" escapade, made fashionable more recently by embattled Idaho Senator Larry Craig. The 2000 report includes a comment made by the officer involved that DiFatta seemed "well-versed."

Joey claims that the reason he dropped out was due to elevated enzymes in his heart but I have a suspicion it might be something else. Maybe Joey realizes what a hypocrite he is. I can hope, can't I?

Sen. Vitter Is In Flynt's Sights

Porn publisher extraordinaire Larry Flynt has it in for Senator David Vitter of Louisiana, and rightly so. Vitter proclaims to be a family values Republican when he is the farthest thing from it. Vitter fessed up to being associated with the DC Madam but denied dealing with prostitutes back at home in New Orleans. Despite his denials, the truth in his mind and from his words does not even come close to the reality of the situation. The hypocrisy of the matter is what keeps Flynt on the attack, to expose Vitter and other politicians who espouse one thing to the masses and do the opposite when the cameras are off.

From NOLA:

Adult magazine publisher Larry Flynt brought the prostitute who claims to have had an affair with U.S. Sen. David Vitter before the media on Tuesday and called on Vitter to resign the seat he won by campaigning on a platform of conservative values.

In her first public appearance since the allegations emerged, Wendy Yow Ellis told reporters that she used to meet Vitter for sex several times a week between July and November 1999, only months after he was elected to Congress.

Ellis said Vitter found her through an escort service and would meet her at an apartment at Dauphine and Dumaine streets in the French Quarter. At first, he knew her only by her stage name: Leah.

She said the assignations ended "abruptly" when she proposed escalating the relationship and divulged her real first name to Vitter. She shares that name with his wife, Wendy Baldwin Vitter.

The similar name thing is interesting, but looking at the entire situation is appalling. If Vitter had even a shred of decency in his bones, he would resign. Of course he doesn't so we must go down this path with Flynt leading the way. Vitter is going to whine and complain, but until he resigns, this is just one more scandal that keeps sprouting legs in the press. I am happy to let him continue, because whatever message machine the Republicans have left, this story, the Larry Craig fiasco and others will continue to erode the hopes of the GOP.

The Dead Zone Off Of Louisiana

This isn't about the widespread devastation of the Gulf coast due to Hurricane Katrina or Rita. The Dead Zone is in the ocean, created by toxic runoff from the Mississippi River that creates algae blooms in the open water and then the decaying plants suck out all the oxygen in the water, essentially destroying the possibility of life in the area. According to scientists, it is now the 2nd largest dead zone in the world and growing larger year by year.

From The Sun Herald:

NEW ORLEANS -- Researchers predict the recurring "dead zone" off the Louisiana coast will grow this summer to its largest size in at least 22 years, 8,543 square miles.

The forecast, released today by the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, is based on a federal estimate of nitrogen from the Mississippi River watershed to the Gulf of Mexico. It discounts the effect large storms or hurricanes might have.

The "dead zone" in the northern Gulf, at the end of the Mississippi River system, is the second-largest area of oxygen-depleted coastal waters in the world. Low oxygen, or hypoxia, can be caused by pollution from sources including farm fertilizer, soil erosion and discharge from sewage treatment plants, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

If the economic situation wasn't bad enough already, this exacerbated problem will further hurt the economy of the Gulf coast. As the dead zone grows, the area where shrimpers and fisherman will shrink, resulting in a more crowded space and further depletion of the marine life that is still there.

David Vitter The Victim

This is a pathetic attempt at damage control. Instead of apologizing to the public and especially his constituents, he lashes out at people who call him out on his hypocritical nature. Then he goes on to talk about all the good things he'll do back in Washington. He even had his wife front and center to play the victim card to its utmost. This man needs to resign.

FEMA Denies Reimbursment To Cajundome

FEMA already has a woeful track record when it comes to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The debit cards were a terrible idea, the rebuilding efforts were horrendous and the corporate giveaways were a sham. Now they want to add to that legacy by rescinding their offer to reimburse the Cajundome in Lafayette for housing refugees to the tune of $1 million dollars out of the $5 million originally agreed on in addition to $1.2 million for usage fees. Haven't they pissed on the area enough already?

From The Advocate:

LAFAYETTE — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has asked the Cajundome to repay $1 million that had been reimbursed to the facility for its use as a shelter during the 2005 hurricanes.

Cajundome Director Greg Davis said Friday that the news FEMA wanted the money back came with a denial of an appeal he had made to the agency for more money.

“FEMA just continues changing the rules as the game is being played,” Davis said. “We are so shocked. That’s the last thing we expected.”

Everyone expected so much more from an agency that was once world-class in helping Americans through natural calamities. I grew up just a couple miles from the epicenter of the Northridge/Reseda Earthquake in 1994 and was amazed at the efforts and the assistance. Now FEMA is a shell of its old self and has done next to nothing for the residents of New Orleans and the rest of the devastated region.

Save Little Senator Vitter

There's a new David Vitter campaign and it has nothing to do with politics. Concerned citizens heard what Mrs. Vitter would do to her husband, taking his member while making Lorena Bobbitt proud. Now that the truth is out about his extramarital activities, it is time for her to deliver, but there are people who want his better half to not go through with it.

Senator Vitter Knows The D.C. Madam

He probably has more intimate relations with one of her former employees, but what counts is that he is on her infamous phone list. The Louisiana Republican fessed up yesterday to his connections with the Madam. He says that he used her services before he ran for the Senate in 2004 and already has been forgiven by God and his wife. Well thats great for you and Mrs. Vitter, but what about your hypocritical nature when it comes to claiming you are virtuous while Democrats are the party of sin?

From The Washington Post:

"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible," Vitter, 46, said in a statement, which his spokesman, Joel DiGrado, confirmed to the Associated Press.

"Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling," Vitter continued. "Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there -- with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way."

Neither Palfrey nor her attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, could be reached for comment last night. Sibley told the Associated Press that his client posted the phone records of her escort service on the Internet yesterday, four days after a federal judge lifted a restraining order preventing their publication. The records were included in a series of files on a Web site devoted to Palfrey's legal defense fund.

This isn't the first time he has been involved with escort/sex services before. When he ran for election in 2004 he was accused by a member of the state Republican party of having a long-term relationship with a prostitute down in the French Quarter.

Oh my! The list was just republished yesterday and already we have a Senator being skewered in the press. Pass the popcorn before the next act starts!

To All Those That Supported The Supreme Court's Decision Yesterday

Chief Justice John Roberts and his four cohorts on the bench overturned Brown v. Board of Education yesterday, setting the country back over fifty years in that regard. In some areas we have already gone back much farther, especially when it comes to the economy and who gets the biggest say. Anyways, in his opinion, he cited Brown v. Board because he does not want the system to be based on race anymore. I concluded that he either lives in a bubble where racism does not exist anymore or that he is basically does not care about minorities. For anyone that thinks racism and segregation is a thing of the past, you need to read this story.

From While Seated:

In September 2006, a group of African American high school students in Jena, Louisiana, asked the school for permission to sit beneath a "whites only" shade tree. There was an unwritten rule that blacks couldn't sit beneath the tree. The school said they didn't care where students sat. The next day, students arrived at school to see three nooses (in school colors) hanging from the tree....

The boys who hung the nooses were suspended from school for a few days. The school administration chalked it up as a harmless prank, but Jena's black population didn't take it so lightly. Fights and unrest started breaking out at school. The District Attorney, Reed Walters, was called in to directly address black students at the school and told them all he could "end their life with a stroke of the pen."

Black students were assaulted at white parties. A white man drew a loaded rifle on three black teens at a local convenience store. (They wrestled it from him and ran away.) Someone tried to burn down the school, and on December 4th, a fight broke out that led to six black students being charged with attempted murder. To his word, the D.A. pushed for maximum charges, which carry sentences of eighty years. Four of the six are being tried as adults (ages 17 & 18) and two are juveniles....

Now it is being reported that an all-white jury was empaneled to decide the fate of these young men and that the first of six boys was found guilty of aggravated second-degree battery. Welcome back to the time before civil rights ladies and gentlemen. If only this case could be appealed to the Supreme Court, but I doubt John Roberts would have the time to hear it, he's too busy destroying our country and its freedoms.