we saw that...

more piyush george bush rubber-stampery

Yesterday, Boasso wrote, “Baton Rouge: In an act of political acrobatics impressive even for the first district Congressman, Bobby Jindal today followed the will of President Bush and the Republicans in Congress and voted against a bill that included his own amendment.

The bill, HR 2643 an appropriations measure for the interior, environment and related agencies passed yesterday on a vote of 272-155. Jindal's amendment, which doubled the $2.5 million for studies into the environmental "dead zone" currently threatening sea-life in the Gulf of Mexico, was accepted and added to the measure.

And yet, after President Bush declared his opposition to the bill and even after Bobby Jindal sent out a press release touting the addition to the amendment, the Congressman voted against it.

"This is just a despicable display of political weakness," State Senator Walter Boasso (D-Arabi), Democratic candidate for Governor said, "It really says it all when it comes to the Congressman's lack of sincerity and strength to stand up, speak for himself and do as he believes.

"This is just like last week when he voted against needed funds for port security, first responders and improvements to the security at our state's oil refineries and chemical plants," Boasso said. "Once again, Bobby Jindal is putting the whims of the President over the needs of our state.

“There is an epidemic right now of unbridled and out of control government spending, both in Baton Rogue and Washington. No family in America can act this way, no small business in Louisiana can act this way, and government should not act this way either. Bobby and the majority of the Louisiana delegation continue to take a stand and vote against this irresponsible and reckless disregard for the hard earned money of Louisiana taxpayers. Congress can and should fund our Interior and environmental needs without wasting billions of taxpayer dollars.

local attorney answers mayor roy's call to action will you? part 2

on 20 june 2007 local attorney and blogger gregory aymond put out a request to concerned citizens in response to alexandria, la. mayor jacques roy call for "city residents to lead the charge in demanding an investigation of the City Council..." regarding, in part, an apparent violation of louisiana open meetings laws.

today, wst... obtained a copy of the cover letter mr. aymond has sent to louisiana's attorney general charles c. foti asking for an investigation of same.

if you are a concerned citizen (you dont have to be a resident of alexandria, louisiana) and you desire to write a.g. foti about this matter, on your own, then feel free to use this letter as a template to go by:

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hb765 includes judgments against the state

hb765, starting at page eleven "contain appropriations in the total amount of Thirty-Two Million Dollars, be it more or less..." this bill lists all the house and senate bills filed to pay court judgments against the state "if such judgments are final, and notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 49:112..."

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T. The sum of Ninety-Seven Thousand Five Hundred and No/100 ($97,500.00) Dollars is hereby appropriated out of the General Fund of the state of Louisiana for Fiscal Year 2006-2007 to be used to pay the consent judgment in the suit entitled "Gheorghe Olar and Lisa Olar v. State, of Louisiana, through the Department of Transportation and Development", bearing Number 56,521 on the docket of the Eighteenth Judicial District Court, parish of Iberville, state of Louisiana.

hb730 state senate kills ethics reform

governor blanco addresses the state house for the last time

.mp3 here
4.3 MB
length 10m39s

louisiana governor kathleen blanco, house chambers

S.1639 george bush's illegal alien amnesty bill cloture vote

www.drudgereport.com
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Jun 28, 6:16 PM (ET)
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush's immigration plan to legalize as many as 12 million unlawful immigrants while fortifying the border collapsed in the Senate on Thursday, crushing both parties' hopes of addressing the volatile issue before the 2008 elections.

The Senate vote that drove a stake through the delicate compromise was a stinging setback for Bush, who had made reshaping immigration laws a central element of his domestic agenda. It could carry heavy political consequences for Republicans and Democrats, many of whom were eager to show they could act on a complex issue of great interest to the public.

"Legal immigration is one of the top concerns of the American people and Congress' failure to act on it is a disappointment," a grim-faced president said after an appearance in Newport, R.I. "A lot of us worked hard to see if we couldn't find common ground. It didn't work."

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., his party's lead negotiator, called the defeat "enormously disappointing for Congress and for the country." But, he added: "We will be back. This issue is not going away."

drudge report archives

here's how the united states senate voted tuesday 26 june 2007. the "yea" votes are those senators who are for illegal alien amnesty.

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house goodbyes: francis thompson & charlie dewitt

*updated* the mp3's appear to be streaming properly now.
francis thompson .mp3 here
9.75 MB
length 25m43s
charlie dewitt .mp3 here
12 MB
length 29m46s

to view the archived video from the legislature's video on demand website click here and scroll down to june 27 2007, day 36, chamber, pm session. you can then slide the real player timer bar over to francis thompson's farewell remarks which begin around 4 hours 30 minutes. charlie dewitt's farewell remarks come immediately after rep. thompson's or around time 4 hours 56 minutes.

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"i just want to show yall what happened - this is what i came down here looking like and this is what the hell iam leaving like" - rep. charlie dewitt

"i want to tell you whenever my first trip i always think of this whenever i come here to baton rouge, i didnt even know how you got to the capitol. carl gunter, a lot of you dont know him, some of you do. that little ol red pick-up truck. he said 'dewitt, c'mon go with me i'am going to take you to the capitol' oh we come busting up here like the hooligans, i'd come to town you hear me? carl brought me right through those doors right there and did two things, he said 'dewitt you see that mic down there?' i said yes sir, he said 'you can say anything you want on it ' and said 'they got to sue the state they cant sue you' i've often thought about that and you know what he was pretty right i aint never seen anybody else get sued up here. he was a dear friend of mine and a heck of a good fellow.

then he led me out that other door right over there and he took me right to those doors and we stood on those steps and he said 'dewitt i'am going to show you something else' he said 'whenever you think this state cant operate and this body cant operate as long as you're a representative' he said 'you see that statue down there?' i said yeah hell i didnt know it was huey long he said 'thats where huey long's buried' he said 'whenever he died they thought this state was gonna fall in a hole and ever thing was gonna be the worst in the world; he said 'it's still working' he said 'you remember that, this state will work without you.''

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lying louis marshall

this video is a 3m40s clip from a march 2007 alexandria, la city council community development committee meeting. the one in which city councilman louis marshall introduces his resolution captioned "public information on city activities and important constituent matters." a city attorney read the resolution and said that "mr. marshall asked that staff prepare a resolution concerning the public information and how that information can be made available to the public particularly considering the new changes in the information sources such as the internet..." then the city attorney goes some examples about what the resolution is talking about such as special notices, changes in garbage pickup schedules, utility matters, places of interest and city governmental business "including but not limited to expanded use of the government access channel..." as shown in the video the city attorney then reads the entire resolution...

now contrast councilman marshall's actions then to his actions in a recent city council meeting (see following video) when he refused to second a motion to broadcast a recent special city council meeting, effectively censoring his constituents. so what happened with mr. marshall between then and now?

the administration doesnt appear to be entirely blameless here either because if mayor roy would have went ahead and drafted the resolution (mayor roy says at the end of the video "mr marshall we understand the directive and we'll proceed accordingly"} for the council and it would have been passed by the city council already -- then the city council wouldnt have had a leg to stand on in the recent special city council meeting public access broadcast they banned.

personal privilege: senators schedler & romero

schedler & romero.mp3 here
13.6MB length 34:01

term-limited senators have been taking turns under their personal privilege rule to say their goodbyes to their fellow senators...sniff

today, senator tom schedler and senator craig romero had their say...

screen grabs taken from senate stream

video: mayor jacques roy 'state of the city' address

friday 22 june 2007 was the 200th day of the jacques roy administration. on monday 25 june 2007 mayor roy gave a 'state of the city' address which was broadcast live over public access channel 4. at 9:00 am on tuesday 26 june 2007 the speech was rebroadcast on channel 4, so we recorded it and posted it to the public domain via google video.

sb221 senate concurs with house on cockfighting

6:41 pm cdt monday 25 june 2007 louisiana senate votes to concur with the house of representatives amendments to sb221 a bill by sen.art lentini relative to gambling or wagering at any cockfight.

screen grabs from legis senate video feed

state senator art lentini rails about cockfighting
louisiana senate chamber 6:39 pm cdt monday 25 june 2007
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it looks like the way they are going about stopping cock fighting is to outlaw betting on it. we cant see where its actually illegal to fight chickens...just that you cant bet on it...wtf

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"bong hits 4 jesus" decision

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Joseph Frederick was 18 when he displayed his huge banner just outside the school grounds at Juneau, Alaska in front of television cameras as the Olympic flame passed in front of a crowd.

Principal Deborah Morse was not amused by Frederick's linkage between Jesus and a bong, a pipe used to smoke marijuana. She took away the banner and suspended Frederick from school for 10 days.

Frederick took his case to court, arguing that his free-speech rights, protected under the First Amendment, had been violated, and demanding damages from Morse.

The case drew heavy hitters on Frederick's side including the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Center for Law and Justice. Some religious groups also backed Frederick, putting President George W. Bush's conservative base at odds with the administration, which sided with the school.

For his part, Frederick, now 23, said he had unfurled the banner as a "free-speech experiment."

In the national debate about a serious issue, it is the expression of the minority’s viewpoint that most demands the protection of the First Amendment. Whatever the better policy may be, a full and frank discussion of the costs and benefits of the attempt to prohibit the use of marijuana is far wiser than suppression of speech because it is unpopular.

I respectfully dissent.

the longest days of the year

screen grab from legis house chamber video feed
house speaker joe salter deferring sb14 on representative dorsey's motion.
9:42 am cdt monday 25 june 2007.
moments earlier speaker salter remarked that all senate bills must be finished by 6:00 pm this evening.

4:36 pm cdt sunday 24 june 2007 the house just moved to defer sb14 for today.

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**updated at 4:19 pm cdt sunday 24 june 2007

the louisiana state house of representatives comes into session
sunday 24 june 2007 4:00 pm cdt

screen grab from legis video feed
speaker joe salter gavels the louisiana house of representatives to order
4:13 pm cdt sunday 24 june 2007
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click here for legis.state.la.us live video and/or audio feed

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1:29 pm cdt sunday 24 june 2007

message from JOHN KENNEDY
SB14 will sit on the calendar until the end of the session, so it could come up at any time...
--END--

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only about 100 hours remain in what is one of the worst legislatures in louisiana's history...then its onward to the fall elections...louisiana's jungle primary is on saturday 20 october 2007 and the runoff will be on saturday 17 november 2007.

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new orleans times-picayune sunday 24 june 2007 editorial on sb14:

EDITORIAL: Revenge isn't sweet

House members should reject a bill that would water down the authority of the state treasurer over the State Bond Commission, thereby making it easier for lawmakers to push boondoggles and pet projects.

Senate Bill 14 would create an executive committee of the Bond Commission, consisting of the Senate president, House speaker and state treasurer. That panel would set the agenda for the commission, a power that the treasurer, as chairman, now enjoys. It would also allow a majority of the full commission to put items on the agenda via written requests.

Senate President Donald Hines, sponsor of the bill, has reason to be unhappy with Mr. Kennedy. The treasurer fought efforts to use state bonds to build a syrup mill in Sen. Hines' district -- a mill that would have benefited the senator's son-in-law, who is a sugar cane farmer.

Sen. Hines has insisted that this bill has nothing to do with the syrup mill and is simply a matter of good public policy. But no one should be fooled. This is a political maneuver, and Mr. Kennedy shouldn't be punished for defeating an ill-conceived project. Moreover, his hands shouldn't be tied so that he can't fight the next one.

There was talk of amending this bill to require a unanimous vote of the executive committee -- an effort to prevent the two legislative members of the executive committee from ganging up on the treasurer. But it would be far better to kill this measure than try to make it slightly less deplorable.

If the House doesn't have the good sense to reject it, Gov. Kathleen Blanco should veto it.
link

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louisiana house of representatives convenes at 4:00 pm cdt sunday 24 june 2007 bills to watch are in the house order of the day

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**updated saturday 23 june 2007**

saturday latest on sb14

2:29 pm cdt saturday 23 june 2007

message from JOHN KENNEDY
Its been passed over on the house calendar, meaning the votes weren’t there. But its not over till its over.
--END--

wst... note: the louisiana house of representatives convemes at

4:00 pm sunday 24 june 2007

see: house of representatives order of the day for sunday 24 june 2007

on sunday, sb14 is still subject to house action

6. Senate Bills on Third Reading and Final Passage
Regular
SB14 HINES BONDS - Provides for the chairmanship and an executive committee of the State Bond Commission. (1/14/08)

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2:26 pm cdt friday 22 june 2007

message from JOHN KENNEDY
SB 14 HAS BEEN DEFERRED FOR TODAY
But it is still technically alive and on the calendar...
…still can be brought up at any time.
--END--

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updated at 2:10 pm without objection representative salter deferred sb 14.

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1:19 pm cdt 22 june 2007

sb14

will central louisiana's delegation stand with treasurer kennedy?

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1. according to the senate vote, senator joe mcpherson did not

click here to view from legis.state.la.us
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www.legis.state.la.us
house in session
floor action prior to sb14 reading

representative shirley bowler explains to rep. jack smith why she opposes an amendment to sb223.
added 3:58 pm cdt 22 june 2007: there is a news report on the town talk online about sb223 a bill by pro-tax and fake republican RINO mike michot see "House agrees to raise minimum car insurance rates"

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more commentary on sb223 at louisiana legislature log see "Floor action, Jun. 22: SB 1, SB 223."

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when in session click here to watch the louisiana state house of representatives
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house.louisiana.gov video on demand: chamber and committees archived video

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1:06 pm cdt friday 22 june 2007

message from JOHN KENNEDY
SB 14, (the Hines Bond Commission bill) may be voted on by the House within the next few hours.
--END--

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**update** senate bill 14 is set for house final passage vote today friday 22 june 2007. please contact your state representative and ask him or her to vote "nay" to sb 14

central louisiana state representatives include:

billy chandler - constituent office 318.992.0887 - telephone
israel curtis - 318.487.5417 - telephone
charlie dewitt - 318.484.2216 - macarthur drive office
rick farrar - 318.484.2210 - telephone

see also legislative alert!!! by treasury sec'y john kennedy
and also central la politics blog: state treasurer asks for your help

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originally posted thursday 21 june 2007 11:44pm cdt

----ORIGINAL POST----

tom konvicka tells us on his weather blog (see link) that tomorrow - friday 22 june 2007 will be a day just like today sunny with low humidity...great.

nearest we can tell, today at 106pm cdt the summer solstice occurred here. for a little while, the days will have just over twelve hours of sunlight. by the first of december the day time will have diminished to a little over ten hours. we used the june and december charts for new orleans at timeanddate.com because we went on to the la department of wildlife & fisheries website to get tomorrows sunrise and sunset times to link to, but we cant see the data for june, may, july and august. its probably there but we arent looking at it right...or something.

this could be embarrassing, but if we're that blind we want to know -- below is the screen grab of the of the sunset-sunset table as it appears to us right now.

click picture to enlarge

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we looked on the news releases page for a random email address to someone that we could ask and found one there in a news release by mr. martin bourgeois "shrimp season to close in portions of zone 2". so we wrote mr. bourgeois and asked him to pass on our question ("sunrise-sunset table page problem?") about how to read the sunrise-sunset table or if four months were indeed missing. so we hope to hear something back. the page is here.

also tomorrow the louisiana house of representatives order of the day says that sb14 is set for its third reading and final passage vote.

senate bill no 14

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this is the syrup mill retribution bill in which state agricultural commissioner bob odom and his gang (led by doc hines and joe salter) promised to "whip your ass" with.

here is sec'y kennedy's side of it.

please contact your representer (heres the list of representatives by parish) and urge him or her to vote "nay" to sb14 final passage. you can also help to get the word out by calling talk radio.

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related posts

sb14 vote shows who the senatorial rats are

john kennedy: truth teller

treasury sec'y john kennedy video blogged!

sec'y kennedy takes dotd to task

draft kennedy!

gov. blanco not to run

sb14 treasury sec'y kennedy needs your help!

sec'y john kennedy on lra & the road home

unanswered

cutting the budget kennedy puts pressure on blanco

more on la state treasurer john kennedy

state treasurer 'in shock' by the budget

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search this blog * sb14

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talk radio around louisiana

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public domain video website lists banned video of alexandria, la city council meeting

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town talk finally capitulates to the blogosphere

kudos to town talk editor cynthia jardon who's new blog "Cynla" has linked to an online true and unedited copy of a Special 'Banned By The Alexandria, La. City Council' Meeting Video 12 June 2007. the complete copy was first posted online by bloggers a week ago today...

click here to view cynla's very first blog post and give her some love.

more later...

did the alexandria city council violate the open meetings law?

central la politics blog has the video of the 19 june 2007 economic development committee meeting in which council president hobbs explains his apparent illegal polling of a majority of the council members.

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this is the smoking gun letter (download your own copy here or here) from alexandria, la. city council president everett hobbs to mayor jacques roy in which he admits that "it was the decision of the majority of the council not to air said council meeting..." this was done in a non public meeting (think smoke filled back room) and thus appears to be a clear violation of public meetings law.

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royal alexander comment scammers at it again

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as you can see "bayou ranger" "ben bondoc" and "stephanie rinnell" also stephanie rinnell here and here their comments all originated from the same computer located in or near baton rouge, louisiana.

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related posts

lpb report on louisiana libertarians

bogalusa nutter to run for lieutenant governor

www.thedeadpelican.com

local attorney answers mayor roy's call to action will you?

from central la politics blog:

The Town Talk quotes Alexandria Mayor, Jacques Roy, as calling for: "city residents to lead the charge in demanding an investigation of the City Council..."( Town Talk, supra.) So here is your chance to do something for your community, and not just sit around and gripe or gossip about it.

SEND ME AN EMAIL OR LETTER:

Simply cut and paste this:

Mr. Aymond, please notify the Louisiana Attorney General and the Rapides District Attorney, on my behalf, of the apparant violation of the State's Open Meeting Law, which was discussed at the Alexandria City Council's June 19, 2007, Economic Development Committee meeting, and keep me advised of what action has been taken.

Send To:

gralaw@kricket.net

- or mail to -

Gregory R. Aymond

Attorney at Law

Post Office Box 5503

Alexandria, Louisiana 71307

Please put your name and snail mail address in your email. Your information will not be used for any purpose other than reporting this matter, and reporting back to you. While you must be at least 18 years of age, you do not have to be a citizen of Alexandria.

town talk still lying about existence of complete city council meeting video

in an article in todays paper "Roy calls for probe of City Council 'meeting'" (see link) the town talk mentions that kalb has an edited version of the city council meeting, yet they still fail to inform their readers of the existence of the full unedited version that since friday 15 june 2007 has been available online. the town talk has known about the existence of this unedited city council video for at least two days prior to publishing the article. why is the town talk refusing to give their readers the whole story?

telephone the town talk switchboard: (318) 487-6397 or 1-800-523-8391 and/or email "reporter" tom bonnette at tbonnette@thetowntalk.com or town talk online contact form and demand they tell their readers about the online existence of the complete 12 june 2007 special city council meeting which is currently banned from the public view by the alexandria city council.

perhaps more importantly call or visit the town talk's advertisers and let them know that they are advertising in a paper that is not giving complete information.

alexandria city council banned video makes internet rounds

www.therapidesnote.blogspot.com