Graduate candidates, guests and faculty listen to Dr. Francis C. Thompson as he delivers his keynote address at the commencement ceremony. photo courtesy monroe news star ulm graduation photo gallery 
the more we read the news the more we wonder just what the hell is wrong with the people in this state.there used to be a time when people knew right from wrong and to anyone with two brain cells it is self evident that what la. state representative francis c thompson is doing is just plain wrong.
oak grove community website snip:
"Self serving Legislator Developers are proposing the desecration of 5 Cemeteries, taking of Churches and Homes, to sell Lakefront lots and build Retirement homes."
among other things, francis thompson his brother michael l. thompson and their cronies steal people's homesteads, their ancestral land, their ancient family cemeteries. they use the excuse that there is a coming water shortage in louisiana to build these reservoirs, reservoirs, which just so happen to need glitzy hi-end real estate developments which they develop and build too, oh and they get the state to foot the bill for it all. not only that but the state gets to patrol the reservoirs; see to their upkeep and enforce the law as well. francis thompson's job is to author the legislation enabling the state seizure of the land - under the guise of economic development [eminent domain abuse], projected (junk science) shortages of drinking water, and so forth. the brother mike thompson his job is to collect big fees as a "consultant" another crony terry denmon owns denmon engineering and guess who gets to build the reservoirs? see Thompsons cash in on lake from the monroe news star.
its a total inside job from start to finish. even the guy that may get the contract to rob those graves is a crony of the thompsons. this is the kind of person that ulm prez dr james e cofer, sr., thinks is a good example for his graduating students to emulate. something is very wrong at the university of louisiana at monroe. we have to wonder what else they are teaching impressionable students is ok.francis c. thompson ulm 20 may 2006 speech excerpts:
monroe, la., news star snip:
“Many of the successes I have personally experienced in my life have been the result of my many associations with this great institution as a student and faculty member.”
“Graduation is a time of beginnings … a time when we must start to make new lives for ourselves … a time when we must chart new directions for the future … a time when we must come to the realization that all we have done to this point has been done to build foundations for the future,” Thompson said. “A college education provides a strong, yet flexible foundation for your future lives. What you did here will influence you in the years to come.”
Thompson said his generation was leaving the next generation of leaders “a nation which allows individuals to achieve any goal to which they aspire and for which they are willing to work.”
The graduates had an unlimited potential for success, bolstered by their enthusiasm, Thompson said.
“Enthusiasm will help you accept defeats, and defeats are a part of life. Your school years have taught you how to win and how to lose … how to accept success and how to bounce back from failure. You have learned that determination will overpower failures in school and in life.”
click here to read more.====
related posts:
Louisiana Reservoir of Corruption * Washington Parish Reservoir Movie * reservoirs HB1129 * LPB Louisiana the State We're In Reservoir Project transcript * louisiana eminent domain abuse * commerce & industry board appoints mike thompson its chairman * reservoirs again * hb2 capital outlay ways and means committee meeting
EXTERNAL LINK
mayor and orleans parish election results updated from 8pm. click the link to get the live results directly from the secretary of state's election database website.
landrieu concedes.mp3 - 10:22 pm cdt saturday 20 may 2006 note: we missed the first sentence of lt gov landrieu's concession in that missing few seconds landrieu opens his speech to thank god.
nagin's victory speech.mp3 - 10:31 pm cdt saturday 20 may 2006 * note wdsu.com had some technical problems with their stream at the beginning of the speech.
more later
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More than 500 marijuana plants seized in Concordia Parish
Louisiana State Police narcotics agents have seized more than 500 marijuana plants growing along the Black River near the Mayna community of Concordia Parish, police reported.While narcotics agents conducted Marijuana Eradication Air Operations, with the support of the Louisiana State Police Air Support Unit, a plot of marijuana plants was discovered.Once confirmed that the plants were indeed marijuana, seven more plots were discovered from the air within a one mile stretch of the river bank.A total of 521 plants were seized, an estimated street value of over $781,500, State Police reported.Anyone with information regarding marijuana cultivation can contact the Louisiana State Police Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Hotline at 1-800-535-3344.Originally published May 19, 2006====
about the photo:This slide was taken on 2003-04-00 around 10:00:00 in Nepal by ShaharPeople on the picture: unknownThe story of the picture:Huge fields of Marijuana along the lower parts of the Anapurna trail. The locals use them for fabric, but they are also sold to tourist whom report no real effect.====
moroccan cannabis farmers face ruin
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why is this guy giving lsu's commencement address? out of all the billions of people on the planet why does lsu keep going back to the bush crime family to address our flagship university's graduates?
associated press snip:
Cheney's speech marked the fourth consecutive year that the commencement speaker had a connection to the Bush administration: former NASA chief and LSU chancellor Sean O'Keefe last year; President Bush in 2004; and Lynne Cheney, the vice president's wife, in 2003. "I know a lot of people consider it an honor, but I don't," said Ward Reilly, 52, a retired Baton Rouge city construction inspector. "Even if you like the (neo-conservatives), it'd be nice to have some diversity." click here to read more.
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EXTERNAL LINK
updated 22 june 2007 1:49 am cdt
wwl new orleans area and streaming
monica pierre 6 am - 10 am
spud mcconnel 'talk gumbo' show 10am - 1 pm
garland robinette 'think tank' 1 pm - 4 pm
wwl program call in number: 504-260-1870 or 866-889-0870
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talk radio around the state
ksyl alexandria 318-442-8255fred rosenfeld
m-f 6:05am - 7ambob & lynn
720am till 9am
ksyl by air970am/streaming www.ksyl.comrod noles economic update - wednesdays
moon griffon 1800 259-1440 9am-11am
jeff crouere
Join me each weekday morning from 5-9 a.m. on WGSO 990 AM. The show is called Northshore Morning and I'll put the day in perspective along with an interesting array of newsmakers, guests, hot topics, and callers.
To participate, please call:
#985-661-2929-Northshore
#504-556-9696-New Orleans
www.ringsidepolitics.com
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wjbo baton rouge #225.499.9526
bill profita
clarence buggs
kevin meeks
matt kennedy
www.wjbo.com
the jim engster show
monday thru thursday 9:00 am - 10:00 am
by air wrkf 89.3
or www.wrkf.org
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here is tonights
wdsu - msnbc debate between mayor of orleans candidates c ray nagin the incumbent and lieutenant governor mitch landrieu. the debate was moderated by chris matthews and
norman robinson of wdsu
here is an .mp3 of what audio we could get. msnbc's stream was fubar. we couldnt connect to the stream until 6 minutes in because of a problem with msnbc then their stream was lagging terribly. there are a lot of gaps. at time 30:25 (which was around :41 past the hour) we switched to wdsu's stream to record for the remainder, thankfully it was lag free .
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related post:
former alexandria police chief tommy cicardo will sign his book "because they could" for you at walden books in the alexandria mall saturday 27 may 2006 from 2pm till 4pm. confirmed by pam at walden books 318.443.4620
in his own words: here is chief cicardo's reply for our request for comment by way of cenla antics blog:
"Law enforcement was my life and still is in my heart. My book, in no way, diminishes the
the passion most police officers feel in doing this difficult job.
We can only hope that criticism will come AFTER the book is read!"
Thomas Cicardo
here is a review written by mandy goodnight for the alexandria, louisiana daily town talk:
Alemette, La., sure seems a lot like Alexandria, La.
The resemblances are uncanny, but former Alexandria Police Chief Tommy Cicardo insists his book, "Because They Could," which is set in Alemette, is a work of fiction.Cicardo's 200-page paperback, though, appears to be nothing more than a gossip column about a Louisiana town veiled as a work of literary fiction.Like gossip, there are elements of the truth woven into each tale, and the story comes from the perception of only one person -- the storyteller.Tony Caruso, the main character, clearly believes that the way he sees each situation unfold is the entire truth.However, everyone sees life through his or her rose-colored glasses.Caruso comes across as a "can't be wrong" person who doesn't make mistakes. Never once does he screw up, botch a case or handle a situation in what he thinks is a wrong way.After one of his officers is arrested in his department's prostitution sting and then is allowed to resign without being arrested, these were Caruso's thoughts: "The media beat Tony up quite a bit and several letters to the newspaper editor were published concerning double standards. The chief (Caruso) took it and waited for his assistant chief to step forward, but he never did. That alone told Tony a lot about this man."Caruso's response to events gives readers a veiled look into the character's personality."Really, it would be miserable for him (an assistant chief); Tony thought of a few places he could bury him in the department. He could work straight nights supervising the trustees cleaning the building, or supervising the dog pound. But Tony decided if he went and asked him to help run the department, it would show him that he was a good and forgiving person. It worked."The only personality trait that seemed to slip into the book directly about Caruso came through the eyes of Alemette's mayor and his staff. A friend of Caruso told him that the cities' authorities feared he was "thin-skinned."While no underside of Caruso is revealed, it didn't stop the main character from personally attacking others.He singled out officers, politicians and members of the media, describing their personality traits or life situations. One officer was described as a person who ordered one side of a restaurant menu and another as being "a man trapped in a woman's body."There were attacks on a law enforcement officer who was accused of covering up the misdeeds of his son and of a mayor who was never in town."Because They Could" is void of a central theme, unless you count blaming the newspaper for most everything that happened to the central character.For example, Tim Thibodeaux opened fire on police officers from inside a barricaded house. Two of the Alemette officers and Thibodeaux died."However, what pushed Thibodeaux was the biased reporting of the 'Alemette Journal,' keeping tensions high to sell newspapers (because they could), and driving Thibodeaux to wage war against the APD," according to Caruso's thoughts.If you are interested in law enforcement, the book is a gritty view into the world of crime scenes and the life of police officers. There is a lot of vulgar language and gruesome descriptions of rape and murder scenes.Some people will still see the book as a "tell all" and will read it to see if they can find someone who resembles them or someone they know.The book has been the buzz around the Alexandria Police Department and many circles within the community as each person has his or her own idea of whether "Because They Could" is a work of fiction or not.Originally published July 24, 2005this was the town talk's july 2005 man on the street reaction to chief cicardo's book :
Reaction to book mixedSome people have called it "sleazy" and "garbage" while others term it "required reading."Former Alexandria Police Chief Tommy Cicardo's book, "Because They Could," has caused some lively discussions throughout Alexandria."Everyone knows this is not a fictional book," Alexandria Fire Chief Paul Smith said. "It is sleazy. I think a police chief that writes about his term is unethical."Smith and many other city employees and public servants have found a resemblance to themselves within the 200-page book.Cicardo said Friday that if readers find someone like themselves in the book, it is just a coincidence. "I didn't write it to hurt anyone," he said. "I wrote a book of fiction."Wanda McGowen of Alexandria answered a Town Talk online survey about "Because They Could." She said the book should be "required reading for every Alexandria taxpayer."She described the book as well-written and "without malice.""I don't read garbage," was the only reaction Alexandria City Council President Charles F. Smith Jr. had. He hadn't read the book and had no intentions to pick up a copy. He did say that others had told him one of the characters was him.Alexandria Mayor Ned Randolph also hadn't read the controversial book but had heard enough about it that he planned to read it.Paul Smith said everyone with whom he had talked was upset about the book, and he personally was offended by the book's reference to the Alemette fire chief not asking for firefighters to be included in a memorial to honor the city's heroes killed in the line of duty when the city marshal asked to be included.The fire chief said he took that as a shot at the fire department, which wanted to be a part of Alexandria's Heroes Memorial, which honors fallen police officers and a deputy city marshal. "I asked to be a part of that memorial," he said.The fire chief added that Cicardo "has a lot of skeletons in his own closet."Former Alexandria assistant police chief and interim chief Gary Moore said the book "is about actual events but with a slant to make Tony Caruso look like he was the most perfect policeman to ever work."Moore said names have been changed, but the law-enforcement community knows each character's true identity."It is a shame that he dedicates this trash to two officers who gave their lives for the protection of the city, that Tony Caruso trashes in this book," Moore said.The book is dedicated to Officers Jay Carruth and David Ezernack, who were killed in a Feb. 20, 2003, shootout on Wise Street.The shootout events described in the book mirror that 2003 event, Moore said.Cicardo is describing events as they were described to him by "officers that were in fact there" and was told of one of the officer's death via telephone, because he had gone home -- not to the hospital to be with the officers or their families, Moore said.The book hurts the images of the police department and the city, he added.Alexandria Police Chief Daren Coutee agrees."My only question is, 'Why anyone would want to write this?'" Coutee said. "It doesn't help this organization and the community perception. It doesn't help Alexandria as a whole."The book has been the buzz at the city's Public Safety Complex, but most officers said they didn't want to publicly discuss the book.
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"Because They Could"Paperback: 274 pagesPublisher: patterson printing co,
benton harbor michican 49022ISBN: 0977908801*available online or in stores*BARNES & NOBLEBORDERSBOOKS-A-MILLIONAMAZON.COM
EXTERNAL LINK
please dont forget HB2 the house ways and means committee has it on its agenda tuesday may 16th, 2006 room 6 at 9:30 am. please ask your representative to cut pork from the capital outlay aka house bill 2. ask them to completely defund the washington parish reservoir scheme as well as all the other reservoir schemes where the good citizens of this state dont want them. stop louisiana government sponsored eminent domain abuse. www.legis.state.la.us
talk radio:
alexandria bob and lynn 7-9am ksyl (318) 442-8255
louisiana moon griffon 9-11am 1800 259 1440
related posts:
HB2 Reservoirs/Eminent Domain AbuseLouisiana Eminent Domain Abuse
EXTERNAL LINK
Bears Eat Monkey in Front of Zoo Visitors AMSTERDAM, Netherlands
Bears killed and ate a monkey in a Dutch zoo in front of horrified visitors, witnesses and the zoo said Monday. In the incident Sunday at the Beekse Bergen Safari Park, several Sloth bears chased the Barbary macaque into an electric fence, where it was stunned. It recovered and fled onto a wooden structure, where one bear pursued and mauled it to death.
The park confirmed the killing in a statement, saying: "In an area where Sloth bears, great apes and Barbary macaques have coexisted peacefully for a long time, the harmony was temporarily disturbed during opening hours on Sunday." "Of course the habitats here in the safari park are arranged in such a way that one animal almost never kills another, but they are and remain wild animals," it said. Witness Marco Berelds posted a detailed report on the incident, including photos, on a Dutch Web site. He said one Sloth bear tried unsuccessfully to shake the monkey loose after it took refuge on the structure, built of crossing horizontal and vertical poles. Ignoring attempts by keepers to distract it, the bear climbed onto a horizontal pole, and, standing stretched on two legs, "used its sharp canines to pull the macaque, which was shrieking and resisting, from its perch." The bear then brought the animal to a concrete den, where three bears ate it. The zoo said it "usually wasn't possible" for keepers to intervene when an animal killed another.
The park plans now to move the Barbary macaques _ which are large monkeys but often inaccurately called "Barbary Apes" to another part of the park, it said.
EXTERNAL LINK
this is where the handcuffs go.truthout snip:
Karl Rove Indicted on Charges of Perjury, Lying to Investigators By Jason Leopold t r u t h o u t | Report Saturday 13 May 2006 Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald spent more than half a day Friday at the offices of Patton Boggs, the law firm representing Karl Rove. During the course of that meeting, Fitzgerald served attorneys for former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove with an indictment charging the embattled White House official with perjury and lying to investigators related to his role in the CIA leak case, and instructed one of the attorneys to tell Rove that he has 24 hours to get his affairs in order, high level sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said Saturday morning. Robert Luskin, Rove's attorney, did not return a call for comment. Sources said Fitzgerald was in Washington, DC, Friday and met with Luskin for about 15 hours to go over the charges against Rove, which include perjury and lying to investigators about how and when Rove discovered that Valerie Plame Wilson was a covert CIA operative and whether he shared that information with reporters, sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said. It was still unknown Saturday whether Fitzgerald charged Rove with a more serious obstruction of justice charge. Sources close to the case said Friday that it appeared very likely that an obstruction charge against Rove would be included with charges of perjury and lying to investigators. An announcement by Fitzgerald is expected to come this week, sources close to the case said. However, the day and time is unknown. Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the special prosecutor was unavailable for comment. In the past, Samborn said he could not comment on the case. The grand jury hearing evidence in the Plame Wilson case met Friday on other matters while Fitzgerald spent the entire day at Luskin's office. The meeting was a closely guarded secret and seems to have taken place without the knowledge of the media. As TruthOut reported Friday evening, Rove told President Bush and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, as well as a few other high level administration officials, that he will be indicted in the CIA leak case and will immediately resign his White House job when the special counsel publicly announces the charges against him, according to sources. click the link to read more.
EXTERNAL LINK
**updated**
Dartez drops out of race for secretary of state
07/20/06 XXXX 12:50:11 PM CST
Jeremy Alford of THE DAILY REPORT reports today that State Rep. Carla Dartez is ending her bid for secretary of state, which became an open post roughly one year ago this month with the death of Fox McKeithen. Dartez, a Morgan City Democrat, says she has raised only $60,000 for the statewide contest and competition has intensified. State Sen. Francis Heitmeier, D-New Orleans, jumped into the fray last week with an impressive $800,000 war chest and a larger base of regional support to sustain a campaign, THE DAILY REPORT reports. . "I just have to be realistic," Dartez says. "If I was the only Democrat in the race, the party could raise money for me. But I'm not anymore."
MORE
Former state GOP chairman Mike Francis got the nod from U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who is considered a front-runner for the 2008 presidential election, Jeremy Alford of THE DAILY REPORT reports. Alford also reports that State Sen. Jay Dardenne is touting a $2,000 donation from Congressman Richard Baker, and that both men are Republicans from Baton Rouge.
Developing...
-------------------------------
by Chad E. Rogers
http://www.thedeadpelican.com for updates
(C) THE DEAD PELICAN 2006
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original post
john maginnis in his la politics.com, fax political weekly for march 24th, 2006, quotes la state representative carla dartez saying that "I'm absolutely running." for louisiana secretary of state.on representative dartez official website from the la house of representitives she lists under occupation co-owner allison service contractors inc:
then when we look at allison service contractors, inc., from the secretary of states corporate database we learn that way back in 2003 its charter was revoked by the secretary of state and that the last date that an annual report has been filed was on 21 may 1999.
we feel that rep dartez is not the responsible type of person that we want in charge of the states records, especially our elections and the great seal of the state of louisiana.
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related posts:
La. State Senator's Betrayal Noted
Mike Francis Secretary of State Candidate
SOS Jay Dardenne
La. State Senator Jay Dardenne to Run for Secretary of State
Dardenne Ding-A-Ling====
EXTERNAL LINK
mayor and orleans parish election results updated from 8pm. click the link to get the live results directly from the secretary of state's election database website. 
Bears Eat Monkey in Front of Zoo Visitors AMSTERDAM, Netherlands 
The park plans now to move the Barbary macaques _ which are large monkeys but often inaccurately called "Barbary Apes" to another part of the park, it said.
this is where the handcuffs go.
