“I was standing on the hotel balcony at 110 bourbon when this happened.” -Chicher

The people of New Orleans are hurting. And even though they’re desperately short on police coverage, the National Guard has now decided to leave. How long will the suffering continue?

Bourbon St. Shooting Marks 12th In 24 Hours

Police Also Investigate Shootings In Mid-City, Central City

NEW ORLEANS – A shooting on Bourbon Street just as police and cleanup crews were shutting down Mardi Gras celebrations there marked the 12th shooting in 24 hours.

The latest happened just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 100 block of Bourbon Street. A 21-year-old man was shot in the back, and he was taken to a hospital where he is listed in stable condition.

Police declared the end of Carnival at midnight Tuesday, ushering revelers home as crews moved in to clean up the French Quarter. The shooting capped a violent 24 hours of what would have been an otherwise successful Mardi Gras.
Story continues below ?advertisement | your ad here

Seven people were shot along St. Charles Avenue on Tuesday afternoon and four others were shot in separate incidents on Tuesday. No one was killed.

Albert Lee, Vince Gill & Danny Gatton
“One Way Rider”

No surprise here……….

Americans may paint themselves in increasingly bright shades of red and blue, but new research finds one thing that varies little across the nation: the liking for online pornography.

A new nationwide study (pdf) of anonymised credit-card receipts from a major online adult entertainment provider finds little variation in consumption between states.

“When it comes to adult entertainment, it seems people are more the same than different,” says Benjamin Edelman at Harvard Business School.

However, there are some trends to be seen in the data. Those states that do consume the most porn tend to be more conservative and religious than states with lower levels of consumption, the study finds.

“Some of the people who are most outraged turn out to be consumers of the very things they claimed to be outraged by,” Edelman says.

This cracked me up. Good on her.

A feisty 70-year-old woman who fought off four home intruders by whacking one with a signature Emeril Lagasse saucepan was upset when police took it as evidence after apprehending the suspects.

But now, Ellen Basinski, of Elyria, outside Cleveland, has lots of replacement Lagasse cookware coming her way, courtesy of the chef himself, and The Early Show Saturday Edition.

The feisty Basinski was on the phone with her husband, a local judge, when the would-be robbers entered the house.

“I was angry,” she says.

As one of them started rummaging through her purse, she grabbed her favorite trademark Lagasse saucepan and, as the famous chef himself likes to say, BAM!

“He told the police it almost knocked him out,” Basinski says. “I gave it a good whack. I figured, ‘You might get only one swing, lady, so make it good!’”

The four tried to defend themselves.

“It appears that one of the suspects picked up a Jack Daniels bottle and just threw it at her,” says Elyria Police Lt. Andy Eichenlaub.

“The thrower said, ‘I wanted to get out of there to stop her from beating up my friend,” Basinski points out.

Even though Bush somehow managed to get himself elected to the presidency, (under questionable methods – twice), he made the observation that those very slim victories were a clear mandate that the people yearned for a more authoritarian, Constitutionally-shredding government. If that were the case, then we most certainly got our wish.

Obama’s win last November was anything but slim. And so was the mandate from the people. Now it’s our time – those of us who are fed up with a government of the wealthy, by the wealthy, for the wealthy… and who truly give a wholly goddamn for what America stands for.

The days of having thugs in charge who thumb their nose at the Constitution and at the poor amongst us are over. It’s time government did the people’s business, and not that of large corporations. We’re not a Christian nation, but we are a nation made up of many Christians. We should know that all people are equal and that no one is better than anyone else. So why aren’t we demanding no less out of our government? Representatives of the people don’t get to represent “some” of the people. It’s all or nothing. If you don’t like it you can stay the hell home!

And it’s also time that our troops serving abroad are welcomed back with a hero’s homecoming. It’s time they’re treated with the dignity they’ve earned and deserve. And it’s time that the war-wounded finally got the care and treatment they’ve earned and deserve too. Asking people to serve, only to turn around and neglect their needs later, is the surest sign of a dysfunctional government. It’s uncalled for and should be criminal.

It’s time to remove corruption from our government. It’s time to do the people’s bidding. It’s time for CHANGE!

Obama challenges lobbyists to legislative duel

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama challenged the nation’s vested interests to a legislative duel Saturday, saying he will fight to change health care, energy and education in dramatic ways that will upset the status quo.

“The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long,” Obama said in his weekly radio and video address. “But I don’t. I work for the American people.”

He said his ambitious budget plan, unveiled Thursday, will help millions of Americans, but only if Congress overcomes resistance from deep-pocket lobbies.

“I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight,” Obama said, using tough-guy language reminiscent of his predecessor, George W. Bush. “My message to them is this: So am I.”

Haven’t these people been through enough?

The people of New Orleans have mixed feelings about the impending pullout of Guardsmen. Many say, with having a severely undermanned police force, they’ve armed themselves and are prepared for whatever lies ahead. Others don’t quite have that “Dirty Harry” disposition, and are very worried.

With murders down from 210 in 2007 to 179 the following year, there’s no doubt that the Guard has been of great help. But the biggest benefit of having them around came from reducing theft crimes. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the people of NO can make it on there own – again.

Guard to pull out of New Orleans after 3 1/2 years

NEW ORLEANS – Three and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard is pulling the last of its troops out of New Orleans this weekend, leaving behind a city still desperate and dangerous. Residents long distrustful of the city’s police force are worried they will have to fend for themselves.

“I don’t know if crime will go up after these guys leave. But I know a lot more of us will be packing our own pieces now to make sure we’re protected,” said Calvin Stewart, owner of a restaurant and store.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley said his rebuilt police department is up to the job of protecting the city. “I think we’re ready to handle things,” he said. [...]

With Louisiana facing a $341 million budget deficit, state lawmakers were reluctant to keep the Guard in place any longer. [...]

“I don’t think the city is ready for us to leave,” said Lt. Ronald Brown, who has been part of Task Force Gator since April 2007. “I’d like to see us stay. I think we make a difference, but I guess it’s a money thing.”

Bill Maher’s New Rules 02/27/09

President Obama announces Iraq withdrawal strategy at Camp LeJeune

President Obama’s weekly address

Janet Jackson – Livin’ In A World (They Didn’t Make)

I read the CNN headline regarding Dobson stepping down and screamed hallelujah! But, wrong… nothing has changed. Once you’ve reached the apex of ass-holery, you rarely step backwards. The only thing that will shut these snake-oil salesmen up is death (remember Falwell?)

I felt this particular post fit within our “Hate Merchants” category. After all, the man does make a living spreading hate.

Focus on the Family’s James Dobson steps down

(CNN) — James Dobson, the influential evangelical leader of the Christian ministry Focus on the Family, has stepped down as board chairman, he announced Friday.

During a meeting with employees, Dobson, 72, said the move means he will no longer be involved with the administrative side of the organization, according to spokesman Gary Schneeberger.

But Dobson’s public role isn’t expected to change. He’ll still appear on his daily radio broadcast and as an advocate for socially conservative issues, Schneeberger said.

“There won’t be a whole lot of difference,” the spokesman said. “You’ll still hear him on the radio. You’ll still see him on the networks like CNN with Larry King.

What a joke. Does anyone intelligent take these people seriously?

What does Jim DeMint’s and Mike Huckabee’s plan entail for turning this soured economy around, (I mean, besides shrieking before cameras and getting all pissy like five-year-old girls)? Oh, that’s right – NOTHING!

The only idea any republican can come up with is trickle-down. They don’t use that name any more though, since it’s long been proven a failure. Giving the wealthy more tax breaks is the only thing these people know to do. Republicans have proven time and time again that they are not there for the common man. Their wheeling and dealings are geared specifically towards the rich, rarely ever addressing the poor, and then only when needing fodder for their war machine.

The best thing to do when a republican opens his mouth is to just point and laugh. Start to take one seriously and, before you know it, they’re back in control, the economy takes another nose-dive and a whole new war breaks out someplace. If only so many Americans weren’t so gullible.

Senator calls Obama ‘world’s best salesman of socialism’

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Another prominent Republican told the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday that the president’s spending plans are pushing the country to the brink of socialism.

Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, the only member of the senate to earn a perfect rating from the American Conservative Union, called President Obama “the world’s best salesman of socialism” on Friday in describing his prime time speech earlier this week.

DeMint, a fierce opponent of government expansion, told the CPAC crowd that conservatives might have to “take to the streets to stop America’s slide into socialism.”

His remarks comes a day after Mike Huckabee told the conference of conservative activists that “the Union of American Socialist Republics is being born” with the president’s stimulus package.

“Lenin and Stalin would love this stuff,” Huckabee said of the government bailing out financial institutions.

I’d much rather have someone called a socialist running this country rather than a bunch of goddamn fear-mongering liars. DeMint and Huckabee, sit down and STFU!