[STONEWALLS]

....last night on TV it mentioned that a Blackwater private security detail was responsible for cleaning out the looters in the French Quarter after Katrina....well done men!!...they ought to send them back in and clean up N.O. for good....no way I’d go to Mardi Gras these days.

[BBell]

One of my neighbors sons is former Air Force security and he is still in the A.F. reserves. He made a six figure income working for Blackwater after the hurricane. He has some stories.

[blam]

"....no way I’d go to Mardi Gras these days."

Yup. They use Mardi Gras like bait.

[Ditter]

We went to NO the weekend before Mardi Gras a few years ago. It was interesting to watch the pick pockets sweep through the crowd.

[BBell]

I go to Mardi Gras parades all the time. We just had one today that went by the end of my street. Of course I haven't been to a parade in New Orleans in a few years. I like the local ones better, less people and the crowds are nicer.