[STARWISE]

"Where did all the money go? Again, the Times-Picayune says much of the money went not to flood control, but to lawmakers' pet projects, from a $750 million for a new canal lock to a $2.5 million Mardi Gras fountain project that ran $600,000 over budget.

Nine months before Katrina, three top Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness officials were indicted by a federal grand jury in Shreveport and charged, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana, "with offenses related to the obstruction of an audit of the use of federal funds for flood mitigation opportunities throughout Louisiana."

==================

What a snakepit ... Mary Landrieu and her LA buddies need an excorcism.

[STARWISE]

WitchMary Ping!

[starfish923]

Snake pit?

Now it's a mosquito pit, toxic pit, dung hole.....third world pit hole.
The Big Easy? The big pit hole.
It will only improve after this.

[Kimmers]

People are only offended by the truth

[falcon1966]

I thought it was all FEMAs fault ?

[syriacus]

Mismanagement and corruption at the state and local level are responsible for the lion's share of this disaster.

And I wonder how many people's lives were endangered when New Orleans Chief of Homeland Security, Terry Ebbert, said this to the AP about the levee breach in the early days of the disaster

"It's a very slow rise, and it will remain so until we plug that breach.

I think we can get [the breach] stabilized in a few hours"

The words "false sense of security" come to mind.

[katagious]

I've been wondering how the States Homeland Security Officials are chosen?

[A message]

Good Ammo for a smackdown of an uneducated lefty.

BTTT

[daybreakcoming]

The levee that has been holding back the truth of Louisiana politics is breaking and the politicians from the Governor down will be naked.

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

Big bump. The truth hurts, eh Senator Landrieu?

[hosepipe]

[ What a snakepit ... Mary Landrieu and her LA buddies need an excorcism. ]

An exorcism!.. LoL... by Count Von Bushula and the Bushbats..
Dream on...

[dfwgator]

Landrieu may even be more culpable than Blanco.

[claudiustg]

I see an indictment in her future.

[carlr]

I wish someone in the LA government gets sick of seeing the obstruction,incompetence and politicization that has gone on in the last 7-10 days and comes forward and says enough is enough.
It would be interesting to see what the first messages from the DNC to the Governors office said and when they were sent.

[pankot]

And idiots still vote for the Dems.

[ModelBreaker]

Nine months before Katrina, three top Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness officials were indicted by a federal grand jury in Shreveport and charged, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana, "with offenses related to the obstruction of an audit of the use of federal funds for flood mitigation opportunities throughout Louisiana."

The suspicious ModelBreaker thinks that this is the reason the state didn't want the feds to take over the recovery effort. There's too much corruption in NO and Blanco and Nagin were scared that if the feds got control, they might just look into the corruption more closely. There were records to shred, hard drives to erase and so on before the feds could be allowed in.

It's hard to explain Blanco's actions any other way (except of course the incompetant deer caught in headlights explanation, which, in less suspicious moments, is my preferred explanation).

[maggief]

Then there's Aunt Phyllis Landrieu...

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4200/is_20050124/ai_n10176385

New Orleans School Board works to boost Superintendent Amato's salary
New Orleans CityBusiness, Jan 24, 2005 by Deon Roberts


New Orleans Public Schools Superintendent Anthony Amato is close to receiving his first raise in nearly two years on the job.

Recently inaugurated School Board members are urgently working to boost Amato's $200,000 salary to compete with job offerings reportedly being made by other school systems.

Phyllis Landrieu, the new District 5 Board member, wrote to state Attorney General Charles Foti in November asking whether an outside individual or entity can contribute to the financial package for the superintendent.

(snip)

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2004-09-14/news_scut.html

SCUTTLEBUTT 09 14 04

Endorsement Ruckus

By Allen Johnson Jr

Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, state Attorney General Charles Foti, and Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan -- and other elected officials -- apparently violated a state law banning elected officials from endorsing Orleans Parish School Board members, local attorney C.B. Forgotston says.

Spokespersons for Landrieu, Foti and Jordan all say the law is unconstitutional and should not be enforced; Forgotston says the law should either be enforced or repealed.

Foti, Jordan and Landrieu all appear in campaign ads endorsing School Board District 5 candidate Phyllis Landrieu in the Sept. 18 primary election. ...

(snip)

http://www.publicintegrity.org/lobby/profile-pf.aspx?act=industries&year=2003&in=48

384) Phyllis Landrieu Landrieu Public Relations LLC

http://www.publicintegrity.org/lobby/profile.aspx?act=firms&year=2003&lo=L002036

Lobbying Firm
Landrieu Public Relations LLC
Rank: 1287th
Lobbying 1998-2004: $1,580,000

[popdonnelly]

Louisiana politicians are above criticism? I'm sure Mary and her cohorts would love to blame it all on Bush. I sent Mary an e-mail reminding her that she helped put Blanco in office.

[yoe]

With all the money pouring in from every where, who is going to oversee these quick-withdraw thugs? This is just amazing.....Nine months before Katrina, three top Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness officials were indicted by a federal grand jury in Shreveport and charged, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana, "with offenses related to the obstruction of an audit of the use of federal funds for flood mitigation opportunities throughout Louisiana."

Mayor Nagin told whoever would listen and the MSM did, that at least 10,000 people had lost their lives - "the authorities" ordered 25,000 body bags on Nagin's word. I wouldn't take his word for directions to the nearest bathroom!

Blanco, Landrieu, their fathers, brothers and cousins – nepotism is the name of the game in Louisiana – run by the Democratic Party for over 40 years and no one wants a change…why would they with all the gravy these political despots keep handing their less than thoroughbred constituents. What makes the President or the congress think that pouring billions of dollars into those city coffers will fix canals, levees or build affordable housing for people on welfare…are they going to build some more “keep-‘em-on-the-plantation” housing projects for the same hapless people? Is a new and better Superdome in the works? If these citizens of New Orleans have no intention of firing Mayor Nagin for his completely bungled job before, during, and after Katrina….if these people like the way law, order and politics are run in their town and do nothing about cleaning up the corruption and patronage, then I think the money allocated for homes should be first after bulldozing and burning the wreckage. To do anything other than that is money down the Louisiana black hole where untold millions and millions have been disappearing for years and there is no actual accounting as to where an astonishing amount of U.S. taxpayer money really went.

I am a little testy with the attitude of "oh, that's just how things are done in Louisiana".

[mewzilla]

Nine months before Katrina, three top Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness officials were indicted by a federal grand jury in Shreveport and charged, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana, "with offenses related to the obstruction of an audit of the use of federal funds for flood mitigation opportunities throughout Louisiana."

Whoa.

Hadn't heard about that.

[Just mythoughts]

Hey that was my line, Mary Mary Quite Contrary, somebody is reading FR.


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1479180/posts?page=287#287 post #293