Semi-News: Nagin Defends Use of 'Phantom Police'

AZCONSERVATIVE ^ | 30 Sep 2005 | John Semmens

[the_Watchman]

This story was first posted on Free Republic by Cincinnatus Wife[sp] two days ago. She heard it on the Fox Network Tony Snow show. It was written up on headline news web site. It disappeared from the web site within 24 hours which raised some suspicion.

I have been looking out for it, and this is the first post I have seen since headline news.

What complicated things was a CNN report on police corruption and looting. A lot of people on the original forums assumed that the CNN report included the phantom police issue.

One person reported that Wolf Blitzer mentioned the report. However, it was not plain whether Wolf mentioned looting or phantom police.

Someone reported that a high-ranking New Orleans police official had been given protection under the FBI witness protection program. However, they did not cite a source and I think they were merely repeating SPECULATION from a Freeper earlier on the thread. [This is one reason I wish people would label speculation. It's just too easy to be confused.]

I wonder where AZConservative heard the story!?

[Boazo]

How do you light a fake campfire?

[potlatch]

Nagin is up the creek without a paddle, so to speak. One thing after another will come out about the corruption in New Orleans.

[AmericanArchConservative]

If you're going down in flames, go down lying, and lying BIG! PING!

A.A.C.

[the_Watchman]

O.K. guys and gals. This thread IS based on satire. For proof, read the last article on the original web site. Do you really believe that Senator McCain would warn Cindy to register as a lobbyist??!! Come on now.

[AmericanArchConservative]

oh, btw...it's satire

[anglian]

Human Rights Watch has called on the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an investigation. The Orleans Sheriff’s Department should account for the 517 inmates who are missing from the list of people evacuated from the jail.
Human Rights Watch compared an official list of all inmates held at Orleans Parish Prison immediately prior to the hurricane with the most recent list of the evacuated inmates compiled by the state Department of Corrections and Public Safety (which was entitled, “All Offenders Evacuated”). However, the list does not include 517 inmates from the jail, including 130 from Templeman III.
Officers Deserted a Jail Building, Leaving Inmates Locked in Cells.
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2005/09/22/usdom11773.htm

[Boazo]

Mayor C. Ray Nagin, the Director of the Office of Homeland Security Terry Ebbert, the Superintendent of Police Edwin P. Compass III and the Executive Director of the New Orleans Police Foundation Robert Stellingworth announce a new initiative to recruit experienced police officers to join the New Orleans Police Department.

Effective immediately the New Orleans Police Department will offer a $5,000 signing bonus to the first fifty (50) P.O.S.T. Certified Patrol Officers who meet the required qualifications and are employed by the New Orleans Police Department.

Applicants must agree to employment with the N.O.P.D. for not less than three years. Applicants need not live in the City or State to apply, but must be domiciled within the City of New Orleans when employed.ex-convicts welcome

For further details, interested individuals should contact:

New Orleans Police Department
Recruitment & Applicant Division

[longtermmemmory]

Washington lit fake fires but he did not PAY the non-existent soldiers.

This is an epic scandal and yet the MSM is going after Delay for being a bit part in a Democrat Prosecutor's personal movie.

[porkchops 4 mahound]

This is your "brain" on liberalism.

[rvoitier]

"As Nagin explained it, the phantom officers were used as a decoy to frighten would-be offenders."

Hmm, invisible decoys. I'll have to try that on my next duck hunt.

[Smartass]

I hope it comes fast.

[Seniram US]

Seems as if the mayor of New Orleans used the federal funds for his virtual policemen. It would be interesting to learn if each of the decoys had taxes deducted from their respective paychecks. Maybe the mayor can get a rebate on the Social Security taxes to purchase new software.

It would also be interesting if the press would check the names of the phantoms to see how many times they voted, of course to maintain the ruse to scare the criminal element in New Orleans and make them think that if the cops voted, they must really be on the force.

[Reactionary]

"Sure we overstated the number of officers on the force," said Nagin. "We did this to deter crime."

Haha! Sure! And I bet you didn't pay those phantom cops anything, either!

Really. It doesn't get any more idiotic than Nagin.

[ntnychik]

Just when I thought I'd heard everything.

[devolve]

Very appropriate and nicely done

[Mind-numbed Robot]

.....but we didn't just fall off a turnip truck this morning.

Don't be bragging too soon. This is from SEMI-NEWS. It is a joke, satire.

[OldFriend]

Ah hah! Bagdad Bob lives in New Orleans!

[Northern Alliance]

You'd think people would wonder what "Semi News" means and realize it's a joke. Man, people are too ready to throw a fit about anything.

So is this a joke a well? It is also marked semi-news. If you look at the comments, nobody who posted one thinks so. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1494701/posts#comment?q=1

Personally, I would like to see satire marked as such in the headline. Not "semi-news" which is meaningless, but satire.

[Malesherbes]

Ys, it sounds like satire. I read an earlier thread that reported that there were "ghost cops" being funded on the rolls in N.O., but the elaboration attributed to Nagin is so over-the-top as to make you wonder. In any case, inquiring minds want to know, and an honest investigation is in order.