Louisiana teacher gets handcuffed and manhandled for daring to ask the School Board about pay raises.

Courtesy of The Hill:

A teacher in Louisiana was removed Monday night from a school board meeting after a confrontation regarding teacher's pay. 

During the public comments portion of the Vermilion Parish school board meeting, Deyshia Hargrave, an English language arts teacher at Rene Rost Middle School, asked questions to the board regarding teacher's salaries, according to a report from KATC. 

She raised questions about the school board considering a $38,000 raise for the superintendent, saying she felt that giving raises to any person of leadership was a "slap in the face" to all the teachers, according to WGNTV. 

She was told she was out of order and that the public comments portion of the meeting was not a question-and-answer period. 

The teacher was called on a subsequent time and asked the board another question, according to the report. 

She was then removed from the meeting by an Abbeville city marshal and handcuffed outside. She could be heard in a video taken of the incident yelling that the officer pushed her to the ground and she was told by the officer to "stop resisting."

That poor woman is clearly not resisting, she is simply trying to stay on her feet.

There is absolutely NO excuse for treating a person like this. Especially one who dedicates their lives to teaching our children.

I was horrified when I watched this video, but I guess you will be happy to know that the school board did not press charges against the woman for exercising her 1st Amendment rights.

So I guess there's that at least.

The good news is that they caught one of the guys behind that Nigerian Prince email scam. The better news is that he is not Nigerian, not a prince, and lives in Louisiana.

Courtesy of The Times-Picayune:

Slidell police say they have arrested a "Nigerian prince'' who is accused of helping scam people out of thousands of dollars. 

Michael Neu, 67, has been arrested and charged with 269 counts of wire fraud and money laundering following an 18-month-long investigation by the Slidell Police Department's Financial Crimes Division. Police said Thursday (Dec. 28) that Neu, of Slidell, is suspected of being the "middle man'' in hundreds of scams to separate people from their money. 

In the scam, an email arrives from someone claiming to be or represent a Nigerian prince who says the recipient is the beneficiary of a large sum of money - often millions of dollars -- but must first send personal financial information such a bank account number to speed the process. 

People do fall for the scam, police say. 

"Most people laugh at the thought of falling for such a fraud, but law enforcement officials report annual losses of millions of dollars to these schemes," Slidell police said in a news release.

I have different criteria for if I think you are worthy to interact with.

If you gave money to Sarah Palin, at any time, then I cannot have a conversation with you.

If you voted for Donald Trump you need to get off of my property NOW.

If you fell for this Nigerian Prince email scam, you literally may be too stupid to live on your own without some kind of adult supervision.

I mean seriously, how dumb does somebody have to be to fall for such a transparent  attempt to steal your money?

Married Louisiana Republican Christian politician starts sexting with teenage boy, but he is totally NOT gay. No really!

Courtesy of Towelroad:

In a lengthy new sit-down interview with WVUE, Yenni insists there was no sex involved and that he is not gay. 

“We had some off color texts,” said Yenni in the interview. 

“Did you mean what you wrote?”, asked the interviewer Lee Zurik. 

Replied Yenni: “Probably not, because nothing was acted upon. You know, there was… there was no sex, you know? Everybody thinks, oh, something sexual happened. But there was no sex. They think these things… they think things were acted upon. They think there was, you know…. this was over a period, you know, the total time frame, probably less than two weeks.” 

“So, if you’re not going to act out on it, why do it?”, asked Zurik. 

“Exactly what I ask myself every day,” said Yenni.

Man that has to be one of the most uncomfortable interviews that I have watched in quite awhile.

By the way let me help this poor slob answer that question as to why he did this.

HE WANTED TO HAVE GAY SEX!

It may or may not have happened, but that was definitely his intent.

And the sad part is that because of his religion, and because of his fear of rejection from his community, he is going to try and live his life denying who he truly is, and probably respond to any questions about his sexuality by trying to pass as much anti-gay legislation as he possibly can.

President Obama arrives in Louisiana now that his visit is less likely to interrupt the delivery of services to those who are suffering due to the flooding.

Courtesy of NBC News:  

President Obama met with survivors in flooded Louisiana Tuesday, touring a hard-hit Baton Rouge suburb strewn with debris and rubble. "Sometimes when these kinds of things happen, it can seem like too much to bear. But what I want the people of Louisiana to know is you're not alone, even after the TV cameras leave," Obama said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon after walking through destroyed homes and shaking hands with residents.

Obama said Americans are "heartbroken by the loss of life" and said the floods have cost survivors more than property.

Obama signed a federal disaster declaration over a week ago, freeing up $120 million in aid.

The article is filled with criticisms concerning how long it took the President to arrive in Louisiana  but I ignored them because we know that the Governor asked the President to stay away and that Obama signed that federal disaster declaration immediately which is really the most important thing he could do in response.

This press conference only has value in bringing attention to the crisis, which everybody is already paying attention to already, and quieting those on the Right who attack the President at every opportunity.

Our President is much more concerned with helping these people get the services and help they need rather than to use their suffering as a backdrop for political purposes.

By the way Hillary is also not planning to visit the area until she knows that her appearance will not disrupt the response to the crisis.

P.S. It appears that Donald Trump's $100,000 donation (If he actually donated it.)  may have gone to Tony Perkins and his anti-LGBT ministry.

Trump donated $100k to a La. church helping w/ flood relief effort, along w/ truck of supplies he helped unload Friday, per his spokeswoman

— Ashley Killough (@KilloughCNN) August 21, 2016

The church is Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, which Trump visited Friday and where Tony Perkins is interim pastor https://t.co/iw9dbipEdF

— Ashley Killough (@KilloughCNN) August 21, 2016

Gee, that's really helpful.

The Green Party's presidential candidate sure has solid political instincts, don't you agree?

I'm headed to Louisiana to help a local group deliver supplies and recruit volunteers. #BatonRougeFlood pic.twitter.com/KFLjBHAyFL

— Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) August 22, 2016

Gee....where have I seen an image like this before?

Oh yeah.

George W. Bush on his way to visit the devastation left behind from Katrina in 2005.

Yep, solid political instincts.

Former FEMA director Michael "Heck of a job" Brown criticizes President Obama for not showing up for a photo-op during Louisiana flooding.

"I have no fucking idea what I'm doing?"

Courtesy of Mediaite:  

The ex-director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is criticizing President Obama for not making a better effort to head down to Louisiana and address the state’s devastating floods. 

“He could have gone to Lilly Armstrong Airport in New Orleans and made a statement there, or at the very least, what he should have done,” Brown said according to Washington Examiner. “The president needs to make sure that the entire Cabinet, that all of the departments and agencies of the federal government, know that if the FEMA director asks for anything, by damn, give it to him…” 

This has got to be a joke right?

I mean this guy cannot seriously come out of the woodwork to criticize this President over his response to this disaster? Can he?

As I mentioned in my previous post on Friday President Obama immediately signed the Louisiana Disaster Declaration which provided REAL support for those victimized by the flooding, and he is planning to visit on Tuesday.

As has also been reported the Governor of Louisiana asked the President to wait: 

“It is a major ordeal, they free up the interstate for him,” Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Thursday. “We have to take hundreds of local first responders, police officers, sheriffs, deputies and state troopers to provide security for that type of visit.” 

“I would just as soon have those people engaged in the response rather than trying to secure the president,” Bel Edwards continued. “So I’d ask him to wait, if he would, another couple weeks.”

As he said the Governor would really prefer that the President wait a few weeks longer, but unfortunately there is now so much political pressure being applied that if Obama does not visit soon the Republicans will find some way to make this Hillary's fault and use it against her in campaign ads.

By the way for those of you who may have forgotten, or are too young to remember, THIS is why Michael Brown's criticisms are laughable.

If that had been me I would NEVER have shown my face in public again.

Louisiana resident working to help flood victims has a question for Donald Trump: "Where is the f**king check?"

According to Raw Story this was written by Louisiana resident Neva Butkus, and she was clearly fed up with the attacks on President Obama and Trump's bullshit photo-op.

To be honest I was not going to talk about Trump's visit to Louisiana again since I posted something about it on Friday.

But that is until this showed up on one of the morning comment threads:

Donald Trump visited Louisiana today. He brought with him a truck loaded with food, supplies, and toys that he personally passed out. He also donated money to a flood relief charity. He went and walked flooded houses in a community. He didn't ask for state police or military security, I I imagine he may have had his personal security with him but hey he pays them so not my business. He didn't ask for any road to be closed to bring him in or an escort to his destination, matter of fact he didn't inform the government of his visit at all. He didn't care if the government knew he was coming, he just came and brought needing people needed supplies. And the news covered it about 15 seconds and then used it as a hit piece to plug Obama's visit that will happen. It was just wrong on many levels. No matter of you agree with Trump political are not what he done today was honorable and good, and he did it without making a big deal of himself. I hope more people of his statue will do the same in the same way, without all the hype of announcing their visit with intent of a public photo op.

This person spent some time writing this so they clearly wanted us to believe that it was a factual account, despite all of he evidence which disputes that.

And since I have a very hard time believing that ANYBODY on their own would bother to write something like this, and post it on a blog located all way up here in Alaska, I think it indicates that there are now Trump brand paid trolls surfing the internet and attempting to change the narrative on his campaign.

THAT is the kind of thing for which his new campaign chief Stephen Bannon is well known.

In other words Trump has no intention of changing anything about who is he or what he plans to do as President, but he is going to change the amount of bullshit pumped in our direction to alter our perception of who he is and what he plans to do as President.

Donald Trump attempts to shame President Obama over his response to Louisiana flooding by handing out Play-Doh for 49 seconds. Update!

@realDonaldTrump and @GovPenceIN help unload and hand out supplies to flood victims in Baton Rouge. #LouisianaFlood pic.twitter.com/3o6Ut4f1qK

— RSBN (@RSBNetwork) August 19, 2016

Courtesy of Mediaiate:  

On Friday morning, freshly-minted Donald Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told ABC News that Trump and running mate Mike Pence would be traveling to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to “help people on the ground” in a “decidedly nonpolitical event” with “no press allowed.” 

As it turns out, though, there actually were members of the press allowed, and the candidate did use the occasion to attack his political opponent, and there were opportunities for photographs, but true to his word, Trump did “help out.” Pool cameras trailed Trump for his entire visit, and over the course of those several hours, Trump “helped out” by unloading a truckload of toys for 49 seconds.

If you pause the video you will see that Trump is handing out boxes of Play-Doh which I am sure most of you know is a child's toy and not something to eat or drink.

This visit is of course a purely political response to the fact that President Obama did not cut his vacation short to appear in one of those photo-ops that are supposed to demonstrate that he is personally solving each crisis or problem that arises.

For which he is receiving no of end of grief from conservative media.

Chris Cilliza of the Washington Post explains to us why the President is not rushing to get his face on the news in Louisiana:

Obama just doesn't like to fake it. If he doesn't want to do something or thinks it's stupid to do it — regardless of whether it actually is stupid — he won't do it.

In other words Obama is not willing to jump through the hoops to placate his detractors anymore.

What he HAS done is to sign the Louisiana Disaster Declaration, which he did five days ago: 

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the parishes of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena, and Tangipahoa. 

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. 

Federal funding also is available to the state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work as a result of the flooding in the parishes of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena, and Tangipahoa. 

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

In other words this is something that provides services which are actually needed in the area, and having the President show up for a photo-op would really only get in the way at this point.

Speaking of self serving political gestures, this is what Sarah Palin posted on her Facebook page :

That's right, it links to an article over on Palin's favorite go to Right Wing rag comparing President Obama's reaction to this flooding in Louisiana to Bush's historically poor response after Katrina, and suggesting that THIS is WORSE.

No I am not kidding.

Doesn't make any difference, President Obama is just going to continue doing his job. Yes, even while he is on vacation. (Everybody knows that Presidents don't get REAL vacations after all.)

And what's more he is finally at a point where he really does not give two shits what his critics say about him.

And personally I prefer a President who signs an emergency bill immediately after the flooding starts to one who shows up over a week late and hands out Play-Doh for less than a minute before boarding his private jet and flying away.

But hey, that's just me.

Update: President Obama now has plans to visit Louisiana on Tuesday:

"The President is mindful of the impact that his travel has on first responders and wants to ensure that his presence does not interfere with ongoing recovery efforts," the White House said.

And THAT'S how you do it. 

That Baton Rouge shooting. Well this ought to wake you up.

Courtesy of CNN:

A day after a video captured white officers pinning down and shooting a black man outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, federal authorities are investigating the case. 

Alton Sterling, 37, is dead. The U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is leading an investigation into what happened. And the president of the NAACP's local branch is calling for the city's police chief and mayor to resign.

As of this post the two police officers who shot that man have been placed on administrative leave.

The FBI and state police have been called in to assist with the investigation.

The incident has already sparked protests.

And neither the police chief nor the mayor have any intention of resigning at this time.

Witnesses said that the man did not have his gun out when he was shot, but that police pulled it from inside of his pants pocket after he was already dead.

I would assume that they will say he was reaching for it to justify the shooting, but from the video it is pretty clear that they had his left arm under control and it seems ridiculous to assume they could not control his right arm and keep it from grabbing his gun, IF that was what he was trying to do.

Shooting a man standing in front of you reaching for a firearm is one thing, but killing a man who is being partially restrained by two police officers simply because he has a gun on his person seems indefensible to me.

P.S. Sorry that this is the first thing to greet you this morning.  I wanted to share it yesterday but I found myself slammed with work and overwhelmed by breaking news so I simply did not get to it.

Is everybody ready for another primary? No? Well too bad we're having one. Update!

On the docket this evening are three states, Kansas, Louisiana, and Nebraska, for the Democrats. And four, Kansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Maine, for the Republicans.

Fivethirtyeight is giving Hillary Clinton 99% odds that she will take Louisiana. However Sanders has a much stronger shot in both Kansas and Nebraska.

As for the Republicans well it looks like almost a clean sweep for Trump, except it appears that Cruz has captured Kansas due to his ties with the evangelicals.

I see the Trump supporters are ready for the primaries.

Comparisons between Trump fans raising their right hands & a certain Euro leader will surely follow (Pix: @WPJenna) pic.twitter.com/dzuhsNkFca

— West Wing Reports (@WestWingReport) March 5, 2016

I think we will know more of the numbers in about an hour for the states that still have polls open and I will post them here as they come in.

Update: Bernie wins Kansas.

Update 2: Ted Cruise wins Maine. That's two more states for the booger-man.

Update 3: Bernie wins Nebraska. The only state left for the Dems is Louisiana.

Update 4: As predicted Hillary wins Louisiana.

Update 5:  Now it's been announced that Trump has won Louisiana.

Planned Parenthood is suing Texas for......you know, being Texas.

Courtesy of Think Progress:  

The national women’s health organization announced on Monday that it has filed suit against Texas for attempting to kick it out of the state’s Medicaid program. 

Last month, Texas officials announced they intended to end Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood clinics — saying that, in light of the videos, the group can’t be trusted to provide “medical services in a professionally competent, safe, legal and ethical manner.” Essentially, that means the group would no longer be reimbursed with state or federal Medicaid dollars for the health services it provides to low-income patients in the public health insurance program. 

“By canceling Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid contract politicians are telling women where they can and cannot go for reproductive health care,” Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards — a native Texan herself — said in a series of tweets on Monday afternoon. “This is illegal, and a violation of federal law.”

Go get'em Cecile Richards!

Planned Parenthood is also suing Louisiana for similar reasons. 

And of course they are also suing the Center for Medical Progress, the group that created those deceptive videos in the first place.

Perhaps if these lawsuits have the desired impact it will convince other states that they are on legally shaky ground by denying women access to reproductive health care.

By the way is anybody surprised that these states are also among those actively rejecting the Syrian refugees?

You know because they're so pro-life and all.

John Bel Edwards so thoroughly beat David Vitter last night in the race for Louisiana governor, that Vitter is not seeking reelection to the Senate.

Courtesy of the Washington Post: 

Completing a long-shot bid that ran counter to the conservative tide sweeping the Southern states, Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards was elected governor of Louisiana on Saturday, defeating his Republican rival, U.S. Sen. David Vitter. 

Edwards was the top vote- getter in the state’s open primary last month and then built a lead over Vitter that he never surrendered. 

With 1,800 out of 3,945 precincts reporting, Edwards led Vitter 55 percent to 45 percent, prompting the Edwards campaign to declare victory late Saturday evening.

Not only did Edwards win, but apparently his campaign against "Diaper" Dave Vitter was so effective, and so humiliating, that Vitter will not seek reelection to the Senate: 

Sen. David Vitter announced Saturday night (Nov. 21) that he will not seek re-election in 2016, after losing the Louisiana governor's race. 

"I've reached my personal term limit," Vitter joked during his gubernatorial election concession speech at a Hilton hotel across from the airport in Kenner. 

Now THAT is a successful campaign!

In perhaps the least surprising news of the day Bobby Jindal drops out of 2016 presidential race.

Bobby Jindal displaying one of the word's creepiest smiles.

Courtesy of TPM: 

Republican presidential candidate and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal suspended his bid for the presidency Tuesday night. 

"It's been a great honor for me to run for President of the United States. To put it in perspective, my parents came to this country 45 years ago. They came here for freedom and opportunity," Jindal said on Fox News. "I don't think in a million years they would have ever imagined that I would be governor or one day I would be running for President of the United States. The reality is, though, they told me as a young child, Americans can do anything. I believed them then, I believe them now. This is not my time." 

"I've come to the realization this is not my time," Jindal continued. "So I've come here to announce that I'm suspending my campaign for President of the United States."

I have news for Piyush Jindal. It will NEVER be your time.

I have always found Jindal to be an especially creepy and smarmy political, in a party chock full of creepy and smarmy politicians.

Currently the very brown Governor Jindal is focused on denying the very brown Syrian refugees  from coming to his state,  demonstrating very clearly that racism is more than just skin deep.

So of course the next question is, with Jindal out who is next?

Louisiana gubernatorial candidate David Vitter recruits one of those Duck Dynasty guys to help that whole prostitute thing.

Courtesy of Mediaite:  

The new ad, titled “David and Willie,” highlights a familiar theme for Vitter’s campaign: how he accepted responsibility for his actions and asked for forgiveness. “What defines us in life is how we get up and earn redemption,” Vitter says in the ad. “Where we are as a state is needing to get up based on strong conservative principles, and that’s what I’m leading with.” 

I cannot believe that this idiot thinks standing next reality star is going to help him win this election. 

Just how stupid does he think the voters are?

Though to be fair this IS Louisiana. 

I love how these conservative clowns are always running on their religious morality, but then when they get caught with their peckers out they claim it's no big deal because "who hasn't
 made mistakes?

Well you know I have made mistakes in my life as well, but cheating on my wife with prostitutes just wasn't one of them.

Now I have no idea what Vitter and Willie Robertson were doing there in the woods, and I don't think I want to know, but it is unlikely to help him since he is now running behind his Democratic opponent by double digits.

Look what I missed on the Rachel Maddow show while watching the GOP debate yesterday.

Holy Bare Knuckle Brawl Batman! That was awesome!

Here was my favorite part courtesy of TPM:  

"With re­spect to the neg­at­ive ad, if it’s a low blow it’s only be­cause that’s where you live, Sen­at­or,” Ed­wards said. “It’s 100 per­cent truth­ful. The fact of the mat­ter is you didn’t say it was un­true. You want me to take it down be­cause you don’t like it. I un­der­stand that you don’t like it. It hits you where you live."

Oh man do I love that!

I have for years tried to figure out how David Vitter stays a viable candidate for ANYTHING in Louisiana with everything his constituents know about his frequent visits to prostitutes and his penchant for wearing diapers.

So I applaud John Bel Edwards for being unafraid to take Vitter to task for his past behaviors and for his numerous lies.

He might not win, but he sure as hell is going to leave a mark. 

When Republican Senator David Vitter found out that the former prostitute he was having an affair with was pregnant he did what any pro-life hypocrite would do, he asked her to get an abortion.

"I am100% pro-life. Unless my mistress gets knocked up of course."

Courtesy of Best of New Orleans: 

Now we know why David Vitter avoided so many live TV debates, why he wanted forum questions in advance, why he ducked the media after the two TV debates he did attend — and most of all, why he has never answered questions about the specifics of the “serious sin” to which he allegedly confessed in July 2007. 

According to investigative blogger Jason Brad Berry (www.americanzombie.com), Vitter had a nearly three-year sexual relationship with a woman he first met through a New Orleans escort service in 1998. In 2000, she told him she was pregnant. His first reaction, according to the woman, was to deny paternity. The next words out of the mouth of the man who proudly claims he has a “100 percent pro-life” record: Get an abortion. 

She did not. Instead, she put the child up for adoption. 

There’s the real irony: If the woman is telling the truth — and she certainly comes across as sincere in Berry’s videotaped interview with her — the “prostitute” that Vitter impregnated is clearly more “pro-life” than the senator.

Cannot say that this is in anyway surprising. These pro-life assholes always change their tune when the potential baby threatens to change THEIR life or damage THEIR reputation.

Of course we already know what kind of a scumbag Vitter is based on the fact that he frequently visited prostitutes and had a diaper fetish.

Currently Vitter is running to be the governor of Louisiana.

I would like to say that there is no way he can win in the face of these allegations, but since his past daliances with prostitutes did not seem to significantly damage his political aspirations, all bets are off. 

Update: Okay well apparently that link to Best of new Orleans is no longer working. You can also get the story here at Raw Story. They even have video of the ex-mistress making the remarks.

Governor Bobby Jindal defunds Louisiana Planned Parenthood clinics in response to hoax video, even though they do not perform abortions.

Courtesy of Salon: 

On Monday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced that the state would be terminating Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid provider agreement because — take a deep breath, people, this one’s a run-on — “multiple videos have surfaced showing Planned Parenthood Federation of America senior personnel and other employees describing how they actively engage in illegal partial birth abortion procedures and conduct these abortions in a manner that leaves body parts intact so that they can later be sold on the open market.” 

Following in the footsteps of Sarah Palin by buying into the narrative perpetrated by the Planned Parenthood hoaxers at the Center for Medical Progress, Jindal stated that he had “directed the Department of Health and Hospitals to investigate Planned Parenthood’s activities in Louisiana” — which do not include any of the procedures discussed on the deceptively edited videos, for the simple reason that neither of the two remaining Planned Parenthood clinics in Louisiana provide abortion services. 

In effect, Jindal is ordering an investigation into something that can’t possibly occur based on video evidence that shouldn’t be trusted, but he is in the running for the Republican presidential nomination — if only barely — and further defunding Planned Parenthood is a cheap way to score points among socially conservative primary voters.

Wasn't it just two years ago that Jindal was begging the GOP to "stop being the stupid party?"

Looks like somebody should have taken his own advice.

Speaking of stupid Brancy is still promoting those videos like crazy.

Let's face it without the stupid people there simply wouldn't be a GOP base.

Another shooting. Inside another movie theater. This time in Louisiana. Update!

Courtesy of CNN:  

The Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater shooter was 59-year-old John Russel Houser, Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said Friday. 

Craft described Houser as "kind of a drifter" who was from Alabama and had been in Lafayette since early July, staying at a local hotel. Authorities have found various "disguises, basically" at the hotel room where he'd been staying. 

Houser fired at least 13 rounds, according to the police chief. 

"It appears he was intent on shooting and escaping," Clark said of the shooter. "The quick law enforcement response pushed him back into the theater." 

As to his motive, Col. Michael Edmonson of the Louisiana State Police said, "Why did he come here? Why did he do that? We don't know that." 

Mayci Breaux, 21, died at the scene, and Jillian Johnson, 33, died later at a nearby hospital, according to Craft.

They may not know why this gunman killed these people, but we certainly know how.

With a semi-automatic handgun.

Charleston, Chattanooga, and now Lafayette. 

In how many industrialized countries in the world do people fear the possibility of being shot in a theater? Or in their local church? Or while walking into a military recruiter's office?

And it is not like our President has not wanted to do something to help protect us either. In fact he recently spoke about the greatest frustration during his presidency: 

"If you ask me where has been the one area where I feel that I've been most frustrated and most stymied, it is the fact that the United States of America is the one advanced nation on Earth in which, we do not have sufficient common-sense gun safety laws, even in the face of repeated mass killings," Obama said. "If you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it's less than 100. If you look at the number that have been killed by gun violence, it's in the tens of thousands."

We call ourselves the greatest nation on earth, but we do nothing to earn that title. Not really.

Apparently nothing is more important than our freedom to own a gun. Not even our very lives.

Updare: Well here's a huge non-surprise:

The gunman who killed two moviegoers and wounded nine others had a prolific online commenting history that revealed a fascination with censorship, Iran, and right-wing politics — and a Google search reveals he flew a Confederate flag in front of his home. 

The guy also signed up as a Tea party member in  2013, thought the Westboro "I hate fags" church was the last "real" church in America, and that the US is racist against white people.

Gee, I wonder how the Right Wing will manage to blame THIS on Obama?

Shailey Tripp's movie "Boys Will be Boys" is no more.

Courtesy of the "Boys Will be Boys" movie site: 

July 17th 2015 

It is with great sadness that we announce that, despite our best efforts to make the book "Boys Will Boys" (by Shailey M. Tripp) into a movie, we have been forced to suspend any further work on the project at this time. 

We have encountered many hurdles while nevertheless making progress in this project. However, the most significant and damaging situation was provided in recent weeks when it was announced from the Louisiana State Capitol that the Governor of Louisiana had signed-off on a cap to limit tax credits for movie-makers in the state. This has led to severe uncertainty within the industry, including announcements of varying veracity, that movie productions scheduled to be produced in Louisiana as well as existing productions already being filmed in Louisiana would be pulling out or relocating to alternative states. 

Such a measure has caused severe nervousness and an atmosphere of uncertainty among potential investors throughout the industry, such that interest in "Boys Will Be Boys - The Movie" has cooled to the extent that Pink Hat Productions can no longer afford to support the project to its intended scale. 

We would like to thank all those individuals who have made a commitment to the project, including those who have worked countless hours and to those who have given donations to help us defray the costs of the campaign, to help us in our efforts towards in trying to achieve the considerable amount of funding required to get the movie under way. We will do everything we can to preserve the property and hope very much that we can resurrect the project in some way in the future. 

Stephen James 
Partner and Executive Director 
Pink Hat Productions, LLC. 

First off I have to say that I don't personally think this film had anything to do with Bobby Jindal's decision to cap tax credits for movie makers. (That's actually a fairly crazy thing to assume, but you know somebody will.)

Secondly I have not spoken with Shailey since January so I have no update on how she is or how this is affecting her.

As you probably remember a year ago Shailey was attacked, and briefly hospitalized, but since then I have only had minimal contact with her.

If anybody knows anything more, feel free to share the information here. (As long as it does not reveal Shailey's current location of course.

BP reaches settlement for 18.7 billion over Deepwater Horizon spill.

Courtesy of NBC News:  

BP and five Gulf states announced a massive settlement Thursday that resolves years of legal fighting over the environmental and economic damage done by the energy giant's oil spill in 2010. 

Roughly $18.7 billion in settlement money will be used to resolve the Clean Water Act penalties; resolve natural resources damage claims; settle economic claims; and resolve economic damage claims of local governments, according to an outline filed in federal court. The settlement involves Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. 

"If approved by the court, this settlement would be the largest settlement with a single entity in American history; it would help repair the damage done to the Gulf economy, fisheries, wetlands and wildlife; and it would bring lasting benefits to the Gulf region for generations to come," U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.

Yes 18.7 billion is a huge amount, but considering the damage the spill caused, the incredible impact on marine life, and the loss of revenue to the states affected, I still think they got off pretty lucky.

Yeah, very lucky indeed.

Still these five states did a hell of lot better than Alaska did after the Exxon Valdez spill.