Jim Brown’s Weekly Column: Erosion of freedoms nothing new!
Thursday, May 16th, 2013
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
LATEST EROSION OF FREEDOMS NOTHING NEW!
In the past week, the Washington establishment is in crisis mode over a series of revelations of government intrusions that would seem to go way over the line of what is constitutionally legal. First, the Internal Revenue Service admitted it had targeted Tea Party groups for priority audits. Then came another bombshell disclosure. The Justice Department had secretly seized and monitored phone records from the Associated Press, which is a direct threat to a news organization’s constitutional right to gather and report the news.
Is this a new chapter in the country moving toward a “Brave New World?” Hardly. This type of undermining of one’s constitutional rights has been going on for years. The press turned its back on gross attacks on our individual freedoms as the Patriot Act “legalized” a litany of personal and private invasions that our constitution was intended to prevent.
The difference is that now, the abuse is hitting close to home. “The audacity of invading the freedoms of the press and political groups like the Tea Party!” many cry out. But where were the voices of such concern during a whole rash of such individual privacy invasions during the Bush and, now, the Obama Administration? Both Democrats and Republicans, who now express outrage, stood by and allowed the Patriot Act to sweep individual protections under the rug.
In an interview with CNN this past week, former FBI counter terrorism agent Tim Clemente said that the FBI could listen to phone conversations between anybody they wanted. “Welcome to America,” he said. “All of that stuff is being captured as we speak whether we know it or like it or not.” Continue Reading…….
Today’s feature business: Thanh Thanh Restaurant in historic downtown Gretna
Chicken Sate at Thanh Thanh Image via Urbanspoon.com
Visiting New Orleans from out of town? Are you tired of eating at French Quarter tourist traps and want to go where the locals go? Even better you heard about the areas rich history involving organized crime and you want to retrace the steps of the most famous tomato salesman in U.S. History. Well then you are in luck because downtown Gretna Louisiana, just across the Mighty Mississippi River from the downtown New Orleans, has some very good eats and the one favored by today’s West Bank movers and shakers is Thanh Thanh Restaurant on historic Huey P Long Avenue close to Gretna City Hall.
They have it all folks, from an American style breakfast favored by several local political luminaries to authentic Vietnamese banh mi style sandwiches and egg rolls that are to die for.
Don’t take it from me folks, check out the satisfied customer comments over at Urbanspoon. Next time you’re in town for a visit it is well worth the trip across the river.
John Young discussing the Heather Hilliard suit via his private email: That woman will be the death of me
Welp, folks I think what we have now in the council chambers is a bona fide circus with Heather Hilliard busting team Young for using their private email accounts to conduct the public’s business plus Joe Caldarera is running back to the Parish Council to tattle on Deb Foshee. None of these are exactly confidence inspiring developments, especially in the Parish council for tolerating Joe Caldarera’s end runs around their attorney.
Over the next few months Slabbed will be hosting several out of state and international guests
And I am counting on everyone in the greater Slabbed Nation here in the greater Soggy Bottom metropolitan area to be on their best behavior and exhibit the southern hospitality for which we are famous. I’ll announce the first guest a few days before his arrival so please stay tuned.
In other news I am pleased to announce Slabbed is in preliminary discussions with a local law firm (maybe two) regarding banner ad placement on the right sidebar of the most widely read lay written legal affairs blog in the Gulf South.
How about some DMR gossip
Actually some of it is yesterday’s and the day before’s but I am steadily wrapping my mind around this troubled state agency and there are a couple of items which deserve a second look and maybe a bit of analysis. First comment bumped is from Eye-Spy:
This is a classic example of waste, fraud and abuse by the state government–along with other devious insider deals. Will someone please explain to me how a contracting agency can collect mega bucks from political campaigns and then turn around and nail numerous communications contracts with the state government?
Susan Perkins was put in that position to help fix the PR department and its unfortunate she did not get the chance to do that. The former director Lauren Thompson was clueless since she was hired years ago and she did nothing to help the DMR image. Over the years, she continuously destroyed relationships with the people in the DMR offices, the media, and had groves of employees quit because they couldn’t stand her. Of course she was never moved because Ol’ Bill Walker was in charge and it seems he was caught up with higher priorities. Her finally being demoted from a government position should tell everyone how bad her performance was. So, the question is why didn’t the former director get the boot? Or, is that coming in the near future when Frontier renews another contract to take over all communications?
To this I’ll add the PR department was a dumping ground for Bill Walker cronies and that included his daughter in law Trinity, who did not possess the prerequisites for the position to which she was hired. Sources indicate to Slabbed she showed up for work everyday, put in an honest 8 hours and worked hard. That is also beside the point IMHO. I suspect such is true across DMR which I’m picturing in my minds eye as having employees scattered about that were qualified for the positions they held and knew how to do the work burdened with political hacks and cronies that may or may not give an honest effort or know how to do the jobs for which they were hired. To a person in both the commenting community here on Slabbed and former DMR employees familiar with the operations of the agency speaking with Slabbed on the condition of anonymity, Susan Perkins was known as Do Bee that was actually qualified to run the PR department. It raises troubling questions as to why Executive Director Jamie Miller fired her in light of the fact he is now hiring out communications to Phil Bryant political crony Joe Cloyd.
It is at this point that I remember noting from the Sun Herald public records materials posted online that strongly indicated one department head was not qualified to hold the job and that was at the PR department before Perkin’s came back. A PR Department that must hire freelance a local sports reporter (from the Sun Herald) to do its press releases has several employees too many in my opinion but that is exactly what Ms. Perkin’s predecessor did. Your tax money at work folks.
Next up is Ocean Springs Mayoral Candidate John McKay and his story du jour about his taxpayer funded deep sea fishing trips with Billy Walker. Just a few short days ago he even claimed Walker as a friend again, fresh off throwing him under the bus last weekend. Karen “Campaign Killa” Nelson has the skinny:
McKay told the Sun Herald he is friends with Walker and feels Walker has been mistreated by the Sun Herald, which has reported on spending practices of the agency.
Yoo hoo John over here doc. Methinks you need to become acquainted with Patricia. 
Now another reader comment bump and again it is Eye-Spy: Read the rest of this entry »
Slabbed is live on location at the United States District Courthouse in New Orleans!
You can follow all the action via the Twitter widget or on Twitter itself here. Live coverage begins at 10:00 a.m.
Danny Abel has moved to dismiss his SLAPP suit against Slabbed
Folks tomorrow’s show cause hearing for sanctions is still on for 10:00 am in Judge Morgan’s courtroom while the hearing on the special motion to strike has been cancelled. There is a flurry of behind the scenes activity and legal has requested I not comment beyond that. I’ll likely have a press release on this topic sometime tomorrow.
