Woman With Large Screen TV and Hardwood Floors Whines About "Pitiful" Free Money From Taxpayers

A New Orleans resident, Sharon Jasper, had the gall to sit in her taxpayer subsidized home with a large screen tv and hardwood floors and whine that it's "pitiful" what the rest of us taxpayers are giving her for free. If anyone knows Ms. Jasper, I hope they tell her how sorry us people who work for a living are that she doesn't enjoy as many luxuries as she might otherwise like courtesy of those of us who choose to work for a living and pay taxes and that we hope she can upgrade to a better free government handout that she finds less pitiful real soon.

Thanks for the Christmas Eve Property Tax Bill

The morons at City Hall think it's a good idea to mail property tax bills right before Christmas. I received my bill on Christmas Eve, as I assume others did. Do the idiots who run the government ever stop to think that perhaps people don't enjoy receiving a big property tax bill that must be largely a waste of money given the crappy condition of our roads, public schools, etc. on the night before Christmas? Would it kill them to send the bill some time other than right before Christmas? Do politicians ever think like normal human beings? Imagine if you had a business with thousands of customers whom you only billed once a year -- don't you think you'd have the common sense to issue that once-a-year bill some time other than Christmas Eve?

Good Press for New Orleans from the New York Times

New Orleans received some good press from, of all places, the doom and gloom New York Times.

Bill and Hillary Clinton's Drug Use

American Digest takes a look at Bill and Hillary Clinton's past drug use in response to the Clinton campaign's attempt to score points bases on Barack Obama's admitted drug use. "Believe me, the last thing Hillary Clinton wants is for anyone on her campaign or any other campaign to start looking into drug use. Especially for Candidates shacking up in Berkeley . . . in the lovin' summer of 1971."

Sucre on The Today Show

Joel Dondis' sweet shop Sucre will be featured on The Today Show this morning.

Patrick Quinn Takes the Fifth Amendment

Hotel developer Pat Quinn is a mess. His nasty divorce and trip to rehab in Antigua have been the subject of frequent media attention, spiced up with the political angle to it with Julie Quinn, John Young and Mary Lou McCall. The four of them need adult supervision. Quinn appears to be hitting rock bottom. Yesterday, he took the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify in a deposition. He was sworn in and asked his name, which he gave. The next question was "what is your address," and he refused to answer, citing the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. He then walked out on the deposition and left the building, refusing to answer any more questions.

Armed Robbery at Prytania and Webster

An Uptown resident was armed via a gun to the head at Prytania and Webster Uptown. The victim cooperated with the armed robbers and fortunately was not injured, though the thugs took his wallet and jacket. In an e-mail, his wife recommends that if this happens to you, wait a couple hours before reporting stolen credit cards. That way, in that time, the bad guys may use the credit cards at places like gas stations that take surveillance videos.

Hurricane Katrina Fiction Reading List

Today's Times-Picayune has a Hurricane Katrina fiction reading list in the Living section. I've read more of the Katrina non-fiction than fiction but plan to read more of the fiction next year. Here is the list:

• A Little Bit Ruinedby Patty Friedmann.
• Blink of an Eyeby Rexanne Becnel.
• Jesus Out to Seaby James Lee Burke.
• Life in the Wake: Fiction from Post-Katrina New Orleansby the writers of NOLAFugees.com.
• Last Known Victimby Erica Spindler.
  
• Murder in the Rue Chartresby Greg Herren.
• New Orleans Noiredited by Julie Smith.
• Revacuationby Brad Benischek.
• The Tin Roof Blowdownby James Lee Burke.
• Tubby Meets Katrinaby Tony Dunbar.
  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Wendy Yow Ellis Discusses Relationship with David Vitter

Prostitute Wendy Yow Ellis discusses her relationship with David Vitter.

Trial Date Set for Vince Marinello

Vince Marinello will stand trial on Feb. 25, 2008 for the shooting death of his estranged wife. Things don't look good for Vince, who made a to do list of things to do before he murdered his wife.

It's Time for Eddie Jordan to Resign

Eddie Jordan is a disaster. He needs to resign. He has done the unthinkable -- almost managing to make us forget how incompetent he is at his job, i.e., at prosecuting criminals. His incompetence as a District Attorney has largely been overshadowed this week by the need for taxpayers to pay for his racist employment practices and by his apparent harboring of a fugitive cop killer. We all need to jam the phone lines at the District Attorney's office with calls for his resignation, tell all of our other elected officials they need to publicly call for his resignation, tell our state senators and state house members to impeach him, flood local talk radio with complaints about him, and do anything else you can think of to force him out of office. The Eddie Jordan Should Resign bumper sticker is available here.

Wall Street Journal Column on Bobby Jindal

The Wall Street Journal's John Fund has a column on Bobby Jindal's win.

Quentin Brown for City Council

Just kidding with the post title. I'm not really endorsing him, but I thought I'd share my experience with local character and perennial City Council candidate Quentin Brown, who is now running for the at large slot that is open after Oliver Thomas' guilty plea and resignation.

During the run-up to the last City Council election, I was outside edging my lawn when Quentin walked by and introduced himself as a candidate for the spot that Stacy Head ultimately won. He was funny. Since I was tending to my lawn, he also offered his lawn care services to me. He gave me two business cards, one for the lawn care and odd jobs business, and for some reason, he gave me a second business card with a business name of "Cash Money, Inc." or something along those lines. I looked it up in the Louisiana Secretary of State corporations database, and it wasn't listed there, so if he really has such a company, it must be registered in another state or offshore.

My lawn guy hadn't returned after Katrina at the time, so I called Quentin for an estimate and ended up using him for months. Many yard men come and go whenever they want, and you never know when they may show up, making it difficult to open locked gates, arrange payment, etc. Quentin was different. He came promptly every two weeks and always called in advance to confirm to make sure he was paid on time.

He was also serious about campaigning, saying that he took three days a week away from his businesses to campaign. His handwritten campaign flyers and signs were classic. His signature catch phrase was "No More B.S." On some signs, he wrote out the word "bull" and abbreviated the "s." On other signs, though, he abbreviated the "b" but spelled out the "s" word. If you're going to abbreviate one of the two words in b.s., who would abbreviate the first word but not the second?

I ended up parting ways with Quentin and his lawn service for two reasons. My pre-Katrina yard man returned to the area, and I wanted to support him since he flooded. Also, Quentin pushed his car detailing business as an add-on service he could provide, and I had him detail one of my cars. When he and his assistant were done, the loose change in my console was missing.

Yellow Jacket Problem

I have been having a problem with yellow jackets lately. Apparently, this is an active time of year for them, and they have formed a nest. I tried some wasp and hornet killer, but it hasn't killed them all yet. Today, I sprayed some more of the pesticide, and I put up a yellow jacket trap. We'll see if that works. The trap I purchased is reusable, but I don't think I'm going to want to clean out a bunch of dead yellow jackets to reuse the same trap, so today, I ordered a disposable trap. Hopefully, the combination of the insecticide spray and the trap will eliminate the problem.

Bill Jefferson on List of Most Corrupt Congressmen

I am shocked to report that Bill Jefferson made the list of the most corrupt members of Congress.

Little Tokyo Owner Leases Site of Table 1

The owner of Little Tokyo has leased the site of the restaurant Table 1 at Magazine and Washington. Presumably, he will open another Little Tokyo there. Seems strange given that it's right next door to Sake Cafe.

David Vitter's Prostitute Passes Lie Detector Test

Senator David Vitter's local prostitute Wendy Yow Ellis has passed a lie detector test administered by Larry Flynt. Let's see, it's a credibility call between a politician, a hooker and a pornographer - hard to imagine anyone in any of those professions being less than truthful.

The Ultimate Guide to Surviving a Natural Disaster

Popular Mechanics has the Ultimate Guide to Surviving a Natural Disaster. Popular Mechanics has a surprising number of articles that are of general interest to non-mechanics.

Wall Street Journal Interview with Bobby Jindal

James Taranto of The Wall Street Journal interviews Bobby Jindal.

Bill Jefferson Pre-Paid Bribe Card

Congressman William Jefferson of New Orleans is looking to launch a pre-paid bribe debit card for Louisiana residents to more easily pay off state legislators. Story at New Orleans Levee.

NOPD Second District E-Mail Blasts

On September 1st at or about 10:30 am, Citizens in the area of 826 Octavia St. informed police that a white male suspect had just burglarized that residence. The suspect was in possession of a purse and was running from the scene. Officers observed the suspect and took chase when the suspect discarded the purse and a witness recovered it. The officer pursued the suspect and apprehended the suspect. The suspect was identified as Tim Sandifer, white male, 6/9/1959. If you have any additional information on this case, please contact Sgt. Richard Pari or Det. J. Thompson at 658-6022 or 658-6020. You may also call Crimestoppers anonymously at 822-1111. Remember to report any suspicious persons or activities you see in your neighborhood by calling 821-2222. In an emergency, call 911.

On September 2nd, 2007, 2nd District Task Force members made three arrest and recovered two stolen vehicles, after we beefed up patrols in these areas. Two arrest were made in the 3400 block of S. Carrolton of a vehicle that was stolen from 5614 Camp St. Subjects arrested were Glen Hawkins, Black male, 11/28/93 and Markeisha Lewis, Black Female, 11/28/90. The second arrest was made by Sixth District Officers at Third and South Saratoga of a vehicle that was stolen from 1307 Marengo St. Arrested was Alton Netter, Black Male, 7/24/91.

Weak Field Running for City Council At-Large

So far, a weak field of candidates has signed up to run in the October 20 special election to replace criminal Oliver Thomas. Diana Bajoie, Jackie Clarkson, Cynthis Willard-Lewis, Gail Masters Reimonenq (a cousin of Stan Pampy Barre) and Dyan French have entered the race, and Tommie Vassel is expected to declare today. This is not a stellar group, and none of these candidates seems likely to change anything for the better. We need to do better than this.

DDD Wants Tax Increase

I am shocked -- SHOCKED -- to report that at least one city government agency, the Downtown Development District, does not want to reduce the millage at the same rate that our property tax assessments have increased. In other words, the DDD wants to increase your taxes. Politicians and agency heads somehow must think the taxpayers are not smart enough to figure out that higher assessments coupled with less than a full reduction in the millage equals higher taxes.

Season Shot: Biodegradable Shot in Assorted Flavors

Season Shot is environmentally safe ammunition that is fully biodegradable and comes in cajun, lemon pepper, garlic, teriyaki and honey mustard flavors.

Wall Street Journal Editorial on New Orleans Property Taxes

It's entitled Property Tax Flood: The Real Battle of New Orleans.

To stop local governments from collecting tax windfalls when property values spike, the state requires local governments to roll back property tax rates in hot housing markets. But this being New Orleans, the city has followed the law in the past by cutting property tax rates only to immediately raise them again. Mayor Ray Nagin refuses to rule out playing the same game this year. His office wouldn't answer our questions on the issue, referring us instead to the city's tax assessors.

Notwithstanding Mr. Nagin, there is an opportunity for leadership here. The biggest threat facing New Orleans beyond another hurricane is that too few people will return to the city. The city's population is about 60% of what it was pre-Katrina, and many former residents still seem to prefer living in FEMA trailers to returning home. High property taxes don't help. Or as former Governor Huey Long once quipped, "one day the people of Louisiana are going to get good government--and they aren't going to like it."

The City Council will likely cut property taxes and Council President Arnie Fielkow is taking the lead in meeting with homeowners to discuss the issue. What the Council must now decide is whether to give homeowners a strong reason not to flee the city before their property tax bills come due later this year.

New Orleans Desparately Needs Law and Order

City Journal column reprinted on the Wall Street Journal's website. Excerpt:

For generations now--and this is the city's deepest problem--New Orleans has hobbled along without a real law-and-order presence. Criminals graduate from petty crimes to burglary to drug-dealing to carrying illegal weapons to gang robberies to murder, and face few consequences at any stage. The police, and especially the prosecutors, are ineffectual. Since Katrina, things have gotten much worse, in part because criminals, finding life difficult in cities that enforce the law, have returned to the Big Easy in numbers disproportionate to those of law-abiding citizens. Mayor Ray Nagin doesn't try to fix things, perhaps because, as he often says, he believes crime is a social problem, rooted in a lack of opportunity for poor youth.

The Bush administration has deployed extra federal law-enforcement agents to try to get the worst criminals off the street. The state of Louisiana, meanwhile, has sent the National Guard to patrol half-empty neighborhoods. But just as the U.S. military can only do so much in Iraq when Baghdad's local government is ineffective, the federal government can't do much in New Orleans until the city's local government changes its attitude and behavior. Residents have no reason to think that criminal behavior has predictable negative consequences, because Mr. Nagin and District Attorney Eddie Jordan have failed to make clear that people who commit crimes in New Orleans will be prosecuted.

But President Bush can use federal dollars to try to convince them to do it. In his speech in New Orleans today, Mr. Bush should announce that he's ready to ask Congress for $500 million over two years to overhaul New Orleans's police and prosecutorial forces. But he also should say that the money is contingent on a pledge from Messrs. Nagin and Jordan that their city's No. 1 priority will be law enforcement. Mr. Bush should also tie the federal money to measurable results: rational arrests (from quality-of-life crimes all the way up to homicide), effective prosecutions and, ultimately, fewer crimes.

It's an enduring mystery why Mr. Bush hasn't used the Katrina disaster to show the world that America can rebuild a major city using a bedrock conservative principle: law and order first. Democrats are welcome to propose the same idea, of course. Mr. Obama, Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Clinton have all mentioned New Orleans's crime problem in their recent speeches. But they often tie it to a lack of staff and equipment in the city after Katrina--as if it's a question of rebuilding something that was lost, instead of building from scratch the most essential component of any city's success. Until politicians understand that basic difference, spending more money--or bragging about past billions spent--while tolerating intolerable conditions in a first-world city is nothing short of disgraceful.

George Winston's Song of Gratitude

For those who don't have it, check out George Winston's Gulf Coast Blues & Impressions: A Hurricane Relief Benefit. The Times-Picayune reviewed it in today's Living section.

NOPD Second District E-Mail Blasts

On August 21st at or about 8:00 am, a female victim was sitting on her porch in the 4400 block of Loyola - waiting for a cab. At that time a young black male approached her on a bicycle. The suspect pulled out a handgun and attempted to rob the victim. The suspect was startled when the taxi cab pulled up and he fled on his bicycle. Because the suspect was more concerned about the cab driver than where he was riding, he was hit by another motorist. He then fled on foot, but was soon captured by officers. Officers also recovered the handgun used in the offense. The suspect is a known 16 year old juvenile. His information cannot be released. We believe this robbery is related to the one which occurred yesterday in the 4200 block of Baronne Street. Detectives are following up on this investigation and will show a photo lineup in this case.
______________
On August 20th at or about 5:30pm, three young black males were observed riding bicycles on along Webster Street. The suspects were checking door handles of parked cars. A witness to the activity followed the suspects in his vehicle. The witness confronted the suspects at Arabella Street and Garfield Street, challenging their actions. At that time, one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and fired at the witness. One bullet struck the witnesses vehicle, but the witness was unharmed. A .380 caliber casing was located on the scene. There are no descriptions on the three suspects.

New Poll About Crime's Impact on City's Brand

On the right, you'll see a new poll on the impact of increased crime on the New Orleans brand.

Vick to Admit Guilt in Dogfighting

Michael Vick agreed Monday to plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, a deal that leaves the Atlanta Falcons quarterback facing up to 18 months in prison and puts his NFL career in jeopardy. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend Vick be sentenced to between a year and 18 months in prison, according to a government official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms have not yet been made final.

Free Money Making Idea

For anyone wanting to make money, please open a competitor to Babies R Us. The store in Metairie is a disaster. It was that way before Katrina, so they can't play that excuse either.

Geek Gets Tattoos of Favorite Bloggers

Unbelievable. Feel free to tattoo Nola Blogger anywhere you like, if you're so inclined.

Will One of the Cynthias with a Hyphenated Last Name be Next to Plead Guilty?

Dambala thinks so.

Magazine Street Reopens After More Than Two Years

After a disgraceful two years plus being closed, Magazine Street has finally reopened. What a failure of leadership. In any other city, you would never have even the most obscure cul de sac street closed for that long, much less a major retail, restaurant and commuting thoroughfare.

John Besh to Compete on Iron Chef

John Besh, of Restaurant August, Luke and the Besh Steakhouse, will compete for the opportunity to become the next Iron Chef, who will join chefs Mario Batali, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay and Masaharu Morimoto.

Eddie Jordan Should Resign

I saw the bumper sticker at left -- Eddie Jordan Should Resign -- on a car the other day and tracked it down and ordered one. It is available for order here.

We are now long past the time for Eddie Jordan to resign. His first act upon taking office was an expensive one, costing taxpayers millions of dollars in a subsequent court judgment, now affirmed by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, for the mass firing of white workers in the DA's office. That alone ought to cause him to be forced to resign. Why is politics so different from the real world? Imagine in your own job if the boss disgraced your company and committed some sort of blunder that cost the company millions of dollars -- the boss would be gone in a second. Why do voters allow this sort of incompetence to continue with our elected officials?

Aside from his incompetent and racist employment practices, the far more important issue is crime. Today's Times-Picayune reports that violent crime continues to increase, with murders, rapes, armed robberies and assaults up 31%. Where is Eddie Jordan during all of this? Since Katrina, the only times he has resurfaced is when absolutely forced to, such as when called to appear before the City Council. The DA needs to be a hammer who is constantly out there aggressively fighting crime. Does Eddie Jordan show even the slightest sense of urgency about the increasing problem?

Rumors have been circulating for months that Jordan is on the take. It's hard to tell whether his problem is corruption or just massive incompetence, but either way, he needs to go.

100 Great Tips to Improve Your Life

100 tips at LifeRemix.

My Trip to City Hall

I had the unfortunate experience of going to City Hall yesterday to turn in a homestead exemption. Before I reached the building, I passed through the green space next to City Hall. It is called Duncan Plaza and has a large gazebo in the middle of it. As soon as I reached the plaza, I was hit with the smell of human waste, which no doubt comes from the bums who choose to live in the gazebo. In other cities, the City Hall is a place of pride for the community to admire and enjoy. Not here, where it is a disgrace. I hope our elected officials are proud to bring visiting Congressmen and other dignitaries to our City Hall through a gauntlet of vagrants and urine.

After making my way past the bums, I entered City Hall where hundreds of people were waiting to see their assessor. The metal detectors went off as I passed through them with my cell phone, keys, etc., but the policewoman did not care. I could have had guns and hand grenades in my pockets for all she cared. She rudely asked what I was doing there, and I told her I only wanted to drop off a piece of paper at the assessor's office and that I did not need to speak to anyone or otherwise cut in line. She said that I had to wait in line behind hundreds of people to drop off the piece of paper. I asked if there was an interoffice mail box where I could leave it, and she looked clueless. I asked another of New Orleans' finest if I could go to the fourth floor. He told me to come back tomorrow, but eventually I convinced him to allow me the privilege of taking the elevator up to turn in my form, which I did without taking one second of the assessor's time (they have a drop box for the forms).

I assume the bulk of the people sitting there in line for hours live in Nancy Marshall's district. To those who voted for her, you only have yourselves to blame because she's doing exactly what she promised to do, i.e., raising your assessments.

Countdown to Bill Jefferson's Conviction

I figured out how to add a countdown clock to the blog and decided to have a little fun with it. This week's countdown clock is dedicated to Dollar Bill. It counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until he a) provides that honorable explanation for all the cash in his freezer that he's been promising us or b) is convicted. I'll put up a different countdown clock every week or so.

Oliver Thomas' Guilty Plea

Here is a link to the court documents in the Oliver Thomas case, including the bill of information and the factual basis for the plea. He stipulated to the factual basis on July 18, 2007, so he and the government kept this quiet for a while. He admits to taking $19,000. I hope he's happy that he threw away his career, reputation and freedom for a lousy $19,000.

Hopefully Pampy Barre and now Oliver Thomas will continue to rat out others who plundered our taxpayer money during the Morial administration and heads will continue to roll. Marc Morial is probably having a little trouble sleeping these days as he waits out the statute of limitations for his crimes in exile in New York.

I shouldn't have to say this, but folks, please don't vote for Thomas for Mayor in 2010 if for some reason he is legally able to run and does run. It shouldn't be necessary to recommend that people not vote for criminals (or incompetents), but the left's track record on this isn't very good.

Oliver Thomas Resigns and Pleads Guilty

Oliver Thomas has resigned from the City Council and pled guilty to demanding illegal payments from a parking lot operator with a City contract. Stan "Pampy" Barre rolled over on Thomas in an attempt to lessen his own sentence for a fraudulent energy savings contract signed by Marc Morial. Who will Barre turn on next? Lefties had big hopes for Thomas to become Mayor in 2010.

Nagin: Murders Help New Orleans Brand

Here we have been focusing on the negative aspects of our sky high murder rate and failing to see that it's a good news bad news situation. From Ray Nagin:

"Do I worry about it? Somewhat, it's not good for us, but it also keeps the New Orleans brand out there, and it keeps people thinking about our needs and what we need to bring this community back. So, it is kind of a two-edged sword."

Funny David Vitter Bumper Sticker

Here is the link to buy the David Vitter is a Hypocrite bumper sticker.

One of the Many Arguments for a Flat Tax

State bureaucrats pass a tax code that is so enormous and complicated even they don't understand it, and then they seem surprised that people aren't taking advantage of a deduction buried in the thousands of pages of tax code.

Blanco Caves in to Teachers Unions

Governor Kathleen Blanco caved in to teachers unions, vetoing a tax deduction for families paying private school tuition (Senate Bill 45). The amount of the deduction in comparison to the bloated state budget is so minimal that she couldn't even try to blame it on budget constraints.

NOPD Imitates Nola-Dishu

The NOPD says it will start offering better crime maps on its website. Nola-Dishu has been doing this for months.

Blanco Hurts Businesses

Governor Kathleen Blanco vetoed tax relief for businesses, saying she's concerned they may be unaffordable in the long run. She just rammed the biggest increase in the size of state government in history through the Legislature -- where was this concern with affordability then?

Top Ten David Vitter Excuses

10. I was just looking for Ted Kennedy -- he's at the brothel every day.
9. I was just enjoying a glass of wine and pleasant conversation for $300 an hour.
8. I'm addicted to Wendys.
7. Louisiana voters have elected Bill Jefferson, Ray Nagin, Eddie Jordan and Kathleen Blanco -- they have even worse standards than I do.
6. The hookers all speak very fondly of me. I'm one of their favorite johns.
5. I am a gay American.
4. Wendy (my wife, not my whore) is going to Lorena Bobbitt me -- isn't that punishment enough?
3. I oppose gay marriage, not straight married guys visiting whorehouses. I never said I opposed that. I am not a hypocrite.
2. Bill Clinton was a regular there. They named a bedroom after him.
1. Doesn't everybody pay hookers $300 an hour to dress them in diapers?

Senator David Vitter a Client of Canal Street Brothel

Senator David Vitter has not had a good 24 hours. Yesterday, he apologized for a "very serious sin" in his past, i.e., using the D.C. Madam's escort service. Today, not to be outdone, our own local Canal Street Madam brothel owner fingered Vitter for paying $300 for services in the 1990s.

U.S. Senator David Vitter visited a Canal Street brothel several times beginning in the mid-1990s, paying $300 per hour for services at the bordello after he met the madam at a fishing rodeo that included prostitutes and other politicians, according to Jeanette Maier, the "Canal Street Madam" whose operation was shut down by a federal investigators in 2001.

After they met, Maier said Vitter became a customer at the Mid-City brothel. He made several visits, she said, but had stopped coming before federal agents raided the brothel.

At the New Orleans brothel, Maier said Vitter spent time with several women, but preferred one in particular named Wendy. She said all the girls that were with Vitter described him as a kind, respectful man, who did not talk down to them or use drugs.

"I'm not out to ruin a marriage, I'm out to save a man," Maier said. "I want his wife to know he's a good man, I want his children to know he's a good father. If he had sex out of wedlock, so what? At least he stayed with his children."

Vitter and his wife, Wendy, have four children ages 13 and under.

It's surprising that the Canal Street Madam's list of clients has never been publicly disclosed. She wants to cash in on the list with a book deal, but one would think it would have been leaked by others by now.

I can just picture the conversation Vitter had with his family after this latest news broke:

Honey, kids, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that I used to visit a brothel in New Orleans before I discovered the brothel in D.C. The good news is that the hookers found me to be a kind, respectful man who did not talk down to them or do drugs, like all their other politician johns. The Madam in charge of the brothel wants you to know I'm a good man and a good father. She's offered to write me a glowing letter of recommendation if I need any references for a new job in the near future.

Senator David Vitter Apologizes for Using D.C. Madam Escort

Senator David Vitter apologized Monday night for "a very serious sin in my past" after his telephone number appeared among those associated with an escort service operated by the so-called "D.C. Madam." Vitter's spokesman, Joel Digrado, confirmed the statement in an e-mail sent to The Associated Press.

"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible," Vitter said in the statement. "Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way."

The statement containing Vitter's apology said his telephone number was on old phone records of Pamela Martin and Associates before he ran for the Senate.

Vitter should not have done what he did, but at least he had the sense to own up to it and issue a real apology rather than the more typical politician/celebrity non-apology apology followed by a fake stint in rehab.

He also better watch out for his manhood. Here is what his wife Wendy Vitter has said she'll do if she catches him cheating:

Asked by an interviewer in 2000 whether she could forgive her husband if she learned he'd had an extramarital affair, as Hillary Clinton and Bob Livingston's wife had done, Wendy Vitter told the Times-Picayune: "I'm a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary. If he does something like that, I'm walking away with one thing, and it's not alimony, trust me."

Ouch.

The Essential Hurricane Katrina Nonfiction Reading List

Today's Times-Picayune has a story on nonfiction Katrina books, focusing on a second wave of more recent works. (I couldn't find the link on the T-P's website. They really need to improve their site.) I've read some of the books and generally liked them. Here is the list:

1. 1 Dead in Attic -- After Katrinaby Chris Rose. This is a new, expanded edition of his original bestseller (link here), including coverage up to January 2007.
2. City Adrift: New Orleans Before & After Katrinaby Jenni Bergal, Sara Shipley Hiles, Frank Koughan, John McQuaid and Jim Morris.
3. Code Blue: A Katrina Physician's Memoirby Dr. Richard Deichmann, chief of medicine at Memorial Medical Center.
4. Down in New Orleans: Reflections from a Drowned Cityby Billy Sothern.
5. Heart Like Water: Surviving Katrina and Life in its Disaster Zone, A MemoirbyJoshua Clark. A portrait of people in the Quarter banding together for survival in the aftermath of the storm.
6. Hurricane Almanac: The Essential Guide to Storms Past, Present and Futureby Bryan Norcross, a meteorologist.
7. Hurricane Season: A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Season of Katrinaby Neal Anderson. How parents, teachers and students at John Curtis came together for their most challenging football season.
8. Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember, photography by Melody Golding, edited by Sally Pfister. Photographs and narratives of women's experiences during and after the storm.
9. Katrinaville Chronicles: Images and Observations from a New Orleans Photographerby David Spielman.
10. No Ordinary Heroes: 8 Doctors, 30 Nurses, 7,000 Prisoners and a Category 5 Hurricaneby Dr. Demaree Inglese with Diana G. Gallagher. An account by the medical director of the Orleans Parish Prison.
11. Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics and the Battle Over Global Warmingby Chris Mooney, looks at the scientific debate over whether global warming has caused larger, more intense storms or whether this is the result of ordinary cyclical changes.
12. Sugarcane Academy: How a New Orleans Teacher and his Storm-Struck Students Created a School to Rememberby Michael Tisserand. The former Gambit editor recounts how Lusher first grade teacher Paul Reynaud created a one-room schoolhouse in New Iberia for displaced children.
13. What Lies Beneath: Katrina, Race, and the State of the Nationedited by the South End Press Collective.
14. Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Securityby Wall Street Journal reporters Chris Cooper (formerly of the Times-Picayune) and Robert Block.
15. The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coastby Douglas Brinkley.
16. The Ravaging Tide: Strange Weather, Future Katrinas, and the Coming Death of America's Coastal Citiesby Mike Tidwell.
17. The Storm -- What Went Wrong and Why -- The Inside Story from One Louisiana Scientistby Ivor van Heerden with Mike Bryan.
    

Morial Ducks Questions About His Crimes

Former Mayor Marc Morial, who generally stays away from New Orleans while he waits in New York for the statute of limitations to run on all of the crimes he committed as Mayor, made a rare New Orleans appearance this week. Speaking at the Essence Festival, he recklessly compared the government's multibillion dollar response to Hurricane Katrina to the worst civil rights incidents of the 1960s. Then he talked about the non-issue of the "right to return." Last time I checked, there weren't any barbed wire fences and armed guards at the parish line preventing anyone, black or white, from returning to town. Typical lefty hack speech, nothing new there.

The only interesting part was his ducking of questions about his looting of the city treasury:

"I don't want to say anything positive or negative about any of it," he said. "I am proud of what we did when I served as mayor of this city. I'm very, very proud.

"I'm proud of the work and the record that we have. When I'm prepared to give a more thorough sort of post-analysis of my administration, I'd be happy to talk to you. But I'm not prepared to do that."

Asked when that might be, Morial said: "I'm not certain."