That’s right, Our Mayor, the dis-honarable C Ray Nagin has been taking his wifey out to lunch on the taxpayer’s dime. On their anniversary. Isn’t that sweet. Happy Anniversary Ray and Mrs. Ray!!!! From me, since I think my tax dollars paid for your appetizer. Or your dessert. One of the two since I am single, I only give a lil of my hard earned money to City Hall.

I’m in charge of my companies credit card. It stays in my pocket unless I need to purchase something for work. Not for my own grumbling stomach. I would be out of a job if I decided to take someone out to lunch that was my wife or significant other. Shouldn’t the same be done for “public servants”. Hahahaha, I’m sorry, this story is so sickening that I can’t control my laughter. My oh my what fools the citizens of New Orleans are. Trust me, I’m including myself in that number.

We run a “liner” on the radio station of Mayor Nagin saying…” You’ve been hoodwinked and bamboozled”. Yes C Ray, we sure have. Every single day you show up to work is another hoodwinked and bamboozled day in NOLA.

I’ve got a ton going on at the radio station, moving studios and stuff and didn’t really pay attention to the rest of the news today. Until WIST Radio’s afternoon host Eric Asher started his show today. The LA State legislators passed a bill two days ago giving themselves a rather HUGE raise. It took them 3 minutes to pass the hat and boost their pay. Yet we can’t get them to do anything else.

I am against a pay raise for legislators. I know the BASE pay is very low. But I also know that they receive 143.00 per day for expenses. And they also receive a 6000$ use as you need it account. Plus free lodging while the legislature is in session. Plus they have control of their own business/careers etc. This is not a full time job frankly and while it may seem like it to them, it’s not. The last state in this country that should be paying it’s legislature 95k a year is Louisiana.

Frankly though, I didn’t think this would be a big deal. You know why? Because I thought Gov Bobby Jindal would have the balls to veto the bill. Well guess what all you Joe and Janes….Gov Jindal has stated that he will not veto this pay raise. The reason is because some legislators “threatened” to not support Gov. Jindal’s agenda, telling him in essence if you veto this bill we will not support any legislation you propose.

Politics as usual in Louisiana. Geezz Bobby, I thought you might stay out of the muck at least through your first year. If I didn’t love my job and city so much I would bail on all of you bloodsuckers. All of you are frauds. While the Louisiana coastline rots away, you pieces of shit vote yourself a raise. People all over south Lousiana are suffering and you lying freaking cockroaches are only worried about your own pocketbook. Hate is a horrible word but right now I hate them all. And I will never vote for any of you thieves again. Not that any of you jokers have gotten a vote from me anyway.

The metro area suffered a great loss last week because of the lack of jerk-offs doing their job. NOPD officer Tommy Felix died while driving to work over a week ago. It was around 3:30 in the morning and Officer Felix was driving on the Claiborne Avenue drawbridge when his vehicle plunged off the bridge into the Industrial Canal, killing Officer Felix.

When I refer to the “jerk-offs” not doing their job, it might be an insult to normal everyday jerk-offs. Here is my problem or one of them anyway. The bridge and its mechanics have been broken for over ten years. The bridge is designed to have a steel barrier come down to block lanes while the drawbridge goes up. The bridge also has a “second” barrier that was not lowered due to operator error. Obviously the barrier that has been inoperable for 10 years is one issue while the operator error is another. Well to most people it is. But not the great feeble worthless state of Louisiana. The state is already spinning this as “well it’s all the operator’s fault”. Uhhh no it is not. The states failure to have this problem corrected, for over ten years now, is yet another example of the fraud that elected officials have brought upon the good hardworking people of New Orleans and Louisiana. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the bridge has not had lights since Katrina and the State DOT (Dept of Transportation) has done nothing about that either.

As a side note, has anyone heard Mayor Nagin asking for someone, anyone, to get their ass down here and fix the bridge? Nah, people dying in New Orleans keeps the brand out there ya know.

Speaking of his worthlessness, he is the real reason I think New Orleans is doomed. Why you ask? It’s the things that are not spoken about that make me feel this way. Here are the big three from the last week:

The City Council wants to change the way Sewage and Water Board members do their jobs. The council feels that on a board as important as this one, should have engineers and others who deal with the type of issues that we are confronting. You know, like water leaks throughout the city that are sending good clean water basically to waste because the system is crumbling. You know little things like that. Well the Mayor is basically president of the S&W board. And Mayor Nagin does not want any changes on the board. Basically he wants to use it for what it is used currently. A politically appointed board that does nothing but waste taxpayer funds while the system crumbles. Here’s an example for you: Rev. Ben Edwards is a member of the S&W Board. Yes he is a Pastor. He also paid for billboards in Houston, Atlanta, Jackson and other cities with high numbers of displaced residents, asking for New Orleanians to come on home and vote for Mayor Nagin in the 06 election. I’m sure though that the Rev knows all about sewage and water. No need for an engineer, someone, who is actually qualified, when we’ve got the Reverend to pray over our broken water system.

The riverfront of New Orleans is one of the city’s untapped jewels. Rarely is there a spot on the river that is in use for the public. Wharves, wasted city buildings etc basically uses the riverfront currently. Well use is not the right word. They are just there; the riverfront in New Orleans is basically wasted at this point. Many local organizations have worked on developing the riverfront after Katrina. All with the idea of doing it right, not huge condos on the river etc, just use for the public. Parks, bikeways etc…Some real beauty in a beautiful city. Oh wait, Mayor Nagin is against it, meaning no money for this idea has landed in his wallet yet. So with the Mayor against it, it’s done. Finished. Until the Mayor figures out how he can make RayRay a little extra spending money.

I am not going to go to deep into the other deal. Basically it deals with the filthy disgusting NOLA airport. The state has made overtures to take the airport off the city’s hands. It’s a very wise deal in my opinion which would need to be tweaked etc to work for all parties (NOLA, State and Kenner) but it can and should be done. The airport is also a haven for politically connected losers (i.e. Pampy Barre’) to get their city contracts that are twice what any other city would pay to skim money off the taxpayers again. Yeah you guessed it; the Mayor is against this move as well.

No explanations for his ass-holiness on any of these. Just a misspelled, mistyped one pager from his 175,000$ a year press secretary. Yes folks, as long as this ass is Mayor of New Orleans, we are doomed

Former Republican congressman from Oklahoma J.C Watts is part of a small group of private investors who are pushing to launch a cable television network, tentatively called Black Television News Channel. It’s slated to launch in early 2009 and already has agreements with Comcast Cable to be carried in Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington DC, Atlanta, and Baltimore. The news channel, which has been referred to as “a Black CNN”, would fill what former Oklahoman Watts calls a void in national news for the African-American. Watts, who is also a member of the board for Clear Channel, has partnered with two unnamed cable industry veterans to bankroll the start up.

Yes that’s right. Blacks are not allowed to watch the news channels we have now. I mean this is a joke right? What other groups are not being “served” by the over 12 news channels now available to most of the country? What exactly is a void of national news for black folks? Do CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX, CNBC, MSNBC et all produce and air stories that are only for white folks? Hmmmm I missed that news feature I guess.

What about all the other groups that don’t have their own News Network? Don’t the latinos need one cause the current networks don’t focus on ways to cross the border? Do gays need their own news network to focus on what heels go with what dress? Do American Indians need a news network to tell them what life is like on the reservation?

This shit is tired and old Rep. Watts. The more this country attempts to divide us as Americans, the further away we are from becoming the country that we were at one time.

Someone needs to create a news channel for me. One that covers the major stories of the day. Oh wait, we’ve got 12 of those already.

On other local stuff, two things really have stuck out lately. First, and this news has not been covered yet because the radio station is the first one to go with the story. The New Orleans recovery department is going through a “re-organization”. The 17 targeted recovery zones are now….wait for it…..DONE. No more targeted recovery zones. Now the recovery department will focus on blight in Districts A, B, C & D. Please note that District E is not mentioned. District E is New Orleans East. Yeah the area that suffered more destruction than any other area. No focus on blight there? And another thing, it’s been 3 freaking years and the office of recovery is just now figuring out that blight might need to be focused on? Katrina was a real disaster but the government of New Orleans post Katrina is starting to look worse than anything a hurricane did to us.

The other thing that got my blood boiling was to hear that former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial and his family are up in arms because of a name change to a city owned building. Marc’s dad Ernest Morial or Dutch, basically got the convention center built during his time in office. The convention center is named Ernest Morial Convention Center. Nothing wrong with that but times change. Needs change. The group running the convention center decided that New Orleans needed to be spotlighted in trying to sell the center to group looking for convention space. That’s just smart business frankly.

Well Marc Morial and his clan don’t see it that way. The newly named New Orleans Morial Convention Center has received a letter from Marc and the clan dealing with the name change. He has accused the convention center of trying to ruin his father’s good name by changing the name and trying to get more business to the city.

I find it interesting how a man who is under investigation for years of corruption while being Mayor can say that a name change is ruining his father’s good name. You know what Marc? You RUINED his good name years ago with your corrupt ways. YOU ruined the good things your father did for this city because you were a freaking disaster as Mayor. How everyone in this city looks at you and knows you were lining your pockets off the hard working people of New Orleans. What a FRAUD you are Marc Morial.

Last but not least, if you care about this city as much as you say you do, then you should KNOW that we must do whatever we can to bring business back to New Orleans. Even if it meant naming the convention center the FREE DRINKS FOR EVERYONE CENTER.

At some point last week, he spoke with two TV stations about a possible desire to run for Mayor in 2010. (Boy we need someone like him running this city). Well the FBI’ers in DC did not take too kindly to that and shut it down. And shipped him out. It’s not really my place to tell the FBI how to run their biz, but I can say that this is NOT what the city needed right now. The last thing New Orleans needs is shipping out a guy who has done nothing but fight to get this situation straight. And that is all Jim has done.

I understand the conflict of interest. I understand that you cannot go after corrupt politicians while being one yourself. But that’s the thing. Jim never said he was running, just said that he was THINKING about running. I’m thinking about a Big Mac for lunch, does that mean I am getting a Big Mac? No it does not.

The guy is almost 65. He will be forced to retire soon anyway. While I understand the FBI shipping Mr. Bernazzani out of here, I don’t have to like it. And I don’t like it. We are in the fight of our lives in and for New Orleans and we need all hands on deck, especially from people who actually care. And Jim, if nothing else, cares deeply about this city.

Let’s hope we see Jim again in the future. Maybe on a yard sign, saying Vote for Jim Bernazzani- Mayor

Everyone in the city is thankful and grateful for the “love” that the NFL has shown the city since Katrina. This is not a attempt to diminish or not give the league credit for the attempts at making things work here during our difficult times. Plus I know that sporting event schedules are what they are. But damn, the way this has played out makes no sense whatsoever.

New Orleans is the last city that can “afford” to lose a home game right now. Not for the team, they’ll get their money back from the league. Plus I know that the Saints are honored to be playing overseas. It is an honor and I think everyone here is grateful for this honor. But the local businesses that frankly survive because of Sunday home games won’t be getting a check from the NFL. They will lose a day of revenues that might pay their bills for an entire month. The businesses that operate like squirrels, gathering their nuts all in one day and then slowly using them to survive the rest of the year are SOL. The support staff, the non-profits, the church groups that run concession stands are SOL. Need that week of revenue to keep your business aflot? Too bad sucker. While it is a great opportunity for the Saints and the city itself to be showcased in London, couldn’t the freaking Chargers have been the home team? It makes no sense and frankly is just plain stupid on the NFL’s part.

Now on to the second problem. 5 straight weeks on the road? Hell did the Saints win the Super Bowl and I missed it somehow? Didn’t they finish last season a weak 7-9? Wouldn’t you think that the teams that were successful would be dealing with 5 straight weeks on the road? Yeah I know one week is a bye, but when your at Carolina, London, Bye week, at Atlanta and at KC, it’s five freaking weeks on the road in a row. Again what the hell is going on here?

The people in the city have given up on people giving a crap about us down here. It took awhile but we finally got the point that the rest of America frankly could give a shit about the recovery. There are losers to vote for on American Idol, which holds folks attention much more than rebuilding a city in our own country can. We get it. Don’t like it, but we get it and have accepted it. But damn, when a business like the NFL, which pretty much controls everything in their own power, looks like they knelt down over the city and took a big ole steaming dump, it gets a little frustrating.

The trial of local musician Dinerral Shavers came to a conclusion yesterday. Dinerral was the drummer for the Hot 8 Brass band and created the band program at a local high school. He was gunned down in his vehicle in 2006. It was a shooting that woke many people up to the issues going on in the inner city of New Orleans. Along with the killing of filmmaker Helen Hill.

The “This is like Baghdad” quote above was spoken by the judge overseeing the trial. This isn’t just some local yahoo making crazy jumps, trying to bring understanding to a situation that most people cannot understand. This is a quality judge who is not known for making out of my ass statements. His point is that the killings occurring on the streets of New Orleans are about “turf”, my “hood”, about the lack of parental influence and an overall lack of being able to function within a society.

When Recovery director Ed Blakely stated that New Orleans was like Iraq in the way that Sunni’s, Shiites and Kurds cannot reach a common ground, he was thrown under the bus. I said at the time that he was right and I stand by that statement. What we have going on here is a mini war, for lack of a better phrase, between “wards”. Wards in New Orleans are basically neighborhoods. Young black males in say the 6th ward, don’t care for the young black males in the 8th ward. When one sees the other in their ward, the bullets start flying. And the innocent people, such as Mr. Shavers, get caught in the middle.

The alleged gunman was attempting to shoot Mr. Shaver’s son, who was not welcome in this particular ward. The prosecution had three witnesses, one key witness who supposedly saw the alleged gunman fire the shots in the Shavers vehicle.

When it came time for this witness to identify the suspect in court, she stood up and said, ” I don’t see anybody. I must need glasses.” During the trial, it was reported that the alleged gunman was making gestures toward witnesses. Those gestures must have worked. The alleged gunman was acquitted of all charges Thursday afternoon.

I don’t know what’s going on locally in any other city. I don’t know if the cities of America are all experiencing the kind of craziness and murders and shootings and just plain old pain that New Orleans is experiencing. I have a hard enough time getting through the things going on here to understand other cities problems. I don’t know for sure if the alleged gunman is getting away with murder or not. I know what my gut says. I also know how this city works. Whether the alleged gunman got away with murder or not, I know from the past that the alleged gunman better haul ass outta town. Because just like Baghdad, New Orleans has it’s own style of justice in the streets. The only real difference that I can see is that the beheadings haven’t reached the Big Easy…yet.

The Hornets are tops in the NBA Western Conference with 4 games left to play. They have clinched a playoff berth and at the current time, are seeded number one heading into the playoffs. The toughest conference in the league and the HORNETS are on top. No one, including the team saw this coming. They expected to be good, but even they did not see them being on top with 4 games to go. The Hornets just wanted to make the playoffs, seeding was not really important, just get in.

That is no longer the case. The city has gotten Hornets fever. Citizens expect Chis Paul (CP3 to the clueless) to win the league’s MVP trophy. New Orleanians expect the team to go all the way…or at the very least the Western Conference Finals. We’ve seen this team dismantle pretty much every team in the league at some point….except one. Of course, that one team is the team that has some history in NOLA too.

The one team that has handled the Hornets is the team with the nickname that should be across the New Orleans jersey. The freakin Jazz. The team that once was ours is the club that the current NBA franchise in town can’t seem to handle.

I write this because of what happened Monday night in the NCAA championship game. I lived in Memphis for awhile, ran the sports talk radio station in town for a good number of years. I made friends in Memphis and have fond memories of some of my times there. No city other than New Orleans really deserves to be labeled a championship city than Memphis. They’ve had tough times, racial and economic woes. A NCAA championship would have given the folks there a good boost, something positive to latch onto, to get them thru times when things are troublesome. But they didn’t get it. They were the better team, played well and such but in the end they blew it.

I go there because I see the same thing coming our way in regards to Le Hornets. This team is good enough to make the NBA finals. No doubt about that in my eyes. But if things play out in their normal way, we’ll have to play the Jazz at some point, a nickname that BELONGS in New Orleans. And in the un-fair world of sports, the city of New Orleans will end up being the bridesmaid to a franchise that broke the city’s heart 30 years ago.

Ray Nagin is in China. Hopefully, he will run his big fat supid mouth and they will arrest him. Put his lame ass in a Chinese Jail for about, oh two years I think would work for the citizens back on the ground in New Orleans. Could we be that lucky?

The Hoarding house is gone. If you were not paying attention, a local family (or loco) has been living in a house on Magazine St. that should have been demolished years ago. The entire family of three has mental issues. The brother hoards among other things. That basically means that he collects crap and piles it to the roof. Well after much hand wringing and bawling, the city finally tore that sucker down. It was frankly disgusting and should have been ripped down years ago. Now the peeps who think they know all the answers and can save anyone from their problems, are moaning and groaning about the retards house being crumbled. I guarantee you these are the same nut cases screaming about the projects needed to stay as they were. This family has been saved from themselves, everyone should be happy for them.

Speaking of the projects, one of the most beautiful areas in the city right now is where the St. Bernard projects once stood. That’s right, once stood. The reason it’s so beautiful over there now is that there is nothing left of the projects but rubble. Nothing but broken up concrete. I don’t think I’ve seen a better looking lot in many many years.

I’m not a “conservative” other than the fiscal type. Even though I run a talk radio station, I think the gubberment should keep it’s nose out of peeps biz usually. With Charlton Heston dying over the weekend, I think he gets a bullshit rap because of his NRA wackiness. Which I understand but I don’t think it’s fair to only focus on his “from my cold dead hand” comment. I’m 40 now, a little over 6 months I guess. As a kid, Charlton Heston was the freaking bomb!!! If he was in a movie, it had to be seen. I still remember every Easter weekend watching him as Moses. The range of characters just blows my mind with this guy. And yeah, Soylent Green is still people.

Attention, attention. There has been a Ed Blakely sighting!!! The area’s recovery czar is running his mouth again too. Although I’ve generally agreed with everything he has said in the past, it drives me freakin up the wall when he backtracks after some group gets wind of what he’s got the say. Now he’s upset the black folks. Blakely basically said that blacks in power in New Orleans don’t want to listen or are unwilling to listen to their white counterparts. No shit. It’s been that way for 30 years Ed. Now if you’ll just stand by your statements instead of running from them.

I’ve not written much about the presidential election other than the debate issue. To wrap up this short, not too funny post, I’ll just say one thing. I’m pulling for Obama. He’s a great speaker, too liberal for me yes but I feel he’s what all of us as a country need. The reason? Along the same lines as what Ed Blakely said above. Obama will inspire Black America. Hopefully.

I wanted to write because of my love for Popeyes. I still remember the first time I had some Popeyes chicken. It was in Baton Rouge, at the Popeyes (still there btw) near my mother’s house on Florida Blvd near Sharp Rd. This was a very long time ago. How long? Geez, the Popeye Olive and Whimpie characters were still being used by the company so I would guess sometime in the last 70′s was my first taste of Popeyes.

Its the spicey chicken that gets you to the store, but the sides and the biscuits are really what keeps you coming back. The red beans are some of the best red beans in the world, the biscuits are incredible and I’ve always loved the dirty rice as well.

I also loved Copeland’s the Restaurant. When I was getting ready to move to New Orleans for my first year of college, my family came down and helped find a place to live etc….I was 17. Lord what were they thinking letting me move to New Orleans at 17 years old!!!! Hahahahaha, anyway, we ate at a Copelands in Metairie after the apartment search and stuff. One of those things that just stays with you thru the years, may not remember until someone dies but the memories are in there.

The memories of Al Copeland are  part of what makes New Orleans one of the greatest cities in this country. Sure other cities have self made multi-millionaires. But the city today is frankly in mourning. We recognize our “special” citizens here, they help make us who we are as a people and they have helped make this city the gumbo that it is. When we lose a guy with the history & character (not all good by the way but we are all pretty imperfect) of Al Copeland, it gets us down. It reminds us that no one has forever and that tommorrow is not guaranteed.

Next time your craving some chicken, go to Popeyes and think of Al. Love that chicken man, love that chicken.