HumidCity

In 1994 Bobby Jindal observed an excorcism. It seems his PR people did a good job of burying the story, but unfortunately for them it is a matter of public record and appears on the New Oxford Review right here. I found it through a friend’s LiveJournal post, but since it is a private post I will not identify the person who originated it. I will however share with you the excerpt that he shared from the above linked article:

Susan attempted to escape, and during the scuffle, “Alice,” the student leader for Campus Crusade for Christ, “entered the room for the first time, brandishing a crucifix.” They had tried calling a “rival” Christian group to help, but the preacher “denied” their request for help and told them to not to “confront the demon.” Alice made Susan even angrier. Susan tried lunging toward the door. Bobby began repeating the Hail Mary over and over again. He said, “Being new to Catholicism, I had yet to accept the Catholic doctrines concerning Mary and considered any form of Marian devotion to be idolatry.” But he could not think of anything else at the time, so he prayed to Mary.

Susan eventually calmed down because of the crucifix, and her sister brought out a Bible. They all began daring Susan to read passages from the Bible. She would begin to read a passage and then blurt out obscenities. But after reading several passages, Susan changed, almost in an instant. She proclaimed, “Jesus is Lord,” and then told everyone she could not remember “any of the past few hours.”
Susan even asked Bobby if he was okay. Bobby told Susan’s sister he would “commit” to a “nightlife” of prayer for Susan. Susan spent the night in the house of a missionary, because her roommate had pagan-looking decorations in their dorm room.

Bobby felt a renewed appreciation for his Catholic faith. He no longer doubted, as he had only hours before. Susan and Bobby stayed friends. Susan even became a Catholic. And her cancer somehow completely disappeared.

Watch out William Peter Blatty! Here we go- rival christians,  a miracle cure, profanity, this has it all.  So one thing I want to know is this: if any form of Marian devotion is idolatry then am I to assume that idolatry is excusable if you cannot think of anything else? And before anyone tells me that it is not fair game to get into this since it is his personal faith let me tell you this: he is a public figure. Once you enter that arena you had better be prepared to deal with it. After all Rev. Wright was considered fair game, wasn’t he?

Pagan decoration in the dorm room. *snort*

-Loki, HumidCity Founder (with thanks to the original pots on LJ that inspired this one. )

Here is some fun footage from McCain’s speech in Kenner yesterday that I found via Suspect Device:

Thanks Greg! Y’all enjoy!

-Loki, HumidCity Founder

Yessireebob! That is exactly what Bill O’ Reilly is! The man who has such respect for the “homies,” down in New Orleans is a true, blue pro. This little piece from Media Matters should bring back fond memories. (Emphasis mine)

CALLER: George Bush doesn’t care about American people. After Katrina, he passed a law making it so his contracting buddies could bring in a bunch of illegal immigrants, instead of putting Americans to work, plus it took them five days to get down there.

In response, O’Reilly said: “On the rebuilding of New Orleans, you’ve got to use contractors that can do the job. So, you can’t — you know, if you’ve got contractors who specialize in infrastructure rebuilding, you’ve got to bring them in.” He then added, “And the homies, you know, who you don’t know — I mean, they’re just not going to get the job.”

If WordPress played well with flash media I could just embed this video, but instead I will steer you over to visit Bec and take a look at what passes for grace under (minute) pressure on O’Reilly’s part. I would do so quickly though, YouTube has already pulled it and I don’t know how long it will last on break.com.

This is one of the big voices of modern day conservatives, a group who is no longer conservative by any measure I can discern. The group whose reckless approach to their duty as public servants has caused such hardship for my fellow New Orleanians in the aftermath of the Levee Failure. No matter what your political leanings you should be appalled at this behaviour worthy only of a spoiled child (with a foul mouth).

Fine example, eh?

-Loki, HumidCity Founder

In high school I had a friend named Craig whose dad owned a race car– a stripped down, souped-up stock car, used for racing on dirt tracks such as the one we frequented in Belleville, IL. I used to go along with Craig and hang out in the pit with the crew members and ride along on the warm-up laps (and even drove the warm-up around the track myself once or twice, what fun!).

Between the short races there would be exciting features to keep the crowd occupied, such as human cannonballs, fireworks exhibitions, and the like. One of the most interesting activities to observe, at least to me, was called “The Dash for Cash.” This was a game in which all the children in the audience would be called to come and gather down on the dirt track. The officiant would produce a canvas currency bag of coins, scattering them across a small area of the track. Then, when the whistle blew, all the kids would make a mad scramble to pick up every bit of small change they could possibly grab. Picture a group of children, already half-crazed from the speedway excitement and an overload of sugary concessions, adorned with ketchup and mustard and the sticky remnants of cotton candy, scrabbling around like some kind of Lord of the Flies extravaganza in the dun-colored dust, clawing and snatching and shoving and groping for pennies and nickels and dimes and the occasional windfall quarter, emerging utterly befouled with dirt, clothes ruined, hair matted with dust, rings of filth around sticky shiny mouths, clutching a couple pocketfuls of hard-won small change.

Suddenly, the gas tax holiday plan springs to mind.

Do its proponents think we’re that immature? That desperate? So infested with the incessant need for instant gratification that we actually believe this is going to do any good?

More importantly, is it worth the resulting drain on our already-imperiled infrastructure? As I understand it, that money goes to fund highway and bridge repair, through direct programs and matching funds for municipalities. Given the notoriously bad state of streets and highways in and around New Orleans, this seems like a ridiculous gimmick to make people think they are getting a “break”- a few dollars here and there on a tank of gas. Yet somehow, three dollars a tank doesn’t seem like much when you just spent $400.00 to repair the suspension on your car, yet AGAIN.

Working-class Americans deserve better than such a pathetic, insulting sop to the current financial squeeze.

Just as a side note, Exxon Mobil reported a $1.7 BILLION profit [Editor's Note: CNNMoney reports this number as $10.9 Billion according to our commenter Alli. See Comments below. -Loki] in the first quarter of 2008; the highest quarterly profits for a U.S. company in history. And most of the so-called “relief” of a tax holiday will just be sucked up by the refinery divisions of such companies, minimizing the actual benefit to the consumer.

In light of those considerations, getting back a few cents at the gas pump makes me feel like, I don’t know, a grimy kid who just had to wallow around in the dirt, fighting off the other brats, for whatever bits of change those who really run the game deign to throw on the ground.

-Kami

http://seide.livejournal.com/

To follow up on Loki’s post about our not so favored visitors these next couple of days, I’d like to delve in a bit further, into that uncomfortable territory of what’s really going on behind the scenes - you know, the things that make the sheeple and even many thinking Americans start shouting “conspiracy theory.” Unfortunately, we’ve been getting duped for a long long time, long enough that there’s finally tangible proof of what’s been worked on for the last 60 years or so. Sadly, I fear the proof will do little good, that the wool has been so firmly pulled over our eyes that it’s simply too late to undo what’s been done. Words I hate to hear myself say, as I’ve always considered myself an activist and done what I’ve could to fight the fights I’ve thought needed fighting, always optimistic that we still stood some kind of chance of fighting the power’s that be. Only, it turns out that the power’s that be are little more than figureheads doing the bidding of some much more secrete entities on whose radar our activist antics don’t even register as even the tiniest of blips.

So what the hell am I talking about?

Check out this video for an overview of the real forces that have been working behind the scenes for so long and lovely new tracking devices coming soon to, well, you:

OK, I can’t figure out how to get a youtube video embedded in this here WordPress blog (despite much google research) so if anyone can clue me in, please do. In the meantime, here’s a straight up link to the video.
Fun stuff, eh?

Read the rest of this entry »

From the T-P:

The Jindal administration’s plans to reassess the details of a proposed $1.2 billion, 484-bed teaching hospital in downtown New Orleans are raising some concerns about the future of the facility designed to replace the city’s hurricane-damaged Charity Hospital.

Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine said this week that he wants to hire outside experts to “challenge the assumptions” in a business model developed last year that said the new hospital would be financially viable.
Levine, who is Gov. Bobby Jindal’s point man on the project that Louisiana State University would build in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said he is worried that the hospital’s current configuration is too expensive and might not qualify for bond financing.

He did not identify which consultant he plans to use, nor did he lay out a time frame for when the review might be finished. He said the money to pay the consultants would likely come from a $74.5 million financing pool that the Legislature approved last year for land acquisition and design of the hospital.

“I don’t think it’s a lot to ask to make sure that the project makes sense financially,” Levine said, adding that he wants to make sure there is enough money to not just build the hospital, but also to cover its operational expenses over the long haul.

“You’re talking about 1.2 billion dollars. You’re talking about effectively encumbering our state’s safety-net money for 30 years. So I don’t think it’s inappropriate to ask,” Levine said.

But some lawmakers, noting that the original report was commissioned by the state and touted as an independent assessment by a major consulting group, said another review raises questions about the Jindal administration’s commitment to the project.

“There are rumors that this is a delaying tactic,” Sen. Edwin Murray, D-New Orleans, said Friday. “We know that LSU is now solidly behind the project, but after the session the governor will be able to make new appointees to the LSU Board (of Supervisors).”

Senate President Joel Chaisson II, D-Destrehan, said he didn’t know the details of Levine’s plans for a review, “but I don’t know how you go against the findings of a reputable consultant.”

Who stands to gain? Just follow the money.

- Bigezbear

I keep reading bulletins and news reports about Barack Obama’s pastor, and the remarks this pastor has made. Who cares?

Barack Obama didn’t make these statements.
His retiring old pastor did.

Barack decided to distance himself, without trying to destroy an old man who was about to retire.
I think that shows character and integrity, yet he is being condemned for remarks that this pastor made.
Because he ‘associated’ with this pastor.

Bill and Hillary Clinton ‘associated’ with the McDougals, who later went to prison for fraud in the Whitewater Land Investment Scandal.
In fact, the Clintons claimed to have lost documents that showed the level of their own involvement.

Hillary Clinton went as far as to claim some of the documents never existed.

The ‘non-existent’ documents magically appeared, with Hillary’s finger prints on them, just weeks after the statute of limitations on prosecution went by. Read the rest of this entry »

Nancy Gibbs at Time Magazine brings us a very cheering piece about that Homegrown American Nuisance ™ — The Evangelical Minister.

It seems that the vast array of self important power mongers have basically shot themselves in the foot by showing their lack of actual clout during the dogfight for the GOP nomination. My favorite part is this:

Those who claim to be in public life to promote and defend certain values can least afford to look craven. We may expect that from the every-man-for-himself plutocrats; but the virtuecrats are supposed to believe in something. So when Robertson et al ignored the conspicuous apostasies of Rudy and, in his earlier more liberal life, Romney, in order to jump on the bandwagon, they exposed a much less lofty agenda: they just liked their seat at the table, they didn’t want to lose, and they didn’t seem to realize that by signing on with a frontrunner, they were following, not leading; demonstrating weakness, not strength.

What this plot twist has really exposed is that the shepherds have no sheep. You get the sense that rank and file evangelicals are just as sick of their own “leaders” as they are of the political arena in general. This actually represents a return to normal: evangelicals have historically been suspicious of getting too deeply involved in worldly matters, preferring a focus on individual salvation. So their willingness to vote their hearts with Huck and leave the rest to the Lord is perfectly normal behavior.

This looks like a small hint of sanity returning to the political arena (not that its ever had much to begin with). I certainly hope Ms. Gibbs’ analysis is dead on the money.

-Loki

Many times I’ve had to be reminded of exactly how an incompetent like Eddie Jordan got to be the District Attorney of New Orleans. If an exact moment had to be culled from time, it would be his conviction of Edwin Edwards, which pushed him in to our collective consciuosness as a Law & Order type of guy.

The reality is that he did this under the guidance of ‘Dollar’ Bill Jefferson, himself a corrupt politician. Has it occurred to anyone else that Jefferson probably knew about every shady deal Edwards was in on and passed selective information, and evidentuary map if you will, on to Jordan? That Jefferson’s own dirty hands allowed him to know and selectively communicate Edwards dirty little deals? We’ll never really know.

Today we have to worry about the criminal justice system of Orleans Parish getting shut down due to the racist policies of Mister Jordan. While William Jefferson cries foul, insists the FBI persecutes him for his race, Jordan has been allowed to walk away from millions of dollars worth of court ordered settlement to those whose careers he ruined out of racial hate. And guess who picks up the bill…

We recently had another peoples victory in the ousting of Charlie Foti, who, rather than destroy the lives of about 70 members of the DA’s office, singled out Dr. Pau as a murderess, arrested her in her home & transported her IN CHAINS to Orleans parish for arraignment, after agreeing to let her present herself the next day. He then went on international TV and announced that she was a killer. Not someone accused of a crime, innocent until proven guilty, but A KILLER.

Now vindicated, of course, but her career is ruined beyond measure. Thanks Charlie.

The point is, we have election run-offs, a temporary DA, and a battle for the deciding swing vote seat on the City Council, all hanging in the balance, and in the not-too-distant future. Whatcha gonna do?

It’s time we stop blaming idiots for being idiots. It’s much harder to get them out of office than it is to prevent them from getting in. Or so it would seem.

These horrors do not visit themselves on us by accident.

These choices do not go away because we ignore them.

If we choose not to be involved, they are made for us. And we have no room to gripe or complain when another idiot takes the money, fires everyone but his friends, crucifies a healthgiver for headlines, makes deals with corporate gambling, etc. We’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.

It’s time to listen carefully, New Orleans. Long have we cried about change, FEMA, what was done to us and so on. Now it’s time to do it for ourselves. Again. The Monsters are getting dragged into the light of day, and the future lies in the balance. Open your ears and hear what is really being said. When Jacqui Clarkson tells you that bringing big business and conventions to New Orleans, rather than helping small business that is already here is the way to go, what does that mean? That more money will go out of state, to the City coffers, and raise real estate prices, a business that she has been in for thirty years? That a ‘better New Orleans’ is one without Tuba Fats, Kermit Ruffins, etc. allowed to play music in Jackson Square? That ‘looking out for you’ means taking all the benches out of Jackson Square without the permission of the Historical Society or the City Council itself?

The Ghost of Eddie Jordan looms large, my fellow New Orleanians. It will change like a Scooby Doo cartoon and rise up again and again, until we finally take back our city. These people do NOT have your best interests at heart. A City Council member with a deciding vote, steeped in the real estate development business? You gots to be kidding, man. Except this is no joke. This is a rich & powerful person, trying to make the City, and those who live here, pawns in her vision of “what New Orleans should be.” I don’t know about you, but I rather like the people here just the way they are. I just wish they’d pay attention the Ghosts Yet To Come.

Before we get screwed again.

-Lord David, Live from The Skull Club

I was wondering how long it would take for him to show his colors as a “Louisiana Politician.” Guess this examination of appointments and campaign finance answers that question.

This afternoon in the Still Perkin coffeshop on Prytania Senatorial candidate David R.M. Williams met with several local bloggers including Maitri of Vatul Blog fame, Metroblogger’s Craig Giesecke, Becky Houtman and yours truly.

It was an enlightening two hours or so, but then I am prejudiced, he is my uncle after all. Since family ties make anything I have to say suspect I will instead be linking to any other pieces that float up through the blogosphere as I locate them. I will be paying particular attention to the bloggers who were kind enough to join us.

Also, since I am family, and am obeying strict transparency, I can be very direct about encouraging you to vote for David Williams. I think he is our best shot

As I think back to my days living in NYC back in ‘99 and all the intervening ones (especially my return there on the run from the Federal Flood) I realize that tragedy surrounds us daily. Art is an antidote to daily life and the tragedies that have become so mundane and “matter of fact.” With that in mind it is my honor to share this:

Cripple Creek Theatre Co.September 11, 2007
When it opened on Broadway in 1936, the New York Times suggested Bury the Dead

“…ought to be boycotted by militarists, ammunition vendors and saber rattlers.” Regrettably, the subject is as relevant today as it was then.

In Baghdad 87 of every 100,000 residents will be become casualties of war in the coming year. In New Orleans, the numbers are more grim — 96 of every 100,000 will be murdered. And while there are 13,500 servicemen in Baghdad, only 300 are here in New Orleans.

The war has drained over 415 billion dollars from the public purse. For perspective, that’s enough one dollar bills — stacked in piles — to erect a wall a foot wide and ten feet high along our 350 miles of levees.

Join the dialogue — see “Bury the Dead” this weekend.

Bury the Dead Buy Tickets Online

Sept 13, 2007 through Oct 20, 2007

The second annual Rising Tide conference will be held August 24-26, 2007, at the New Orleans Yacht Club. This is a NOLA blogger-organized and supported conference featuring speakers, panels, breakout sessions, and other dialogs on the future of the city of New Orleans.

This year’s emphasis is on ground-level, grass-roots efforts. It has become clear to those of us in south Louisiana that we will have to watch the watchmen, as well as take the upper hand is setting the city back on track. To that end, there will be presentations on local politics and how to influence them, making civics sexy, sustainability, levee engineering, and media outreach.

The keynote speaker is Dave Zirin, author of Welcome to the Terrordome, published by Haymarket Press, a columnist for SLAM Magazine, a regular contributor to the Nation Magazine, and a regular op-ed writer for the Los Angeles Times. Timothy Ruppert, president of the Louisiana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, will give a comprehensive report on the status of our levee protection two years after the failure of the federal levees brought catastrophe to New Orleans. Matt McBride of Fix the Pumps will present via video conference. Panelists will include community activists Karen Gadbois of Squandered Heritage, Bart Everson of b.rox, and Peter Athas of Adrastos, muckraking blogger Mark Moseley of Your Right Hand Thief, New Orleans political sage Michael Duplantier and author Joshua Clark Heart Like Water

On Friday, August 24, there will be a party at Buffa’s Lounge featuring the work of New Orleans videographers, and Sunday is reserved for a hands-on service project in aid of the NOLA school system. At the Buffa’s party, we are serving cocktail party-type food, but there will be a cash bar.The weekend’s events costs $20 per person. This includes admission to the Friday night party at Buffa’s, Saturday’s events at the New Orleans Yacht Club (including morning coffee and croissants and lunch from Dunbar’s), and participation in the Sunday service project. Please register to attend using the PayPal link on the website. If you don’t use PayPal, feel free to call or e-mail me to reserve your space at the conference and, more importantly, your lunch from Dunbar’s. We have no problem with people paying at the door, we just need to know that you are coming.

There will, f  course, be liveblogging of the event, and materials available online. If you can’t come, there is also a paypal link if you'd care to donate (this is a non-profit endeavor). Feel free to contact us through the website, or ask questions by replying to this e-mail. Rising Tide’s toll-free phone number is: 866-910-2055.

Although I am sending this e-mail to over 200 people, I’m sure I’m missing some. Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested. Unless they have a blog or have expressed interest in the past, they are probably not on my e-mail list. Also, bloggers, please spread the word on your blogs!

usa_seal

Originally uploaded by Humid City.

The government today announced that it is changing its emblem from an Eagle to a CONDOM because it more accurately reflects the government’s political stance. A condom allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you’re actually being screwed!

(Hat tip to the Pirate Chef!)

In case you didn’t hear, our very own Suspect Device, Greg Peters, is about to undergo open heart surgery. He is one of our best and brightest, acidic and observant both on the net and in print. In order to continue to produce during his convalescence he is in rather urgent need of a new laptop. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is one of the local voices we cannot afford to lose. Please help lend a hand by making a small donation, if enough of us do then we can get him the tools he will need. From what I gather we are almost halfway there already, and that in less than a day!

Need proof of why this man needs a laptop? read this(pdf)

Make your donations here.

When I was being interviewed the other night for the newspaper in Dobbs Ferry, NY the reporter was shocked by my description of the government response as viewed down here. My thoughts and reasoning are easily available by searching this site. It is a fact that we have been treated horrifically by those whose solemn duty is to ensure domestic tanquility, provide for the common defense and promote the genereal welfare (at least the last time I checked).

The President’s recent return threw this into sharp relief. The latest phot-op being the latest in an ignoble tradition begining with the staged speech in Jackson Square. You know, the one with the gorious promises counterpointed by the feeding stations (people were still starving) that were immediately broken down after the shoot.  Now, like a late night B-Movie we are treated (?) to Bush Speech III: The Emperor’s New Clothes. An eloquent and impassioned, as well as erudite and sucinct treatment of this is located over at the Wet Bank Guide. I am excerpting a paragraph here but highly enourage you to visit his site and read the whole thing. I rarely say this, but I agree 100% with it. It is addressed to G. Bush directly.

Wet Bank Guide: You Lying Sack of Shit
Too bad you didn’t share some of your real world experience of civics and free enterprise with the students at Warren Easton High School. It’s good you picked a school for your little speech, somewhere where the students are required to sit respectfully and quietly while you shovel it up. I know you didn’t want to venture out where my daughter’s friend and her mother were caught in a traffic jam for your motorcade, an instant mob in which people of every race, creed, income and age stood out of their cars or leaned out their windows and unleashed a torrent of insult and profanity and interesting gestures as you went by. If you had stopped there to shake hands, as your predecessor might have, I wonder if you could find one not balled into a fist.

– madeyouthink –

The Neighborhoods’ Planning Network presents the Festival Of Neighborhoods Attendance is compulsory, don’t make me get the national guard after you…..

Alexis and I should be there a goodly chunk of the day.

Thats right, all your worst fears realized! I, Loki that is, was interviewed on Air America last night. Kevin Moreau once called me a “carnival barker’s megaphone aimed at a complacent citizenry,” now you can judge for yourself.

Humid City caught the eye of the folks over at the Mike Malloy Show and they contacted me about doing an interview for their begining of Hurricane Season show, little did I realize that I was going to be on air for the better part of an hour! Now, 24 hours later an archive is up so those of you who desire to can hear it in all its acidic glory. Go toThe White Rose Society - Mike Malloy Show Page and scroll down until you see the June 1st, 2006 show, then just click the link! (Warning to those with slow connections, it is a 30.8 MB MP3 file)

EDIT: The Interview begins 30 minutes into the show.  FYI

This coming week I will be interviewed on Air America about the state of New Orleans as we head into our first Post K hurricane season., I am putting out a call for input from you, our loyal readership and new friends, as to what aspects of the situation I should address.

Please leave me a comment here with your input.

Thanks, Loki

EDIT: I just found out it will be The Mike Malloy Show

EDIT: The Mike Malloy Show was this year’s winner of the  A.I.R. (Achievement in Radio) Awards award for best talk radio show in NYC

An excellent examination of the context of our recent election and the “race,” card. Da Po’ Blog post gives a lot of context, including the white flight that made us “Chocolate City,” in the first place. Required reading!

da po’ blog: Long Live the Chocolate City

If this election was about race, it was about racial preservation. The existence of an African-American culture in New Orleans is endangered. Not just African-American political power.

I felt Landrieu was the better administrator of the two candidates, better suited to control the everyday activities of a municipal government. But, if we really want all New Orleanians to return, then reelecting Nagin sends that message.

Need I remind anyone that African American culture is reesponsible for most all of the music you listen to, either directly or as an antecendent?

In my humble opinion there is no better piece of New Orleans music to get my current feelings across than Fools and Their Fences by Liquidrone. Give it a listen (and pay attention to the lyrics) on www.myspace.com/humidcity (the audio player is halfway down the page on the left, just click “play”) Thanks to Clint Maedgen for putting it into words so eloquently!

Well, as I perdicted a few posts ago the torrent of anit-NOLA sentiment is strating to really rear its head in the wake of the election. Now only a fool would say that there is no blame to lay at our own doorstep, there is plenty enough to go around. The thing that you just cannot understand until you’ve been here (and even then some people do not get it) is that this transcends partisian politics. It is a simple matter of what needs to get done.

The refrain is usually “corrupt Louisiana politics,” but I see very few talking about the corrupt Fedral politics that have exacerbated the situation from day one. When money is sent down here only to be eaten up by layer upon layer of subcontractors (can you say “No Bid contracts?”) with questionable Federal connections (shoot anyone lately, Dick?) it sounds more like the problem is in DC. Yes, we re-elected Nagin. In DC they re-elected a crack smoker for Mayor, does that sound localised to La.?

Greg Peters gives some great comments on his blog. Read the entire post over on his site, it is a rousig and neccessary call to action!
Suspect Device Blog: Get used to this.
For those out there who think NOLA/Louisiana bloggers have become “so negative”, try Instapundit and Malkin or Bendan Loy today (Be sure to check out the warm and fuzy comments on Loy’s post). This is what a good portion — perhaps a majority — of the rest of the country thinks of New Orleans. It started with yammering nobodies like Bay Buchanan, but they’re the point people: they say the outrageous first, and when no voices rise in protest, the mainstream feels free to lay on.