Skip to content

Archive for January, 2007

Jan 31

5 Comments

Alexandria Music Project Presents “The Can Kickers”

Alexandria Music Project (also known as AMP), a non-profit organization committed to bringing quality music to Alexandria, is proud to announce its first-ever house concert.

740130587_l.jpgOn Wednesday, February 21, AMP will present The Can Kickers, a three-piece folk rock jam band (think Americana jigs) from New London, Connecticut. They describe themselves as “Old-timey riot music for dancing.”l_b373d166db1453b16b5adfc623dffb30.jpg

Mark your calendars. Downtown Alexandria at Alex 1805, 8PM.

The opening act will be Alexandria’s own Cozy and the Pony.

The Can Kickers are about to set off on a national tour, and this will be their first time in Alexandria. They’re a phenomenal band, “a get on your feet and dance” band, and in keeping with AMP’s mission statement, this will truly be an excellent opportunity to see quality music without having to drive out of town.

The concert will be open to the public. Tickets are $10 for non-members and $5 for members.

If you want to join AMP, visit their website, located at www.alexandriamusicproject.org and click on “Signup and Booking.” There are now three tiers of membership:

STUDENT: $50.00; Includes 4 tickets to AMP 401 and 402 (8 tickets total) (must be a full-time student and present a current student ID with your tickets at the concert);

INDIVIDUAL: $100.00; Includes 4 tickets to AMP 401 and 402 (8 tickets total); and

SUSTAINER: $300.00; Includes 8 tickets to AMP 401 and 402 (16 tickets total), plus a table for 8 and premium seating at AMP 401 and 402. The sustainer membership is for those people and businesses who know that they want a table at each show and/or have extra guests.

In addition to this house concert, AMP will be putting on two more shows, one in the spring and one in the fall. The more members, the better the talent.

So here’s the question: What band would you like to see in Alexandria? AMP members will be relying on citizen input to determine the two big headliners for its two big shows, so your input is appreciated.

Jan 31

Community Announcement: Retire In Louisiana Seminar To Be Held In Alexandria

Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu will be in Alexandria on Thursday at 1PM to speak about a new initiative entitled “Retire in Louisiana.” The event is open to the public, though you must register first at www.retirelouisiana.org. From the website:

Louisiana has much to offer retirees looking to relocate – a welcoming and lively culture, extraordinary and diverse natural beauty, a warm climate, and a relatively low cost of living. Our challenge is clear. We must build upon what we have and get the word out – Louisiana is a great place to retire.

What is the Certified Retirement Community program?
Redefine Life. Retire in Louisiana. Certified Retirement Community is a program that recognizes places in Louisiana that the state substantiates as premier locations for retirees (persons aged 55 and older).

What is retirement development?
The general practice of retirement development is defined here as the organized efforts of a state and/or local communities to retain and attract the 55 and older population.

How can I learn more about the benefits of attracting retirees to my community?
Attend an educational session sponsored by the Office of Lieutenant Governor, Louisiana Retirement Development Commission. The educational sessions are designed to raise awareness about the demands and benefits of retirement development efforts. These sessions provide an orientation to the state certification program: Redefine Life. Retire in Louisiana. Certified Retirement Community.

Check it out.

Jan 28

1 Comment

Slip Opinions: How the Blogosphere is Transforming Legal Scholarship

Recently, Washington University Law School, located in Saint Louis, Missouri, launched a new blogsite, entitled Slip Opinions. Their “debut” edition features a series of essays first presented at Harvard Law’s Bloggership Symposium. Contributors include Ellen Podgor, James Lindgren, Kate Litvak, Lawrence B. Solum, Douglas Berman, Paul Butler, and Eugene Volokh. It’s worth checking out, particularly considering recent events in Central Louisiana in which court cases are analyzed and dissected in the blogosphere before they ever make it in front of a judge.

Jan 25

1 Comment

Community Announcement: Spirits 5K

5kspirits07.jpg

Jan 25

18 Comments

News Busters: Bush’s Omission of Katrina/Gulf Coast Treated as “Scandalous”

This is from News Busters, a website that claims it exposes and combats “liberal” media bias:

A night after CNN anchors fretted about how Katrina and the recovering Gulf region were “thunderously missing” from President Bush’s State of the Union address, CBS and NBC picked up the cause. CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric regretted on Wednesday night how “there was not one mention of Katrina, though the suffering and hardship continue.” Noting that “there are still 13,000 people living in FEMA trailers,” Couric asserted: “Some who lost everything are asking, ‘What about us?’” Reporter Armen Keteyian, a veteran of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, featured one New Orleans man who, “like many here, watched the President’s speech, his rage rising with every word.” Keteyian listed how “there were 5,596 words in the President’s speech last night,” and insisted that “reaction to the fact that not a single one was either Katrina or Louisiana was felt…all across the Gulf.” Kateyian concluded with how “words like ‘relief’ and ‘recovery’ now seem as empty to them as last night’s presidential address.”

Read the whole article by clicking here.

Jan 25

1 Comment

Elton Pody Recovering from Surgery

Elton Pody, Vice President, Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce is resting comfortably after cancer surgery at M.D. Anderson in Houston on Wednesday, January 17. Surgeons successfully removed 50% of Mr. Pody’s liver, which contained cancerous tumors. According to a Chamber spokesperson, Mr. Pody’s physicians feel they removed all of the cancer. After a brief recovery period, Mr. Pody will return home to central Louisiana where he will undergo chemotherapy treatment. He plans to be back at work in the near future.

Jan 22

19 Comments

Bobby Jindal: “I have decided to run for governor of the great State of Louisiana.”

According to the Dead Pelican, Representative Bobby Jindal sent this letter to “key supporters” early this morning:

After much prayer and consultation with my wife, I have made a decision. With the decision made, I see no point in being coy. I have decided to run for Governor of the great State of Louisiana. I wanted you to hear this directly from me, not secondhand from media reports.

Your support, and that of countless friends all across the state, has been overwhelming. My wife and I are very humbled by the confidence you are placing in me.

Our state, our communities, and our families have been through some very tough times. There is clearly a hunger for a new approach to governing.

Over the next few months I will continue to reach out to the great people of Louisiana. BUT, and this is very important, I will not kick off my campaign until the summer. In my view this is crucial for our state.

Politics has a way of impeding progress, and Louisiana cannot afford to lose another second. The upcoming state legislative session this spring is vital. We cannot afford failure, and the surest way to attain failure is to politicize every initiative and decision.

Quite frankly, the Governor and our state legislators need the opportunity to do what is in the best interest of the people. After that, we can have an election.

It is my belief that campaigns are too long as they are, and that people grow weary of the barrage of charges and counter charges. I want to avoid D.C.-style politics with mudslinging, and instead focus on solving the problems that our state faces.

By choosing to start the campaign in the summer, we will give the people of Louisiana plenty of time to weigh their choice in this crucial decision about our state’s current and future direction.

Additionally, I have important efforts underway in Congress and must continue doing all I can to focus the federal government on helping the people of Louisiana.

So, there you have it.

This was not an easy decision — I take the responsibilities of governing very seriously and know our state is at a juncture of tremendous consequence. I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail later in the year. But in the meantime, I have a lot of work left to do representing Louisiana in Washington.

Bobby

Jan 19

14 Comments

For the Purposes of Full Disclosure

Dear Readers,

As some of you already know, Mayor Roy has offered me a position on his staff as a mayoral assistant, and I have accepted. I begin work next week.

CenLamar will continue to report local, state, and national stories of interest. It will also continue to offer news analysis, community announcements, information on upcoming events, and links to relevant Cenla websites. Other writers have agreed to join the team, and within the next few months, things will change yet again.

I am humbled and excited about the opportunity to work for the Mayor and the City Council.

If any of you have questions, please feel free to ask me directly right here on the blog or send me an e-mail at lamarw@gmail.com.

All the best,

Lamar

Jan 19

1 Comment

Charlie DeWitt Recovering

Representative Charlie DeWitt is recovering at MD Anderson in Houston, after surgery to remove cancer in his lungs. According to John Maginnis and sources close to DeWitt, he’s in good spirits, and the surgery was “successful.”

Jan 18

5 Comments

Bloggers May Be Forced to Register as Lobbyists

Update: The bill doesn’t necessarily target bloggers who are being paid– as much as it does those, like Kos, who can raise more than 25K a quarter. So let’s think about this a little bit: If someone like Kos can instantly raise a candidate thousands of dollars, I would think that one could argue that he is lobbying for that candidate. The initial reporting on this story was sloppy, due, in part to the analysis offered by Chad Rogers, who wrote about the legislation (and Vitter’s involvement) earlier today on The Dead Pelican. It turns out that Rogers’s fears about the scope of this legislation are probably unfounded. The guys over at Wonkette are freaking out about this story, comparing the legislation to Nazi-like suppression of free speech. C’mon. This seems to be primarily aimed at people who can raise thousands and thousands of dollars for a candidate– and holding those people to the same standards we hold other lobbyists.

According to GrassrootsFreedom.com, Congress is considering legislation that would require bloggers with readerships of over 500 people to register as lobbyists– or potentially face criminal charges.

Our very own Senator David Vitter introduced an amendment to the legislation in order to “to create criminal penalties, including up to one year in jail, if someone ‘knowingly and willingly fails to file or report.’” However, according to Information Weekly, Vitter’s now retracted his position and done a complete reversal. And now he’s saying that he’s been misunderstood– that the amendment was supposed to single out “public officials.” You can read the amendment and judge for yourself right here.

Information Weekly explains the legislation:

Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill currently before the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters, to register and report quarterly to Congress the same as the big K Street lobbyists. Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting law by creating the most expansive intrusion on First Amendment rights ever. For the first time in history, critics of Congress will need to register and report with Congress itself,” according to a statement from GrassRootsFreedom.com.

So, here’s the question: Does this only hold the blog owner’s accountable? Or does it include all bloggers who “communicate to 500 or more members of the public”?

Or is everyone misreading everything?

Others contend that the bill specifically targets people who have been paid to blog for a particular cause or candidate and that there’s no reason for the “average blogger” to be alarmed by this legislation.

Jan 16

10 Comments

Jim Bernhard, CEO of Shaw Group, May Run for Louisiana Governor

The Ouachita Citizen is reporting that the race for Louisiana governor is likely to become even more crowded, as at least two Democrats have recently made indications that they’re considering challenging Governor Blanco.

Foster Campbell, a Democrat from Elm Grove and the Louisiana State Public Service Commissioner, has hired political consultant George Kennedy, a sign that Campbell is “dead serious about taking on the governor and Jindal.”

It is also being reported that Jim Bernhard, CEO of the Shaw Group and former head of the state Democratic Party, is also considering a run, which, according to the article, could pose significant fundraising problems for Governor Blanco.

A Bernhard candidacy spells big trouble for Blanco. It spells trouble for the governor on the fund-raising front and among white voters who supported the lady from Lafayette four years ago because they couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a man of color. That being Jindal.
For months many of Blanco’s key financial backers in the governor’s race four years ago acknowledged privately that they didn’t think the governor could beat Jindal under any circumstances. Those heavy hitters have been holding out hope that another white Democrat (besides Campbell) would get into the race and force Blanco to the sidelines, thus freeing them up to place their bets on a horse they feel they can do business with down the road.
Bernhard would fill that void.

Bernhard, states the article, may also pose problems for Representative Jindal. But don’t count Campbell out either:

While a Bernhard candidacy will garner headlines for awhile and most likely will overshadow Jindal’s pending announcement, don’t underestimate Campbell. The former state senator, outspoken to say the least, made a name for himself years ago by repeatedly calling for a processing tax on foreign oil, a tax that never stood a chance of being approved by the Legislature in the face of stiff opposition from the oil and gas industry. The gentlemen in alligator shoes, as Campbell tagged lobbyists for the oil industry, beat him at every turn.

Jan 15

10 Comments

Mayor Roy: “There is a New Deposit in the Bank of Justice”

Earlier today, Mayor Jacques Roy joined others in the community at the Alexandria City Hall for a service honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Roy spoke about the need for inclusiveness as a model for growth, at times invoking the words of the late King to underscore the message of “diversity in action.”

“I believe we are commanded to implement a model for inclusiveness in our City, and the Administration and City Council are committed to bring you diversity in action, a renewal of smart, community-based planning for our City which includes consideration of the needs and ideas of all citizens, not just a few, and I am personally committed, as is my team and our Council, to show those who refuse to recognize the moral necessity of our shared vision for action, inspired by the Reverend Doctor, to recognize the absolute necessity for it based on economic grounds—that is the vision we talked about at the inaugural event of proving that diversity works; inclusiveness makes money; community-based planning positively affects cities,” Roy said. “No, Reverend Doctor, there is a new deposit in the bank of justice. The bank of justice is not bankrupt, Reverend Dr. King, and we will be together as a community to ensure the promissory note known as the Declaration of Independence, in your words, is not a check which comes back marked insufficient funds, but one delivering the funds of economic promise, justice, and inclusiveness owed to all citizens. Echoing the Reverend Doctor, NOW IS the time for our city to move forward, not later influenced by the ‘the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.’”

Roy also warned against the “twin destroyers of progress: complacency and fear.”

“Complacency is the negative force which allows people to sit back and do nothing, to be disengaged from the community and avoid making things better,” Roy said. “Make a promise to yourselves to be engaged in Alexandria, to meet new people, to meet new folks from different walks of life, to break bread with those folks, and to create a long-term relationship with them. The other destroyer, fear, is even worse. It is mostly a reaction to the unknown, and it works together with complacency to allow us to sit back and let fear control us because we do not want to do the work—to do the heavy lifting. We must not let fear take over, and we must arm ourselves with education—culturally, academically, and spiritually. We must not have the fear which disallows us to consider new opinions and new models about how working together can be beneficial to our city.”

Jan 14

Chuck Hagel Schools Joe Lieberman on Iraq War

Earlier today, Republican Senator Chuck Hagel took Joe Lieberman to task regarding Lieberman’s statements concerning the Iraq War. It seems like yet another prominent Republican is breaking away from Bush’s war strategy.

Jan 14

Marc Morial Confidants Plead Guilty to Conspiracy, Mail Fraud, and Obstruction of Justice

This weekend, three confidants of former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial pleaded guilty to a string of corruption charges stemming from an energy contract awarded to Johnson Controls Incorporated during the final year of Morial’s second term. The three men were all considered part of Mayor Morial’s inner circle. From the Times-Picayune:

The City Hall case centers on a massive energy-management contract quietly awarded by Morial to Johnson Controls Inc., a national firm, toward the end of Morial’s eight-year tenure in office. Federal prosecutors portrayed Barré, DeCay, Walker and Johnson Controls project manager Terry Songy as the chief architects of a criminal conspiracy that skimmed more than $1 million from the deal.

Songy, who has been cooperating with the government for more than two years, has already pleaded guilty to two felony counts. Barré, a 7th Ward restaurateur, has been portrayed by prosecutors as the mastermind of the scheme.

DeCay told Johnson Controls that he wanted some of the contract to cover renovations at the Municipal Auditorium and the Theatre of the Performing Arts, where Barré was the exclusive concessionaire and a partner in the management contract, according to prosectution documents.

In 2005, Morial’s uncle was accused of defrauding the transit authority of nearly $500,000.

Jan 12

4 Comments

State Political Update – Jan. 11, 2006

Republicans Building Party Machine

The Louisiana Republican Party has worked diligently to develop the organization and the discipline it needs to go head to head with Democrats in an attempt to elect a Republican governor and to establish a majority in the state House of Representatives.

Timing is right for the Republican Party due to outward population migration and legislative term limits. Republican candidates running for statewide office will benefit from Hurricane Katrina because it sent many Democratic voters out of the state. This will make an already tough re-election campaign even more arduous for Governor Kathleen Blanco. Additionally, the GOP, according to LSU-Shreveport political science professor Jeffrey Sadow, could pick up as many as 10 seats in the House this year when veteran Democrats are barred from running for re-election to their House seats because of term-limits.

In contrast to years past, the current Republican Party leadership is motivated, organized and united in its message. In 2006, a political action committee (PAC) called Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority (LCRM) was formed to begin planning for the 2007 elections. LCRM sent letters and e-mails to Louisiana Republicans (and Democrats who sometimes vote for Republicans) in mid-December to seek funding and support for the PAC. The letter was signed by Wendy Vitter, the wife of U.S. Senator David Vitter—R, Metairie. The letter explains the opportunity created by term limits and asks for contributions to meet a goal of $2.5 million that will be needed to be successful with the 2007 Republican blitz and to gain “big PAC” status.

“This is our chance to take a stand and reclaim Louisiana from the incompetence and corruption of the old-school Democrat machine,” said Mrs. Vitter. “For as long as one can remember, they have controlled our state, raised our taxes, squashed our values, and squandered our future. But their days are rapidly coming to an end!”

The stated long term goal of LCRM is to build Republican majorities at all levels of government, but for the next year the organization will focus on one obvious starting point: the Louisiana Legislature.

Formation of the LCRM proves that even though there are deep philosophical differences between the Louisiana GOP and the Democrats, the Republicans understand that they’ll have to campaign like Democrats in order to win GOP majorities.

The LCRM letter states, “I ask you to remember that the Democratic Party will have something very powerful on their side – insider lobbyists and powerful PACs. They will pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into Democratic campaigns to save them. But with your help, and the help of hundreds of good conservatives like you, we can offset their liberal money.”

The translation for that quote is, “Hey, we’ve got to have a machine too if we want to beat those guys, so please help us fund one.”

The 2007 elections cannot be business as usual for the Democrats. The party will be forced to run smarter, more effective campaigns. In statewide races and in some district races, the Democrats will have to rethink its base in the absence of thousands of minority voters who traditionally voted with them. It will be interesting to observe the party’s strategy aimed at heading off a united, organized Republican party in a post Katrina world.

Ultimately, however, the success of candidates no matter the party, is determined by the voters. The best thing both parties can do to aim for success is to attract and back good candidates. Meanwhile, it appears that the Democrats are no longer the only party in Louisiana with an effective “machine” in place.

« Older Entries