Louisiana Voice

Squeaky Landry is at it again.

He spoke at a Repugnantcan FUNDRAISER in Nashville last Saturday during which he had this to say:

“I’m going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms,” he said. “And I can’t wait to be sued.”

Can’t wait to be sued? Seriously?

Remember, it was a scant four weeks ago that I PREDICTED that that was exactly what was going to happen, that lawsuits would be filed, not only by the ALCU, but by the various faiths – Catholics, Protestants, Hindus, Islamics and Buddhism each has its own “Commandments” – whose particular version of the Commandments is not the one posted in the classrooms. So, which version will be posted to the exclusion of the other four?

Remember, I also said Landry’s hand-picked attorney general will be awarding contracts to defend the state against any lawsuits, and you can bet the contracts will be going to big donors.

Can’t wait to be sued?

Of course. The hundreds of thousands of dollars necessary to defend the lawsuits won’t be coming out of Squeaky Landry’s pocket. It’ll be coming out of the pockets of you, the taxpayers of the gret stet of Looziana.

That makes it kind of easy for him to be so cavalier as to say he “can’t wait to be sued.”

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It’s no real surprise that Jeff Landry would veto HB 423 by State Rep. Michael Melerine (R-Shreveport). He is, after all, an attorney and he did receive considerable support in the form of campaign contributions from trial attorneys across the state.

So, when the legislature passed Melerine’s bill which would have REDUCED PAYOUTS in personal injury cases, it represented the first real chasm between Landry and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, which had backed the bill.

But the siren song of bar association political contributions was just too enticing for Landry to turn his back on fellow attorneys.

But the real story is the how and why of the bill’s origin.

Oh, the business has long wanted tort reform to ease the pain of having to open their wallets, of course. And Landry, for the most part, has been sympathetic to the needs of the conservative business interests.

Perhaps that was the reasoning behind Melerine’s filing of the bill. Or could it have been the long list of clients represented by his boss’s law firm.

Melerine is an attorney in the law firm of Seabaugh Sepulvado. The founding partner of the firm is State Sen. Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport).

But even more telling is the impressive list of clients represented by Seabaugh Sepulvado, according to the firm’s own Web page:

• The Hanover Insurance Group
• Louisiana Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company
• Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company
• Texas Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company
• Oklahoma Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company
• Arkansas Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company
• Permanent General Assurance Corporation
• Homesite Home Insurance
• GuideOne Mutual Insurance Company
• GuideOne Specialty Mutual Insurance Company
• Southern United Fire Insurance Company
• Louisiana Restaurant Association
• Indigo Minerals LLC
• NextEra Energy Resources
• EnSight IV Energy Partners LLC
• San Saba Royalty Company LLC
• CNC Oilfield Services LLC
• Barksdale Federal Credit Union
• Century Surety Company
• Norris Ferry Landing HOA
• Air-U Shreveport, LLC.
• Quality Exteriors, Inc.
• Camterra Resources, Inc.
• Retail Merchants Association, Inc.
• Temple Baptist Church of Ruston
• Presbyterian Village Nursing Home of Homer
• Benton United Methodist Church
• Town and Country Nursing Center of Minden
• Shiloh Baptist Church of Shreveport
• Springs of Grace Baptist Church, Shreveport
• Springfield Baptist Church
• Apostolic Faith Tabernacle of Shreveport
• Airline Lawn and Pool
• Scott Welch Homes, L.L.C.
• Andersen Properties, Inc.
• McClelland Properties, Inc.
• South Highlands Athletic Association
• Consolidated Title and Abstract, L.L.C.
• Trinity Development of Shreveport, L.L.C.
• PDR Marketing and Management, L.L.C.
• In The Zone, L.L.C.
• Southern Bliss, L.L.C.

Not that any of these firms, churches or other entities has one shred of negativity, but there is always the possibility of a slip and fall, or some other cause of injury of death or negligence on the part of any one of them, so it’s always good to have capable legal representation – just in case.

At the same time, that splendid list of insurance companies represented by Seabaugh Sepulvado gives us pretty good insight to the real inspiration behind the bill.

Just sayin’…

Oh, and here’s a headline from the Wall Street Journal that should give every homeowner a warm fuzzy:

Insurers Rake In Profits as Customers Pay Soaring Premiums

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Well, it’s finally happened. It was inevitable, I suppose, so why would I be surprised that such mentality persists and prospers under the guise of Christianity?

There’s (sigh) another book about Donald Trump but I have to say this one’s different. It was first published two years ago but has managed, with good reason, to fly below the radar or literary excellence.

It’s called (watch for lightning strikes) a “Christian book” on the Amazon page offering the book for sale.

Okay, you want to know the title? Here it is: President Donald J. Trump, the Son of Man – the Christ. It’s written by some delusional person named Helgard Müller who found it necessary to tag along at Trump’s public appearances in an effort to hawk this piece of trash out of a trailer. I’m unsure of the results of those efforts but the concept of the book seems to stem from Trump’s own claim that he is the “chosen one.”

I admittedly call it garbage without having ever read it, so I’ll let you decide for yourself. Here’s the Amazon blurb on the book:

During the presidency of President Donald Trump, it became evident to me that the prophecies about the Son of Man, as predicted by Jesus in the Bible were, to a significant extent, fulfilled at the hands of Mr. Trump.

The Bible speaks about two different Christs—or Messiahs. Jesus, the Son of God is the one Christ, whereas the Son of Man is the other. Jesus always referred to the Son of Man in the third person. The greatest distinction or significance between the Son of Man and the Son of God (the Lamb) is their respective positions at the throne of God. There are numerous differences between the Son of God and the Son of Man, but overall, people read these scriptures and they do not realize that the Son of God (the Lamb) stands in front of the throne of God, whereas the Son of Man, is positioned on the right hand of God. Jesus spoke about two different killings in the four gospels of the New Testament. People read these scriptures and are unaware that Jesus (the Son of God) predicted his own killing in the first person, as opposed to the several prophecies that He made in respects to the Son of Man who will be crucified.

The New Testament speaks about “two Kings;” Jesus, the Son of God, is the “King of the Jews,” whereas the Son of Man is the “King of Kings” who will be a world-ruler, and He will rule all the nations (the tribes) of the earth with a rod of iron.

This book will explain in depth how “Donald John Trump’s” full name literally means: “The Ruler of the World, graced by Yahweh (the LORD) and a descendant of a Drummer.”

Upon reading this book, the reader will be captivated when they realize how President Donald John Trump fulfilled most of the prophecies as the Son of Man. It speaks about End Time Prophecies and Biblical revelations regarding “President Donald J. Trump, the Son of Man. The Christ.”

Yep, Müller actually would have us believe there were two Christs. He advances his theory that Jesus was the son of God who was betrayed by Judas and Trump is the son of man “who was betrayed by (former Vice President Mike) Pence.” You can check it out on Snopes by going HERE.

The reviews were all over the road:

• Beautifully written text with direct scriptures noted within the text itself (each paragraph). All the authors thoughts are backed up by scripture. The puzzle is finally coming together, and it’s nothing short of being biblical.
• Poorly written. Incoherent. Rambling. Extraordinary claims made without any evidence. Presupposes the author’s word to be authoritative and reliable while the content proves otherwise…Honestly, there are better ways to kill brain cells.
• The content is void of biblical scholarship, the author has no credentials as a theologian, and among other things the book glorifies the “good old days” of apartheid in South Africa. This is yet another propaganda tool in Trump’s arsenal of deception. I returned the book for a refund. Shame on Amazon for even selling it.
• This is simply an amazing book. I read it cover to cover in about 90 minutes. I simply could not put it down. The insights here will thrill you and encourage all of us to stand fast in the face of rampant paganism in our country.
• Information of the fact that his army exists. Millions of soldiers willing to fight and die under his orders.
• As my headline says, THIS BOOK IS EASILY THE WINNER OF MY ANNUAL “Worst Book of the Year” award! How low can any author go?!
• The author’s delusional ranting convinces me of nothing. If Donald J. Trump sits at the right side of god I pity god.
• This book is, and I cannot stress this enough, surprisingly easy to autoerotically climax to. Even the cover drips of unfettered animal instinct.
• The words themselves trigger my confused loins in a manner that hasn’t been done since Birth of a Nation.
• It’s time the Southern Baptists add Donald John Trump to that little creed they make us say right before they take our money.

The writing of Mr. Müller would make wonderful satire were it not for the disturbing fact that hordes of rabid Trump evangelicals will twist themselves into knots in an effort to validate the book’s premise. And therein lies the real tragedy: Americans of faith who are so willing, yea, eager – to ditch their core beliefs in order to embrace a man who cheats on his wives, pays off porn stars, cheats on his taxes, stiffs contractors, embraces the leaders of terrorist states, swindles attendees of Trump University, bankrupts every business venture he’s touched, boasts of grabbing women by the p*****s, walks uninvited into dressing rooms of Miss Teen American contestants, steals top secret government documents and refuses to return them, constantly whines about being a victim, sells autographed Bibles, tacky gold-colored tennis shoes and violates every single Commandment, and much more too numerous to itemize here.

Here is one more review that pretty much sums it up: “No real Christian believes a word of the author’s conclusions.”

Those who continue to insist that Donald Trump is the right person to lead this divided nation, is have only one question – have you ever heard of the anti-Christ? – and the words found in one of my favorite Internet memes:

“Wisdom has been chasing you, but you have always been faster.”

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A bill by State Rep. Les Farnum (R-Sulphur) raises several questions:

• Does the good senator have something to hide that he is afraid might become public?
• Or does he just want to curry favor with Jeff Landry?
• Or is his head where only his proctologist can find it?

I don’t mean to go out of my way to insult Farnum; I’ve never met the man.

But to introduce a bill (HB768) that would remove all personal liability from a public records custodian for refusing to comply with a public records request is just plain…what’s the word I’m groping for? Oh, yeah…stupid.

Even more disappointing – and frustrating – is the overwhelming support this piece of garbage received, passing by a 35-0 vote in the SENATE (with four not voting) and a whopping 92-1 vote in the HOUSE. Rep. Michael Bayham (R-Chalmette) was the lone nay vote. Twelve others did not bother to vote

And of course, Jeff Landry just couldn’t wait to sign the bill into law.

So, what was so awful about the bill, you ask? Well, until Landry signed the bill, the law provided a penalty of $100 per day plus attorney fees for any custodian of the record who refused to comply with a public records request.

Landry’s signature, likely executed in a pool of drool from an elated governor, takes away that penalty.

That’s right: a law with no teeth whatsoever. Now any custodian can simply ignore a public records request with no fear of reprisals. No accountability. No consequences.

The U.S. Supreme Court has already done that. They enacted their own set of ethics but failed to provide for penalties for violations of those ethics. Nice. And these guys are supposed to be the final say for the entire country on all matters legal.

Do we see a patter emerging here?

A law with no teeth. Here’s an idea: let’s do the same with traffic violations. Speed, run red lights, drive impaired; it doesn’t matter. We’re gonna remove all the penalties for those offenses. But hey, let’s go a step further. Let’s abolish the penalties for burglary, assault, armed robbery and other felonies. They’ll still be against the law, but at least no one will be punished for violating them.

And the Repugnantcans want to blame Democrats for being soft on crime.

Landry wanted to scrub the public records law altogether. This is the next best thing. Now, good luck to anyone seeking records about possible underhanded dealings by a public official, body cam footage of state police beating a man to death and later saying he died from a car wreck, information about questionable expenditures of taxpayer dollars. Contracts that reveal back room deals? Fuhgeddaboudit.

I don’t want to go too far out on a limb, but it would not surprise me one iota if the next move would be to seal off access to campaign contributions that at least for now are public records. I mean, who’s business is it about who gives how much to which elected official?

Without access to stacks of public records from Louisiana State Police, Mike Edmonson might well still be LSP commander.

We’re already witnessing a blitzkrieg attack on public education, higher education, conviction appeals, unemployment benefits, civil service, ethics laws, local control over industrial tax exemptions and state boards’ governing structure. And he tried, though unsuccessfully, to re-write the state constitution over a period of a couple of weeks without allowing for public discourse. Yes, he failed, but don’t think for a nano-second he won’t be back next year – if not before.

Remember when Bobby Jindal gutted state ethics laws after the ethics board penalized him for an infraction? Well, looky here, Landry was also given a slap on the wrist for campaign violations by the ethics board and what was his response? Why, he went after the makeup of the ethics board.

Folks, this governor is not about transparency. He’s not about good government. He never has been.

He’s about advancing his own personal agenda.

I’ll say it again, unequivocally: We’re going to long for the days of Bobby Jindal before Landry is finished.

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John Kennedy may not see the need for strengthening ethics for U.S. Supreme Court justices (see post immediately below this) but by God, the Dingler Wild Hog Roundup up in Bienville Parish or the Swamp Time Hog Hunt in Caldwell Parish have their standards and you better not be caught trying to short circuit their regulations lest you run the risk of a fine and jail time.

The folks in these two contests take a dim view of porcine poaching as six men have learned.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, insisting it isn’t just hamming it up, has arrested Hunter Webb, Davy Haymon and Don Pollard Jr., all of Pitkin, Colby Bushnell of Dry Creek, Trace Davis of Longville and Nathan Granger of Vinton.

The rules, which apparently are more strictly enforced by the swine society than any idea of some obscure ethics code for Supreme Court Justices, mandate that all bacon-on-the-hoof entered in the contests must be caught during the contest dates – and in Louisiana.

The six, who were declared winners of the two contests initially, are accused of catching wild hogs in Texas prior to the contests.

In a pig’s eye, contest officials are now grunting that the six hog hunters are perfidious peccary pilferers. Accused of hunting contest fraud and criminal conspiracy, Davis, Webb, Bushnell, Haymon and Pollard Jr. are also accused of violating interstate commerce and Davis is charged with obstruction of oinker justice and Webb of hunting under a suspended license.

The pig perpetrators are looking at fines of $3,000 each and up to a year in the porker, er, pokey.

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