Louisiana Voice

If you don’t remember John Belton by name, you’ll probably recall that he is the district attorney who decided against pressing charges against a state trooper who was among those who killed handcuffed motorist Ronald Greene back in 2019.

He just happens to also be the district attorney who seems to be dragging his heels in bringing charges against a drunk driver who struck and killed a pedestrian last October.

Last October. Hey, that just happens to be the same month that one of those state troopers was allowed to PLEAD TO REDUCED CHARGES and walk.

Of course, now that Belton’s a LAME DUCK and no charges have yet been filed against Abby Sterling, 20, who struck two pedestrians, one of whom later died, the case is languishing. Sterling appeared to the investigating officer “to be intoxicated.” She was initially arrested and booked on two counts of first degree vehicular negligent injury.

The two pedestrians were identified as Hahn Bridges and Jackson Mitcham, both 21 and both of whom were apparently walking away from a local bar, though Bridges denied they were coming from the bar, according to the accident report. He said, however, that he had no recollection of the crash.

The investigating officer said speed did not appear to be a contributing factor in the crash, but rather impairment of Sterling “which contributed to her not being able to operate a motor vehicle safely.”

Mitcham later died as a result of his injuries.

Now, eight months later, the district attorney’s office appears reluctant to pursue the matter for whatever reason. The original assistant district attorney assigned to the case has moved on and is no longer the prosecutor. In fact, he lashed out at Mitcham’s mother when she attempted to get him to move the case along, telling her he would not let her dictate how he ran his office.

There was a court appearance scheduled for last Tuesday but has been reset for September 16 which, coincidentally, is Mitcham’s birthday and almost 11 months since the Oct. 19 accident.

Interestingly, there is a difference between a crash report and a police report and an arrest affidavit. The investigating officer has yet to sign off on the investigation report. Because of that, Hahn Bridges’s father, Richard Bridges, has been denied a copy of the police report and Hahn Bridges has never been interviewed by anyone from the district attorney’s office.

Bood tests show Sterling’s blood alcohol content (BAC) as 0,169, which is more than twice the limit to be considered intoxicated.

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Ten of the 11 most devastating hurricanes to strike the U.S. mainland struck either Louisiana or Florida and in two cases (Andrew and Ivan), raked both states while inflicting hundreds of billions of dollars in damages.

The only one not to impact either state was Sandy (Florida suffered damage but did not experience a direct hit), which moved up the Atlantic and made landfall in New Jersey and New York

Four of those – Katrina, Harvey, Ida and Ike hit Louisiana while sparing Florida. Those four combined to cause $462 billion in damages. Katrina, in 2005, of course, was the worst in U.S. history in terms of economic damage, followed by 2017’s Harvey whose tab came to $151 billion.

So, why bring this up now?

First, we’re not officially in hurricane season when the entire Gulf Coast holds its collective breath while thinking I don’t wish bad things on others but please let the next hurricane hit somewhere else.

Second, if you look at the numbers, you’ll see that of those eleven most destructive hurricanes, 10 have occurred since 2005’s Katrina, lending credence to the theory that global warming is producing more dangerous storms.

Third, and perhaps most distressing, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced after last year’s hurricanes Helene and Milton that it was RUNNING LOW ON MONEY to assist those affected by the storms.

Fourth, the Trump administration has announced plans to earmark as much as $450 per year to operate “ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ,” an ICE detention center to be constructed in the heart of Florida’s Everglades. The $450 million is part of $625 million that was set aside for provide temporary housing, food and emergency medicare care for new migrant arrival awaiting court hearings.

Of course, FEMA is only responsible for providing relief in natural disasters; it also works closely with the Pentagon, Homeland Security and other key agencies in order to coordinate recovery and to continue operations of the government in any disaster, natural or man-made.

Still, to announce this kind of expenditure on the cusp of hurricane season seems a bit out of whack, priority-wise.

For whatever reasons, Trump wants to eliminate FEMA altogether.

Perhaps a former Biden DHS spokesperson said it best. Alex Howard referred to the Everglades project as “Desantis’s Little Guantanamo in the swamp.”

“You don’t solve immigration by disappearing people into tents guarded b gators,” Howard said. “You solve it with lawful processing, humane infrastructure and actual polity – not by staging a $450 million stunt in the middle of hurricane season.”

Of course, “stunts” is in perfect keeping of the showman persona of Donald Trump who has never shown any substance in anything he’s done so, why should we expect anything less?

Just remember that when you’ve had to evacuate your flooded home, covered your roof with those garish blue tarps and need assistance. Just don’t expect that assistance to come from FEMA.

It’s broke, after all.

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Prior to May 23, 2024, residents living along the 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans had a reliable, affordable method of monitoring air quality as a means of measuring potentially deadly air pollution, thanks to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

But on that date just over a year ago, Gov. Jeff Landry, with the willing assistance of a Republican super-majority in the State Legislature, took that away with the stroke of a pen when he signed into law the COMMUNITY AIR MONITORING RELIABILITY ACT (CAMRA).

Up until that time, citizens could monitor the air quality in their neighborhoods effectively, accurately and economically with the use of a monitor that cost only about $289 per unit. Sometimes even then, the EPA would even loan the equipment at no cost.

But then came CAMRA which overnight BANNED THE USE OF THE EPA-APPROVED MONITORING DEVICES in favor of equipment that cost as much as $58,691 per unit, effectively pricing the air monitoring practice out of the financial reach of community groups and individuals.

SENATE BILL 503 by Sen. Eddie Lambert of Gonzales and signed into law as Act 181 of 2024 was not, as with Donald Trump and his hawking of Teslas, cell phones, watches, Bibles and other Trump-branded paraphernalia, done as an overt attempt at personal enrichment of anyone.

Instead, it was a brazenly naked effort, pure and simple, by the petrochemical industry and the politicians it owns to shut up citizens suffering from respiratory illnesses brought on by years of toxic emissions. There is simply no other explanation to disqualify EPA-approved monitoring equipment as a means for citizens to determine the threats to the air they breathe.

One need only examine political contributions to the various political campaigns by oil and chemical interests to verify that assertion.

And wasn’t it former U.S. Sen. and Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of War SIMON CAMERON who once said that “an honest politician is one who when he is bought will stay bought”?

Not only is it cost-prohibitive to employ the newly-approved equipment that the state now approves, but under CAMRA, community groups now face fines of up to $32,500 per day (up to $1 million for intentional violations) for so much as even talking publicly about evidence of airborne pollution.

Have Landry and the Louisiana Legislature ever heard of the First Amendment which guarantees, among other things, the freedom of speech? David Bookbinder, director of law and policy for the Environmental Integrity Project, was probably thinking the same thing when he said, “The Louisiana statute mandates that you can’t talk about air quality unless you’re using the equipment that they want you to use.” Unfortunately, he continued, “the equipment that they want you to use costs hundreds or even thousands of times more than perfectly good equipment that people can use to monitor the air in their communities.

In the aftermath of several Gulf Coast hurricanes and the COVID pandemic, an organization calling itself Micah 6:8 Mission was formed to distribute food, cleaning supplies and other necessities to victims. In 2022, the organization was awarded a federal grant to purchase two air-quality monitors to be used for testing for a variety of common air pollutants in exchange for its promise to share its information with the EPA.

Cynthia Robertson, executive director of Micah 6:8 Mission would post alerts on Facebook and fly a red flat outside her office so neighbors would know when it was best to remain indoors.

No more, however, in light of the threat of heavy fines for doing so. Add to that an even more devastating blow to air monitoring in Donald Trump’s proposed EPA budget which would eliminate grants for state and local air quality management, cutting that program’s funding from $235 million to zero for 2026.

Despite the data that show that residents along that notorious 85-mile stretch, home to more than 200 industrial – mostly fossil fuel and petrochemical – plants, have a 95 PERCENT GREATER CHANCE of developing cancer than the average American, your Louisiana Legislature and your governor have ripped away the only financially feasible method of monitoring air toxins.

One of those who voted in favor of CAMRA, State Sen. Blake Miguez (R-New Iberia), recently announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat. That election is next year and Miguez, one of 30 state senators to vote for CAMRA, will be attempting to unseat incumbent Bill Cassidy.

That SENATE VOTE was 30-8 with one, Sen. Heather Cloud (R-Turkey Creek), deciding to take a walk on the vote. The bill sailed to equally easy passage in the House, passing by a VOTE OF 76-16 with 13 members absent for the vote.

LISKOW, which operates in five cities, including New Orleans and Baton, is a law firm that is focused on the energy and oil and gas industry. The firm sponsors THE ENERGY LAW BLOG and on June 5, 2024, it posted a story on the blog by four staffers that carried the headline announcing the passage of CAMRA, proclaiming it as “establishing uniformity for monitoring and parameters for date use.”

That, apparently is the only thing that residents of river parishes from Baton Rouge to New Orleans need to know, that it establishes “uniformity.”

The important thing to remember about that “uniformity” is that ethylene oxide is unsafe at any level of exposure. The EPA has determined that inhaling 11 parts per trillion (with a T) for a lifetime can produce one additional case of cancer per 10,000 people. The higher the concentration, of course, the greater the risk.

For cancer alley, the level, on average, is about 31 parts per trillion (roughly three times the threshold above which the EPA has determined cancer risk to be unacceptable), according that Louisiana Illuminator story and a team from Johns Hopkins University observed averages of more than 109 parts per trillion, in some cases as far as seven miles away from those spewing fumes of toxins.

But not to worry. SB 503, aka Act 181, has now established uniformity of measuring how deadly the air is residents are breathing.

Hell, I feel better already with the warm fuzzy feeling of just knowing that our state leaders are staying bought like the honest politicians they are.

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It was just a month ago almost to the day (May 21) that a headline in the New Orleans Advocate proclaimed, “Archdiocese of New Orleans reaches landmark settlement with abuse survivors.”

But wait. It turns out that that announcement of a $180 million settlement (abuse survivors had demanded $1 billion) that would be distributed once the diocese emerged from bankruptcy may have been just a bit premature.

In court documents filed last Thursday (June 19) by two insurance companies indicate that the tentative agreement announced last month may not hold.

U.S. Fire Insurance Co. and International Insurance Co. jointly filed a response and reservation of rights to abuse survivors’ motion to conduct a Rule 2004 examination of Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

A Rule 2004 examination is a bankruptcy discovery tool that allows any party of interest to examine an entity (in this case, the archdiocese) about matters related to the bankruptcy case. Specifically, it allows for the gathering of information about the debtor’s financial affairs, assets and conduct.

Last Thursday’s filing said that neither insurance carrier takes a position on the merits of abuse survivors’ April 30 motion to dismiss and Rule 2004 motion but instead, each is requesting that they be given notice of any depositions noticed and that they be given an opportunity “to attend any such deposition and [to] cross-examine any witnesses.”

“The same day that the motion to dismiss was filed, the certain abuse survivors filed the Rule 2004 Motion. Through the Rule 2004 Motion, the certain abuse survivors seek to take depositions in connection with the motion to dismiss,” the companies’ filing said. “The certain abuse survivors also reiterate several of the arguments made in the motion to dismiss, including the argument that the archdiocese has “conceal[ed] their criminal misconduct inside the bankruptcy.”

That would seem to indicate that the insurance companies, who would normally be expected to provide much of the money to settle the abuse cases, may not be ready to write checks just yet.

Most liability polices specifically state that coverage can be denied in cases of subterfuge or criminal activity.

“…[I]t is essential that the parties have a level information playing field so that all parties-in-interest, including the insurers, can meaningfully participate in this bankruptcy case and can otherwise ensure that their rights are not impaired,” the insurers’ filing said, adding that “nothing contained herein is intended to be or shall be construed as (a) an admission as to the amount of, basis for, or validity of any claim of the archdiocese or certain abuse survivors against U.S. Fire and International under the Bankruptcy Code or other applicable non-bankruptcy law; (b) a waiver of U.S. Fire’s or International’s or any party in interest’s rights to dispute any claim or interest on any grounds; or (c) a waiver of U.S. Fire’s or International’s or any other party in interest’s rights under the Bankruptcy Code or any other applicable law.”

In pure legalese, it was a way of the insurance companies saying they were not committing their companies to any payout, pending a determination of whether or not there was any intent to conceal any criminal activity.

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As the College World Series opens in Omaha this week with the LSU Tigers a prohibitive favorite to capture the school’s eighth national title – with their opening game against Arkansas Saturday at 6:00 p.m. being key (and as my beloved Boston Red Sox sink further and further in the AL East), it might be time to turn our attention to the ol’ ballgame.

That’s because there seems to be a furtive move afoot by Cadet Bone Spurs to take down major league baseball.

It’s true. Why, just this morning, there was THIS HEADLINE from Associated Press.

So, you ask, what’s Tub-A-Lardo’s notification of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans that their temporary permission to live and work in the U.S. has been revoked and that they should leave pronto got to do with major league baseball?

The answer is plenty.

There are at least 12 Cubans, 10 Venezuelans, two Nicaraguans and at least one Haitian who are currently toiling away for various major league teams.

That’s just a cursory count and by no means a complete list. And to even attempt the number of former players from those countries would probe overwhelming. And if Frump is consistent (and when has he ever been that?), they must surely be in his crosshairs.

But now, with Agent Orange coming after them, can’t you just picture those plains-clothes, facemask-wearing jack-booted thugs swooping into the outfields, pitchers’ mounds and dugouts of stadiums across the country to snatch these players up for deportation? Of course, for those playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, they’ll have to wait until they play road games in this country; they don’t have any jurisdiction in Canada. At least, I guess IMPOTUS knows that.

Anyway, here’s what I found after a quick search:

CUBANS:

• Aroldis Chapmen, Boston Red Sox;
• Jose Abreu, free agent;
• Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners;
• Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers;
• Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros;
• Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., Arizona Diamondbacks;
• Jorge Carlos Soler Castillo, Los Angeles Dodgers;
• Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox;
• Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays;
• Nestor Cortes, Jr., Milwaukee Brewers;
• Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves
• Jorge Soler, Los Angeles Anges

VENEZUELANS:

• Jose Altuve, Houston Astros;
• Eugenio Suarez, Arizona Diamondbacks;
• Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins;
• Ronald Acuna, Jr., Atlanta Braves;
• Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals;
• Jose Alvarado, Philadelphia Phillies;
• Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers;
• Andres Gimenez, Toronto Blue Jays
• Luis Arraez, San Diego Padres;
• Avisail Garcia, free agent.

NICARAGUANS:

• Erasmo Ramirez, Minnesota Twins;
• Jonathan Loaisiga, New York Yankees

HAITIAN:

• Dany Gilbert Toussaint, Los Angeles Angels

And just for lagniappe:

MEXICANS:

• Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners;
• Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays;
• Giovanny Gallegos, Los Angeles Dodgers;
• Joey Meneses, New York Mets;
• Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros.

Let’s not overlook players from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia and Brazil who also export players to the U.S.

So, yeah, Trump and the terror of hunting dogs everywhere, Kristi Noem are coming after major league baseball for harboring all those players from below our southern border.

Or maybe he’ll just impose a tariff on them.

Oh, there’re also players from Canada, Japan, China and South Korea, but it’s a pretty safe bet they’re safe from any purge by Don the Con.

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