Louisiana Voice

So, Doug Cain is leaving with his head held high.

That’s nice to know.

Lt. Col. Cain, the second in command at Louisiana State Police (LSP) is retiring after 25 years of “rewarding law enforcement service,” according to the Baton Rouge Advocate.

I suppose it’s rewarding that he was part of the attempted cover-up of the beating death of Ronald Greene in May 2019. He will deny any culpability in that tragic event, but there is this lingering question over why his cellphone was swiped just as the investigation into Greene’s death at the hands of rogue state troopers was heating up.

His phone and those of former LSP Superintendent Kevin Reeves, former LSP Chief of Staff Mike Noel and former LSP legal counsel Faye Morrison were all SANITIZED about the time litigation was being filed over Greene’s death, thus destroying potential evidence in that civil matter as well as a possible criminal investigation.

Any representative of any law enforcement agency, including a local constable’s office, but especially an assumed “professional” department such as state police would know the importance of preserving evidence and the legal implications of destruction of same.

That would especially appear to apply to the residing in-house legal counsel and to the man who harbored the desire to become LSP superintendent – only to retire abruptly after 25 years in the wake of ongoing investigations into the coverup of police brutality and PHONE ERASURES.

That doesn’t present a good look, no matter how high he’s holding his head on the way out the door. It could be that he’s doing so to keep from drowning in a flood of investigations. Some might even conclude that the phone swiping could be considered as obstruction of justice.

Reeves took a powder as soon as he felt the heat but even in retirement, continues to pack, as evidenced by his recent appearance at the June meeting of the State Police Commission – even though there were several well-armed state troopers in attendance.

Kevin Reeves packs heat in ankle holster

We can all take some comfort in the knowledge that there are those within the department who have – and who continue to do so – put forth honest efforts to do the right thing in the Greene matter. The downside of their attempts to shed light on wrongdoings is that they have either resigned or retired in disgust or been suspended by panicky LSP hierarchy.

Make a request for public records and LSP will either send you a stack of redacted pages – and I mean complete pages completely blacked out – or inform you that because no disciplinary action was taken, the records are not public. Either way, you get nothing. Your best hope is that someone on the inside will leak the documents you need, as was the case with LouisianaVoice‘s recent STORY on State Police Academy cheating.

But Capt. Mark Richards, one of those who has since retired in despair over what he’s seen LSP become, is one of those who resisted efforts to keep the Greene incident report secret. Told to block release of the report, he replied via email that he had never encountered such a request from superiors. He subsequently told state legislators that he felt LSP brass wanted release of the report blocked so as to prevent media from obtaining potentially embarrassing material.

It’s not like LouisianaVoice and other media outlets didn’t try to shed some light on State Police years ago.

Want to hear about some good ol’ down home Christian values? Ken Paxton seems to have a direct line to God and he’s willing to tell us all about the Almighty’s great plan for humanity.

Paxton’s the Texas attorney general.

Never mind the inconvenient fact he was indicted seven years ago on FELONY SECURITY FRAUD CHARGES. He stands accused of failing to disclose he was being compensated for pushing investors to purchase stock in a technology firm.

Never mind the fact that the FBI in 2020 opened a SECOND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION into claims that Paxton abused his office to benefit a wealthy campaign donor. It seems that one of his top deputies ratted him out when he helped the donor, a troubled real estate developer who hired a woman with whom the married – and coincidentally, evangelical conservative – Paxton had had an extramarital affair.

Wow! Those evangelicals sure know how to party down.

And never mind the fact that Paxton was cleared of bribery allegations by his OWN OFFICE (well, what other outcome would you expect?).

Never mind the fact that Paxton filed that QUIXOTIC LAWSUIT Quixotic lawsuit challenging the 2020 president election that was dead on arrival.

And never mind that just last month the Texas state bar filed a PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT LAWSUIT against Paxton for his attempt to overturn that election.

None of that matters because, you see, Paxton, that evangelical conservative, has that direct line to God and apparently God told him the slaughter of those 19 kids and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24 was just okay.

Now those aren’t my words, mind you. They’re Paxton’s – or maybe God’s as uttered through his messenger Ken Paxton.

Honest to Paxton, that’s the latest word out of Texas. The attorney general, who is up for reelection this year, says the butchery was part of God’s plan – just like in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament.

Today’s Christanity: Trumbo cutout, Christian cell phone service booth

And all this time we thought it was a deranged nut who just happened to have a brand-spanking new AR-15 in his hands when he went off the rails. All this time we were blaming the easy access to assault weapons, the encouragement of same by gun nuts in general, and the lack of action by our NRA-bought-and-paid-for elected officials.

But no, it’s all part of God’s plan, Paxton says now. At least that’s what he said the day following the mass executions when asked by North Texas Baptist minister Trey Graham what he (Paxton) would say to the victims’ families.

“I’d have to say, look, there’s always a plan. I believe God always has a plan,” he replied. “Life is short no matter what it is.”

That’s it? “Live is short”? Seriously?

Perhaps the attorney general thought he was commiserating with a sympathetic listener, given the recent revelations about Southern Baptists and issues of abuse within the church.

But I gotta say if it was truly part of God’s plan to murder 19 innocent children and two of their teachers (which would certainly be consistent with the events of the aforementioned books of the Holy Bible), then I can’t really see a damned thing I need to seek forgiveness for in my life, as imperfect, shameful and at times, disgusting, as it most assuredly has been. Rather, I might struggle mightily with finding forgiveness in my heart for God for being such a demented, twisted, sick jerk

Now, having said that, I am fully cognizant of the fact that Paxton is privy to no such communication from the Creator. He is, in fact, a mere mortal, subject to the same frailties as the most infirm of us, his pious, asinine observations notwithstanding.

But most of all, he has revealed himself to be not at all Christian – evangelical or otherwise – but instead, just another opportunistic Repugnantcan hypocrite who feels (so very incorrectly) that he has license to judge others and to assure us that he has peered into God’s heart and now tells us that Yahweh had programmed the carnage at Uvalde all along as part of some grand master plan for mankind.

Excuse me, I think I just stepped in a pile of fresh dog Paxton.

Once more Louisiana is a laughingstock to the world and there’s plenty of blame to go around.

Among those sharing the blame – and the shame – are the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, led by the governor’s brother, the 21^st Judicial District Attorney’s Office, headed up by Scott Perrilloux, and 21^st JDC Judge Jeffery Cashe.

Together, they have managed to send a message to the rest of the world, as noted by a Tangi resident:

Women have no rights in Louisiana. None. Zilch. Nada. Zero. Nil. Fuggedaboutit.

And the message has been picked up by the national media as well as the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom. Oh boy, what the Brits must think of Louisiana now.

You see, Judge Cashe somehow saw fit to award custody to a man who is accused of raping and impregnating a girl when she was only 16 and he was 30. To add insult to injury, Cashe ordered the mother, Crysta Abelseth to pay child support for the child, a daughter, now 16.

Abelseth says she met JOHN BARNES at a bar in 2005. A 16-year-old in a bar is bad enough, even by Louisiana’s lax standards, but she says Barnes offered to take her home but instead, took her to his home where he raped her on his living room sofa, a sexual assault that resulted in her pregnancy.

Barnes learned he was a father when the girl was five years old, Abelseth claims, and he began pursuing custody. When DNA tests confirmed the parentage, he was granted 50 percent custody in 2015.

When she learned that had the option to do so, Abelseth filed rape charges against Barnes. Even if the sex had been consensual, which she denies, no one under the age of 17 may legally consent to sexual intercourse under Louisiana law.

She said she had been under the impression that he was required to file charges immediately. She learned after meeting with a trauma counselor that she had 30 years after turning 18 in which to file charges.

She reported the rape to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office in 2015, the same year Barnes was granted 50 percent custody. Daniel Edwards, brother of Gov. John Bel Edwards, is the parish sheriff. Abelseth says she was told by sheriff’s detectives that her complaint would be followed up on, but it never was.

Edwards now admits that his department FUMBLED THE INVESTIGATION badly. “You would certainly have, at a minimum, a carnal knowledge situation that that should have been realized by the deputy who took the report and it should have been assigned an actual detective at that time,” Edwards told a local cable channel.

No kidding, Sheriff? You think?

“I gave them phone numbers and everything they asked me for,” she said. “No one has contacted me. I’ve made multiple phone calls to the detectives. I’ve sent emails asking for the status of the case. No response. It was never assigned to any detective and nothing was ever investigated.”

Then she revealed the silver bullet that Barnes apparently possessed: close ties with the local justice system.

A check of secretary of state corporate records showed Barnes as the only officer of a company called Gumbeaux Digital Branding, LLC, an internet web construction company and State Ethics Board records revealed that his only foray into politics was through Gumbeaux when he made a $1500 contribution to the campaign of Ernest G. Drake, III, who ran for a 21st JDC judgeship in 2019 but was defeated by Brian Abels.

But one of his clients is said to be the Ponchatoula Police Department.

Oops. Crap! We can’t be investigating our pals in Louisiana. It just doesn’t work that way.

Meanwhile, Judge Cashe ordered Abelseth not to give her daughter a cell phone, which would seem to infringe on the First Amendment rights – except, as I was once told decades ago, juveniles in Louisiana have no rights.

Abelseth, in defiance of the judge’s order, gave her daughter a cell phone, Barnes claimed when he filed for full custody – a claim she denies – and Judge Cashe, in a snit over having his wisdom questioned, granted custody and ordered Abelseth to pay child support – to her alleged rapist.

Enter Perrilloux, who says his office is going to REVIEW the case.

That’s nice, Mr. DA. But where you been these past seven years? Oh, he says his office never received anything on the case. Well, I guess that absolves you of any responsibility.

Because of the age of the daughter, court records in the matter are under seal.

So, there you have it. A DA apparently in the dark about events in his district, a sheriff’s office too damned lazy to investigate the rape of a juvenile by an adult with apparent political connections, and a judge too dense ensure that he didn’t violate any judicial canons by not doing his due diligence in checking for any felony offense that might influence the outcome of the case.

What else would you expect in a place like Tangipahoa Parish in a state like Louisiana?

The transparency with which the Repugnantcans are responding to the Jan. 6 hears would be comical if they weren’t being paid huge salaries, frequent vacations (recesses), and generous benefits to “represent” us in Washington.

But it’s far from being amusing on any level when they can so blatantly follow the Fox News script in their efforts to deflect from the hearings on the events of 6 Jan., 2021, which came perilously close to toppling the world’s oldest democratic republic.

As EXHIBIT A, I give you MIKE JOHNSON, US Rep. from Louisiana’s 4^th Congressional District.

In his humble opinion, people have “moved on” from the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection that damn near toppled our government.

Moved on? How dare you, you contemptuous, imperious ass!

So now you are the infallible arbiter of what is morally acceptable in the Mike Johnson Mores of Human Responsibility? I don’t bloody well think so.

Sorry, but I don’t have much truck with someone who so obviously takes his talking points from a political party as opposed to listening to his conscience and doing and saying the right thing.

The Shreveport native, a former member of the Louisiana Legislature prior to his election to Congress in 2016, is paid $174,000 a year to represent the good people of northwest Louisiana. Let’s take a look at his voting record for the year 2021:

• American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: Nay.
• For the People Act of 2021: Nay
• American Dream and Promise Act: Nay
• Equality Act: Nay.
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Nay.
• SAFE Banking Act of 2021: Nay.
• Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021: Nay.
• COVID 19 Hate Crimes Act: Nay.
• Impeaching Donald Trump: Nay.
• Congressional Budget for FY 2022: Nay.
• National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2022: Yea.

Each of the foregoing bills were passed by the House, no thanks, except for the final one, to Mike Johnson.

Let’s look at what each of the bills said or did:

American Rescue Act: Signed into law on March 11, 2021, the bill provided funding for a national vaccination program, response funding to safely reopen schools, extended unemployment benefits, and provided payments of $1400 per person to relieve economic stress on American families. (How many of Johnson’s constituents declined those unemployment benefits or the $1400 stipends?)

For the People Act: Expanded voting rights, expanded the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, required additional disclosure of campaign-related campaign fundraising and spending, and required additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising. (Well, we certainly don’t want folks voting – this is a democratic republic, after all. And who needs more transparency in guvmint?)

American Drean and Promise Act: More controversial, to be sure, this bill proposed a path to permanent residence status for unauthorized immigrants eligible for temporary protected status or deferred enforced departure. (Pretty sure the Choctaw, Cherokee, and the Caddo tribes would’ve liked to have had some kind of illegal immigration laws in place a few centuries ago.)

Equality Act: Prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in public accommodations, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit and the jury system. (It was the gender identity part that many found objectionable but to be truthful, there are many others who would deny rights to anyone who is different in appearance, acts, or even personal or political preference. Mike Johnson appears to be one of those.)

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Signed into law on Nov. 15, 2021, this act provided, among other things, funding for new infrastructure projects, Amtrak maintenance and development, bridge repair, replacement and rehabilitation, clean drinking water, high-speed internet, and clean energy transmission and power infrastructure upgrades. (Have you seen the roads in Louisiana? Have you lost power during a storm? Noticed your tap water taking on an ugly, brownish color, slow internet? Nuff said.)

SAFE Banking Act of 2021: Prohibits federal regulators from penalizing banks for providing services to legitimate cannabis-related businesses or from declaring proceeds from such transactions as proceeds from unlawful activity. (The key word in this is “legitimate” and regulated cannabis is legal i.e., legitimate, in some states. But some people just can’t handle it.)

Build Back Better Act: Provided a budget framework for spending on climate change and renewable energy, childcare and universal pre-K, healthcare and Medicare hearing expansion, public house and affordability issues, and home care. (Now protecting a child before it is born is one thing but childcare and pre-K after it is born is just a bridge too far. And as far as expanding Medicare, haven’t we heard from Rick Scott and Lindsey Graham that the long-term goal is the eradication of Social Security and Medicare? And who needs climate change – Gawd, it’s hot.)

Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021: Prohibits governmental restrictions on the provisions of and access to abortion services. (Well, it passed, but Johnson won’t have to worry once that already leaked Supreme Court decision comes down. Who cares about women’s rights, anyway?)

COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act: Signed into law on May 20, 2021, it raised awareness about hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic and established state grants to create hate crime reporting hotlines. (Okay, since a crime is a crime, I’ve always wondered what’s the difference between ordinary, garden-variety sicko crime and hate crime. Sometimes Congress can get carried away in its kneejerk reactions, so I’ll give Johnson a pass on this one.)

Congressional Budget for Fiscal Year 2022: Normally a fairly routine vote to approve the budget for the US government for the coming year. (Question is, how would Johnson suggest financing the operations of the government – particularly his $174,000-a-year salary, plus all manner of perks?)

National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2022: Johnson’s only yes vote in this listing, this bill authorized Department of Defense activities and programs for FY 2022. (I get it, Barksdale AFB and Fort Polk are both in his district, so he’s got to take care of them. Plus, Repugs traditionally breast feed the military. Anything the war machine wants, it gets. But what about all those Social Security and Medicare recipients he voted against in the Congressional Budget Bill?)

In the years 2019-2020, Johnson also voted against:

• Reimposing federal net neutrality rules (passed, 245-182);
• Expanding restrictions on online campaign ads and regulating foreign involvement in elections (passed, 227-181);
• Mandating federal approval before some states can change voting practices (passed, 228-187)

But Johnson somehow feels uniquely qualified to suggest that we ignore an attempt to literally overthrow the government of the United States because we have “moved on” and that there are other problems which demand our attention?

Well, maybe he’s too wet behind the hears to remember, but I most certainly am not and my memory is quite clear. Back in the early 70s we had runaway inflation, an unjust war raging in Vietnam, protests in the streets, killings of students on university campuses by our own police and national guard, and, exactly 50 years ago this week, another little constitutional crisis called Watergate raised its ugly head which, thankfully, we didn’t ignore because of “other” pressing problems. Instead, we managed to multitask our way through. Even the so-called “Conscience of Conservatism,” Barry Goldwater saw the handwriting on the wall in those dark days.

So, Mr. Johnson, if I may be so bold, I would respectfully suggest that you shut your mouth about what we should or should not do about the overrunning of our nation’s Capitol by a lynch mob hellbent on hanging the vice president and the speaker of the House.

If The Repugnantcans can justify spending $70 million investigating Bill Clinton (including $30 on oral sex in the Oval Office – compared to $15 million authorized for the 9/11 Commission – then I see a pretty obvious double standard in any objections to a full investigation of an armed invasion of our Capitol.

I, for one, have not – and shall not – move on.

The hearings by House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the US Capitol have revealed that the former guy, the Grifter-in-Chief, has bilked some $250 million from his devoted followers via his incessant email solicitations.

The former guy has a propensity to refer to those he disfavors as “losers.” I prefer to think the poor saps he’s conned into contributing money to his “defense fund” are the true losers because:

(1) not a dime of that $250 million has gone toward any of the former guy’s legal costs;

(2) he has carefully avoided announcing his formal candidacy which means he can use that money for any purpose he wishes, including fat salaries for Ivanka, Donnie Jr., and Eric. Once he declares he is a candidate (which I’m betting in the end, he won’t), the Federal Elections Commission imposes strict limitations on how the money can be spent and he must divulge the names and amounts of the donors, and

(3) donors aren’t told that once they contribute by credit card, they’re making a long-term, repetitive commitment. Let’s say you intended to give a one-time gift of say, $500. But then in subsequent credit card billings, you see the $500 is deducted to former guy every month – it’s a recurring gift and you were never told that.

But here’s the real kicker – information that never came out in the committee: You can bet the farm that former guy is selling his list of donors to others.

In just the past two weeks, I’ve received more than 300 email solicitations from former guy, Donnie, Jr., Eric, Junior’s girlfriend and…several other Repugnantcan candidates and Repugnantcan operatives, some I’ve never even heard of who are running for office.

And while I am, in fact, a recovering Repugnantcan, I have not been affiliated with the party for more than a decade – as in the early years of the first Jindal term. Still, I find myself on the list of “valuable,” “dedicated,” or “loyal” conservative (it varies according to who is sending the email). I get them from Newt Gingrich, Greg Abbott, Ron DeSantis, Lindsey Graham – people for whom I would never vote.

I even got this one today from Steve “KKK” Scalise:

Fellow Conservative: just days after the very first trial from John Durham concluded, Radical Democrats are already racing to SHUT DOWN his entire investigation!

We just learned Hillary Clinton — herself — personally approved the Russia Hoax leak to destroy President Trump…

But now, Liberals don’t want to face the truth. They are working from dusk until dawn to shut down Durham’s investigation.

Fellow Conservative, do you support John Durham’s investigation into the corrupt Clinton campaign? We’re looking for one more response from your area before Liberals WIN and Clinton campaign operatives WALK FREE!

I SUPPORT JOHN DURHAM’S INVESTIGATION →

We’re so close to connecting the dots between Hillary Clinton’s campaign and their plot to spy on President Trump.

But we’re still missing CRITICAL information that could lead to more arrests.

If you support John Durham’s investigation into the Clinton campaign, sign on with your support TODAY before Democrats walk free!

Thanks,

Durham Investigation Update
Sent via Team Scalise

Contributions to TEAM SCALISE, or any participating committee, are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Contributions from corporations, national banks, labor unions, foreign nationals without “green cards,” and federal government contractors are prohibited. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and employer of each individual who contributes over $200 in a calendar year.

320 First Street SE
Washington, DC 20003

6890 E. Sunrise Dr.
Suite 120-137
Tucson Arizona 85750
United States

If you think former guy isn’t selling his list the same way David Duke sold his list to Family Research Council President TONY PERKINS for $82,000, then you just ain’t paying attention.

And if you examine the records of people like Graham, Rick Scott, and DeSantis with even a modicum of attention, you’ll see where they intend to abolish Social Security and Medicare. That alone should turn Florida into the bluest of states but somehow the retirees keep electing DeSantis, Gaetz, Rubio, and Scott.

Other institutions on their hit list include public education, early childhood care (they’re pro-life before birth but once born, those babies are on their own), environmental protections, and voting rights. After those, who knows? Perhaps other socialistic programs like garbage pickup, fire protection, sewer and water service, street repair, and police protection.

The latter is not to be confused with police enforcement. That will never go away. They’ll require enforcement to keep us in line once we realize what they’ve done to us. This isn’t some futuristic fantasy, it’s the reality if the Repugnantcans succeed in getting complete control of the presidency, both houses of Congress, the Supreme and all the federal courts and state legislatures.

Only then will we understand who really wants to confiscate our weapons.

By then, it’ll be too late.

I know there are those who will hold me up to ridicule for making such a far-fetched prediction, but I don’t really care what they think. All the indicators are there. A weak Democratic response to the economic and social turmoil we are now experiencing will only exacerbate unrest which will lead to anarchy. I’m old and I most likely won’t live long enough to see my apocalyptic prophecy fulfilled – but my children and grandchildren will, and that does trouble me.