Louisiana Voice

Grouped by Home State 

Alabama:

Britt (R-AL), Yea

Tuberville (R-AL), Yea

Alaska:

Murkowski (R-AK), Yea

Sullivan (R-AK), Yea

Arizona:

Gallego (D-AZ), Nay

Kelly (D-AZ), Nay

Arkansas:

Boozman (R-AR), Yea

Cotton (R-AR), Yea

California:

Padilla (D-CA), Nay

Schiff (D-CA), Nay

Colorado:

Bennet (D-CO), Nay

Hickenlooper (D-CO), Nay

Connecticut:

Blumenthal (D-CT), Nay

Murphy (D-CT), Nay

Delaware:

Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Nay

Coons (D-DE), Nay

Florida:

Moody (R-FL), Yea

Scott (R-FL), Yea

Georgia:

Ossoff (D-GA), Nay

Warnock (D-GA), Nay

Hawaii:

Hirono (D-HI), Nay

Schatz (D-HI), Nay

Idaho:

Crapo (R-ID), Yea

Risch (R-ID), Yea

Illinois:

Duckworth (D-IL), Nay

Durbin (D-IL), Nay

Indiana:

Banks (R-IN), Yea

Young (R-IN), Yea

Iowa:

Ernst (R-IA), Yea

Grassley (R-IA), Yea

Kansas:

Marshall (R-KS), Yea

Moran (R-KS), Yea

Kentucky:

McConnell (R-KY), Nay

Paul (R-KY), Yea

Louisiana:

Cassidy (R-LA), Yea

Kennedy (R-LA), Yea

Maine:

Collins (R-ME), Yea

King (I-ME), Nay

Maryland:

Alsobrooks (D-MD), Nay

Van Hollen (D-MD), Nay

Massachusetts:

Markey (D-MA), Nay

Warren (D-MA), Nay

Michigan:

Peters (D-MI), Nay

Slotkin (D-MI), Nay

Minnesota:

Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay

Smith (D-MN), Nay

Mississippi:

Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Yea

Wicker (R-MS), Yea

Missouri:

Hawley (R-MO), Yea

Schmitt (R-MO), Yea

Montana:

Daines (R-MT), Yea

Sheehy (R-MT), Yea

Nebraska:

Fischer (R-NE), Yea

Ricketts (R-NE), Yea

Nevada:

Cortez Masto (D-NV), Nay

Rosen (D-NV), Nay

New Hampshire:

Hassan (D-NH), Nay

Shaheen (D-NH), Nay

New Jersey:

Booker (D-NJ), Nay

Kim (D-NJ), Nay

New Mexico:

Heinrich (D-NM), Nay

Lujan (D-NM), Nay

New York:

Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay

Schumer (D-NY), Nay

North Carolina:

Budd (R-NC), Yea

Tillis (R-NC), Yea

North Dakota:

Cramer (R-ND), Yea

Hoeven (R-ND), Yea

Ohio:

Husted (R-OH), Yea

Moreno (R-OH), Yea

Oklahoma:

Lankford (R-OK), Yea

Mullin (R-OK), Yea

Oregon:

Merkley (D-OR), Nay

Wyden (D-OR), Nay

Pennsylvania:

Fetterman (D-PA), Nay

McCormick (R-PA), Yea

Rhode Island:

Reed (D-RI), Nay

Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay

South Carolina:

Graham (R-SC), Yea

Scott (R-SC), Yea

South Dakota:

Rounds (R-SD), Yea

Thune (R-SD), Yea

Tennessee:

Blackburn (R-TN), Yea

Hagerty (R-TN), Yea

Texas:

Cornyn (R-TX), Yea

Cruz (R-TX), Yea

Utah:

Curtis (R-UT), Yea

Lee (R-UT), Yea

Vermont:

Sanders (I-VT), Nay

Welch (D-VT), Nay

Virginia:

Kaine (D-VA), Nay

Warner (D-VA), Nay

Washington:

Cantwell (D-WA), Nay

Murray (D-WA), Nay

West Virginia:

Capito (R-WV), Yea

Justice (R-WV), Yea

Wisconsin:

Baldwin (D-WI), Nay

Johnson (R-WI), Yea

Wyoming:

Barrasso (R-WY), Yea

Lummis (R-WY), Yea

Is there no one with the cajones to tell him how incredibly stupid he looks?

Question: On the Nomination (Confirmation: Peter Hegseth, of Tennessee, to be Secretary of Defense )

Vote Number: 15

Vote Date: January 24, 2025, 08:57 PM

Required For Majority: 1/2

Vote Result: Nomination Confirmed

Nomination Number: PN11-7

Nomination Description: Peter Hegseth, of Tennessee, to be Secretary of Defense

Vote Counts:

YEAs50

NAYs

50

Vice President of the United States Voted

Yea

 Grouped by Home State 

Alabama:

Britt (R-AL), Yea

Tuberville (R-AL), Yea

Alaska:

Murkowski (R-AK), Nay

Sullivan (R-AK), Yea

Arizona:

Gallego (D-AZ), Nay

Kelly (D-AZ), Nay

Arkansas:

Boozman (R-AR), Yea

Cotton (R-AR), Yea

California:

Padilla (D-CA), Nay

Schiff (D-CA), Nay

Colorado:

Bennet (D-CO), Nay

Hickenlooper (D-CO), Nay

Connecticut:

Blumenthal (D-CT), Nay

Murphy (D-CT), Nay

Delaware:

Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Nay

Coons (D-DE), Nay

Florida:

Moody (R-FL), Yea

Scott (R-FL), Yea

Georgia:

Ossoff (D-GA), Nay

Warnock (D-GA), Nay

Hawaii:

Hirono (D-HI), Nay

Schatz (D-HI), Nay

Idaho:

Crapo (R-ID), Yea

Risch (R-ID), Yea

Illinois:

Duckworth (D-IL), Nay

Durbin (D-IL), Nay

Indiana:

Banks (R-IN), Yea

Young (R-IN), Yea

Iowa:

Ernst (R-IA), Yea

Grassley (R-IA), Yea

Kansas:

Marshall (R-KS), Yea

Moran (R-KS), Yea

Kentucky:

McConnell (R-KY), Nay

Paul (R-KY), Yea

Louisiana:

Cassidy (R-LA), Yea

Kennedy (R-LA), Yea

Maine:

Collins (R-ME), Nay

King (I-ME), Nay

Maryland:

Alsobrooks (D-MD), Nay

Van Hollen (D-MD), Nay

Massachusetts:

Markey (D-MA), Nay

Warren (D-MA), Nay

Michigan:

Peters (D-MI), Nay

Slotkin (D-MI), Nay

Minnesota:

Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay

Smith (D-MN), Nay

Mississippi:

Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Yea

Wicker (R-MS), Yea

Missouri:

Hawley (R-MO), Yea

Schmitt (R-MO), Yea

Montana:

Daines (R-MT), Yea

Sheehy (R-MT), Yea

Nebraska:

Fischer (R-NE), Yea

Ricketts (R-NE), Yea

Nevada:

Cortez Masto (D-NV), Nay

Rosen (D-NV), Nay

New Hampshire:

Hassan (D-NH), Nay

Shaheen (D-NH), Nay

New Jersey:

Booker (D-NJ), Nay

Kim (D-NJ), Nay

New Mexico:

Heinrich (D-NM), Nay

Lujan (D-NM), Nay

New York:

Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay

Schumer (D-NY), Nay

North Carolina:

Budd (R-NC), Yea

Tillis (R-NC), Yea

North Dakota:

Cramer (R-ND), Yea

Hoeven (R-ND), Yea

Ohio:

Husted (R-OH), Yea

Moreno (R-OH), Yea

Oklahoma:

Lankford (R-OK), Yea

Mullin (R-OK), Yea

Oregon:

Merkley (D-OR), Nay

Wyden (D-OR), Nay

Pennsylvania:

Fetterman (D-PA), Nay

McCormick (R-PA), Yea

Rhode Island:

Reed (D-RI), Nay

Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay

South Carolina:

Graham (R-SC), Yea

Scott (R-SC), Yea

South Dakota:

Rounds (R-SD), Yea

Thune (R-SD), Yea

Tennessee:

Blackburn (R-TN), Yea

Hagerty (R-TN), Yea

Texas:

Cornyn (R-TX), Yea

Cruz (R-TX), Yea

Utah:

Curtis (R-UT), Yea

Lee (R-UT), Yea

Vermont:

Sanders (I-VT), Nay

Welch (D-VT), Nay

Virginia:

Kaine (D-VA), Nay

Warner (D-VA), Nay

Washington:

Cantwell (D-WA), Nay

Murray (D-WA), Nay

West Virginia:

Capito (R-WV), Yea

Justice (R-WV), Yea

Wisconsin:

Baldwin (D-WI), Nay

Johnson (R-WI), Yea

Wyoming:

Barrasso (R-WY), Yea

Lummis (R-WY), Yea

I’m not a betting man. The last big bet (for me, that is) I wagered was in January 1969 when I gave the New York Jets and 19 points against my beloved Baltimore Colts. Nineteen points, by the way is what the oddsmakers were giving, so I went with the pros. Turns out the Jets didn’t need any of those points. Final score: Jets 16, Colts 7 and I was out $20, a considerable sum for me at the time.

Thus, lesson learned. Until now, that is.

I’m about to stick my neck out again, though I’m not giving odds or points this time.

News broke this morning that the FBI has ARRESTED A SUSPECT in its investigation into the planting of pipe bombs near the national headquarters of the Republican and Democratic headquarters in Washington on Jan. 5, 2021 in the mashup to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Kudos to the FBI—it took only three years and 338 days to make the pinch of one Brian Cole, age and address unavailable as this is being written.

Here’s my bet:

Our Dear Leader, the Mango Mussolini, aka Agent Orange, aka PEDO-POTUS, will grant a full pardon, proclaiming the investigation and subsequent criminal charges to be a sham, an attempt to embarrass him and a horrific persecution of a fine patriot.

I mean, if he can pardon other Jan. 6 rioters, embezzlers, con artists, fraudsters and drug dealers, what’s a little pipe bomb.

This is a buffoon who likes to second-guess judges, juries, prosecutors, law enforcement officials and evidence in issuing wholesale pardons and commutation of sentences so, what’s to stop him from setting another one free while he simultaneously carries out his law-and-order crusade in America’s cities with indiscriminate arrests and combats drug smuggling in Venezuela by murdering men in international waters?

Any takers on my bet?

Editor’s Note: There are quite a few words and phrases highlighted and underlined in BOLDFACE, ALL-CAPS GREEN in the following post. For the as yet uninitiated, those are links to other stories that corroborate what I write. Click on those links to read the stories to which I refer.

With profound apologies to Col. Mulberry Sellers in Mark Twain’s 1892 novel The American Claimant, Thar’s gold in them thar jails.

Louisiana already had the highest incarceration rate in the civilized world even before the crackdown on undocumented people by the Mango Mussolini and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

But with Department of Homeland Security (the parent agency of ICE) sweeps and wholesale deportation—sometimes of U.S. citizens—the upsurge is a financial windfall for the state, a couple of dozen sheriffs’ departments and for-profit private prisons.

BAYOU.TRUTHS on Tik Tok pretty much tells the story of Louisiana’s detention centers:

Louisiana is the epicenter of Trump’s massive deportation activity for one simple reason, the podcast says—money.

The raids across the country are “tearing families apart” on the one hand and in Louisiana, on the other hand, “they’re filling budget holes” and quietly building an entire economy around the crackdown. It’s no coincidence that the REMOTE LOUISIANA FACILITIES are hours away from expert legal immigration legal counsel and hundreds of miles from family members.

The state now holds about 10,000 IMMIGRANTS in ICE custody on any given day, MORE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN AMERICA, the podcast says. “And here’s the part no one talks about:

“The federal government pays Louisiana jails and sheriff’s offices $70 to $90 per detainee per day, sometimes more.” That equates to payments of $700,000 to $900,000 per day spread across the state. When you do the math, you start to see why the SOUTH and in particular, Louisiana’s rural parishes, are welcoming Trump’s immigration crackdown with open arms.

Some of these jails in places like Richwood, Riverbend, LaSalle, Winn and Jackson Parish, which previously sat half-empty, now are raking in millions of dollars per year in federal detention contracts. In some parishes, ICE money makes up as much as 25 percent of the entire local budget.

Sheriffs capitalize politically by hiring staff (read: political patronage, i.e. padding political influence), purchase equipment and to upgrade facilities. But one of the areas that is often neglected is the GENERAL CONDITION of the detainees. Louisiana’s immigration detention system has been CITED for medical neglect, violence, falsified records, unsafe condition and even deaths. LouisianaVoice HAS WRITTEN ABOUT some of those, including a whistleblower’s complaint about NONCONSENSUAL HYSTERECTOMIES  performed on female detainees at a privately-run ICE facility in Georgia…

The plain and simple fact is that because these prisons are most often run by private operators like LaSalle or GEO or local sheriffs, there is little oversight and even less accountability.

They are, in two words, cash cows. And it’s not improving. Trump’s latest directive is intended to ramp up arrests so that ICE may maximize its detention capacity. As a result, even more parishes and private prisons are GETTING IN LINE for the federal largesse.

“So, while the headlines talk about raids in big cities,” the podcast concludes, “the engine powering this crackdown runs straight through Louisiana’s back roads, rural jails and sheriffs’ offices because every detainee represents another federal dropped into a system Louisiana can’t afford to lose.”

And it’s doubly important to remember that all this is being done to these thousands upon thousands of detainees without the constitutional guarantee of due process (You’ll find that in the Fifth and 14th Amendments).

Gives the last line of the Pledge of Allegiance, “With Liberty and justice for all” hollow ring, doesn’t it?

Now, if they’d change that to “With government by the few and profits for the oligarchy…”