Louisiana has two political traditions, the first is represented by sophisticated and intelligent politicians like former Democratic U.S. Senator John Breaux, and Republican U.S. Senator David Vitter.
These men represent the best of both parties and are true patriots. The second tradition is one of slime, nepotism and gutter tactics, which trigger memories of David Duke, Edwin Edwards, Huey Long, Earl Long and now Mary Landrieu. Most people know Mary Landrieu as the Senator who from time to time pretends to be a naive school girl, even-though she is pushing 50; let me put it this way, you would not want to see her without her make-up on. Mary Landrieu owes her rise to power in Louisiana to her politically connected family, to include her father, Maurice Edwin Landrieu, the former Mayor of the corrupt city of New Orleans, and her brother, Mitch Landrieu, Louisiana's current Lieutenant Governor.
Mary Landrieu has been quick to attack President Bush and FEMA Director Michael Brown. However, the record should be clear here, while FEMA has deep pockets, they depend on their partners at the local and state level as well as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army to distribute its resources, and to that end the State of Louisiana did less than nothing, it actually prevented FEMA's partners, the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, from delivering supplies to the Superdome in response to the disaster; and again, Mary Landrieu's brother is the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana.
The fact is that the City of New Orleans was given millions of dollars by the Federal Government to develop and practice emergency drills, but when the time came to put what was practiced into operation the Mayor failed to act and hundreds of buses were not used and 100,000 people were stranded in New Orleans. Yet Mary Landrieu gives both her dad's former city and her brother's state a pass on this failure to act. Likewise, Landrieu has even come out and defended the Looters. Apparently no one is to blame for their actions but Republicans.
I accept that this aging senator is a moron and a political hack; after all she is in the same party as Rep. Nancy Pelosi. However, if the story is correct that this idiot threatened to punch our President I have a real problem with that. During a time of war, when terrorists are no doubt planning to kill our President we certainly don't want a United States Senator talking about punching him. The fact is this big mouth may have just committed a felony. Title 18, United States Code section 871 makes it a felony for anyone to threaten to inflict bodily harm on the President of the United States. My advice to Mary is this, go back to playing a little school girl and shut your pie hole.
Author's bio: Gutheinz is a former military intelligence officer and aviator and a retired NASA Office of Inspector General senior special agent. He is a criminal defense attorney licensed by 10 courts to include the United States Supreme Court; and a college instructor. He holds 6 degrees and 8 teaching credentials. He is the recipient of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency Career Achievement Award. He is the past top graduate (Honor Graduate) from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's Criminal Investigators Basic Course. His prior writings include: In Search of the Goodwill Moon Rocks, Geotimes Magazine; There Will be a Day After Tomorrow, SpaceDaily.com and Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a Scary Group that Needed to be Outlawed, The Conservative Voice.
