FEMA PREPARES FOR HURRICANE FLORENCE

FEMA PREPARES FOR HURRICANE FLORENCE:

CONTACT FEMA 1-800-621-3362

PREPARE & PRAY PSALM 91.


Post Sources: FEMA, NBC News, Washington Post, WRAL, Youtube


***** FEMA already setting up Florence relief operation at Fort Bragg


The Federal Emergency Management Agency is setting up its relief operation for Hurricane Florence even before the massive storm hits North Carolina.

FEMA tractor-trailers filled with water and non-perishable food began rolling in Monday at Simmons Army Airfield on Fort Bragg. Officials said the staging area will provide hurricane relief to South Carolina and parts of Virginia as well as to North Carolina.

Portable generators – some large enough to power a small city – sit on flatbed trailers at the staging area.

Gov. Roy Cooper said officials have learned from past hurricanes that flooded roads and downed trees and power lines can make it hard to get supplies distributed after the storm, so he asked FEMA to move some of the supplies closer to areas that are likely to be hardest hit by Florence.

On Tuesday afternoon, Cooper met with the FEMA team at Fort Bragg and was briefed on the supplies on hand.

"We've distributed to a number of areas now because we know that they will be needed," he said. "Food, water, supplies, cots, generators are already being distributed out there in places that we know will need it."

Meanwhile, about 80 Black Hawk and Apache Longbow helicopters flew out of Simmons Army Airfield earlier Tuesday to a location near Atlanta to get out of Florence's path.

The Black Hawk helicopters could be used to help with hurricane relief efforts, if requested by the governor. But the Apache helicopters are purely fighting machines and wouldn't be useful in hurricane relief.

"If we lose these aircraft to a storm, it impacts our ability to be ready in case of any type of contingency world-round," said LTC Bryan Hummel, of the 82nd Airborne Division's Combat Aviation Brigade. "So we got to make sure we get them out and get them in a safe location, and then when the storm's passed – a couple of days after that – most likely we'll go back and recover them back here, and we'll continue to start training."

Because the Apache helicopters cost $16 million to $20 million each, it's also cheaper to fly the 80 aircraft to Georgia that risk any of them being damaged in the storm.

HURRICANE FLORENCE ENCOURAGES MASS EXODUS TO SAFETY (EVACUATIONS)

HURRICANE FLORENCE ENCOURAGES MASS EXODUS TO SAFETY (EVACUATIONS):

MORE THAN ONE MILLION EVACUATIONS ORDERED BY SEVERAL GOVERNORS.

PREPARE AND PRAY - PSALM 91.


"9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,
10 There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.
11 For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].
12 They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.
14 Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation."


Post Sources: NY Times, CBS News, Youtube


**** Hurricane Florence Threatens Carolinas; 1 Million Ordered to Evacuate


With Hurricane Florence swiftly gaining strength and bearing down on the Southeast, Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina on Monday ordered more than a million people living in eight coastal counties to evacuate inland.

“We do not want to risk one South Carolina life in this hurricane,” the governor said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

Evacuations were also ordered in parts of North Carolina as the region braced for a major destructive hurricane projected to make landfall late Thursday or Friday, with damaging winds, torrential rains and a potentially destructive storm surge.

The South Carolina evacuation order takes effect at noon Tuesday. Governor McMaster said that lanes of two major divided highways — Interstate 26 and U.S. 501 — would be reversed to make the roads one-way, carrying traffic only away from the coast, and that two others may also be reversed if needed. Schools and state offices in about half the state would be closed starting on Tuesday, the governor said.

Hurricane Florence swiftly strengthened into a major storm on Monday as it churned across the Atlantic Ocean toward the coast of the Carolinas. By 5 p.m. Eastern Time, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 140 miles an hour with higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center, and “further strengthening is anticipated.”

The center upgraded the storm at noon to Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity, only an hour after upgrading it to Category 3.

Forecasting models show the hurricane headed for a landfall somewhere near the border of North Carolina and South Carolina. Destructive winds extending as far as 150 miles in all directions from the storm’s center may be felt on shore as soon as Wednesday night.

President Trump, who was criticized for his response to the crisis in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria last year, signaled that he was on top of this storm in a pair of tweets on Monday.

In coastal Dare County, N.C., the local emergency management agency announced a mandatory evacuation order that took effect Monday at noon, for all residents and visitors on Hatteras Island, the long, slender barrier island off the North Carolina coast.

A similar order will go into effect Tuesday for other nearby communities, including Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Roanoke Island, Duck, Manteo, Southern Shores and the mainland portion of Dare County, according to a statement from the county.

Social media users reported that stores in both states were being bought out of bottled water and other supplies as residents prepared for the storm.

The hurricane center warned that in addition to damaging winds, the “extremely dangerous” storm posed two kinds of flooding threats — a storm surge of salt water along the coast, and freshwater flooding inland from very heavy rains — as well as dangerous surf and riptides along much of the Eastern Seaboard.

WHITE MAN (GLEASON, 23) OPENS FIRE ON BLACK FAMILY IN LOUISANA, KILLS TWO BLACK MEN IN THE NAME OF HITLER

WHITE MAN (GLEASON, 23) OPENS FIRE ON BLACK FAMILY IN LOUISANA, KILLS TWO BLACK MEN IN THE NAME OF HITLER:

POLICE SAID ATTACKS WERE RACIALLY-MOTIVATED.

KENNETH GLEASON COULD FACE DEATH PENALTY SAYS DISTRICT ATTORNEY.

DO YOU HEAR ANY LATINO LEADERS STANDING AGAINST SUCH RACIST VIOLENCE INFLICTED ON BLACK PEOPLE??


Sources: AP, ABC News, The Guardian, Youtube


***** White man accused of killing 2 Blacks had Hitler speech


• Kenneth Gleason, 23, charged with murder after shootings in Baton Rouge
• Gleason could face the death penalty, district attorney says

A 23-year-old white man arrested Tuesday was accused of killing two black men and firing on a black family in a string of attacks that police say may have been racially motivated.

A law enforcement official said they had found a copy of an Adolf Hitler speech at the home of Kenneth James Gleason, and investigators said DNA on shell casings and other evidence link him to the crimes.

Gleason was led away from the police department in handcuffs just before authorities there held a news conference to announce that he would be charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths last week of a homeless man and a dishwasher who was walking to work.

"I feel confident that this killer would have killed again," interim Police Chief Jonny Dunnam said.

Gleason's attorney, J. Christopher Alexander, said his client "vehemently denies guilt, and we look forward to complete vindication." Alexander declined to say anything else.

Authorities found a copy of the Hitler speech during a search of Gleason's home over the weekend, according to the law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

Asked whether police suspect race was a motive for the shootings, Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said: "We're not completely closed off to that. We're looking at all possibilities at this time, so we're not going to just pinpoint that."

District Attorney Hillar Moore said his office could seek the death penalty.

"It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenseless," he said. "We don't need to prove motive. There are a lot of things that are unanswered."

No one was injured when Gleason fired multiple times into the home of a black family in his neighborhood on Sept. 11, authorities said. It's not clear if Gleason knew the family.

In the other shootings, Gleason fired from his car then walked up to the victims as they were lying on the ground and fired again multiple times, police said.

Neither victim had any prior relationship with Gleason.

The first fatal shooting occurred Sept. 12 when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was shot to death.

The second happened last Thursday night when 49-year-old Donald Smart was gunned down while walking to his job as a dishwasher at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students.

The attacks came at a time when Louisiana's capital already was in the grips of a surge in violence. The number of homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish has already surpassed last year's total of 62, The Advocate newspaper reported earlier this month.

"Baton Rouge has been through a lot of turmoil in the last year. Has there not been a swift conclusion to this case, I feel confident that this killer probably would have killed again," the police chief said. "He could have potentially created a tear in the fabric that holds this community together."

Racial tensions roiled the city in the summer of 2016 when a black man was shot to death by white police officers outside of a convenience store.

About two weeks later, a black gunman targeted police in an ambush, killing three officers and wounding three others before he was shot to death.

The city of about 229,000 is about 55 percent black and 40 percent white.

Gleason didn't appear to have any active social media profiles. A spokesman at Louisiana State University said a student by that name attended the university from the fall of 2013 to the fall of 2014 before withdrawing.

He had transferred to LSU from Baton Rouge Community College.

During the search of Gleason's home, authorities also found 9 grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone, according to a police document.

HURRICANE HARVEY TARGETED HOUSTON, TX (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION) JUST AS KATRINA TARGETED NEW ORLEANS (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION)

HURRICANE HARVEY TARGETED HOUSTON, TX (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION:

JUST AS KATRINA TARGETED NEW ORLEANS (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION)

THOUSANDS OF BLACK PEOPLE HAD TO EVACUATE TEXAS.

JUST AS THOUSANDS OF BLACK PEOPLE HAD TO EVACUATE NEW ORLEANS IN 2005 DURING HURRICANE KATRINA.

MANY OF NEW ORLEANS BLACK POPULATION WERE NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE BACK AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA.


Sources: AP, Black America Web, NY Times, Washington Post


******* Tropical Storm Harvey Leaves Houston Underwater


Tropical Storm Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into the nation’s fourth-largest city Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.

The incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across submerged neighborhoods and high-wheeled vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam.

Volunteers joined emergency teams to pull people from their homes or from the water, which was high enough in places to gush into second floors.

The flooding was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas. They urged people to get on top of their homes to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location.

Judging from federal disaster declarations, the storm has so far affected about a quarter of the Texas population, or 6.8 million people in 18 counties. It was blamed for at least two deaths.

As the water rose, the National Weather Service offered another ominous forecast: Before the storm that arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches (1.3 meters) of rain.

That would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas.
Some areas have already received about half that amount. Since Thursday, South Houston recorded nearly 25 inches (63 centimeters), and the suburbs of Santa Fe and Dayton got 27 inches (69 centimeters).

“The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.

Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches (1 meter) for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said.

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require FEMA’s involvement for years.

“This disaster’s going to be a landmark event,” Long said.
Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves.

Tom Bartlett and Steven Craig pulled a rowboat on a rope through chest-deep water for a mile to rescue Bartlett’s mother from her home in west Houston. It took them 45 minutes to reach the house. Inside, the water was halfway up the walls.

Marie Bartlett, 88, waited in her bedroom upstairs.

“When I was younger, I used to wish I had a daughter, but I have the best son in the world,” she said. “In my 40 years here, I’ve never seen the water this high.”

The city’s main convention center was quickly opened as a shelter.

Gillis Leho arrived there soaking wet. She said she awoke Sunday to find her downstairs flooded. She tried to move some belongings upstairs, then grabbed her grandchildren.

“When they told us the current was getting high, we had to bust a window to get out,” Leho said.

William Cain sought shelter after water started coming inside his family’s apartment and they lost power. “I live in a lake where there was once dry land,” he said.

Some people used inflatable beach toys, rubber rafts and even air mattresses to get through the water to safety. Others waded while carrying trash bags stuffed with their belongings and small animals in picnic coolers.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help, with more coming in. He urged drivers to stay off roads to avoid adding to the number of those stranded.

“I don’t need to tell anyone this is a very, very serious and unprecedented storm,” Turner told a news conference. “We have several hundred structural flooding reports. We expect that number to rise pretty dramatically.”

The deteriorating situation was bound to provoke questions about the conflicting advice given by the governor and Houston leaders before the hurricane. Gov. Greg Abbott urged people to flee from Harvey’s path, but the Houston mayor issued no evacuation orders and told everyone to stay home.

The governor refused to point fingers on Sunday.

“Now is not the time to second-guess the decisions that were made,” Abbott, a Republican, said at a news conference in Austin. “What’s important is that everybody work together to ensure that we are going to, first, save lives and, second, help people across the state rebuild.”

The mayor, a Democrat, defended his decision, saying there was no way to know which parts of the city were most vulnerable.

“If you think the situation right now is bad, and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare,” Turner said, citing the risks of sending the city’s 2.3 million inhabitants onto the highways at the same time.

Jesse Gonzalez, and his son, also named Jesse, used their boat to rescue people from a southeast Houston neighborhood.

Asked what he had seen, the younger Gonzalez replied: “A lot of people walking and a lot of dogs swimming.”

“It’s chest- to shoulder-deep out there in certain areas,” he told television station KTRK as the pair grabbed a gasoline can to refill their boat.

The Coast Guard deployed five helicopters and asked for additional aircraft from New Orleans.

The White House announced that President Donald Trump would visit Texas on Tuesday.

He met Sunday by teleconference with top administration officials to discuss federal support for response and recovery efforts.

The rescues unfolded a day after Harvey settled over the Texas coastline. The system weakened Saturday to a tropical storm.

On Sunday, it was virtually stationary about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Victoria, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph (72.42 kph), the hurricane center said.
Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961’s Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.

STEVE SCALISE NEEDS MUCH PRAYER; DEMS INCITED HATE

STEVE SCALISE NEEDS MUCH PRAYER (DEMOCRATS INCITED HATE):

LOVE HEALS; HATE KILLS.

PRAY FOR UNITY; CEASE VIOLENT ACTS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.

PRAY FOR THIS NATION & PRES TRUMP

PRAY FOR THE ENTIRE US MILITARY


Sources: Fox News, USA Today, Youtube


**** Scalise critical, shooter ID'd as James Hodgkinson


A gunman believed to be a supporter of former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders sprayed a hail of bullets at a GOP baseball practice Wednesday morning, critically wounding House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and injuring four others before U.S. Capitol Police took down the rifle-wielding assailant.

Scalise was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon, MedStar Washington Hospital tweeted. He had surgery after being shot in the hip and was initially said to be stable.

The shooter, who had a violent history including arrests for battery, resisting arrest and drunken driving, was identified as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson, of Illinois, Fox News confirmed. President Trump said Hodgkinson died from injuries sustained when he was shot by police.

"I have just been informed that the alleged shooter at the Republican baseball practice is someone who apparently volunteered on my presidential campaign," Sanders said in a statement. "I am sickened by this despicable act. Let me be as clear as I can be. Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms."

President Trump addressed the nation before noon and revealed Hodgkinson died in police custody.

TRUMP FIRES RUBIO, TELLS HIM TO CONCEDE (FLORIDA PRIMARY)

TRUMP FIRES RUBIO, TELLS HIM TO CONCEDE:

RUBIO SHOULD NEVER HAVE GONE POSTAL ON TRUMP AS ROMNEY WANTED.

HAS RUBIO TARNISHED HIS NICE GUY IMAGE FOREVER?

Sources: NBC News, CNN, BREITBART, Youtube

**** Donald Trump Celebrates 2 Wins, Calls on Rubio to Drop Out

Donald Trump celebrated his wins in Kentucky and Louisiana Saturday, calling for Marco Rubio to drop out of the 2016 race and saying he wants a "one on one" contest against Ted Cruz. 

"I think it's time now that he drop out of the race," he said of Rubio, who has won just one contest to date. 

"I think it's time for Marco to clean the deck," he added later in the press conference. "I do. And I say that respectfully.

Rubio campaign spokesman called Trump a "con artist" in response, and suggested that Trump is worried Rubio will win the Florida primary and gain momentum. 

A relatively subdued Trump, who appeared at Trump International in West Palm Beach, congratulated Cruz on his wins in Maine and Kansas, though he said his own campaign "really didn't spend very much time" in either state. 

"He should do well in Maine, because it's very close to Canada," he joked of Cruz. "Let's face it." 

Just after he suggested he wanted a "one on one" race against Cruz, Trump also pushed for unity, saying that the party should "come together and stop this foolishness.

Alluding to suggestions that mainstream Republicans could mount a third party candidate if Trump is the nominee, Trump warned against the possibility of splitting conservatives in the general election. 

"It 100 percent guarantees the election of the Democrat," he said, adding that the next president will name multiple Supreme Court justices. 

Trump supporters filled the front rows of the press conference and reacted to some questions from the press, including boos when one reporter asked about this week's back-and-forth with Marco Rubio regarding the size of his hands. 

Indicating a member of his golf club in the audience, Trump asked: "Do I hit the ball good? Do I hit the ball long? Is Trump strong?" 

The press conference was delayed while Trump awaited results from the GOP primary in Kentucky. 

"I've been in competitions all my life. There is nothing so exciting as this stuff," he said when he began his remarks. 

Trump announced the projected Kentucky win around an hour before the close contest was called. 

"We won the two big ones, folks," Trump said, adding the states were Louisiana and Kentucky, at around 10 p.m. E.T. in Florida.

When informed the Kentucky race hadn't been called, Trump left behind closed doors, but time would prove him right. NBC News and other outlets projected Trump would win Kentucky over Cruz shortly before 11 p.m. 

SANDERS GRABS KANSAS & NEBRASKA; HILLARY TAKES LOUISIANA

SANDERS GRABS KANSAS & NEBRASKA; HILLARY TAKES LOUISIANA:

A VOTE FOR SANDERS IS A VOTE FOR HILLARY.

SANDERS IS HILLARY'S 2016 DEBATE COACH.

Sources:  AP, ABC News, BBC, CNN, YouTube

**** Sanders Wins Kansas, Nebraska; Clinton Takes Louisiana

Democratic voters in three states went to the polls on Saturday in the Democratic nominating contest, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won Kansas and Nebraska while frontrunner Hillary Clinton took Louisiana.

Here are the results:

Kansas (caucuses)

Bernie Sanders has won the Kansas Democratic caucuses.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Sanders won 68 percent of the vote compared to 32 percent for Clinton. Delegates are allocated proportionally and there is a 15% threshold so both candidates will get delegates.

"The biggest states are yet to come. New York State, California, Oregon, Washington State. States that we think we can do very well in. Every state is important," Sanders said at a campaign event in Michigan on Saturday night. "Michigan is important. We’re going to win some, we’re going to lose some. But, I think basically that we have a path towards victory. I’m very proud, not only that we seem to be winning these states, but winning them with pretty big numbers.”

Nebraska (caucuses)

ABC News projects Bernie Sanders will win the Nebraska Democratic caucuses, based on analysis of the vote.

Louisiana (primary)

With 100 percent of the precincts reporting in, Hillary Clinton has won Louisiana Democratic primary.

Speaking Saturday night in Detroit, Michigan, Clinton congratulated Sanders for “running a strong campaign.”

“I am thrilled we are adding to our pledged delegate count. I am grateful to everyone who turned out to support us,” she said. “But now all eyes turn to Michigan. And I can tell you this we’re going to work for every vote.”

Clinton also criticized Republicans and said our politics has been “hijacked” by “extreme ideologues all across the country.”

Hillary Clinton: 71%

Bernie Sanders: 23%

TRUMP SCORES A HARD VICTORY WITH LOUISIANA; RUBIO ZERO

TRUMP SCORES A HARD VICTORY WITH CRUZ'S NEIGHBORING STATE LOUISIANA:

Sources:  CNN, NY Post, YouTube

**** Donald Trump Wins Louisiana Primary

Donald Trump has won the Republican presidential primary in Louisiana.

Trump’s win on Saturday was a blow to Sen. Ted Cruz, who hails from neighboring Texas.

Both Cruz and Trump had campaigned Friday in Louisiana. Cruz has tried to portray himself as the only person who can beat Trump and the best positioned to win the general election.

But in the end, voters like David Benitez in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie gave Trump the nod. Benitez said he was attracted by Trump’s business experience, his stance on border control and a general sense that he would fight for the country.

BLACK LOUISIANA SENATOR ELBERT GUILLORY SWITCHES TO REPUBLICAN PARTY

BLACK LOUISIANA SENATOR ELBERT GUILLORY SWITCHES TO REPUBLICAN PARTY:

HE WAS BORN BLACK, NOT A DEMOCRAT.

GUILLORY EXPLAINS WHY HE SWITCHED FROM DEMOCRAT PARTY TO SUPPORTING THE GOP.

Louisiana Senator Elbert Guillory (R-Opelousas) explains why he recently switched from the Democrat Party to the Republican Party. He discusses the history of the Republican Party, founded as an Abolitionist Movement in 1854. Guillory talks about how the welfare state is only a mechanism for politicians to control the Black community.

~ Elbert Guillory switches parties, now first Black GOP state senator since Reconstruction (CIRCA 2013)

Louisiana state Sen. Elbert Guillory has switched political parties to become the first black Republican senator in the state since Reconstruction. The now-former Democrat from Opelousas made the announcement Friday in Baton Rouge at the @large conference, an event aimed at attracting black conservatives to the GOP.

"Is it a surprise, or is it the worst-kept secret in Louisiana? I am, as of this day, joining Frederick Douglass as a Republican," Guillory said at the event, after accepting the group's "Frederick Douglass" award.

This isn't the first time Guillory has made the party switch -- he became a Democrat in 2007 when he first ran for the state House of Representatives. However, his voting record remained staunchly conservative.

Last year Guillory, who heads the Senate Retirement Committee, carried the bills containing Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposed retirement overhaul, which was strongly opposed by Democrats.

On Friday, Guillory said he had come to disagree with the direction of the Louisiana Democratic Party, which he referred to as "the party of disappointment." He expressed his opposition with the party's stances on abortion, the Second Amendment, education and immigration.

"Today, the party of disappointment has moved away from the majority of Louisiana.

They have moved away from the traditional values of most Americans," he said. "Their policies have encouraged the high teen birth rates, high school drop out rates, high incarceration rates and very high unemployment rates."

After the event, Guillory shed some light on his decision, saying remarks by the state party chair this week influenced his decision.

During debate Wednesday on a bill to expand Medicaid coverage in Louisiana, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson said fellow lawmakers had told her they based their opposition to the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, on the race of the president and not on policy.

"The accusations of racism this week certainly helped push me over the edge. I thought that they were over the edge," Guillory said in an interview Friday. "It just showed me just how far out of tune I was, I am, with the Democrat Party."

The remarks were made Wednesday, the same day Guillory filed his paperwork to change parties.

Speaking after Guillory at the conference on Friday, Louisiana Republican Party Chair Roger Villere again called on Peterson to resign as head of the state Democratic Party.

"The bottom line is that it's never appropriate to demonize and even infer someone is racist for disagreeing with the president," Villere said. "Trust me, we have plenty of reasons to oppose Obamacare and race is not one of them."

The Democratic Party reacted swiftly to the announcement, characterizing Guillory's defection "a craven display of political opportunism" and calling on him to resign.

"This move isn't surprising given Guillory's record of saying one thing to his constituents and then voting another way," Stephen Handwerk, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party, said in a statement Friday.

"He should do the right thing and step down from his seat immediately since he has chosen to abandon the Democratic Party values that the voters elected him to represent."

Katrina Jackson, head of the Legislative Black Caucus also responded to the news, saying Guillory remains a "full-fledged member" and that inclusion in the group is not based on political party.

Guillory will be the only Republican member of the caucus.

With just one week of the 2013 session left -- and with a conservative voting record as precedent -- it is unclear what impact, if any, Guillory's party switch will mean for this year's remaining legislation.

Republicans already held a majority of the 39 seats in the state Senate. With Guillory, their numbers will increase to 25.

Sources: NOLA.com, Youtube

Scott Walker & Rick Scott Ignore SCOTUS Health Care Ruling: GOP Governor Revolt! (Videos)

GOP Governors Resist Implementing Obama's Health Care Law Despite Supreme Court Ruling

Just because the Supreme Court affirmed that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, doesn't mean that Republican governors are rushing to follow it.

"We're not going to start implementing Obamacare. We're committed to working to elect Governor Romney to repeal Obamacare," said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) Friday morning on a call with reporters hosted by the Republican National Committee.

The Affordable Care Act requires states to set up health care benefits exchanges to help Americans buy insurance. If a state fails to act, the federal government will operate that state's exchange program.

States have until Jan. 1, 2013, to demonstrate to the Department of Health and Human Services that it has a plan in place for the exchanges, which are required to be up and running by Jan. 1, 2014.

"On the exchanges, we've continued not to implement the exchanges in Louisiana. We're going to work very hard to get Governor Romney elected so this law will be repealed long before the effective dates," Jindal added.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) did not go as far as Jindal on the call, although he made clear that his state is not jumping to comply just yet.

"We don't even know exactly what that federal exchange would look like," he said. "So there's still some uncertainty at this point as to what the right course is. And over the next days and weeks we're going to be evaluating the case as well as the options for Virginia."

On Thursday, another leading Republican governor -- Wisconsin's Scott Walker -- similarly said, "Wisconsin will not take any action to implement Obamacare. I am hopeful that political changes in Washington, D.C., later this year ultimately end the implementation of this law at the federal level."

While Obama's health care mandate was upheld by the Supreme Court, there was a bit of good news for anti-Obama Republican governors in the ruling. Part of the Affordable Care Act sought to dramatically expand Medicaid to cover more uninsured Americans. On Thursday, the Supreme Court decided that states that refuse to comply will not lose all existing Medicaid funds. Instead, they simply will not receive new funds going forward.

The federal government has promised to pick up the full cost of the Medicaid expansion for the first three years, and reimburse 90 percent of the cost for states after that.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) held a call with reporters and bloggers on Thursday afternoon and said she believes that states will find the Medicaid funds hard to resist.

"A big expansion of Medicaid is part of this bill, as you know, and in order to make it saleable and tactical, we have 300 percent of the benefits described in this bill paid for in Medicaid to the states those first three years of the bill. I don't think the governors will turn that down," she said. "First of all, the people will have the need; the urgency is there. They don't have to have any matching funds."

"I believe that once this bill is rolling and states experience the benefits of it, it will be very hard for a state to say, 'I'm not taking 100 percent of the coverage that Medicaid would provide for these people.' That's our thinking on the subject," she added.

Neither Jindal nor McDonnell said whether they would accept the Medicaid funds.

"Here in Louisiana, we've not applied for the grants, we've not accepted many of these dollars," Jindal said. "We're not implementing the exchanges. We don't think it makes any sense to implement Obamacare in Lousiana. The next opportunity we have to get rid of this law is to get Governor Romney elected, and I absolutely believe that he will be elected in November, and one of his first actions will be to repeal and replace this law."


View Larger Map


Sources: AOL, CBS News, Fox News, Huffington Post, Sunshine State News, Youtube, Google Maps

Santorum's Campaign Faces Economic Hardship After Romney Scores Jeb Bush Endorsement

I'm sorry folks but after Mitt Romney won Illinois last night & Jeb Bush endorsed him this morning, I don't see how Rick Santorum can continue on in this Primary.
It takes BIG Money & Santorum just doesn't have it.

After Romney scored that Endorsement from Jeb Bush, I believe Santorum, Gingrich & Paul are ALL finished!



Santorum asks Gingrich voters to join him. Will they in Louisiana?


For some time, Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has argued the former senator would be winning more votes -- and thus, more delegates -- in the Republican presidential primary if Newt Gingrich were to drop out.

The Illinois primary provided the latest evidence that may not be the case. Furthermore, Gingrich continues to insist he's going all the way to the Republican National Convention in August.

Hence, the Santorum campaign Tuesday night slightly recalibrated its message. Rather than calling on Gingrich to drop out, the Santorum campaign asked Gingrich voters to join them. There's some evidence Santorum's pitch could work in Louisiana, the next state to hold its primary.

After Santorum lost by a double-digit margin to Mitt Romney in Illinois Tuesday night, Santorum's chief strategist John Brabender told reporters, "It's time for Gingrich supporters to get behind us if they truly want a conservative candidate."

"We need not only Gingrich supporters," he added. "We would love to have Newt Gingrich be an important voice for our campaign, quite frankly. We would like to have people that are working for Gingrich to be working for us."

Based on remarks he made to Fox News' Sean Hannity Tuesday night, it doesn't look like Gingrich will be joining the Santorum team any time soon.

"Frankly, Sen. Santorum, who I like personally, I think has a hard time explaining why the guy who set the all-time record for losing Pennsylvania, somebody who... as part of the leadership ran up a trillion, $700 billion in deficits, and was part of the largest defeat since Watergate in 2006, as part of the leadership, [should be president]," Gingrich said. "I'm staying in this race because I really do think it's a question of who can beat Barack Obama."

He added that, after finishing fourth in Illinois, "I think we have a much better chance of winning in Louisiana."

Romney cruises to Illinois primary win
Estimated Republican Delegate Scorecard
Complete GOP primary results

While the former House speaker may not like the idea, the latest poll out of Louisiana suggests Gingrich supporters could get behind Santorum.

A poll conducted March 19 by Magellan, a Republican firm that uses robocalling, Santorum leads in Louisiana with 37 percent. Romney carries 24 percent support while Gingrich takes 21 percent. The poll has a 2.18-point margin of error. In a two-person race between Santorum and Romney, Santorum's lead widens to a 21-point margin (55 percent to 34 percent). As many as 61 percent of Gingrich supporters would move to the Santorum column, according to the poll, while just 22 percent would back Romney.

In North Carolina, which holds its Republican primary on May 8, the Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling shows Romney in the lead with 31 percent while Santorum wins 27 percent and Gingrich 24 percent. However, the poll suggests that if Gingrich were to drop out, Santorum would lead with 42 percent to Romney's 38 percent.

Polling is scant in other states where Gingrich's decision to stay in or drop out could make a difference, such as Texas or Arkansas.

Furthermore, there's enough evidence to suggest Santorum could have to proactively court Gingrich voters rather than just let them flock to his campaign as Gingrich loses steam. In Illinois, CBS News exit polling showed that if it came down to Santorum versus Romney, 8 percent of Santorum's share of support would come from Gingrich voters while 6 percent of Romney's supporters would come from former Gingrich backers.

A recent Gallup poll also suggested that nationally, Gingrich supporters would split between Santorum and Romney.


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Sources: CBS News, CNN, Google Maps

Are Democrats Afraid Of REAL Tax Reform? (Sen. Mary Landrieu)

Caucus Unity Still A Problem For Democrats

Keep Manu Raju’s Politico article of Democrats Whining About Obama's Jobs Act in mind the next time you hear that a bit more rhetorical magic would have produced wondrously different legislative results in the 111th Congress:

“Terrible,” Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) told POLITICO when asked about the president’s ideas for how to pay for the $450 billion price tag. “We shouldn’t increase taxes on ordinary income. … There are other ways to get there.”

“That offset is not going to fly, and he should know that,” said Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu from the energy-producing Louisiana, referring to Obama’s elimination of oil and gas subsidies. “Maybe it’s just for his election, which I hope isn’t the case.”

“I think the best jobs bill that can be passed is a comprehensive long-term deficit-reduction plan,” said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), discussing proposals to slash the debt by $4 trillion by overhauling entitlement programs and raising revenue through tax reforms. “That’s better than everything else the president is talking about — combined.”

A few things to note about this, which speak to the depth of the structural issue here. One is that Delaware is not a conservative state. Nor is it a swing state. The Democratic presidential candidate won there in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. President Obama got 62 percent of the vote there. And even so, Carper is attacking the president’s jobs agenda from the right.

What’s more, I think the most plausible possible account of this is that Carper genuinely believes that the best jobs bill that can be passed is a comprehensive long-term deficit-reduction plan because if he’s not expressing a sincerely held belief, it’s a bit hard to see the political angle here. Now on to Webb and Landrieu, what strikes me about their remarks is that they’re being mean. Webb isn’t respectfully disagreeing with the administration’s proposed offsets, he’s calling them “terrible.” Landrieu is calling the sincerity of the president’s motives into question.

For me, it’s difficult to imagine parallel behavior on the other side. Conservative states sometimes elect wishy-washy moderate Democratic senators, but when North Dakota or Alabama sends a Republican to Washington, they send a solid conservative. And while your Scott Browns and Olympia Snowes sometimes don’t vote with the party leadership, they rarely attack the leadership in quasi-personal terms. They don’t suggest that Mitch McConnell has “terrible” ideas that he’s pursuing for low political reasons.

In other words, it’s still the case that there are huge barriers to progressive change in Congress that people have to find ways of dealing with.


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Sources: Politico, Think Progress, Youtube, Google Maps

4 New Orleans Police Officers Convicted In Federal Court For Hurricane Katrina Shootings

Now That These 4 Or 5 NOLA Cops Were Found Guilty Of Civil Rights Violations After Shooting BLACK People Who Were Simply Fleeing For Their Lives In Wake Of Hurricane Katrina, I Pray They Receive LIFE Sentences! Let This Be A Lesson To Other Trigger Happy Law Enforcement Officials Like Some Of Those Cops In Charlotte, NC.




New Orleans cops convicted in post-Katrina shootings case

Five current or former police officers were found guilty Friday on a combined 25 counts of civil rights violations tied to fatal shootings on New Orleans' Danziger Bridge in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Justice Department officials said.

Jurors reached a verdict in the closely watched trial after three days of deliberations.

The shootings occurred on Danziger Bridge on September 4, 2005, six days after much of New Orleans went underwater after the powerful hurricane slammed into the Gulf Coast.

Prosecutors contend the officers opened fire on an unarmed family, killing 17-year-old James Brissette and wounding four others. Minutes later, one of the officers shot and killed Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old man described by Justice officials as having severe mental disabilities.

Madison was trying to flee the scene when he was shot, according to a Justice Department statement. One of the officers allegedly "stomped and kicked" Madison before he died, the statement noted.

Officers Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Robert Faulcon and Anthony Villavaso were convicted in the shootings along with a fifth defendant, former detective Arthur Kaufman.

The five men are scheduled to be sentenced on December 14. Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon and Villavaso are facing potential multiple life sentences, as well as additional penalties for charges tied to a conspiracy to cover up what happened on the bridge. Kaufman faces a maximum penalty of 120 years in prison.

"Today's verdict by these jurors sends a powerful, a powerful, unmistakable message to public servants, to law enforcement officers and to the citizens we serve and indeed to the world," U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said. "That message is that public officials and especially law enforcement officers will be held accountable for their acts, and that any abuse of power, especially that power that violates the rights and the civil liberties of our citizens, will have serious consequences."

"The citizens of this country will not, should not, and we intend that they will never have to fear the individuals who are called upon to protect them," Letten declared.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said he hopes the verdict will eventually help generate greater trust between residents of New Orleans and the city's scandal-plagued police department.

"The officers convicted today abused their power and violated the public's trust during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina -- exacerbating one of the most devastating times for the people of New Orleans," Holder said in a written statement.

"I am hopeful today's verdict brings justice for the victims and their family members, helps to heal the community and contributes to the restoration of public trust in the New Orleans Police Department."

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the verdicts "provide significant closure to a dark chapter in (the) city's history."

During closing arguments Tuesday, the defense had asked the jury to consider the stressful circumstances the officers were operating under following Katrina.

The shootings took place during a week of dire flooding, rampant looting and death by drowning. Police were strained, beset by suicides and desertion.

Local prosecutors filed similar charges, but no one was convicted. Federal prosecutors then moved in and launched an investigation.

Other officers have already been convicted in connection with the shootings. They include Michael Hunter, who pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to obstruct justice. Hunter was sentenced to eight years in prison.

According to court documents, Hunter drove in a rental truck to Danziger Bridge with other officers to respond to a radio call about gunshots and reports that officers on the nearby Interstate 10 bridge had come under fire.

At the time, New Orleans police said they got into a running gun battle with several people.

That's when officers encountered the Madison brothers, Ronald and Lance.

Lance Madison told CNN he and his brother had left their flooded home and were crossing the bridge to find shelter. They were unwittingly headed to an area where armed looters were marauding, he said.

He said police officers were the only ones shooting as he and his brother ran for safety. A witness told CNN in 2006 that police shot Ronald Madison in the back as he ran toward a motel at the bottom of the bridge.

"Hunter ... admitted that he was present on the west side of the Danziger Bridge when an officer, identified as Officer A, shot and killed Ronald Madison, a civilian who was running away from officers with his hands in view, and did not have a weapon or pose a threat," the Justice Department said.

Hunter admitted that officers on the east side of the Danziger Bridge fired at civilians, even though the same civilians did not appear to have any weapons, the Justice Department said.


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Sources: AP, CNN, Youtube, Google Maps

New Orleans Saved By Army Corps In 2011; Ignored In 2005

This Time The Army Corps Of Engineers Actually Prevented The Levees In Louisiana From Flooding New Orleans. The Same Way They Could Have Averted Hurricane Katrina's Flood Waters From Wiping Out The Ninth Ward Back In 2005.

Unfortunately ALL Of The WHITE Gulf Coast Residents Who Were Spared In 2005 At The Expense & Sacrifice Of New Orleans's Ninth Ward BLACK Citizens, Are Now Experiencing What Those Ninth Ward Citizens Experienced. Only Fewer Deaths.

For The Record Just Because Newly Elected NOLA Mayor Mitch Landrieu(U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu's Brother) Is A Democrat Doesn't Mean He Loves Black People.

After All He DID Grow Up In Louisiana, One Of The MOST Racist States In The South!

So Do I Believe That Back In 2005, Louisiana's Lawmakers With The Exception Of Mayor Nagin INTENTIONALLY Allowed The City Of New Orleans To Flood Just To "Clean Out" Its Poor BLACK Citizens & Make Room For A New White, Upscale Population?

YES!

But....

Did Anyone Think That The Lord God Almighty Would Ever Forget The Intentional Deaths Of More Than 1,500 Ninth Ward Citizens, Mainly People Of Color In 2005?

Well Guess What?

He Didn't!

Thus The Reason Why All Of This Year's Destruction Along The Gulf Coast.

Call Me Crazy If You Like However....

MURDER IS MURDER!

God's Word Says: VENGEANCE IS MINE! I WILL REPAY! Romans 12:19

Remember Katrina!

Thank You Kanye West For Speaking Up!


FYI:

If You Want Me To STOP Talking About Racism, Then Please Just Stop Practicing Racism & Discrimination.

Its Not Rocket Science You Know.

"What The World Needs Now Is Love Sweet Love. Its The ONLY Thing That There's Too Little Of".

VOTE OBAMA IN 2012!











Louisiana Spillway Opened to Relieve Flooding

After declaring that “public safety is our No. 1 priority,” officials from the Army Corps of Engineers opened the Morganza spillway, sending water from the engorged Mississippi River rushing into the pastures and cropland here to forestall potentially catastrophic damage farther downstream.

As Col. Ed Fleming, commander of the corps’ New Orleans district, had said beforehand, one bay of the giant structure was opened Saturday at 3 p.m. local time, sending water out at a predicted 10,000 cubic feet per second. If current forecasts hold, officials would eventually open enough bays to allow water out at 125,000 cubic feet per second, a quarter of the spillway’s capacity.

That diversion would relieve the already enormous pressure on the levee system as the river courses past Baton Rouge, New Orleans and a corridor of chemical plants and oil refineries. But it would also flood hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland and thousands of homes, as it pours out into the Atchafalaya River basin. Evacuations have been taking place for days in the towns and communities throughout the basin, along with large scale operations to protect these towns with sand bags and other barriers.

The Morganza, one of four floodways in the Mississippi River and tributaries flood control system, has only been opened once, in 1973. “We’re using every flood control tool that we have in the system,” said Gen. Michael J. Walsh, commander of the Mississippi Valley Division of the Corps of Engineers.

General Walsh added that the system was still under “tremendous pressure” and would remain so for weeks as the crest slowly moves down the river to the Gulf. The Morganza, which is triggered to open when the river is flowing at 1.5 million cubic feet per second past the Red River Landing north of Baton Rouge, was likely to remain open for weeks, ensuring that the river remains below that flow rate downstream. Any more pressure would put the levees past their design capacity.

With the opening closed to the general public, the occasion did not have the festive, tailgate atmosphere as when another spillway outside of New Orleans, the Bonnet Carre, was opened earlier this week. But there were some who wanted to mark — and capitalize on — this historic moment: a stand by the road into town was selling T-shirts for $20 that read: “Morganza Spillway 2011 Gates Finally Opened.” A live video stream has been set up by the Corps to show the flooding.

Just about everyone in southern Louisiana had come to expect the decision to open the spillway and had resigned themselves to the bitter but necessary trade-off behind it.

The water will take days to pour out into the Atchafalaya River basin, filling up marshes, engorging bayous, submerging hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland and seeping into thousands of homes. It will also test the network of federally and locally built levees that wall off towns and small Cajun communities throughout the basin. The water levels in the area will remain high for weeks.

According to maps released by the corps, these areas would be flooded to some degree whether the spillway was opened or not, given the extraordinary amount of water in the system.

There are about 2,500 people in the direct path of the spillway, and around 22,500 others who would be threatened by swollen backwaters. Gov. Bobby Jindal urged people remaining in these areas to begin evacuating.


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Sources: ABC News, CNN, Newsbusters.org, NOLA.com, NY Times, Washington Post, Youtube, Google Maps