The Life of Riley

The blog has been popping for the last couple of weeks, and right now I have 3 or 4 blog posts that I want to get up in the next couple of days. The election, Bryan Wooley, all of the School Board candidates interviews with The Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party, the Lt. Governor's race.
Sometimes, however, circumstances dictate what goes up here and something really important takes the forefront.
This time it's Riley.
Yep, our friend Riley has made the cover of Red River Moms.

Tea Party Federation decries nomination of candidates

Thanks to The Opinionated Catholic for tipping us off to this.  I have stated my opinion several times on the blog that the tea party movement will lose any effectiveness it has if it allows itself to be used as the tool of a particular party or candidate.
The Louisiana Tea Party Federation has spoken out against the “Tea Party of Louisiana”, a local organization in Baton Rouge, and against GOP Chairman & candidate for Lt. Governor Roger Villere.
The Federation, made up of 20 tea party groups, says that the Villere is attempting to use the movement for his personal candidacy.
Villere is already being criticized for remaining leader of the state party while he runs for office.
Rob Gaudet is right on target when he says that tea party groups need to hold elected officials accountable, and not endorse specific candidates.
Read the entire article in The Advertiser.

Chicken and a 40 at the Shreveport Council meeting

In which Joyce Bowman gets a little upset because someone at a forum criticized her leadership of the council, and in which Joe Shyne preached a sermon and visited the 'no-spin zone' - possibly for the first time.
City Council candidate Craig B. Lee attended the council meeting yesterday and brought Bryan Wooley a box of chicken and a 40 oz. malt liquor. 
It takes a few minutes, but you really should watch it.

U. S. District Judge: Walker Place lawsuit will proceed

U. S. District Judge Maurice Hicks has denied Bossier City’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the U. L. Coleman Company. The motion to dismiss by the city was denied except for liability of the Permit Office. They are not liable because they are not a policy making body.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that U. L. Coleman has won the lawsuit – it just means that the judge believes that on its face, there is cause to continue.
The next step will be a scheduling conference.
You can see the ruling at the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party website or read more about it at Vote the Record.

Shreveport city races gearing up for the finish

Let’s meet at the poll
KTBS released numbers from a poll today that show Brian Wooley slipping to third place. According to Political Analyst Scott Hughes, the numbers are from ‘a well respected polling firm’ in Baton Rouge.
The poll shows Glover in the lead, followed by Cox, Wooley and Roy Burrell.
Glover 39%
Cox 22%
Wooley 14%
Roy Burrell 9%
Wooley has responded with a press release saying that he has begun overnight tracking polls. The results of the Wooley poll are:
Bryan Wooley – 33%
Cedric Glover – 16%
Roy Burrell – 9%
David Cox – 3%
I don’t know who is doing Wooley’s polling.

Shootout in Council District D
The race for Shreveport City council District D is heating up. This morning the Times endorsed Independent Phillip Templeton for the spot. Meanwhile, Deanna Candler issued a press release saying that half of Michael Corbin’s campaign has been finance by special interests. The special interests she is referring to are friends, family and legal entities associated with James Ballangee.
Ballangee owns property in front of Spring Lake and was denied a zoning request to build a used car lot at the location last year.
Corbin responded by saying “Before qualifying, I met with leaders of the Spring Lake Neighborhood Association (Phil Serio and Larry Russo) and gave them my promise that I would in no way support a car lot at the proposed location in Spring Lake. Additionally, when I met with the Republican PEC the question came up and I gave the same answer. In the past two weeks my wife and I have knocked on every door in Spring Lake (not just registered voters). One household had a question about my position on the car lot. The car lot is not an issue.
As the front runner in the Council race I would expect other candidates to attack and get the focus away from the real issues in District D.
When all campaign reporting is filed it will reflect a diverse base of donors. If the focus is only on the earliest reports which reflect contributions in 2009 then yes, a considerable amount of my early support is from Ballengee interests. All contributions are legal, reported appropriately and filed timely. It is interesting that there is so much focus on a single supporter of my campaign when he has also made contributions to Mayoral and other Council candidates.
I would encourage the voters, bloggers and candidates, to focus on the issues our City and Council District face and the experience each candidate brings to the race.”

Diverse race in District B
Jeff Everson, Craig B. Lee, Deborah Allen and Sheva Sims are vying for the Downtown/Highland area District B. Allen is, to my knowledge, the first person in a Shreveport race to have an ad geared to Latinos.

Louisiana Police and Fire Employees Prohibited from Political Activities

As we are in the midst of the political season around the state, most of us are enjoying the freedom to voice our opinions to support the candidate of our choosing on the municipal, parish, state, and federal levels. Unfortunately, those who serve us, who are governed by the Louisiana Municipal Police and Fire Civil Service, do not enjoy the same right. Under Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:2504 Louisiana Municipal Police and Fire Civil Service employees are governed as follows:

A. Political activities by and extending to employees of the classified service are hereby prohibited as follows:

1. No person shall seek or attempt to use any political endorsement in connection with any appointment to a position in the classified service.

2. No person shall use or promise to use, directly or indirectly, any official authority or influence, whether possessed or anticipated, to secure or attempt to secure for any person an appointment or advantage in appointment to a position in the classified service, or an increase in pay or other advantage in employment in any such position, for the purpose of influencing the vote or political action of any person, or for any consideration.

3. No employee in the classified service shall, directly or indirectly, pay, or promise to pay, any assessment, subscription, or contribution for any political organization or purpose, or solicit or take part in soliciting any such assessment, subscription, or contribution. No person shall solicit any such assessment, subscription, or contribution of any employee in classified service. The prohibitions of this Sub-section shall not be construed as applying to membership dues paid, or contributions made, to non-political employee organizations, pension funds, civic enterprises, the Louisiana Civil Service League or any similar non-political and non-partisan organization.

Many, I would venture to say most people, do not realize that police and fire employees are forced to give up their freedom of speech prohibiting them from publicly supporting their candidates. You may ask, what happens if they publicly support a candidate or violate one of the above mentioned laws. Simple, they SHALL be discharged.

L.R.S. 2504 (B) states: The appointing authority shall discharge from the service any
employee whom he deems guilty of violating any one or more of the provisions of this Section. The board may, upon its own initiative, investigate any officer or employee in the classified service whom it reasonably believes guilty of violating any one or more of the provisions. Any citizen,taxpayer, municipal officer, or employee may file with the board detailed charges in writing against any employee in the classified service for violating any one or more of the provisions of this Section. The board shall, within thirty days after receiving the written charges, hold a public hearing and investigation and determine whether such charges are true and correct. If the board should find upon its investigation of any employee that he has violated any of the foregoing provisions, the board shall order the appointing authority to forthwith discharge the guilty employee from the service and the appointing authority shall forthwith discharge the employee.

In my opinion, this is one law that one day needs to be repealed. We ask these men and women to place their lives on the line for us, and yet we strip them of their voice, their voice of the 1st Amendment right to Freedom of Speech! So in this political season, more like a political arena, please take the time to thank the men and women of our municipal fire and police departments, not only for the service and protections they provide us, but also for all of the sacrifices they have made for us.

Candidate Forum: Dana Bruhnke, Mayor of Shreveport

Zach Bruhnke contacted me about putting something in our candidate forum about his father, Dana Bruhnke, who is a candidate for mayor of Shreveport.
I can think of no better recommendation for a man than the article that he sent me.

Candidate Goes the “Extra Mile”: Does Not Talk About it
As October nears the political “jawing” is now in full swing. We have candidates
sparring over fliers, rallies and the like. What we don’t have however is a reason
to vote for many of the candidates in this election. Some people will criticize me
for writing this article as a blatant attempt to gain recognition simply because my
father is a candidate in this race. That could not be further from the truth. I am
a lifelong resident of the City of Shreveport (Although I did leave briefly to New
Orleans for about 9 months) and I have been an avid follower of politics and current
events from a young age. Typically I take an active role in any election, this election
however proved increasingly more difficult than usual. It was a typical Thursday
afternoon in July for me, I was busy and going about my day trying to get all the
jobs completed I had on the agenda when suddenly I got a phone call from my Dad.
This was typical. After all, we do work together, however it would be anything but a
typical conversation. He needed me to go take some material to a customer because
he “had to go downtown” at first I just said yes sir and went on my merry way of
thinking trying to figure out how I would fit this into the schedule when it suddenly
hit me. “Why would Dad have to go downtown?” I have customers down there but
typically he does not. Next was the question that changed my life at least for the
next few months. “Where are you going downtown?” His answer came as a shock to
me. “To the Courthouse, I am qualifying for the Mayor’s race.”
Dana Bruhnke is an Air Force brat. He has seven siblings, each of them dropped off
at the age of 18 to make it on their own no matter what city or state they lived in. By
the grace of God my dad was dropped off in Shreveport in 1979 when he turned 18
while his dad was stationed at Barksdale AFB. He met my mother a few years later
and they began the family in which I would become the youngest child. My dad was
what most kids dream of in a father. In all my life I can count the number of games
or events that he missed of mine on two hands, and almost assuredly if he was
not there my mom was. He is not a typical politician and certainly not the typical
Mayoral candidate for our city, but I hope you will listen to why I think he will be the
best choice on the ballot Saturday October 2nd.
He is a business-minded man. He has owned or managed a local company since
1980. He quickly settled into a job when he arrived to Shreveport and quickly began
moving up the chain of command with his hard work and dedicated attitude. I have
no doubt he will bring that same hard work and dedicated attitude to the City of
Shreveport.
He believes in doing business with local companies. And he will fight to make sure
local businesses get the city government contracts that all to often go to out of state
contractors. He believes that our tax dollars spent on projects in our community
should help local people and local companies.
He has been a part of a number or Organizations over the past 30 years in
Shreveport, serving as President of the Brookwood Athletic Association he proved
that the organization could be managed properly and money could be left in the
bank. In three years time he took Brookwood from an organization in danger of
failing to a thriving entity with over $40,000 in the bank and new uniforms on the
backs of nearly all 40 teams the organization provided for. Because of his efforts
many children today still get to enjoy the benefits of a great organization like
Brookwood.
A no non-sense approach to problems in this city is exactly what we need. I grew
up with a respect for my Dad, not a fear of him. However I knew that if he had to be
firm he had no problem reminding me that I was out of line. He has constantly stood
up to violence and fought back against theft in his own life. When I was 9 years old
someone stole all of my baseball equipment out of the back of his truck. Dad went
out and bought new equipment for me, but I did research and found out who the
thieves were. When he called the police and they refused to confront the thieves
Dad got in his truck and drove to their home demanding the equipment back, and he
got it. When I was in high school and someone stole my tailgate while my truck was
parked at Independence stadium for a football game the police dept. told me they
were sorry, Dad and I found out who stole it, went to his house and again demanded
the tail gate back, we got it.
When it came to my decision to go to high school, I made a conscious decision to
go to Huntington instead of Byrd or Captain Shreve. Despite the negative rumors
my parents had heard about the school they allowed me to attend. To this day Jerry
Davis (the Principal) still knows my Dad by name because of all the things he did
to help Huntington become a better place. It was not just money or time donated, it
was the willingness to go the extra mile and help out at fundraisers and events for
the school and in and around the neighborhood, which was recognized by the HHS
faculty and staff.
When I chose to attend Centenary College of Louisiana Dad was proud that I chose
to stay in my hometown to attend college, however he got right back to helping the
community I was not a part of. Caddo Magnet High School (which me, nor any of my
siblings attended) contacted him about helping to get their softball field completed
(A field which is on City Property). When Dad contacted the Mayor’s office Cedric
Glover returned his call almost immediately and told him that his assistant would
assist Dad with completing the field. Unfortunately Mayor Glover’s assistant became
frustrated with Dad’s persistence in calling and trying to get the field completed
before softball season began so the girls would have a field to play on. When the
calls to Glover’s assistant went unanswered Dad mobilized and went about calling
the vendors he works with on a daily basis attempting to get donations for the
project and called upon other friends he had in the business to get the fence put up
and the field ready for play. He did not stop there however, the girls did not have
a coach and after speaking with the Principal he agreed to go to the state and get
certified with the LHSAA to become a coach of the softball team even though he had
no child on the team.
These stories are just examples of one man going the extra mile for a variety of
people. Some of them he raised and some of them he barely knew it all. He did not
do it for fame and he certainly did not do it for fortune. He simply did it because he
felt it was the right thing to do. In fact, had I not published this letter the only people
who knew most of the stories would be the ones who he directly affected.
Dana Bruhnke is truly a good man who is running for Mayor of Shreveport not
because he needs a job or because he wants the spotlight, but because he knows he
is capable of making a difference, and changing the lives of the people one act at a
time. I am writing this article about him simply because he is too humble to mention
these accolades on his own, and I hope you will read it with an open mind about a
man who would like your vote.
I hope that when you go to the polls on October 2nd you will consider casting your
vote for a man who does things not because he is told to, but because they are right.
And a man that does not care about the neighborhood you live in or the color of your
skin. I am here to tell you, that man is Dana Bruhnke.

More questions about investigation of Bossier City Councilman

Vote the Record has posted an article about the investigation involving Councilman James "Chubby" Knight.
The Times article referenced may be found here.

All the Cool Kids are Doing it: From Mostly Cajun

I don't know if I have ever published a blog post from another blog in full.  I thought this one deserved it.  So with permission from Mostly Cajun, All American and Opinionated here it is.

All the Cool Kids are Doing it
In an effort to maintain my status as somewhat of a gun blogger, I tender the following diatribe. Several of the folks on my blogroll are answering these twenty questions. I’ll give Say Uncle credit for shoving me towards a set of tracks that got me to the original post. The original author is a believer in freedom and is open-minded. We know this because she says so right there in the title of the post. She asks twenty questions about gun control. I will intersperse my answers.

1. Do you believe that criminals and domestic abusers should be able to buy guns without background checks?

I hate to ask a question in answer to a question, but do you actually think that “criminals and domestic abusers” CAN’T get guns? What kind of “criminals” are we talking about. Do you have any earthly idea what can get you a criminal record as a felon in America today? And “domestic abuse”? Do you honestly think it’s a good idea to strip a person of his rights because the other party in a contested divorce gets a restraining order against him, basically a conviction without due process? Or is that another part of the constitution you want to ignore to get rid of those evil guns?

2. What is your proposal for keeping guns away from criminals, domestic abusers, terrorists and dangerously mentally ill people?

Here we are again: Who gets to say who fits in your neat little categories? In the 1960′s many black activists found themselves on various government lists that would be equivalent to your categories. Rumblings from various government entities have opined that people who talk too much about the constitution and religion are “terrorists”. so you’re basically saying that you want to kill the First Amendment right along with the Second, right?

3. Do you believe that a background check infringes on your constitutional right to “keep and bear arms”?

“Shall not be infringed.” Hard to parse, isn’t it? If you applied the same criteria to the First Amendment as you do the Second, I’d have to get a background check to use a computer. Oops! Sorry! You’ve already said that, didn’t you?

4. Do you believe that I and people with whom I work intend to ban your guns?

My guns? Yes! Guns int he hands of the “right” people, like your police force and private security? No. Guns in the hands of the insiders and the ocnnected, like celebrities and lawmakers and judges? No. My guns. My friends’ guns. Yes.

5. If yes to #4, how do you think that could happen ( I mean the physical action)?

Pass a law. Wait for the law-abiding to comply. Be happy in knowing that the guns still out there will all be in the possession of people who are now in violation of yet another law, to be enforced at the convenience of the government under the caring direction of people like yourself who know best how WE should live.

6. What do you think are the “second amendment remedies” that the tea party GOP candidate for Senate in Nevada( Sharron Angle) has proposed?

I dunno. Ask those folks at Lexington and Concord in 1775.

7. Do you believe in the notion that if you don’t like what someone is doing or saying, second amendment remedies should be applied?

There is a line that should NOT be crossed, but honestly, I think the whole house of cards will collapse around us before even the idiots in Washington get gutsy enough to cross that line.

8. Do you believe it is O.K. to call people with whom you disagree liars and demeaning names?

Lies can be proven. Happens all the time, made more convenient by the internet. And remember that little playground ditty, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? That’s that nasty ol’ First Amendment again. Doesn’t say “as long as you’re nice” does it?

9. If yes to #8, would you do it in a public place to the person’s face?

We’ve been trying “civil discourse” for years, talking about “my esteemed colleague” in congress while referring to a womanizing killer (Ted Kennedy) or the guy who ran a homosexual prostitution operation out of his apartment (Barney Frank) or the guy who used national guard trucks to drive past his flooded constituents to get the cash and records from his home (Bill Jefferson). It’s about time that we learned to call a spade a spade.

10. Do you believe that any gun law will take away your constitutional rights?

The thing says right there in writing, “…the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” If you restrict my access, then you’re limiting my rights as recognized (not “given”. there’s a difference.) in the Constitution.

11. Do you believe in current gun laws? Do you think they are being enforced? If not, explain.

I don’t “believe” in laws. I know some laws to be part and parcel of civilization. Moses hauled ten of them off the mountain. I know some of them to be set by government in attempts to shape and control the population. All are violated regularly. I believe in things that work. People do not obey laws whether given by God OR government.

12. Do you believe that all law-abiding citizens are careful with their guns and would never shoot anybody?

Dear, dear little child, the idea of being careful with guns is to make sure you shoot the right things. If one of those things is another human being who has determined having his way with my home or those in my care, then I most assuredly would make sure I “shoot the right things”. Regardless of the law. And get this, dearie: If a gun wasn’t handy, a chair leg, a butcher knife, a claw hammer, a balk of wood or a length of rope would be used with equal enthusiasm. One of the forgotten tests of American manhood is the protection of the weak with every fiber of one’s being. It’s a “manhood” thing. I know, alien to the Left, and all.

13. Do you believe that people who commit suicide with a gun should be included in the gun statistics?

I don’t care WHO you include in your “statistics”. Famously, “there are three kinds of lies: Lies, Da*ned lies, and statistics.” You haul out the ones that you think will reinforce the fog of your arguments and go ahead and impress the gullible. We see through your “statistics”.

14. Do you believe that accidental gun deaths should “count” in the total numbers?

Seee my answer to #13.

15. Do you believe that sometimes guns, in careless use or an accident, can shoot a bullet without the owner or holder of the gun pulling the trigger?

No. I was in the army for nine years. I’ve been a gun owner for fifty-four. I have never seen a gun “shoot a bullet” without the trigger being pulled.

16. Do you believe that 30,000 gun deaths a year is too many?

I also believe that I should be twenty-five again, and I should be independently wealthy. What I “believe” should have no bearing. I know people who “believe” that profesional wrestling is real. I know people who “believe” in the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot.

17. How will you help to prevent more shootings in this country?

I promise on my word as an adult American male that I will not shoot anyone who does not need shooting.

18. Do you believe the articles that I have posted about actual shootings or do you think I am making them up or that human interest stories about events that have happened should not count when I blog about gun injuries and deaths?

I think you and the Left “cherry-pick” your stories. For every “poor victim just sitting there” story, there are a dozen “shot over a discussion in the business of distributing drugs”, and behind every “convenience store clerk killed in robbery” there’s a back story of a shooter who was a convicted felon with a rap sheet an inch thick who should have been in prison. A seventeen year old gang-banger killed in a a drive-by as part of a turf war isn’t “Another Youth Succumbs to Gun Violence”.

19. There has been some discussion of the role of the ATF here. Do you believe the ATF wants your guns and wants to harass you personally? If so, provide examples ( some have written a few that need to be further examined).

The BATFE is a federal bureaucracy that plays games to gain publicity, funding and to enlarge itself. It frequently does this at the expense of private citizens and small businessmen, robbing them of their liberty and livelihood for technicalities and administrative errors.

20. Will you continue a reasonable discussion towards an end that might lead somewhere or is this an exercise in futility?

Sticks and stones, bunkie. Sticks and stones.

Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System calls for election for Chief District 1 Trustee

Earlier this week, the Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System Board of Trustees held their monthly meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana in conjunction with the Louisiana Association of Public Employees Retirement Systems (LAPERS) annual seminar. One of the items on the agenda was to accept the nominations for the Chief District 1 Board of Trustee position. This position was previously held by Monroe Police Chief Ron Schleuter who retired earlier this year. Schleuter was elected to the position after former Bossier City Police Chief Mike Halphen resigned from the board in April 2009, after serving as a trustee for several years. One of the nominees for the trustee position is current Bossier City Police Chief Patrick “Shane” McWilliams.

Act 189 of 1973 established a statewide retirement system, effective July 1, 1973, which was placed under the management of a Board of Trustees for the purpose of providing retirement allowances and other benefits for full-time municipal police officers and employees in the state of Louisiana, secretaries to chiefs of police, and employees of this retirement system. Currently there are over ten thousand members in the system.

The M.P.E.R.S. Chief District 1 position includes the parishes of Acadia, Allen, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, DeSoto, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. James, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermillion, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.

In July 2006, while serving as a Bossier City Police Officer, I was elected by the active members of the system to serve as the M.P.E.R.S. Non-Chief District 1 Trustee. I served in this position until I left the Bossier City Police Department in October 2009 after having accepted a position in private industry.

Having served as a trustee on the M.P.E.R.S. board, I know the next chief will be required to work tirelessly, selflessly, and diligently to enhance our retirement system. This position will require a person with strong moral virtues, a strong ethical position, and an understanding of a wide array of financial investments. As with all of the other retirement systems, not only in the state of Louisiana but across the nation, current economic conditions have placed a strain on the M.P.E.R.S. The next chief elected as a trustee on the board must be able to make challenging decisions for the betterment of system and its members. I know that Chief Shane McWilliams is that Chief.

I served on the Bossier City Police Department with Chief McWilliams from September 1993 until I left the police department in October 2009. During his years of service with the Bossier City Police Department, Chief McWilliams has served in many positions within the department and has received several awards including Outstanding Employee of the Year, and Investigator of the Year. Since assuming the duties as Chief of Police for the Bossier City Police Department, Chief McWilliams has faced many difficult decisions, and has faced each of them with character and dignity, always placing the best interest of the Bossier City Police Department and the City of Bossier City first. Chief McWilliams is a Christian, husband, and father and he truly cares for the members of the M.P.E.R.S.

It is my honor and pleasure to support Chief Shane McWilliams for the M.P.E.R.S. Chief District 1 Trustee position. I know that Chief McWilliams will work tirelessly, selflessly, and diligently with the other trustees on the board to advance the Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System and its members. I am confident that Chief McWilliams will demonstrate fortitude, prudence, temperance, and justice as a member of the M.P.E.R.S. Board of Trustees as he has done as a member and leader of the Bossier City Police Department.