La La Land

Tuesday's Blogs from the Bog

by Nick Pittman

More on that Vitter phone call, details about the Marksville body camera footage and hope for a new boost to our economy in today's news.

More Bad News from Marksville

If you are looking for some kind of rationale for officers opening fire on Chris Few and his 6-year-old son in Marksville, don't look here. According to Few's lawyer - who admits he only heard the description of the body camera video - Few had his hands up at the time of the shooting.

Vitter's Phone Records, Part Deux

This piece in the Times-Picayune goes deeper into the John Bel Edwards ad about David Vitter's phone and voting records. Here, it puts the call to Vitter's working girl at 39 minutes after the 17 minute vote on honoring fallen soldiers took place. Vitter has not responded but sent out a quote from a vet who called Edwards' use fallen soldiers disgusting. This analysis suggests that Edwards is not comfortable with the lead he has in the polls, especially after the recent outcome in the Kentucky governor's race that countered what polls were suggesting.

Define Thug

In response to David Vitter's claim that John Bel Edwards would release "5,500 dangerous thugs," Wayne “Steve” Thompson - a criminal justice professor and retired Louisiana state police officer - puts things into perspective: "To sum it up, a man who threatens to kill a woman so she will not resist while he rapes her is required to do less time in jail than a person with a handful of cocaine or crack cocaine."

Obama Taketh, Faraday Future Giveth ... Perhaps

When one pipeline closes, another electric widow slides open. Although the Keystone XL Pipeline and the jobs it would have created are dead, there is a chance Louisiana could land a billion dollar electric car pant. Faraday Future says it will soon announce where it will build a billion dollar electric car plant. Louisiana is a finalist along with California, Georgia and Nevada.

This Week in Scary

According to a report - or really just a Twitter update - the Saints might be open to letting Sean Payton become a coaching free agent if he desires at the end of the season (and some reports say he does). But, it is unclear if they could/would allow him under current Saints management as his contract opens up if there is a change in team control - i.e. Tom Benson no longer being the top banana. Here's a better idea: let go another member of the coaching staff. *Cough* Rob Ryan *cough.*

Helluva Job, Brownie

Brandon Browner makes you miss Roman Harper. Not only is he leading the league in penalties - as of Sunday's game he was five flags ahead of 2nd place - he is a potty mouthed hothead. After the Saints lost to Tennessee on Sunday, reporters questioned Browner and the team in the locker room. At some point, he became livid and - depends on the source- had to be restrained or at least was advised to leave the room. It's their job to ask questions, just like it is your job to keep the football out of receivers' hands. Get it done without the flags. Personally, I hope your job will soon be making sure the bench doesn't fly off.