The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will not allow land barriers to be built to protect the state’s coastline, Plaquemines Parish Billy Nungesser told The Lens today.

“They turned it down,” Nungesser said. “They denied the plan to do the barrier islands, so I don’t know, so we’ll have to come up with something else. We’re going to plan B, but I don’t know what plan B is.”

This is the same type of project that folks have said would help rebuild the wetlands and protect the people living in southern Louisiana from flood surges and hurricanes.

I suspect the real reason it was denied was money.  BP won’t pay for it.  The federal government doesn’t want to pay for it.  So it doesn’t happen.

I got in a nice drunken argument with Dave over the weekend about this.  I don’t know how anyone who has paid a speck of attention to the Gulf Coast in the past five years can say that the federal government has any attention of helping.  They have repeatedly hung us out to dry (or drown).   Dave insisted that surely they are doing the best they that they can, that they have the best minds around working on the problem.

I agree that they have the best minds working on the problem.  Unfortunately for us, the problem as the government sees it is saving money and maintaining their cozy relationship with the oil companies.  They will do everything they can to make sure that they fix the problem.

Heather Neville of Tristate Bird Rescue and Research rinses off an oiled brown pelican which was captured on a barrier island off the fragile Louisiana coast on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at a triage center in Fort Jackson, Louisiana. (MIRA OBERMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

This is a bad situation.

Yes, that is the Lombardi Trophy in C. Ray’s official portrait.  Because of, you know, all the stuff C. Ray did in bringing that thing to New Orleans.

From the City of New Orleans website:

Inside the portrait, painted by Mr. Newt Reynolds, two symbols emerge from a shadowy background. A hurricane graphic, representing Hurricane Katrina, and an image of the Lombardi trophy, symbolizing the Saints first-ever Super Bowl victory, signify the challenges and difficult times as well as the unity and resiliency of New Orleanians. Mayor Nagin’s one-of-a-kind portrait reflects the distinct legacy he will leave in history.

I think that blue thing above his shoulder is the hurricane graphic.

Today, charges were dropped against the shooters, because the cop that confiscated the gun found on the suspects is one of the cops that recently pled guilty to planting a gun in the Danzinger bridge case.

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2010/04/orleans_da_drops_all_charges_a.html

Cursing under his breath as he left a courtroom Thursday, Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro had his office dismiss all charges against three young men accused in connection with the 2009 Mardi Gras parade shooting that sent seven parade-goers, including a toddler, to the hospital with gunshot wounds.

“I want them back in f—ing court,” Cannizzaro muttered repeatedly to an assistant as he walked away from Judge Frank Marullo at Criminal District Court.

The state’s case became troubled recently, when New Orleans police Lt. Michael Lohman admitted in federal court that he planted a gun in an effort to cover up a deadly police shooting days after Hurricane Katrina.

Lohman is the cop who also confiscated the guns allegedly used in the Mardi Gras shooting.

According to prior courtroom testimony by Detective Jeff Walls, Brooks was a gunman that day and was tackled by a citizen and Lohman as he tried to run away.

When Brooks hit the ground, a fully loaded 9-mm gun fell from his waistband, police said.

What a proud moment for the NOPD.  A shooting on St. Charles Avenue on Mardi Gras, and your corruption lets the gunmen go free.  Thanks.

UPDATE:

The DA has re-opened the cast.  Apparently, charges were dropped mistakenly by an Assistant DA:

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2010/04/orleans_da_said_parade_dismiss.html

Cannizzaro said the dismissal took place only because of a “breakdown in communication” between him and Pipes, and that his office will bring  Brooks,  21, Lewis, 19, and Gray, 19, to trial for discharging a firearm along the parade route.

What kind of idiot is that Assistant DA?  ”Yeah, sure let them go, we don’t care.”

Claude Mauberret, who made it to the runoff for the city assessor’s office, dropped out:

Claude Mauberret, a district assessor since 1994, will abandon his bid to become New Orleans’ first citywide assessor today, according to a source close to Mauberret.Mauberret’s exit, expected to be announced before noon, will mean that Erroll Williams — like Mauberret a longtime district assessor — will claim the new post, expected to be one of the city’s most powerful political jobs.

Mauberret spent his entire campaign attacking the reform candidate, Janis Lemle, with flyers  unfairly associating her (via a campaign aide) to Dollar Bill Jefferson.   He also used the “scary for white people” picture of her with dreadlocks as opposed to her official portrait.   At first he denied association with these shitty flyers, but the second round that came had his name on them.  He just barely edged her out of the race to get into the primary.

And then he dropped out, handing the race to his buddy Errol Williams.  Thanks a lot, dickhead.  Thanks for ensuring more of the same in New Orleans.

I suppose that we were given our chance to make a change in the assessor’s office during the race and we squandered it.  But Mauberret’s dropping out just makes it feel like the fix was in.

I’m still really at a loss for words as to how this all feels.  I think the whole city feels like Drew Brees’ kid right now.

But wait.  Because I’m a monster.  There’s one more thing:

Bring it on.  We’ve seen worse.  We heard it all after Katrina.

Remember Chicago, 2006?

I was pissed off about that then.  Now, I’ve just grown used to it.  I heard all the “Why rebuild in a flood zone?” idiots in Atlanta.  I let it eat me up inside.

Not anymore.  You want to taunt us with the Federal Flood?  Go right ahead.  We took it for the past five years, and we will keep on taking it.  In that typical New Orleans way, we will wear it with pride:

In other news, I am so fucking excited about the Super Bowl that I am totally mentally crippled.  Can’t focus, can’t concentrate, can’t sleep.  I just sit and think of new things about Saints football.

PS: Raheem Brock, go fuck yourself.  Thanks for the motivation.

It happened.

Anyway, everyone was miserable on the streetcar, all bundled up.  everyone walking oustside was miserable.  You can’t blame them.  As I was looking at the windows as we crossed Poydras, I noticed a familiar looking gentleman in a brown overcoat.  I stared for awhile, and saw that it was Ron Couhig, mayoral candidate.  He didn’t look happy to be out in the cold that early.  Once again, can’t blame him.

The streetcar stopped next to him, and he looked up at it, and saw some guy staring at him.  I could see the moment that he forgot that he was some schmoe trying to get to his office and out of the cold and remembered that he was running for mayor.  He face lit up in a big smile as his eyes met mine, and he waved that politician wave.  I nodded in acknowledgment.

I’m not a Couhig supporter, as I feel supporting Nagin in the last election is pretty unforgivable.  But I really felt bad that he had to be nice to me, some shithead on the streetcar who was rudely staring, because he wants to be mayor.  He just wanted to be warm, like everybody else, and focus on getting inside, like everybody else.  But he had to smile at some idiot on the streetcar, for the possibility of one more vote.  It made me feel sorry for him, and the other candidates.  One of the things I love about this city, is that New Orleans is small enough that these type of interactions are more common.  It’s fun.  Even if Ron Couhig makes me sad.

Like Jonah Bascle, who actually responded to an elbuzzard.com post after I said that Manny Chevrolet was a better comedian than him.  He pointed out that the mayoral debate was not the place to be funny, which is absolutely correct.   I don’t want to lump Bascle in with Couhig, but right now, they are the two candidates I like the best, even though I doubt I would vote for either of them, since Couhig is Nagin, and Bascel doesn’t really have a shot.

I guess I’m just a sucker for personal interaction.  I bet if John Georges  showed up at my house I’d like him too.

UPDATE: Speaking of comedians, John Georges is an idiot.