Submitted without comment

Yep. That's right. I'll be able to to come up to D.'s shoulders when we say our vows.

On another topic - the election...McCain was humble and gracious in defeat, and Obama's somber speech indicated to me, at least, that he understands that the road ahead will be painful for Americans.

Either man would have been crippled by a fractured populace, a tumultuous economy and a deficit created by two wars - but even if the next four years are a political failure, it can't be denied that last night's election was a social victory for our nation.

In honor of Election Day 2008

That's all I'm sayin'.

Dear Florida Democratic Party

Please stop spamcalling my cell phone.

I've asked you very nicely FOUR TIMES now to place me on your do-not-call list.

I already voted, yeaux.

Best,
Cait

"Goofy," you say?

Former Arkansas governor and B.S. in Miracles graduate Mike Huckabee, who won Louisiana's Republican primary this last weekend, thinks the Louisiana primary system is...well...goofy. From the T-P:

"The state party chairman sent out a letter saying don't bother," Huckabee said before a roundtable with reporters.

Huckabee defeated McCain in Louisiana, 43 to 42 percent. But under state Republican Party rules, none of the 20 delegates up for grabs are awarded unless a candidate gets 50 percent of the popular vote.

"It's goofy," Huckabee said. "Well, it's Louisiana."

This, from a man who believes that evolution doesn't exist and that people infected with HIV should be quarantined.

The irony does not escape me.



BTW, folks, the vast majority of Darwinists have never argued that humans descend from primates.

Huckabee does make a point, though, as our friend Damien points out:

The fact that "Well, it's Louisiana" is one of more damning dismissals someone can make says more about Louisiana than it does Huckabee.

Happy Fun Colbert Time!

Scissor Sisters + Stephen Colbert + Exhaustion from the past week = Cait snorting in pure amusement.

Just sayin'.

By the way, does anyone else find some irony in the fact that Miami fans who previously ran A.J. Feeley out of town are cheering for him tonight sheerly because they don't want the Patriots to become the...'72 Phins?

Yeah, that's what I thought. Have a great night, y'all!

Scathing Editorial in the Times-Picayune

The editors of the T-P had a similarly visceral reaction to the slap in the face New Orleans received yesterday from the commission that awards presidential debate sites. Here's what they had to say:

http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/11/editorial_a_shameful_rebuff.html

Some very interesting points:

The commission's explanation is a slap in our face. It also contradicts the reality on the ground.

Consider:

- New Orleans is preparing to host the BCS national championship game Jan. 7.

- The NBA All-Star game takes place here the following month. Both events will attract thousands of reporters from around the world and bring in many times more visitors than a presidential debate.

- The city has hosted several mega-conventions since the storm. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where the debate was to be held, is among the best in the nation. Even the commission's staff recognized this. Ms. Milling said the debate producer told her last year that New Orleans could handle the debate.

Hmmm. Here's something else:

The debate commission claims our city is not ready for their event. But their decision to select the University of Mississippi in Oxford makes it clear that readiness and logistics had nothing to do with it.

New Orleanians do not begrudge the people of Oxford having been selected. But if big-event logistics was the yardstick, there's hardly any comparison. The commission said it needed a minimum 3,000 hotel rooms for journalists and others attending the debate. Fact: New Orleans has 24,000 hotel rooms. Oxford, according to the Oxford Convention and Visitors Bureau, has 650.

The commission also said New Orleans fell short on press facilities and broadcast logistics. That's just not believable. Since Katrina, the city has been swarming with media. And the Morial convention center has state of the art media facilities. Do they really want us to believe Oxford is more media-ready?

No, they're just scrambling for an excuse. But what's the real reason behind this very political gaffe? I think one commenter on NOLA.com put it best:

Posted by chaubert on 11/20/07 at 8:49AM

The reason is obvious: the national public is tired of hearing about New Orleans and Katrina and wants to focus on issues that have more relevance to them. It does NONE of the candidates any good to focus more attention on an issue on which the public has lost interest. We might not like that answer, but it is the truth - in my opinion.

We should focus on 4 years from now, after political changes at the state and local level have had a chance to make an impact. A reform-minded governor, some reform-minded legislators, by then a new mayor and council, reapportionment, a convicted Bill Jefferson, and significant progress in New Orleans due to the efforts of the citizens and the state and local government. Then we might have a chance for more sympathy at the national level.

In completely unrelated news, the Hornets lost last night to the Magic, and suffered yet another key injury. Sigh.

There's quite a bit of irony here.

Methinks that much like Tom Cruise in "A Few Good Men," the politicos just can't handle the truth. It's telling that a national commission in charge of assigning locations for the 2008 presidential debates would argue that New Orleans just "doesn't measure up." That sounds pretty much like how the city has been treated in the two years since Katrina. We're a taboo - sure, our reputation is partially deserved, but...I guess unless you're post-arson southern California, it's impossible to measure up.

Or perhaps pundits just aren't ready to face the harsh reality of post-Katrina NOLA?

I've highlighted some of the more interesting points in Kit Seelye's article in this morning's New York Times.

It's a pity. Mostly, there's just irony in spades.

New York Times
November 20, 2007

Panel Picks 4 Debate Sites, Angering Excluded New Orleans

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

The Commission on Presidential Debates has picked Oxford, Miss.; St. Louis; Nashville; and Hempstead, N.Y., as the sites of the presidential and vice-presidential debates in the general election campaign next year.

New Orleans took offense at its omission, with a leader of one Louisiana advocacy group saying she had been told that the city had not recovered sufficiently from Hurricane Katrina to act as host of such an event. New Orleans was one of 16 finalists and has attracted major conventions since the hurricane devastated much of the city more than two years ago.

This is the first time the bipartisan commission, which has overseen the debates since 1988, plans a format allowing the candidates to question each other. Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., the commission’s Republican co-chairman, said that contrary to past experience, the candidates would not be allowed to change the format. “The candidates aren’t going to dictate to us anymore,” Mr. Fahrenkopf said.

The debates have become a huge traveling road show, with a cast of 4,000 extras from the worlds of politics and the news media. In the case of Oxford, which has only 700 hotel rooms, overnight visitors will be bused to Tupelo, Miss., and Memphis.

In addition to Oxford, where the first presidential debate is to be held Sept. 26 at the University of Mississippi, presidential debates are scheduled for Belmont University in Nashville on Oct. 7 and Hofstra University in Hempstead on Oct. 15. The vice-presidential debate is scheduled for Washington University in St. Louis on Oct. 2.

The omission of New Orleans drew a sharp reaction from Senator Mary L. Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana, who said the commission had “lost sight of the public interest it was chartered to serve.”

Anne Milling, founder of the advocacy group Women of the Storm, said Paul G. Kirk Jr., the commission’s Democratic co-chairman, had told her that New Orleans was “not ready” to be host of a debate, although, she said, the city surpassed all logistical requirements.

“Politics trumped the correct moral decision,” Ms. Milling said. “Supposedly, many people said that they would not be comfortable coming here,” because New Orleans stands as a rebuke to the federal government’s response to the hurricane.

Mr. Fahrenkopf denied any political influence, saying the selections had been based on technical criteria and geographical balance.

And Mr. Kirk denied telling Ms. Milling that New Orleans was “not ready” for a big event.

But acting as host of a presidential debate is “an expensive proposition,” he told The Associated Press, “and presents enormous strategic challenges. All things considered, New Orleans did not measure up.”

So why can't it be...

Huckabee vs. Biden in '08?

Now there's a presidential campaign worth watching. Sadly, these two men don't get a lot of notice in the world of Obamas and Clintons.

Skeletor vs. James Carville

We watched last night's campaign debate on CNN.

I have to say, after 10 years of being eligible to vote (and doing so with regularity), I'm so, so tired of the media and lobbying groups picking our frontrunners for us.

I call shenanigans. I was so fed up with the moronic, cloying responses from Clinton (disingenuous shrew - seriously, she claims to be part of the boy's club and then abuses the notion of gender with every passing day...you can't play both sides, Hillary), Edwards (Pantene model/panderer) and Obama (verbose and inexperienced), that I almost welcomed Bill Richardson's naive, insipid remarks about the military. I wanted to hear more from Dodd, crazy man Kucinich (seriously, have you seen his wife? Behold, the power of the Fug is strong with this one!), and most of all, I wanted to hear from Joe Biden.

Biden is the only candidate on the liberal side of the coin that I can take seriously. He was the only candidate I saw give consistently straight answers that referenced policy and fact. He used self-effacing humor instead of rhetorical double-speak, and by the end of the debate, both D. and I were fascinated. He's a moderate candidate who has a proven ability to manage bipartisan relationships. Why aren't we as a nation taking him more seriously?

I'm not registered with either major political party - I am a moderate who is fiscally conservative and very proud of my military roots, but I'm socially liberal on a number of issues. I vote faithfully in every election, yet I'm left to wonder - will I become just another whining 20-something when the 2008 election draws to a close, and I'm left to pick once again between the lesser of two evils? Why should CNN, FoxNews and lobbyists pick who we are able to vote for? Isn't the media's job to report, rather than promote?

It's a shame about Biden. It really is. I'd be fascinated to see what he would do as a more popular candidate. I feel the same way about Huckabee and Paul on the conservative side of the coin.

Instead, I get to look towards Clinton/Obama and Giuliani/McCain (or Thompson) in 2008. And I can promise you, I'll vote against Hillary Clinton.

It has nothing to do with her political leanings or the fact that she's a woman. It has everything to do with Whitewater, Travelgate, her involvement in the Savings & Loans scandal, etc. It has to do with the fact that she seems at ease looking a camera in the eye and lying to American voters about who is she and what she represents.

Because, really, even after months of ads and debates, I still don't really know what she stands for. Do you?

However, in watching the post-debate commentary, I did arrive at one very certain conclusion - James Carville is Skeletor.

True story.

FREE AT LAST!

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, you racist, incompetent (albeit nattily-dressed) hypocrite.

http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/10/sources_talks_underway_for_jor.html

I'm fairly sure Jake, our dog, could have prosecuted the capital crimes cases that plague this city far better than Eddie Jordan. Heck, Jordan's trademark hat would have probably been more effective.

I'm also pretty sure that I'm doing the happy dance - which Michelle and Kevin know as the "Cait-does-the-inpretative-cabbage-patch-whilst-wearing-a-goofy-expression" dance.

I've been gone for a while, I know. October's been pretty hectic - work, the car, etc. have all taken their toll, but this past week, D.'s brother Younger D. and his wife, Rachel, visited from Missouri. They took in a Saints game, a ghost tour, and walks around the French Quarter and uptown. They saw military police roaming the 9th Ward, saw my car flood, and sampled beignets, Abita and crawfish. They checked out Napoleon House, Port of Call and Parasol's, and enjoyed the whimsical atmosphere of Dick and Jenny's. In the midst of this, Rachel turned 26. So happy birthday, Rachel - I hope you enjoyed your week here in the Crescent City. I'm only sorry I ended up working so much while you were here!

I should be posting quite a bit more - things are stabilizing at work, and given a good nap, I'll have a lot more energy. In the meantime, here are some pics taken by Younger D. and Rachel:

Don't D. and I look great when caught off guard? D. is looking mildly irritated because of work, and I'm making an ass of myself sheerly to try to amuse him. Woot!

Beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde, nestled in the base of Jackson Square.

My favorite pic, apart from the classic of D. looking rumpled and warm in his bathrobe on the front porch, is this one, of St. Louise Cemetary No 1., where Marie Laveau is buried.

I suppose I like this one best because I adore this time of year - Halloween is great here in New Orleans. It's a time to enjoy the crisp weather and pumpkin ale at the Bulldog, and it's great for snuggling up to D. on the couch while watching "Hellraiser" and "Leprechaun 41231274: His Descendants are Still Battling the Little Dork in an Alternate Reality." Awwww, yeah.

(Plus, there's a built-in excuse to eat candy corn!)

Tomorrow night, D. and I will don our K-Fed and Britney costumes and roll down to the Quarter and the Marigny for some quasi-tame debauchery.

Geaux Saints, geaux Hornets (the home opener is tomorrow night), and happy Halloween!

P.S. We saw Tom Morello at the Moonwalk on Thursday.

Yawwwwwwwn.

Why on earth did they even bother? Watching grass grow in our backyard (and it grows at a decently rapid pace in this climate, let me tell you) would have been more interesting.

I mean, really. Bobby Jindal, what has happened to the energetic man pushing for election four years ago?

Clancy DuBos of The Gambit has written a great editorial on the topic.

This election may not be such a landslide after all.

The NOLA News Round-up...

It's entirely possible that New Orleans is best known not for its amazing food and history and musical heritage, but more for its culture of corrupt politics.

"All the King's Men," anyone?

Yeah. Whether our local congressman is found possessing frozen bricks of cash, or our senator is found to have cavorted with prostitutes after piously and sanctimoniously decrying Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky, there's just something about Louisiana. Our governor is mercifully not running for re-election, our mayor suddenly went from sounding like Carlton to speaking like local rapper Juvenile in the months before his re-election, and our levee boards take more kickbacks than the Rockettes. Our DA seems to be on a perpetual witchhunt while ignoring the scarily violent criminals prowling the streets of east New Orleans or Central City. Our other senator is a chip off the ol' block - voted into office by scores of deceased Lousiana residents just like her dear old papa. (I actually feel sorry for Mitch Landrieu - he could be the nicest, most qualified politico in the state, and he still wouldn't be elected to office in New Orleans sheerly because of his last name.)

Occasionally there is room for hope - case in point, Bobby Jindal. It's ironic that a state that almost elected David Duke governor is poised to elect the nation's first Indian-American governor. But that tells me that despite the antiquated approach to race relations and politics, increasingly voters in Louisiana (at least, the living voters) seem to be forward-thinking.

So that's good.

But on the flip-side:

http://blog.nola.com/updates/2007/08/some_fear_corruption_scandal_c.html

Gah. That's not good.

Today also marks the start of the trial of the owners of St. Rita's Nursing Home. The owners are charged with 35 counts of negligent homicide after restraining their patients to their beds, dooming them when the floodwaters began to rise.

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/news-33/1186941248246310.xml&storylist=louisiana

I'm pretty sure there's a special circle of hell reserved for people who do things like this. I genuinely hope there is - no earthly justice could make this right.

In other news, there's a reason weather like this is called "hurricane heat." It's not even 11:00 AM yet, and the heat index is already at 112 degrees.

http://www.wdsu.com/weather/13879001/detail.html?treets=no&tml=no_break&ts=T&tmi=no_break_1_10020308132007

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATWOAT+shtml/131517.shtml