Gov. Bobby Jindal On 'Hot Seat' For Ethics Violation

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who positioned himself as the crusader for ethics reform, has found his own ethical behavior under the microscope:

His campaign failed to report $118,265 spent by the Republican Party of Louisiana for direct mail on his behalf last June. The party disclosed spending the money, but Jindal should have noted it in his own reports as an "in-kind" contribution as well.

Melissa Sellers, Jindal's press secretary, said Friday that the governor has sent instructions to his accountant to pay the fine "as soon as possible."

But Ethics Administrator Richard Sherburne said the fine cannot be paid until Jindal reaches a settlement with the Board of Ethics and the board votes to approve the deal.

Was this an oversight on the governor's part? Let's hope so. Louisiana is in desperate need of true ethics reformers.

Group Files Complaint Against Justice Medina

It seems that Justice Medina has once again made headlines:

Ethics complaints were filed Thursday against Texas Supreme Court Justices David Medina and Nathan Hecht questioning charges they made to their campaign accounts for travel.

Texas Watch alleged in complaints to the Texas Ethics Commission that the two justices illegally used political donations to pay for personal travel to their hometowns. The group filed a similar complaint Tuesday against Justice Paul Green.

Will these allegations be investigated or will Chuck Rosenthal step in to intervene?

So Vince Marinello Wants His Trial Moved...

The prosecutors do not want Vince Marinello's trial moved out of Jefferson Parish. Oh Vincy Boy feels that the trial should be moved because of all of the publicity. And a mock trial..well it seems he wants that too.

I called this stall tactics. Get it over Vince.

Grand Jury Blocked From Reindicting Justice Medina

A Texas judge on Tuesday dismissed the grand jury whose indictment of a State Supreme Court justice and his wife here last week was thwarted by prosecutors.

The indictment of the justice, David M. Medina, and his wife, Francisca, involved a fire that destroyed their house and two others. But the charges were quashed in court the next day, with the Harris County district attorney’s office arguing that there was insufficient evidence to pursue them.

In an unusual public outcry, members of the grand jury on Friday called the dismissal an instance of political favoritism on the part of embattled District Attorney Charles A. Rosenthal Jr., like Justice Medina a Republican, and said they were prepared to reconvene this week to consider revoking the indictments before the panel’s term ran out.

That prospect became moot, however, when Judge Jim Wallace of State District Court agreed Tuesday with Justice Medina’s lawyer, Terry W. Yates, that procedural errors by the district attorney’s office in extending the grand jury’s term last November for three months invalidated the jury and all its 30 or so other indictments since then.

At a news conference later, 8 of the grand jury’s 12 members called the district attorney’s handling of the case arrogant and incompetent, The Associated Press reported. “We thought we were doing the right thing,” said one of them, Shannon Burns, “and someone puts a big wall up in front of you and doesn’t let you do what you feel is right.”

The grand jury, without elaborating, charged Justice Medina last Thursday with tampering with evidence: a threatening letter he said he had received. Mrs. Medina was charged with one count of arson.

The fire that destroyed the Medinas’ home occurred last June 28 in Spring, a Houston suburb. Investigators have said that the Medinas had financial problems.

As for Mr. Rosenthal, the district attorney since 2001, he has given up a bid for re-election and is under pressure to resign because of e-mail traffic at his office that included his love notes to a secretary as well as sexually explicit and racially charged messages.

Is the US response time slow?

The nation must make major changes to the way it responds to disasters such as hurricanes or terrorist attacks, New Orleans' homeland security chief told more than 3,000 scientists Monday at the American Meteorological Society's annual meeting.

Director Terry Ebbert focused on the continuing problems he said he faces weighing federal regulatory requirements against the need to save lives and protect evacuees. He said local emergency managers are handcuffed by paperwork required by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, which calls for detailed accounting of all emergency expenses.

Ebbert said he faced similar problems ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and with post-Katrina court orders prohibiting him from seizing guns from evacuees. He called it ironic that federal law also demands that he ensure that all evacuees under his control are unarmed when they board trains or airplanes. The National Rifle Association sued the city after Katrina to force New Orleans police to return guns seized in the storm's aftermath. The lawsuit is pending.

Ebbert said the nation remains incapable of providing the supplies and manpower needed in the aftermath of a disaster in the same way that its military can supply and move troops into battle during a war.

At the local level, Ebbert said, the greatest challenge is instilling in the public the urgency to plan in advance for disasters. Though about 25,000 people in New Orleans are expected to need assistance leaving their homes because of illness or disability, fewer than 12,000 have registered with the city's evacuation program.

The American Meteorological Society conference continues through Thursday.

Strange Lawsuit coming out of Houston

A Houston woman and her husband want a state lawmaker tested for sexually transmitted diseases after they claim he forcibly kissed the woman at a holiday party.

Nathaniel and Krysynthia Rido made the accusations against state Rep. Borris Miles in a lawsuit filed in state district court on Friday.

Miles’ spokesman, Donald Fields, said in the Houston Chronicle’s Saturday online editions that Miles was not immediately available for comment because he was in Memorial Hospital with pneumonia. Messages left at Miles’ offices by The Associated Press were not immediately returned on Sunday.

Boris Miles

“It was extremely serious,” Fields told the newspaper. “For three days it was very, very serious.”

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has been looking into a complaint that Miles entered a hotel ballroom without an invitation, confronted guests, displayed a pistol and forcibly kissed another man’s wife.

The Ridos’ lawsuit contends Miles acted in a “depraved, unconscionable and reckless manner, leaving in his wake shame, embarrassment and mental trauma.”

Krysynthia Rido said she fears AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases because she was exposed to “Miles’ unwanted bodily fluids.” She wants the court to order Miles to undergo blood tests for sexually transmitted diseases.

The suit also accuses Miles, 42, of assault and battery and asks for compensatory and punitive damages.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that some STDs can be transmitted orally. Its Web site says AIDS cannot be transmitted through casual kissing.

Miles represents District 146. He is facing a Democratic primary challenge from former state Rep. Al Edwards.

New Orleans' Homeless Not A Priority

Everyone at some point, in their life, has reached out to those in need. Can you imagine a City with funds to help the homeless does not feel it is an important enough issue to release the funds? Well, that is exactly what is going on in New Orleans:

UNITY is living up to its end of the deal, but its cash coffers are nearly empty. That's partly because of delays by the city, which has not delivered $264,000 it promised for UNITY's efforts.

On Thursday, Mayor Ray Nagin said the city will make good on its obligation.

"All UNITY has to do is submit the invoices and they will get their reimbursement," he said.

According to mayoral spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett, UNITY had submitted all of the necessary paperwork as of Wednesday. The mayor said he wasn't aware of that, and that he has instructed his staff to expedite the process.

Um...how are other funds handled?