"Good news"

 We live under a terror regime. 

The Ali family had been on ICE’s radar, facing removal, for some time. They had a pending application for a temporary reprieve from deportation when, in mid-January, a case manager working for an ICE contractor asked them for a meeting at a nearby office, promising “good news.”

For months the family had been monitored through one of ICE’s “alternatives to detention” programs, which use various technologies to track immigrants who are not detained and pose little or no security threat. The case manager said the family didn’t need to be under surveillance anymore. 

When they arrived ICE agents were waiting for them. Less than 36 hours later, they were in Honduras. 

While deceptive, such “ruses,” as they are referred to in internal agency memos and operational manuals are neither illegal nor new. But some immigrants’ rights advocates said they are concerned that agents will increase their use of ruses under Trump, creating chaos in immigrant communities.

Is anything fundamentally changed?

 Mr. Biden should tear down this wall.  Do you think he will even consider it?

With the border still closed for most migrants, a growing number who have no safe way to present their asylum claims have taken desperate and sometimes fatal measures, like climbing the border wall. To countless migrants escaping violence, economic and climate devastation (and in many cases trying to reunite with family and loved ones) the only feasible option for entering the U.S. is to risk injury and death.

That’s not a political mistake; it’s by design. Biden now joins a long tradition of presidents who’ve added to the immigration enforcement strategies of border militarization and prevention through deterrence. Right now, though, Biden must overturn the deadly policies that keep the border shut to asylum seekers. Until that happens, the human casualties of these policies, and in particular title 42, fall on the shoulders of this administration.

Has Jeff Landry resigned yet?

No of course not. It's not even certain from this story that anyone with any jurisdiction over his firms' alleged visa and contractor fraud scams is actually investigating.  Meanwhile, Jeff is continuing to live his best life.

On Tuesday, Landry posted a photo to personal Twitter and Facebook accounts that shows him smiling inside the lodge at Yellowstone Club, a private Montana ski resort frequented by celebrities and business magnates. Landry was sitting at a table adorned with strings of colored beads; the resort was putting on an “Aprés Ski” party for Mardi Gras that day.

A day earlier, a message for Louisianans was posted on Landry’s official Twitter page, encouraging people rebuilding after storms to read an attached booklet “to help protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud & #scams!”

Attached was a tip sheet with 11 pointers to avoid getting swindled. Tip #2 includes this advice: “Make sure the contractor is licensed through the Louisiana Licensing Board for Contractors.”

John Kennedy is okay with tear gassing babies

John is supposed to tell us if he's running for Governor this week.

CORRECTION:

Kennedy is gonna say something on Monday.

Update:

Well in light of everything else that's happened, this is kind of a surprise. At least to me now.

U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham is leaning toward entering the race to challenge Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2019, his spokesman Cole Avery confirmed Thursday (Nov. 29).

Abraham, a Republican from Richland Parish, said as much in an interview with Greg Hilburn with the USA Today Network.

“If I had to make a decision today it would be that I was running,” Abraham told Hilburn.

That, "if I had to decide today.." bit is kind of a hedge but I thought they were clearing the field for John.

Also.. from the USA Today article: 

"I think we all thought John would have given us an answer by now, but he has to make his own decision," Abraham said. "His decision won't have any impact on mine."

Abraham has given himself a Jan. 1 deadline to announce his decision. "I haven't fully made that decision," he said.

So John will say something on Monday and Ralph will throw a party on New Year's Day in case you needed to synchronize your calendars. 

Object permanence

So by now I believe even CNN is starting to get a handle on the fact the executive order Trump signed yesterday doesn't have anything to do with "caving" on child detentions but is instead another move toward establishing a legal right to detain everybody indefinitely.

 Anyway here is a look at what comes next.

What happens if the government fights it up to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court says that detaining kids is totally fine?

They might well decide that detaining kids is fine! It’s hard to say. I mean, the Supreme Court did issue a decision this March basically stating that immigrants in long-term detention have no constitutional right to a bail hearing because—get this—they are not legal “persons” and are not, as a matter of law, “present in” the United States. I mean, they’re physically here, but they’re not legally here, you know? “Why do we allow people to become judges who are apparently too stupid to grasp the concept of object permanence,” you may be thinking, and you are correct. Any court that would accept reasoning that morally callous and comically divorced from reality is really capable of anything.

If the Supreme Court gives the green light, the government could keep moms and kids interned together in longer-term detention facilities. This will have a number of consequences. One is trauma to children: being ripped away from your parent is horrific, but being trapped in a jail or a camp surrounded by armed guards is also horrific.

Best of intentions

She's always talking about "being intentional." What does that even mean?

There can be no better investment in our future than our children. Our families are the backbone of our city. When we are intentional about the bonds with the children in our community, we all move forward. It’s about we. #CityOfYes pic.twitter.com/y1kuStbUwG

— Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@mayorcantrell) June 18, 2018

I'm especially curious what it might mean to be "intentional about the bonds with the children" since she tweeted this at the same time that Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen were at the Convention Center endorsing the Trump Administration's policy of intentionally separating children from their families and putting them into cages.

Speaking at the opening session of the National Sheriff's Association annual conference, Sessions suggested that people entering the country illegally are endangering children in order to avoid prosecution.

“We cannot and will not encourage people to bring their children, or other children, to the country unlawfully by giving them immunity in the process,” Sessions said.

The attorney general also said that if the country builds a border wall and passes legislation to close some "loopholes," then "we won't face these terrible choices."

The sheriff’s association gave Sessions a lifetime achievement award before his speech, garnering a standing ovation from the crowd at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Meanwhile, outside, "at least 5 people were detained" as a group of protesters confronted sheriff's deputies who may or may not have been 1) on duty or 2) within their own jurisdiction.

At least five people were detained outside the convention hall Monday morning. Deputies from the St. Charles Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff’s offices, who were in attendance at the conference, were seen physically restraining protesters.

Some of the protesters were spotted getting intentionally kneed in the back.  Others were intentionally run over by a truck.  I don't know if anyone has asked the mayor for comment yet. But, in light of her concerns about "the bonds with the children in our community," somebody probably should.

Specifically, they should ask her whether or not her office's attitude toward immigration policy differs at all from Mitch Landrieu's. Recall that just six months ago Sessions met with Mitch and Police Chief Michael Harrison to discuss city's practice of sharing information with federal enforcement entities such as ICE.  Sessions came away from that meeting pleased with what he had learned.

"We are pleased that the attorney general and Senator Kennedy have come around to agreeing with the point we have made all along -- New Orleans is not a 'sanctuary city' and the NOPD's policies have maintained consistent compliance ..." Landrieu said in a statement.

Asked for comment after the meeting, Sessions' office issued a statement saying New Orleans "has committed to sharing information with federal law enforcement authorities ..."

Over the course of the last few years, we also learned that Mitch and Harrison used tools like Palantir, private security firms like Trident Response Group,  and a network of surveillance cameras wired in to a 24 hour monitoring center to collect and analyze data which, again, according to Jeff Sessions, they were obviously willing to share with federal enforcement agencies.

Recently, our new mayor along with members of the city council announced a major expansion of that surveillance apparatus involving a highly questionable partnership with yet another unaccountalbe private contractor.  They were very intentional about it.

“Any assistance I can provide from this position I am in, y’all can count me in,” said Banks, who began his first term on the council earlier this month.

(Jason) Williams, who is in his second term, added, “It’s not whether we can afford to do it. It’s that we can’t afford not do it.”

A focal point of the partnership’s $1 million first phase involves plans by Bryan Lagarde’s ProjectNOLA group to install more than 300 street-facing surveillance cameras on places of worship and congregation members’ homes in neighborhoods such as the 7th Ward, Gert Town and Central City, all of which are plagued by drugs and violence.

Today, Willliams co-signed a largely symbolic City Council resolution condemning Sessions's "zero tolerance" immigration policy.

"I will continue to publicly condemn the Trump administration and Attorney General Jeff Sessions' enforcement of their new immigration policy to separate families," said Council President Jason Williams. "Forcibly separating children from parents as a matter of course is inhumane and unnecessary, and as an African American and a descendant of American slaves, this policy is evocative of some of darkest days in this countries young history. This policy is truly self-inflicted wound, and like many we have seen from the current administration, is antithetical to American values and basic humanity."

That sounds pretty good.  But if he's making these statements at the same time he is supporting a dangerous surveillance network that feeds the very beast he's performatively railing against, what do those words really mean?   What does it mean to be "intentional" about protecting families when those intentions don't match up with your actual policy decisions?

A great country

Congratulations to the Nation of... wait, that isn't right... the Country of Islam?

In arguing in favor of President Donald Trump’s travel ban on citizens from several Muslim majority countries, United States Solicitor General Noel Francisco slipped up and described Islam as a “country.”

Also, it looks like the court considered that a winning argument. People wonder why I can't take credentialed professionals who are in charge of important things seriously.  This is the reason.

Why did Jeff Sessions like us so much?

Back in November, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions (wow.. not fired yet!) had a private meeting with Mitch in order to resolve some public back and forth (involving Jeff Landry and John Kennedy as well) over New Orleans's status as a so-called "Sanctuary City."

In some ways the meeting raised more questions than it answered. Cedric Richmond was either too busy to be there or Sessions didn't want him there. Sessions and Kennedy implied that the city agreed to notify ICE when undocumented immigrants were arrested and to allow ICE to interview arrestees.  But he mayor's spokespeople denied having agreed to that.  They both seemed to agree that the city was in compliance with... whatever Sessions was asking of them. 

"We are pleased that the attorney general and Senator Kennedy have come around to agreeing with the point we have made all along -- New Orleans is not a 'sanctuary city' and the NOPD's policies have maintained consistent compliance ..." Landrieu said in a statement.

Asked for comment after the meeting, Sessions' office issued a statement saying New Orleans "has committed to sharing information with federal law enforcement authorities ..."

But it was never clear exactly how.  Maybe they showed him Palantir. 

Law enforcement agents routinely use bank, telephone, and internet records for investigations, but the extent to which ICE uses social media is not well known.

One of the agents involved in the hunt responded that they could combine the data with “IP address information back from T-Mobile.” Another agent chimed in to say that the agency had sent the phone company an expedited summons for information.

“I am going to see if our Palantir guy is here to dump the Western Union info in there since I know there is a way to triangulate the area he’s sending money from and narrow down time of day etc,” responded Jen Miller, an ICE agent on the email thread.

Palantir is a controversial data analytics firm co-founded by billionaire investor Peter Thiel. The company, which does business with the military and major intelligence agencies, has contracted with ICE since 2014. As journalist Spencer

Woodman reported last year, the company developed a special system for ICE to access a vast “ecosystem” of data to facilitate immigration officials in both discovering targets and then creating and administering cases against them.

At the time no news organization in New Orleans seemed to know anything about Palantir. Otherwise we imagine they probably would have asked about it, since it's clearly relevant.  But this year, when the city's usage of Palantir finally became a point of public controversy thanks to a national news story, our local papers screamed loudly at us that it was "never a secret." So who can say, really?

Anyway NOPD certainly definitely is not using it or anything like it anymore so it's not worth asking about now, probably.

Are we better off than we were one year ago?

I have an uncomfortable relationship with protest marches. On the one hand, I believe democracy does better when people make themselves seen and heard. By meeting in the streets at big events, the  immiserated can show each other they are not isolated. They demonstrate their commitment by going outside together to disrupt daily routines. They confirm to themselves and to others that they and their urgent concerns matter. They can be a critical first step toward meaningful political action.

On the other hand, I don't think people are nearly as modest as they ought to be in general.  There's a kind of performative self-righteousness at work at these events, righteous as the cause itself may be. There's a line somewhere between necessary expression of grievance against power and look at us and how good.. how much better than so and so.. we are.  And it's not an easy line to keep track of.  Shit is fucked up. People ought to go out in the street and agitate against that. But they should also take care to do so as anonymously as is practical.  It's a tricky thing to reconcile. The fact that millions of people turned out is essential.  The fact that you, specifically, were there is actually kind of annoying.

So whenever I go out to see one of these, I'm both encouraged and appalled at the same time.  I try to get a sense of how many and what sorts of people are there. I want to hear what the speakers have to say. But as I'm counting heads, I can't help but wonder at each.  There's a difference between wanting to see people take action and the brazen self aggrandizement of those who have said, I will be a person who acts. Who do people think they are? Maybe it would be better if there were a way for people to attend these things anonymously. Ideally we could show up and be counted but somehow also be invisible.

I tried to skulk about last year's "J20NOLA" event  as invisibly as possible. A lot of people were there.



Probably something like 1000 to 1500 in Duncan Plaza.  Small beans compared to the next day's Women's March turnout but fantastic for a weekday afternoon, especially on a day with so much... um.. stuff going on.

The march represented a broad coalition of social justice organizations around New Orleans. Representatives of each spoke for a few minutes during the rally. 

More than 1,000 people marched from City Hall after a rally that galvanized more than 100 Louisiana grassroots organizations, including BreakOUT!, Stand With Dignity, Congress of Day Laborers, the NAACP, hospitality workers, faith leaders, environmental justice groups and several locally based civil rights groups. The event — coordinated with Take 'Em Down NOLA and New Orleans Workers Group — follows the groups' growing presence in citywide activism, from calls to remove Confederate monuments and "all symbols of white supremacy" to support for affordable housing, criminal justice reform, workers' rights and health care, and explicit warnings against fascism, demagoguery and racism throughout the 2016 election.

I remember thinking at the time that maintaining the momentum of that weekend would be a test for all of these groups. And it has been. But many of the people at last year's marches went on to win some victories in 2017.  Or, at least, they have spent the year fighting some good fights.

The hospitality workers have continued to organize winning the right to negotiate a union contract with the Hilton. Take 'Em Down celebrated a hard fought win in the campaign to take down four Confederate monuments. Congresso has acted to defend local residents threatened with deportation . And they along with other groups present on J20 have been working along with MaCCNO to push back against Mitch Landrieu's ABO surveillance scheme.  New Orleans has a local DSA chapter now. They managed to get Bill Cassidy's attention during the fight over Obamacare repeal.  Their members also repaired lots of brake lights and are getting involved in the fight for affordable housing among other things.

It would have been nice to see some of this capacity mature to a point where it could have been a factor in the recent municipal elections. The timing just wasn't right for that, though. Because of this, the incoming mayor and council are products of the same old out of touch political establishment that existed before the crisis time began. That's a shame. 

But doing the politics is about more than getting all worked up to vote against some terrible candidates every so often.  There will be time for that again eventually.  In the meantime, though, there will be plenty of other stuff to worry about as the past year has well demonstrated.  Some of that might even involve getting out and marching in the street again.  But that hardly seems appropriate during Mardi Gras so maybe we should hold off for a while.

Preview of the 2019 Governor's race

Jeff Landry or John Kennedy (probably both will be running):  "New Orleans is a Sanctuary City! It is coddling teh illegals!"

John Bel: "No, it isn't!  Jeff Sessions gave them a certificate. See? We all hate the illegals the same amount."

Jeff and John:  "Jeff Sessions is clearly in jail by now, though"

What did they agree to?

Mitch Landrieu and Chief Michael Harrison had a meeting with Attorney General (for now) Jeff Sessions today about New Orleans's status as a so-called "Sanctuary City." Cedric Richmond was supposed to be there. But something happened that we aren't clear about.

The stage was set Wednesday for continued discord when the mayor's office issued a statement saying there was a dispute over who Sessions and Kennedy would allow to take part in the next morning's meeting. The mayor wanted Congressman Cedric Richmond, NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison and City Attorney Rebecca Dietz to join him in the discussion. Sessions' office had said Richmond could not attend, and either Harrison or Dietz -- not both -- could join.

According to the mayor's communications, Richmond could not reschedule a conflicting event and did not take part, but Harrison and Dietz joined the mayor.

Both versions of why Cedric wasn't there come from the mayor's office. I guess they can both be true. But it's unclear what happened.  Also unclear, what exactly was agreed to at this meeting. 

"We are pleased that the attorney general and Senator Kennedy have come around to agreeing with the point we have made all along -- New Orleans is not a 'sanctuary city' and the NOPD's policies have maintained consistent compliance ..." Landrieu said in a statement.

Asked for comment after the meeting, Sessions' office issued a statement saying New Orleans "has committed to sharing information with federal law enforcement authorities ..."

One way to interpret this is Mitch and Harrison agreed to rat out to ICE any undocumented immigrants they detain. Another way to see it is Sessions agreed that the terms of the NOPD consent decree dictated their current policy anyway so there is really no way to say they aren't in compliance with the law.

Landrieu and NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison have repeatedly contended the department's policies adhere to the letter of the law. Harrison has also argued that going any further would risk alienating immigrants in the city, discouraging victims from reporting crimes and making witnesses more reluctant to come forward.

The policy is required by a sweeping federal court consent decree that oversees the police department. The consent decree was negotiated with the Justice Department, but during President Barack Obama's administration.

A federal Justice Department spokesman, Devin O'Malley, indicated that as of Thursday, the agency no longer considers NOPD's policies at odds with federal law.

But it could also be both. They city could be perfectly willing to inform on immigrants to the feds without actually holding them.  That, both sides agreed, is Marlin Gusman's job. Which is a convenient thing for all of them to say because Gusman wasn't there.

Sessions, according to Kennedy, requested the city notify federal immigration agents at least 48 hours before releasing any arrested undocumented immigrants from jail, and also asked that agents be allowed to interview inmates while in custody.

Both those requests appeared to apply to the Orleans Parish jail, a facility run by the independent Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, which is covered by a separate federal consent decree. Sheriff Marlin Gusman was not included in Thursday's meeting.

And, as the story here strongly implies, Gusman's policy may also be in compliance with the dictates of a consent decree. But that isn't explicitly clear.  Anyway this may or may not get Sessions off the city's back. It probably won't satisfy John Kennedy and Jeff Landry, though.  Not with a Governor's election looming in 2019. Which is a lot closer than you might think.

The pros and cons of getting nothing done

Okay let's do the con first.  The last best chances for meaningful fiscal reform are dying in the legislature right now.

A Louisiana House committee killed a package of legislation Tuesday (May 9) to shift more of the state's income tax burden from individuals to businesses. The proposal, pushed by Gov. John Bel Edwards, also would have saved 90 percent of income tax filers money, according to supporters.

A similar reworking of Louisiana's income tax structure has been recommended several times by economists and other tax analysts who have studied the state's tax system. In concept, the failed legislative package resembled some of the things recommended by the state task force that studied the tax system earlier this year and in 2016, although it is not the same as what was proposed.    

This would have represented a tax cut for 90 percent of Louisiana residents. It would also have raised about 21 million dollars and, well, you know how much the State House of Representatives loves good ideas like that.

On the other hand, sometimes doing nothing is the right thing to do. 

Setting the state apart from many of its Southern peers, the Louisiana state House rejected a proposed law that would have banned Sanctuary Cities and allowed the state Attorney General's office to withhold state funds to local departments found to be in violation.

So there's a setback for Future Governor Landry. The only thing that saved us here was the 2/3 majority vote threshold for bills that would raise fees in any way. Also, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Valerie Hodges is quite the peach.

Valarie Hodges says perhaps people can be asked if they don't speak English #lalege https://t.co/hX6t4Ka3HX

— Rebekah Allen (@rebekahallen) May 9, 2017

If you can't go, you can call

City Hall protest looks good from my vantage point. Unfortunately that's checking the internet every now and again because Menckles has designated today laundry day at home.  But here's what it looks like.

Crowd growing outside City Hall in solidarity with #MuslimBan protests. Crowd chanting "Muslims yes, Trump no!" pic.twitter.com/g8GJPwKehh

— Gambit (@The_Gambit) January 29, 2017

Anyway, if you can't pull away from Sunday chores, you can get on the phone for a few minutes, I'm sure.

Bug the hell out of John Kennedy's staff.
Phone: (202) 224-4623
Write: https://www.kennedy.senate.gov/content/contact-senator

Bug the hell out of Bill Cassidy's staff.
DC office number: (202) 224-5824
Or call a local office near you. 

Bug the hell out of Scaslise's people.
DC office: (202) 225-3015
Metairie: (504) 837-1259

Cedric Richmond is probably on your side but you can always encourage him. 
DC office: (202) 225-6636
Orleans office: (504) 288-3777 

Protest every thing every day

This is the only backstop we have for at least two years probably more. Already the Trump people are ignoring court orders (or complying in the most minimal fashion).  They're only going to get bolder as they get settled into the office.  It takes a lot of time, energy and "stah-mi-nah" but people are going to have to get used to going in the street to do whatever good they can in the meantime.  It's not easy.  On the parallel internet today I see local groups trying to meet up at City Hall (1:45) and at the airport (2pm). That's not very well coordinated, obviously, but it's what happens sometimes. Not everybody can go to every one of these but go when and if you can. 

Protest every day

Direct action is all that's left right now. It won't always win. But every little thing people can to to gum up the works helps. Today is a win. Tomorrow may not be.

WASHINGTON — A federal judge blocked part of President Trump’s executive order on immigration on Saturday evening, ordering that refugees and others trapped at airports across the United States should not be sent back to their home countries. But the judge stopped short of letting them into the country or issuing a broader ruling on the constitutionality of Mr. Trump’s actions.

Get ready to protest every thing every day. Or whatever it is you can do, as long as people show up, there's a chance to stop some of this.

That's going to change a bit when we move from the Trump-issues-a-legally-and-logistically-questionable-edict-a-day phase and into the Congress-passes-terrible-laws phase. But, for now, it's possible to beat some of the bullshit back. But it will still take sustained deliberate effort.

Why is Trump coddling the terrorists?

If this order was really about trying to do what is says, you would think it would at least get this part right?

Announcing his “extreme vetting” plan, the president invoked the specter of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Most of the 19 hijackers on the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pa., were from Saudi Arabia. The rest were from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Lebanon. None of those countries are on Mr. Trump’s visa ban list.

Not that we should actually countenance the premise, but if we were to humor the notion that we're "safer" for barring entry to people from countries known to have produced terrorists, then why doesn't the rule actually apply to those countries?  Maybe Trump doesn't actually care about fighting terroism.

Can Governor Landry please leave us alone?

Fake Governor Landry is busy making policy happen.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has blocked at least 37 state government legal contracts because they include language meant to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination in the workplace, according to state documents and interviews with state officials.

The contracts affect legal issues surrounding the state's ports, potential medical malpractice awards for patients and oversight of state bonds, among others, according to a review of documents and interviews with the agencies involved.

The Louisiana Division of Administration -- part of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration -- said it has tracked at least 26 contracts with private lawyers for a variety of services that Landry rejected because of the nondiscrimination clause. The Department of Insurance -- which is run by Republican Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon -- submitted 11 legal contracts the attorney general has also blocked because of the nondiscrimination language.

Through the lobbying efforts of Actual Governor Edwards, New Orleans was recently awarded the right to host the 2017 NBA All Star Game originally set to be held in Charlotte.  The game had to be moved in protest of the State of North Carolina's official intolerance toward LGBT persons. Is Governor Landry trying to undo Governor Edwards's work now? Sure looks like it.

Meanwhile, Landry was in Washington D.C. this week. Here's what he's up to there. 

Attorney General Jeff Landry took his crusade against New Orleans' so-called "sanctuary city" policing policy to Capitol Hill Tuesday (Sept. 27), accusing Mayor Mitch Landrieu of turning the metropolitan area into a "magnet" for undocumented immigrants.

"Sanctuary policies not only jeopardize the ability to protect our citizens, but they also allow illegals to commit crimes then roam free in our communities," Landry, a former Republican congressman, told a GOP-led House committee on border security.

Landrieu, a Democrat, dismissed Landry's reproach as a political stunt.

"This waste of public time and money by Attorney General Landry to put on a political show in Washington, D.C. is shameful," Landrieu communications director Tyronne Walker said in a statement. "While Landry was grandstanding this morning, the NOPD was hard at work keeping our streets safe and ensuring our police department advances non-discriminatory policing."

Why does Governor Landry hate New Orleans so much? And what can we do to make him leave us alone?  Maybe we should build some kind of wall. 

We're gonna build a big beautiful Facebook wall and your personal privacy will pay for it

It's like Uber but for Trump-style fascism.. except it's techy so that makes it okay and popular.

The information will be optional, for now, but the proposed change published by the US Federal Register states that “collecting social media data will enhance the existing investigative process and provide Department of Homeland Security (DHS) greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity and connections by providing an additional tool set which analysts and investigators may use to better analyze and investigate the case.”

The proposal is currently under consultation, with US government taking comments until 22 August.

The change forms part of the plan by the US DHS to scrutinise social media activity of visa applicants and those wishing to enter the country, following the San Bernardino killings in California, in which social media profiles formed part of the investigations along with an iPhone 5C.

Bird without a country

This is what you call a stateless peacock.

Mr. Pete eluded animal control officers, flying to a rooftop. But the close call triggered an outcry from neighbors, begging the SPCA to let the bird be. Other bird lovers went straight to the top of the pecking order, calling the office of New Orleans City Councilwoman Susan Guidry.

In any case, reflecting on “the scope of their mission,” SPCA officials decided they would not pursue the peacock.

“It is not in our contract to handle wildlife,” said Alicia Haeferle, a spokeswoman for the SPCA. “Our contract is companion animals only.”

Meanwhile, the state Wildlife and Fisheries Department considers the peacock a domesticated creature and not under its purview, which, ironically, places the blue, green and violet bird in a gray area.

Article also says there are actually two peacocks roaming the Carrollton area. It's a full blown refugee crisis. 

On Thursday, Guidry introduced an ordinance to add the West Carrollton area, also known as Pigeon Town, to a list of 14 bird sanctuaries in New Orleans.

“This ordinance creates a 15th bird sanctuary in West Carrollton to provide those protections to the Carrollton peacocks and parrots, thereby preserving the unique charm and character of one of our city’s many vibrant neighborhoods,” Guidry said in a statement.

Section 18-341 of the city code makes it unlawful to harm wild birds in sanctuary areas. The proposal could come up for a vote May 19.

Uh oh. Don't tell the Louisiana Legislature. They're trying to make sanctuary cities a no no. 

Probably got crowded out by Joe Cao

Scott Angelle decides to run for Boustany's congressional seat rather than David Vitter's soon to be empty Senate seat. He promises to (possibly) not make things worse.

"Time and time again, when things get bad, the politicians in Washington rush in and make it worse! It's time we make them listen," he said in a statement announcing his plans.

So that's pretty bold. Not sure Scott can live up to that.

Meanwhile, what is David Vitter up to these days, anyway? 

Calling Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Sheriff Marlin Gusman "incredibly naive," Sen. David Vitter, R-La., excoriated them Thursday (March 3) over their decisions to enforce "sanctuary city" policies for undocumented immigrants in New Orleans.

"I do not need to remind you that New Orleans is struggling with a devastatingly high murder and violent crime rate," Vitter wrote in a letter addressed to the pair. "Providing incentive for undocumented criminals to flock to the city is a huge mistake and I hope you will immediately reverse this policy."

Vitter's letter was prompted by Landrieu's recent decision to order the New Orleans Police Department to not cooperate with federal immigration officers in civil raids* or to ask crime victims questions about their immigration status.

Oh there he is taking the Trumpist line that all immigrants are dangerous criminals.  That's nice. Unlike Trump, though, Vitter isn't actually running for anything so can we reasonably assume this outrageous statement is close what the man actually believes?  Not expecting any "Miss me?" Vitter ads any time soon.