Our good friend Lamar of CenLamar blog had the opportunity last week to join the Coast Guard on a flyover of the Deepwater Horizon site, and he posted a great article along with pictures. Here's a brief excerpt:
I'm not sure exactly why I was invited to do this, but a little over three weeks ago at about seven at night, I received a phone call from someone at the White House, inviting me to participate in a flyover of the former site of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and the current location of a cluster of clean-up crews.
I haven't covered the Deepwater Horizon disaster with nearly the same passion and insight and detail as other bloggers in the State, but believe me, it's not for lack of care; it's because I've found myself so frustrated, disappointed, and angered about the whole thing that I simply haven't been able to write coherently about the subject.
Well, the good news is that convicted Senator Ted Stevens has been voted out of office. Unfortunately, we here in Louisiana will likely not have that opportunity if and when Congressman Jefferson is convicted sometime next spring.
But that's besides the point of this post. And the hat tip goes to CenLamar:
As Majority Leader, [Hale] Boggs often campaigned for others. On October 16, 1972, he was aboard a twin engine Cessna 310 with Representative Nick Begich of Alaska, who was facing a possible tight race in the November 1972 general election against the Republican candidate Don Young, when it disappeared during a flight from Anchorage to Juneau. The only others on board were Begich's aide, Russell Brown, and the pilot, Don Jonz;[2] the four were heading to a campaign fundraiser for Begich. (Begich won the 1972 election posthumously with 56 percent to Young's 44 percent, though Young would win the special election to replace Begich and has won every election to the seat since then.)
In the largest search ever mounted by the U.S. military,[citation needed] Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force planes searched for the party. On November 24, 1972, after 39 days, the search was abandoned. Neither the wreckage of the plane nor the pilot's and passengers' remains were ever found. The accident prompted Congress to pass a law mandating Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT's) in all U.S. civil aircraft.
Both Boggs and Begich were re-elected that November. House Resolution 1 of January 3, 1973 officially recognized Boggs's presumed death and opened the way for a special election.
The connection? Mark Begich is Nick Begich's son. And Hale Boggs, is, as CenLamar also points out, the father of Cokie Roberts.
So I made it back to New Orleans late last night, to find that all the grocery stores were closed - Whole Foods just because, and Winn-Dixie because they didn't have a damn thing left on the shelves last night that was non-perishable. I'm sticking to non-perishables until Hurricane Ike gets its ass far away from the shores of Louisiana.
I'm swamped at the moment, due to prepping for law school finals, and you never feel like you've done enough studying ... and my internet connection at home is still out, no thanks to Cox Communications. Since I'm moving in less than 2 weeks, I've decided to give up on Cox. Once I move, I'll have internet through AT&T. There is no good choice out there, unfortunately. Now, for some election related matters ...
CenLamar has been kicking ass and taking names when it comes to the money trail behind Chris Roy's opponent in HD 25 - Lance Maxwell. By the way, Maxwell used to work for Sinator Vitter.
I haven't really paid attention to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's race until today. The reason for that is I never received any mail from any of the candidates, probably because I am a registered Democrat in an overwhelmingly Republican district - HD 69.
But today, I received a mailer from Sid Gautreaux about his opponent, Greg Phares' record - he was suspended from duty for DESTROYING evidence AND he was found liable for retaliation, harassment and discrimination in a suit filed by Baton Rouge Police Officers. I mean, DAMN. The man wants to be Sheriff? He's better suited for dog catcher. Vote for Sid Gautreaux ...
