WTF

HOLY SHIT: Senate panel approves bill allowing castration for sex offenders

BATON ROUGE -- A Senate committee today took the first step toward giving judges the authority to order sex offenders to undergo physical or chemical castration.

The Judiciary C Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 144 by Sen. Nick Gautreaux, D-Abbeville, to give a judge the option to order medroxyprogestrone acetate, or MPA, to be administered to a first time sex offender. On a repeat violation, the judge must order the treatment for a specific time if a medical expert agrees the treatment can help the offender.

The offender can opt for physical castration on a first or second offense if he agrees to the surgery and a judge concurs.

See also: Convicted Sex Offender Tells His Story as the Governor Tries to Get New Laws Passed [h/t: Dead Pelican]

Senate District 5 Forum

About a week late, but ALTL and ALTR attended the Senate District Forum over at the Green Charter Middle School last Tuesday. More established bloggers, the likes of Adrastros and Some Came Running have already posted their reviews. I can't really elaborate, but, again, here are a couple of noteworthy tidbits:

• ALTR couldn't get over the fact that Irma Dixon thinks she invented the internet. Who does she think she is, Al Gore?
  
• Jalila Jefferson-Bullock is a speed talker. I mean, seriously, I had a hard time following most of what she said. But we were all sure to catch her saying she is so glad her child behaved himself.
  
• Dude, Cheryl Gray is hot! And not married. Or at least she doesn't wear a ring. Hmmm.
  
• David Williams is not a career politician.
  

I have to agree with the bloggers above that David Williams stood out and may be the best candidate for the job. However, maybe it's just my 'hood and commute to work, but I don't think that Jalila Jefferson-Bullock is winning the yard sign war. I see David Williams signs everywhere. The election on Saturday could prove interesting, as the votes might be split evenly between Gray and Jefferson, and to a lesser extent Dixon versus Williams. I just don't see a clear win the first time around, making what will probably be a Gray vs. Williams run off an intense and tight race. It's unlikely the Jefferson political machine will prevail. Gray is winning the endorsement battle, with support from the Alliance for Good Government and the much-coveted Times-Pic backing (amongst others). Gray is sharing the Gambit endorsement with Williams, who can also boast LABI, the Republicans of New Orleans (whatever their organization name really is) as well as local Democrat groups.

Saturday night will be an exciting one.

Local Politicking

As promised, we visit the issue of the Senate District 5. It was common knowledge that Irma Dixon (once upon a time ran against Congressman Jefferson for his District 2 seat as well as serving as a state rep, former Public Commissioner), Jalila Jefferson-Bullock (debatebly best known as Congressman Jefferson's daughter, currently State Rep. Dist. 91), Cheryl Gray (alleged lesbian lover of Karen Carter, current State Rep. Dist. 98), and David Williams (token white guy, recently converted Democrat, and former Fourth Circguit judge). Then on the final day to file, Andrew Gressett throws his hat into the ring as the lone Republican. The "perennial candidade" as The Gambit so fondly refers to him, ran and subsequently lost as a Democrat to Nancy Marshall (6% of the vote, baby!) for 6th District Assessor. To add fuel to the fire, he and his organization the Property Rights Commission sent out inflammatory mailings on Stacy Head.

Gressett sounds like a shit starter. Before declaring his candidacy, David Williams changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat. He was the only white person and the only man running for the coveted Senate District 5 seat. Gressett, who formerly ran as a Democrat, registers as a Republican and files for the same seat. This won't hurt the plight of Dixon, Jefferson-Bullock, and Gray...but one must wonder who planted the seed in Mr. Gressett's mind. And dare we ask, what his compensation will be. It's not unheard of, you know, with a Jefferson involved.

In the House District 98 race, Neil Abramson has recently been the target of the LA GOP with their "Poor Neil" mailings and website. They allege that after Abramson was in a 1998 car accident, he tried to hit up the insurance company, in court, not once, not twice, but three times for a large sum of money. What's the deal, Neil?

oops

The District 5 Senate race is starting to get a little more interesting as two more folks have thrown their hat into the ring. The Jalila Jefferson position will definitely be interesting seeing how all the stuff has been coming down on the Jefferson clan lately.

Interesting, however...

Gray and Dixon join two other Senate hopefuls who have been campaigning for weeks: state Rep. Jalila Jefferson-Bullock and former appeals court judge David Williams. All are Democrats except Williams, a Republican.

C'mon, they're all Dems at this stage of the game...

From Saturday's T-P -- Familiar Faces Join Senate Race