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Viewer's Voice - Vitter Feedback

Liz says...
Everybody forgave Bill Clinton, why not David Vitter. He at least told the truth, Clinton did not.

Anonymous says...
I think Vitter's biggest mistake was...He got caught. I'll still vote for him.

Anonymous says...
If Vitter had ran just a regular campaign and not run to all of the preachers to help him run on a platform of him being this great "family man" this would be no big deal. This is not my idea of a husband, father or the moral platform he ran on. He should have done like Edwin Edwards and said he loved all women! Black, white, small and big---he just loved women. We would have voted for him and not been disappointed. Women in Louisiana elected Edwin Edwards the first time he ran and we were never disappointed that he was not faithful to his wife. But, when you use your high morals as your platform you need to be able to live up to what you said you were. Also, if you go back to the scandal of Bill Clinton, if I am not mistaken Mrs. Vitter voice her opinion of Hillary staying with him to the media. And Mr. Vitter has been very quick to treaten the politicans that did not support him with an investigation by the FBI. Can he go through such an investigation? SHAME ON VITTER! He has embrassed his family and his supporters. He will never be taken seriously again.

Barbara says...
Regarding Vitters behavior, I don't think it will impact his politics at all. Unfortunately, it seems to be the thing for politicians to do. If they aren't homosexuals or perverts of some kind, then they are caught stealing massive amounts of money. Is it any wonder people don't vote. Everyone who gets elected seems to get richer and quickly develop their power base. They can give themselves huge raises and agree on that. I think they all use a common speech @ election time and pass it around to each other.

Goldia says...
I support David Vitter. He has an exceptionally good voting record, and if his wife can forgive him--who am I to not do so also.
Conservative politicians are always under attack by mean spirited people, while many liberals go uncensored by the same people. We must stop this needless waste of good people! No one is perfect except God and Jesus Christ. Jesus said to "Go and sin no more," not to throw the first rock...

Pattie says...
I think the people of Lousiana deserve MORE than an apology - How about - A REIMBURSEMENT of Expenditures that Vitter Misappropriated???? I'm Sure we can put the money into some kind of FUND for later.........

Ashley says...
I am pasting below my blog entry from your website to this message. I would love for my voice to be heard.
I'm not sure why we are always so surprised when something like David Vitter's situation comes out. We rightly hold our goverment to a higher standand than we hold ourselves but we always need to remember that these people are regualar men and women who sometimes fall short in morality and ethics. Should we be dissapointed in David Vitter? Yes. Should this ruin his carreer and plauge his ability to do his job? No. We should never judge a man or woman by their worst mistake. We are all bigger than that one action.
I understand what all of you are saying ... Shame on Vitter! But does this mean that his vision for Louisiana has become less valuable? I didn't vote for him because he was a good husband or father. And for those that did, shame on you. Politics is not ENTIRELY about personal life but about insight into the bigger picture. Can Vitter still deliver the forethought that he promised in the beginning? Absolutely! We must all rally around him and support the business side of his course of action. This does not mean condoning his choices. Leave the judgment of personal matters with his wife and God. Make no mistake, he will be accountable ... But at what cost? Hopefully not at the expense of the greater good of Louisiana.
One more thought ...
The subject of infidelity is an entirely different subject than Health Care, the War in Iraq, or Border control. I don't understand how his shortcomings as a husband play a role in his vision for this state. Furthermore, all the accusations made against him come well before his bid to D.C. Who are we to judge? As far as I can tell, he made peace with his inadequacies long before his campaign to be a Senator. If his wife can forgive, why not us?

Ty says...
Were his actions in his office under the desk?

Anonymous says...
I say leave Senator Vitter alone. Has he been a good Senator? If so, elect him again. Why spend so much energy crucifying him for a mistake made prior to his election.Focus on what really matters - what he's done and can continue to do for Louisiana.

Anonymous says...
Hustler just issued a press release, and they claim their $1 million dollar investigation has yieled credible information to link Vitter to five (5) prostitutes. I guess the snowball just gets bigger as it rolls down the hill Vitter tried to suppress.

Viewer's Voice - Vitter Future

After reading the latest AP report on Senator Vitter take a moment to tell us what you think by calling 445-6397 Ext. 589. Or you can join the conversation here.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New allegations tie Sen. David Vitter to a high-priced brothel in his hometown, one day after he publicly apologized for his connection to an alleged prostitution ring in Washington, D.C.

On Monday, Vitter acknowledged being involved with a D.C. escort service that federal prosecutors say was a prostitution ring. A day later, new revelations linked him to a former madam in New Orleans and old allegations that he frequented a former prostitute resurfaced, further clouding his political future.

Jeanette Maier on Tuesday said Vitter was once a client of the Canal Street brothel. She pleaded guilty to running the operation in 2002. Vitter won his seat in the U.S. Senate in 2004.
Saying he was a "decent guy" who appeared to be in need of company when he visited the brothel, Maier added unexpected details to a scandal enveloping the first-term Republican.

"As far as the girls coming out after seeing David, all they had was nice things to say. It wasn't all about sex. In fact, he just wanted to have somebody listen to him, you know. And I said his wife must not be listening," Maier said in an interview with The Associated Press.
She also was interviewed by several other news organizations. Vitter's office did not respond to calls for comment on the latest allegations.

Federal prosecutors unveiled the existence of the $300-an-hour brothel in April 2002. It was linked to similar operations in other U.S. cities.

"It wasn't all about dirty, raunchy, crazy sex," Maier told the AP. "It was a bunch of guys coming over hanging out with the girls and having a few cocktails, and men being men."
Maier was among 17 defendants who pleaded guilty in the investigation. With all the guilty pleas, there never was a trial, and that kept under wraps a list of customers that reportedly included prominent lawyers, doctors and business professionals.

"He is a decent guy. He's not a freak. He's not using drugs.
He's not using taxpayers money to buy hookers or drugs or anything like that. He's just a decent, normal guy," she said.

Vinny Mosca, Maier's attorney in the brothel case, said in a statement late Tuesday that she never told him about Vitter being a client and that his name never came up in the case.
"Throughout the time that I represented Jeannette Maier in the Canal Street brothel case, the name of David Vitter or any code name for him never came up," Mosca said. "It was not contained in any evidence in the case, including in any book, list or document seized by the federal government or given to the federal government by Ms. Maier."

Mosca also said Vitter's name "was never picked up on any government wiretap nor is it listed in any transcript or court document as part of the Canal Street brothel case."

Also Tuesday, details resurfaced about an allegation that Vitter paid weekly visits to a prostitute in the French Quarter in the late 1990s. The allegations were investigated by a Republican rival when Vitter ran for a House seat in Congress in 1999. The seat had been vacated by Robert Livingston, who resigned after disclosure of marital indiscretions.

Vincent Bruno, a member of the state Republican Party's central committee, said Tuesday that he had confirmed the allegations at the time while working for the campaign of David Treen, a former Louisiana governor running against Vitter.

The allegations never surfaced in the congressional campaign, but The Louisiana Weekly, a New Orleans newspaper, wrote about them in 2002 and 2004. Vitter denied the accusations. The prostitute never spoke publicly about the alleged affair, which was largely ignored by mainstream news organizations.

"She said she was having a paid affair often on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Dauphine and Dumaine," Bruno said, referring to two French Quarter streets.
"It's very sleazy, and it's illegal. But, OK, it doesn't apply to senators. They're an elite group," Bruno said with irony. He has called on Vitter to resign.

Bernie Pinsonat, a Louisiana political analyst, said Republicans most likely would stand behind Vitter despite the new allegations.
"They aren't going to throw him to the wolves," he said, citing support from religious organizations, conservative commentators and the general public.

Vitter declined interview requests throughout the day Tuesday, and made no public appearances in the Capitol. The night before, he'd made a startling confession in an e-mail to The Associated Press about his association with a purported call-girl operation in Washington.
"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible. Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling."

Vitter's statement said his telephone number was on phone records of Pamela Martin and Associates, an escort service, before he ran for the Senate in 2004. Federal prosecutors have accused Deborah Jeane Palfrey of racketeering by running a prostitution ring that netted more than $2 million over 13 years, beginning in 1993. She contends that her escort service was a legitimate business offering sexual fantasies.

Vitter, 46, and his wife, Wendy, live in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie with their four children. Vitter recently played a prominent role in derailing an immigration bill backed by President Bush. He also is a key supporter of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid, serving as regional campaign chairman for the South.

Tunica-Biloxi Tribe Hosts State Rep Debate

This is an event we will be covering. If you have questions for the candidates feel free to post them here and we will deliver them to the panel.

TBIPAC and Tunica-Biloxi Tribe to Host 2007 Avoyelles Candidates for State Representatives Debate

Marksville, LA - Officials of the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Political Action Committee and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana will host a debate for all qualifying candidates in the 2007 State Representatives election for Avoyelles Parish. The debate will be held on Tuesday, July 24, at 6 p.m. in the new Showroom of the Mari Convention Center at Paragon Casino Resort.

“The TBIPAC and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe are pleased to host a debate which will allow the voters of Avoyelles Parish the opportunity to hear issues openly discussed,” stated Tribal Chairman, Earl J. Barbry, Sr.
Admission to the debate is one non-perishable food item. All items collected from this event will be donated to the Central Louisiana Food Bank. “Creating awareness, let us lead and feed by example,” said David Rivas, Tribal Director of Political Affairs.

Candidates scheduled to debate are: Digger Earles, Robert Johnson, Dr. Warren Plauche and Kirby Roy. Each candidate will pull a number to determine the order of seating throughout the debate. The candidates will be given a list of 15 questions to review during a thirty-minute period before the debate begins at 6 p.m. Each candidate will answer three of the 15 questions posed by panel members.

For more information, please visit http://www.paragoncasinoresort.com/ or call 1-800-946-1946.

Louisiana College gets 2 million for new degrees

Pineville, LA. …Louisiana College has received a one-time grant for two million dollars from the State of Louisiana to begin a new Allied Health program. The new program will include degrees in the following areas:


Respiratory Therapy
Physical Therapy Assistant
Medical Licensed Technician
Radiologic Technology

Students will be able to obtain an Associates’ or Bachelors’ degree in all of these areas. Individuals, after completing two years of coursework and completing other requirements for an Associate degree will be able to enter the workforce and help fill the critical need for healthcare professionals in central Louisiana and throughout the state.

Healthcare is either the largest or second largest economic driver of the state’s economy. One half of the 30 fastest growing occupations in the entire labor market today are in Allied Health.

This funding initiative given by the State of Louisiana in partnership with the Louisiana Rural Healthcare Association will be administered by the Louisiana Board of Regents.

Louisiana College is filling a great need in the state, especially the rural areas of the state where healthcare professionals are desperately needed. The college will build upon a solid foundation of academic excellence in nursing and pre-med programs. For decades, the college has produced outstanding nurses and candidates for medical school who have gone on to serve their communities. With this one-time grant from the state of Louisiana, Louisiana College will be able to develop a new academic program that will continue to grow and educate students from across the state.

The new Allied Health program will begin this August with the fall semester. Students interested in these areas should contact the Louisiana College Office of Admissions for additional information (318) 487- 7259. Individuals who apply to enter the Allied Health program this fall will be eligible for additional scholarships specifically for students in the Allied Health program.