How To Know You Are In The Business

...when you don't like it when there are those who don't like the way you are doing it, and you can't take some friendly criticism.

Jefferson Parish interim president has decided he doesn't like it when people talk bad about him. So rather than resorting to the time honored "I know you are, but what am I?" tactic, he has decided to sue, with public money funding the lawsuit to the tune of $300/ hour.

Upset that some of the opinion posts on NOLA.com have less than glowing things to say and are calling a spade a spade, Steve Theriot, who got his job after Aaron Broussard left under a cloud of corruption, is suing NOLA.com, and the anonymous posters who had the nerve to say bad things about him. Bad enough that a politician even thinks that he can get away with this is the fact that he also named the government of the parish as a plaintiff, probably to secure public funding for the lawsuit.

To its credit, NOLA.com has basically given Theriot the finger. They refuse to divulge names, and refuse to remove the postings. After this stunt, I am sure the number of John Does attached to this case will rise, as the parish will likely go after any new posters for this blatant attack on free speech. To knuckle under to the parish would effectively end the site's use as a forum, anyway, and a journalist is rarely more self-righteous as when they are protecting their sources.

Also listed in this suit is the blog slabbed.

Thank God this moron is only an "interim" president. The only person I will vote for in the upcomming parish president election will be the one that drops the lawsuit, and then sues Theriot to get the parishes money back. I hope that if I call Theriot and the parish council thugs, morons, incompetent, useless, corrupt, and just plain meany stinky heads, I can get in on the counter-suit, cause I can sure use that money.