New Orleans, I Love You, But Y'all Need To Calm Down

This whole “the New Orleans Saints are in the Super Bowl” thing is starting to get a little out of hand. First of all, that picture to the right is of a man in a dress. Not just any man, that’s Bobby Hebert, former Saints quarterback and current Saints broadcaster, in a dress. It’s a tribute to bats**t craziness legendary Saints broadcaster, Buddy Diliberto, and there were hundreds of men dressed in drag to celebrate … football.
And this craziness has been well documented by a New Orleans legal system that has garned national attention. Remember the judge who took judicial notice of “Saintsmania”? That’s the kind of story that is pretty standard for Above the Law, but you can imagine our surprise when producers for ESPN called us asking for a copy of the order.
Then we had a story about the NFL claiming ownership of the phrase “Who Dat.” I figured that would garner some attention, but I didn’t expect Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, both Louisiana U.S. Senators, and most of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation to all start screaming at the NFL.
In a rare move, the NFL caved under the enormous pressure. WDSU 6 reports:

Initially, the NFL said shop owners would have to pay for the right to sell Who Dat stuff. But now it seems the NFL has backed off the position, saying they don’t own the right to “Who Dat” when it’s by itself. The issue is when the phrase is paired with an NFL or Saints logo. …
U.S. David Vitter also chimed in again Monday, sending out a statement.
“The Senator is pleased that the NFL is already coming off its original position. However, he is continuing to demand that the NFL drop any claim on the phrase Who Dat under any circumstances and will be sending a more detailed letter to the NFL Monday,” said Joel DiGrado, Vitter spokesman.

You know, if we could harness this kind of uprising, we could probably get the NFL to do something about its horrible overtime system.
The lesson is that the people in New Orleans take partying with the Saints very seriously.
And today we’re learning that this didn’t just start with the Saints Super Bowl appearance. The legal system was cowering to Saintsmania during the NFC Championship game as well.


The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports on just how deeply the city and the judical system cares about the Saints:

A 24th Judicial District Court magistrate released a Metairie man from jail for two days last month so he could attend the Jan. 24 NFC championship game.

Umm … what?

But James Buisson, 31, who was jailed on a probation violation, returned two days late to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.
The order from Magistrate Commissioner Carol Kiff freeing Buisson caught correctional officers by surprise, leading them to double check with the magistrate to ensure it was accurate, Sheriff Newell Normand said.
“Release from 1-23-10 at noon until 1-25-10 at noon so he can go to the Saints-Vikings game – He has tickets,” Kiff wrote in the Jan. 19 order.

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What the hell kind of penal system are they running down in NOLA?

Bussion’s attorney, Gerry Archer, said Monday he left court Jan. 19 after Buisson admitted to the probation violation and was taken into custody. He said he was unaware Kiff released his client until a court clerk notified him the day after the game that Buisson hadn’t returned to jail.
“As an officer of the court, … I told him to report immediately,” Archer said. “He turned himself in the following day.”
He said he didn’t ask Buisson if he attended the Saints game. Buisson could have asked to delay the hearing until after the game but did not, Archer added.
“She probably gave him credit for taking responsibility for his actions,” Archer said of Buisson acknowledging the probation violation.

Okay, I think that I’m beginning to understand this. Based on my (admittedly limited) time in New Orleans, it seems to me that the laws down there are “optional” anyway. It’s the kind of place that says: “If you can avoid molesting women in the street, that’d be great. But if you simply must cop a feel, you’ll need to have something to barter with. Here, take these beads.”
In that kind of society, I can see how jail is a place for people to come and go as they please. It’s on an honor system.
In all seriousness, I can’t imagine what will happen down there if the Saints win. We’ll be looking at a “dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria” situation.
‘Who Dat’ Claim Was Misunderstanding, NFL Says [WDSU 6]
New Orleans Saints NFC championship tickets warrant jail pass for Jefferson Parish inmate [New Orleans Times-Picayune]
Earlier: Who Dat Needs A Continuance?
Who Dat Sey Dey Own Dat Chant?

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