Insurance Coverage Blog

It's hard to tell when Jim Hood comes out of nowhere with some bizarre escapade like last week's press conference whether such an event is an objective in itself or merely an attempt to deflect attention from something else that will come up later.

If you recall, last week Hood said he is:

• responsible for the additional State Farm Katrina settlements because he sued State Farm several months after they announced a deal with Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale to reopen thousands of claims files;
• the strongest man in the South, and he would prove it by walking right through a brick wall in front of reporters' eyes, except there was no brick wall around; and
• probably the reincarnation of the Pharaoh Thutmose III of Egypt, circa 1500 B.C, or possibly P.T. Barnum, or both.  

Just kidding about the last two, but he actually did say the first one.  It's a hard one to figure, saying something so utterly refutable -- it is just natural Hoodism/Hoodzpah/Hoodwinking? Or is Jim trying to get out in front of some other news, you know, build up some positive press before something else heads south in the South?   

Obviously David you are hearing rumours of something getting ready to break. Otherwise you wouldn't waste a post thinking out loud like this . . .

David, He is probably beating his chest at this time because he knows that State Farm market study or whatever that is will be coming out soon. When that is released he will have put himself in the position to say "See all of my followers, see what I, your great grand poobah have done for you. If I hadn't taken the steps that i did, Snake Farm wouldn't have received any good marks on this survey. All the good marks they get are because of me and my ways, and all the bad things they did were before I came after them". Forget about the fact SF is no longer writing new business in the state, and have put out a complete moratorium on coastal coverages, in large part because of this putz and his "family". I think policyholders can thank the little general and his cronies for the increased cost of insurance in the area more so then the impact Katrina itself had on the bottom line. It's hard to write insurance and properly underwrite it when you have clowns like this throwing the exclusions out the window the week after the storm, like he did when he tried to have the flood exclusion declared null and void. What a putz!

If a US Attorney named Jim
Inquired about Hood on a whim
Would it ring any bells
with the staff at Crechales
That he did dine with Stevie and Tim?

Was the brick wall damaged by wind before the water arrived? Do we need an anti-concurrent causation ruling? Maybe it was the series of tornadoes that oddly managed to only strike below the railroad tracks along 90 miles of MS/Gulf shoreline. Tell Hood to visit Ma Lobrano, I think she still has a wall standing.

You know, I traveled to New Orleans frequently both before and after Katrina. (I lived there 10 years prior.) You wouldn't believe the devastation. The biggest trees you have ever seen just uprooted. Huge, huge oaks, uprooted. Unbelievable. There was this one huge gigantic billboard sign contructed on a huge piling of steel and very impressive steel frame -- I am talking really big -- one of the biggest if not the biggest billboard around. That thing was nothing more than twisted steel for over a year. It always amazed me whenever I drove by.

It must be that most of you guys who post here have no idea of the devastation that storm caused, without the water, much less with the water. You just have no earthly idea. Instead, you want to treat the people down here like some dumb f---s. I think that tells it all. Try to belittle that and see how far you get with your granny.

BS, you always brighten my day! I for one was not born or raised in the South, but lived there for 21 years and have the greatest respect for southerners and their ways. I can truely attest to the term "southern hospitality" and got to know it well when I moved there in my mid 20's. I do not believe in steroetyping people by their groups, but I can tell you it was refreshing to move from yankeeland to the south and the different cultures between them. Not saying one is better then the other, but they are different. I do not treat the people "down here like some dumb f---s" like you say. I save that for just a select few that I can count on my two hands that have plead guilty to crimes out of this mess and who I perceive have let down the voters in the state by their actions. The jury is still out on the carrier you like so much until I see proof of their criminal activity and the sisters also. But if either the sisters or SF are proven to be criminal in their actions, I will have zero problem in putting them into that grouping.
As far as not understanding the devastation, I think I can say I have seen the devastation first hand and know all too well what happened there. You would be surprised what I have seen in my years and what destruction can occur to people and their lives, whether it be from weather or man made problems. Good evening to you there.

Belle,

I have been reading the blog and all of the commentary for awhile. I am also a fellow Southerner. In no way do I think, David or the other commentators are belittling the south or making light of the devastation that happened in LA and Mississippi.

What they are making fun of is the hypocricy that permeates many trial lawyers and politicians. People that masquerade as white knights, when in reality they are out for either money or their own narcissistic egos.

Mississippi certainly does not hold the the entire population of sleazy politicians and lawyers. One only has to look at Elliot Spitzer ex-governor of New York, the Milburn Weiss law firm, and lately John Edwards to see this.

Keep up the good work David!

BS,
As you probably know, I regularly comment on this blog. I live in New Orleans. Am I one of the "you guys" that you throw out? Your comment today is meaningless as well as off the point of the post. Did the lower 9th Ward and New Orleans East and Lakeview and Gentilly end up the way they did because of wind or rising water? Why does Mr. Rossmiller continue to let you post on his blog?

Belle, while I have not personally witnessed the devestation I do not think of the people down there in the manner you state, even though I believe you actually do. I know people who lived through it all and still live there, and people who helped out there in the aftermath. The people were failed first and foremost by the political leaders, from the local level on up to the Federal level.

To be straight forward, the only one I've seen post out of ignorance on a consistent basis over here has been you. You make blanket statements and accusations without any basis in fact. You have no problem falsely accusing others of being lacking in character when it has been you that has been lacking. You deliberately turn a blind eye to the questionable acts of others and when forced to finally confront those acts you try to divert attention elsewhere by saying using the old "But what about this person?" dodge.

Then again, I've seen the destruction earthquakes cause firsthand, which is why I do NOT hold those who live on the Gulf in low regard. Earthquakes, while less frequent than hurricanes, can also be more devastating because there is no time to prepare against its occurence. I've also seen the destruction wild fires can cause and just lived inbetween two of them (the Watsonville and Big Sur fires). By the way, I've also seen the devestation flooding can cause (I also lived through the El Nino floods of 1995). While those floods do not come close to the destruction and devestation caused by Katrina nonetheless I saw many people lose family homes and saw their crops ruined (I live in the salad bowl of the world area). So I think it's safe to say I've seen quite a bit of devestation and destruction and it appears more types than you have ever lived through.

So next time you wish to lecture any of us make sure you know what you are talking about instead of making wild and baseless accusations about any of us and our character.

I forgot to add that I grew up in Missouri and so knew about what a Tornado could do as well.

It was obvious from day one -- or at least day 14 when Hood filed his first suit against State Farm -- that State Farm was not paying any wind claims on the coast. To ask anyone to believe there was no wind damage is phenomenal. There was a gal in the Lecky King's office who said, Everyone knows there was no wind damage on the coast. Mm-hmm. That's our good neighbor. First the policyholders get slabbed by the hurricane and then get slabbed by their insurance. How can State Farm account for paying all those wind claims miles from the coast and then say there wasn't any on the coast?

My granny, God rest her soul, would know the difference between flood and wind. Regarding dumb f___s in MS, the shoe is the perfect size for BS.

I think there is a mindset that large companies such as State Farm should not ever be questioned, whether through the legal systems or media, in fear that they might stop doing business in the state. Also, the medical profession simply has to threaten such things as not taking medicare patients to get their way in the congress or have tort reforms passed that protect them from accountability. Need checks and balances!!!

You folks are missing the point. Belle is a (self-defined) victim. As a victim, she (and those similarly situated) is entitled to special status, rights and privileges. Contract language no longer applies to her. The law no longer applies to her. Certain laws of physics no longer apply to her. Typical societal norms no longer apply.

No rule, law, rights or interests can prevail against such a person.

All hail Belle! All hail the victim!

Bellesouth posted:

"To ask anyone to believe there was no wind damage is phenomenal. There was a gal in the Lecky King's office who said, Everyone knows there was no wind damage on the coast."

The only one who said such a statement even remotely took place was one of the Rigsby sisters and her version is, as far as I know, uncorraborated. Also, Belle has the quote wrong anyway as the sister said the person was saying how there could be no flood damage to any of those homes and that they knew to be untrue (that no home suffered flood damage, not that no home wind damage). Belle keeps showing herself to be misleading more and more.

Claimsguy, you said "You folks are missing the point. Belle is a (self-defined) victim", but I don't know if that is accurate per se. I was under the impression that she wasn't involved in the storm itself, but moved back to MS after Katrina. Of course she deals with the devastation of the area maybe (don't know what part she lives in, so she may not even be in an area impacted much), but I don't believe she was "slabbed" and probably didn't even have a personal Katrina insurance claim. If she did, it must have turned out just fine as she still has her State Farm insurance coverages in place. "don't want to penalize her agent for the actions of the insurance company". I'm not sure most people are aware of it BS, but SF uses captive agents, so you specifically went to a SF agent to get your coverages. Once you moved to MS after Katrina any policy you had would have been transfered to a MS agent, so the agent you have in MS would have been your agent only after SF had committed fraud on all the policyholders in your fair state. I already stated my thoughts on the hypocracy of all of that.

Bellesouth - Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts!

Belle is simply young, naive, and aggrieved. She has been hurt by a storm, can't punish God, wont take responsibility for her situation and refuses to believe others should be held responsible for their own failings as well. Some of this is understandable, some even excusable. I think if you have read enough of her posts you will see that she sometimes "flies off" in a posting without completely thinking through the entire message. A sign of passion to be sure. Again, not a crime. As a victim she actually is "entitled" to a bit of slack I feel. So many of us should wonder JUST WHAT IF we were in the same shoes? It doesn't excuse some of the vitriol the young lass spews but it does put it in perspective. All that being said, it simply means that NO AMOUNT OF LOGIC OR FACTS will sway a jihadist! They not only believe what they are saying with their innermost being, they are threatened by anyone or anything that threatens that belief. For her it doesnt even seem to be a matter of money like some of the plaintiff's bar attorneys and kiss ups that hang on their every word. It just means she is "all in" when it comes to hating anything that stands opposed to her feelings (factual or not.)

You all are absolutely unbelievable. You just make s**t up that you want to believe and don't care about the facts. Katrina did not affect me personally one red cent.

This is from Kerri Rigsby's depo in January 2007:

[R]eports were coming to Lecky, and she was reviewing them. If she didn’t agree with them, she would have them changed.

I recognized the handwriting, and I knew it was Lecky’s so I brought the report back to her and gave it to her. And I said — I asked her, I said, I suppose I wasn’t supposed to get this report. And she said, no, you weren’t. And she took it out of my hands. So, I brought it back to her.

Q. Additional concerns?

A. The other thing — the other things, the first, which this is kind of obvious, but I was back at Lecky King’s desk for another matter. And there was a stack of engineering reports on her desk, quite a large stack. And she said, look at all these engineer reports that I have to send back.

And I believe Lisa Wachter, a trainer that worked with Lecky, assisted Lecky, was standing there. And she said, all these engineers must be related to the policyholders because they all say there’s wind damage down here, and we know there wasn’t.

We normally — when we get an expert opinion, we usually go with that expert opinion. That’s why we hire them, because we need them. And I don’t know in the years that I’ve worked with State Farm that I’ve ever seen them not go with an engineer opinion.

And then after that episode at Lecky’s desk a memo came out that said they were cancelling all the engineer reports. Well, when we got that notification and they were sending this out, we realized this wasn’t just Lecky. Because what they were doing was they were telling the engineering companies not to write a report. And in the memo, it is stated, do not write the report. We will pay your bill or invoice without a report.

Well, Proximo, you've finally dispelled a deep suspicion of mine: that Belle and David Rossmiller are one and the same. I've been thinking that maybe David uses the name BelleSouth to spin the most asinine drivel against himself to cast his impeccable logic in an even brighter light. I'm still not sure she exists (How masochistic would she have to be?) but if she does, you've nailed her.

bellesouth is real, you'd better believe it, as real as an orange jumpsuit on scruggs or a confused look on jim hood's face. why she won't say who she is, I don't know, but this is a real person and not a put-on.

Belle, can anyone corraborate Keri's story? And how do we know Keri isn't leaving parts our? Could the statement have been "And we know there wasn't only wind damage."

But wait, what motivation would Keri have to lie? If you can't figure that part out then you are truly naive. And, yes, I know both sides had motivations to lie. Now, the tricky part is figuring out which side is lieing.

"Also, Belle has the quote wrong anyway as the sister said the person was saying how there could be no flood damage to any of those homes and that they knew to be untrue (that no home suffered flood damage, not that no home wind damage). Belle keeps showing herself to be misleading more and more"

Who has their facts wrong, Xerac! Where's your proof? Y'all are all farting in the wind.

Funny how you can be flatulent with your mouth when it comes to being outright wrong about our own personal experiences when it comes to destruction and devastation and how you just make up stuff about our character but when we get something wrong you are quick to point it out. And all you have is an uncorraborated statement, not any proof nor any facts to back you up.

Proximo, my grandmother would have said, "a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still". No amount of logic or facts will prevail in discussions with Belle. If, that is, the vitriol can be considered discussion. I don't think hanging one's case on the testimony of two people who have been demonstrated to have a stake in the outcome is a wise move, but that's just me. I didn't see Katrina, I did work Andrew, so I have a small clue. I think we need to go back to teaching reading comprehension, then people may understand what a contract is and perhaps even what one says

I personally was in Slidell 2 weeks after the hurricane and was one of the first people to cross the old 2 lane Hwy 11 bridge into New Orleans. I10 was still collapsed. One thing that amazed me and my coworkers (we aren't claims adjusters but did work with insurance companies) was that the roofs of a lot of these homes appeared to be undisturbed. Sure, a few show some shingles missing here and there but for the most part the homes I saw were destroyed by water not wind. I'm not saying there WASN'T wind damage I'm saying the the primary cause of loss of the homes I saw were due to water. Now when we went to work further inland the wind damage increased and the water damage decreased. I was at one location 6 miles inland from Pontchartrain that had 6 ft of water in the building and only minor evidence of wind. I agree there might be a home or two out there destroyed by wind but in the locations I saw including downtown New Orleans the evidence of wind was minor. Once again my stay was short and consisted of just the Slidell/Covington/Amite area and I never went into Mississippi, but what I saw was water over wind. Also I have some photos including one identical to an AP photo. I'm not wanting to get into a debate with anyone, I'm just wanting to report what I saw.

Belle, not Wachter, not King, not any state farm adjuster or otherwise had any reason to lie about these issues. NONE OF THEM were paid more money to show LESS DAMAGE. The ONLY PEOPLE paid to have a difference of opinion on the damage were the Rigsby sisters. How could so many independent adjusters for so many companies all keep the same story? The only people that could MAKE MONEY from these people's losses were the ATTORNEYS suing the insurance companies. The only people that have been PUT IN JAIL for ethics violation and crimes are SOME OF THE SAME attorneys. I guess I am going against my own explanation above because I do understand you have a cause and a mission celbre but the rest of us without a "dog in the hunt" can see some of this plain as day.

Wow, good interchange this week! Missed ya David!

Belle, the people on the coast aren't victims of Katrina. They're victims of Scruggs, Hood and the Rigsbys, who messed up the process so badly in order to make a few million. The weather is what the weather is. You either prepare for it, including making sure you have the correct insurance coverage, or you take your chances. My house burned to the ground once and I was underinsured. That didn't make me a victim of the insurance company or a victim of the fire. It just showed that I was unprepared for the circumstances. Katrina was a way out-of-the-ordinary circumstance, I'll grant you, but that doesn't mean you're any more a "victim" than I am, unless you were taken advantage of by Dickie and his money-grubbing friends.

Proximo, then why did Lecky King plead the fifth?

Pleading the 5th in no way means one is guilty of the crimes in question. However, she may be guilty in some unrelated crime or her statements could be taken wrong and used to incriminate her. You don't know anymore than any of us.

I believe Belle may be Mrs. Hood. It would explain why she takes it so personally when I questioned the morals, ethics and integrity of Hood. Also, Beele takes criticism of Hood as a personal attack on Mississippi, as if one is saying that only Mississippi is corrupt. I know I have on at least one occaision, if not more, clearly stated that the corruption and attempted coruption of Mississippi's political and judicial processes is by no means unique to Mississippi and that it is indeed a problem nationwide. I offered proof that Hood definitely "looks and quacks like a duck". And what does Belle do? Instead of taking a hard, objective look at things she says, in essence,"But what about this person?" in order to deflect things.

She attacks our character and integrity and says we have no idea about natural disasters. Then when she is shown to be wrong on that she moves on to something else, having been foiled and exposed.

Uh, why did Scruggs plead the fifth?

Unless I missed something, pleading the Fifth is still one's right as an American. Scruggs can, King can, Lott can, (oh wait: that hasn't happened yet), we all can.

Speculating about motivation is quite tricky, but if we remember what the atmosphere was when Ms. King was called to testify (it was rather close to being a mob scene, with Scruggs and Hood talking quite publicly about putting people in jail as they tried to steamroll the carriers) that I couldn't blame anyone for asserting their right as an American to take the Fifth.

It wouldn't surprise me if Ms. King were to now choose to testify, since things seem to have calmed down some.

Here is an interesting article about taking the 5th:

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20080730&id=8963323

An insurance company's attorney suggested during a sworn deposition that former U.S. Sen. Trent Lott urged witnesses to give false information in a Hurricane Katrina lawsuit, according to court records.

The implication was made last week during a deposition with Lott's nephew, Zach Scruggs, who represented the former Mississippi Republican senator after his Pascagoula home was destroyed by the 2005 storm. Zach Scruggs is the son and law partner of disgraced former attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, Lott's brother-in-law.

"Has it been your custom and habit in prosecuting litigation to have Senator Lott contact and encourage witnesses to give false information?" State Farm Fire & Casualty Cos. attorney Jim Robie asked, according to a transcript of the deposition.

"I invoke my Fifth Amendment rights in response to that question," Zach Scruggs responded.

And then a few paragraphs later:

Both Richard and Zach Scruggs, who report to federal prison next month on charges stemming from an unrelated bribery case, invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on every question.

Richard Scruggs' attorneys had wanted to keep the depositions secret. They said public knowledge that he refused to answer the questions could undermine "the presumption of innocence" if he faces criminal charges in the future. A federal judge released the transcript Tuesday.

And then a few paragraphs later:

Robie asked Richard Scruggs if he got information about the NFIP from Lott or U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, a Mississippi Democrat, whose home on the coast was also damaged by the storm.

"As a matter of fact, the information that was furnished by Senator Lott's office and by Representative Taylor's office comprised a significant portion of the claims that State Farm and Renfroe have defrauded the federal government ... has it not?" Robie asked.

Richard Scruggs took the Fifth.

Taylor did not immediately respond to a message left Wednesday at his Washington office.

State Farm lawyers also suggested that Richard Scruggs directed the Rigsby sisters to steal State Farm documents. The lawyers suggested that Richard Scruggs then allegedly told Mississippi Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood to subpoena the documents as part of a criminal investigation.

"General Hood subpoenaed the document, State Farm couldn't produce it, and you were able to report to the press that they were shredding or deep sixing or destroying evidence that you knew they didn't have; isn't that a fact?" State Farm attorney Jim Robie asked during the deposition.

"I respectfully decline to answer based on my Fifth Amendment privilege," Scruggs replied.

One pleads the fifth so as not to incriminate oneself. I was just pointing out to Proximo that if King did not have any reason to lie about these issues, then why did she plead the fifth on these issues. That's all. Of course speculation is quite tricky when you're talking about taking the fifth. If it Dickie, he's guilty. If it Lecky, she's not guilty. That's very tricky. Proximo brought this upon his/her self, not me.
If I said the sky was blue you all would argue with me.

Written By:Proximo
On August 12, 2008 6:57 PM

Belle, not Wachter, not King, not any state farm adjuster or otherwise had any reason to lie about these issues.

I did not read one word about taking the fifth. I read a whole lot of words about certain persons taking the fifth and the questions the lawyers asked at depositions.

I wonder why we can't see Lecky King's deposition of her taking the fifth?

So, Belle, then why have the Scruggs, both the elder and the younger, refused to answer questions. Using your line of reasoning the younger Scruggs, with the help of former Senator Lott, had witnesses give false information. Using your line of reasoning, the elder Scruggs had the Rigsby sisters steal documents and then involved Hood in what amounted to a scam to make State Farm appear to be hiding and/or destroying evidence and thus seem guilty of criminal acts and fraud. Using your line of reasoning, this casts doubt upon the validity of actions taken against state Farm by not only the Scruggs but by the Rigsby sisters and AG Hood himself. Using your line of reasoning, if nothing wrong was done then why would the both the elder and younger Scruggs invoke their right to the 5th?

For the record, it is you who would argue with us if we told you the sky was blue and that if it sounds like a duck, looks like a duck, you would claim it is really a goose/gander and then ask us what about a wild turkey in Illinois.

I don't know where you get my "line of reasoning."

Anyway, here (http://www.answers.com/topic/privilege-against-self-incrimination) is an article on taking the fifth.

Sorry, Belle, I left out the words "certain persons" between taking and 5th. I had edited my typing prior to posting and forgot to add those words back in. However, I see you have no comment about the article itself outside of a problem with my wording. I wonder why that is?

Also, I for one would like to see King's deposition.

Belle posted:

I don't know where you get my "line of reasoning."

This is where:

"I was just pointing out to Proximo that if King did not have any reason to lie about these issues, then why did she plead the fifth on these issues."

By the same token, if both the elder and younger Scruggs had no reason to deceive/lie about their allegations of State Farm commmiting wrongful acts and fraud then why plead the 5th when confronted? If everything they did was up front and with honesty and integrity they should have nothing to hide.

I too would like to see King depo, and also the information that was sealed in the SF v Hood v SF fiasco that was resolved back in January or Feb of this year after half of Hoods questioning was done. There are a lot of things about both instances that raise questions and it would be nice to see them 1st hand to form our own opinion.

So far on this thread I have been called, Mrs. Hood, David Rossmiller, young, naive, and aggrieved. "She has been hurt by a storm, can't punish God, wont take responsibility for her situation and refuses to believe others should be held responsible for their own failings as well." " Belle is a (self-defined) victim." "Regarding dumb f___s in MS, the shoe is the perfect size for BS."

I said, "you guys who post here have no idea of the devastation that storm caused, without the water, much less with the water. You just have no earthly idea."

Of which Xerac says, "Belle, while I have not personally witnessed the devestation I do not think of the people down there in the manner you state."

And then says I was wrong about his not seeing the devastation of Katrina.

"She attacks our character and integrity and says we have no idea about natural disasters."

I didn't say natural disasters.

Belle posted:

It must be that most of you guys who post here have no idea of the devastation that storm caused, without the water, much less with the water. You just have no earthly idea. Instead, you want to treat the people down here like some dumb f---s. I think that tells it all.

While it is true you did not say natural disasters you did say most of us have no idea about the devastation caused by Katrina. I was proving you wrong, that I do have an idea, and a very good one at that, about the devastation caused by Katrina. My use of the phrase "Natural Disasters" was to convey to you that I do have a very good idea about the devastation caused by Katrina. Have you ever experienced a major quake or major wild fire? Those are no less frightening than a hurricane. Each disaster is unique and one is not necessarily worse than another, just different in the cause. While hurricanes can be more devastating than an earthquake, an earthquake, such as the Loma Prieta one that I experienced personally, can be more frightening because of its suddenness, that there is never a warning and the fact that it can actually be quite devastating.

And I live near the coast so after what happened in Indonesia I've become quite aware about Tsunamis. There have been times an offshore quake occurs that is near where I live they interrupt programing to warn us about the possibility of a tsunami. So, yeah, I don't think of those on the coast in any demeaning fashion. I know it could all to easily happen to me and my family but with far less warning.

So if I take offense at you attempting to lecture me at least you know why.

Belle, I realize what the problem is with you. You come across as morally superior because you have seen the devastation of Katrina and thus believe that gives you the right to pass judgement on all things Katrina related and those of us who dare to post anything not to your liking. You give the appearance of believing only you can truly comprehend the devastation of Katrina. You come across as having an attitude of moral superiority and convey an attitude that those of us who disagree with you on any point are lacking in some manner, whether it be character, intelligence and/or knowledge.

I read with a smile the comments and exchange with belle. She's real. Sitting in the back of the courtroom while Hood melted on the stand, the only one in the room refusing to hear what was being said...a Rigsby apologist....the only person on earth, other than Jim Hood, that can read a word he utters without laughing. Lecky King - she's ready to testify. Check the filings folks. So let's see how fast Chip and the new team out of DC jump on that. It's a lot easier to have the 150K a year team put words in her mouth than it is to let her talk. Dickie Scruggs - a lawyer like a hurricane? The lawyer who tried to cash in on the hurricane now spending his days in Kentucky bartering in Pall Malls and Skittles. Ahhh, how sweet it is. And how sweeter it will be.

Oh now I am morally superior! I am coming up in the world! Unless you have witnessed the devastation you have no earthly idea. Name me one natural disaster that was as devastating as Katrina that you have personally witnessed.

"The Gulf coast of Mississippi suffered massive damage from the impact of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, leaving 238 people dead, 67 missing, and billions of dollars in damage: bridges, barges, boats, piers, houses and cars were washed inland.[45] Katrina traveled up the entire state, and afterwards, all 82 counties in Mississippi were declared disaster areas for federal assistance, 47 for full assistance.[45]"

And that my friends is just in Mississippi. But remember, there wasn't any wind on the coast, ok.?

Belle, you are too much. So now you've witnessed the entire devastation of Katrina? Is that what you're saying? If you haven't then you are just blowing smoke. Again, I ask you, have you ever lived through a major quake and/or major wild fires? If you haven't then you may not have witnessed as much total devastation than I have.

Once again, you are trying to come off as superior. Seriously, Belle, are you saying that if one lives through a single major disaster, let alone more than one, that doesn't compare to what you believe you have witnessed as an aftermath (difference, I lived through major disasters, you only witnessed aftermaths, there is a huge difference so I am risking sounding superior, I know). The effect of a major disaster is the same for anyone individual and for communities, even if they different in scope.

And I'm still waiting for your response on the article I linked about both Scruggs apparently having something to hide. If they had nothing to hide then they would have been no need to take the 5th. That is what you, in essence, accused King of ddoing (hiding something by taking the 5th).

Belle, I forgot to add, I said you are coming across as strying to sound morally superior. Please read more carefully. I only accused you of sounding like something. You are quick to point out our misreadings so I feel it is only fair to point out the same with you.

238 people drowned. They weren't blown by wind from Pass Christian to Poplarville.

Re: King and Scruggs -- yes.

Bellesouth - You present persuasive arguments and have almost succeeded in converting me into thinking State Farm "slabbed" their policyholders and cheated the Katrina victims. However, I am bothered by the fact that State Farm alone has paid over 3 BILLION dollars to its customers. Furthermore within 3 days of the devastating storm had deployed over 2500 claims people to the gulf area. Why would those cheatin' b*st*rds do that? Were they pulling some kind of sick joke?
Just wondering.

You awl is too funny! I have to give southern bull credit for one thing....she can sure keep a blog rolling- on or off point- rational or not- consistent or not.

The big wheel continues to grind slowly in our Magnolia state but my bet is we will be reading more 'bout that gator with the lipstick, the little general, et. al. before too long. Them 'bees may encounter some more rough water pretty soon too.

Change your shorts and take yur medicine bull, you'll need a clean pair and a semi-clear head soon! Guess Zackster heads out Arkansas way tomorrow. Whew boy....don't do the crime if ya can't do the time!

yawn...

Wonder if Zach will get the same type of respect in prison for the serious crime he committed as Arlo Guthrie got for his littering conviction in Alice's Restaurant? Wonder if his conviction will rank as one of the least serious of all the prisoner's there. Can you tell that it is a boring Friday here?