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Voting Chief Tanner Resigns
Today, John Tanner resigned from his position effective immediately as chief of the Civil Rights Division's voting section. His resignation email, with the subject line "Moving On" was sent out at approximately 11 AM to voting section staff. He said that he will be moving on to the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices. The email is reproduced below in full.
With Tanner, it had seemed like a matter of not if, but when. As we reported late last month, his travel habits had angered attorneys in the voting section, leading to an investigation by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility.
And that was after his comments about the tendency of minorities to "die first" led Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and others to call for his removal. When he went before the House Judiciary Committee in October, he was lambasted for his tendency of "basing your conclusions on stereotypes" (like, say, claiming that African-Americans have IDs more than whites because they're always going to cash-checking businesses).
But most of all, Tanner's reign is notable for his collusion with the political appointees who oversaw the section, an ongoing effort to reverse the Civil Rights Division's traditional role in protecting minority voters, particularly African-Americans, into one of aiding thinly disguised vote suppression measures (most infamously Georgia's voter ID law). It was an effort that some career DoJ attorneys later described as "institutional sabotage."
Who'll be taking over? We've got a question into DoJ to see.
Nearly 32 years after I joined the Voting Section, I will be moving on to the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices. To better assist in a smooth transition, I am stepping down from my position as Section Chief immediately while I pack and sort through three decades of work.I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the dedication and the accomplishments of all my colleagues in the Section. Their efforts in the two years I served as Chief has brought remarkable progress in securing and protecting voting rights for literally millions of people. They have made significant and tangible progress, and their achievements will be felt for generations to come.
They have tripled the number of new lawsuits compared to the immediately preceding period. In 2006, the Section filed the highest number of new lawsuits in its history. In just over two years the Section brought over 40 percent of all of the minority language cases in the history of the Act, and over 40 percent of all Section 208 cases in history to protect the right of voters who need assistance to receive it from a person of their own choice.
They have reinvigorated our Section 2 enforcement, more than doubling the number of cases over the immediately preceding period so that we are now approaching the Section’s historic average. And the Section now has solid new investigations and prospects for additional cases. More important, the reach of the Section 2 enforcement has been broadened to protect minority voters against discrimination at the polls that deters and suppresses their turnout.
Section 5 enforcement has advanced tremendously, not only technologically in the new on-line submission system, but much more importantly in our dramatically expanded contact with local minority community members. Contacts with minority citizens are now routine; they now include all affected minority communities, and they now include inquiry into compliance with all provisions of the Act, not just the very narrow Section 5 inquiry. Five new lawsuits generated by Section 5 inquiries this year alone attest to that improvement. And for the first time, traction has been gained in direct contact and understanding with the Alaska Native population.
These statistics are more than numbers. They are people. They are the African American voters of Euclid, Ohio, who had no opportunity to elect city council members of their choice. They are the Asian American voters in Boston whose ballots were taken from them and cast contrary to their wishes. They are the Latina voters in Pennsylvania who were ridiculed and humiliated by poll workers, and who left the polls in tears. They are the Laguna Pueblo voters whose registration applications were never processed, or who were removed from the rolls without notice, and who were denied their right to provisional ballots. They are the well over a million of our fellow citizens with limited English proficiency, too often beset by fear and hatred, who for the first time have full and equal access to the polls. All of this is thanks to our recent work.
The key to these improvements has been the development of systems to guide our enforcement. Our minority language and voter assistance enforcement systems have produced twice as many cases in five years as in the entire history of the Act, and we now have a template for extending those systems that have proved so successful in protecting language minority citizens to protect African American voters from suppression tactics under Section 2. There are now systems in place for voter registration enforcement under the NVRA, and to protect voters with disabilities under HAVA. The Section has expanded the language skills of Section staff beyond Spanish and Chinese to include Arabic, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese, and improved training opportunities for all personnel. The Section now has a program to receive Fellows from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, as well as leading universities, that has broadened and enriched our office. These systems will continue and flourish.
The work of the Section matters. In the time I have been in Voting, my colleagues and I have worked on lawsuits and Section 5 enforcement that have increased the number of African American state legislators in Mississippi from only four in the late 1970s to 17 in 1982 to 46 today, and in Alabama from 16 African American legislators in 1982 to 32 today. There are now scores of African American elected officials across the Southeast who entered through doors I helped open. The more recent lawsuits are every bit as meaningful to the many voters who are now fully enfranchised.
I leave the Section with deep appreciation for the progress that has been made, but also with full awareness of the many challenges that remain and the work still to be done. That should be the focus. In leaving, I do so with confidence in the skill and passion with which the Section will meet and master those challenges, and with profound gratitude for the help, the support and the hard work of so many in the Section – past and present. The Voting Section is a group of talented men and women who are dedicated to this crucial mission. They have been real heroes in our struggle for the right to vote for all. I have been honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to work with them.
Comments (59)
EH wrote on December 14, 2007 11:51 AM:Nearly 32 years after I joined the Voting Section, I will be moving on to the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices.
Ah, a natural move. The guy is head-and-shoulders above the rest in dealing with minority concerns. All immigrants should breathe a sign of relief today, for now John Tanner will greet their grievances with a healthy dose of "you'll be dead soon, anyway."
IceJustIce wrote on December 14, 2007 11:54 AM:Ding, dong, the witch is dead...
PARTY TIME!!!
Susana Lorenzo-Giguere and Yvette Rivera, your DAYS ARE NUMBERED. Only Tanner's desire for sycophancy has permitted your incompetence to continue.
It's going to be a long road toward restoring the competence and reputation of the Voting Section. Too much damage has been done. But this is a very, very welcome first step.
cynical jim wrote on December 14, 2007 11:59 AM:At least he isn't off to "spend more time with his family". I wonder when the other shoe will drop?
Which investigation has he been the target of that will soon go public?
Fascinating how the bushie flavored kool-aid is losing its allure.
mkolb wrote on December 14, 2007 12:00 PM:So now he's going to do for immigrants what he did for voters? Argh!
foggylady wrote on December 14, 2007 12:01 PM:Highly publicized "quitting" , huh?
IceJustIce wrote on December 14, 2007 12:05 PM:So he is becoming less visible for the moment..
plenty of opportunity to make news down the road, I should imagine.
Pay cut or pay raise, I wonder?
Naaw, I don't expect him to be around much longer at all. He will be eligible to retire with a Senior Executive Service pension sometime next year. I've been predicting for some time that they would simply move him and let him stick around long enough to retire.
Anonymous wrote on December 14, 2007 12:05 PM:"I will be moving on to the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices."
OK, TPM folks. Please start looking now for the muck in the Special Counsel's office (the entity that deals with complaints of immigration-status discrimination by employers - which will mostly affect citizens and lawful immigrants, who are eligible to work in the US, and who claim discrimination).
Tanner's departure may be good for voters . . . but it has the potential to really mess things up for immigrants. Keep in mind that when Homeland Security promulgated the No Match rules (the ones that ACLU & AFL-CIO sued to block in August), one of the components of those rules was to exempt certain employers from complaints of immigration status discrimination. And new rules are expected out in the near future.
Brett Davis wrote on December 14, 2007 12:06 PM:"They have tripled the number of new lawsuits compared to the immediately preceding period. In 2006, the Section filed the highest number of new lawsuits in its history."
Nice to hear this from a Republican...
IceJustIce wrote on December 14, 2007 12:10 PM:Lotsa muck over at Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices, including stuff that ties into the Abramoff scandal. IIRC, some folks involved in the CNMI mess took jobs there.
Anonymous wrote on December 14, 2007 12:17 PM:Does this mean that "Immigration-related unfair employment practices" is the new "voter fraud"?
I can see the meetings now: "Those freakin' immigrants! First they voted and now they're working for a living! When will they knock it off and start acting like real Americans?"
asp wrote on December 14, 2007 12:25 PM:Hilarious how his defenders in the Section never saw it coming, but everyone else did. Kool Aid don't taste so good now.
Susana Lorenzo-Giguere wrote on December 14, 2007 12:32 PM:My favorite line in the email -- "There are now scores of African American elected officials across the Southeast who entered through doors I helped open."
This guy is a legend in his own mind.
Bigger Thomas wrote on December 14, 2007 12:35 PM:In the words of the late, great Rick James:
"IT'S A CELEBRATION!!!"
*Does happy dance*
Honneker wrote on December 14, 2007 12:35 PM:Its like the fall of the Wall. Everyone will remember who carried the water for the regime and who opposed it.
Rick T wrote on December 14, 2007 12:35 PM:"Nice to hear this from a Republican..."
Brett,
But, who and what is being investigated? And should we read an increase in lawsuits under Tanner's tenure as positive or negative? On its face, tripling the amount of lawsuits seems to indicate an increasing problem.
Oh Happy Day wrote on December 14, 2007 12:36 PM:I would like to note that even as he leaves, Tanner disses Section 5 by trying to say Yvette Rivera has actually improved the process. Apparently, lies are the only language he knows:
"Section 5 enforcement has advanced tremendously, not only technologically in the new on-line submission system, but much more importantly in our dramatically expanded contact with local minority community members. Contacts with minority citizens are now routine; they now include all affected minority communities, and they now include inquiry into compliance with all provisions of the Act, not just the very narrow Section 5 inquiry. Five new lawsuits generated by Section 5 inquiries this year alone attest to that improvement. And for the first time, traction has been gained in direct contact and understanding with the Alaska Native population."
I won't even get started on the issues the e-submissions have...Section 5 analysts have ALWAYS called minority contacts. In fact, during the GA ID case, attorneys and analysts called tons of black contacts, and Tanner IGNORED all their concerns. This was under Berman, not Rivera. A simple look thru analyses of the past, pre-Rivera days show that minority contact calls have always been done, no matter the deputy chief. This is because Section 5 has dedicated personnel who genuinely care about achieving equality at the ballot box.
This is just a thinly veiled effort on his part to save Rivera's "acting" position. I'm sorry, but if she could not get the position permanently while Tanner was running the show, she should hang it up. Go dust off that resume, girl, no one is buying what Tanner is trying to sell.
Burger wrote on December 14, 2007 12:39 PM:Big Litigator Man is probably flying back from Germany to call the Geek Squad to scrub off his computer now that his idol has been sacked.
Anonymous wrote on December 14, 2007 12:41 PM:"There are now scores of African American elected officials across the Southeast who entered through doors I helped open."
Tanner truly thinks he is the Great White Hope. In stead, we who know him remain puzzled. What happened to the young man who registered black voters in the 1960s, and how did he morph into a man who says "they die first" and finding illiterate black voters in Philly won't be hard...was he always racist? I guess we need not care any more, buh-bye, and take that cotton-pickin pink tie with you!
Joy to the World wrote on December 14, 2007 12:44 PM:Big Man Litigator needs to be finding a new job, as do Rivera and Lorenzo-Giguere. With their Great Protector gone, and with ZERO respect from their colleagues, its time to go. Why stay where you are clearly not wanted?
Fergis wrote on December 14, 2007 12:47 PM:Big Litigator Man will probably now be the topic of lots and LOTS of leaks to Dan Eggen and all sorts of folks who buy ink in large large orders. Such a waste of talent to have cozyed up to a criminal rouge. But its probably in his nature.
huh? wrote on December 14, 2007 12:49 PM:Is it "Big Litigator Man" or "Big Man Litigator"?
Brutus wrote on December 14, 2007 12:53 PM:This time Caesar's Marc Antony won't make it out alive. Boy, that was a big mistake in a previous life.
Anonymous wrote on December 14, 2007 12:54 PM:huh?- Does it matter? It's everyone's favorite VRA lawyer, Sean O'Donnell. The pillar of equality, the protector of rights, the flex-place/aws abuser and the sexual harasser. Hey, I got an idea, he can replace Tanner!
Roberta wrote on December 14, 2007 12:58 PM:If the House and Senate investigations this session have done nothing else (though I think they've done much more), they have served to weed out some toxic characters from high positions. Tanner's just the latest one, but at least his departure comes before the 2008 elections.
When you hear your acquaintances repeating Fox rhetoric about a do-nothing Congress, remember all the people who have left the building ONLY because Congress opened and pursued investigations that directly or indirectly made it too hot for them to stay.
A partial list:
Karl Rove
Alberto Gonzales
Harriet Mier
John Bolton
Scooter Libby
Paul Wolfowitz
Rachel Palouse
Bradley Schlozman
Kyle Sampson
Sean O'Keefe
Orlando Cabrera
John Negroponte (still in govt., but less influential)
Fran Townsend
Randall Tobias
Eric Keroack
Lurita Doan
Julie MacDonald
Sure, more need to go. But it's more progress than could have been made without a Democratic Congress.
Bigger Thomas wrote on December 14, 2007 12:58 PM:^^I heard he really digs "pro-black" lesbians....
ha ha wrote on December 14, 2007 12:59 PM:Tanner told Big Litigator Man that he would stay as chief for a long time. Big Litigator Man, in a weepy moment, put his head on the long-term chief's shoulder, and cried thank you. Big Litigator Man decided the long-term chief was his best ticket to Hawaii vacations, cheating on AWS and being able to be an ass in the office that roams the halls and does no work, except spread rumor, lies and innuendo - wait... who am I talking about, long-term chief or big litigator man???
moondancer wrote on December 14, 2007 1:04 PM:I'm guessing Tanner was a decent fellow at one time. Seems he fell in the pit of bushco greed and avarice, and embraced the dark side. Sad for him, because this voter ID thing is as Jim Crow as any poll tax.
John Tanner wrote on December 14, 2007 1:09 PM:>My favorite line in the email -- "There
>are now scores of African American
>elected officials across the Southeast
>who entered through doors I helped
>open."
What I didn't tell you is that what I really meant is that these doors lead to check-cashing places.
Marti King wrote on December 14, 2007 1:09 PM:"They have made significant and tangible progress, and their achievements will be felt for generations to come."
Unfortunately most of the Bushie's deeds may indeed be felt for generations to come.....
Bigger's fan wrote on December 14, 2007 1:10 PM:Bigger, I hear the same thing. I hear he likes to make racist, sexist, homophobic statements all in one fell-swoop. Now that takes talent, and just the type of talent we need in the Civil Rights Division. What a man!
I'm so thankful that staffer who he said all that harassing stuff about, and all the other employees who care about the VRA, have been able to stick it through these dark days. As Teresa Lynn predicted about a year ago, the times, they are a-changing. We lost a lot of talent and dedicated folks under Tanner, so let's not lose any more. Let's promote those who care and are there: Becky, Chris Herren, Gaye. Thank you 'pre-Tanner as chief' folks for staying, from you in the management levels to you in the records staff and everyone in between.
IceJustIce wrote on December 14, 2007 1:16 PM:Bigger Dude,
Some of us figured out a long time ago that the reason Big Litigator Man said the pro-black lesbian stuff all along was he was frustrated because he knew he couldn't get anywhere with the object of his comments.
Typical macho idiot stuff..."any woman who doesn't salivate over me must be a lesbian."
What goes around comes around. The only reason he still has a job is that Tanner essentially swept the harrassment incident under the rug. In any rational, reasonable organization, the man would have been history. His days are numbered.
Heather wrote on December 14, 2007 1:22 PM:Despite my excitement, I have difficulty stomaching the ludicrous comments in Tanner's resignation letter-- especially pertaining to the Section 5 unit. To use back-handed self-aggrandizing compliments to discredit the decades of hard work done in the name of Section 5 is another testament to Tanner's lack of institutional knowledge and integrity. Because his actions have spoken so loudly, John must have felt the need to do a lot of talking in his departure letter in yet another failed attempt to cover up the noise of all the injustice that he's done. Farewell!
Agathena wrote on December 14, 2007 1:22 PM:THEY DON'T NEED HIM ANYMORE. The Republicans have Mukasey who has sent an amicus brief, 42 pages to the Supreme Court in favor of Indiana's voter ID law. With the head honcho working the Voter Fraud aka vote suppression they don't need Tanner. So don't get too happy about this.
Bigger Thomas wrote on December 14, 2007 1:30 PM:Oh, man. Isn't that Big Litigator Guy married?? I guess he was trying to be like his idol in more ways than one, LOL!!
I wonder how many people came to the Holiday Party last night. Like, 3 maybe??
Anonymous wrote on December 14, 2007 1:31 PM:IceJustIce, just want to thank you for your insight all along as well. Your comments are always on point and very astute. Tanner never respected Section 5 staff, so his nonaction with Big Litigator Man was sadly no surprise.
Sully18 wrote on December 14, 2007 1:43 PM:Thae fact that this guy is "moving on"is ludicrous.That he wasn`t he fired on the spot if proof that nothing has changed at DOJ.It will probably get worse,as evidenced by Agathena`s post above.Now it`s a more guarded type of corruption.
Anonymous wrote on December 14, 2007 1:44 PM:Been reading TPM for a while but this particularly grabbed my interest.
My dad was a lawyer for the Division for a long time, the last 8 or so of those coinciding with Reagan. I was a little too young to understand what was going on but I definitely knew that something in the early 80's had made his job a lot more difficult and a lot more depressing.
At some point during the end of the Clinton years I had joked with my mom that at least things couldn't be worse than the Reagan. Guess that was wrong.
I am really sorry for everyone who had to go through the mess with the political folks/5th floor people (btw: are they still called 5th floor people?). While I can't begin to imagine the frustration you guys are all going through, my 10 year old self hates to see this happening agan.
During the 35th anniversary of the Division, someone joked that they were celebrating 23 years of civil rights enforecment. Sad to see the Bushies just took another 8 years off that count.
Good luck to all the posters here stuck in this mess.
IceJustIce wrote on December 14, 2007 1:50 PM:Anonymous,
More than one long-timer in the Voting Section has told me the leadership of the last few years has made them nostalgic for William Bradford Reynolds and the rest of the Reagan crowd.
The folks who said this were all Democrats.
Doc wrote on December 14, 2007 1:57 PM:What a wonderful Christmas present for the Voting Section and the civil rights community! I,too, praise those who were able to survive the last two years. Hopefully you will now have the chance to salvage things from the extensive damages caused under the Bush administration and JT and some of his incompetent followers. Sadly, as his email confirms, JT remains out of touch with reality. He'd better be out of there by Monday--that's all the time he gave RB. Much praise to those who could not, would not stay who have fought so diligently to rectify the abominable situations of the past few years. God bless us everyone!!!
Cicero Lives! wrote on December 14, 2007 2:00 PM:Memo to Patrick Shen:
Do NOT let this man bring in a group of underlings he has known for a long time. It is a corrupting practice that led to 3 or 4 unquestioning sycophants in the Voting Section that think Tanner's views were all that mattered. Time and time again these sycophant managers looked only to Tanner's whims. Don't let him bring anyone with him.
Not So Fast wrote on December 14, 2007 2:01 PM:Sully18,
Don't forget the open investigations into travel fraud at taxpayer expense and the absolute abuse of the powers of his office. These CRIMES were caused by his fixation on perpetuating a special relationship with a select few - and particularly, the ONE, to gain power and hold it by force. Perhaps this just a precursor of the final report to be finalized by investigators and the eventual referral of the matter for criminal prosecutions. Yes folks this is that serious. This transfer to a cushy cush job better not simply be an quiet attempt to cover up the many abuses and fraud committed by Tanner and his minions. It is only the first step.
OutsiderLookinIn wrote on December 14, 2007 2:04 PM:The King is Dead, Long Live the King!
Anonymous wrote on December 14, 2007 2:06 PM:IceJustIce,
me sputtering: Brad . . Reynolds . . nostalgic.
God that's awful. I gotta pass this along to family.
Tina wrote on December 14, 2007 2:11 PM:What happened to Bob Berman. I knew him once and he always seemed like a good guy. I have not been following this as closely as I should.
This is indeed great news, but how much of an effect will it have on the Jan. supreme court voter id case?
IceJustIce wrote on December 14, 2007 2:12 PM:Other Anonymous:
Thanks for the shout-out.
I have some of my own: special shout-outs and thanks to the following:
Paul Kiel
Greg Gordon
ePluribus Media
Brad Friedman
Dana Milbank
Al Kamen
Rick Hasen
Dan Eggen
Teresa Lynn
David Becker
Bob Kengle
Toby Moore
Joe Rich
Gerry Hebert
And to some folks whose full names I won't use:
Heather
Bigger Thomas
VSection commenters on these threads
A certain recently departed Republican lawyer with enormous integrity
Another departed Republican lawyer with a penchant for motorcycles
Every member of the Section staff who has been there since January 20, 2001
All the former colleagues who left because of Tanner
I know I must have left some people off the list...
NOW, it's time to fill those deputy slots. Shouldn't be all that hard for the front office -- just do your job and pick the people who deserve them based on Merit System principles.
IceJustIce wrote on December 14, 2007 2:15 PM:Anonymous at 2:06:
Berman was involuntarily transferred to what Ted Kennedy has called a dead-end job in a newly created training section.
His replacement had ZERO supervisory civil rights experience, doesn't know what in the $#!t she's doing, and has all but wrecked Section 5 enforcement.
Cicero Lives! wrote on December 14, 2007 2:17 PM:ICE - NONE of this would have happened but for the "departed Republican lawyer with a penchant for motorcycles." He pulled back the curtian, and kept pulling, really, REALLY HARD. They treated the wrong person poorly. Just a lesson in how NOT to treat others.
Anonymous wrote on December 14, 2007 2:26 PM:Bob Berman was removed to the Office of Professional Development after agreeing with the staff recommendation to object to the GA ID. He is in an "acting deputy position", and is basically languishing in a job he is overqualified for. He could quote voting cases on the spot, was fair to his employees, always had is door open, never asked folks to spy or tell on each other, so you can see why we are so upset with his dim-witted replacement who has to ask which parts of Texas are required to provide Spanish-language procedures, keeps her door locked and closed, has been caught in several lies at Section 5 meetings or one-on-one with staff, and asks staff to tell on eachother. I wish we had Zita, Delaura, Berman, or anyone else at this point.
Bigger Thomas wrote on December 14, 2007 2:36 PM:I <3 IceJustIce. Thanx for the shout-out, bro.
Just saw pics of the Holiday Party. More than 3 people showed up but, boy, it still looked really empty in there. Hahahahahahahaha.....
Anonymous wrote on December 14, 2007 2:39 PM:Bigger- More people will show up at the Happy Hour being set up to toast Tanner's resignation.
Bigger Thomas wrote on December 14, 2007 2:57 PM:"keeps her door locked and closed"
I wonder why that is. *Gasp* Could it be possible that she secretly watches pornos, when she should be working?? Surely, not that fine, upstanding pillar of integrity??
IceJustIce wrote on December 14, 2007 3:10 PM:Bigger,
Doubt it. Our filters are too strong. I once tried to look up something on gay *voting rights* that *management* asked me to get for them and got blocked because of "sexual content".
The spirit of John Ashcroft lives.
And let's hope that whoever is announced in the Tuesday meeting has no tolerance for her incompetence.
Mark Mywords wrote on December 14, 2007 3:13 PM:IM GONNA MISS THE GOOD OLD SOB...
...not afraid of being politically incorrect and not smart enough (read Rove) to hide his scales...
I REALLY DO PREFER THAT THE ASSHOLES OF THE WORLD WEAR A SIGN...
VSection Rumor Mill wrote on December 14, 2007 3:17 PM:New thread up with Nadler's comments.
Bigger Thomas wrote on December 14, 2007 3:23 PM:They went on to add that it was M-A-N-D-A-T-O-R-Y. I gotta get some new shoes this weekend. I wanna look my Sunday best on Tuesday!!
Anonymous wrote on December 14, 2007 3:24 PM:VSection Rumor Mill-
VSection Rumor Mill wrote on December 14, 2007 3:39 PM:Is it true folks are planning a happy hour? If so, please pass the word!
Anonymous --
Yes, it is indeed true. I won't announce the time or place on a public blog, but just think of the people in the Section whom you would most suspect of planning such a thing and check with one of them. I'm sure word will travel fast on Monday.
H Arnold wrote on December 15, 2007 10:15 AM:Voters: This is why we cannot allow another Republican in the office of the Presidency. There are many bigots in various offices and many are closet types. This guy has been making voting rights decisions on hearsay. And if this was the case, why is he not doing something innovative to correct the problem. He could have easily allowed for photographs to be taken for those without identification at the voting booths and given to the individual for free....We need thinkers, not bigots. So glad that Senator Obama is running, because change is needed......
VivaElBerman! wrote on December 16, 2007 2:49 AM:Concluding: Last report on New Orleans Katrina situation. Still thousands living in tents and many homeless, yet trailors sit empty and rotting....Our Republican Administration and FEMA in action.........
I think we should throw Tanner another going away party....and make it mandatory...and on Christmas. It's not like it's Rosh Hashana....
Those who got that know who this is. Love to you all. I'll see you at the ELATION HOUR (certainly more than a happy hour!!!)