New Beginnings

On April 29, the US Chamber of Commerce reported that “the AFL-CIO removed the large banner supporting EFCA which had covered the corner of the building facing the White House for the past year or so.” The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is out of mind, but not dead. Unions will continue to press for it, though politically, passage appears unlikely at this time.

As the banner tumbles down, so does this blog’s focus on EFCA. It’s time to open the door to other topics close to my heart, including communications, food, and the rebuilding of my hometown – New Orleans 2.0 (post-Katrina). I’ll still discuss labor topics too.

I haven’t discussed much here lately. My attention shifted to a private engagement last year, and I became more active on Facebook. Today, I find myself in a new place – homeward bound. Dallas has been a great parking spot after losing my home and business to the man-made flooding that occurred after Hurricane Katrina nearly five years ago. But when the Saints won the SuperBowl, a surge of homesickness set in. A trip back to New Orleans confirmed progress in the city, a renewed sense of optimism, and a new mayor coming in to provide fresh leadership.

I now realize it’s not the material things I lost, but rather, it was the three C’s that are most important to me: my community, culture, and of course, the local cuisine. At his inauguration, Mayor Mitch Landrieu asked the citizens of New Orleans to come home. “Heed that call,” I told myself.

What really jolted me into action was the oil leak in the Gulf. I’m p.o.’d and need to get involved. I can’t sit on the sidelines. I’m taking my skills and passion home, because home is where the heart is. And the shrimp po’ boys.