It seems that Ignatius is not the other person that believes change is necessary for the survival of New Orleans.
Ignatius Reilly had some fiery words for the citizens of New Orleans on Friday- well not all citizens, just those that are not actually... "registered citizens."
He began his speech by alluding to the past glory of our riverside city, illustrating a scene that Norman Rockwell would have been proud of. He described Spanish moss adorned trees lining the streets made of cobblestone. Milkmen, postal workers, and public servants were on every street corner, greeting the proud inhabitants of New Orleans with a smile from ear to ear.
This scene came to an end rather abruptly, however, as these happy workers were suddenly replaced with perverts, drunks and crooked cops. Reilly was now addressing the current state of New Orleans. He continued the tonal shift until the shame radiated from his crowd, creating an atmosphere similar to the one you'd find while on a church group's trip to a zoo, just as two monkeys begin to engage in the holy act of...exhibitionism. In other words, the people in the crowd knew they weren't directly responsible for the shameful behavior, but they couldn't help feeling that they were responsible for stopping it.
According to Reilly, however, they were not responsible for stopping it. This is when Reilly begins to point his finger at the Orleans Parish Police Department. He describes them as being "crooked" and "lazy." He follows this statement by saying that once he is in office, he will create a mandatory training protocol for all those cops that wish to work for his precinct. Those crooked cops looking for a handout can move to Lafayette. Harsh words for his potential future colleagues.
But maybe he's right. Maybe it is time for our cops to work a little harder. Maybe most New Orleanians are naive to the way other cities work, but it's not normal to have to swat people away while walking groceries from your trunk to your front door.
Anyway, as harsh as Reilly's speech was, I believe it is time for our cops to do their jobs. Why not vote for Reilly? It's not like New Orleans could get any worse.