State Rep. LaBruzzo Condemns Day of the Dead
GRETNA, Louisiana — The local Mexican-American population of Jefferson Parish will have something to raise Hell about this Halloween.
State Representative John LaBruzzo (R-Metairie), who most recently proposed paying poor women to have their fallopian tubes tied, is now calling for the post-Katrina Mexican population of New Orleans to give up their traditional November 2nd holiday, Dios des los Meurtos, or Day of the Dead.
Day of the Dead falls on All Souls Day — Nov. 2 — and is celebrated with particular gusto in Mexico, where families visit cemeteries to offer food and flowers for their lost relatives, whose portraits are placed on altars at home.
Day of the Dead has centuries of tradition, combining All Souls Day with two pre-Hispanic holidays in honor of the dead. It is a festive rather than sad occasion, and with support from local Roman Catholic Churches, the tradition runs strong.
But LaBruzzo wonders if this post-Halloween tradition is good for New Orleans.
“New Orleans is a wholesome, family-oriented city, and our citizens have no use for this sense of the macabre,” he said.
“In Mexico, there’s a long tradition of vampires in literature and TV; they give names like “Voodoo” to their football teams and festivals; and they ride buses called ‘Cemetaries.’ They even use convicts to scare kids in haunted houses.”
“These are not the type of things that would be acceptable to the good people of our town,” he added.
When reached for comment, local Mexican-American community leaders said: “Chupa me, puto.”
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This is so sad. I heard LaBruzzo on the radio once. He was articulate, sounded intelligent, compassionate about his race, very caring for the rich, with strong convictions for law and order. But to be so shallow about a cultural tradition which is no more “macabre” than our funerals, with or with out a jazz procession, Krewe de Vieux, Decadence, local artists, local movie makers, Ann Rice, etc., is silly. He might just be a much smaller man than he makes himself out to be.
Comment by Bongo Lassi — June, 2009 @ 8:01 am
Please read “About Us” Disclaimer– Everything on this site is MADE UP! False- not true. I cannot believe they can hide the fact that this is fake under some small print, but print an article with completely false quotes attributed to someone.
Comment by NO Lady — June, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
It’s disturbing that this man thinks it’s ok to decimate culture & it’s people. From his remarks about paying poor women to be sterilized to give up any tradition. I’m disgusted!!!
Comment by L Herrera — August, 2009 @ 4:22 pm
This is a bull-s&%t website. They are slandering people for fun, and their disclaimer is not only in fine print, it’s not even on this fucking page.
Law suit waiting to happen. Which is good, because I’m in law school and I already hate these fucking turds.
Comment by Waltman — August, 2009 @ 3:04 pm
I would think someone in law school would know the difference between slander and libel, or the basics of parody law, like, say, Fischer vs. Dees, Suntrust vs. Houghton Mifflin, Utah Lighthouse Ministry v. Discovery Computing, New York Times vs. Sullivan, or maybe Cliffs Notes, Inc. v. Bantam Doubleday Dell.
But perhaps you are a dumbass. BTW, “lawsuit” is one word.
Comment by suspect-device — September, 2009 @ 10:08 am