(The following is by Gambit guest blogger and New Orleans East resident Clifton Harris, who maintains his own blog, Cliff’s Crib. You can read more of his writing there.)

Since this may be my last guest blog for awhile I wanted to take a minute to thank Kevin and Clancy for the opportunity to be the first guest blogger on this page. People outside of the blogging community may not realize how huge it is for the Gambit to actually reward writers for doing what they have a passion for. I do and I felt honored to be the first of many good people to follow.

I like to consider myself the blogger that bridges the gap from the progressive side of the city with the section of the population that doesn’t always get a chance to speak. I have a unique view of both sides. That means that sometimes I have to go against the grain and throw something out there that people may not be used to hearing and dealing with head on in an effort to broaden the discussion. I feel good when I do because it’s never personal and the lack of that discussion is always holding us back.

The local blogger community gets credit from me for being able to recognize my aim and engaging in a discussion based on recognition of my circumstances even if they don’t necessarily agree or totally understand. I believe the future of the city involves that open discussion between people from every walk of life and I will continue to try and bring those ideas to the table. Hopefully I can make you laugh and think at the same time.

Kevin asked for these questions. Anything that you don’t like is his fault.

- After the success of the NOAH story where the blogosphere and the media came together to expose a problem in city government, should local bloggers be heading to city hall to make sure their personal records are in order?

- Am I the only one paranoid of blogger retribution?

- Of course, you know they are going to pick on the brother first. I may have some old parking tickets from that 1975 Trans Am I owned for a month before the sheet metal holding the middle console together started burning my leg. That would be my luck to be the target of revenge when I was trying to calm down my blogger family at the beginning of this. I knew I shouldn’t have used my real name on this blog. Thanks Kevin and Mr. DuBos. I’ll see you guys in traffic court.

- Why don’t they name hurricanes after people everyone hates or fictitious villains from cartoons? I have a cousin name Katrina that I love like a sister but it’s been hard to talk to her for three years. How is that fair to her?

- Why not name them in a manner to really scare people into evacuation? I’m thinking that if Katrina would have been named Levee Buster things would have been much different.

- I’m all for progress and an end to corruption, so why am I disappointed in the fact that you can’t buy a brake tag from under the I-10 on Claiborne Avenue anymore?

- What’s the sense in giving me a brake tag for a year when I can leave the inspection station and drive into a hole so deep that it knocks my front end out of alignment, and shatters my windshield?

- Would anyone in their right mind be excited or actively seek the job of being the next mayor of New Orleans?

- Given the current climate, shouldn’t we have to beg someone qualified to run and promise double the salary just to put up with the hassle?

- Am I the only person that will be overly skeptical of anyone a little too eager for the job?

- Shouldn’t these questions apply to the District Attorney position as well?

- Why do the words blog and blogger still get picked up by my spell check as incorrect spellings? I guess the same people who update Microsoft’s virus settings update spell check too.

- What’s the over/under on the number of years we actually come up with a definite plan to do something with Jazz Land? … Riverfront development? … The Municipal Auditorium?

- Am I reading the wrong articles and all these things already in progress? If not, I am going with my prediction of five years.

- Why isn’t Rickey Jackson even close to the NFL Hall of Fame when he was just as good as Andre Tippett if not better?

- If John McCain chooses to play the race card with Barack Obama and it works, isn’t that kind of sad for the country since both of their mothers are the same race?

- Am I the only one that finds the whole race discussion funny on both sides since the parent that makes him an American is the white one?

- How much would it cost us to bring Richard Pennington back to the city in some capacity? My vote for that guy in 2002 is sure looking pretty smart these days.

- Judging by the fact that everyone over the age of 12 has one; shouldn’t cellular companies’ earnings be more than Exxon/Mobil?

- Am I the only person who feels really stupid for paying a bill that high for a phone I hardly ever want to answer?

- Where is Manuel’s Hot Tamales? Can we take the remaining money from NOAH and give to them so they can re-open? This would raise the beer drinking, tamale eating population’s morale in a second. Maybe I am the only one that knows nothing goes with football better than a beer and Manuel’s Hot Tamales.

- Finally, if I am doing yard work in the middle of the day and it’s so hot outside that I see a vision of my late grandfather playing a game of cards with Tupac, Richard Pryor and Tootie Montana, is that a sign of global warming or was I close to a heat stroke?

Long live the Lower Ninth Ward!