Guests
Going the way of the Whigs: Zachary Taylor and the current political crisis
by Keith Edgerton for the Daily Montanan Lost in the avalanche of images that has bombarded us since this month’s Capitol insurrection, was one of a small, blood-smeared, white marble bust of our 12th president, Zachary Taylor. Perhaps like many Americans you slept through history class when the course breezed through that brief sixteen-month period when […]
Violent extremists stand with Donald Trump — as do many of my Marine buddies
We will remember the attacks of Jan. 6 with the same horror as we remember the terrorist attacks of 9/11. While there was far less loss of life at the U.S. Capitol, our loss of national dignity was far worse. We know President Trump incited and encouraged the mob that perpetrated the attack. During the […]
We’ve got to talk to our children about Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol
By Victor Jones My 6-year-old daughter had trouble sleeping Wednesday night, and was unable to say why. Just like me, my daughter is highly sensitive and intuitive to the energies surrounding us. We both can innately tell when something is off. On Thursday, she gave voice to her intuition. “Daddy, something is wrong,” she said. […]
Monument to segregationist E.D. White should be removed, not placed next to Chief Justice Bernette Johnson’s museum
Guest column by Okyeame Haley On Saturday, Jan 2., in true pandemic fashion, admirers of Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson drove around the Louisiana Supreme Court building in New Orleans’ French Quarter to honor her retirement as the first African-American woman on the Louisiana Supreme Court and the first African-American chief justice. I was happy […]
The Good, Bad and Ugly in 2020 Louisiana politics
No year in recent memory offered Louisiana’s political leaders more opportunity to shine than 2020. If the state’s citizens ever needed those who manage their government institutions to provide courageous policies and competent leadership, the year past was it. Fortunately, Louisiana had some such leaders. Unfortunately, too many failed the test, cultivated their own narrow […]
What is a modRNA vaccine and is it safe?
by Trish Zornio, Colorado Newsline December 16, 2020 The first COVID-19 vaccine is now authorized for emergency distribution, yet only 58% of Americans are willing to take it. It’s like racing to build Apollo 11, but Neil Armstrong refuses to get on board. Who doesn’t want to go to space? This is where the scientist […]
Northeast Louisiana was suffering before the pandemic and is in more dire straits now
By Jan Moller and Kristen Lewis Louisiana has had a year unlike any other. The Covid-19 virus has killed more than 6,500 Louisianians, sickened hundreds of thousands more and left people jobless and without the basic resources they need to stay afloat. But while the entire state is facing hardship, parishes in northeast Louisiana that […]
The complicated legacy of the Pilgrims is finally coming to light 400 years after they landed in Plymouth
Peter C. Mancall, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences The 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ voyage to Plymouth will be celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic with a “remembrance ceremony” with state and local officials and a museum exhibit in Plymouth, England. An autonomous marine research ship named “The Mayflower” has been […]
Guest Column: LSU has good sexual misconduct policies. It needs to follow them.
Caroline Schroeder participated anonymously in a USA Today investigation into how sexual misconduct complaints are handled at LSU. While in school, Schroeder reported another student for sexual misconduct to LSU’s Title IX office. She wrote this column based on her experience with that process. After the publication of USA Today‘s article detailing LSU administrators’ […]
Louisiana media fails to do its job when it comes to LSU
Monday’s blockbuster report in USA Today about LSU’s mishandling of sexual abuse cases by athletes and others was appalling on many levels. No young woman who is raped or sexually abused should be treated with the apathy and disregard described in the newspaper’s report. Sadly, it shouldn’t be news that LSU might not take sexual […]
Count every vote: Patience is a Democratic virtue
By Micah W. Kubic November 3, 2020 In an unprecedented year, it’s only natural that we have an unprecedented election. It’s the first in most of our lifetimes to occur during a global pandemic, and one in which an unprecedented number of ballots, in Florida and nationwide, will be cast after being mailed to voters. […]
Access to abortion should not depend on where you live
By Petrice Sams-Abiodun On Tuesday, November 3, we will have the final opportunity to vote on Constitutional Amendment 1, which seeks to add anti-abortion language to the Louisiana State Constitution. This amendment is dangerous, and confusing. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, Amendment 1 would make court challenges to abortion restrictions extremely difficult in Louisiana. […]