Guests

COMMENTARY
Jan. 6 protestor inside U.S. Capitol

Republicans are just fine with cancel culture when it comes to their own Trump critics | John A. Tures

BY: - May 17, 2021

By John A. Tures Earlier this year, the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) held a conference titled “American Uncanceled.” Organizers attempted to showcase how their political opponents are the intolerant, and that conservatives were the true defenders of the ability to speak their minds.  But what would happen when House Republicans would vote on a […]

COMMENTARY
House Republicans block proposal to protect LGBTQ workers

Before meeting a potential landlord, I take a look in the mirror

BY: - May 13, 2021

After driving around trying to find the address, I park my car. I don’t have to stop and check in the mirror or untangle curls from earrings. But at this point, I do it reflexively and catch myself being… not quite myself. When I step out, my heel lands flat on the ground. That’s a […]

COMMENTARY
Louisiana Highway 1 bridge in Leeville

Louisiana’s shrinking wetlands puts communities and cultures at risk | Charles Allen

BY: - May 11, 2021

Last year, I had the opportunity to board a small plane and fly over Louisiana’s coast. Taking off from the New Orleans Lakefront Airport, recognizable landmarks like the Louisiana Superdome quickly faded into the background, and in only 20-30 minutes, we were flying over open water. We often hear that our wetlands are vanishing, but […]

COMMENTARY
A worker at an indoor medical marijuana facility sprays plants.

Louisiana should not only legalize marijuana; it should also wipe clean the records of those convicted of marijuana crimes | Daniel Schwalm

BY: - May 6, 2021

While a bill in the  Louisiana House that would legalize recreational marijuana is still a long shot to become law, the fact that three House Republicans voted in favor of it in committee is a big step forward for a policy change that’s widely viewed as inevitable. The bill made it  through the committee in […]

COMMENTARY

Louisiana’s racism isn’t confined to history; it’s also present today | Tammy C. Barney

BY: - May 5, 2021

Is Louisiana racist? I pose this question because I was perplexed when U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina),  proclaimed on national television last week that America is not racist. Scott, the lone Black Republican in the Senate, made this declaration during his Republican response to President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of […]

COMMENTARY
Courtroom gavel

It’s time for Louisiana to end juvenile life without parole | Demario Davis & Stan Van Gundy

BY: and - April 29, 2021

Thirty years ago, the United Nations issued the Convention on the Rights of the Child in which it outlined various protections that should be extended to all individuals under 18, including protection from being sentenced to life imprisonment. Yet the United States, which prides itself on guaranteeing all citizens the unalienable right to life, liberty […]

COMMENTARY

The tireless protesting that followed the murder of George Floyd should give us hope | Shawn Anglim & Kahlida Lloyd

BY: and - April 22, 2021

As we write this on Tuesday, April 20, we are filled with many emotions — and even an emptiness.  We have a feeling of relief that there was a just verdict in the State of Minnesota’s case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. A jury convicted Chauvin of three counts — second-degree murder, third-degree […]

COMMENTARY

Trans Day of Visibility offers chance for community to stand in solidarity and support | Jay A. Irwin

BY: - March 31, 2021

Visibility within the transgender community is often a Catch-22, especially for trans people of color, or those living in rural, conservative areas. Hiding one’s identity can be a damaging experience and increase feelings of isolation, stigma and shame. But standing out as a trans person can make someone a target for discrimination or violence. As […]

COMMENTARY
Louisiana extends face mask mandate

Keep your masks on, and give me some space, please; COVID-19 is still with us | Tammy C. Barney

BY: - March 24, 2021

To wear or not to wear a mask, why is this still a question? As much as we want our lives to return to normal, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Not everyone has been vaccinated, herd immunity has not developed, and COVID-19 variants are still out there. Now is not the time to throw […]

COMMENTARY
A sign on a grocery store door says "We Accept Good Stamps, EBT Card"

During pandemic, Louisiana’s children move from bad to worse

BY: - March 10, 2021

Louisiana children are suffering. They are hungry. They don’t have the tools needed for remote learning. And their families can’t pay their bills. A recent Save the Children report ranks our state dead last when it comes to protecting and providing for our children during the pandemic. And this state wasn’t protecting our children before […]

COMMENTARY

Going the way of the Whigs: Zachary Taylor and the current political crisis

BY: - January 25, 2021

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 […]

COMMENTARY

Violent extremists stand with Donald Trump — as do many of my Marine buddies

BY: - January 19, 2021

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 […]