Commentary
Readers React: Legislative leaders ‘self-indulging’ with Capitol police force
On June 16, 2022, Gov. Edwards quietly approved the creation of a new police force exclusively for the Louisiana Legislature. He signed into law Act 507, legitimizing Senate Bill 490 – a poorly identified bill entitled “to provide security services for the state capitol building.” It’s probable that term-limited Senate President Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, and […]
Drag queen bill sets the goal posts on obscenity around only LGBTQ folks
In 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart was asked for his definition of obscenity during arguments in Jacobellis v. Ohio, the case in which a movie theater owner was charged with obscenity for showing a French film depicting the story of a woman who committed adultery. Potter famously said: “I know it when I […]
In governor’s race, we’ll see if ‘Wags’ can tail top dog Landry
One of the bigger questions hanging over the 2023 governor’s race has been answered now that Congressman Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, has opted to stay out. His decision came Tuesday morning, just hours after news broke that his good friend and Louisiana Association of Business and Industry President Stephen Waguespack would become a candidate. “After […]
Louisiana’s rural health disparities deserve a longer look
Legislative task forces are often the product of proposed legislation that runs out of steam. Seeing that their bill has no chance of advancing, a lawmaker will often propose a study resolution to convene a panel to examine the issue they’re confronting. Some task forces are pointless and politically reckless, while others result in substantive […]
‘Don’t say Kim?’ Governor’s bill would regulate schools’ use of nicknames
The Republican Party’s obsession with sex and gender identity has reached a fever pitch in the Iowa Statehouse this year. Gov. Kim Reynolds and her gang of helicopter mothers are clutching their pearls so hard they must be cutting off oxygen to their brains. At this rate, they will end up banning rainbows before the […]
How dangerous was the Ohio chemical train derailment? An environmental engineer assesses the risks
Headaches and lingering chemical smells from a fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, have left residents worried about their air and water – and misinformation on social media hasn’t helped. State officials offered more details of the cleanup process and a timeline of the environmental disaster during a news conference on Feb. 14, 2023. […]
Signatures to oust Cantrell are one thing; a recall election is another
A rousing cheer greeted New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell when she arrived at a Lower 9th Ward community center Thursday. She was there to join Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, Congressman Troy Carter and U.S. Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge to announce the end of the Road Home program. Most of the neighborhood residents gathered were […]
Behold the Kansas City Chiefs’ elite quarterback — and the other one, too
As they prep for the Super Bowl on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs have a phenomenon at quarterback. He threw for thousands of yards in high school, earning scholarship offers from universities that would compete on the national stage. His talents playing baseball and basketball in high school still earn mentions when the news media […]
Need a gun even though you have a domestic violence restraining order against you? No problem!
The Serrano family returned home from a party in the misty early hours of Oct. 30, 2022. Beside Jesus, 51, were his son-in-law, his two adult daughters and two grandchildren. Their evening together was a cause for celebration: One of the Serrano daughters had recently escaped an abusive relationship with Joseph Castorena, who she alleged […]
W.E.B. Du Bois, Black History Month and the importance of African American studies
The opening days of Black History Month 2023 have coincided with controversy about the teaching and broader meaning of African American studies. On Feb. 1, 2023, the College Board released a revised curriculum for its newly developed Advanced Placement African American studies course. Critics have accused the College Board of caving to political pressure stemming […]
Far right just wants a fight over COVID, not facts
Recent actions from the far right give proof that they have no interest in tackling the pressing concerns of our country – just the opposite in fact. What’s more important to them is earning meaningless merit badges from a dwindling flock of followers swayed more by unfounded fears than facts. Take House Majority Leader Steve […]
Louisiana deserves modern mindset on child sexual abuse prevention
It’s always nice to see a piece of bad legislation salvaged and turned into a good law, and that might be what happens with a proposal meant to protect child sexual abuse victims in Louisiana. But there’s a chance it could run into the same anachronistic thinking around criminal justice in our state that’s blunted […]