Sigh. It seems our esteemed legislators just can’t overcome their baseless fears and conspiracy theories At the same time, they have no trouble EXPOSING those who file ethics complaints to retaliation. The FULL HOUSE passed HB 160, the so-called ethics reform bill by Rep. Kellee Hennessy-Dickerson Sigh. It seems our esteemed legislators just can’t overcome their baseless fears and conspiracy theories At the same time, they have no trouble EXPOSING those who file ethics complaints to retaliation. The FULL HOUSE passed HB 160, the so-called ethics reform bill by Rep. Kellee Hennessy-Dickerson
(R-Denham Springs) by an overwhelming VOTE OF 88-7 (there were 10 members who apparently had more important matters than to go on record either way on the bill.)
Sen. Michael “Bib Mike” Fesi
(R-Houma), author of SENATE BILL 46, claims that sulfur dioxide is among the chemicals that are being sprayed into the atmosphere (as an expert witness, perhaps he should call on U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, she of the theory of Democrat-controlled weather and Jewish laser beam firestarter nonsense).
Lawmakers seem to have given not a fleeting thought to the toxicity of the emissions of sulfur dioxide emitted by the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and industrial facilities. But senators certainly jumped on the chance to pass this slapstick parody of a bill by a 27-12 VOTE. It has been reported out by the Legislative Bureau and now goes to the House for consideration.
But then, so many of the legislators are in the petro-chemical industry’s pocket. It’s completely understandable; our elected officials long ago made the state’s economy reliant upon the petro-chemical plants scattered along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans to the sacrifice of economic diversity (oops, that’s one of the words we’re supposed to banish from our vocabulary).
You’d think that long-range economic plans for the state would feature the inclusion (Dang! Another one. Strike that word, too) of other stimuli for economic equality (Crap! I gotta stop doing that!) for its citizens.
Then, to go along with SB 46, we have Rep. Kim Coates
(R- Ponchatoula) and her HOUSE BILL 608, which would create the “Louisiana Atmospheric Protection Act,” which theoretically at least, would “Prohibit weather modification activities.” Again, sigh. I suppose these types of bills are necessary for entertainment value over the long 85-day legislative session.
Perhaps the blog service LOUISIANA ILLUMINATOR summed it up best with its headline describing the two bills as “fueled by ‘magic’ and conspiracy theories.”
These two bills rank right up there with another of Big Mike’s CONSPIRACY THEORIES contained in SB 2, which raises the old “chemtrail” theory about the contrails of jet airplanes.
A padded room and soft-lead pencils for more bill-writing might be in order about now but bizarre as the two bills are, at least we can’t say they aren’t trying to do something about climate change. Now, if only there was some way to get these people to look at the real reasons and not attack the problem with some cockamamie Marvel comic book plot.
Jeff Landry and his Repugnantcan allies in the state legislature so wanted to be first to jump on the Robert Kennedy Jr. bandwagon but alas, the best they can hope for now is third. Utah and Florida, it seems got in under the wire despite the best efforts of Landry et al. But that didn’t deter efforts to resurrect a political hot potato that dates back to at least the Eisenhower years.
There’s no denying that the mass hysteria that grips the Repugnantcan Party (and the MAGA MOVEMENT) is very much akin to the adulation and hysteria bestowed upon first Elvis and later the Beatles by raving, screaming teeny-boppers. A custodian who worked one Beatles performance revealed that the squealing girls literally saturated the floor of the concert hall when their bladders gave way in unison to the appearance of the Fab Four onstage. He said the screaming was such that the group could have sung a laundry list and no one would have known any better.
Such is the mental state of many so-called adults, male and female, in the MAGA CULT and among the Louisiana congressional delegation and the state legislature.
Thus, we have the issue du jour: fluoridation of water. Because Robert Kennedy says so, apparently.
SENATE BILL 2 (couldn’t wait to get it filled, could they?) by Repugnantcan Sens. Michael Fesi of Houma, Heather Cloud of Turkey Creek and Patrick McMath of Covington would “prohibit the fluoridation of any public water systems” unless 15 percent [or more] of registered voters in the precincts served by the water system sign a petition” and voters subsequently approve fluoridation, according to the bill’s DIGEST, a brief synopsis that generally accompanies each bill filed to boil down the language to layman’s terms.
The bill has already passed a Senate vote by a 24-10 margin. Click HERE to see how your senator voted and to see who the five were who took a walk when the vote came up. It now goes over to the House where it will be heard by the Committee on Health and Welfare.
Try as they might, Landry, et al just couldn’t make it to the front of the line in order to gain Donald Trump’s blessings. Oh, they’ll get the obligatory pat on the head from Tub-A-Lardo, but Utah (May 7) and Florda (May 15), bless Rhonda Santis’s heart, got there first.
Utah wins the sweepstakes with its fluoridation-prohibition law actually having taken effect on May 7. Rhonda signed the Florida bill on May 15, but their law doesn’t go into effect until July 1. SB-2, should it ultimately pass both chambers and be signed into law by Landry (and there’s little reason to believe the cult won’t follow through on the banning of this latest assault on the mental health of Amurikens, wouldn’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2026.
Besides Louisiana, OTHER STATES currently considering prohibitions of this dastardly affront to our well-being include Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska and South Carolina. (Wait. What? Massachusetts?)
Charles and David Koch should be so proud for their dad, Freed Koch, was a founding member of THE JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY which first began the DRUMBEAT AGAINST FLUORIDATIONmore than half-a-century ago. Charles filled with the same ardor as his dad, would later join the Birchers himself. And now, Robert Kennedy is echoing the Birchers and the dialogue of one of the greatest nuclear WAR PARODIES ever filmed, Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. (Who can forget Slim Pickens, as Maj. “King” Kong, riding that bomb down in the final scene? And how many know that the film was the film debut of the great James Earl Jones?)
The bottom line of all this Repugnantcan insanity is that the groundwork was laid by the John Birch Society which, though it failed in its efforts to elect Barry Goldwater in 1964, did go on to CREATE such Repugnantcan architects as Karl Rove, Lee Atwater, LEWIS POWELL (who wrote ATTACK ON AMERICAN FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM, the forerunner to Project 2025, in 1971), Ronald Reagan and, of course, Donald Trump.
So, as you can see, if you opened all the links I provided, the events we see taking place before our astonished eyes are not by chance. They are a carefully-orchestrated being performed by a bunch of misfits who got their supporting roles through their fealty to the main character, a reality show actor named Trump. The millions of panting, devoted followers with their red caps and T-shirts emblazoned with slogans are but bit players – extras – with no real role other than to froth at the mouth, chant and applaud on cue.
And to take up the latest issue whenever it comes up, be it abortion, immigration, law and order, tariffs, vaccinations, fluoridation or cybercurrency. It really doesn’t matter how you feel personally of even if you don’t have a position – you’re now expected to take up the cause with all the fervor expected of a devoted cult member.
That’s why a fluoridation ban for Louisiana is a done deal – never mind that it’s proven to help prevent tooth decay That’s a non-starter to these people.
If you’re considering shipping a package by UPS, here’s a word of advice:
Don’t.
Or should you have the opportunity to choose your shipping choice if you are scheduled to receive a package:
Don’t, for the love of God, choose UPS.
I should know better. A few years back, I ordered a portable greenhouse in which to grow tomatoes year-round. I checked the tracking after it was several days late only to learn that it was “delivered.”
Not to me. A further check revealed that it had mistakenly been sent to some lucky person in East Texas.
To whom? I asked the UPS folks. We can’t tell you, they said, against policy.
“I spent $700 on that greenhouse. I have a right to know who I bought it for,” I said.
Nope. Can’t do it, they said. I never learned who the person was who received my greenhouse. And while I did get a full refund, the experience should’ve left a bad-enough taste in my mouth. But fool me once, shame on you…
But there’s one more bit of advice I’d like to pass along.
The most important advice of all if you do happen to get saddled with UPS, don’t – under any circumstances – call the company’s 800 number to check on your package.
Here’s why.
I went on line to order one of those nice walk-behind grass trimmers (photo below).
I received an email confirmation that the trimmer would be delivered on Monday (May 12).
Monday at 3:16 p.m. a UPS delivery truck pulls up and stops in front of my house. I’m in the front yard at the time so I wait for the trimmer to be unloaded.
Nothing happens.
Finally, I ask the driver if he has a large package for me.
He walks around inside the van, checks a clipboard and finally says, “It was loaded onto he wrong truck.”
“What?”
“Happens all the time. They’ll probably deliver it later today.” He gets back behind the wheel and drives away without ever leaving any kind of package.
Later today didn’t happen and when I checked the tracking periodically, it always told me it was “out for delivery.”
Cool. I’ll wait. But a little after 8:30, growing anxious, I checked tracking again and lo and behold, I’m told the package was being returned to sender.
Again, WHAT?
When I clicked on the box for details, I get a tracking history that told me that at a delivery was attempted at 8 p.m. but another entry at 7:58 p.m. – two minutes earlier – said, “Package is returning to seller because recipient did not accept it” and that I would receive a full refund.
Again, WHAT THE HOLY HELL?! I was home the entire evening and no delivery was attempted at 8 p.m. – just that one confused driver who stopped by briefly at 3:16 p.m.
I also noticed that at 6:41 a.m. on Saturday (May 10), the “Package arrived at carrier facility.”
So, I go online seeking the location, hours of operation and phone number of the “carrier facility” (I suppose that’s a fancy term for distribution warehouse) in Baton Rouge.
I discovered that there a couple of dozen (or so) locations for UPS facilities in Baton Rouge but the one I’m looking for is apparently on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge and is open until 10 p.m. Good, I’ll give them a call and find out why my package is being returned.
Except, to my dismay, I find that every single UPS facility in Baton Rouge – and apparently every single one in North America – has the same 800 number. That’s pretty off-putting in itself. But undeterred, I plunge ahead and called the number.
I get recordings and punch in all the correct numbers on my phone’s keypad and confirm the tracking number and the recording tells me the package is being returned to sender. I knew that; I wanted to know why, so I ask to speak to a representative. I was forced to repeat that request three or four times before the recording decided to make me someone else’s problem and transferred me to a representative – in Calcutta.
To say his English was fractured would be an understatement but despite the difficulties in understanding him, I managed to convey my displeasure at the turn of events.
At which point, he said the package was being returned because recipient did not accept delivery.
“A damned lie!” I said as calmly as I could, which my wife says was not calm at all.
After some back and forth, he finally said he would change the obvious error (error my gluteus maximus, somebody flat-out lied about attempting a second delivery). I again tried to convince him that no one ever attempted a second delivery.
No problem, he assured me. The package would be delivered the next day (Tuesday) and I would get a confirmation text on my phone in the next hour or so.
Well, suffice it to say, no confirmation text ever came through and come Tuesday night, still no package. So, Wednesday morning, hands trembling, voice cracking and with great trepidation, I called that 800 number again.
After going around and around with that AI robot, I finally was transferred to a live representative – this time, I think, in Bombay.
He starts in with that second delivery refusal nonsense again but I stopped him. “Don’t try to tell me about a second delivery attempt because there was no second delivery attempt. Ever.”
“The package is being returned to sender because recipient…”
“Don’t! I told you there was no second attempt!”
He put me on hold for what seemed like a very long time but was actually about five minutes before he returned to tell me that the delivery attempts had gone to the wrong address.
“Wrong address?” I thundered.
Yes, recipient refused delivery on second…”
“Wait. What? You just said it went to the wrong address but now we’re back on my refusing delivery. Listen to me carefully. There was no second delivery attempt. Ever.”
“Please hold while I check.”
I thought he’d just put me on hold to check already but what the hell. Okay.
He came back to explain that after the second delivery attempt was refused, the package was being returned to the sender.”
A tad exasperated by this point, I again attempted to explain there was no bloody second delivery attempt because I was home the entire evening and no one from UPS drove down our street other that that one befuddled driver at 3:16 p.m. I implored, beseeched, pleaded, begged and cajoled him, maybe even while sobbing a little, not to ever tell me again that I refused delivery on a second attempt.
“Please hold while I check.”
Sigh.
Eventually, he returned, though for the life of me, I don’t know why. I would have “lost” the phone connection long ago. But this time, he then tells me the package was being returned because of insufficient address on the package.
Good thing I wasn’t drinking coffee when he said that or I’d have spit it out all over my keyboard.
“They didn’t seem to have an insufficient address when the first UPS truck showed up at my house at 3:16 p.m. on Monday,” I sputtered. “They found me then so why couldn’t they find me later? You’ve now given me no fewer than four separate reasons why my package is being returned: First it was loaded onto the wrong truck; then I refused delivery; then it went to the wrong address and finally, the package had an insufficient address…”
“Yes, that is correct.”
At that point, I terminated the conversation with a verb and a pronoun with a vow to myself to never use UPS again as long as I could have any control over matters.
Here is the tracking record for the package from the date is was shipped by the seller on Thursday, May 8, until it was returned, ostensibly because I refused delivery (which I never did):
Shipped with UPS
Tracking ID: (redacted so Elon Musk can’t access it)
The same order status information that UPS Customer Service associates can access:
Tuesday, May 13
8:00 PM
Delivery attempted.
Baton Rouge, LA US
7:58 PM
Package is returning to seller because recipient did not accept it.
A New Orleans reader sent the following letter that was posted on FB, supposedly by a school superintendent, in response to Tub-A-Lardo Trump and his secretary of education demanding that school districts gut equity programs:
Secretary of Education and WWE faux-wrestling promoter, Linda McMahon, and the Trump administration gave schools 10 days to gut their equity programs or lose funding. One superintendent responded with a letter so clear, so bold, and so unapologetically righteous, it deserves to be read in full.
April 8, 2025
To Whom It May (Unfortunately) Concern at the U.S. Department of Education:
Thank you for your April 3 memorandum, which I read several times — not because it was legally persuasive, but because I kept checking to see if it was satire. Alas, it appears you are serious.
You’ve asked me, as superintendent of a public school district, to sign a “certification” declaring that we are not violating federal civil rights law — by, apparently, acknowledging that civil rights issues still exist. You cite Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, then proceed to argue that offering targeted support to historically marginalized students is somehow discriminatory.
That’s not just legally incoherent — it’s a philosophical Möbius strip of bad faith.
Let me see if I understand your logic:
If we acknowledge racial disparities, that’s racism.
If we help English learners catch up, that’s favoritism.
If we give a disabled child a reading aide, we’re denying someone else the chance to struggle equally.
And if we train teachers to understand bias, we’re indoctrinating them — but if we train them to ignore it, we’re “restoring neutrality”?
How convenient that your sudden concern for “equal treatment” seems to apply only when it’s used to silence conversations about race, identity, or inequality.
Let’s talk about our English learners. Would you like us to stop offering translation services during parent-teacher conferences? Should we cancel bilingual support staff to avoid the appearance of “special treatment”? Or would you prefer we just teach all content in English and hope for the best, since acknowledging linguistic barriers now counts as discrimination?
And while we’re at it — what’s your official stance on IEPs? Because last I checked, individualized education plans intentionally give students with disabilities extra support.
Should we start removing accommodations to avoid offending the able-bodied majority? Maybe cancel occupational therapy altogether so no one feels left out?
If a student with a learning disability receives extended time on a test, should we now give everyone extended time, even if they don’t need it? Just to keep the playing field sufficiently flat and unthinking?
Your letter paints equity as a threat. But equity is not the threat. It’s the antidote to decades of failure. Equity is what ensures all students have a fair shot. Equity is what makes it possible for a child with a speech impediment to present at the science fair. It’s what helps the nonverbal kindergartner use an AAC device. It’s what gets the newcomer from Ukraine the ESL support she needs without being left behind.
And let’s not skip past the most insulting part of your directive — the ten-day deadline. A national directive sent to thousands of districts with the subtlety of a ransom note, demanding signatures within a week and a half or else you’ll cut funding that supports… wait for it… low-income students, disabled students, and English learners.
Brilliant. Just brilliant. A moral victory for bullies and bureaucrats everywhere.
So no, we will not be signing your “certification.”
We are not interested in joining your theater of compliance.
We are not interested in gutting equity programs that serve actual children in exchange for your political approval.
We are not interested in abandoning our legal, ethical, and educational responsibilities to satisfy your fear of facts.
We are interested in teaching the truth.
We are interested in honoring our students’ identities.
We are interested in building a school system where no child is invisible, and no teacher is punished for caring too much.
And yes — we are prepared to fight this. In the courts. In the press. In the community. In Congress, if need be.
Because this district will not be remembered as the one that folded under pressure.
We will be remembered as the one that stood its ground — not for politics, but for kids.
Sincerely,
District Superintendent
Still Teaching. Still Caring. Still Not Signing.
(I do not know if this is a real response or the creative work of a very clever person, and I do not care. I am posting it either way because I can absolutely validate the perspective.)
At least one member of Louisiana’s congressional delegation is doing his job.
U.S. Rep. Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) continued doing the job he was elected to do (as opposed to doing the what a hack reality show host and the world’s richest man want) in a 36-hour-long Energy and Commerce Committee business meeting debating the Republican partisan budget reconciliation bill. Under this plan, Republicans will impose $715 billion in Medicaid cuts.
Carter invited Katie, Coye, Connor and Cooper Corkern from Louisiana to join him as an example of a local family who will be devastated by these Medicaid cuts. Connor John Corkern was born 18 years ago with a congenital brain malformation. His parents were shocked at the news of his diagnosis as his mother Katie’s pregnancy was uneventful.
At just six weeks old, Connor’s parents were told that his brain malformation was so significant that he would need one on one care for all aspects of his life. He was blind, developmentally delayed, had poor muscle tone, was fed through a tube, had numerous types of seizures every day, had an underdeveloped pituitary gland, needed hormone replacement medications, had an immune deficiency disorder, and was nonverbal. Coye, a Louisiana law enforcement officer, and Katie, a Special Education Teacher, spent much of their time with Connor at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans as their son’s seizures and illnesses turned into life-threatening events.
After nearly a decade of being on a waiting list for a home and community-based disability waiver, Connor was given an emergency New Opportunities Waiver (NOW) in 2015. The NOW waiver afforded them Medicaid despite their income, and with that came help in caring for Connor at his own home with his parents and two brothers. Connor’s skilled nurse has been with him for 10 years now. She cares for Connor while his parents work. Connor has also had wonderful direct support professionals who assist him in the evenings while his parents bring his brothers to and from extracurricular activities and events.
When Connor was first diagnosed, his physicians warned his parents that his life was extremely fragile and there was a high chance he would not survive childhood. On May 7, 2025, Connor graduated from high school with his peers.
“We’re here because the Republican Majority is attempting to do exactly what they promised: rip people’s health care away from them,” said Carter.“Under this plan, Republicans will impose drastic Medicaid cuts–which will result in millions of Americans losing their health care, destroy our hospitals and close the nursing homes our parents and grandparents rely upon while blowing-up states’ budgets, including Louisiana’s.
These cuts will put the elderly, the disabled, and our children at risk – all so they can give trillions of dollars in tax breaks to billionaires and large corporations. Simply put- this is cruel, inhumane and wrong.
“Connor’s story is an example of why Medicaid is so important for countless families across the United States. Republicans need to know that these cuts are not just numbers on paper, these are decisions with real-life consequences that will hurt our people. Medicaid plays a crucial role in providing life-saving care to millions of Americans and Louisianians, and it’s essential that we continue to support and strengthen this program – not make it harder for people to access care.
Let’s make it easier for children, like Connor, and their families to access these critical services made possible through Medicaid, not harder. Connor’s story could be any family’s story. The story of our family should not be written in a genetic lottery. Every family is precious.”
View video from Tuesday’s meeting HERE, HERE and HEREand below are a couple of photos from the family’s time in Washington.
Now, the question of the day is: where the holy hell are Republicans Julia Letlow, Steve KKK Scalise, Mike “I’m proud to have a porn monitoring app on my phone” Johnson and Super Cop (as in public information officer) Clay Higgins and fellow Democrat Cleo Fields while Carter was doing his job?
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