Louisiana Voice

As if the Catholic Church did not have enough of an image problem with the ongoing litigation in the Archdiocese of New Orleans over long-running, rampant sex abuse, now comes news that the longtime refugee resettlement program may be coming to an end, along with hints that the program may have been unknowingly abetting human trafficking.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced on Monday that it is terminating its half-century partnership with the federal government to serve refugees and children because of the Trump administration’s sudden ending of funding for the program.

Adding to the disappointment of seeing the program terminated was the banner headline by the Gateway Pundit that accused the program of trafficking “hundreds of thousands” of victims, including children.

THE GATEWAY PUNDIT, launched in 2004, is the fifth-largest conservative news website in the U.S. and is known for publishing falsehoods, hoaxes and conspiracy theories. It also settled a defamation lawsuit with two Georgia election workers. It attempted to unsuccessfully in 2020 to declare bankruptcy but a federal judge said the company was acting in “bad faith” and was attempting to abuse bankruptcy protections in order to evade potentially huge legal bills from the defamation lawsuits.

Still, with the New Orleans lawsuits against the archdiocese demanding front pate coverage, and with the clutter of other lawsuit against various archdioceses across the map, the inference by The Gateway Pundit has to be given some consideration even if its claim isn’t exactly original.

Trafficking is an admitted problem in society and it’s getting worse. The big surprise is in learning that most human trafficking is not sex trafficking, but labor. Victims’ passports (if they even have passports – many don’t) are often seized by the traffickers, leaving them trapped with no place to run or hide. Thus, they are forced into arduous, never-ending labor. Many of those forced into labor are children.

Last August, a REPORT by the inspector general for Homeland Security conceded that the agency could not account for more than 320,000 unaccompanied migrant children who it considered to be at “higher risk for trafficking, exploitation or forced labor.”

The USCCB and Catholic Charities reaped billions of dollars from the U.S. government in resettling illegal and undocumented persons in recent years – $1.4 billion in 2024 alone.

“As a national effort, we simply cannot sustain the work on our own at current levels or in current form,” conference President Archbishop Timothy Broglio, said in a statement. “We will work to identify alternative means of support for the people the federal government has already admitted to these programs.”

The program is projected to shut down by the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30)

There is one individual who could end the tariff madness today if he only had the cajones to stand up and do the right thing.

This individual, however, would never qualify as an entry to JFK’s 1956 best-seller Profiles in Courage because he has signaled to the world that he does not possess an ounce of genuine courage – despite being a U.S. Marine veteran.

His name is Mike Johnson. He is the Speaker of the House and sorry to say, is from Louisiana.

All he has to do is give a thumbs-up to a measure that reasserts Congress’s AUTHORITY  OVER TARIFFS.

Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution says, “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises…[and] to regulate commerce with foreign nations.”

Some 50 years ago, however, Congress effectively delegated all responsibilities on tariffs to the executive branch.

Going all the way back to 1934, Congress passed the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act which gave President Franklin Roosevelt the authority to vary tariffs by 50 percent and to negotiate trade agreements without having to obtain additional approval from Congress. The president has generally controlled tariff policies since that time.

But Congress can, at any time it chooses, RESCIND THAT AUTHORITY to the President but to do so, Republicans – including especially House Speaker Johnson – would have to put loyalty to the country and the economy above loyalty to Donald Trump.

That would require a show of courage that Republicans as a group simply do not possess.

That may also be why Johnson instructed his fellow Republicans to refrain from holding any town hall meetings back home. After all, some smart-ass constitutional scholar might ask an embarrassing question.

The economic turmoil the U.S. and the world markets are experiencing right now doesn’t have to be. Your 401(K) doesn’t have to take the hit it’s taking right now.

You don’t have to pay an additional $6,000 or so if you want to purchase a new vehicle.

You don’t have to shell an sudden additional $7500 to the cost of a family for basic necessities over the next year.

You don’t have to pay more for imported lumber, agricultural products, coffee, steel or electronic products.

All it takes is a little show of courage to make a bully back down from his incessant intimidation.

But don’t expect it to happen. Cowards just won’t fight back.

You can see by the story below why LouisianaVoice exists. Thanks to sharp-eyed former intern Jamie Segura, we were able to break this story about what amounts to a loyalty oath on the part of parish school superintendents. But if we did not exist, would the story be aired as we did?

That’s why I humbly come to you asking that you contribute what you can to our endeavor to keep you informed about your elected officials.

I didn’t post a request on Sunday. I left that to the preachers to solicit support for their churches but now I come on a Monday asking for that same support. I feel we contribute to the political education of our readers – and sometimes to their entertainment.

Whatever you feel you can afford here at tax season is greatly appreciated. I do these fundraisers only twice a year – in April and October. The most generous individual contricution in April will receive a first-edition of Huey Long’s autobiography, Every Man a King and each contribution of $50 or more will receive a signed copy of my latest book, 101 Wrongful Convictions in Louisiana.

You may contribute by credid card by clicking on the YELLOW BUTTON to the right of this post or by mailing a check to me, Tom Aswell, 107 North College West, Denham Springs, Louisiana 70726.

Thanks so much for your consideration.

Back in the earlier days of my writing career, I had the privilege, while managing editor of the Ruston Daily Leader, of working with some talented journalism interns from Wiley Hilburn’s Louisiana Tech journalism department. Jamie Segura and the late Craig Durrett top the list.

Jamie was the feisty one – meaning she was not afraid to ask the hard questions – and it’s hard to believe that nearly half-a-century later, she’s still an active news hound over in nearby St. Tammany Parish.

I point out her splendid abilities as a way of introducing three documents she just sent me that will likely impact public education throughout Louisiana – and beyond.

LouisianaVoice introduces these documents here as an exclusive news story, thanks to Jamie and her dedication to keeping a sharp eye for important events. I will attempt to describe the contents – and effects – of each document in chronological order and I will attach a link to each document so that readers of LouisianaVoice may peruse the documents for themselves. (To read the attached links, simply click on the underlined, all-caps phrases in green.)

THE FIRST, dated Feb. 14 (happy Valentine’s Day), is a four-page ominous “reminder” from the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of Civil Rights and is signed by Craig Trainor, acting assist secretary for Civil Rights for DOE.

Quick to remind the “colleagues” to whom the memo is addressed, it notes that the term “school” refers to “preschool, elementary, secondary and postsecondary education institutions that receive federal financial assistance from the Department.”

It takes a while but Trainor gets to the intent of DOE to bend to the Trump administration by invoking diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as the sinister perpetrator of “smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming and discipline,” whatever that may mean.

Trainor goes on to say, “DEI programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not. Such programs stigmatize students who belong to particular racial groups based on crude racial stereotypes. Consequently, they deny students the ability to participate fully in the life of a school.”

Then comes the crux of the memo: citing the Supreme Court decision Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, Trainer writes, “The Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions. The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.”

Then comes the inevitable threat: “Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding.”

Four days later, on Feb. 19, comes DOCUMENT NUMBER TWO from Dr. Cade Brumley, state superintendent of education, to all “system leaders” i.e. all local school superintendents.

Brumley obligingly copies Gov. Jeff Landry, Attorney General Liz Murrill, House Education Chair Rep. Laurie Schlegel, Senate Education Chair Rick Edmonds and members of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).

It’s a one-page memo that reminds all local school superintendents of DOE’s “clarifying guidance” as set out in the Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. He notes that “federal law prevents educational institutions using race in decisions pertaining to:

 “Admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.”

Brumley then plays the sycophant to Landry by writing, “The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) agrees with ED’s guidance and belief that “[d]iscrimination [under any banner] on the basis of race, color, or national origin is illegal and morally reprehensible.” Furthermore, LDOE commends Governor Landry for his proactive Executive Order as well as his unwavering support of LDOE’s work to stop inherently divisive concepts, like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), from infiltrating Louisiana’s K-12 public education system.”

His memorandum concludes with, “There is a compelling national interest to ensure educational institutions are non-discriminatory in nature. Further, in Louisiana, access to educational programming should affirm equal protection under the law and a desire to honor meritocracy of student achievement. Over the coming weeks, I encourage you to review efforts, initiatives, programs, awards, and other matters under your purview to ensure they comply with local, state, and federal law.”

DOCUMENT THREE is the coup de grace.

Dated April 3, it can only be described as a loyalty oath to be signed by each local superintendent of education (and possibly teachers, as well).

Consisting of four pages, there is a line on the first page for superintendents (and teachers?) to affix their signatures committing themselves to the whims and wishes of Trump and Landry under the authority of the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College decision.

The loyalty oath is thorough in including the wording, “The use of certain DEI practices can violate federal law. The continued use of illegal DEI practices may subject the individual or entity using such practices to serious consequences, including:

• The use of the provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 2000d-1 to seek the “termination of or refusal to grant or to continue assistance under such program,” eliminating federal funding for any SEA, LEA, or educational institution that engages in such conduct.
• For entities and institutions that use DEI practices in violation of federal law, those entities may incur substantial liabilities, including the potential initiation of litigation for breach of contract by the Department of Justice in connection with civil rights guarantees contained in federal contracts and grant awards seeking to recover previously received funds paid to them under these contracts and grants.”

It concludes with the not-so-subtle warning: “The use of certain DEI practices can violate federal law. The continued use of illegal DEI practices may subject the individual or entity using such practices to serious consequences, including: The use of the provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 2000d-1 to seek the “termination of or refusal to grant or to continue assistance under such program,” eliminating federal funding for any SEA, LEA, or educational institution that engages in such conduct. For entities and institutions that use DEI practices in violation of federal law, those entities may incur substantial liabilities, including the potential initiation of litigation for breach of contract by the Department of Justice in connection with civil rights guarantees contained in federal contracts and grant awards seeking to recover previously received funds paid to them under these contracts and grants. (emphasis mine)

Well, it’s nice to know precisely how loyalty oaths work. They’re a way to dispense of pesky democracy. Moreover, it’s a license to revert back to the days of discrimination based not only on race, but on gender, sexual orientation, religion and creed. And that’s something you can take to the bank.

Mitch Landrieu, former state representative, lt. governor, mayor of New Orleans and advisor to President Biden, addresses one of the “Hands Off” rallies held Saturday throughout the U.S. This particular one was held on the steps of the State Capitol and drew a surprisingly large crowd considering the redness of red-state Louisiana. The rallies were held to protest the policies of IMPOTUS Donald Trump.

10,000 Women Louisiana co-founder Melissa Flournoy poses with fellow former State Representative Mitch Landrieu during Baton Rouge’s “Hands-Off” rally, one of hundreds held throughout the U.S. on Saturday to protest the policies of Donald Trump and Elon Musk.