September 15, 2023

Friends,

Be sure to tune in at 7:00 pm tonight to hear your Louisiana gubernatorial candidates debate each other!

You will hear from the following candidates: 

• Attorney General Jeff Landry
• former Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson
• Treasurer John Schroder
• Stephen Waguespack
• Sen. Sharon Hewitt
• Hunter Lundy
• Rep. Richard Nelson

You can watch live on the KLFY News 10 channel or KLFY.com.

The Pelican Institute reveals that six school systems in Louisiana and two charter schools in New Orleans negotiated with Louisiana teachers' unions, establishing agreements regarding school policies and teacher conduct. The Daily Signal calls these type deals “detrimental, hypocritical, and possibly illegal.”

The Pelican Institute's most significant finding pertains to school choice offered exclusively to teachers’ children, a privilege not extended to other parents within the district.

In accordance with Louisiana law, families in Louisiana are limited to transferring kids from "failing schools to higher-performing public schools." This limitation places significant constraints on school choice and parental preferences. However, within bargaining agreements for St. Bernard and Vermilion Parishes, teachers are afforded the option to “select a different school that fits their children,” even non-public schools.

Remember, a bill aimed at expanding school choice in Louisiana via Education Savings Accounts was vetoed by Gov. John Bel Edwards, even with endorsements from the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and the Louisiana Association of Educators.

The unions also advocate against extending the school choice options available in St. Bernard and Vermilion Parishes to parents statewide. The Pelican Institute report labels this: “School Choice for Me but Not for Thee.”

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans has affirmed a ruling which restricts federal officials from influencing social media companies and content moderation.

Attorney General Jeff Landry (R) filed charges against the US government, alleging violations.

"The Fifth Circuit has upheld the district court’s order in our free speech case, Missouri v. Biden, enjoining the White House, Surgeon General, CDC, & FBI from violating the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans," Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey posted on X, previously known as Twitter. 

The “Ministry of Truth” is being made accountable. This is a major win for free speech!

At a Senate Judiciary hearing last week, Republicans argued that tax-payer funded libraries should remove sexually explicit books from their shelves. (WARNING: video in link contains explicit descriptions.)

In response to the argument that these so-called “book bans” are a violation of free speech, Republicans argued that they aren’t really bans at all. Removing these books from public libraries simply keeps them from being readily accessible to children. 

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy read explicit excerpts from some of the books these lawmakers are referencing, including Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, and asked the committee if such content should be available to children. 

The American Library Association documented a total of 1,200 challenges against over 2,500 books in 2022. Of these complaints, close to 200 were submitted in St. Tammany Parish. 

Children deserve protection from content that they are not yet mature enough to read. Keeping sexually explicit books out of their reach is not censorship, but common sense

Friends, we are less than two weeks away from LFF’s Silver Anniversary Gala on September 28th! Special guests include Tony Perkins, the President of Family Research Council, and Abraham Hamilton III, General Counsel of the American Family Association. More info here.

In His Service,

Gene Mills
President
Louisiana Family Forum

P.S. Congressman Mike Johnson honors Louisiana wildfire fighters on House floor.

The rest of the story: Mike’s dad suffered debilitating burns as a Shreveport fireman in a fire fight incident decades ago, which ultimately shortened his life. If you listen carefully to this speech, you can hear the heart cry of a son, whose pride and respect for his own dad & his profession could teach each of us all a lesson in honor.