Free Republic

Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-La.) new powers as chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee could end up being a double-edged sword for her already-difficult reelection chances. The Bayou Democrat took over the plum post on Wednesday evening, which could allow her to push legislation popular back home that boosts the oil industry, all while distancing herself from an unpopular President Obama. But it also raises the pressure on her to deliver for home-state constituents. If she falters, her pitch risks ringing hollow as voters questions her ability to deliver. Republicans like Louisiana GOP Chairman Roger Villere are already pledging...

Vitter Introduces Bill to Put American Citizens Ahead of Illegal Immigrants for In-State College Tuition (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) today introduced legislation to close the current loophole that allows illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition. Many states have used a loophole granting illegal immigrants in-state tuition if they graduated from an in-state high school. “Some of our nation’s highest unemployment rates are among recent college graduates, and we should be supporting policies that help American students get an opportunity to go to college and compete for good jobs,” said Vitter. “American students should always come first....

NEW ORLEANS, LA, February 5, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Archdiocese of New Orleans plans to do more than simply oppose the construction of a new $4.2 million Planned Parenthood abortion facility in the Big Easy. The archdiocese has announced it will boycott all businesses that in any way participate in or facilitate its erection. Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond made the announcement in a letter to his diocese January 27. Archbishop Gregory Aymond In the archdiocesan newspaper The Clarion Herald, the archbishop wrote, “Every person and organization involved in the acquisition, preparation and construction of this or any abortion facility… are...

From the Archdiocese of New Orleans comes one of the most effective anti-abortion protests to date.Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond On January 27, Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans published a letter in the Clarion-Herald, the Archdiocesan newspaper, which has been distributed in every Catholic church in the metropolitan area. In it, Archbishop Aymond announces that the Archdiocese of New Orleans will boycott any person or business who plays a role in helping to erect a new Planned Parenthood facility on Claiborne Avenue.Proposed site – Claiborne Avenue Planned Parenthood clinic The planned $4.2 million, 7,000- to 8,000-square-foot facility would, according...

Authorities say a man walked into the home, armed with a gun, and demanded that the two women inside to give him money and valuables. Some point during the ordeal the oldest resident, a 63 years old woman, found her gun and shot the robber in the upper body. After being shot the suspect took off on foot, but passed out in a neighbor's yard. (snip) Shreveport police have connected the 16 year old to a previous burglary of the residence that occurred in mid December of last year.

The bill also includes a sweetener for Virginians. Under the old provisions shot down by the Supreme Court, the Old Dominion was one of nine states with histories of voter discrimination required to get federal approval before they changed their election procedures. Under the new proposal – which aims to update the formula dictating which states are subject to the extra scrutiny – only four states would be forced to seek such approval. Virginia is not among them. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), a long-time voting rights champion and a lead sponsor of the updated protections, noted Thursday that Rep. Spencer...

Los Angeles bartenders have been told they must wear gloves when making drinks from now on, thanks to the introduction of a new food safety law. Like chefs, bartenders have to wear gloves or use other utensils and are not allowed to touch ice, fruit garnishes or anything else that goes directly into your glass. Changes to the California Retail Food Code went into effect at the beginning of 2014. Chefs have also been banned from touching certain foods with their bare hands including sushi, bread, deli meats and fresh fruit and vegetables. Bartender Matthew Biancaniello says he has experimented...

The city of Los Angeles could receive as much as $500 million in grant money over the next decade under a federal program to fight poverty and improve quality of life, according to reports. Under the Promise Zone initiative, LA and four other regions across the United States have been selected as part of the Obama Administration’s plan to combat high poverty in American communities, White House officials announced Wednesday. The initiative, which was first announced in President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union speech, is designed to bolster partnerships between local businesses and their community “to create jobs, increase...

<p>The future could be lurking in a corner of a 24-hour Mobil station on Santa Monica Boulevard. At least that's the first location of the new burrito vending machine, BurritoBox, which seems like a legit (though probably misguided) enterprise and not a hoax. An intrepid Reddit user claims to have tried the thing and describes it as "like a gourmet frozen burrito without the s****y texture you get from the microwave." Details on the website are scarce, but per an Instagram video it appears that the machine dispenses Evol burritos in flavors like chicken and rice, shredded beef, and bacon, egg, and cheese. Add-ons like sour cream and guacamole come in separate containers, implying that the burritos are pre-made -- so in actuality it might be more like a really big, orange microwave.</p>

A man who swallowed an unspecified amount of cocaine after he was arrested during a traffic stop died in custody, according to the Kenner Police Department. At approximately 1:50 a.m. Saturday, 25-year-old Kenner resident Joshua Adams was stopped by a police officer who noticed what appeared to be an altered temporary license plate on Adams' vehicle. After removing Adams from the car, police say the officer observed the man chewing on a white, powdery substance believed to be cocaine. The officer arrested Adams, who also had an outstanding attachment for his arrest, and took him to the Kenner Police Jail...

A national tea party-allied group is setting up a local chapter in Louisiana. Americans for Prosperity announced the creation of a Louisiana-specific effort Thursday, with the launch of a TV ad criticizing Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu for her support of the federal health care law.

BENTON, La. - In a settlement agreement negotiated by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union will no longer pursue its legal attack upon the Bossier Parish School District. ADF attorneys represent the district. One of the district's schools displayed a nativity scene during the Christmas season of 2003 and has allowed other forms of religious expression on campus. This prompted the ACLU to file suit against the district and school officials. "The ACLU's case was going nowhere fast," said Mike Johnson, an ADF attorney based in Shreveport. "Stockwell Place Elementary School's display of a creche...

A Covington police officer who arrested two referees during a high school football game in October, igniting a firestorm of controversy, has been suspended without pay for 10 working days and demoted from lieutenant to sergeant, Police Chief Tim Lentz announced. The officer, Stephen Short, must pass a fitness-for-duty evaluation before he can return to work, Lentz said. The disciplinary action is effective Monday (Dec. 30). In accordance with Civil Service rules, Short has 15 days to file an appeal to the Civil Service Board. Lentz and Covington Mayor Mike Cooper said in a joint statement: "When an officer uses...

Charlie Daniels has had enough of CNN's Piers Morgan attacking Americans he doesn't agree with. After Morgan said about Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson via Twitter Thursday, "[T]he 1st Amendment shouldn't protect vile bigots," Daniels scolded the arrogant Brit Friday with a series of tweets that began, "Piers Morgan why don't you go back to England and straighten it out before you try to change the United States of America":

NEW ORLEANS — Karen Sandoval's promising life in this city fell apart in one day last summer when she went to buy school supplies for her two daughters. Sandoval, a Honduran immigrant here illegally, was riding with the man her girls have always called their father. Immigration agents, seeing a dilapidated car, pulled them over. They released Sandoval but detained her partner, a Nicaraguan also here illegally, and he was soon deported. Now Sandoval, 28, is grieving her loss and scrambling to support her children without her partner, Enrique Morales, and the income from his thriving flooring business. She sees...

**SNIP** Today, judging by her recent television ads and press releases, Landrieu's approach is more, shall we say, nuanced. If I follow her correctly (and, as The Wall Street Journal noted Friday, what Landrieu says is not an indication of what she does), her current position is this: Obamacare is a great progressive step she would vote for again, and only greedy bigots who want people dying in the street oppose it. However, it hasn't gotten off to a great start and a number of its bedrock claims have proved mendacious, so she is going to step forward, champion the...

**SNIP** "We now have a situation where you have an unpopular president on the downside and a senator who has no independence from him," said Brad Todd, a GOP consultant who twice worked on campaigns against the senator. "Mary is a tough campaigner, she campaigns vigorously, she's charismatic, she's experienced at tough races. However, she has never had to run with an anvil around her neck. She will have to do that this time." Landrieu's own position on Obamacare reflects the tension between competing demands. Earlier this year, she gave the Affordable Care Act a bear hug. She repeatedly said...

The Woman Who Never Gave Up The Life of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne By: Jeanne Kun Kaskasia, Michigamea, Cahokia—strange-sounding Indian names peppered the priest’s conversation as he sat in the Duchesnes’ study in France and told of his work in far away North America.As young Philippine listened to Father Jean-Baptist Aubert, a new desire began to burn in her heart: to be a missionary among the Native Americans. Little did she realize that it would take more than sixty years for her dream to be fulfilled. Many thwarted hopes and deferred dreams marked the long course of her life,...

Dressed in a red Santa suit, white beard and rimless glasses balanced on his nose, Langston Patterson sits on a velvet couch and waits for his adoring fans. Some call first to make sure he will be there. They come from Palmdale, Thousand Oaks and San Bernardino, driving past many shopping malls with Santas, but none that look like him.

**SNIP** “[T]hose individuals who like the coverage they already have will be able to keep their current plan,” declared Landrieu from the Senate floor in December 2009. “This is a very accurate description of this bill before us.” When the millions of health plan cancellations became part of the narrative about the law, Landrieu tried to spin her promise, telling The Weekly Standard that “[w]e said when we passed [Obamacare], ‘If you had insurance that was good insurance that you wanted to keep it, you could keep it.’” Landrieu never said that during the debate on Obamacare. President Obama never...