Free Republic

“Reinvigorating the leadership” is how one senior House staffer described the ascendency of Steve Scalise, the Louisiana Republican who won a first-ballot victory for the position of GOP whip. The staffer went on to portray Scalise as not a member of the Washington establishment. Indeed, Scalise is a former chair of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), the conservative caucus in the U.S. House. He has had a meteoric rise, and he is someone to be reckoned with. Scalise’s win follows Kevin McCarthy’s first-ballot victory for the GOP majority-leader slot. And here’s something I did not know: As whip, Scalise gets...

Despite strong support from the likes of national figures such as Jeb Bush, the rejection by the states of the federal overreach into education known as the Common Core standards continues to gain momentum. Most recently, Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana vetoed a bill that would have aligned Louisiana’s public school system with “Obamacore.” The governor went on to withdraw the state more fully from the Common Core using executive orders, ensuring that control of educational standards would remain in state and local hands–at least for now, pending possible legal action from Obamacore supporters. Louisiana joins Oklahoma, Indiana, South Carolina,...

Soldiers in a Louisiana National Guard unit that deployed last year for a construction mission in Kuwait returned home from Texas on Wednesday, after a 15-hour bus ride that was arranged because no airline would provide a charter flight. Some of the soldiers in the 1021st Engineer Company arrived at Jackson Barracks, greeted by family and friends. The 1021st is based in Covington and has detachments in Independence and Gonzales. The company sent 160 soldiers to Kuwait. They returned to the United States earlier this month for post-deployment training at Fort Bliss, near El Paso

In the face of the relentless dillydallying on the part of the Obama administration on the Keystone XL pipeline, Canada went ahead and starting exploring the potential of cutting deals with other markets in Asia — and yesterday, the Canadian government approved their own Northern Gateway pipeline to carry crude from the Alberta oil sands out to the Pacific Ocean for shipment via tankers. There has been some speculation about the possibility of the Obama administration approving the Keystone XL pipeline now that Iraq’s oil output is on seriously unstable footing (although, reality check: The Keystone XL pipeline by...

Washington — Some political campaigns are marathons, but for U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, of Jefferson, this one has been more of a sprint — and it ends Thursday afternoon when he finds out if he will take over the No. 3 spot in the ruling House Republican majority. That spot — majority whip — would represent the highest any Louisiana Republican has climbed in the U.S. House leadership (although one of his 1st Congressional District predecessors, Bob Livingston, came within an extramarital indiscretion of landing the top job of House speaker in 1998). The constituency for the leadership election is...

In a presser now underway in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has announced that Louisiana is withdrawing from Common Core. Jindal was one of the first governors to sign onto Common Core but has since soured on the concept. Hopefully, more governors will follow Jindal and withdraw. Common Core, whatever its alleged virtues, is focused on training compliant workers not engaged citizens.

ISLENOS, CANARY ISLANDS The archipelago of the Canaries consists of seven main islands, having a total area of less than 6 percent of the size of Louisiana, lying about sixty-five miles west of Morocco in Northern Africa. They were formed as a result of volcanic activity. It is a rugged, mountainous terrain, and plains are almost nonexistent. Lack of water is a serious problem. The westernmost islands receive the most rain, while the two islands closest to the Sahara Desert and lower in elevation have some deserts. The higher elevations on some of the western islands have pleasant temperatures, and...

Although I personally believe that life begins at conception, I believe the last place the government needs to be is in the church, in the doctor’s office or in the bedroom. And so even people who advocate for less government intrusion, like Gov. Jindal, get themselves in the most personal decisions a family could ever make…. Some of the bills being passed around the country are just very intrusive to personal decisions and very harmful to women and girls, you know, to their physical health and life. It’s a shame… 20 weeks is not the norm for being able to...

Something You Didn't Know About Louisiana (Ilenos, Canary Islands) Intersurf.com Gilbert C. Din/Sidney Villere ISLENOS, CANARY ISLANDS The archipelago of the Canaries consists of seven main islands, having a total area of less than 6 percent of the size of Louisiana, lying about sixty-five miles west of Morocco in Northern Africa. They were formed as a result of volcanic activity. It is a rugged, mountainous terrain, and plains are almost nonexistent. Lack of water is a serious problem. The westernmost islands receive the most rain, while the two islands closest to the Sahara Desert and lower in elevation have some...

Louisiana's 5th District congressional race has a new candidate with a "Duck Dynasty" connection. Zach Dasher, a Republican whose uncle is the TV family patriarch Phil Robertson, announced Monday that he's running for the seat in the Nov. 4 election. SNIP He says he received the support of his family - including his famous uncles and cousins - before announcing his candidacy.

Presidential hopefuls Sen. Rand Paul, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Sen. Rick Santorum are in Iowa to deliver their prescriptions for how to unite the Republican Party. […] It is Paul’s third trip to Iowa since the 2012 election. The Kentucky senator says the GOP should maintain its core message but make the party more attractive to black and Hispanic voters. …

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is asking for leniency ahead of his July 2 sentencing. New court filings say Nagin is looking at a minimum of 20 years in prison, based on federal sentencing guidelines. That's a "virtual life sentence" for the 58-year-old former two-term mayor, defense attorney Robert Jenkins wrote in a Friday filing to U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan asking her to hand down a lighter term.

Gov. Bobby Jindal signed legislation Thursday that is all but guaranteed to close the only abortion clinics in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. His office issued a release after the bill signing ceremony Thursday (June 12) at the First Baptist Church in West Monroe, where the governor signed two pieces of "pro-life legislation." Sponsors of the bills are from Monroe and West Monroe.

Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged a third state Department of Children & Family Services auditor with diverting federal funds for a wide array of personal items and leisure expenses. Corey S. Polk, 33, of Baton Rouge, could receive up to 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and restitution, and also have to return whatever gains he acquired through the alleged fraud while he served as a managing auditor for the Department of Children & Family Services, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana said in a news release.

Where: Thursday June 12th at 12:30 PM First Baptist Church of West Monroe 311 Mill Street West Monroe, LA 7129 The 2014 legislative session was a huge success for Louisiana women and unborn babies! To put the finishing touches on this year's pro-life legislation, Governor Jindal will hold a signing ceremony this Thursday in Monroe, the home of Representatives Katrina Jackson and Frank Hoffman. The event will take place this Thursday, June 12th, at the First Baptist Church of West Monroe. The signing will begin at 12:30 PM. The public is welcome. At the ceremony, Jindal will sign into law...

The A&E network has released a 30-second teaser trailer promoting the new season of "Duck Dynasty," featuring classic Robertson family antics along with a brief guest appearance from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. The new season is slated to premiere next Wednesday, June 11. The short preview features several of the beloved characters from the reality show, including Korie and Willie Robertson, as well as brothers Jase and Jep Robertson. One scene shows Willie, Jase and Jep participating in a volunteer firefighter training course, while another clip shows Si Robertson, the classically quirky uncle of the family, engaging in some of...

BATON ROUGE, LA, June 2, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- For the second time in as many years, Governor Bobby Jindal has vetoed a bill that would have made it legal to enter into a contract with a surrogate mother in Louisiana. Both vetoes took place despite enormous support in the state legislature. In his veto letter Jindal, who is Catholic and considered a likely GOP presidential candidate in 2016, said he had concerns about "how this legislation impacts the way we value human life."

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has once again vetoed a bill that would set up a legal framework for surrogacy births in the state, saying the legislation "still raises concerns for many in the pro-life community." "Despite the good intentions and hard efforts of the author, this legislation still raises concerns for many in the pro-life community," Jindal wrote in his veto message Saturday. "Thus, I cannot in good conscience, sign this bill." Contracts governing surrogacy are not enforceable in the state's courts, but the legislation would allow couples and a woman to enter into a contractual surrogacy birth relationship. The...

Fox News’ Sean Hannity sat down with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Thursday at the Republican Leadership Conference to talk about the accomplishments conservative governors have made across the U.S. “All of you inherited deficits you turned into surpluses, high unemployment now low unemployment,” Hannity said of Jindal and Govs. Rick Scott (FL), Rick Perry (TX), John Kasich (OH), Scott Walker (WI), and Nikki Haley (SC). “What can the Republicans in Washington learn?” Washington can actually learn a lot from states if they want to—it’s just common sense, Jindal replied. Lawmakers inside the beltway always talk about the things...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)COVINGTON, La. —A Covington teen with autism is recovering in the hospital after he was knocked out in what some people call the "knockout game." The boy was struck so hard his jaw was broken in two places and he underwent surgery. "He has autism he would never hurt anybody," said a Covington mother who did not want to be identified. The woman believes her son was the victim of the knockout game. The 17-year-old is still recovering from a blow he never saw coming. "They cannot think that its OK, because it's not, and I don't want them to...