Mediaboss Marketing

Staff Report| Gonzales Weekly Citizen

Gonzales area representative Kathy Edmonston, of Louisiana House District 88, has announced her candidacy for re-election.

It has been my honor to have served the citizens of Louisiana House District 88 in the Legislature for the last four years.During that time I have fought many battles to protect the freedom of my constituents, but the war is far from being won, Edmonston said in a news release.

It is therefore, with anticipation, that I announce my candidacy for reelection as State Representative for District 88.

Edmonston said her voting record reflects her commitment to conservative values and Louisiana-first principles.In addition, she expressed pride in announcing that she is a founding member of the newly formed Louisiana Freedom Caucus.

I am pro-life and pro-Second Amendment. I support law enforcement and the oil and gas industry. I have authored many bills that protect individual rights against medical discrimination and tyrannical mandates, she said.

Prior to her service in the legislature, Edmonstonserved on the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).Her motivation in running for BESE was to oppose the Common Core Standards / Curriculum.

According to the release, she has received awards from multiple organizations, including: Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Louisiana Family Forum, Louisiana Citizen Advocacy Group (LACAG), Citizens for a New Louisiana, and The American Conservative Union Foundation.

If re-elected, she said she will work to preserve Louisiana sovereignty against any unconstitutional overreach by the federal government.

I pledge to continue my defense of Faith, Family and Freedom by sponsoring and supporting legislation that defends and protects all three, she said.

As our Constitution and Founding Fathers intended it to be, together with the people of Louisiana I will work to protect their God-given rights and put the people, back in power. I look forward to the opportunity and honor to continue to fight for my constituents, their families, and our beloved Louisiana.

Gonzales Weekly Citizen and Donaldsonville Chief, part of the USA Today Network of Louisiana, cover Ascension Parish and the greater Baton Rouge area. Follow atfacebook.com/WeeklyCitizenandfacebook.com/DonaldsonvilleChief.

Follow this link:
Rep. Kathy Edmonston announces re-election bid for District 88 seat - Weekly Citizen

by Peter Weinberger

At last weeks Claremont City Council meeting, a long, robust discussion ended with it passing an ordinance, by a 3-1 vote, to protect tenants from certain no-fault evictions.

About halfway through the meeting, after being silent throughout, Council member Corey Calaycay told his colleagues and the audience he was opting out of discussing the matter because, I dont like to be asked to choose between people, and due to a perceived mischaracterization of his position [Council passes rent stabilization program, punts on protections, April 28] by our reporter in the story three weeks prior.

Let me start by saying I do not know Calaycay personally. But I have followed his political career, including the impact of his numerous decisions. I have voted for him twice since he was first elected in March 2005.

Calaycays accomplishments include a long list of community outreach, and hes served numerous organizations in addition to his work on the City Council. His resume is impressive and serves as an example of what public service looks like. Whether you agree with his politics or not, theres no denying hes committed to public service.

Yet like all of us, hes a human being and is by design, imperfect.

Like anyone, I dont relish receiving criticism I know to be unjustified. In my business like so many others facts can be misunderstood, misconstrued, or just absent from the conversation. And as we know, we Americans are having a more difficult time getting along; increasingly, we are taking our disagreements personally. Remember the adage, agree to disagree? Does that even happen any longer?

All of this is to say I understand Calaycays point of view. Ive felt misunderstood. We all have. But calling out a Courier reporter in the middle of a council meeting solves nothing. And what concerns me the most is he used this perceived slight as an excuse for avoiding participation in a very important dialog that affected a large contingent of his constituents.

Think about these actions for a moment: Calaycay elected not to do his job because of (perceived) bad press, this at the precise time the citizens of Claremont, his colleagues on the council, and the thousands of people who voted him into office needed him to step up and be present.

Tough decisions are part of any management job. Believe me, Ive been there. But as a leader of a company, or a city, its not an option to throw your hands up and decline to participate because you feel somebody slighted you in some way.

The Courier has an open policy on reader submissions for letters to the editor and opinion pieces. We welcome public input from all sides of every issue, as evidenced by the ongoing jousting among local interpreters of the Second Amendment on our pages.

When we make a mistake, we own up to it. Our reporting on April 28 was accurate. If Calaycay disagrees, he just like everyone else is welcome to pen a letter or an opinion piece and take us to task. Spouting off publicly, from the dais, is the opposite of constructive criticism: its the legislative equivalent of Im taking my ball and going home.

Speaking as a voter and Claremont resident, cmon Calaycay, stay in the game.

See the original post:
Opting out is a cop out - Claremont Courier

Allan Goldstein| Special to The Desert Sun

This column will be timely whenever you read it. Some horrible mass shooting will be in the headlines; one always is. Followed inevitably by pathetic wails of pain. Do something!

But there is nothing we can do today to end or even reduce the carnage inflicted on America by gun violence. Neither the no-longer-shocking massacres in our schools, bars and businesses nor the torrent of 53 regular gun murders daily is going away any time soon.

Thoughts and prayers wont stop it, reasonable gun regulation wont, even if we could get such laws passed, which we cant. We are trapped in a death spiral of spent ammunition and wasted lives. The problem only gets worse, year after year after decade.

But we are not helpless. There is a way forward, if we stop thinking about magic fixes and realize that tackling the problem of gun violence is not the work of today or tomorrow. It is the work of generations. It is, at minimum, a 50 year job, but that clock wont start until we get serious.

Getting serious means repealing, or drastically amending, the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court has decided that a well-regulated militia includes gang bangers and wild-eyed loners with a grudge. They say the Constitution makes it impossible to pass the gun laws that an overwhelming majority of the American people want. But the Constitution is not a suicide note. The Second Amendment can be amended, even repealed.

Most Americans arent for repeal yet, and the gun lovers will be outraged by the mere suggestion that their gun rights arent sacrosanct. So be it. As I said, this is a work for generations, and big ideas always take that long to percolate from the fringes to reality.

There were Abolitionists 50 years before the Civil War ended slavery. They were the most reviled, detested voices in the country, before they changed the country forever and for the better. The LGBTQ+ community protested and agitated for generations, until marriage became legal. For 100 years, citizens went to prison for smoking marijuana and only now is that, still unfinished, revolution upon us.

We should take a lesson from the conservatives. They were outraged when Roe v. Wade legalized abortion. Fifty years ago they began their battle to overturn that Supreme Court decision. It became their organizing principle. They used that single issue to rally their troops. State by state they fought every election, and for years they mostly lost. But they never quit; they kept on fighting. And then they began to win. When they won the presidency they made absolutely sure their candidate was committed to putting anti-choice justices on the Supreme Court. Until, finally, the unthinkable happened. Roe was overturned.

Some Americans were shocked. The Supreme Court never took a right away from the people, having granted it once. And by the time the court stripped away the right to an abortion, in 2021, an overwhelming majority of the American people were pro-choice. A referendum outlawing abortion in deep red Kansas failed catastrophically, nearly 60 % of voters said no.

Yet Roe v. Wade was overturned, because a dedicated, focused, tireless minority of activists fought to overturn it, for 50 years.

That is how we will overturn the Second Amendment. It is the only way. We should have started this movement right after Columbine, back in 1999. If we had, wed be halfway home by now. Instead, every couple of weeks the flags are at half-staff.

If we begin now, heres what will happen. At first, a few reliably liberal states, like California and New York, will lead the way. A few toss-up states will follow, and then the campaign will stall, temporarily.

Because, tragically, eventually, every state will have its Sandy Hook or Parkland, when the populace cries out in anguish, Do something! And now there will be something to do. The pressure on local politicians will be immense, damn your thoughts and prayers, pass the amendment!

Some will and some wont. And in some places, the voters will punish the recalcitrant legislators, replacing them with those who will vote yes. Slowly, repeal will gather pace, and finally succeed. But only when we begin.

This is the future American activists should be working for. It is a daunting task. Twenty thousand dead Americans a year makes a heck of a mountain. But it is a political hill worth dying on.

Allan Goldstein a newspaper writer, essayist, and novelist who splits time between San Francisco and Palm Springs. He is the writer of "The Confessions of a Catnip Junkie," the book your cat would write if your cat could write a book. He can be reached at bigalgoldstein@gmail.com.

Originally posted here:
Let's get serious and repeal the Second Amendment - Desert Sun

Right decision on Fort Hood

Re: New name honors newer hero, Wednesday Metro & Business photo.

These ongoing cultural demotions of Civil War leaders mark the passing of an age Gone With the Wind, as it were.

John Bell Hood was a brave soldier who lost the use of an arm at Gettysburg and lost a leg at Chickamauga, but he was also an impetuous, foolish general who, without need, lost an entire army at the wars end, all while fighting in defense of the imagined right of men to enslave each other.

Opinion

Get smart opinions on the topics North Texans care about.

This name change is a poignant moment in American history, and I do have mixed emotions, but the decision to change the name is more defensible than would be the decision to keep it.

Chip Field, Dallas

It feels like a thread of illogical reasoning is popping up yet again.

For decades, weve heard about trickle-down economics. Even though theres no evidence of the wealth making it down to anyone below those at the top, thats the theory many are determined to follow. Throw money at those at the top, and surely that will make everyone better off.

Likewise, now its always the idea that we need more guns. Arm teachers, put armed guards everywhere. A good guy with a gun ...

But just as trickle-down economics is not bringing wealth to the vast majority of people, millions of guns are not bringing safety to anyone.

Its time to acknowledge that we need better plans for both issues. People are starving and dying while those in charge are spouting illogical, disproven theories.

Jan McDowell, Carrollton

Re: Unspeakable? No, Theres a Lot to Say Governor, Texas needs action on guns. Right now, Monday editorial.

This editorial was one of the most effectively directed and objective pieces of writing I have ever read addressing the gun issues and Gov. Greg Abbott.

What can explain his attitude of dismissing any sort of gun control while blaming the continuing tragedies on anything or anyone else?

Is it stubbornness, egotism or ignorance? Perhaps its being answerable to a base that ensures and validates his political future as long as he adheres to its beliefs.

What a shame for Texas and the folks, especially the children, we have lost to guns.

Judith S. Hall, Dallas

Thank you, Dallas Morning News, for speaking out on this topic and reflecting the position of most rational-minded Texans. I dont know what it will take for our politicians to finally step up and take sensible steps to reduce this type of tragedy.

I remember Gov. Greg Abbott tweeting after he was first elected governor that he wanted the first law he signed to be the constitutional carry bill. I remember wondering at the time why we were moving back to the Wild West rather than focusing on the needs of Texans to improve schools, help reduce poverty, help reduce or control annual property tax increases and improve our power grid.

I wonder why the Second Amendment of the Constitution is held with such devotion and fealty above even the document created 13 years prior, without which there would be no Constitution. The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

These rights are being diminished the more legislators support the Second Amendment. How many more citizens must lose their inalienable right to life?

Michael Smith, Plano

Your editorial was well-written, with appropriate facts about Texans increasing fears that stem from public access to high-powered weapons. I feel you represented the voice of the majority of Texas parents and grandparents. We feel helpless, but our leaders must now be courageous or we must make a change to get laws enacted, regardless of whatever our conservative economic views might be. I congratulate you for plain talk on this critical topic and hope you will continue to push the envelope.

Craig Lieberman, Houston

Re: More debate over gun safety legislation, Sunday Letters.

How horribly poetic that last Sundays letters section regarding gun safety was published just hours after the Allen shootings. I was born 72 years ago in the Hill Country. As every year goes by, I find myself not recognizing the state I grew up learning to love. Whether it be gun reform, a womans reproductive rights, voting repression and several other issues, I become less proud to tell others when I travel that I am a Texan.

Michael Larson, Carrollton

Re: Preserving their legacy Gentrification eats at residents identity, housing stability, Sunday news story.

Some weeks back I had to detour through the area of West Dallas that this story centered on. To say the least, I was amazed to see all the new construction among the older homes. Most had box-like, industrial-looking architecture nothing I would pay $600,000 for.

What really appalled me was the lack of infrastructure in the neighborhood. No sidewalks, streets too narrow for two cars to pass and flooded drainage ditches on each side. Once, after coming to a dead end, I had to back up almost a block to find a driveway to turn around in.

That said, the real purpose of this letter is to recall how in 1990, Dallas was ordered by a federal judge to end at-large City Council elections and draw up districts so minorities could have a say in their neighborhoods. Now, 40 years later, it appears that nothing has changed. Whoever has the money appears to be able to do whatever they want, wherever they want.

Richard L. Williams, Dallas/Oak Cliff

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here.

Link:
Letters to the Editor Fort Hood, economics, Greg Abbott, Second Amendment, West Dallas - The Dallas Morning News

A Richmond-based federal judge struck down federal rules prohibiting licensed firearm dealers from selling handguns to 18- to 20-year olds, ruling the age-based limitations violated the Second Amendment. Lawyers involved in the case, brought by a Virginia man who was turned away when he attempted to buy a handgun at 20 years old, expect the Department of Justice to appeal the ruling.Washington Post

A Dinwiddie County judge denied a request for a media gag order on a local prosecutor pursuing criminal charges against 10 defendants in the death of Irvo Otieno, who was allegedly smothered to death by deputies and staffers at a state-run mental health hospital.Richmond Times-Dispatch

At 95, retired Black Army officer sees his name replace Robert E. Lees at Petersburg base.WHRO

Vehicles with Virginia license plates have racked up more than $344 million in unpaid traffic fines owed to the District of Columbia since 2000.Washington Post

A Virginia man whos been voting in Patrick County for 35 years was surprised to be told hes actually lived in Carroll County the whole time.Martinsville Bulletin

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

SUBSCRIBE

See the original post here:
Second Amendment case strikes down federal handgun restrictions and more Va. headlines - Virginia Mercury