Local governments show disrespect to our fallen peace officers

Update 2: The flag at the Sheriff's substation on Viking Drive was flown at half-staff today.

Update: The City of Bossier City has lowered their flags to half-mast and apologizes for being unaware of this.

Shameful. 
Today is Peace Officer Memorial Day. In his proclamation, President Obama called on everyone to fly their flags at half mast. 
"I also call on Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of the other territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day. I further encourage all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes and businesses on that day."
Caddo Parish Courthouse - no. Bossier City Hall - no. Benton Town Hall - no. Bossier Parish Courthouse - no. Not even the Benton post office had theirs at half mast. 
Shame on them all.

Police Week

PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL DAY AND POLICE WEEK, 2013

 

- - - - - - -

 

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 

A PROCLAMATION

 

Day after day, police officers in every corner of America suit up, put on the badge, and carry out their sworn duty to protect and serve. They step out the door every morning without considering bravery or heroics. They stay focused on meeting their responsibilities. They concentrate on keeping their neighborhoods safe and doing right by their fellow officers. And with quiet courage, they help fulfill the demanding yet vital task of shielding our people from harm. It is work that deserves our deepest respect -- because when darkness and danger would threaten the peace, our police officers are there to step in, ready to lay down their lives to protect our own.

 

This week, we pay solemn tribute to men and women who did. Setting aside fear and doubt, these officers made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the rule of law and the communities they loved. They heard the call to serve and answered it; braved the line of fire; charged toward the danger. Our hearts are heavy with their loss, and on Peace Officers Memorial Day, our Nation comes together to reflect on the legacy they left us.

 

As we mark this occasion, let us remember that we can do no greater service to those who perished than by upholding what they fought to protect. That means doing everything we can to make our communities safer. It means putting cops back on the beat and supporting them with the tools and training they need. It means getting weapons of war off our streets and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals -- common-sense measures that would reduce gun violence and help officers do their job safely and effectively.

 

Together, we can accomplish those goals. So as we take this time to honor law enforcement in big cities and small towns all across our country, let us join them in pursuit of a brighter tomorrow. Our police officers serve and sacrifice on our behalf every day, and as citizens, we owe them nothing less than our full and lasting support.

 

By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103-322, as amended (36 U.S.C. 136-137), the President has been authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each year as "Peace Officers Memorial Day" and the week in which it falls as "Police Week."

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2013, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 12 through May 18, 2013, as Police Week. I call upon all Americans to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also call on Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of the other territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day. I further encourage all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes and businesses on that day.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

 

 

BARACK OBAMA

Congratulations to Tommy Harvey

Tommy Harvey was elected to the Bossier City Council tonight with 53.24% of the vote. All three school tax renewals passed. 
Congratulations to Tommy Harvey and Thank You to Larry Hanisee for years of service. 
Most of all, to all of the teachers and school personnel, know that the people of Bossier do care about you and have your back.

Harvey, Hanisee in runoff

Where have we heard that one before? Last time it came down to two votes.
Looks like (for a change) my prediction was correct.
Tommy Harvey ran first, Larry Hanisee second and Mischa Angel is out.
Runoff part two is coming up.
In District 1, Scott Irwin has an unsurmountable lead and will retain his seat on the council.

Larry Hanisee (Incumbent)

Tommy Harvey

Dumbing down our schools

For years all we have heard in Louisiana is that education is the key to any future economic improvement and success. Our Governor travels the country touting his success in reforming education. It's being re-formed all right, but not in a good way.
This letter went out to some parents in Caddo Parish yesterday. Give it some thought.

Saturday Elections: One Prediction

Saturday is election day for municipal offices in Bossier Parish. There are only two contested council races in Bossier City, and I have a prediction for one of them.
First, the one I won't predict is District 1, where Michael Beam is challenging Incumbent Scott Irwin. I really have no feel for that one.
Now my predictions don't carry much weight, but everyone loves to predict, so here is my prediction for District 5, which has Incumbent Larry Hanisee being challenged by Tommy Harvey and Mischa Angel.
I believe that Angel will take away more from Hanisee's vote than from Harvey's, so my prediction is this:
Tommy Harvey in first place.
Larry Hanisee in second place.
Mischa Angel in third place.
Resulting, of course, in a runoff between Harvey and Hanisee. Deja Vu.
Beyond that, I won't predict!
Happy voting.

Activists Re-Launch Campaign to Repeal Louisiana's Creationism Law

Senator Karen Carter Peterson (D-New Orleans) recently filed SB 26 to repeal the Louisiana Science Education Act, Louisiana’s misnamed and misguided creationism law. 
Since its passage in 2008, the Louisiana Science Education Act (LSEA) has been the subject of national and international criticism and ridicule, and its repeal has been endorsed an overwhelming consensus of scientists and educators and a broad coalition of religious leaders and clergy. This is the Senator Peterson’s third attempt at repealing the act.  
Previous hearings about the Louisiana Science Education Act were the focus of intense national interest.  Videos of the meetings have collectively received more than 680,000 views on YouTube and were covered by national publications including io9 and Slate.  The campaign has been covered both nationally and internationally, including in The Guardian, The Boston Globe, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Italian Vogue, MSNBC, and Bill Moyers’s “Moyers and Company.”  
Originally conceived as the Louisiana Academic Freedom Act, the LSEA is based on a model statute developed by the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think tank that lobbies for legislation promoting creationism in the classroom.
State Senator Ben Nevers, the bill's original sponsor, explained that he filed the bill at the behest of the Louisiana Family Forum. "They (the Louisiana Family Forum) believe that scientific data related to creationism should be discussed when dealing with Darwin's theory," Senator Nevers said.
Nobel laureate chemist Sir Harry Kroto said, “The present situation (the LSEA) should be likened to requiring Louisiana school texts to include the claim that the sun goes round the Earth.”
Three years ago, Sir Harry Kroto was the first Nobel laureate to publicly endorse the act’s repeal. Today, the repeal campaign is endorsed by 78 Nobel laureate scientists, nearly 40% of living Nobel laureate scientists, and numerous other prominent scientists.  It has also been endorsed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and other major science and educator organizations in Louisiana and the United States.  
In addition, thousands of clergy members, who are part of the Clergy Letter Project, have joined the repeal campaign. Reverend Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance, said, "(The repeal effort) represents the best thinking in American science, the best thinking in American religion, and it also reflects the United States Constitution."
Over 70,000 people from Louisiana and around the country have signed a Change.org petition and other petitions in support of this repeal.
The conservative Thomas Fordham Institute stated the Louisiana Science Education Act creates “anti-evolution pressures (that) continue to threaten state science standards.” In its evaluation of Louisiana’s education system, the Thomas Fordham Institute called the LSEA a “devastating flaw.”
Zack Kopplin, the student who began the campaign against the law said: 
“America needs a scientific revolution; a Second Giant Leap for Humankind.  Fighting for a repeal of Louisiana’s creationism law is ground zero of this revolution.
“We need a grassroots movement of students who stand up and demand their public officials to support evidence-based science.”  
Supporters of the repeal believe they will see a breakthrough this year because Louisiana’s public officials are becoming increasingly pro-science.  This spring, the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology lifted a boycott of New Orleans (a boycott still remains on the rest of Louisiana), which had begun after the passage of the Louisiana Science Education Act.  The boycott was lifted after the New Orleans City Council voted unanimously to support the repeal of Louisiana’s creationism law, and the Orleans Parish School Board banned creationism from their classrooms in reaction to the passage of this law..
The bill to repeal the Louisiana Science Education Act in 2012 was defeated in committee, by a vote of 2-1. 
“We believe that this spring we can muster the votes we need to pass,” Kopplin said.

Candidates for April 6th primary

A complete list of candidates for the April 6th primary election.

Town of Benton Alderman
District 1 

• Richard Arness Jackson

District 2 

• Linda Ann Gates

District 3 

• Kenneth Earl Shiflett
• Ronald Louis Jones

District 4

• James Edward Friday
• Donna Moore Wyatt

District 5 

• Richard Darrel Bushnell II
• Thomas H Hill

Bossier City Council
District 1 

• Scott Patrick Irwin
• Michael Thomas Beam

District 2 

• Jeffery Dewayne Darby

District 3 

• Don Wayne "Bubba" Williams

District 4 

• Jeffrey Alan Free

District 5 

• Thomas Siewert Harvey
• Mischa Mills Angel
• William Laurence Hanisee

At Large 

• Timothy Anthony Larkin
• David Arnold Montgomery Jr

Bossier City Mayor

• Lorenz James Walker

Town of Haughton Alderman 

• Monica Smith Wells
• Douglas Wilson Adams
• Melba Walker Baker

Justice of the Peace, JP District 3 

• Robert D Hamiter

The X Factor

X Factor Definition: a hard-to-describe influence or quality; an important element with unknown consequences.

Everyone was set for a re-match in the District 5 council race, when at the last hour of the last day of qualifying, the X factor entered the equation, in the person of Mischa Angel.
There wasn't much doubt that Tommy Harvey would give it another go; losing by 2 votes in the special election was just too much to bear, and Larry Hanisee would probably have been surprised if he hadn't. One thing that people in politics don't like is a surprise, and Angel's entrance into the race was a surprise.
I hear that she has some support lined up and this race is now truly up in the air. It will be interesting when the first contribution reports are filed a month before the April 6th election to see who is supporting who. That might give some insight into Angel's decision to enter the race.
Everyone was impressed last time by the clean race that Hanisee and Harvey ran, but with the x factor at work here anything can happen. 
Michael Beam is challenging Scott Irwin, and promising openness and availability in District 1. I look for a very clean and straightforward race in this one. 
Jeff Free only had to announce for David Jones' seat and is in like flint, as he has no opposition.
The Mayor and the other councilmen all are automatically re-elected without opposition.
Race to watch: District 5, I think everyone was prepared for another nail biter, but a third candidate will definitely make waves. The only bet I will make at this point is that it will go into a runoff that will be decided on May 4th.

Harvey vs Hanisee: Part Two

Larry Hanisee

Call it the battle of the good guys.
In the closest local election in anyone’s memory, Larry Hanisee won the Special Election for City Council District 5 in October of 2011. The seat had been vacated by ‘Chubby’ Knight, who has since passed away.
Of 2,320 votes cast, Hanisee won by 2 votes.

Tommy Harvey

Now it is time for the regular municipal elections, and Tommy Harvey can’t resist. He qualified yesterday at the Clerk of Court’s office in order to give it one more shot.
I will note that in addition to being one of the closest races we have seen, it was also one of the cleanest. I expect no difference this time. 
The advantage to an incumbent is that, well, he is an incumbent. The disadvantage of being an incumbent is that he also has votes on record for the last two years. We’ll see if there is anything in that record with which Mr. Harvey will take issue.
That, and of course turnout, will be the theme of this election.