Why do people ban stuff? I don’t suppose we’ll ever live to see the day when adults finally realize that all you do when you try to ban a thing is make it immensely attractive and popular. Some school authority figures are especially bad when it comes to banning stuff. Most readers, I think, will be at least a little shocked by the particularly silly banning that just took place at Amite High School. That school banned its valediction, Andrew Jones, from delivering the traditional graduation speech? Why? Well, Jones has a tiny mustache and beard. Some official at Amite High either dug up or made up a school rule against facial hair. What’s one valediction more or less? Well, let me tell you a bit about Johnson’s record. He has a 4.00 — that is, perfect — grade average. He is already headed to Southeastern Louisiana University on both scholarly and athletic scholarships. Amite High’s silly policy decision ensured that Louisiana got the usual national media coverage that reinforces the popular notion that the state is backwards. ABC’s program The Mix aired a segment about the matter. Both anchors engaged in very visible laughter about the boneheaded move. Other media outlets snickering at this Louisiana story included Fox News, the Washington Post, the N.Y. Daily News and Britain’s Daily Mail. Fortunately, in this case, calmer heads prevailed and some level-headed authority figures came to Johnson’s aid. State Rep. Katrina Johnson and pastor Roosevelt Wright organized a graduation ceremony for Johnson at the African-American Heritage Museum in Hammond. He got his diploma, speech and recognition and he didn’t have to shave.
No More Xs
Bess Lovejoy, the editor of Dental Floss, began June by touring New Orleans and the bayous around it. Lovejoy discovered that the powers that be are no longer allowing followers of Marie Laveau to paint Xs on the various New Orleans tombs that may hold the remains of the still-famous New Orleans voodoo queen. In her posts about her travels, Lovejoy included a nice photo of the Marie Laveau tomb at St. Louis No. 1, New Orleans’ oldest cemetery. The tomb bore evidence of fresh paint jobs. Most of the grave was painted in a pastel blue; there were yellow patches in some areas, and in particular, around a large representation of a rose that appears at the top of the tomb. Legend has it that those who want to have a wish granted can inscribe a string of three Xs on Laveau’s tomb. Writing the Xs is only part of a rather elaborate ritual; so, if you want to try it, use The Google to get the rest of the info.
They Had More Important Things To Do?
Kudos to New Orleans’ The Gambit for printing a series of panoramic photographs that showed how few Louisiana legislators showed up for the governor’s address to the special session. All the polls are emphatic that Americans want to see Republicans and Democrats work together to find solutions to serious problems. As always, Louisiana politicians are the last ones to get around to reading the memo.
Bowie Burlesque
More than five months after David Bowie’s death, the tributes to the great songwriter keep coming in full force. Earlier this year, the Up Fronter reported that a New Orleans band Bowie recorded and performed with —Arcade Fire — organized a “second line” for the star. And a while later, a Jazz Fest benefit in memory of Bowie raised money for ALS research. New Orleans’ Offbeat magazine recently reported on a 
The Waiting Game
When the Louisiana House Ways and Means Committee was supposed to meet a few minutes after Edwards’ speech, the members didn’t get along with each other any better than they had with Edwards. Neil Abramson called the Ways and Means session to order one hour late — at about 10 am. After the committee was in session, Abramson became “visibly angry” when he realized Rep. Shadoin was not present to put forward his bill. (It was later reported that Shadoin was involved in a “legal emergency.”) I guess what surprised the Louisiana press the most was that even though the meeting started an hour late, Abramson was mad that Shadoin wasn’t right on time. The Times-Picayune reported that the steaming Abramson would only hear Shadoin’s bill first; that is, he wouldn’t let another rep. step in to propose a bill. Kevin Frey, of Baton Rouge’s WAFB, plugged right into the obvious absurd humor of the situation, Tweeting, “Rep. Shadoin has returned to House Ways and Means … But now Rep. Neil Abramson is not there. So the waiting game continues …” Around 12:15 pm, the committee finally started taking votes. So that only took 3 hours and 15 minutes. This was a tempest in a teapot you aren’t likely to read about anywhere but in Up Front. But the matter certainly had Louisiana’s best political correspondents scratching their heads for a couple of hours. The Advocate B.R.’s Elizabeth Crisp commented, “Hmm … Someone was missing and not there to bring up his bill. Where have I heard this before?” The Advocate N.O.’s Stephanie Grace wrote a simple “Um …” Maybe the biggest puzzler of all was this: just what is it that Louisiana legislators were so busy doing on a Wednesday morning? Does some bakery in Baton Rouge come out with fresh bagels on Wednesday?
What The Wealth Gap Is
Ever wondered what the wealth gap is all about? A new study from The Pew Trusts should make it crystal clear. Pew found that in more than half of the U.S. households it surveyed, the members of the household do not have the ability to cover the loss of even one month’s income. A total of 47 percent of Americans said they could not cover the loss of $400 in income. To get just $400, they said they would have to borrow money from someone or sell possessions. So, if you have more than $400 to spare, you now know how the other half lives.
Makin’ Strides!
So far this year, the Legislature has done nothing to bridge the wealth gap in Louisiana. But it has mandated that all strippers in the state must be 21. And that’s the main thing, after all. Like I always say, get your priorities right and keep ‘em right. Reminds me of the year when the Legislature cut right to the chase and mandated that the state have two official jellies. (That’s not a joke, by the way. A few of you may remember that the mayhaw growers were lobbying the Legislature pretty hard on that one.)
Quandary Of The Issue
Tweet posted by the Southwest Daily News on June 8: “TV Guide: which Game of Thrones characters would you like to see return?” Question: is it an option for none of them to return?
The Funnies
Jim: OK. I think the best thing to do right now is just come clean and tell everybody the truth. Andy: No. Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to have ourselves a good old-fashioned cover-up. Have you ever heard of a Connecticut cover-up? Jim: No. Andy: Do you know why you never heard of it? Jim: No. Andy: They covered it up. — The Office, “Jury Duty” episode, 2012 Kelly Kapoor: Daryl Philbin is the most complicated man that I’ve ever met. I mean, who says exactly what they’re thinking? What kind of game is that? — The Office, “Money” episode, 2007
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