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Stupid Louisiana, Smart Louisiana

Here is stupid Louisiana: The Louisiana House rejected legislation Tuesday that would remove a problematic anti-sodomy law from the state’s books. State Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge, told legislators that House Bill 12 would simply strike unconstitutional language from state law. Opponents warned the bill would make children more vulnerable to sexual predators. The underlying […]

Here is stupid Louisiana:

The Louisiana House rejected legislation Tuesday that would remove a problematic anti-sodomy law from the state’s books.

State Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge, told legislators that House Bill 12 would simply strike unconstitutional language from state law.

Opponents warned the bill would make children more vulnerable to sexual predators.

The underlying thread to criticism of the bill was a resistance to officially declaring homosexual sex legal in Louisiana.

“Just because we decriminalize things doesn’t make it right,” state Rep. Valarie Hodges said.

The outcome: 27 voted for the bill; 67 voted against it.

Let me make this clear: the Louisiana House refused to strike down a law that’s unenforceable. This changes nothing — it’s still unenforceable — but 67 lawmakers are apparently afraid to be called “pro-sodomy.” Rep. Valarie Hodges, a Republican from Denham Springs, provided the quote of the day:

“I wasn’t elected to rubber stamp the Supreme Court,” she said, refusing to take questions from other legislators.

It’s like those dadgum justices think they can say what the law is, or something.

But fear not! There is good Louisiana political news to report:

Here is smart Louisiana:

Edwin Edwards Has Raised Only 32K, And Here Are His Contributors

If fools and their money are soon parted, it looks like there are a lot fewer fools in our great state than one might have thought.

Now would be a very good time to read, or re-read, A.J. Liebling’s masterpiece, The Earl Of Louisiana.

UPDATE: A lawyer writes:

I am not sure if the Louisiana legislators take an oath to the US Constitution and the Lousiana Constitution but I imagine they do.  Just because five folks up on First Street in DC have declared something unconstitutional doesn’t make it so.  The legislators have their own independent duty to follow the Constitution.  By your logic, legislatures should really refrain from trying to pass much in the way of pro-life legislation because those “dadgum justices” have decreed that abortion is a constitutional right available whenever someone wants.

It may be imprudent to vote for a law that criminalizes sodomy for a lot of reasons — unenforceable under the current regime, not a wise idea generally perhaps, how do you enforce it anyway — or imprudent not to repeal the law.  But it just isn’t that compelling to base one’s vote on what the Supreme Court–or more particularly–Anthony Kennedy has decided is constitutional.

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