I attended the Lafayette Library Board meeting last week, joined by the same half-dozen hard-left activists that attend every single meeting to gripe and complain. These nuts, from the very beginning, resisted our efforts to make the library friendly to children. Previously, they were disrupting local school board meetings. In fact, one of its members recently thanked me for distracting the wackos so the school board meetings could return to a sense of normalcy. Their switch from the school board to the library board happened after we stopped Drag Queen Story Time some five years ago.
If you’ve been following us that long, you’ll remember when drag activist, Dylan Pontiff, admitted to an overflowing Parish Council chamber that he intended to use public library resources to groom our children. That admission (Freudian slip or otherwise) made international headlines.
“I’m here to let you know that this event is something that’s going to be very beautiful and for the children and the people that support it are going to realize that this is going to be the grooming of the next generation. We are trying to groom the next generation,” Pontiff said.
Nothing has changed
Atheist library activists refuse to stand for opening prayer
No matter how long this goes on (five years and counting), the people after our children have not relented. At every opportunity, they push their agenda to sexualize our kids. They hurl words like “bigot,” “Nazi,” or “censor” if you dare to resist having erotic and pornographic materials in the library children’s section. In Livingston Parish, we even found where the library (whose director has since resigned) was using taxpayer resources to provide highly erotic, pornographic videos to all patrons, including children.
At every meeting I attend, the mantra from these atheist nuts is the same “RESIGN!” Why, though? Because the Lafayette Library board has dared to make the library kid friendly again. In fact, the Lafayette Library board has been the single most effective board in the entire state at returning their library to its core mission.
These new policies are not in any way controversial. Anyone with a modicum of common sense agrees that children should not be exposed to inappropriate material, especially when that material is provided by the taxpayer. How do we know this concept is mainstream? Because even our Democrat Governor, John Bel Edwards, signed the Lafayette Library’s collection policy into law. Now the entire state of Louisiana must implement a collection policy that mirrors Lafayette’s! How amazing is that?
Heather Cloud’s SB7 replicated Lafayette’s policy across the state
Heather Cloud’s (R 8/10) Senate Bill 7 (SB7) uses the same language implemented by Lafayette Library Board President Robert Judge’s new policy. In fact, even though the wokies attempted to disrupt the meeting, the library board unanimously adopted that policy to protect children! We wrote about Heather Cloud’s (R 8/10)‘s bill passing at the time in our article, VICTORY: Age Appropriate Library Bill is now Law.
In the nearby video, top ranked Senator Heather Cloud (R 8/10) recalls just how very difficult it was to navigate the legalities of providing copies of these erotic children’s books to her fellow senators so that they could make an informed vote on her bill. These were copies of the same exact books made available (at taxpayer expense) to children in the public libraries across the state.
Miscreants and Malcontents
Over the objection of these wackos, Lafayette’s collection policy had to be ramrodded in to place by Robert Judge and the Lafayette Library board at their February 15th, 2023, meeting. When it became apparent that the board was on the cusp of approving the children friendly collection policy, the wokies even called the police to try and stop it!
Remember that these radicals have proven quite willing to be inconsistent in their statements in order to achieve their ends. At the very same meeting where they were chanting “there’s no pornography in the library,” Tara Fogleman called the police to have Robert Judge arrested for showing the “pornography” that supposedly doesn’t exist. That “pornography,” by the way, was the “protecting innocence” document released by the Attorney General’s office. It contained blurred and redacted images from the inside of children’s books found in that very same library building. (A separate piece on this event is forthcoming.)
Who’s who?
Lessie LeBlanc-Melancon, who unsuccessfully sued to block Robert Judge’s appointment to the library board in 2021, and then ran against Congressman Clay Higgins in 2022, shows off her voter registration card, designated with the political party, “ANTIFA.”
If the name Tara Fogleman sounds familiar, it should. She’s a local miscreant who’s constantly stirring up trouble for Leftist causes in and around Lafayette. Back in 2021 she was arrested for something akin to disturbing the peace and stalking the Lafayette Mayor outside his own home. Then, there’s Matthew Humphrey, a self-appointed “community leader” who identifies as gay. He’s also in constant scrapes with the law for regularly disrupting public meetings. His other extra-legal activities include being arrested for disturbing the peace and a “fistic encounter” in April of 2021, and again in January of 2023. Humphrey currently has at least two fugitive warrants (that we know of) issued for his immediate arrest.
Seldom seen since her unsuccessful attempt to unseat Congressman Clay Higgins in the 2022 mid-terms, Lessie LeBlanc-Melancon recently disrobed in protest at one of the Library Board meetings. Her underwear was printed with the likeness of one of the library board members. Two years ago she also unsuccessfully sued the Lafayette Parish Council to block Robert Judge’s appointment. This is the kind of ongoing viciousness that Robert Judge and the library board have endured for at least the last three years with zero help, acknowledgement, or appreciation. Instead, the compromised legacy media contends that the board is the problem.
Weaponizing the courts
When the police attempt to remove these disruptive nuts from the library board meetings, they sue claiming their freedom of speech was violated! Full disclosure, Lynette Meja and Melanie Brevis, who filed that particular lawsuit, are associated with the librarian Amanda Jones. If Jones sounds familiar, it’s because she’s the librarian in Livingston Parish who has sued Citizens for a New Louisiana. So far Jones is 0-2 in her attempts to weaponize the courts against conservatives. She’s appealed those decisions to Louisiana’s First Circuit Court. By the way, this strategy of using the courts to punish their enemies appears to be a current and active strategy directed by the American Library Association.
All of these “civic minded” people gather others around them to cause mischief and otherwise disturb the public. A conga line of these nuts regularly show up at library board and other public meetings to drink up every last second of their three minutes of speaking time each. The point of all this is to make actual progress (like protecting children from taxpayer-funded erotica) as difficult and painful as possible.
Rules for Radicals
Self-described “ANTIFA” radical, Lessie LeBlanc-Melancon disrobes in protest at the Lafayette Library board meeting.
All of this comes straight out of Saul Alinsky’s book, Rules for Radicals. “In the beginning the organizer’s first job is to create problems.” By this method, these nuts conjure issues where none exists. For example, they descend upon public meetings for the sole purpose of becoming unruly. Then they run to the reporters to say, “See? They can’t even maintain control at their meetings.” As we mentioned earlier, the poor board members have no recourse. If the board attempts to have these radicals removed to maintain order, they’re sued. Then these wackos have the chutzpah to claim the board is somehow responsible for these “unnecessary legal expenses.”
They demand that all books in the library children’s section should stay right where they are, deny the existence of pornography, while also demanding the arrest of anyone who dares to prove them wrong by showing you the content of these “children’s” books. It’s so problematic that Facebook won’t allow its users to share even redacted images.
Alinsky also said that “Action comes from keeping the heat on. No politician can sit on a hot issue if you make it hot enough.” These six or eight nuts don’t have the numbers locally to influence anyone. However, a few score phone calls might move the needle. So, they spread the word to armchair radicals across the globe, who will pick up the phone, send emails, or otherwise attempt to overwhelm elected officials with this nonsense. Their demand for action is little more than extortion. All this could go away if only you get rid of the Christians on the library board.
The last word (for now)
In the coming days, I’ll show you a real-world example of the Left’s incendiary tactics foisted against the Lafayette Library. For now, though, realize that flack only comes when you’re over the target. These radicals are desperate to blunt our effectiveness or else the whole state could be forfeit. They’ve lost every single battle so far, which makes them increasingly frantic for anything on which they may claim victory.
The Lafayette Library Board has been the razor’s edge on this issue for the last three years. And that is why they are the target. The members of the Board have unflinchingly risen to the challenge of protecting children. They have implemented new policies and changes which have served as the legislative blueprint across the entire state. And they have done so despite unrelenting attacks from the Left and even some subversive maneuverings by supposed friends of the cause. They’ve had frivolous human resources complaints filed, then withdrawn. Uniformed security has been pulled from library board meetings. They’ve even witnessed some elected officials plying direct pressure to hinder the progress of the board’s attempts to protect kids. But Alinsky radicals’ insatiable appetite only grows with every capitulation.
In the words of Congressman Higgins, “We must destroy our enemy, not hit them with our purse.” These relentless attacks against decency continue because the Left has incorrectly perceived our politeness as timidity. As long as even a few local elected officials play footsie with these radicals, their mischief will linger. The only way to finally shut that door is for elected officials to form a unified front and stand publicly and firmly with every single member of the Lafayette Library Board. Will they do it? Now might be a good time to call your councilman to ask that very question.
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Who are your champions?
CFNL Board Member Jill Hines at the US Supreme Court with Liz Murrill and Jeff Landry
It's almost amusing to get emails suggesting that we're not grasping all of the implications of ongoing government censorship. Worse, we are accused of doing a disservice to our members and readers for not paying closer attention. Really!? Did you know that Citizens for a New Louisiana board member, Jill Hines, is actually a plaintiff in the famous Missouri v. Biden lawsuit about government censorship? She's also the primary plaintiff in Hines v. Stamos, where she and her attorneys at America First Legal are fighting against Kate Starbird. All of this has made countless major national news headlines.
Not only am I well apprised of this issue, but this organization is actually an active participant on the front lines by virtue of Jill Hines. Even years before that, it was Citizens for a New Louisiana that championed the Social Media Free Speech Act.
Now you'll know better the next time some flimflammer says Citizens for a New Louisiana doesn't believe the government is censoring you. Instead, please know that we can only continue this work with additional resources and support from friends like you. We don't just think Louisiana is worth saving, we're doing the work necessary to accomplish it; one little bit at a time. Are you on board? Here's your chance to prove it. Join our movement, or chip in monthly, so that this important work continues.
