Letters for 11-15-2009

Parents object to school literature
Louisiana Law La R.S. 14:106 states obscene material is any tangible work or thing which the trier of fact determines that the average person applying contemporary community standards would find, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest, and which depicts or describes in a patently offensive way, hardcore sexual conduct specifically defined in paragraph two of this subsection, and the work or thing taken as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

Below is a list of literature I and my family, including my daughter in a 10th grade honors curriculum, have found objectionable:

Vision Quest

The Waters of Babylon by Stephen Benet
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

I am attempting to remove these from the curriculum based on the fact that they are contrary to community standards and objectionable to my religious, moral and ethical tenets and beliefs.

References in the Brave New World speak of explicit sexual acts with both young children and adults, drug use and suicide.

This curriculum is used in our parish, and is utilized at Ruston High School in the honors curriculum. I am a resident of Ruston and have two children; one son attending Glen View Elementary and a daughter attending Ruston High School.

If you believe that this literature is not representative of our community, please be a part of this petition. Please e-mail for further information as to how to sign the petition. My e-mail address is therapyhorses@hotmail.com.
May God bless and guide you,

Elizabeth and Marc Holloway
Ruston


Business owner calls out to Landrieu
I would like to commend Sen. Landrieu for the attention she’s paying to the impact on small businesses by health care reform. There are more than 373,000 small businesses in Louisiana representing more than 97 percent of the states’ employers. Nationally, small businesses have generated 64 percent of the net new jobs over the last 15 years.

I own a small feed store in Calhoun. We not only sell feed for horses and cattle, but also other farm equipment and pet necessities as well. We are the only local store of our kind in the area and have always been a staple in the community. Our business is a very small operation, employing only four to five staff members, and I have grave concerns about the health care legislation facing our congressional leaders in Washington. If this health care reform forces me to provide government insurance or pay extra taxes, my business will not survive.

Clearly small businesses like mine will play a vital role in rebuilding our economy. How health care reform plays out will be a key to this.

I believe health care reform must be smart reform that addresses the underlying issues that hurt small business — tort reform, high costs, unfunded government mandates, new taxes and red tape and competition by insurance companies across state lines. My only hope is that Sen. Landrieu is listening — not just hearing what we’re saying — and follows through with a vote against legislation that endangers my business and my ability to continue to create jobs. Please Sen. Landrieu, help keep small businesses alive.

Roger Craighead
Calhoun business owner