Gov. Hochul to Louisiana: Drop dead!

Congressional candidate Blake Gendebien to speak in Hudson Falls

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During the month of January, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has spent more time in Washington, D.C. trying to get noticed than in Baton Rouge.

If not for the Super Bowl, Landry might never found his way back to Louisiana.

Landry is a Trumper's Trumper trying to position himself as a logical successor after Donald Trump reign ends.

He has reinstated capital punishment, sued the city of New Orleans for not being aggressive in turning over illegal immigrants, cut research funding to the the state's top universities and his Department of Health has ended mass vaccination efforts and banned staff from promoting seasonal vaccines.

Advice for anyone planning a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras: Wear a mask.

This past week Landry tried to get a Dr. Kathleen Carpenter, 55, of New Paltz extradited to Louisiana for sending abortion pills to a mother with a 17-year-old pregnant daughter.

The Louisiana prosecutor in the case made it clear the doctor would be hounded to the ends of the earth.

“I think eventually the doctor will have to come to Louisiana and answer to the charges," the prosecutor was quoted in the Times Union. “There’s a warrant for her arrest in all 50 states. The issue is, do you live in like an Afghan terrorist? You hide in a cave ducking the authorities? She has to go to New Jersey, Philadelphia to visit relatives. If she goes on a cruise, if she does anything” outside of New York, he added, “we’re going to effectuate the warrant.”

To compare a doctor with a 20-year practice with an "Afghan terrorist" seems a bit over the top.

The criminal charges appear to be the first cases against a doctor since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. Physicians convicted of performing an illegal abortion face up to 15 years in prison, $200,000 in fines and the loss of their medical license in Louisiana.

But during a live telecast this week, Gov. Kathy Hochul made it clear she has Dr. Carpenter's back.

"I will not be signing an extradition order that came from the governor of Louisiana. Not now. Not ever,” Hochul said defiantly.

Over the past four years, Gov. Hochul has been an almost invisible presence in state government, especially when compared to some past governors, but maybe that is not such a bad thing.

But with the Trump administration implementing unpopular - and sometimes illegal - policies, Hochul is positioned to be on the front lines of any resistance because these people are serious.

"There is only one right answer in this situation," Gov. Landry said in a statement. "And it's that, that doctor must face extradition to Louisiana where she can stand trial and justice will be served. We owe that to the minor and to the innocent loss of lie, and to the people of this state who stand by life overwhelmingly."

It was an interesting choice of words from a man who just days earlier reinstated the death penalty in Louisiana where two inmates were immediately scheduled for execution in March.

Hochul went even further saying her office has sent notice to law enforcement agencies across the state reminding them that out-of-state warrants like the one from Louisiana are unenforceable in New York.

"She was practicing women's reproductive health, which I believe is an essential right," Hochul said to reporters. "Louisiana has changed their laws, but that has no bearing on the laws here in the state of New York. Doctors take an oath to protect their patients. I took an oath of office to protect all New Yorkers and I will uphold not only our constitution, but also the laws of our land."

As far the abortion case, the ball in Louisiana's court to see if it will ask a federal court to order the doctor's apprehension with a national warrant.

We could be witnessing a doctor fleeing in a Ford Bronco in the near future - from Louisiana's point of view - for writing a prescription.

Fifty years ago as New York City was about to go broke, President Gerald Ford refused to bail the city out with federal funds.

The New York Daily News famously produced a headline on its front page that said:

FORD TO CITY:

DROP DEAD

I was hoping the New Orleans Times-Picayune might duplicate the effort this past week:

HOCHUL TO LA:

DROP DEAD

That's what Gov. Hochul was saying, so while I was born in Connecticut, right now I'm proud to be a New Yorker.

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Hearing the truth?

Blake Gendebien, who was recently selected by the Democrats to run for Elise Stefanik's soon to be vacant seat is being scorched by Republicans for comments he made 12 years ago about local workers.

The state GOP chairman, Ed Cox, was thrilled to hear an old recording of farmer Gendebien saying, “It’s hard to find one local person that doesn’t have domestic abuse problems, alcohol problems” and in another clip, he says “local kids” lack the “practical independence and ability to think” in comparison to immigrant workers.

It sounded to me like Gendebien had some first-hand experience with problems North Country residents are facing.

As far as I know, Cox never found anything wrong with Elise Stefanik's refusal to pledge "not to lie" or her demand for a missile defense system at Fort Drum that the Pentagon did not want.

That's his experience working in the real world. We might want to pay attention to it.

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Meet the candidate

Speaking of Blake Gendebien, Indivisible ADK/Saratoga is hosting a "Meet Blake Gendebien" evening at the Sandy Hill Arts Center in Hudson Falls on Feb 23 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The Republicans still have not chosen a candidate since Stefanik still has not resigned.

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Familiar name

For at least one eagle-eyed local reader, Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, was a familiar name.

She was right.

For a time, Leavitt was Elise Stefanik's communications director before making a run for Congress - and losing - in New Hampshire.

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Chapman talk

Evan Sullivan, a SUNY Adirondack assistant professor of history, will give a talk about his new book, Constructing Disability after the Great War: Blind Veterans in the Progressive Era, at the Chapman Museum on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.

Sullivan will address the challenges and discoveries of his research, as well as the emotional insights that shaped his writing.

In his book, Sullivan investigates the rich lives of blind soldiers and veterans from World War I and their families to reveal how they confronted barriers, gained an education, earned a living, and managed their self-image while continually exposed to the public’s scrutiny of their success and failures.

The program is free, but a reservation is needed because of space. To register, call (518) 793-2826.

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Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.