A legislator wants to make it illegal for people in Louisiana to wear low-slung pants that expose underwear -- or more.
The bill, sponsored by Democrat Derrick Shepherd, would make it a crime to wear clothing in public that "intentionally exposes undergarments or intentionally exposes any portion of the pubic hair, cleft of the buttocks or genitals."
In recent years many American young men have begun wearing belted jeans several sizes too big, exposing a sizable swath of their boxer shorts, as a fashion statement. Women too have been pushing the boundaries with increasingly lower hip-hugger jeans.
"There comes a time in every society where we must draw a line of decency," Shepherd said in a fiery speech before the House of Representatives when the measure came up for debate this week.
He was met with catcalls and a facetious chant of "No more crack!"
Shepherd, who represents a suburban area near New Orleans, asked for a delay of a vote, and the measure awaits action.
Some opponents have serious concerns. Heather Hall of the American Civil Liberties Union, speaking at a committee meeting this month, said the bill would institute a literal "fashion police" and a "really invasive violation of the fundamental right to public expression."
House Criminal Justice Committee Chairman Danny Martiny said he agreed with the spirit of the measure, but said it would be impossible to enforce.
"I don't know that it's respectful to pay my respects at a funeral without my shirt on, but that's not illegal; that's just stupid," he said.
"Government can't fix everything," Martiny said.
But there is also support.
"We should be able to say what is moral, what is decent and what is acceptable behavior for our young people," said Glenn Green, a city councilman from Westwego, near New Orleans."
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of