Monday, April 29th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana OPEN GOVERNMENT UNDER ASSUALT IN LOUISIANA! Does the average Louisiana citizen have a legal right to follow the internal workings of government in Louisiana? Not just in Baton Rouge at the state capital, but in deliberations that take place by school boards, city councils, police juries and any...Read More

Monday, April 22nd, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  TRUMP HAS FAT CHANCE IN NEW YORK COURT!  Let’s just call it like it is. Former President Donald Trump doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of been found not guilty in his current New York Court case. Now I know the case has just barely started. But...Read More

April 15th, 2024. (Tax Day) Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE SAGA OF O.J. SIMPSON! O.J. Simpson died last week. Many younger people will just say “So?” To anyone over 50, his life and his actions created riveting news, and poised him, both good and bad, as one of the most recognizable personalities in American history. O....Read More

Monday, April 8th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana TREAD CAUTIOUSLY FOR A NEW  LOUISIANA CONSTITUTION!  There has been a lot of chatter in recent months about the need to rewrite Louisiana’s Constitution. And for good reason. This original slim document has now blossomed into the nation’s seventh longest state charter with over 83,000 words. The United...Read More

Monday, April 1st, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN MOTORCYCLE HELMET DEBATE! One of the hot issues in the current session of the Louisiana Legislature, meeting at the state capitol in Baton Rouge, is the repeal of a law that currently mandates the wearing of a safety helmet when riding a motorcycle.  Proponents...Read More

Monday, March 25th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana MARCH MADNESS MEANS BIG BUCKS FOR COLLEGE ATHLETES! Are you all fired up and into March madness? It’s my favorite sports time of year. Now I understand you may disagree, but I’ll take the college basketball tournament over any other sporting event, even the Super Bowl. The college basketball...Read More

Monday, March 19th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana GOOD AND BAD NEWS FOR LOUISIANA INSURANCE! Throughout Louisiana, it’s common knowledge that the Bayou State has the highest insurance rates in the country when it comes to ensuring both homes and automobiles. This is not new news. This current unworkable insurance market has been the same old,...Read More

Monday, March 11th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA LEGISATURE PUNTS ON CRIME SOLUTIONS!      The Louisiana legislature just finished the special session on crime spending several million dollars to come up with more ways to reduce the violence that continues to plague the Bayou state. Their solution seems to be to stick it to...Read More

Monday, March 4th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA SHOULD HAVE HAD THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY!      This is a big election week all over America.  Super Tuesday is the name given to the holding of presidential primaries and caucuses  in 15 states and one U.S. territory, all who will hold elections on March 5, 2024....Read More

Monday, February 26th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana HOW OLD IS TOO OLD TO BE IN PUBLIC OFFICE!  Age has never seemed to be such a big issue in American politics. Do we let our elected officials stay in office way too long? Should there be restrictions as to when older politicians must step down?  Or...Read More

Monday, February 19th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHY THE BLUE CROSS SALE FAILED! Blue Cross, Blue Shield is Louisiana’s largest health insurer, and one of the state’s largest employers. A major effort was undertaken by the Blue Cross Board to sell the whole system to a company called Elevance Health located in Indianapolis Indiana. Elevance...Read More

Monday, February 12th, l2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana BESIDES RACKING IN CAMPAIGN DOLLARS, WHAT ELSE DOES YOUR LOUISIANA CONGRESSMAN DO? So have you been following the antics of your congressmen in Louisiana recently? Oh yeah, we all read were they had a huge gathering. in Washington DC last week. Lots of partying. And, of course, numerous...Read More

Monday, February 5th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana HERE COME THE ELECTION POLICE! Alright all you Swifties.   I have some bad news for you. When you go to the polls to vote for president on election day,  no Taylor Swift hats or shirts will be allowed. This policy of cutting off poor Taylor’s paraphernalia will no...Read More

Monday, January 29th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana INSURANCE REGULATION LACKING IN LOUISIANA!  When I first took over as insurance commissioner in 1991, things were really in a mess. Regulation by the Louisiana Insurance Department was nonexistent. Companies were rarely if ever examined as required by state law. I shut down forty  insurance companies that were...Read More

Monday, January 22ed, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA VOTERS DISTURBED BY LEGISLATIVE ANTICS! Remember, back in the days when members of the Louisiana congressional delegation were easily accessible, and regularly in touch throughout their districts? When you saw your representative at local fairs and festivals,  riding parades, shaking hands, and having their picture taken with...Read More

Monday, January 15th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana COACH NICK SABAN AND LSU!      I don’t normally write a sports column, but a few words would seem appropriate after Alabama’s football coach Nick Saban announced his retirement last week.  Simply put, love him or hate him, Nick Saban was the nation’s best college coach in recent years,...Read More

Monday, January 8th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  BAD IDEA TO KEEP TRUMP OFF THE BALLOT!      Here is the election question dominating the national news.  Can a minor state official decide the outcome of the presidential election?  The Maine Secretary Of State apparently thinks so.  She recently ruled that former President Donald Trump is...Read More

Monday, January 1st, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHY NOTHING IS GETTING DONE IN WASHINGTON! Poor ole’ Joe Biden. The current president really has his hands full. Some think the world is going to hell in a hand basket, and the Biden team is enmeshed in pouring billions to other countries. The President has just approved...Read More

  December 26th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NEW YEAR THOUGHTS FROM THE BAYOU STATE! Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I always do.  A New Year always brings with it promise and uncertainty, but this coming year brings with it a greater foreboding than we have experienced in the past.  The Chinese have a saying:...Read More

Monday, December 18th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana MOVIES AT CHRISTMAS TIME! I don’t know about you, but I’m a real movie buff.  I have always really liked going to the movies.  My love for the big screen started all the way back to the 1940s where every Saturday morning I was at the local theater...Read More

Monday, December 11th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana BOOK BANNING IN LOUISIANA! Is there a widespread effort here in Louisiana to ban certain books?  As many of you know, I publish books, and am an avid reader.  In all my years living here in the Bayou state, I can’t remember any effort to control what books...Read More

Monday, December 4th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana DEFENDING OUR HOLIDAYS YEAR-ROUND! This should be my favorite time of year.  The special season beginning at Thanksgiving and extending through the Christmas holidays. But there are disturbing signs of change and not for the better, as a movement continues to grow disparaging our holidays as not being...Read More

Thursday, November 27th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana JFK AND HIS SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH LOUISIANA! The 35th President of the United States was assassinated 60 years ago this month under controversial circumstances that leave a number of questions unanswered to this day. Republicans look to Ronald Reagan as their ideal. But John Kennedy captured the hearts of...Read More

      Monday, November 20th, 21023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NO MORE MR. NICE GUY ON TRASHING LOUISIANA!  Big news about all the trash in the Bayou State. Government is going to study the problem. LSU is going to take the lead according to an announcement, made last week, to “help find ways to rid...Read More

Monday, November 13th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NUTRIA-IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER! Guess what! Nutria are back in the news. Recent press reports indicate that these pesky rodents are moving inland to gnaw away at our swamplands. These little critters are taking over the state. With so many problems on Louisiana’s plate, add to the list...Read More

Monday, November 6, 2023. Baton Rouge Louisiana FOUR’S A CHARM FOR A LOUISIANA SPEAKER! It took four Louisiana congressmen 51 years before one of them became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Second line to being president, a responsibility and honor that very few receive.  Finally, after all this time, an obscure young congressman...Read More

Monday, October 30th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA CENTER OF THE POLITICAL UNIVERSE? Remember the story about the dog chasing cars until he finally caught one? Now what does he do?  If ever there was a time in Louisiana history when Republican elected officials all over the state “finally caught one,” now is the time....Read More

Monday, October 23rd, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  MAJORITY OF VOTERS DON’T CARE IN LOUISIANA! So they threw a party, and nobody came. That’s what happened in Louisiana’s recent gubernatorial election.  The turnout of voters going to the polls was a pathetic 35%.  But remember that only 50% of Louisiana citizens are actually registered.  What that...Read More

Monday, October16th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana A CLOSE CALL IN ISRAEL! In my column a few weeks ago, I shared my excitement of traveling to the Holy Land for the first time. I had set out a specific agenda to explore my own spirituality as I’ve grown older, and I listed all the places I...Read More

Monday, October 9th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana GAG ORDERS AGAINST TRUMP SHOULD BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Former President Donald Trump just can’t keep his mouth shut. He rants and raves against anyone who crosses his path.  He is a lightning rod of abuse and making attacks against anyone with whom he disagrees.  As someone who is served...Read More

Monday, October 2nd, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana HOW ABOUT SOME FRESH IDEAS FROM NEXT GOVERNOR!  The Louisiana gubernatorial election is less than two weeks away with six major candidates for governor showering television stations across the state with TV ads. One candidate is a democrat and the other five are all Republicans. Here’s what looks...Read More

Monday, September 25th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana SEARCHING TO FIND THE GOOD LORD AND MY LEGACY!      Regular readers of my weekly columns know that I write about a cross-section of issues, from politics to good eating, insurance issues, heroes, the joys of living in the country, and even who I think killed JFK....Read More

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Monday, September 18th, 2023 SHOULD TRUMP’S TRIALS BE TELEVISED?  OF COURSE! President Donald Trump faces four different criminal trials in the coming months. Should each of these trials be televised for the public to watch and judge? The Supreme Court has stood steadfastly against letting the public watch the cases argued before...Read More

Monday, September 11th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana IT’S ALL ABOUT FOOTBALL AT LSU! I was paying my bill at the local supermarket here in Baton Rouge when the lady at the cash register asked me, “Are you going to the game in Tiger Stadium Saturday night?”  I paused for a minute, then told her: “I...Read More

Monday, September 4th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana SINGER OLIVER ANTHONY-RESPECTING WORKERS AND DISRESPECTING POLITICIANS! I am really confused about what’s going on in this country today.  At one time, the conventional wisdom was that the Democrats were for the blue-collar workingman, and the Republicans were for upper crust elites.  Now country music songs have entered...Read More

Monday, August 28th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LIKE LOUISIANA AFTER KATRINA, FEDERAL AND STATE RESPONSE WEAK IN MAUI! If you live in Louisiana, we know all about a dysfunctional response to natural disasters. Remember Katrina? Are we witnessing another lackadaisical and debilitated response to the wildfire tragedy on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian...Read More

Monday, August 21st, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHO DOES DONALD TRUMP SOUND LIKE? When the big issues are at stake, it seems like there’s always a Louisiana connection. The Louisiana Purchase, the Battle of New Orleans, the first shot of the Civil War was fired by a Louisiana Brigade.  So how does all this relate...Read More

Monday, August 14th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana AUTO INSURANCE RATES SHOULD BE GOING DOWN, NOT UP! Headlines across Louisiana blared out in recent weeks that automobile insurance rates in the state will see a huge increase.  State Farm, whose rate request was rubberstamped by the Department of Insurance, will increase its rates by an average...Read More

Monday, August 7th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana MISSISSIPPI DWARFS LOUISIANA IN EDUCATIONAL REFORM!      To get Louisiana off the bottom of the barrel when it comes to educational reform, nothing is more important than developing a preschool program that builds the foundation for young people to learn.  For a number of years, the leading...Read More

Monday, July 31st, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana PARTISAN EXTREMISTS WANT TO KEEP US DIVIDED! Is this never going to end?  Both left and right wingers continue to lash out with charges filled with rumors and innuendo on issues that seem pretty reasonable to me. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting sick and tired...Read More

Monday, July 24th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana CRITICS OF SMALL TOWN LIVING! I grew up listening to classical music. That’s all I played in my truck when I was living in the small town of Ferriday. You know what I mean. My list of classical masterpieces were by Louisiana singers included melodies from the likes...Read More

Monday, July 17th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  LOUISIANA PROPERTY OWNERS BEGGING FOR RELIEF! Can you afford your property insurance in Louisiana?  Rates across the state continue to go up. The legislature just finished its regular session, and no viable solutions were offered.  Headlines in national publications blurted out: “Louisiana insurance market is collapsing!” All the...Read More

Monday, July 10th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana ARE WE LOSING AM RADIO?  I’ve been a regular AM radio listener for most of my life.  And now I am terribly disappointed that AM radio stations are under siege.  We are learning that a number of major auto companies are giving up on AM radio. They will...Read More

Monday, July 3rd, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana KENNEDY -STOP MEXICAN DRUG FLOW! U.S. Senator John Kennedy owes the Mexican people an apology. That is, according to the Mexican ambassador to the United States as well as the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. The reason? Well because our Louisiana Senator is being too verbally tough on Mexico. ...Read More

Monday, June 26th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana                                WHO RUNS THE STATE WHEN THE GOVERNOR IS AWAY?                                                                            Who is in charge in the Bayou State when the Governor is out of the country? Most observers would say that it would...Read More

Monday, June 19th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  IN DEFENSE OF DUMB COUNTRY LAWYERS!      I have a confession to make. And former President Trump is not going to like it.  I’m a southern country lawyer. Darn proud of it.  In the President’s words, I may be a “dumb southern country lawyer.”  I just hope...Read More

Monday, June 12th, 2023 Paris, France  FRANCE AND LOUISIANA. GOOD NEWS!  My family and I are currently on an extended vacation to Paris and Provence in central France.  Relations wit our country never have seemed better.  Our welcome was quite warm everywhere we traveled.  President Biden has developed a close and warm relationship with current...Read More

Monday, June 12th, 2023 Paris, France  FRANCE AND LOUISIANA. GOOD NEWS!  My family and I are currently on an extended vacation to Paris and Provence in central France.  Relations wit our country never have seemed better.  Our welcome was quite warm everywhere we traveled.  President Biden has developed a close and warm relationship with current...Read More

Monday, June 5th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana IN LOUISIANA, JUST TELL EM’ I LIED!      We are used to hearing legislators in Washington call each other liars.  Just a few months ago during the President’s State of the Union speech, Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia jabbed a thumbs down in the president’s direction...Read More

Monday, June 5th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana IN LOUISIANA, JUST TELL EM’ I LIED!      We are used to hearing legislators in Washington call each other liars.  Just a few months ago during the President’s State of the Union speech, Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia jabbed a thumbs down in the president’s direction...Read More

Monday, May 28th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana TIME FOR A NEW LOUISIANA CONSTITUTION? The last time Louisiana voters adopted a new state constitution was back in 1974.  The document took a year to write by 132 delegates who were part of a convention known as CC 73.  Few of these delegates are alive today, but...Read More

Monday, May 22nd, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  SPENDING OUT OF CONTROL BY SOME LOUISIANA STATE AGENCIES!      Sometimes, you just want to roll down your car window and let out a scream. No, not because someone is passing you in road rage. The kind of wrath I’m talking about is the outrageous spending that...Read More

Monday, May 15th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LIVING A FULL LIFE AS WE GROW OLDER!  I just had a birthday. My 83rd. No, no, no, I’m not looking for any more congratulations. Like most of you who are on social media, I’ve been overwhelmed with good wishes. Yes, I do have to realize that I’m...Read More

Monday, May 8th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LEGISLATORS GOTTA HAVE A PAY RAISE!  In case you missed the news bulletin, a number of legislators in Baton Rouge say they just have to have a big pay raise to survive.  The initial proposal was for legislators to see a pay bump from the current $16,800 to...Read More

Monday, May 1st, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  HANDICAPPING THIS YEAR’S GOVERNOR’S RACE!        Alright! Alright!  I just know all your readers are anxious to find out my thoughts on the coming gubernatorial election.  We are five and a half months away from the first primary election date (October 14th), with seven major candidates...Read More

Monday, April 24th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  CAN YOU RIG VOTING MACHINES IN LOUISIANA?    Election officials across the country are being besieged over allegations of election fraud.  The major charge by those buying into the voter conspiracy is that voting machines can be and have been regularly hacked to manipulate state elections.  The pinnacle...Read More

Monday, April 17th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana RICHARD IEYOUB-A CLASS PUBLIC OFFICIAL! Former three term Attorney General Richard Ieyoub passed away last week at the age of 78.  He was currently serving as Louisiana’s commissioner of conservation, overseeing the regulation of all oil and gas activities in the state.  Richard and I were both good...Read More

Monday, April 10th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE OFFERS FEW PROPOSALS FOR INSURANCE CRISIS! The Louisiana legislature begins its annual session this week, and insurance proposals will certainly be on the front lawmaking burner.  The current insurance commissioner made a really insightful statement last week. “We are currently in the midst of an insurance...Read More

Monday, April; 3rd, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana A LOUISIANA GAL GOT TRUMP INDICTED!  Whenever a major public event takes place in the news, there always seems to be a Louisiana connection. The initial shot that began the Civil War was fired at Ft. Sumpter by a St. Bernard parish confederate General named Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard. The...Read More

  Monday, March 27th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  IS CONGRESS TAKING OVER OUR LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS?  School board elections in Louisiana used to be rather sleepy affairs, with generally a small turnout on election day.  Yes, there were often controversial issues considered by local boards.  School libraries have been the recent focus of heated debate,...Read More

Monday, March 20th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana ANOTHER QUESTIONABLE BAILOUT FOR BIG BANKS! Well, here we go again. Big banks are “high-fiving” each other after they won big in Washington last week.  We thought government regulators had learned an expensive lesson after the financial crash in 2008 that led to massive bailouts at taxpayers’ expense....Read More

Monday, March 12th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana A LOUISIANA HERO STOPPED THE MY LAI MASSACRE!     Let me tell you about a great American war hero.  His name is Hugh Thompson and he comes from Lafayette, Louisiana.  When you make a list of Louisiana’s best, special and brightness, Hugh Thompson will certainly be in that...Read More

Monday, March 5th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana IS LOUISIANA OBSESSED WITH GAMBLING!?  Welcome to Louisiana. Where you will find the largest assortment of gambling options anywhere. It might be the gambling mecca of the world. So go ahead and pick your poison. You can go to one of four federally approved Indian casinos and 43 state-licensed casinos...Read More

Monday, February 27th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  COMPETENCY TESTS FOR ALL LOUISIANA PUBLIC OFFICIALS! Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, has announced her intention to run for the Republican presidential nomination. As part of her platform, she proposed that all candidates running for president who are over 75 years old take a mental...Read More

Monday, February 19th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  CATHOLICS UNDER ATTACK BY THE FBI! Did you know that traditional Catholicism is under attack by the FBI for being extreme, and festering terrorism?  That’s right! The FBI issued a memo warning of extremists who are infiltrating “radical ““ traditionalist Roman Catholic organizations known primarily for the love...Read More

Monday, February 13th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana DEALING WITH A DREADED DISEASE! I returned a message from my friend I’ve known for many years. He was calling to tell me goodbye. He told me he was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and didn’t know how his memory will hold up in the weeks to come....Read More

Monday, February 6th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WE ALL NEED HEROES IN OUR LIVES! I’m a Tina Turner fan, but she got it wrong in her hit a few years back called “We don’t need another Hero.” The song goes on to say: We don’t need to know the way home, ooh All we want...Read More

Monday, January 30th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE MURDER IN BATON ROUGE OF BARRY SEAL! If you have lived in Louisiana for any length of time, you probably are familiar with the name of international drug runner Barry Seal.  Tom Cruise played the part of Seal in the 2017 movie “American made.”  And Dennis Hopper...Read More

Monday, January 23rd, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION, OSWALD AND NEW ORLEANS! The Kennedy assassination is back in the news as a series of documents have been released involving the investigation that goes back 60 years. President Kennedy was assassinated on November 13, 1963, while riding in his motorcade in Dallas, Texas. The...Read More

Monday, January 16th, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  IT’S SO HARD TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT! I have enjoyed writing this column for the past 17 years. But I’ve got to tell you, it’s really a challenge writing one each week in this day and age. You see, I’ve got to be “politically correct” so as to...Read More

PROPERTY OWNERS BEG FOR RELIEF IN LOUISIANA! Not such a happy new year if you were a property owner in the Bayou State.  Property insurance rates throughout Louisiana are skyrocketing. In New Orleans, the state run insurance company now charges as much as an 83% increase. Headlines in national publications blurted out: LOUISIANA INSURANCE MARKET...Read More

January 2nd, 2023 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NEW YEAR THOUGHTS FROM THE BAYOU STATE! Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I always do.  A New Year always brings with it promise and uncertainty, but this coming year brings with it a greater foreboding than we have experienced in the past.  The Chinese have a saying: “May...Read More

Monday, December 26th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  THE JOYS OF COUNTRY LIVIN’ After several recent columns about my relationship with Jerry Lee Lewis, several readers have written to ask what I found so appealing about living in Ferriday.  I think it’s more the slower pace of living in a rural area. I enjoyed my time...Read More

Monday, December 19th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE HOLIDAYS OFFER US A SECOND CHANCE! Most of us have been swept up in the momentum of the holiday season. We have passed Thanksgiving, reached the Christmas milestone and are approaching New Year’s Day, the third in the trilogy of holidays. Sure, there is a lot of our...Read More

Monday, December 12th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE MAY BECOME UNAFFORDABLE ALONG THE GULF COAST! Just when you thought the insurance crisis along the gulf coast, particularly in Louisiana, could not get any worse, along comes congress to try and really muck up the problems faced by property owners who are trying to protect...Read More

Monday, December 5th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  ILLEGAL GAMBLING HAS INVADED LSU! Gambling is everywhere in Louisiana. Presently, the state has 15 so called “floating” casinos, a huge land-based casino in downtown New Orleans, four racetrack casinos, 200 truck stop casinos and over 1000 restaurants and bars that have video poker machines. Wow!  So is...Read More

Monday, November 28th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHY DO WE HAVE HATE CRIMES? There has been a wave of mass shootings in recent weeks.  At a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, a shooter killed five people and injured 17 others that has been called a hate crime. In Chesapeake, Virginia, a Walmart supervisor shot and...Read More

Monday, November 20th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA VOTERS NEED ELECTION ALTERNATIVES! In last week’s column, I wrote about the aversion of a large number of Louisiana voters who were not in favor of any candidate on the ballot.  Many voters just wanted to throw the bums out.  But most of the incumbents running for...Read More

Monday, November 14th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana A BREAK FROM POLITICS SO WE DON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN! Don’t you and I deserve a campaign break? For months, we’ve been suffering through accusatory political rhetoric from both parties. I don’t know about you, but I think we all should tune out for a while. After all,...Read More

Rev. Jimmy Swaggart joined me in honoring Jerry Lee. November 7th, 2022 Ferriday, Louisiana I wrote last week about the passing of Jerry Lee Lewis, who, in my opinion, was the greatest rock and roller of all time. Since I was in attendance at his funeral, I thought readers would like to know how the...Read More

Monday, October 31st, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE END OF ONE OF ROCK AND ROLL’S AL TIME GREATS!  Sad news for us rock and rollers all over America, and for that matter, all over the world. The Killer passed away last week after living a full 87 years of life.  Although he lived in a...Read More

Monday, October 23rd, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  TWO CHEERS FOR THE FRENCH- ESPECIALLY IN LOUISIANA! As the Ukrainian War drags on, some of America’s strongest allies are becoming less than supportive, in spite of strong urging by the Biden Administration.  India has failed to offer any help, and the British support is becoming shaky due...Read More

Monday, October 17th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY IN LOUISIANA?  A jury last week in Parkland, Florida recommended Nikolas Cruz get life in prison for killing 17 people, sparing Cruz from a death sentence after his lawyers argued he had a troubled upbringing.  I read a great deal about this case and I...Read More

Monday, October 10th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LIVING AND DYING IN LOUISIANA! Eighteen years ago this week, Derrick Todd Lee received the death penalty in Louisiana. He was the state’s most notorious and prolific serial killer. I was there in the courtroom when the verdict was handed down. It was a cool Tuesday evening, and...Read More

Monday, October 3rd, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHAT TO DO ABOUT HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE?  Well, what do you know.  We finally have a governor in Louisiana who is showing an interest in the property insurance crisis that is sweeping the state.  One of the problems here in the Bayou State is that the governor has no...Read More

Monday, September 26th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana HELLO AND GOODBYE TO LOUISIANA SENATOR ELLENDER! This week marks the birthday of former Louisiana U.S. Senator Allen J. Ellender.  He was born in 1890, and in his heyday, Ellender was the most prominent Senator in Washington and a powerful voice for the Bayou State. I first met...Read More

Monday, September 19th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana CENSORSHIP ALIVE AND WELL IN LOUISIANA! Efforts to ban books are accelerating in Louisiana as well as all across the nation. According to a new report from the American Library Association, there have been “an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books,” more than any time in recent memory....Read More

Monday, September 12th, 2022 New Orleans, Louisiana  THE SEARING OF A GREAT CITY’S SOUL! (New Orleans a war zone) The real estate website Home Bay just released its national rankings of the best places in the U.S. to retire.  So where is the number one location?  Are you ready for this? Numero Uno is the...Read More

Monday, September 5th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA DEMOCRATS BETRAY JEFFERSON AND JACKSON! I don’t know about you, but I have always loved to read and study Louisiana History. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching the history of the Bayou State at both Tulane University and LSU. And when it comes to examining the giant...Read More

Monday, August 29th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  BAD IDEA FOR STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS! I’m sorry to say that President Biden does not pay much attention to me.  I wrote in my weekly column back in early July that forgiving federally guaranteed student loans was bad fiscal policy, and unfair to all of the rest of...Read More

Monday, August 22nd, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana HOW DO WE COME TOGETHER AGAIN?  Abraham Lincoln was elected President 162 years ago.  Civil War buffs are looking back to these war years for lessons learned in the current debate over the stagnation of the American political process today.  Historians say that there were two Americas-a house...Read More

Monday, August 15th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana OVERREACH BY FBI AGAINST TRUMP! Was the FBI raid on President Trump’s Florida home justified? And even if the former president had in his possession classified documents, was it necessary for his private residence to be invaded by swat team FBI agents holding AK 15 assault rifles like...Read More

Monday, August 8th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHAT IF I WON THE LOUISIANA LOTTERY?  Here’s my question to you in this week’s column. Do you feel lucky? Not the luck you would want if you were confronted by Dirty Harry. Remember Clint Eastwood’s words: “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: “˜Do I feel lucky?...Read More

August 8th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHAT IF I WON THE LOTTERY?  Here’s my question to you in this week’s column. Do you feel lucky? Not the luck you would want if you were confronted by Dirty Harry. Remember Clint Eastwood’s words: “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: “˜Do I feel lucky? Well do...Read More

Monday, July 1st, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana ARE BASEBALL AND POLITICS INTERTWINED? We are halfway through the current baseball season, and congressional elections are just a few months away.  So just what is America’s favorite pastime? Is it politics or baseball? Politics has always been a major spectator sport, particularly here in my home state of...Read More

July 24th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY IN LOUISIANA! Bayou State residents are well aware that Louisiana is a pleasant place to live. Some would sarcastically say that we are fat, dumb, and happy down here in the deepest of the deep southern states. The state motto is, after all, Laissez les bons...Read More

Monday, July 18th, 2022 Baton Rouge, Louisiana HIGHER POLICE STANDARDS TO PROTECT OUR KIDS! There is a poignant family portrait, painted in 1943 by Norman Rockwell, called “Freedom of Fear,” that shows a mother and father standing over their sleeping children. The father holds a newspaper with a headline that refers to the Blitz of...Read More