We are getting close to the national election and so what can we expect? Distorted charges out right lies? This always seems to happen you’re in national  elections. This time around, both candidates for  vice president are being swift boated. I had the same thing happen to me. If you’re not sure what it is,...Read More

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Monday, August 11th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana SERVE YOUR COUNTRY-THEN GET SWIFTBOATED?  Well here they go again.  Political extremists who work behind the scenes in both national political parties have dusted off their old playbook by attacking the military record of both vice presidential candidates. Such attacks even have a name. It’s called swift boating....Read More

Well, it’s about college football time.  Are you fired up and ready? I sure have been in the past. After all, our state school in Louisiana has won several national championships just in the past few years. But it’s completely different now. A bunch of hired guns has moved in from who knows where to...Read More

Monday, August 5th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana DOES ANYONE REALLY CARE ABOUT COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANYMORE?  Football for the college ranks is a matter of a few weeks away.  Are you fired up?   Can you hardly wait?  (Yawn….).   So what will we soon have?  A bunch of kids who are hired guns who come from other...Read More

So we now have the two major party candidates that are ready to debate and talk about issues affecting the future of this country – right? So, so wrong. All Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are doing is attacking each other. And it looks like this is going to be the, focus of the campaign...Read More

A huge controversy is taking place in Paris at the Olympic Games. At the opening ceremony, there was a profile put together of the last supper that many people, including myself, think made a mockery of this depiction. The latest illustration can be found in the absurd and offensive opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics,...Read More

Monday, July 29th, 2024 Baton Rouge,, Louisiana BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES POSE DANGERS!  When I was at a young age and growing up in the Midwest, President Harry Truman led the nation out of war.  Then came General Dwight Eisenhower, who confected a plan for reconstruction throughout Europe and Asia. They both led a group of...Read More

Well, it was quite a week for the Republicans at their convention in Milwaukee. No real decisions to make as Donald Trump was the obvious nominee. But it was arousing gathering. Next to the Democrats. Will they stay united? Will the President run for reelection? Will some bright candidate emerge that can beat Trump? So...Read More

Monday, July 22nd, 2024 Baton Rouge,, Louisiana NO POLITICAL CONVENTIONS IN LOUISIANA! The Republicans just finished a rousing convention in, of all places, Milwaukee. About the only thing of interest the delegates might want to visit are a number of breweries and the Harley Davidson Museum.  But the state of Wisconsin is a key battleground...Read More

Affordable insurance, and not finding any, continues to be a major problem here in the Bayou state. A Louisiana legislative committee met last week to see what new laws could be passed to help the critical situation. Hey legislators! We don’t need any new laws. What we need is aggressive enforcement of the laws on...Read More

Monday, July 15th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  HOW TO LOWER AUTO INSURANCE COSTS IN LOUISIANA!  Louisiana legislators met last week to find legal solutions that will lower the cost of automobile bill insurance throughout the state. Hey, all you guy and gal lawmakers. There are no new laws that will make any difference. If you...Read More

Everyone seems to be talking about the Supreme Court giving former President Donald Trump all kinds of immunity. But is he really immune from any private act he undertakes? I have some personal experience with private versus public actions, and you would be surprised to know that I’ve been sued on many occasions as a...Read More

My friend Kinky Friedman, one of the real Texas musical outlaws, died a few weeks ago. I called him my friend. I heard him perform on any number on occasions, and he’d like to talk about Louisiana politics. If you haven’t followed Kinky, he and his band, the Texas Jewboys, won acclaim for their satirical...Read More

          Monday, July 8th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA COURTS FIRST RULED WHEN A PRESIDENT IS ABOVE THE LAW!  These days, it’s hard to find a political controversy on the national stage that does not, in some way, involve Louisiana.  You may be surprised to know that a lawsuit involving land...Read More

  Our country is close to having a new national election, and the issue of voter fraud continues to permeate the discussion. Almost half of all Americans think there will be  voter fraud involved. So is there? And what can we do about it? I have a few suggestions. Take a look at my new...Read More

  Monday, July 1st, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana VOTING MACHINE CHANGES NEEDED ACROSS THE COUNTRY!  After former President Donald Trump lost his reelection in 2024, there have been continuous allegations that election fraud has taken place all across the country. So here is the question. Can voting machine computers be hacked? Can the election process be...Read More

Louisiana is back in the news, as it generally is across the country with something that happens down here, by requiring the posting of the Ten. Commandments in all public schools throughout the state. Good idea or bad? Lots of opinions about this. Are such requirement a violation of the constitutional requirement of separation of...Read More

June 24th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana TEN COMMANDMENTS UNDER ATTACK IN LOUISIANA! You just cannot keep Louisiana out of the national news. As Roseanne Roseannada used to say on Saturday Night Live: “It’s always something” Here in the Bayou State, there are happenings that stir up both interest and dismay from coast to coast. In...Read More

Take a listen   at the ups and downs, behind and lows, the good and bad at the recent Louisiana Leslie session. It’s all available on this week’s podcast. Go to www.datelinelouisiana.com.Read More

Several recent polls show the United States Supreme Court has dipped to its lowest level of approval.  Only 41% of American motors think the Supreme Court is doing an adequate job. Americans are just losing confidence in the Supreme Court and all their antics. They don’t work very much, and there are any number of...Read More

Monday, June 17, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana                                                                                       APPOINTING FEDERAL JUDGES A BAD IDEA!...Read More

Well, we’re full blast into  the election season, and the national conventions for both the Republicans and the Democrats are close at hand. I’ve been to a few in the past. Seven to be exact. And I’ve got some interesting stories about the Louisiana connections between both Republicans and Democrats. You could read all about...Read More

Monday, June 10th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana BIDEN AND TRUMP-WHO COULD HAVE BELIEVED IT! The county is just weeks away from our two national conventions. The Republicans meet in Milwaukee in the middle of July and the Democrats convene in Chicago several weeks later. We all know it will be Trump vs Biden. I wonder...Read More

Were you stunned by the conviction of formal President Donald Trump? I wasn’t. If you read over the charges, and  Trump’s responses, it was obvious from the get-go that Trump was going to be convicted. A combination of factors were involved. And uneven playing field, and quite frankly, a poor defense bvy Trump’s legal team....Read More

  Monday, June 3rd, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana TRUMP’S CONVICTION NO SURPRISE ! I wrote in my column over a month ago that no one should be surprised over former president Donald Trump’s conviction in a New York Court last week. As we say in the South, Trump was a gone pecan from the get-go....Read More

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and most Americans are enjoying a Long holiday weekend. Nothing wrong with that. But what about remembering just why we even have a Memorial Day? No, it’s not to remember our veterans. It’s to pause and look back over the many lives that have been lost so that our families can...Read More

May 27th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WE NEED TO DO MORE TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY! I hope everyone enjoyed their recent Memorial Day weekend. Many Louisianans were vacationing over the long holiday or enjoying a cookout with family and friends. Many stores held sales advertising for us to have a “Happy Memorial Day.” All well...Read More

What a pleasure it was to travel to Alexandria, Louisiana this past Thursday to make a presentation before the CenLa Writers Book Group. Many in attendance were first time writers working on their first publication. Enjoyed talking about my writing experience of seven books as well as many questions of how one gets a book...Read More

Well, it’s graduation time for students at all levels. Kindergarten right up through doctorate degrees.  Do you remember any advice that was given to you by commencement speaker at your graduation? Few of us do. I take a stab at it and give my advice to students graduating this time of year.  Yes, I have...Read More

Monday, May 20th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana TO GRADUATES-THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ME!  Students all over America are graduating this  week from kindergarten, grade school, high school, college and graduate schools. And there is always a commencement speaker. Most of you will never give a commencement address. But as a former Louisiana public official, I was...Read More

Well, it’s that time again. Under federal law, legislature all over the nation have to reapportion congressional districts. And boy what a mess there is in Louisiana. It’s the heck with the voters.  The only priority seems to be protecting those in office. What a mess. I write about this “insider trading” in my new...Read More

Monday, May 13th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana GET THE POLITICIANS OUT OF REAPPORTIONMENT! If you want to witness political favoritism and inside political wheeling and dealing  at its worst, just witness the mess that has been created by the legislature as well as federal judges in Louisiana.  Dysfunctional politics is about the best way to...Read More

May 6th, 2024 Baton Rouge, Louisiana                                                                                       I’M TOO YOUNG TO BE EIGHTY...Read More

Another year, another birthday. Right? I’ve had a number of them, but it’s hard to believe that I’ve reached the hallmark of being 84. That really sounds like an old guy. I guess I should not be that concerned as long as my health holds up.  What’s the Toby Keith song? Don’t let the old...Read More

It’s my birthday this week. Hitting  the 84 year mark. So what do I do to celebrate? Simple. Gather a few family members and friends for a crawfish boil. How can you beat that!Read More

It’s open season as the Louisiana Legislature tries to jam through a new constitution in a matter of days. How irresponsible. Take a listen to our new podcast to see what you think. You could get it by going to ww.datelinelouisiana.com.Read More

The public’s right to know is under attack in Louisiana. The old saying certainly makes sense today. “Beware and keep your guard up when the legislature in session in the Bayou state is in session.”   There is a major effort to limit the public right to know, and keep public records and deliberations under...Read More

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

The trial of former President Donald Trump is underway with the jury having been selected.  So now it’s up to the judge to see that the rules are followed, and that Trump gets a fair shake, right? Will not quite. Whether you like Donald Trump or not, any neutral observer would determine the Trump has...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

One of the most colorful and controversial characters in American history passed away this week.  Some called him the Juice, others called him  O.J., and even others called him a killer. His trial for murdering his wife captivated America like no other. So many highs and lows. One of the greatest football players ever to...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

State constitutions are important. They sit out the framework that affects every citizen in the state. Louisiana has needed a new state constitution for years. I know. I helped write the last constitution. I write about what’s going on in the Louisiana legislature in my new column. The Governor is pushing for a new constitution,...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

Let me tell you this. Throughout most of my life, I’d loved riding motorcycles. But there was a caveat. I always wore a helmet. Now in Louisiana, the legislature is coming close to doing away with the mandatory requirement that motorcycle riders wear a helmet.  Is this really a freedom of choice issue? I write...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

Madness taking place all this month and April. It means big money for the college oversight group, the NCAA, as well as many individual basketball players. There are pros and cons to how the present system works. Some things I don’t like. I take a look at March madness in my new column now posted,...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

Is there anything that could be done about the outrageous insurance rates that Louisiana drivers and homeowners are paying? The little Southern state leads the entire nation in the high cost of basic insurance. A new legislature has a governor committed to helping the new insurance commissioner with the problem. But can any official really...Read More

To listen to Jim’s new podcast, go to www.datelinelouisiana.com.  Read More