I’m tryin’ my best to learn to play the fiddle, but it’s obvious I have a long, long way to go.  What progress I have made is because of a good teacher, Mitch Reed.  He plays both fiddle and bass with world renowned zydeco group, Beau Soleil.  Below is my visit with Mitch and...Read More

Over many political campaigns, a must stop on your way to Lafayette was Crawfish Town, USA, in Henderson.    I dropped in for lunch this week, and had the chance to look back and some bizarre events that took place here.  You can check it all out in the video below. [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/fkB_mtw1ueA" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent"...Read More

  Thursday, July 9, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana IS BOBBY JINDAL STILL VIABLE NATIONALLY? “Whatever happened to Bobby Jindal?”Â  That is the question posed in this month’s Economist Magazine.  “At one point he was the great hope of the GOP and now we hardly hear a word about him.”Â  So is it time to begin...Read More

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 Is there national life left for Louisiana’s Gov. Bobby Jindal?  Many national columnists and political observers have written him off after was generally considered a disastrous nationwide introduction when he bombed on his response to the president’s State of the Union speech this past February.  But other Republican contenders seem to be dropping like flies. ...Read More

  Thursday, July 2, 2009 Linville, North Carolina IS BOBBY JINDAL OUT OF THE NATIONAL POLITICAL PICTURE? That’s the question posed to me by a group of political consultants meeting in Charlotte this week as they tried to ferret out what Republican is a viable contender for the 2012 presidential nomination.  The group felt that...Read More

I was in North Carolina all last week (so cold I built a fire at night) and was part of an interesting and troubling discussion of the dramatic demise of LSU.  I share a few thoughts here from the mountains about how the rest of the country views our flagship university’s financial troubles and overall...Read More

My son and I decided to get ourselves in really good (well at least much better) shape, by joining a boot camp workout program.  Three days a week, we join a small group of die hards to work up a good sweat, and develop a better overall core.  Am I making any progress?  Well you...Read More

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Hey, be sure and catch my radio show tonight, Monday, June 22nd on WJBO, 1150 am, broadcast out of Baton Rouge.  You can stream the show live at www.WJBO.com.  Just a few hours ago, the United States Supreme Court ruled that major portions of the Voting Rights Act were constitutional.  I feel the court’s decision is...Read More

  Louisiana, according to our members of congress is a second rate state, and is treated like a step child when it comes to federal control over our elections.  Although there has been no voter fraud by elections officials in over 35 years, Louisiana is still burdened by having every single voting decision approved by...Read More

Thursday, June 18, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA A SECOND RATE STATE UNDER VOTING RIGHTS ACT! Are institutionalized acts of racism interwoven in the election procedures that regularly take place in Louisiana? Is there a concentrated effort on the part of Louisiana elections officials to put up barriers so that it is more difficult for...Read More

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Every few weeks, I like to get into the car and travel into various stops in South Louisiana.  This is territory I have covered on numerous occasions over the years, but it’s always nice to re visit old friends. Last week, it was off to Breaux Bridge for lunch in Breaux Bridge at the Crazy...Read More

 What’s it like to do a daily radio show?  Take a look at the video below, and I try to give you an idea of the preparation involved and the logistics of being on the air. [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOTsKmjn1JE" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]  Read More

I have this like-dislike relationship with Glenn Beck.   I liked the old Glenn who was not quite so edgy and calculating.  He used to be more funny, and irrelevant.  He still has his moments, so I was one of the handful in Baton Rouge who went to the local United Artists theater (cost $18 bucks)...Read More

Louisiana’s senior US Senator minced no words when asked to comment of the job Bobby Jindal is doing as governor.   Landrieu and Jindal, from different parties, never have been particularly close.  But this is the first instance where Landrieu is suggesting Jindal’s frequent out of state trips.  Take a look at 5he Senator’s comments below....Read More

  Legislatures all over the Gulf South are focusing on ways to lower skyrocketing property insurance rates.  And in many states, their efforts seem to be working.  There is, unfortunately, one big exception.  And that’s Louisiana.  With the current session of the Louisiana Legislature winding down, there is little encouraging news for homeowners and small...Read More

  Thursday June 11, 2009 New Orleans, Louisiana LOUISIANA HURRICANE SEASON DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?  WELL DO YA? A dangerous hurricane season this year?  Forecasters are predicting nine to 14 named tropical storms with four to seven of them expected to be hurricanes. And three could be major.  Or as Dirty Harry would say: 44...Read More

 Everyone wants to have freedom of choice.  But what happens when your freedom gets in my face?  that was one of the topics on a recent radio show I did out out Baton Rouge last week. Take a look and tell me what you think.  Does your freedom of choice override my right not to...Read More

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 Have you been following all the fuss over former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco’s supposed “snub” of Katrina General Russel Honore?  The General has a new book out called “Survival.“Â  I have not had a chance to read it yet, though I do plan on doing so.  The general says that some three weeks after Katrina...Read More

  Did you know that I used to be quite a pool shooter?  I racked up the balls often when I was in the Army and later when I was living in Ferriday.  (Not a lot to do up there when the sun goes down.)  I’ve had a pool table most of my life.  Still...Read More

So What about Gun Control? Since the election of new Pres. Barack Obama, gun sales have skyrocketed. A lot of people are apparently worried that Obama will make a major effort to control who can own a gun. I think there’s fat chance of this happening. But the two videos below tell you a lot...Read More

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  Louisiana’s flagship university, LSU, is in a desperate legislative fight to maintain its current spending levels.  Right now, the university is looking at a shortfall over $100 million dollars.  Why isn’t there more concern and outrage coming from legislators?  And Jim raises the question in this week’s column-Should the leadership at LSU carry some...Read More

  Thursday, June 4, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE RISE AND FALL OF LSU Huey Long was the best friend and supporter LSU ever had.  He was called the father of the modern LSU by the Virginia Quarterly Review in commenting that “Huey stroked LSU as if he had been coddling a newborn pet elephant. ...Read More

  Take a look below at radio show highlights from Jim’s show on WJBO-1150 am, out of Baton Rouge.  He is on the air this week from 5pm until 7pm weekdays.  You can tune in if you are in the Baton Rouge area, or hear Jim over the worldwide web at http://www.wjbo.com/. [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/i1SAfdM_cHU" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent"...Read More

Have you heard or read about Oklahoma druggist Jerome Ersaind, who was confronted by two robbers in his store, pulled a gun and shot one thug, ran after the other one, then came back and shot the wounded thug 5 times as the thug lay on the floor?  It was the subject of my radio...Read More

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    JIM’S BACK ON THE RADIO You can catch Jim on the radio in Baton Rouge beginning next Tuesday, June 2nd on WJBO from 5pm till 7:00 pm.  Tune in all next week.     A new nominee just appointed by the President to fill an upcoming vacancy on the US Supreme Court.  Was...Read More

  Thursday, May 28, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana A SUPREME COURT APPOINTEE FROM LOUISIANA? FAT CHANCE! Before the President made his choice this week for a new nominee to fill the coming vacancy on the United States Supreme Court, the White House undertook a nationwide search.  There were parameters.  The pick was certain to be...Read More

  What could have been in New Orleans?  That’s the opinion of Casino Magnet Steve Wynn, who is tabbed as “Mr. Las Vegas” for the many hotel casinos he has built.  He also built the beau Rivage in Biloxi, where I spent Memorial Day.  My weekly video gives me a chance to tell you about...Read More

  Memorial Day found many of us here in the South at the beach.  I made a last minute decision to head to Biloxi and the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino.  I’m not a gambler, but there is plenty to do around Biloxi and Ocean Springs.  So if you want to take a quick cyber...Read More

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  We hear so much about the huge debt the federal government is running up.  Just how do they figure it all ?  Maybe  we should use the formula in the video below.  Makes as much sense as these federal budget analysists do. [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/88E0TYijc5I" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]Read More

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  The financial scandals involving The Sanford group and Bernie Madoff have hit a number of Louisianans hard.  Several families in the Baton Rouge area reportedly lost $50 million or more.  New York Yankee left fielder Johnny Damon lost much more.  So who is to blame?  Is it just Madoff and Sanford?  My new column...Read More

  As part our regular weekly videocasts, this week, you can watch an interview with LaNewsLink.com publisher Pat Bergeron, fom Baton Rouge, who gives his view of problems facing Gov. Bobby Jindal.  Pat is one of a growing number of commentators who feel Jindal should be focusing more on problems in Louisiana, and stay away,...Read More

Thursday, May 21, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana STANFORD AND MADOFF HAD ACCOMPLICES: THEIR VICTIMS! There are three things you should learn early in life. Don’t play poker with a guy named Slim. Don’t buy a Rolex form a guy on the street who’s out of breath. And don’t put your money in some exotic investment...Read More

  Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching with the actual day being this coming Monday.  Do you even know what is being memorialized?  Traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly...Read More

  I’m a big Bluegrass Country music fan, and have been for many years.  I was in Jackson, Louisiana last week for the Pecan Ridge Bluegrass Festival, and will be up in the North Carolina Mountains in June for several more.  Or I try to play a bit.  I have and play (not too well)...Read More

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  Free spirits like you and me love the great outdoors and feeling the wind blowing in our face.   And one of the best examples of this great feeling is riding on a motorcycle.  I’ve had bikes most of my life, from smaller dirt and off road bikes right up to my most recent, a...Read More

  Thursday, May 14, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN MOTORCYCLE HELMET DEBATE One of the hottest 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. ...Read More

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Should Roman Catholic priest be allowed to marry and have a family?  The issue is receiving national attention this week after a highly popular Miami priest, Rev. Alberto Cutie, was caught by a Spanish tabloid cuddling on a beach with a woman the priest says he loves.  Father Cutie is receiving overwhelming support in the...Read More

Louisiana US Senator David Vitter has caused a firestorm in both Washington and a number of Gulf Coast States by putting a hold on the new nominated FEMA Director Craig Fugate from Florida.  He is strongly supported by key republicans, but Vitter says he want answers to a number of past FEMA problems.  Is he...Read More

  What’s happening to Bobby Jindal and transparency in government?  The Governor has lost me on the political or “good government” benefits of keeping his records more secret than any governor in the nation.  This is a personal issue with me.  Back in the mid 1970s when I was a state senator, I authored and...Read More

  Should Louisiana pay out millions of dollars to the New Orleans Saints as a subsidy to keep the owners happy in New Orleans?  That’s the question Jim raises in his new column this week. No other state pays one penny for a professional football team.  So why should Louisiana?  Jim takes a close look...Read More

  Thursday, May 7, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana A HIGH PRICE TO KEEP THE SAINTS! The plan seems to be “Keep the Saints at any price.”Â  Proposals at Louisiana’s state capitol to give millions of dollars a year for decades to come is steamrolling through the legislature.  Governor Bobby Jindal says the deal will “save...Read More

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  Well nationally know porn star and Baton Rouge native Stormy Daniels is traveling Louisiana this week on what she bills as a listening tour in her quest to oust incumbent U.S. Senator David Vitter from office.  Stormy says she is serious about making the race.  You can read about and watch stormy below.  By...Read More

Now I don’t know about you, but I love country music.  Oh, I like many kinds of music (even Opera, would you believe), but being from Ferriday and knowing Jerry Lee, Mickey and Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, country music just kind of grows on you.  Hey, I was in Walker, La. Saturday night listening to their...Read More

  I have seen many Las Vegas shows over the years, and have been entertained by many of the great ones.  Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Wayne Newton, Bette Middler, Jay Leno, Queen, the list goes on.  But hands down, my favorite Law Vegas entertainer was Danny Gans.  If you haven’t been to Las Vegas, you...Read More

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  Hold on to your wallets.  The Louisiana Legislature is  in session at the state capitol in Baton Rouge.  And they have 60 days to potentially do a lot of damage.  It’s all about money, and I share my perspective this week in my new column now posted.  Where are the problem areas?  You can...Read More

  Thursday April 30, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE’S IN SESSION Every observer of Louisiana politics is aware of Mark Twain’s adage:  “No man’s life, liberty or property is safe while the Legislature is in session.”Â  Actually, it was New York Judge Gideon Tucker who first made the perceptive...Read More

The Zurich Classic golf Tourney was a big success this past weekend at the TPA course in New Orleans.  I started playing golf a few years ago, and am not all the great, but do enjoy walking the course by myself, and play8ing 3 or 4 balls at a time.  The Classic was the place...Read More

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Randy Newman is Louisiana’s special troubadour.  He’s funny, clever, sarcastic,  emotional, and generally right on the money.  He’s origionally from New Orleans, and talks about the Bayou State at all his concerts.  He’s written numerous movie musical scores (Seabiscuit, Pleasantville, an The Natural to name a few), and though getting older, aparently has no intention...Read More

  You’re a 19 year old kid. You’re critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley , 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam.  Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 – 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac...Read More

  Louisiana has a big financial problem, and many state agencies are facing major cutbacks.  But do we really need all the various state and local governmental bodies that have built up over the past century?  As Jim points out in his column, we are asking general Motors to downsize and restructure.  So what about...Read More

  Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 Shreveport, Louisiana BRING LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT IN LOUISIANA INTO THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY!  Just how many boards, commissions, water districts, sewer districts, parish auditors, law enforcement offices, and a whole list of other special districts are spread throughout Louisiana? No one really seems to know.  Some estimates are as high as...Read More

  I was in New York last week, and stayed across the street from the World Trade Center hole in the ground.  Construction on a new office complex is under way, but will take several years to complete.  I spent a few minutes there with long time friend and New York lawyer Kevin Salter (See...Read More

  There are a lot of people out there, and I’m one of them, who feel that or country has lost its focus and direction.  We seem to be fading away from our sense of values that set the foundation for our democratic way of life.  Many readers know that I have some problems with...Read More

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  I’m not one to watch “American Idol“ or its British counterpart, “Britons Got Talent.“Â  But every now and then, a performer appears that simply mesmerizes the audience and captures the hearts of all who are watching.  Last year, it was Brit Paul Potts, a car phone salesman who sang Opera like the best at...Read More

As regular readers know, I often brag about my alma mater at Chapel Hill. But there was a low point last we that I certainly am not proud of. Former Rep. Tom Tancredo recently visited University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to speak to a group on the topic of immigration and his opposition...Read More

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  Were you into March Madness?  It started with 654 teams playing through March and into early April.  Millions were made by the NCAA, the colleges, the coaches, but not the players.  They get left out of the whole mix.  My new column is now up, so take a look at why I think our...Read More

So do you Twitter?  Everybody seems to be doing it.  Not cool if you don’t Twitter.  You can see my ramblings at http://Twitter.com/jimbrownla.  Here is a funny cartoon below that keeps the how world of Twitter in its proper perspective.  Take a look.Read More

  Thursday, April 9, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana MARCH MADNESS ARE ATHLETES BEING SHORT CHANGED? Millions of rabid college basketball fans have been glued to their TVs over the past month as March Madness reached its crescendo this past Monday night.  My North Carolina Tar Heels rose to the occasion to win its second national...Read More

Well it was Paris, and last week I was Barcelona.  Petty good hangin’ out for this guy.  And if you have been following my various and sundry jaunts, I never miss a good meal.  In the middle of Barcelona at the Casa Fuster Hotel is Restaurant Galaxo with renowned Spanish Chef Andrea Cavalletti.  The Chef...Read More

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  It was a blow out.  Carolina completed demolished Michigan State to win the NCAA National Championship Monday night.  I know many of you are sick and tired of my continually hiping the Big Blue.  But hey!  The athletic department at Carolina gave me my college education.  I owe deep gratitude to legandary Coach Dean...Read More

  April in Paris.  Who can beat that?  This week’s column deals with how the French observe America, our new and old Presidents, and Louisiana.  All on April fool’s day.  Are they really going to stretch the French President to make him as tall as his new, young wife?  And what do the French think...Read More

Now those of you who read this column and blog regularly know that I’m a really BIG college basketball fan, and this is dreamtime for diehards like me.  March Madness comes to a fruition and ending in the next few days with the culmination of the Final Four, held in Detroit this year.  My old...Read More

Daughter Campbell moderates an interesting debate.  Should Marijuana be legal to help relieve pain?  Congressman Ron Paul says yes.   The use of the drug is legal in California and three other states.  If a doctor says using marijuana will releave cronic pain and perscribes the use of the drug, why should it not be legal,...Read More