Thursday, June 12th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana   IT’S NOT THE PRIME MINISTER IT’S THE LOUISIANA GOVERNOR  Is Governor Bobby Jindal “missing in action” when it comes to the give and take in  the current session of the Louisiana legislature?  Observers around the state capital express what they see as a sharp contrast from former...Read More

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So what do you think about this 300% pay raise the legislature is close to giving themselves? It has passed the State Senate with NO opposition, and passed the House committee this week with only minor protests. Is it a fait accompli? In my day as a Senator, I would have been recalled and run...Read More

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Former state senators get together once a year during the regular legislative session in Baton Rouge to fraternize and “remember when.” I look back on my days in the Louisiana Senate as some of my most enjoyable times, with a group of Senators that did a great deal for the state. Unfortunately, most of the...Read More

Even if you are not a baseball fan, it was an unbelievable weekend for LSU and their baseball team scraping their way to the college world series in Omaha. After a loss on Saturday, the tigers pulled out a 9th inning victory Sunday,then just plummeted Cal-Irving Monday night by a score of 21-7.  Check out...Read More

When it comes to real American heroes, they don’t come more authentic than Captain Jack Lucas.  He was on my radio show last year when he was visiting New Orleans, and what a pleasure to have him on my show. He was the youngest soldier to ever receive the Medal of Honor at 17.  You...Read More

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/J_E3ldpFbjo" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /] Graphic: Police Release Video Of Hartford Hit-And-Run  Read More

Thursday, June 5th, 2008 Ferriday, Louisiana THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN NORTH LOUISIANA AND THE KU KLUX KLAN Forty-four years ago this month, the FBI opened a widespread murder investigation in my old hometown of Ferriday, as well as across the river in Natchez, Mississippi. As many as 20 local black citizens were reportedly killed...Read More

The Ku Klux Klan and a house of ill repute? How much wilder can it get than that? My new column talks about the wild and troubling days of my old home in Concordia Parish. It’s up now, so take a look.  Just click here Below is a photo of the great Haney’s music hall...Read More

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If you are a sports fan and you ever go to New York City, a must stop is Mickey Mantle’s restaurant located right on Central Park South. I’ve been a Yankees fan all my life, and made a number of pilgrimages to the Bronx so I can see “The Mick” in action back in the...Read More

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My First Rock and Roller  .I grew up with the advent of Rock and Roll in the 50s.  And the first 33 1/3 album I ever bought was by Bo Diddley.  It all seemed to start with Bo. He was born in Macomb, Mississippi just north of the Louisiana border.  He invented his own name, ...Read More

Isn’t this adorable? The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (or the other ABC) put this site up for the kiddies. Take a look at: http://www.abc.net.au/science/planets…e_calc.htm ABC managing director Mark Scott said the site was not designed to offend certain quarters of the community but to engage children in environmental issues. How do they “engage” the children? By...Read More

Thursday, May 29, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana INDIANA JONES CHOSE WISELY SO SHOULD THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE  Robert Redford posed the question at the end of the movie, The Candidate, which should have been asked by the newly elected Louisiana Legislature: “What do we do now?”  The new guys and gals in town started off with a...Read More

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    Governor Bobby Jindal continues to build strong support from conservatives throughout the country as a possible vice presidential running mate with Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh started the ball rolling, and a number of conservative organizations continue to sign on in support Jindal. You can read a...Read More

In the year 1967, I was a newly minted Louisiana lawyer, still wet behind the ears, but scrapping out a law practice in my newly adopted hometown of Ferriday.  One of my first cases was representing a young mother whose child was killed when a truck ran off the road and into the family driveway.  It...Read More

New York was my last stop on this lengthy road trip that took me into North Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts and then on into to the Big Apple. And I certainly had a full agenda. A nephew’s graduation, a long visit with a daughter and a new grandson, a little business, a lengthy lunch with my...Read More

La. Gov. Bobby Jindal will spend this weekend in Arizona with Republican presidential nominee John McCain. This certainly will increase speculation over the possibility of gentle join McCain on the GOP ticket this fall. With Jindal will be Florida Governor Charlie Crist whose name is also been batted around a good bit as a potential...Read More

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So you always wanted a tattoo, right? Well here’s your chance to see what your name would look like on someone else. Give this link a try and you will be surprised at the results.Read More

Well it looks like Senator Barak Obama has his dander up, telling one and all to leave his wife out of the coming presidential campaign. Is that a fair request from the Senator? Michelle Obama has been quite outspoken, raising questions about pride in America, and proving to be a quite controversial figure in her...Read More

LOUISIANA AND THE EAST COAST- A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE   Has America become so homogenized that we are thinking more alike regardless of what part of the country we come from?  We all get the same evening news, the same TV shows, and the same radio talking heads telling us what, in their opinion, our...Read More

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Every now and then, I just had to take a break and get away… right? Well that’s just what I am doing this week, revisiting local haunts, beginning at my old alma mate at, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I try to get back to Carolina, several times a year, particularly during basketball season. But on...Read More

If there was ever any question as to how hard it is to get affordable property insurance in Louisiana, check out Sunday’s front page story in the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate here. Rather than being aggressive like Florida, Louisiana has chosen to sit by and do little more than give corporate welfare to insurance companies....Read More

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana IT’S ALL ABOUT WHOSE OX IS BEING GORED. So what’s all this controversy about earmarks?  “Pork-Barrel Spending” shout editorial writers all over Louisiana. On the national level, Republican presidential nominee John McCain has “vowed to veto all earmarks as president, and to make the authors famous.”  All these so-called...Read More

If you’ve never heard Billy Joe Shaver sing his songs in person, you’ve really missed quite a show. Willie Nelson says “Billy Joe Shaver may be the best songwriter alive today.” His songs have been recorded by the likes of Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, the Allman Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, the Oak...Read More

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I don’t understand while horses that break legs are “put down” right on the track, in full view of the fans and the TV cameras. It happened Saturday at the Kentucky Derby. Runner-up Eight Belles had to be euthanized on the track after breaking both of her front ankles, marking the first time in the...Read More

I’m puzzled by how the Disney Company operates. If you pick up the May issue of Vanity Fair off the newsstands, you will see this rather risqué picture of Hannah Montana, clutching a satin sheet to otherwise naked torso. A Disney spokeswoman told the New York Times that “a situation was created to deliberately manipulate...Read More

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   New York Times conservative columnist William Kristol keep the Jindal for Vice President effort alive and well today (Monday) with a column touting Jindal’s benefit on a McCain ticket this fall.  Jindal had quite a week last week with appearances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, a speech to the National Press Club,...Read More

And how about this really troubling story also from the Derby. Cops busted a couple who took a gamble by leaving their baby alone in a car while they went to watch the Kentucky Derby. Police say the 2-month-old was left unattended for more than 20 minutes during Saturday’s race. Police say the baby’s mother,...Read More

So I’m hanging out with my buddy Chris”¦”¦. What’s that?  You think I’m putting you on?  Well, OK.  I was in Biloxi for the Chris Rock show last week.  Now I’m not saying he pulled me out of the audience.  But after the show, I did get a chance to visit and have a picture...Read More

Thursday, May 1st, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana FLORIDA OUTSHINES LOUISIANA IN INSURANCE REFORM  In the short list for vice president, two names that regularly appear are Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Florida Governor Charlie Crist.  And as part of the discussion, there are naturally comparisons as to the economic progress being made in both states. ...Read More

This time of year, there are festivals galore throughout Louisiana. Now I am a die hard Bluegrass Country music fan. I have a whole slew of string instruments, including several guitars, a five string banjo, a 12 string guitar, a dulcimer, and my latest acquisition, a mandolin. That’s not to say I am that good...Read More

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Sen. John McCain brought his presidential campaign to Louisiana this week traveling on his well-known bus, The Straight Talk Express. The Senator held a fund raiser in Baton Rouge at the office of former Governor Buddy Roemer with several hundred people in attendance. On the evening before, McCain had a quiet, private dinner at Commander’s...Read More

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JINDAL VICE PREZ WATCH- Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s status as one of the final choices of joining the McCain ticket as the vice presidential nominee picked up steam last night, as Jindal met with McCain at a private dinner held at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Odds makers in Washington say the McCain list has been...Read More

Golf Tournaments are pervasive this time of year, particularly as fundraisers for elected officials. One of the biggest I have ever attended was sponsored by the high Sheriff of Plaquemines Parish in the deepest of south Louisiana Parishes, Sheriff Jiff Hingle. I’m pictured here with the Sheriff just before I teed off. Oh, by the...Read More

Thursday, April 23rd, 2008 New Orleans, Louisiana PROSECUTOR IMMUNITY IN LOUISIANA?  Under both federal and Louisiana state law, prosecutors are given wide ranging immunity for their actions.  Louisiana in particular has been a domicile for some of the most troubling examples of blatant prosecutor misconduct.  Up until now, there was little recourse for an aggrieved...Read More

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Was former US Attorney Eddie Jordan involved in a bribery scheme when Edwin Edwards’ trial took place in 2000? That is an allegation being made by one of the attorney’s in the Edwards case. You can read the full story here that appears in news stories all over the state this week. Check out the...Read More

The protesters put up the Mexican flag over the American flag flying upside down at Montebello High School in California . These kinds of protests are becoming way to frequent, particularly in concentrated areas of illegal immigrants. It points out just how little our government, at both the national and state level, has done to...Read More

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Politics, Food, and Good Music This week’s column is now up, and Jim talks about the flack Barrack Obama is receiving over his comments that rural America is bitter over their economic plight, and take comfort in religion and guns. Is he off track? Read what Jim has to say. And take the political quiz...Read More

Thursday, April 17th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana OBAMA’S BITTERNESS COMMENT AND YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, POLITICALLY  OBAMA CONTROVERSY Presidential Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama found himself in hot water last week over what he perceives to be “bitterness” in small-town America.  The criticism came from Republicans, as well as his Democratic opponent, Senator Hillary Clinton. ...Read More

Take the time to watch this riveting video now up on the right side of this page. Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about...Read More

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. JIDAL FOR VICE PRESIDENT? There have been a number of recent political commentaries about Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal being a serious contender for the Republican vice presidential nomination? Does he have any realistic chance to be selected by John McCain? Jim writes about it this week in his new column. Be sure and check...Read More

Thursday, April 10th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana GOV. BOBBY JINDAL FOR VICE PRESIDENT ARE YOU KIDDING? Well, no.  The new Louisiana Governor is very much in the mix, as more focus took place this week on who Sen. John McCain will pick as his republican running mate. And when you consider the alternatives, and the...Read More

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Would you like to check your unconscious attitudes towards blacks and whites in a confrontation situation where there is a gun involved?  Check out the following test to measure your personal attitude.  . . Joshua Correll at University of Chicago has created an on-line test called “the police officer’s dilemma,” in which you encounter 100...Read More

All of us die hard Tar Heel fans are in mourning this week. As many of you know, I’m a rock solid Carolina basketball fan. If you scroll down this blog page, you’ll see a number of photographs from my visit a few weeks ago to Charlotte for the ACC basketball tournament. Well, you can...Read More

Check out Jim’s NEW column now posted.  Can you pay public officials base on performance?  Jim says you can.  Check it out under Jim’s New Column  box on the left.Read More

Skiing! Thursday 04-03-2008 7:53am CT Well I hate to fess up to you, but I am still traveling a good bit, and playing hooky from many of the things I ought to be doing. But hey, I’ll be sixty eight next month, so cut me a little slack. I have really enjoyed myself this past...Read More

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Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana STAND UNDER THE ARCH TO EARN THE BIG BUCKS IN STATE GOVERNMENT How do you put a dollar value on the worth of a public official? That’s the issue being debated in the Baton Rouge State Capitol this week. The new Economic Development Secretary is asking approval for...Read More

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March 26, 2008 Baton Route, Louisiana PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF ROADS AND BRIDGES? HEAVEN FORBID! In Louisiana, a number of Jefferson and St. Tammany Parish officials were aghast last week over supposedly “secret negotiations” to sell the Causeway Bridge that goes to the North Shore across Lake Pontchartrain. When the state’s largest paper, the Times Picayune,...Read More

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Delta Music Museum Tuesday 03-25-2008 7:50am CT Louisiana is synonymous with good music and great musicians.  Whether it is classical, Cajun, New Orleans Jazz, or the roots of country music that came from the Louisiana hayride, the state is loaded with musical talent.  To commemorate all this talent, the legislature created the Delta Music Museum that...Read More

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Thursday, March 20, 2008 Charlotte, North Carolina MAYBE YOU START WITH THE HOTDOGS One of the biggest challenges facing Louisiana’s newly elected Governor Bobby Jindal is the challenge of re-instilling pride in the attitudes of many Louisianians. Government can only do so much. But a governor can be a catalyst in raising the public’s expectations....Read More

I’M IN TO MARCH MADNESS! Wednesday 03-19-2008 3:11pm CT If you are a die hard college basketball fan like me, this is easily your favorite time of year.  March Madness!  As basketball sportscaster Dick Vitel would say: “It’s ShowTime Baby!” There was no better place in the country to be this past weekend than in Charlotte,...Read More

I’m on the road again, this time heading towards the east coast. A trip from Baton Rouge start on Wednesday, made my way up Highway 61 to my old hometown of Ferriday. I had the pleasure of joining current Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, in dedicating a new state music auditorium, adjacent to the Delta...Read More

YOU BETTER CHECK WITH SIXTY As in most states, political figures come and go.  Some are talked about for a few years, and others are even memorialized with plaques and statues surrounding some public building. Few leave any lasting impression. But there are exceptions.  One such is former Louisiana State Senator BB “Sixty” Rayburn.  They...Read More