Columns

Take a good, hard look at Kamala Harris

When Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate back a couple of months ago, it was historic. Third woman, first “woman of color” as we keep being reminded, first “child born of immigrants,” Harris was impressive if only because of her novelty.

Attack ads reflect of our discourse

If you’re looking for a high road in political advertising, you’ll find it somewhere between the South Pole and Hades. Short of Photoshopping devil horns on your opponent, anything goes. There are no rules. It’s Thunderdome, where truth is relative and context is but a rumor.

My favorite baseball story

This year’s all-too-brief prospect of an all-Chicago World Series would have renewed one of the few longstanding disagreements between my dad and myself. I have been a Cubs fan since I was a kid. He pulled for the White Sox.

Leadership advice: Be like Mike

This week, Louisiana mourns the loss of one of our state’s greatest leaders. Governor Mike Foster was a true original who brought his own unique style and brand of governing to Louisiana’s highest office.

Do you dread opening your car trunk?

My electronic key fob is putting more mileage on ME than on the car. For the past several months, I have tried to build up the nerve to do a thorough search of the contents of my trunk.

The banker always collected

It appears that the “Green House,” said to be one of the oldest houses west of the Atchafalaya Basin, has weathered another storm. Laura is the most recent of dozens of blows that have tested it since it was built about 1836.

One debate down, how about push-ups?

One debate down, how about push-ups? That’s over, and not a second too soon. Who won? Who cares? If you can find a winner somewhere in that mess, “Ah Salud!” as the Italians say.

So this is John Lennon’s 80th birthday (And what have you done?)

Ironically enough, I did not sleep PEACEFULLY last night, because I was concerned about taking the wrong tone with this column about the iconic singer/songwriter/musician and anti-war activist who wrote “Give Peace A Chance.”

Fireball in the sky caused big scare

At a few minutes after 10 a.m. on October 15, 1955 — during a period when Cold War tensions were building to their highest and little men from outer space were all the rage — something brilliant, loud and scary passed overhead. We thought at first that we were all going to die.

Supreme Court controversy is a bipartisan effort

“You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president? Then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election.” Sounds like something President Donald Trump would say — unhelpful, divisive, perhaps even incendiary. Typical Trump, really. But Trump didn’t say it.