Columns

Where does your state rank on the patriotism scale?

The personal finance website WalletHub recently released its ranking of the “patriotism” of all 50 states.

Beware the digital KGB roaming the streets

Social media has given everyone with an opinion the power of both anonymity and number. In the past, you could clutch your pearls in one hand and write a scathingly brilliant Letter to the Editor in another.

Kids, pedal those pandemic blues away

Here’s one good thing about the COVID-19 pandemic: Bike sales are booming. I hope that means kids will begin riding in big numbers again. There was a big bike-sales boom in the early 1970s, too — the result of millions of baby boom kids, like me, riding our bikes from dawn until dusk.

Rewriting Louisiana’s history

It looks like it’s time to get out the soap powder in Louisiana and the rest of the nation. In protests all over the country, there is a growing call for the banishment of whatever tattered remnants are left from the aftermath of the Civil War.

Do you treasure prom memories?

My wife and I experienced some vicarious living when our son Gideon (finishing up his junior year of high school) attended the senior prom. (Yes, VICARIOUS living. It’s not like we got him out of the house, jumped with glee and yelled, “Date night!

What can we do about the post office?

The future of the United States Postal Service isn’t really in President Donald Trump’s hands, despite what his critics are saying. The service is hemorrhaging money. The COVID crisis has imposed demands on it that may be unprecedented.

Can we discontinue the ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ scam?

Speaking as a father (“What — am I made of money? Go ask your mother! When you have your own roof, you can make your own rules! No, my abs aren’t flabby, they’re just meditating…”) No, this could go on forever. Start over.

Why I’m a proud member of Antifa

I have come to the realization that I am a member of Antifa. This surprises me, since I’ve often been a huge critic of the mobs that rage in the streets and cause immense physical and emotional damage.

‘30 Days a Black Man’ offers insights into challenges

Police were called about John Mahone, a black man, having an argument with his wife. A cop shot and killed him because he thought Mahone had a knife. Mahone had a can opener. An officer searching for illegal whiskey saw another black man, Harris Miller, run.

A new morning in news

The New York Times made a quiet disclosure recently that speaks loudly about the state of news media today. Its newsletter, “The Morning,” has reached over 17 million circulation, which the paper says is one the largest daily audiences in any form of journalism across all platforms.