Columns

Cringing at the celebrity funerals

Question: What is more cringe-inducing than a celebrity funeral? Answer: Two back-to-back celebrity funerals. The ghoulish twin spectacles last week memorializing Aretha Franklin and John McCain brought out the worst in family, friends and frenemies.

Uncommon decency

The antithesis of Donald Trump and his administration can be studied, at least for those willing to drive 150 miles south from Atlanta, among magnolias, towering pines and seemingly endless fields of cotton, peanuts — and dreams.

Bad men, good presidents

With the continuing hysteria about Donald Trump’s presidency, a few questions come to mind. The first: Can a bad man become a good president? The second: Does one’s being a good man guarantee he’ll be a good president? Third: Does having a good president require a good man?

​Purging the Church’s predatory priests

Am I the only Catholic who thinks the church needs to consider getting rid of the old guard – all the way up to the Pope? That may be the only way to finally purge the predatory priests who have been allowed to exist within the bowels of the Catholic Church for so long.

Would you move for a better job? Really?

When I was in school, many of my classmates were probably descended from settlers who built the town’s first log courthouse. Others, however, stood out as the proverbial new kid in town.

Too many statewide offices?

Current Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser has brought up an interesting idea. Have the governor and the lieutenant governor run together on the same ticket. Such a system exists in a majority of states across the nation. As Nugesser states: “The ticket idea seems to work well in other states.

The importance of home ownership

Younger generations buying fewer homes than prior generations is not good for America.

In Louisiana, just tell them I lied

There seems to be a wealth of fabricators at the state capitol in Baton Rouge. Gov. John Bel Edwards is accusing U.S. Sen. John Kennedy of making “untruthful comments” on the early release of state prisoners. Kennedy has countered back calling out the governor for “bending the truth.”

A danger to American democracy

Let’s be frank. Congressional incumbents seeking re-election have a distinct advantage over their opponents. One of those advantages is the congressional franking privilege.

Call out the National Guard

The Queen City of the South is under siege. No, not from hurricanes. This time, the siege is from within. New Orleans is known as the city that care forgot. But it’s been hard to let the good times roll in the Big Easy when the dice keep coming up snake eyes.