Columns

What does spring break mean to you?

You probably crave a break from my patented “sour grapes” routine, but we must face facts: spring break (a.k.a. Easter break, a.k.a. mid-term break, a.k.a. “unwind, rejuvenate, have fun, but don’t forget how oppressed you are, students”) is not the same for every family.

Famous spa named for belle of the ball

Not even memories remain of the 160-acre spa called Belle Cheney Springs, that attracted visitors from far and wide to the piney woods of northern Evangeline Parish in the late 1800s. The New Orleans Picayune once said it was “the most delightful watering place in Louisiana,” and a steady stream of...

Texas off base to go after Catholic halfway house

When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro engaged in a legal battle with the Little Sisters of the Poor over their refusal to subsidize birth control for their employees, I got very angry.

Louisiana should take the lead in voting

This is a big election week all over America. Super Tuesday is the name given to the holding of presidential primaries and caucuses in 15 states and one U.S. territory, all who will hold elections on March 5.

Will forgiving college debt win or lose votes?

President Biden recently sent an email to 153,000 student-loan borrowers reminding them to vote for him this autumn. Actually, his email said that he is going to put America into even more hock to repay the college loans they had willingly taken out years ago.

Am I overthinking slang?

As a writer, I can’t deny harboring an appreciation for the richness of slang, metaphors, similes and colloquialisms. And yet…there’s something not quite rational about the agitators who force our language to evolve. (“Come on, participle! Crawl up on dry land!

It was a rice plan to save us from The Bomb

In the middle 1950s, when the Cold War was at its hottest and we were being drilled on how to survive when the Commies dropped The Bomb on us, an LSU scientist said he’d found just the thing to save us. Rice hulls. And there may have been something to it.

Waiting for Trump to condemn Putin over Navalny death

I try and avoid writing about Donald Trump, even though I voted for him twice. But sometimes you cannot avoid the elephant in the room, literally. As a preface, I have to admit that I understand why Trump is particularly upset these days.

How old is too old to be in public office?

Age has never seemed to be such a big issue in American politics. Do we let our elected officials stay in office way too long? Should there be restrictions as to when older politicians must step down? Or should we just let the voters decide as to when someone is too old to serve?

Have you taken full responsibility?

“I accept full responsibility.”’ In your lifetime you’ve doubtless heard umpteen public figures (elected officials, bureaucrats, corporate executives, celebrities) promise, “I accept full responsibility” after some manifestation of corruption, incompetence or social injustice comes to light.