Opinion

By: Tuffy Fields I have been very fortunate in my life. Iwas trained as a heavy equipment operator inthe Naval Construction Forces; the Seabees.Then I worked overseas for sixteen years.During these times I saw road constructionat it’s best. Last week I observedthe Union Parish Police Juryutilizing some pretty unique pieces ofequipment that put down a maintenanceroad that was second to …

By: Sallie Rose Hollis By the time you’re reading this, summeris over.Except it isn’t.Labor Day has come and gone, traditionallybringing down the curtain onsummer even though the season itselfwon’t officially end until Sept. 22.And if September in North Louisianafollows its usual script, Mother Naturemay not acknowledge the changefor quite a while after that.We humans do like our markers.We decide when …

By: Tuffy Fields We have recently witnessed the change of the names of international bodies of water. This is not new. When I moved to Arabia I looked out on what was known as the Persian Gulf. The name comes from the ancient civilization of Persia which in modern times is Iran. The Saudis changed the name of the gulf …

By: Jim Brown Why don’t more people show up to vote on Election Day? In elections all over America, fewer voters are turning out at the polls than ever before. The New York Times ran an op-ed piece decrying this national trend, and suggesting that voting be mandatory, just like jury duty. So how big is the problem, and how …

By: Tuffy Fields Character and integrity are two of the most important qualities a person can possess. They shape how individuals think, act, and interact with others in everyday life. While skills, intelligence, and achievements can contribute to success, character and integrity determine the kind of person someone truly is. These qualities build trust, strengthen relationships, and guide people in …

By: Sallie Rose Hollis It’s reminiscent of preparing to teach my feature writing class.  I’m reading the book “Deadline Artists: America’s Greatest Newspaper Columns,” and it brings to mind the anthology “Pulitzer Prize Feature Stories” I used to require my students to read. Both include hard-to-forget happenings as well as multitudes of memorable phrasings.  I always loved to share good …

By: Jim Brown Like most of you, I’ve had my fill of political ads and trial lawyer solicitations that seem to be constantly appearing on TV. But you know what bothers me even more? I’m sick of seeing that goofy commercial of some dumb and disheveled looking guy talking to an ostrich. “You only pay for what you need,” so …

By: Tuffy Fields It is amazing how time goes by for us and we are sitting at the coffee table asking ourselves, “Where has all the time gone”.  On August 1st, 1990, I went to be in my apartment in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia. As usual I fell asleep as the BBC signed off. The next day was the beginning of …

By: Sallie Rose Hollis The Enigma Explorer has been falling down on the job lately. In fact, she’s been so lackadaisical you may have forgotten she exists.  Well, I’m here to tell you: She’s still alive and well, pondering and musing, day in and day out.  Just to refresh your memory, the EE (who also goes by the initials srh) …

By: Tuffy Fields “If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from …