Opinion

Paper ballots and limited absentee balloting in ourelection? That’s what the president is calling for. Doeshe have a point? The overwhelming majority of democraticcountries require paper ballots in their elections.According to the Pew Research Center, paperballot are used in 209 of the 227 countries thatre democratic.. For example, the AssociatedPress reports that voters in France “use the samesystem that’s been …

President Trump is suggesting that the national guardcould be used in additional American cities besides thenation’s capital, and has included New Orleans on hislist. I have no problem with this, but we need to do a lotmore on our own here in Louisiana.There is a wave of irrational violence in cities all overthe state. Baton Rouge and New Orleans have …

It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway): Thelate, great Ruston journalist Wiley W. Hilburn Jr., mydepartment head for 34 years, taught me a lot aboutwriting. And that includes column writing.I would often proofread his column, “Fragments,”a staple in two area newspapers for decades.In the process, we’d discuss his topics, hiswriting, how he got his ideas – indeed, a …

As a child dinosaurs came into vogue. Toy dinosaursets were sold from the Sears and Roebuck Christmascatalogues. The Peabody Museum, a part of HarvardUniversity, produced a set of drawings depicting lifeduring the Jurassic period and earlier. One could lookat the realistic paintings and visualize what itwould be like to live millions of years beforeman’s dirty little footprints trod the planet.Books …

It was the middle of winter and I was working on anoil rig. A huge storm hit. It was wet and freezing and Icaught pneumonia.“This isn’t what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Ithought to myself.I quit. I had worked making pizzas for Johnny’sPizza House during high school and stillhad some good relationships with managers. Ithought …

Just as most Americans remember where they wereon 9/11, those of us living on the Gulf Coast rememberthe fear and concern that enveloped our region twentyyears ago on August 29th. A lady named Katrina changedmany of our lives. In looking back, many Louisianansfelt that maybe New Orleans really was acity that care forgot, and the whole Gulf Coastwas thrown in …

As of Aug. 11, the dog days of summer are officially behindus – at least, according to the calendar. But somebodymight want to tell Louisiana.The “dog days” – that slow-cooked stretch ofheat and humidity – are often misunderstood.Many folks assume the phrase refers to anypoint in summer when it’s so hot the dogs (andpeople) are too worn out to move …

By the second week of the air war it was non-stopbombing from the coalition forces and regardless ofwhat the military had told us the SCUDS had made itas far south as Dhahran. Fortunately the Patriot Misslesdid their jobs and with one exception the SCUDS wereneutralized.I drove north from Dhahran for a hundredmiles to get to Safaniyah and the water treatmentplant …

The initial thrust of the coalition forces was noth-ing less than amazing; however, there were indicators that the war was going to happen. We were told thatthe SEALS would not be coming for the weekly softballgame. A lady on the compound received a call from hernephew who worked at the Pentagon and wastold that he would not be there for …

You have just completed a major work project beforethe deadline. Having worked diligently and spendingyour own time, you’re proud of the results and can’t waitto impress your boss. You show him the project and heimmediately begins to criticize it and you. Thecriticism is completely unwarranted. What doyou say to yourself? “I’ve failed again” or “He must be having a bad …