HORSEMEAT-IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER!

May 31st, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

HORSEMEAT-IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER!

Louisiana has been called the Culinary Mecca of America.  Folks in this part of the country can take just about anything edible and make it not just good, but quite exceptional.  And when we say anything, we mean everything.  There is virtually no limit to what a Cajun will put in a gumbo. Well, because of federal restrictions, there is one thing-horsemeat.

For years, Congress has banned the sale of horsemeat for consumption in the U.S. But that could well change under the proposed budget by the Trump Administration. 

Now I’ll admit that most of us do not regularly run down to our local supermarket to check on whether a fresh shipment of horsemeat has arrived.  But I’m not all that enamored by eating nutria, a large rat, that is regularly publicized as a tasty dish by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.  So, to each his own.

Is there a market for U.S. horsemeat?  Yes, and it’s big time in a number of countries.  “Carne di Cavallo,” can be bought in most butcher shops in Italy.  In Sweden, horsemeat is so popular that it outsells lamb and mutton combined.  In every European country you will find horsemeat to be quite popular. In France, it’s the motherlode of food delicacies, they even have a horsemeat butcher’s organization called Federation de la Boucherie Hippophagique. It’s estimated that 700,000 tons of horsemeat are consumed annually worldwide. And for good reason.

As Gary Picariello writes in Yahoo News, “a typical filet of horsemeat is similar to that of beef. The meat is leaner, slightly sweeter in taste, with a flavor somewhat between that of beef and venison. Good horsemeat is very tender, but it can also be slightly tougher than comparable cuts of beef. Horsemeat is higher in protein and lower in fat. The most popular cuts of horsemeat come from the hindquarters: tenderloin, sirloin, filet steak, rump steak and rib. Less tender cuts are ground.”

Here’s what restaurateur Jonathan Birdsall told me about possible horsemeat demand in the U.S.  “I’ll bet I could name half a dozen American chefs chomping at the bit to do things to horse back fat or loins that’d show off a delicacy few of us probably never suspected Mr. Ed to be capable of. Braised on a nice bed of pasta, maybe, with a few roasted finger-length carrots.”  Hmmm.  Think it’s worth a try?

Like I said, we eat about anything down here in Bayou Country.  I wrote a cook book some years ago that includes such delicacies as my “world famous” squirrel stew, venison goulash, possum and chestnuts, rabbit in sour cream, and Louisiana Governor Jimmy Davis’s favorite, fried coon file’.

I was traveling through Cajun country a few years ago, and stopped at a rural general store for a cup of coffee.  An old fellow was on the porch cooking up a pot of something that smelled good.  “Whatcha’ cookin’?” I asked.  “Got me a gumbo,” he replied.  I inquired what kind of gumbo, and he told me, “an owl gumbo.”  When I asked him what an owl gumbo tasted like, he smiled and said, “Oh, about like a hawk gumbo.”

Seeing that our locals regularly eat alligator sauce piquante, and add to a stew or gumbo just about anything else that flies or crawls, it’s hard for many of us to get too worked up over a little horsemeat.   I know that many have a special affection for the majestic horse.  But all horses eventually have to be disposed of. And the same horses that would be slaughtered in the U.S. under strict guidelines are now being shipped to other countries and both treated and killed in far more cruel ways.

It’s hard to figure why Congress has such a beef with letting someone chose to eat horsemeat.  Isn’t it really a freedom of choice issue?  Our congressmen apparently have no problem with eating Porky Pig, Donald Duck, and Bambi.  So what’s the big deal about eating Trigger and Mr. Ed?

Since we have a French background here in Louisiana, could the politicians in Washington be dangerously close to inciting another revolution by telling us what we can or cannot eat?  Instead of a big fuss being made over, “let us eat cake,” the new battle cry could well be, “let us eat horse.”

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

A THIRD POLITICAL PARTY FOR LOUISIANA?

Thursday, May 17th, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

A THIRD POLITICAL PARTY FOR LOUISIANA?

Political parties are at a low ebb both in Louisiana and throughout the rest of the country. Public opinion often dips below 40% approval rating in numerous national and statewide polling. Voters continue to lose faith in how both Democrats and Republicans govern. When asked why people belong to a certain party, the negative views of the opposing party are often given.  In other words, “I’m a Democrat because I can’t stand the _Republicans” and visa versa.

In last week’s episode of the TV series Designated Survivor, Kiefer Sutherland plays the role of the president who is a registered Independent. When told by the leaders of both parties that he has to choose one political party or the other, Sutherland tells the gathering: “I will stay an Independent. I will take my case to the American people and tell them that that partisanship is ruining this country, and that their representatives are more interested in keeping their power than serving the people.”

The Louisiana legislature finds itself in gridlock quite similar to the “do nothing” Congress in Washington.  Governor John Bel Edwards has jut called his sixth special legislative session after only two and a half years in office.  Yet legislators have little direction or specifics as to what the governor wants to accomplish. Yes, balancing the budget is the primary goal, but what’s the administration roadmap to get new revenue or make additional cuts?

A large number of Republican legislators seem content on opposing new taxes without offering any specifics on what cuts need to be made.  And with a gubernatorial election on the horizon next year, keeping the governor in a financial quagmire means a better opportunity for a strong Republican challenger.

So how about future chances of the newly formed Independent Party?  Independent voters are on the rise in Louisiana, with 26% of voters choosing such a designation. The Bayou State regularly votes Republican but only 30% of the electorate is registered as such. Independent voters could well outnumber Republicans in the next few years.

Democrats hold a 44% registration, but white Democrats are leaving the party in droves. Only 18% of voters are white Democrats, down from 35% just 17 years ago. The Democrat Party accelerated its demise when partyofficials decided it was no longer “politically correct” to honor Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, two American icons who were the two most important figures in the creation and protection of Louisiana. The Jefferson-Jackson annual democratic fundraiser is now called the True Blue Gala, as part of the party’s warped effort to rewrite history. 

Louisiana’s open election primary system, where all candidates run in a no party contest, would make it easier for an Independent candidate to be elected. And the perfect opportunity for a candidate to exploit the Independent label is the special election for Secretary of State that will take place this fall.  An Independent candidate could make a strong case that the State’s chief elections officer should not be part of a partisan party effort, and should not be aligned with either Republicans or Democrats.

Louisiana has a long history of voting irregularities. Remembers the words of former Gov. Earl Long who famously stated;  “Oh Lord, let me be buried in Louisiana. So I can stay active in politics.”  And we are witnessing an ongoing investigation of Russian meddling in the nation’s elections, all of which are regulated on a state-by-state basis. A well-financed Independent candidate for Secretary of State, who ran a campaign that called for non-partisan oversight to insure fair elections, would be quite appealing to Louisiana voters.

I would also suggest that a new Independent party, appealing to center-right voters, would also be attractive to more moderate Republicans and Democrats, who are sick and tired of the “tribal politics” that seems to have become a blood sport here in Louisiana. There is a lot of dysfunction in Louisiana politics today. Perhaps there is an opening for Independent candidates if they will seize the opportunity.

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

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GETTING OLDER AIN’T ALL THAT BAD!

Thursday, May 10th, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

GETTING OLDER AIN’T ALL THAT BAD!

There is a disturbing article in a recent issue of Atlantic Magazine by a prominent physician at the University of Pennsylvania. Ezekiel J. Emanuelis an oncologist, a bioethicist, and a vice provost of the University, and is the author or editor of 10 books, including Reinventing American Health Care. So he is a bright guy who knows a lot about health. His premise is that no one, in this day and age, should aspire to live longer than 75 years of age.

Now I would be skeptical of such an assertion no matter what my current age. I read the obituary section of several newspapers each day, and make note of a number of successful people who have lived a much longer lifespan. But the Atlantic article becomes more than a bit personal to me. You see, this week, I turned 78.

The premise of Dr. Emanuel’s article is that, for most people, the quality of life diminishes after 75.  He writes that aging “robs us of our creativity and ability to contribute to work, society and the world. We are no longer remembered as vibrant and engaged but as feeble, ineffectual, even pathetic.” He concludes by assuming that those who continue to be productive long after 75 are “outliers,” and far from the norm.

But what great philosopher or scientist has concluded that one has to be productive in later years? And just what does Dr. Emanuel mean by being productive? Productivity does not particularly mean that someone who is getting a bit older and slowing down has to be creative. Isn’t the idea of retirement a pathway that allows seniors to absorb the world around them in any way they choose?

If being productive means that I’m hanging out with grandkids more, reading more, reintroducing myself to old friends who go back 60 years and beyond, taking an occasional music lesson, and even trying to be a more than passible cook, then yes, just like many of my current friends, I am being quite productive.

I gazed in the mirror this week, and told myself, look you are 78. Deal with it, and maybe even relish in all the experiences and fond memories. I think it was Lucille Ball who once said: “The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” I’d rather acknowledge that age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. Well I don’t mind. And as I get older, I’m quick to quote Mark Twain who told his readers that wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.

I’d like to think that I still have a long life ahead because I watch what I eat, and I workout a lot. My old college roommate is quick to remind me that the big advantage of exercising and diet is that I will die a lot healthier.

Reaching a milestone of three quarters of a century should not be that big a deal. After all, 78 is really just a number, isn’t it? Like a bunch of other numbers in your life. Dates, addresses, sums, phone numbers, passwords, and then, in the mix, is age. But I hope it is more than that.I wrote a few years back, that my life has been, by any measure, full and hard living, with ups and downs too numerous to mention.

 If there is a yin and a yang, the before and the after, what has happened and what is yet to be, then maybe seventy-eight is a special way-post for me. In fact, I really believe that I could be at the top of my game, and ready for the long and relaxing ride back down.

So to the good doctor who wants to shut his life down at 75, I say that’s your call; your freedom of choice. As for me, I still have a whole lot of living to do. And not just passive living.

 Dylan Thomas said it best. “Do not go gentle into the night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com. You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9 am till 11:00 am, central time, on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

THE DANGERS OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN LOUISIANA!

Thursday, May 3rd, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

THE DANGERS OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN LOUISIANA!

Is medical marijuana the next Louisiana boondoggle?  The current Louisiana legislature seems bent on pushing through extended legislation that enlarges the number of medical conditions marijuana is supposed to treat. And even though the use of marijuana for any purpose, medical or recreational, is specifically prohibited under federal law, the legislature seems hell-bent on opening up the floodgates for any number of medical conditions.

Got a backache?  You qualify for some pot.  How about stress?  Get a prescription to ease your pressure with a little cannabis. And like most folks, do you have some muscle spasms? I often do after I work out. No problem according to the proposed law sailing through the legislature. Just try a little grass.

How about glaucoma?  This is a complicated disease that damages the optic nerve.  But any benefits that marijuana supposedly gives are offset by lowered blood flow that can do even more nerve damage.  Most eye doctors are against treating glaucoma with marijuana including the American Association of Ophthalmology, American Glaucoma Society, and the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Yet legislators in the Bayou State feel they can second guess the medical profession and endorse this questionable use of an untested plant.

And speaking of the medical profession, why are there not more doctors who are backing and endorsing all these supposed legitimate ways to treat a number of listed conditions?  Why hasn’t the state medical association spoken up in support?  Medicine does not seem to be driving a push for marijuana legalization. The debate has become immersed in who gets the licenses to dispense. Just like who got the riverboat gambling licenses. It’s all about politics and making money.

The state pharmacy board was charged with the job of selecting nine licensees to sell medical marijuana.  Politicians from U.S. Senators to legislators and numerous local officials, all with little or no medical background in marijuana medical benefits, weighed in to influence the selection process.  Did political clout have any bearing on who got the licenses? Well, in New Orleans the winning bid was ranked 4th by a selection committee, but the Pharmacy Board, in its wisdom, picked the lower ranked drugstore. You be the judge.

In the original medical marijuana legation passed back in 2016, the public was told that both LSU and Southern University were to be the state locations to develop the drug.  That quickly went by the wayside and now several private companies will be paid state funds to do the work the schools themselves were supposed to undertake. Again, politics and money. 

And don’t forget that marijuana use, even for medical purposes, is still illegal under federal law.  The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Schedule 1 group of drugs lists marijuana with a high danger along with one of the highest potentials for addiction and no acceptable medical use.   Even cocaine is not listed as Schedule 1.  Why is marijuana listed as being so dangerous?  One of the main reasons is that it so addictive. Today’s pot is some 20 times more potent then the weed that was around back in the 70s.

That’s something you won’t hear on the floor of the Louisiana legislature. In fact, the addiction is just as prevalent as pot that is smoked purely for recreational reasons.  And researchers have recorded a long list of potential dangerous results including respiratory and heart related problems, mental degeneration, and possible addiction to opioids and other drugs.  A study by the JAMA Internal Medical Group concluded that marijuana users, bothmedical and recreational, are more susceptible to auto accidents because of lack of coordination, perception and judgment. 

The bottom line is that the whole range of marijuana use needs much more study, particularly as to the long-term effects that take years to properly research. When the addiction rates rise, as they most certainly will, remember that your legislators pushed this questionable drug through without requiring proper research and public safeguards.

Far from protecting the public, this dubious legislation will put many users, looking for the quick medical fix, at even more risk for other complications. The doctor’s medical oath says, “first do no harm.”  Perhaps that’s why so few doctors have endorsed this legislative effort to legalize a drug whose use has too many unanswered questions. The public deserves better.

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.