NEW ORLEANS GETS A SECOND CHANCE!

Monday, October 20, 2025.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

NEW ORLEANS GETS A SECOND CHANCE!

 

For those who do not live in the deepest of the deep southern states, you may not realize that New Orleans, the Queen city of the South, has been under siege. No, not from hurricanes. The siege has been from within. New Orleans is known as the City that care forgot. But it’s hard to let the good times roll in the Big Easy when the dice keep coming up snake eyes. 

 

The Crescent City has been in a battle for a number of years to stay afloat as it dealt with Major Street crime, inept public leadership, and a dysfunctional criminal justice system. Even federal officials can no longer be trusted. Author James Lee Burke writes about this corruption and dysfunction in his novel Last Car to Elysian Fields. “One of the most beautiful cities in the Western hemisphere was killed three times, and not just by forces of nature.”

 

Many crimes go  unreported out of a sense of frustration that nobody will do anything about it anyway. Drug deals gone bad play a major role in a majority of the killings according to the New Orleans Police Department. The city is a cesspool of illegal drug activity in many neighborhoods, even in broad daylight. Recently, I watched a Tom Cruise movie “Jack Reacher: Never go Back.” It was made in the Crescent City. A local drug dealer tells Cruz: “More  s--t in the streets of New Orleans then they make in Afghanistan.”

 

In the movie “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” Nicolas Cage plays a corrupt New Orleans police officer, and tells a fellow cop to “Shoot him again.” “What for?” says his companion. Cage casually observes: “His soul is still dancing.” You can’t kill enough in New Orleans. It is the murder capital of America with one of the worst murder rates in the world. And the killings continue at an ever-growing frequency.

The system that is supposed to protect the citizens of New Orleans is rife with corruption and incompetence. In too many instances, those who are charged with safeguarding and serving have betrayed their mission to see that the public is protected, and that justice is done. The current Mayor is currently under a federal criminal indictment.

Is there any hope for New Orleans? Actually, yes. A brand new mayor has just been elected and she starts out with a huge mandate. Helena Mareno is a lady of  Spanish decent and a  former state legislator and former head of the New Orleans City Council. She won the race for mayor easily in the first primary. The voters’ message was they had enough of the old and were looking for some new, progressive and highly competent leadership.  Do I think she is able to bring about major reform? Yes, I am cautiously optimistic.

I would offer the new Mayor two pieces of advice. First of all, clean up all the trash. The city has become a waste dump. The last mayor ran off a very competent cleanup guy Sydney Torres IV.  Give him free reign and direction to clean up the city, make it smell better as he did in the French Quarter some years back and get the trash off private property that’s been allowed to pile up for years.  If landowners don’t comply, put a lien on their property.

Secondly, meet with the President. Tell him you will willingly meet him more than halfway and you want to cooperate. Tell him yes, you would like Louisiana soldiers under the direction of the Governor to bring New Orleans National Guard members into the city to work with the New Orleans Police Department. Have it done in a cooperative manner and not have confrontation. The new Mayor is both persuasive and attractive, and has the ability to bring the President around even though she is a Democrat.  

It would be wrong to give up on New Orleans, particularly with the new leadership that will take over soon. The city has always been a special place for me. My first apartment there was in the French Quarter back in 1961 when I was a student at Tulane Law School. I’ve had an apartment off and on there for the past 64 years.  So the Queen City now has the second chance under a dynamic new Mayor. Let’s all wish her well.

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

WE CAN LEARN ABOUT A FULL LIFE FROM OUR FAILURES!

October 13th, 2025

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

WE CAN LEARN ABOUT A FULL LIFE FROM OUR FAILURES!

Every now and then we reassess our lives. Especially when you get up an age like me. Hey, I’ve had a good life. But there have been my share of bumps in the road.  The key is do we learn from these trials and tribulations and possibly see some light, or do we wallow in self-pity? Do we all have a little Charlie Brown in us?  Who can forget the Peanuts comic strip where character Lucy sums up her friend.

“You, Charlie Brown, are a foul ball in the line drive of life! You are a miscue!  You are three puts on 18^thgreen!  You are a dropped rod and reel in the lake of life! You are a missed free throw, a shanked nine iron, and a called third strike.”

I sometimes wonder how Lucy would have assessed me. We all have miscues, mistakes we’ve made in the past, and our share of tumblings. But I’ve learned that even though one may suffer brokenness, if you set your mind to it a brighter life can spring from what seemed like despair.

My friend, pastor Max Lucado suggested to me a number of ways that if you break something, some goodness can bring a new beginning. Broken soil gives crops. Broken eggs give life. Broken skies give rain. Broken crayons still color. Broken cocoons give flight. Broken alabaster jars give fragrance. He also suggests that the broken bread of the Eucharist gives Hope.

So how am I doing in my effort to look forward? What can I accomplish at 85 in the coming years when you readers know I am winding down? I do not resume to cram a lot of living in the short period of time I have left. Yes, there’s much I want to do, but at my own pace.  It’s not like I have deadlines to meet outside of this weekly column. But there is a sweetness of life that causes me to return to proficiencies of the past.

I have written extensively, both in short bursts through these weekly columns, as well as longer ramblings in book form. I’ve tried overtime to express my views in a wide range of subjects from marriage to spirituality, to children, issues of value and politics. Yes, there are a number of instabilities that I have ignored. Bob Seger said it best of youth.

Workin’ on mysteries without any clues.

I will continue to write. And expand on my imagination. Hemmingway has a book called “Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy.” Perhaps his title fits me. My boat and I have sailed many seas together. I’ve written about being a soldier of which I’m quite proud. A spy? Maybe not. At least I’m not sayin’. But I will continue to write whatever my talents may be.

At my age, I just need to let go of discovery and relish in pleasures and gratifications of the past. I’m not suggesting that I should slow down, but I hope to relive experiences that I so often have enjoyed.  So that’s my plan. To stay healthy and live a much longer and productive life. I don’t worry about eventually passing away. In fact, I’m not sure we do. Whitman said of old men passing:

          “They are alive and well somewhere, the smallest sprout shows there is

                            really no death, and if ever there was it was, it led to a forward life and

                          does not wait at the end to arrest it.”

 

With my controversial past, a life of highs and lows, and in my twilight years, I’m willing to let the afterlife take care of itself. Sure, I would like to go back, take back and relive so many past decisions and actions. But I’m willing to be judged on the totality of my life. A legacy to leave behind. I’ve told you I’m a sailor. And if the wind does not blow my way, I’ve learned to adjust my sails.

I will visit with you next week in a new column. God bless to all my readers.

Pace 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. 

 

 

 

COMEY ALLOWED INJUSTICE IN LOUISIANA!

Monday, October 3rd, 2025

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

COMEY ALLOWED INJUSTICE IN LOUISIANA!

Former FBI, Director James Comey was indicted last week for lying to Congress. Some say Comey’s indictment was payback for his continuing criticism of President Trump. I’m not sure in reading the facts, but I could tell you from my research that Comey did a huge disservice to a professor at LSU.

Anyone following high profile public issues in Louisiana is certainly aware of how Comey bungled the biggest case he ever handled embroiling a former LSU professor. The incident involved anthrax attacks in the nation’s capital that killed 5 people and infected 17 others, causing the entire U.S. Capitol’s mail system to shut down. Comey headed up the FBI investigation, and his incompetence and recklessness all but destroyed the reputation and health of LSU researcher Steven Hatfill.

It’s a long and convoluted story, but it was obvious to any neutral observer that Hatfill was innocent and the FBI had the wrong man. He was a virologist (one who only studies viruses), and he never even handled anthrax. But congress was screaming about an attack on America and the FBI needed a scapegoat. A few unreliable rumormongers mentioned Hatfill’s name that led Comey and Company to pounce all over the blameless researcher.

So just what evidence of Hatfill’s guilt did Comey have on the quiet LSU academic? Ah, don’t sell Comey short. After all he had heard of a couple of guys out in California that had trained bloodhounds to supposedly “sniff out” anthrax. Now remember, if you sniff the stuff, it kills you, but that minor fact did not deter Comey. He sicked the bloodhounds on Hatfill and announced to congress that one of LSU’s best and brightest was the guilty party. The dog handlers were later found by a California court to be quite unreliable, with the judged stating that the prosecution’s dog handler was “as biased as any witnesses that this court has ever seen.”

But Comey persisted. When he was asked by a skeptical Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz if he was sure that Hatfill was the perpetrator, Comey replied that he was “absolutely certain” they weren’t making a mistake.

Seven years later, Hatfill was exonerated and the FBI paid him $5.85 million because of Comey’s unjust prosecution. But he did not have the decency to apologize and acknowledge his serous blunder. Comey’s sidekick, current special prosecutor Robert Mueller was just as graceless and unprofessional as Comey. When asked about the false charges against Hatfill, Mueller would only say: “I do not apologize for any aspect of the investigation.” He added that it would be erroneous “to say there were mistakes.”

LSU also has a black eye from the Comey investigation. LSU hired him as the associate director of its new program designed to train firefighters and other emergency personnel to respond to terrorist acts and natural disasters. But when FBI began its investigation, Hatfill was fired without even given a hearing. This too brought shame on the state’s flagship.

Comey did his best to destroy a decent and innocent LSU professor. He has proven to be manipulative, incompetent and calculating. So whether he’s convicted as charged, the former FBI has proven to be both incompetence and vindictive. The best we can say about him is, “good riddance,” whether he is convicted or not. His false charges against a decent LSU professor will go down in history, that’s not only wrong, but patently un-American.

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. 

 

NEED TO BUY GUN INSURANCE?

 

Monday, September 29th, 2025

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 NEED TO BUY GUN INSURANCE?

There is a big push now by insurance companies sell you insurance in case you shoot somebody. Not that far affect it if you look at all the shootings taking place in the news.  So have you purchased your gun insurance yet?

 In case you shoot someone, there are insurance policies available to cover any liabilities you might face, pay for your bail if you are accused of a crime, cover your attorney fees, and even pay for any psychological therapy you might need. 

So if you are going to fire away, nice to know that you are financially covered, right?

Legislation has been introduced in a number of states that would make gun insurance mandatory for all gun owners. New York, Hawaii, Washington, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts would require government-mandated firearms insurance.

In fact, the National Rifle Association offers scaled down coverage called Carry Guard right now in all 50 states. The organization’s website states rather dramatically that: “There is a whole team of lawyers attached to every bullet that leaves the barrel of your weapon. If the suspect goes down, even if you’re justified in shooting, we guarantee you the world is going to come crashing down on you.”

Should every gun owner be required to buy liability insurance? After all, if you drive a car, you are required by every state in the U.S. to have liability insurance. So, if drivers have to have auto insurance, why shouldn’t gun owners have to have gun owner’s insurance?

First of all, courts nationwide have determined that driving is a privilege. And not a (Second Amendment) right as defended by gun owners. A driver is generally on a public highway, built with taxpayer funds, and the “rules of the road” require liability insurance.

It should be pointed out that a driver is not required to have either a driver’s license or insurance if the vehicle is driven on private property. I taught my kids and assorted nieces and nephews to drive at our family camp in rural Louisiana, where they could practice on dirt roads. No license or insurance necessary.

The cost of such proposed gun liability insurance would not come cheap. New York is presently considering in their legislature a proposal to require every gun owner to have a minimum of $1 million in liability coverage. I would estimate that a gun owner is looking at a minimum of $2,000 a year to pay for such insurance. The insurance premium could be significantly more for someone living in the inner city. Such a cost would price the ownership of a gun outside the reach of the average citizen.

Unless the activity to be insured is considered a privilege, there is no requirement or a “right” to insure any object or undertaking. I do not have to insure my house, but it just makes good financial sense to do so. There is no requirement that an individual have life insurance. One makes such a choice to protect their loved ones when they die.

 Many people have general liability insurance coverage on any activity that might subject them to a lawsuit. That would include protection against a lawsuit involving a gun accident. But purchasing such insurance is not mandatory. It’s a choice.

With so much interest in gun safety, numerous ideas will be floated in an effort to regulate gun ownership. Certainly there are some people who should not be in the possession of a gun. But to others living in crime-infested areas, and in the face of violent criminal threats, your weapon and your wits may be all you have to protect yourself.

There are no easy answers here. But it’s unrealistic to think that gun fatalities will decline simply by making gun insurance mandatory.

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 at www.jimbrownla.com.