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The Trans-Louisiana express: Unearthing friendliness in the Pelican State

Wednesday saw me take what might be called a “whirlwind trip” to Louisiana. I had to do safety inspections in Lafayette and Alexandria, then drive back home to Beaumont in the same day. It has been awhile since I covered that much ground. My best guess is that I drove about 300 miles. I’ve not had time to study the odometer readings I had to write down for my work vehicle.

The sun was rising above all the huge petrochemical pipe towers when I neared Lake Charles. A perfectly clear morning. It was even more a spectacular sight when summiting the Interstate 10 bridge over the Calcasieu River.

It was on that same trek to Lafayette that I found myself being serenaded by the fiddles and accordion as well as the soulful sounds of Cajun French lyrics. Although I live in what is called “Cajun Texas” this area I found myself in is the real Boudreaux. The station, KBON 101.1 FM in Eunice, La., is a channel I have listened to many times on the internet and somehow just forgot about it.

The two-step Cajun music, as well as a little Clifton Chenier zydeco thrown in, recalled my younger days when I would drive from my Navy base in Gulfport, Miss., maybe once a month or every couple of months to my Texas hometown near Louisiana border. Rather than from this side of Lafayette, I would pick up a station after traveling through Baton Rouge and the long bridges on I-10 of the Atchafalya Basin. I don’t know if it was the same station or call letters. Back then I only had an AM radio in my car. Not only would I heard the music of Acadien but some of the lesser-known songs of “hippy” music, the kind of B-sides or album cuts you hear when someone puts the record on, but aren’t the more popular tunes. Either way: “Looka!” I done found myself in the land of Ca-juns!

I made my first trip to downtown Alexandria. It was pretty underwhelming from the area in which I saw it. It’s not as bleak as our county neighbor Port Ar-ture (Port Arthur, Texas), but at least from the view presented from I-49 Alexandria definitely lacked curb appeal.

The trip home was a bit confusing to say the least. I intended to take U.S. Hwy. 165, which would bring me back to I-10 in Iowa (La.) and not a long trip from Iowa back to Lake Charles and the Texas line. But I didn’t see any signs, for some reason, for Hwy. 165. I did see ones for U.S. 167, so that was the road I took. I eventually came to this nice-sized eatery and grocery store that had the look of the famous Buc-ee’s with the cleanest restrooms in Texas. Or so they say. I figured, why not stop, especially since the name of the place is “Y-Not Stop.”

This place was more like Buc-ees than I had imagined. It even had clean restrooms and a couple of terminals in the restaurant from which you could place your order, extract a ticket and sit down. They would call your name and you could pay or you could pay and they would still call your name. That’s not to say it was a knock-off of Buc-ee’s. It just had some similarities.

While waiting I looked at the map function on both smart phones I had with me — a Blackberry from work and an iPhone that is my personal cell — for a road to take me home. My preference was finding Hwy. 165. Both phones proved useless, mainly because the hair-trigger screens are a nightmare for a person with tremors in his hand.

I finally resorted to the old-fashioned way of navigation. I asked for directions.

First I asked a guy sitting across from me. He wasn’t from the area but he did his best. By then I had received a catfish sandwich with a fried filet halved and placed on a wheat bun with the dressings I ordered. I knew I shouldn’t but I also ordered their onion rings. Oh my, they were lightly crusted with a light-brown look and it felt like eating, well, a ring of onion, only one with a light crust of corn meal, flour and whatever secret seasoning that was concocted for this delight.

Before finishing, this big ol,’ good ol’ boy came walking undoubtedly on his way out.

“You need directions to Highway 167? I grew up around here.”

I told him I did. He told me to go down “this road take a right, go over the bridge, you’ll cross under I-49 and you’ll come to  167 in Woodworth.”

Woodworth rang a bell. I had asked directions of the people I met in both Alex and Lafayette. They told me about Woodworth and told me to watch my speed because the place was a speed trap.

“And,” said the good ol’ boy, “Watch your speed when you come to Woodworth.”

I was doubtful about the directions because it put me on a narrow, paved road. The road crossed a wood bridge and it snaked around what looked like a river or bayou that mirrors the larger Red River nearby. This was a reddish-clay type water body and that same redness coated leaves lying about the previously flooded areas. It reminded me of the area around Nacogdoches, TX, where I spent many younger and semi-younger days. Eventually, I crossed under I-49 and came to the town of Woodworth. I saw the speed limit of 35 mph, so I set my cruise control to 30. I finally got out on Hwy. 165, still going 30 for quiet a ways. Good thing, because I saw a couple of police cars had someone pulled over. After awhile I came through the casino town of Kinder, home to the Coushatta Indian casino, then knew I had only an hour or so before getting home.

It was quite an interesting day, despite having a continued bout with a bum knee. I have no idea what’s wrong with it. I am waiting to hear from a specialist about an appointment. I thought about how Texas had the motto: “Friendship.” It was apparently from the days the Caddo roamed the then-virgin pine forests of East Texas. I always liked to think Texas had the friendliest people in the country. It might not seem so these days with our opportunistic Gov. Good Hair, folks like the jackass freshman Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and the assortment of nuts that make up the Tea Party arm of the GOP in the Texas and U.S. legislatures.

But I had to say, for today at least, our neighbors to the east can be pretty worthy of that “friendship” motto. Thanks to my Louisiana friends.

 

 

 

 

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The actions of our democracy were outside the chambers last night, sorry to say

This was the first State of the Union address I have missed in several years. I did not miss watching it because of something the President did or didn’t do. I missed it because I knew every good deed that was proposed in the past year was usually grounded because of our pitiful excuse of a Congress.

Here is a full transcript of the 2014 SOTU. Beginning with:

 “Tonight this chamber speaks with one voice to the people we represent: It is you, our citizens, who make the state of our union strong.”

What would the President say? “Man, this whole stinkin’ union sucks!”

During this past year, the minority within the House majority, along with the minority of the Senate minority, caused the federal government to shut down for half a month. We, the workers (part-time ones like me too) were all paid but we worried about whether that would happen because our senior U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R, Texas, held up the legislation allowing us our pay to the end of that sorry saga. I wish someone viable would appear to defeat Cornyn, the piece of dusty furniture that occupies our vaunted Senate succession from the great Sen. Sam Houston, who was for those from another planet was also President of the Republic of Texas and Governor of Texas. That is, until Big Sam was overthrown by Texas citizens of the United States who wanted to undo all the state had fought for by succeeding from this nation over slaves they couldn’t even afford.

No viable candidate brings me to the end of the SOTU. Read it yourself. I will. I have read the excerpts and the pundits, some of them. I rest my case, whatever it was on the SOTU because the scourge of idiocy showed itself outside the great congressional chamber where first, one of Cornyn’s opponents “showed his ass,” as we say down in Texas.

Rep. Steve Stockman, R, Texas is leaving Congress to run against Cornyn. That’s the good news, that he’s leaving Congress. Stockman, unseated congressional legend Rep. Jack Brooks who served 42 years in office. I wasn’t living in that district then. I am living in that district now but because of redistricting we have a brand new piece of Republican Tea Party furniture. Thankfully, I was ably represented back then, in 1995, by Rep. Charlie “Good Time Charlie” Wilson, D, Texas of “Charlie Wilson’s War” fame. Not that I could have done anything to stop the looney tunes Stockman from taking office. During Stockman’s tenure he was reviled for a bizarre incident in which he received a fax from Michigan militia types just after the Oklahoma City Bombing. While Stockman was accused of having received the message before the bombing and not reporting it to the FBI (he did report it), his sanity and ethics were questioned for sending the fax to the NRA. Plus his ties to a Michigan militia seemed also shady.

But Stockman, these days, seems shady-er, shadier. Cornyn’s high-powered Republican operatives have dug deep and found all kinds of dirt about financial shenanigans from Stockman and his missing in action from the House.  

Then there was that whole Stockman, figuratively thank you, showing his ass last night by walking out on the SOTU. The Senate candidate said he did so to protest the President abusing his power yadda, yadda. What a moron you are Steve Stockman.

Finally, the Republicans also made news for the party’s former Marine and FBI agent member of the House who last night threatened to throw a reporter off the balcony of the Capitol and to break the reporter into. That was because the reporter had the gall to ask Rep. Michael Grimm, R, N.Y., a question that was about some campaign finance irregularities rather that something from the SOTU on which the congressman probably had ready for a quote.

It turns out Grimm has a long history of bad behavior toward the press and others as well as many ethical and financial questions trailing his time in Congress.

Both congressional Republican morons think they can speak to reporters on their own volition. But that isn’t the way our democracy works. As it turned out, I made the better decision to just keep a copy of the SOTU handy to read at my own pace. Besides, all the action, if you want to call it that, was outside the chamber. Unfortunately.

Stupidity be thy name, Mr. GRIMM and Mr. STOCKMAN.

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From acorns grow mighty oaks and budding sociologists

A random listicle I was reading last week was one of zillions opining on worthless degrees when it comes to current jobs. Among those areas of study were journalism, of which I am or was one, and sociology. I majored in journalism and one of my two minors was in sociology. I can’t remember whether political science was in the list/story, if so I suppose I could award my self a hat trick on useless college studies.

Sociology was, for me, a true minor with the minimum hours. In my political science studies I added on some additional courses after college, falling a course or two short of a degree in political science. But why, huh?

Corporations in the number business — including non-profit think tanks and universities — as well as government should hire unspecified numbers of sociologists sometime in the future. When and how many I don’t know. The communication explosion of digital technology and the internet has happened in a very brief time, relatively speaking, creating an entirely new set of societal behaviors. Everything from buying apps to texting in movie theaters (and getting fatally shot) to the use of Facebook as opposed to Google+ have made social subjects ripe for study. That the cultural aspects of our society have so rapidly changed may soon become as limiting a factor in our daily life as it is a helpful one. That was kind of the whole enchilada as to what sociologist and author Alvin Toffler wrote in his 1970 book “Future Shock.”

The term “future shock” was used by Toffler to describe the effects of perceiving too much change in too little time. That is a very simplistic definition and the effects are many with varied signs that are too numerous to pass along here. But he hit the proverbial bulls-eye almost 45 years ago when it comes to outcomes of what he termed a “post industrial society” such as stress and disorientation. Such were examples of the “information overload” Toffler foresaw.

In some ways the social aspects may occur too quickly to study but a ultra-micro sliver of life. That is generally how many, if not, most scientific approaches are in studying society. However, it might just test the limits of time. I’ve always thought time as great fodder for sociological study, by the way.

The job-seeker of today, the one with worthless sociology degrees, facing the end of college or living in a post-collegiate world, must study and study with intensity what that person can do for a prospective employer with their study of sociology. A master’s degree, something I never attained, is ideal. But a sociologist with a bachelor’s degree can also think hard about what fields of study might enhance a company and its products. Then, it is up to one’s own guile as to whether he or she can seal the deal. This is basically the journeyman newspaper writer’s approach to a story, complete with often selling the product as a freelancer or even as a staff writer who comes up constantly with stories they’d like to pursue for whatever reason. This might not always land you a cool job or assignment. But it will definitely might just move you ahead provided you don’t somehow screw up outside your narrow life as a sociologist or reporter.

This all is pretty much off the wall and if I miss in a few areas, well pardon me. I can only afford to self-edit and that is often in a flash. So I’ve given you some of my nuggets, well, maybe not nuggets, but whatever I’ve given you feel free to take them and use them how and if you see fit. Don’t call me if it backfires.

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Those anger management lessons may just be paying off for Christie

For some reason I found myself singing the old Fats Domino tune this morning, what else, “The Fat Man.” Jeez Louise, that is one great song. It was released in 1950. that was five years before I was born. Then I saw the Fat Man himself about 18 years after I was born. I must have heard him play it there in the Texas Pelican Club in Vinton, La., because Fats played a little of everything that night.

“The Fat Man” was written by Antoine “Fats” Domino and frequent co-writing partner — also like Fats a New Orleans legend — Dave Bartholomew. Songs like that never seem to fall in the irrelevant pile. The music and words — “The girls, they all love me/’Cause I know my way around” — provide more meaning as you get older. It took me almost 40 years to figure out “Like a one-eyed jack peeping in the seafood store,” sad to say. If there is anything askew with Fats’ song is that line: “They call, they call me the fat man, ‘Cause I weigh two-hundred pounds.” Hell, I’d love to weigh 200 pounds. I don’t know if I’ll ever see 200 again, if so, I hope it is because of good dieting and working out. Harrumph!

Maybe the reason the song came to mind was because all I could find on the TV this morning before work was talk about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and “Bridgegate.” How freaking original. Watergate happened back in the early-to-mid 1970s. Can’t editors use a little part of their brain to come up with something much less hackneyed than that? I mean that is just sad.

The Washington political reporting crowd are just like starving alligators in the Southeast Texas bayous. They’re hungry and they’ll take a dead chicken or a live Cajun, “it don’t make no never mind.” The presidential election will eventually start. And you couldn’t have expected The Big Man Christie, just to set him apart from Fats, to fall on his sword. Oh and between Christie and Fats Domino, there is no comparison. Christie knows his way around a doughnut. Okay, I shouldn’t have said that, especially since I too am plump.

Christie fired two aides and apologized to Fort Lee, N.J. for blocking lanes on the George Washington Bridge. At least one woman died after she suffered a heart attack and her ambulance was caught up in the traffic snarl, according to one New Jersey EMS chief. If it can or could be proved Christie was involved in the petty scheme to create a traffic jam, then the potential Republican presidential candidate might just have screwed the pooch.

Some say Christie is a bully. He just says he is to the point. Is he petty enough to cause people to die from emergency services slow-downs? If so, he isn’t just a bully, he’s a freakin’ criminal.

Something tells me Christie wasn’t involved though. He may be a bully. He might just be a big ol’ Jersey loudmouth. Oh, and I don’t think he went off on any reporters, at least on camera this morning during his televised press conference. But I don’t think he’s stupid. That’s just me talking though.

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Congress: The good news and the bad news

The U.S. Senate is in need of about eight Republican who can be coerced sweet-talked into approving a bipartisan budget deal that was approved last week by the GOP-led House. The speculation among Dems and Repubs alike is that a deal will be passed this week. Not surprisingly, everyone doesn’t like the budget deal. I am included in that group. But I also will be happy to see it passed.

That is the good news. The bad news a bit later.

Like most Americans, self-interest is what makes me want to hold my nose while applauding both houses for approving the first budget that I can remember. Not that it has been that long ago, I just can’t remember when was the last time we weren’t operating on what everyone by now should know is a concurrent resolution. I just know it’s been more than a couple of years since an actual budget was in place.

I don’t know what all is in the budget. But I will stay happy with it if it doesn’t cut my pay through raising my pension contributions — it will make new hires pay more — and provides the first pay raise, even 1 lousy percent, in many football seasons.

If some other stupidity winds up in this budget — once again, provided it passes — I will face that when it happens.

Now for the bad news. Let’s say this little amoeba-sized-hailstone piece of bipartisanship happens. And here, let’s say theoretically that I don’t care whether it’s good or bad. This will likely be the last significant measure we will get out of this Congress, according to The Washington Post. Why, oh why, should I not believe it.

It isn’t to say the Congress won’t do anything after passing a budget. Maybe a farm bill will pass which will pay sorghum farmers for not raising dairy cattle or will provide subsidies that encourages Louisiana rice farmers to export their crop to Thailand.

Or maybe Congress will even come up with some sensible immigration reform before they all head home to really start campaigning for their upcoming elections. You know, they will probably make it easier for Southeast Asians to come here for tech and medical jobs. Something on that order. As for Mexico: ¿Quién sabe? 

I’m not one to support a “do-nothing” Congress. There are plenty who do. But there is a good case for it once they head home to start speaking at the Rotary Clubs and the VFWs and the Log Cabin Republicans, should you have a chapter in your town. Those in Congress who have done nothing will get their applause from their supporters. But they might just find their support dwindling, depending on who were inconvenienced by the government shutdown. The whole veterans at National Park/National Monument mumbo jumbo was just that. It was meant for the Fox News crowd. I am a veteran and what pissed me off the most were those poor old WWII guys were just getting used by the politicians who sought a distraction from their lockout of government employees and the American people.

Hopefully, such a crowd, audience if you will, might not carry a big bunch to the polls for the mid-term. I could be wrong. I’ve been wrong many times. As far as I am concerned, the quicker this Congress gets out of Washington the better. Even if it is only to politick for their mid terms. Although an absence for good would be much better.