Louisiana Voice

For those who are financially able, please remember April is our Spring fundraiser at LouisianaVoice. We hold only two per year, in April and October.

We are keenly aware that the Trump administration, with its unconstitutional war, has fueled inflation “Like no one has ever seen before,” to use his words.

Again, paraphrasing Cadet Bonespurs, “People come up to me with tears in their eyes, saying, ‘Sir, you’re providing a valuable service; please never stop.'” (See? I can lie, too.)

I guess quoting President Inepstein might be a poor choice to intice readers to contribute. Nevertheless, if you can afford to, please CLICK HERE, then scroll down to the YELLOW DONATE BUTTON and follow the instructions to make a ONE-TIME contributin via credit card.

As always, your help in aiding us to continue bringing you the stories no one else covers is greatly appreciated.

While watching the liftoff of Artemis II on Wednesday it occurred to me that it was a darn good thing the launch didn’t violate the sacred skies of Louisiana lest 58 House members and 35 senators as well as the good folks at the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) completely lose their already conspiracy-laden minds.

I mean, it’s enough that there are those who, with all sincerity, believe that the U.S. guvmint is trying to poison the nation, friend and foe alike, Repugnantcan and Democreep, by spraying the entire continent with toxic chemicals from aircraft traving 30,000 feet above the earth.

Never mind releasing chemicals from that altitude would disperse any “poison” indiscriminately over whites, blacks, browns and everything in between, including the very family members of the perpetrators.

These poor, misguided folks are confusing chemtrails with contrails, the latter being particles of vapor that freeze at high altitudes and form those long, white clouds that trail behind the airplanes. But hey! We’re at a place and time when half-baked conspiracy theories trump (no pun intended) science.

But check out a couple of thos poisonous chemtrails deposited by Aretmis II. Maybe it was not a coincidence that the launch took place on April Fool’s.

koff, koff. Somebody notify “Bib Mike” Fesi, Kellee Hennessee Dickerson, Valerie Hodges, Heather Cloud, Beryl Amedee, Michael Bayham, Jr., Marcus Bryant, Kimberly Coates, Raymond Crews, Kathy Edmonston, Peter Egan, Dodie Horton and Danny McCormick!

Remember way back on Monday, WE WARNED YOU Gov. Squeaky Toy Landry and the Repugnantcan legislature was conducting an all-out assault on public records?

That’s why we know so little information, for example, about DHS’s intention to purchase a couple of huge warehouses in Port Allen and Hammond to house thousands of undocumented detainees—and maybe even a few bona fide American citizens, if past performance is any indication.

That determination to keep us in the dark also extends to these mega-data centers being planned in the Shreveport area, St. Francisville and in Richland Parish. It’s a pretty simple philosophy: the less we know, the fewer hard questions we know to ask.

And now the HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE, by a unanimous vote (at least two Democrats who are members of the committee, along with HOUSE BILL 608 author Rep. Tehmi Chassion (D-Lafayette were complicit) by the committee that says you have no right to see how your tax dollars are being spent.

HB 608 exempts universities under the dubious guise of privacy protection from having to account for the of money being paid to college athletes through the university via a $2.8 billion legal settlement that allows schools to share up to $20.5 million for athletes yearly.

Augmenting that is the so-called Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payment program underwritten by corporate sponsors that has seen some high school jocks come to college programs already overnight millionaires.

Universities nationwide, with the lone exception of James Madison University, have refused to divulge any income data for students, claiming it (a) violates students’ privacy or (b) it’s a trade secret necessary for the success of a given athletic program. But is student privacy really so sacred in this case? For the most part, these are men and women at least 18 years of age and it would seem if they are old enough to vote, they’re old enough to account for the receipt of public money–just like any other adult.

The salary of every professor, administrator, instructor, custodian and groundskeeper at every public college in Louisiana is readily available. What’s the difference?

The real inequity here is that a hardworking couple who pays into a college savings fund for their children may eventually see some of that money going to pay some athlete while their kid struggles to pay for books. Maybe that’s part of the reason New Orleans attorney Scott Sternburg sued LSU on behalf of three reporters seeking records.

The bill will now go to the House and Governmental Affairs Committee for further consideration.

But remember, if this bill becomes law, it will be the first public records exemption for public spending in the gloried history of the gret stet of Loozianer.

But not the last.

Rest assured, if this bill passes, it’ll be so much easier to move to similarly exempt other records and you’d better believe once the genie is out of the bottle, it ain’t going back in.

There will be other elected officials and bureaucrats down the road who will decide their records rare sacrosanct, that they should not be bothered answering questions from the public—you know, like Jeff Landry complaining that as attorney general, his office had to spend a lot of time responding to public records request.

“During my time as Attorney General, we had to hire two lawyers that worked full-time answering sometimes senseless requests from people with no connection to our state,” Landry complained, forgetting, apparently, that goes with the job of working for the public. 

And, by golly, you will have no right to know how your tax dollars are being spent.

Not that I believe for one second that any of LouisianaVoice’s readers are dumb enough to fall for this (it’s obviously intended for the MAGA types who believe President Inepstein’s endless lies, embellishments and fantasies), but I thought I’d pass this along to share the clumsy attempt at the newest scam to hit cyberspace.

The message below appeared in my text messages today. It is the second attempt–perhaps by the same clowns who also informed me of outstanding warrants and that I was subject to immediate arrest if I didn’t pay up (I didn’t, so I hope someone out there will bail me out of the clinker before cellmate Bubba takes a shine to me).

There are numerous telltale signs that this message was generated by a non-American who is unfamiliar with how things are done in this country. Number one, he alludes to investigations by the FBI, CIA and “other” security agencies. Those who know, are aware that the CIA is forbidden to conduct any kind of domestic operation (not that they adhere to that prohibition, but no official is going to openly admit as much). And why would the World Bank be involved in payouts to American citizens by the U.S. government? It’s also something of a stretch to think that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would involve himself in such a project. Finally, do you really think a Visa card would be issued to you in the amount of $1.5 million?

Anyway, here is the letter for your amusement. I understand FanDuel and DraftKings are giving odds on how many MAGAs will fall for this latest online scam. So, get your bets in early because someone in a red cap is almost certain to get sucked in.

Here’s the letter, ostensibly from Kash Patel:

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Counter-terrorism Division and Cyber Crime Division

J. Edgar. Hoover Building Washington DC.

Dear Beneficiary

Your ATM Visa Card Will Be Shipped Through USPS To Your Address. I am Kash Patel, This is to inform you officially that after our investigations with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other Security Agencies in the Country for the year 2026, we discovered that you have not yet received your over due fund.

I have made it my first point of call since taking office to settle all Outstanding Payments accrued to Individuals or Corporations with respect to local and overseas contract payment, Debt Rescheduling and Outstanding Compensation payment.

This is to make sure all Outstanding payments are settled this fiscal year 2026. On behalf of the entire staff of the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE and the FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION(FBI) in collaboration with WORLD BANK, we apologize for the delay of your contract payment,Lottery Winnings or Inheritance funds from most of African Countries and all the inconveniences you encountered while pursuing this payment. However, from the records of outstanding beneficiaries due for payment with the U.S SECRETARY OF STATE, your name was discovered as next on the list of the outstanding payment who has not yet received their payments.

Note that from the record in my file, your outstanding compensation payment is $1,150,000.00 USD (One Million, One Hundred And Fifty Thousand United States Dollars) loaded in an ATM Visa Card that allows you to make a daily maximum withdrawal limit of Five Thousand Dollars($5,000).

Note that your loaded ATM Visa Card will be mailed to you through Priority Mail Express (USPS) to your designated address immediately you admit full compliance to this email. Due to my busy schedules, you are advised to kindly get in contact with our correspondent Barrister Matt Benson with the below details enclosed to help ensure safe mailing of your ATM Visa Card:

Your Full Name:

Your Contact House Address:

Name of City of Residence:

Country of Residence:

Direct Mobile Telephone Number:

ID Card, DL or Passport Copy:

Age and Occupation:

Contact Barrister Matt Benson immediately by emailing the address below:

Name:  Barrister Matt Benson

Email:  bar.mattbenson@hotmail.com

He is obliged to treat your case with utmost urgency as soon as you contact him and fill out your correct details including all reachable phone numbers for him to get in touch with you via phone and email.

NOTE: Every documentation proof for your fund have been packaged and sealed to be mailed together with your Visa Card to your address. Therefore, the only obligation required of you by the laws of the Government of United States and the financial Monetary Policy of the Supreme Court, states that; you as a bonafide beneficiary must officially obtain the irrevocable LEGAL STAY OF PROCEED from the Supreme Court of USA, as a means to justify the legitimacy, transparency and clean bill of funds from USA so that by the time your funds gets to you, no authority will question the funds as it has been legally certified free from all financial Malpractices and facets. The LEGAL STAY OF PROCEED is valued at a cost of ($320) please take note of that.

As soon as the above mentioned $320 is received, The LEGAL STAY OF PROCEED will be secured on your behalf immediately. I need all the compliance that I can get from you to ensure we get this project accomplished. Personally, I am very sorry for the delay you must have gone through in the past years. Thanks for adhering to this instructions which are meant for your sole benefit, once again accept my congratulations in advance.

Thanks for your cooperation as your quick response to this email notice with adherence to the above instructions is highly anticipated.

Yours Sincerely,

KASH PATEL

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535

Today is the official beginning of our twice-annual fundraiser so we can keep bringing you stories like the one below.

We at LouisianaVoice are fully aware of the implications of inflation caused by an ill-advised war that has no real end in sight and we understand that when things get tight, we are forced to make sacrifices. With that in mind, we would never ask you to support this blogpost monetarily if doing so were beyond your affordability. So, if it’s too much for you at this time, by all means, hold off on your support. We understand.

Likewise, if you have to make a choice between helping LouisianaVoice or your local food bank, please contribute to the food bank; they desperately need help.

BUT…if you do like what we do and you would like to and are able to help, all contributions are appreciated and we welcome your assistance.

LouisianaVoice does not accept advertising (other than Cavalier House Books) and we do not have a paywall because we want our stories to be available to all. But our costs, like everyone else’s, are up, too and we do wish to keep bringing stories to you no one else reports.

So, if you are so inclined, please CLICK HERE and scroll down to the YELLOW DONATE button to the right of this post and follow the instructions to make a one-time contribution by credit card. Or you may mail a check to me, Tom Aswell, at 107 North College Street West, Denham Springs, Louisiana 70726.

Everyone making a single contribution of $50 or more will receive a signed copy of my new book, The Dinosaur Club, a book about a klatch of about a dozen or so retired, octogenarian newspaper reporters calling themselves The Dinosaurs, who meet once monthly for lunch and who briefly come out of retirement to try and bring down a child sex trafficking ring.

As always, your help in keeping us going is appreciated more than I could ever express.