Louisiana Voice

I’m sometimes amused at the critical comments that show up at the ends of some of my posts. It seems that some critics prefer to spend more time hurling insults than in trying to contribute meaningful dialogue.

There are exceptions. One, who identifies herself as Zoe, disagrees with me virtually 100 percent of the time. But at least she attempts to back up her position with her own research, flawed though some of it has turned out to be. Also, Zoe has never personally insulted me and for that, I am appreciative.

I can’t say the same for others whose comments are just laced with sarcasm, rarely offering any facts to back up their claims. One who pops up from time to time in the comments section identifies himself only as “L.” His actual last name is Frost and I suspect he’s also he one who jumps onto the reviews of my books to describe them as trash, nonsense, a waste of money, etc.

He may well be correct in his assessment of my literary talent, but I wish he would at least read the book before attacking it. To simply offer negative comments without even picking up the book is artistic prostitution in its very worst form.

I will say this for L, though. The guy is a regular Bob Hope. He’s so hilarious, he really should go on tour.

Another called me a “socialist democrat” for my post about vaccines and masks. I’m not sure how he makes the stretch from my wanting to take steps to prevent my contracting COVID to being a socialist – especially when he obviously can’t even define the meaning of the term.

My favorite, though, was from a reader who reminded me that a vaccine was an “experimental gene therapy using mRNA” still in early trials and not yet approved by the FDA. Somehow, he worked Garth Brooks into his comments, which kind of lost me.

But now I’m here to admit the error of my ways and to express my contrition with just one word:

Ivermectin.

Yes, that’s correct. Forget all those half-baked COVID vaccinations. Throw out those useless masks. Get yourself some good old cattle dewormer. That’ll do the trick. Hell, an authority no less reputable than Dr. Paul Marik of Eastern Virginia Medical School says it’s all the rage, preferable even to dexamethasone that came so highly recommended by Donald Trump, though probably not as effective as bleach or ultra-violet lights shoved up your derriere.

I had no idea ivermectin had so many uses, though after watching me dance at a club once, a veterinarian called me aside and said I looked like I needed deworming.

Dr. James Ford, a pulmonary and critical care physician at a Baton Rouge hospital said there was a real risk of overdosing which could result in neurological problems, seizures or even death. “Ivermectin isn’t the problem,” he said. COVID is the problem. If people are focusing on eating dewormer instead of getting the vaccine that could save their life, that’s a new problem.”

Well, obviously Dr. Ford doesn’t understand so, I will try to enlighten him. First, Donald Trump said COVID was just the flu, that it affected only about 15 people and would “magically disappear” even though he told writer Bob Woodward that he knew it was a pandemic long before anyone ever attached that description to the virus.

When that didn’t happen, he instituted Operation Warp Speed to develop a vaccine, albeit pretty late in the game when he finally got around to it.

Now, Trump wants to take all the credit for development of the vaccine but stops short of recommending that his devotees take it or wear masks.

One of our readers commented that he wanted no part of the vaccine until it was approved by the FDA.

Yet, that same FDA specifically notes that ivermectin has not been approved for treating or preventing COVID and that taking large doses of the drug “is dangerous and can cause serious harm. The FDA also says, “Never use medications intended for animals on yourself. Ivermectin preparations for animals are very different from those approved for humans.”

The agency also released the following INFORMATION on ivermectin:

“The FDA has not reviewed data to support use of ivermectin in COVID-19 patients to treat or to prevent COVID-19; however, some initial research is underway. Taking a drug for an unapproved use can be very dangerous. This is true of ivermectin, too.

“There’s a lot of misinformation around, and you may have heard that it’s okay to take large doses of ivermectin. That is wrong. 

“Even the levels of ivermectin for approved uses can interact with other medications, like blood-thinners. You can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death.”

Vaccine doubters, mostly Republicans, invoke the “my body, my choice” rallying cry that they usurped from pro-choice women. Seems the Republicans are all about dictating what a woman can do with her body but don’t want anyone telling them they need to wear masks or get vaccinated – or better yet, both – in order to protect themselves and those around them.

And they don’t seem to have a problem of exposing millions of school children by forbidding school boards in Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas from mandating masks.

And in so doing, they point to the inexact science of the vaccines while farm supply stores in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are running out of dewormer.

Yeah, that makes sense.

One of Livingston Parish’s most sacred religious shrines has been shut down for a cleaning and sanitizing because of the recent spike in COVID cases in the parish.

The Walmart Supercenter on Range Avenue closed at 2 p.m. today and will be closed through Thursday but is scheduled for re-opening on Friday so as to keep from traumatizing as few Denham Springs residents as possible.

In the meantime, for those who feel a spiritual need for regeneration of the soul, there are Walmart supercenters five miles to the east in Walker and a couple miles up Range Avenue in Watson. And in case there are any stragglers or sheep otherwise gone astray, there is another Walmart just across the Amite River in nearby Central.

“As an essential element of the Livingston Parish spiritual experience, we understand the role we play in providing emotional strength to our customers members during these trying times,” a statement from the company worship center said.

A third-party faith-healer will lay hands on the store edifice on Thursday in an effort to exorcise all COVID evil spirits.

Worshipers should be able to return to their normal rituals on Friday.

The quacks were out in force at today’s meeting of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and the spineless board didn’t have the courage to enforce a mask mandate. Consequently, an overwhelming number of those in attendance were maskless, brainless, and grossly irresponsible.

Not that they give a damn about the rest of us. Hell, they don’t even care about themselves. They’re probably still waiting for the Trump reinstatement that they thought was going to take place last Friday.

But apparently, their numbers were enough to frighten the gutless BESE into hiding behind an illegal executive session during which the decision was very likely made to drop any attempt at voting on a mask mandate for schools – a certain victory for Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis chew toys like Jeff Landry.

As an illustration of just how off-plumb these people are, one of them responded to my post yesterday about members of the House Committee on Health and Welfare not wearing masks by calling me a “socialist democrat.”

I doubt seriously that individual knows what a socialist democrat is – for that matter, the difference between a socialist and a communist. One would first need to know what each one was before he could distinguish any difference, but here’s a clue for the clueless:

• If you like fire and police protection, you probably have socialist leanings;
• If you want your garbage picked up and your streets repaired, you’re something of a socialist;
• If you have a retirement plan, then you must be a socialist;
• If you have life or health insurance, the programs are based on a form of socialism;
• If you are receiving Social Security or Medicare benefits or if you’re anticipating them in the future…well, you get the picture.

But back to the BESE meeting today. The attendees, all of whom probably have had immunization for measles, smallpox, polio, flu and other viruses, somehow object to the experimental COVID vaccinations. Hell, all immunizations were initially experimental (I betcha John Wayne had all his immunizations and what could possibly be more patriotically American than John Wayne, who won World War II in the movies but never served a day in the military?)

There was an announcement made that masks should be worn and the audience laughed and laughed. I hope they can still laugh when they’re on that ventilator.

Yeah, I know, the vaccines aren’t foolproof. Neither are parachutes, but if I’m going to have to jump out of an airplane, I sure as hell want one on. I’ll take my chances on it working as opposed to screaming, “My body, my choice!” all the way down. (And didn’t they co-op that expression from women who are pro-choice? How macho!)

Masks? Oh, I know that I can be wearing a mask and if an unmasked, infected person sneezes in my general direction, droplets of germs, virus, and cooties can enter through my eyes. But consider this: If you’re naked and someone pees on you, you get wet. If you’re wearing pants and someone pees on you, you’re partially protected. But if you’re both wearing pants and the other person pees, he only gets himself wet. That’s how it works. Got it?

The board went into a lengthy executive session at one point.

Once back in open session, the meeting erupted into screaming bedlam when attendees were again asked to mask up. The scene became so chaotic that the online streaming of the meeting was cut – another form of executive session, I suppose, but it seems to me we have a right to watch all of the meeting and not just what the censors want us to see.

Meanwhile, BESE and a gaggle of so-called freedom advocates who more closely resemble Manchurian Candidates merrily gamble with children’s lives and BESE makes a mockery of the governor’s MASK MANDATE. When all was said and done, the board didn’t even have the courage to call for a vote on a mask mandate for schools – a decision doubtless made in that illegal executive session.

I’m sure pseudo-attorney general Jeff Landry is peeing in his pants as he plots his 2023 run for governor.

But before you get too far into your campaign Jeffie boy, I have a couple of questions for you – and for all the self-appointed experts who think they know better than the scientists about what works and what doesn’t:

What is your solution to a virus that has killed nearly 700,000 Americans?

What precautions would you recommend?

I’ll wait for your answers.

His missives first began popping up in the LouisianaVoice email inbox. More like a manifest, the messages were far-ranging charges of racism and discrimination within the fraternity more commonly known as Louisiana State Police. The messages first began appearing during the tenure of former LSP Superintendent Kevin Reeves.

The first several messages contained some serious charges that were easy to dismiss as the rants of a malcontent, especially since they were sent out en masse under the moniker Toussaint Louverture, obviously not wishing to divulge his real identity as a black state trooper because to do so would be detrimental to his career path.

Toussaint Louverture, aka Francois-Dominique Toussaint Louverture, Toussaint L’Ouverture, or Toussaint Bréda, was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution who helped transform the country’s slave rebellion into a full-blown revolutionary movement, establishing him as the “Father of Haiti.”

LouisianaVoice did make a tentative inquiry early on of LSP brass and the official reaction was dismissive. Surely, things just couldn’t be as bad as this malcontent purported them to be.

But all those were before the beatings of blacks Aaron Bowman and Ronald Greene in TROOP F, Reeves’ old command which includes northeast Louisiana. Greene, of course, died as a result of his beating – and not, as the official report officially said, from injuries sustained when his vehicle struck a tree.

Troop F, sometimes referred to as F TROOP after the 1960s ABC sitcom about an inept calvary troop, has over the past couple of years become synonymous with racism and suddenly, Toussaint’s charges have taken on relevance and some measure of validation, particularly with the recent news that top brass at LSP may have attempted to obstruct the investigation into Greene’s May 2019 beating death in Union Parish and the subsequent cover-up of details of his death, also by LSP’s top command.

If four years of writing about the misadventures, mismanagement and malfeasance of the state’s top law enforcement agency has shown me one thing, it’s that Louisiana State Police is in desperate need of oversight from someone outside the department. Internal Affairs is a joke and the requirement that the LSP Superintendent be selected from within the ranks is no longer sustainable. Gov. John Bel Edwards should forget consulting with the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association on every move involving LSP and bring in someone who can straighten this malignant agency out. It’s long past time that we should stop being embarrassed by our state police.

So, maybe it’s time someone listened to Toussaint Louverture and took him seriously rather than requesting to be unsubscribed to his emails as several recipients did immediately after today’s email went out.

With that in mind, following is his latest email:

We will not waste time saying “we told you so.” If anyone needs to check the validity of what we have been saying, look through our previous emails. 

What’s important now is everyone realizes that Lamar Davis, Chavez Cammon and Kenny Vanburen are the new leaders of the supreme tap-dancing team. No, we do not consider Lamar a “sellout.” He can’t be a sellout because he is performing exactly how he’s performed his entire career. Most of us have known him his entire career and he’s just as lost and ignorant to what’s going on as he’s always been. He made the perfect scapegoat and puppet for that position, so kudos to whoever made that chess move.

Now, we could go on and explain how these other guys are definitely sellouts but we will save that for private convos. Nevertheless, these guys had one job to do when they took office. They just didn’t fail miserably but went a step further and decided to put their freedom at risk by taking a trip to Union Parish in order to continue this murder coverup. 

Lamar came into the Colonel position and right out the gate put his puppet strings on display by saying he didn’t believe systematic racism existed at Louisiana State Police. Chavez entered the Colonel position with doubters already against him due to the fact that he was the head of Internal Affairs at the time of Greene’s murder. Chavez knew all of the dirty details of Greene’s murder and didn’t say a word about it. Kenny wasn’t mentioned in the trip to Union Parish but he seems to show up at the doorstep of every person who wishes to file suit against the department. His weapons of dissuasion seem to always be a Bible, overuse of the word “brother” and prayer.

(Side note: Understand that John Belton is a politician. So, if anyone were to come along and promise him support with his run for attorney general, he would probably sway whichever way he needed in order to obtain AG.)

The question remains, why would the supreme tap dancers, along with Doug Cain and Faye Morrison travel to Union Parish to dissuade DA John Belton from filing charges against those troopers? Several sources who had knowledge of the information say that Doug Cain was the most aggressive out of the bunch. We can’t imagine any man being intimidated by Doug but if it happened, so be it. This current administration has shown their lack of knowledge when it comes to leading this department but they had to know that criminal charges could possibly come from aggressively “coercing” a public official.

We have mentioned it in our previous emails that no one really wants three hots and a cot. There will not be any eyebrow arching appointments included for Doug Cain and the rest of you guys are just simply too old to serve jail time.

Information continues to surface that Governor John Bel Edwards had knowledge of the case and viewed the Greene video at most two weeks after the incident occurred. It is also important to note that Gov. Edwards was the commencement speaker at the University of Louisiana Monroe the next day after the day Ronald Greene was murdered. No one bothered to tell him a murder occurred? Is the Governor the reason why Chavez, Lamar, Faye and Doug are willing to risk their freedom to keep things covered? 

We are guessing the answer to those questions and many others will come out when individuals decide that their freedom is more important than hiding information. 

Until then, it’s fair to say that the department is imploding as John Peters from Troop F mentioned in his pathetic attempt at salvaging dignity prior to retiring. LSP has placed more resources into investigating employees who has nothing to do with the murder coverup than those who actually took part in it. Desperate attempts are being made to find “leaks” within the department. Unfortunately for them we are everywhere. Just ask some members of their divided administrative staff, who decided to stop giving us information after the heat was turned up a bit more. Until you guys do what is right by everyone, we will continue to put information out. 

The implosion of LSP was inevitable due to the foundation and practices it was built on. From nepotism, favoritism, racism and many other “isms” you can think of. Also, for the same reasons a consent decree is also inevitable. Aside from everything that’s now public knowledge, “isms” are alive and well in places like Internal Affairs and the legal affairs department.

Now that Faye Morrison is somewhat out of the picture and awaiting her criminal fate, Michelle Giroir and others are peacocking to be head of the degenerates. We can tie Internal Affairs together with legal affairs by pointing out the unjust treatment of others by both. But first let’s look at the individuals.

Let us take Michelle Giroir for example. Giroir has been, for the past 20 years, the primary advisor for LSP when it comes to issuing disciplinary actions to troopers. Now, one would assume that it would require the person in that position to be considered fair and as unbiased as possible. Well, Giroir has been proven to be one of the most biased and unfair persons who could hold the position. In 2012, a black paralegal, who was working in legal affairs, filed a lawsuit against Giroir. The paralegal’s name is Carla Popularas. Popularas claimed that Giroir discriminated against and harassed her. In 2015 Popularas won the lawsuit and was awarded damages. This should have prompted LSP to remove Giroir from her position but instead she remained and continued with her unfair treatment. In addition to Popularas, Giroir had a few other black employees file grievances and complaints against her. Everything stated here has been brought to Colonel Davis’s attention just as the previous administration was aware of it.

Enters feeble-minded Kevin Ducote from Internal Affairs. Conveniently his close friends are Michelle Giroir and Faye Morrison. Close enough to have Ducote’s daughter, an aspiring attorney, hang around the legal department for a while. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being close friends with your coworkers. But when Morrison and/or Giroir tells Ducote, when it comes to punishing Hollingsworth, he can only consider the flashlight strikes to the head of Ronald Greene, that is a problem. It’s truly a spineless move to allow someone to dictate your actions in an area they have no clue about. Kevin Ducote, as a Master Trooper, if you require someone to hold your hand after all of these years, maybe it’s time to retire or hand out uniforms in the supply department.

Side note: Ted James and the black caucus. Where exactly do all of you stand on this murder coverup. In our previous emails we have pointed out how awfully quiet you all were on this matter. Ted, we were particularly frustrated with you since we knew you viewed the Ronald Greene video long before it was public and long before anyone else had viewed the video. Yes, you stated that it was horrible but you did not follow up that statement with any action. Instead, you all waited, then after everything went public, you all demanded that reeves step down when he was already on his way out. You all then pushed Lamar Davis into the Colonel position and now it is clear that it was the wrong move and instead of demanding that Lamar Davis step down you double down on the mistake with hopes that John Belton changes his story. That letter to the United States Attorney General, Merrick Garland was a dog and pony show. What stands out to us is just days prior to that, most of the black caucus members were on the golf course with Governor John Bel Edwards smiling and taking photos instead of pushing the Governor to take real action towards this case. A black man by the name of Ronald Greene was murdered by Louisiana State Police. The “black” caucus’s position on the matter is questionable to say the least. There is a time to play politics and there is a time to put your foot down and fight!! Make your position on the matter clear.

        Continuing with Internal Affairs. Captain Treone Larvadain was heard complaining about being ready to go back to the governor’s mansion. Keeping a lid on all of this corruption could weigh heavy on anyone. It’s said she is only in place as the captain of Internal Affairs to keep her eyes on all investigations related to Ronald Greene. It’s also said that she is to report her findings back to Governor Edwards. To date, we are unaware of any meaningful work being done in Internal Affairs by Treone. Other than transferring Lieutenant Paul Chamorro into timeout for his unwillingness to “get with the program”, or violating policy to get revenge on Trooper Woodward, she just seems to be a listening ear. No, we don’t care for Woodward’s comments about Treone but why violate policy in an attempt to punish him. Besides, getting off that train that will lead to prison should be priority number one.

In closing, LSP appears to approve of murder-on-camera of African American citizens. Both the Reeves and Davis administrations have proven themselves unworthy of the public trust and completely incapable of leadership.