Louisiana Voice

By Stephen Winham

Those familiar with Tom Aswell’s work will know he is meticulous in his research – For proof, pick up a copy of his earlier book, Louisiana Rocks. In Louisiana’s Rogue Sheriffs: A Culture of Corruption (click HERE to view book cover), Aswell continues the diligence of his encyclopedic volume on rock music history and in his seminal book about our immediate past governor – Bobby Jindal: His Destiny and Obsession, coupling it with the courageous journalism reflected in his LouisianaVoice blog. Despite the seriousness nature of this book, he manages to work in a little humor and ends with humorous anecdotes from his personal experiences – as you may know, in another life he was a stand up comedian.

An honest evaluation of the power used and abused in our justice system requires courage – and focusing on sheriffs is particularly courageous.

The late Harry Lee—elected seven times as sheriff of Jefferson Parish once said, “Why would I want to be governor when I can be king?” [Wikipedia]

Aswell notes that sheriffs are uniquely powerful and have been so for centuries. In the United States they are essentially bound only by the state and U. S. constitutions and accountable only to the electorate of their jurisdictions. Sheriffs are not term-limited and generally spend many years in office. Look at your own parish sheriff and his predecessors and you will see there is very little turnover. And while state law provides minimum qualifications for deputy sheriffs, it does not do the same for the “high sheriffs,” so lack of law enforcement experience is not an impediment to election.

Those of us who grew up in Louisiana know that local governments are run by the “courthouse gang” of local elected officials and state politicians still believe they need their support to win elections. Without question, the most powerful and independent member of that group is the sheriff, who is also a member of the most powerful political lobbying group in the state, the Louisiana Sheriffs Association. Not only do sheriffs hold considerable sway with lawmakers, but governors are known to take their recommendations for certain appointments, including the heads of state police and the corrections system. Our current governor comes from a family of sheriffs.

Nineteenth century politician Lord Acton is best known for his statement, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Aswell sets out to see how true that statement is among Louisiana’s sheriffs. Louisiana has 64 criminal sheriffs, one in each parish (county). Aswell does not paint all our sheriffs with a broad brush, but he details things ranging from ignorance of the law through negligence and theft all the way to the worst brutality imaginable among 34 sheriffs’ offices and a handful of non-sheriff law enforcement agencies in our state. As he notes, the office of sheriff has existed as a powerful entity for many centuries here and abroad.

Beginning with the Kefauver Crime Commission in 1951, Aswell traces actions by some sheriffs across our state that would, in the absence of the right connections, net most of us time in a parish jail or a state or federal prison. He details human rights violations, nepotism, favoritism, discrimination, racism, sexism, organized crime connections, ignorance (for a price) of gambling and prostitution, theft of public property and other actions anybody should clearly see as wrong – things that, as Lord Acton’s statement implies, indicate that as power grows, moral senses tend to diminish.

I recommend this book to anybody seeking insight into our justice system, particularly the law enforcement side and specifically sheriffs. It represents years of work and documentation of facts and experts’ opinions. It is exhaustive and hard to absorb in one or two sittings. I recommend you read 3 – 5 chapters at a time to get the full effect.

It is sometimes hard to figure why people continue to re-elect some of the more corrupt of our sheriffs, but not hard to see how open opposition is limited by the power vested in the office. I have always said the best approach to our system of justice is to avoid it whenever possible and this book confirms that belief.

The book is well worth it’s $30 price. To pre-order your signed copy, you can click on the yellow button at the upper right. It looks like this:

When you do, please provide your name and mailing address by sending an email to:

louisianavoice@outlook.com.

If you don’t see the donate button, it’s probably because you opened an email link to the story (there have been issues with that). You may also order the book by sending a check for $30 to:

Tom Aswell, P.O. Box 922, Denham Springs, Louisiana 70727.

My third—and by far, most controversial—nonfiction book, Louisiana’s Rogue Sheriffs: A Culture of Corruption (Claitor’s Publishing), is scheduled to launch on July 1.

Of the millions of words that have been spoken and written about political power brokers in America, one local entity has been consistently overlooked. America’s sheriffs fly under the political radar, but the work they do on behalf of or in opposition to a candidate can—and often does—determine the outcome of elections. Candidates for offices from U.S. Senate to governor to state legislator actively solicit the endorsement of sheriffs’ associations and success at the polls often is determined by whether or not those endorsements are forthcoming.

Aside from sporadic occasions, no one has ever written anything about the power of and abuses committed by Louisiana sheriffs.

Until now.

Older than the presidency, the office of sheriff pre-dates the republic itself by more than a century. The office is accountable solely to the U.S. and state constitutions—to the specific exclusion of the president, Congress, and the governor, making the sheriff the single most powerful person in a county or parish. The late Louisiana political writer John Maginnis recognized that power when he wrote that only two elected offices really matter in Louisiana: governor and sheriff.

That much power wielded by sheriffs lacking qualifications can lead to abuses that often go unreported. There has never been anything written about the power of and abuses committed by Louisiana sheriffs in such depth and detail before now. My book shines the spotlight on cases of abuse, malfeasance, theft, murder and official protection of—and in some cases, actual participation in—gambling and prostitution.”

Among the specific cases discussed in the book:

• The sheriff of a north Louisiana parish and his chief deputy were actively involved with the Ku Klux Klan and figured in no fewer than eight civil rights murders in the 1950s.
• A south Louisiana sheriff was indicted by a federal grand jury for physical and mental abuse of African-American prisoners in his jail, only to be acquitted, even as several of his deputies were convicted.
• A former north Louisiana sheriff was sentenced to federal prison following his conviction of drug trafficking.
• One former sheriff is said to have been a bag man for Mafia boss Carlos Marcello.
• A current sheriff obtained a warrant to raid the home of an internet blogger whose only offense was posting remarks critical of the sheriff.
• A sheriff defeated for re-election by a former deputy planted a bomb that blew off the foot of his successor.
• A north Louisiana sheriff and a district attorney conspired to convict a national rodeo champion for a double murder that he did not commit.
• A Shreveport commissioner of Public was directly involved in the shotgun murder of a public relations consultant who had worked in his re-election campaign.
• Three consecutive sheriffs of one Louisiana parish were sentenced to prison terms.

I have published two previous books with Pelican Publishing: Louisiana Rocks: The True Genesis of Rock & Roll, and Bobby Jindal: His Destiny and Obsession. Additionally, I edited books for two other authors: With Edwards in the Governor’s Mansion: From Angola to Free Man, by Forest Hammond-Martin, Sr., and Smuggler’s End: The Life and Death of Barry Seal, by retired FBI agent Del Hahn.

My credentials

Unabashedly putting modesty aside, I have won numerous awards for breaking news, feature and investigative reporting during a distinguished career as a reporter for The Shreveport Times, the Monroe Morning World, the Shreveport Journal and the Baton Rouge State-Times, and as managing editor of the Ruston Daily Leader. A native of Ruston, LA and a 1970 graduate of Louisiana Tech, I live with my wife, Betty, and our three dogs, in Denham Springs, LA.

The book sells for $30 (no shipping or taxes, I eat those). Just 30 bucks and it’s yours: 370 pages chock full of eye-opening stories about the worst of the worst in Louisiana law enforcement. To pre-order your (gasp! signed copy, click on the yellow DONATE button to the upper right of this post. Or, you can order by mail by sending your check to:

LouisianaVoice, P.O. Box 922, Denham Springs, Louisiana 70727

For additional information on the book or to inquire about speaking engagements or book signings, contact me by email at: louisianavoice@outlook.com

Also (and this is important: if you order by PayPal (clicking on the DONATE button), be sure to SEND ME A SEPARATE EMAIL, GIVING YOUR MAILING ADDRESS.

WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT LOUISIANA’S ROGUE SHERIFFS:

“Tom’s meticulously researched book documenting the self-serving decisions, arrogance and greed that led to the downfall and political ruin of several Louisiana sheriffs is an enjoyable read for anyone but should be required reading for public servants everywhere.”

—Rafael C. Goyeneche, III, President, New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission

“If you want to understand what makes Louisiana a law unto itself, you need to read this book.”

—-James Gill, columnist, New Orleans Advocate

Tom Aswell is an expert guide to the rogue’s gallery of Bayou State lawmen who ruled Louisiana parishes for too long.

—Bob Mann, author

As a former sheriff, I personally knew many of the deceased “legends,” and of course, most of the living. I should mention that I am ecstatic that I didn’t make the cut to be included in its cast of characters.

—Anthony G. “Tony” Falterman, former sheriff and district attorney

Those familiar with Tom Aswell’s work will know he is meticulous in his research. I recommend this book to anybody seeking insight into our justice system, particularly the law enforcement side and specifically sheriffs.

—Stephen Winham, Louisiana State Budget Director (Ret.)

I intended to limit my “You Might be a Trumpster” takeoff on Jeff Foxworthy’s You Might be a Redneck, but the suggestions started piling up in my inbox, so I was sorta kinda forced into Volume II:

• If you graduated from the Wharton School of Finance in 1968 and claim that you studied the Laffer Curve “for many years” while there when the Laffer Curve was first revealed (on a napkin) in 1974…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think Jan and Dean’s Dead Man’s Curve was a failed Democrat economic plan…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you believe arming teachers, preachers, fast food and Wall Mart customers will bring a halt to mass shootings…you might be a Trumpster
• If you bring your mistress along on a family ski vacation…you might be a Trumpster.
• If your hair style looks like the string in a weed whacker gone bad…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you play the golf club championship alone and declare yourself club champion…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you insist on non-disclosure agreements from your employees…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you are a fan of Rosanne Barr, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Dennis Rodman…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you criticize President Obama for not visiting Louisiana flood damaged areas but then keep your appointment to meet with Kayan West the day after Hurricane Michael destroys two cities in Florida…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you hold a reception in the White House to honor the 2018 Boston Red Socks…you might be a Trumpster.
• If your favorite Christmas carol is Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think Puerto Rico only in terms of “an island surrounded by big water”…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you believe that Sean Hannity is a professional journalist and that media licenses be revoked over news coverage you don’t like…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you threatened to revoke the U.S. citizenship of all Puerto Ricans because they are “not part of the American race”…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think Calculus is where you get the milk for your cereal…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think infrastructure is what kids build with Legos…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you mock women who claimed he sexually assaulted them by saying they weren’t attractive enough to earn your attention…you might be a Trumpster. (Face it, evangelicals, you just can’t adhere to Christ’s teachings and support the caging of children like animals. I’m sorry, you just can’t.]
• If you can convince evangelicals to surrender every scintilla of Christianity in order to justify supporting your sorry ass…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you EVER tweeted, “Any negative polls are fake news”…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you EVER tweeted, “Sorry losers and haters, but my IQ is one of the highest—and you all know it”…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you EVER tweeted, “Despite the constant negative press covfefe”…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you have taught your followers how to say “Fake News,” “No Collusion,” “Witch Hunt,” and “Lock her up” the way a good cult should…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you ever said, “I think I’m much more humble than you would understand”…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you ever said, “Let me tell you, I’m a really smart guy”…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you ever said, “My fingers are long and beautiful, as, it has been well been documented, are various other parts of my body” (are you listening, evangelicals?)…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you ever said, “What’s that?” when told you just attacked a Gold Star family…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you ever said, “I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things”…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you ever said, “Nobody respects women more than me,” and three minutes later, said, “Such a nasty woman” (are you listening, evangelicals?)…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you tried to hide 300 filthy, malnourished children when the conditions in which they were being forced to live were exposed by secretly moving them somewhere else…you might be a Trumpster…but you’re certainly no Christian. In fact, you’re not even a decent human being.
• If you ever said, “You know, it really doesn’t matter what [the media] write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass” (are you listening, evangelicals? Are you listening, women?)…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you ever said, “Women: you have to treat them like s**t” (are you listening, evangelicals? Are you listening, women?)…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you ever said, “A person who is very flat-chested is very hard to be a 10” (are you listening, women?)…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you ever boasted that his building was now the tallest in downtown Manhattan after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center…you might be a Trumpster.
• If you ever said, “We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated”…you have just explained, in the most graphic terms, the Trumpster phenomenon in this country.

Faith leaders and anti-abortion groups are ramping up their efforts to reelect President Trump, rewarding a president who has become an unlikely hero of the Christian right because of his commitment to socially conservative causes.

The Faith and Freedom Coalition (FFC) will spend tens of millions of dollars on a voter mobilization effort that aims to register 1 million Christians in key battleground states and reach 30 million people nationwide.

The group, which is led by conservative activist Ralph Reed, will pump literature into more than 100,000 churches across 18 states, primarily focusing on the presidential battlegrounds but also with an eye on contested House and Senate races.

A friend forwarded an email to me the other day. It said the following:

Ronald Reagan is remembered for saying, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

Taking the thought a bit further:

Teddy Roosevelt: “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Franklin Roosevelt: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Winston Churchill: “Never give up. Never, never, never.”

Harry Truman: “The buck stops here.”

John Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you but rather, ask what you can do for your country.”

Barack Obama: “It’s important to make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.”

George W. Bush: “Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.” (Okay, they can’t all be winners.)

Donald Trump: “Look, having nuclear—my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart —you know, if you’re a conservative Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat, they would say I’m one of the smartest people anywhere in the world—it’s true!—but when you’re a conservative Republican they try—oh, do they do a number—that’s why I always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went there, did this, built a fortune—you know I have to give my like credentials all the time, because we’re a little disadvantaged—but you look at the nuclear deal, the thing that really bothers me—it would have been so easy, and it’s not as important as these lives are (nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what’s going to happen and he was right—who would have thought?), but when you look at what’s going on with the four prisoners—now it used to be three, now it’s four—but when it was three and even now, I would have said it’s all in the messenger; fellas, and it is fellas because, you know, they don’t, they haven’t figured that the women are smarter right now than the men, so, you know, it’s gonna take them about another 150 years—but the Persians are great negotiators, the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and they, they just killed, they just killed us.”

All of which got me to thinking about how my (very distant) cousin (by marriage) Jeff Foxworthy might describe a Trumpster in the same way he did with his classic “You might be a redneck” shtick.

With a little help from my friends, here are some possibilities:

• If you think Medicare and Social Security are socialist entitlement programs….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think misdemeanor is another bimbo that Michael Cohen paid off to keep quiet…you might be a Trumpster.
• If “No Collusion,” “Witch Hunt,” “No Obstruction,” and “Fake News” comprise 90 percent of your vocabulary….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think tax reform giving millionaires and corporations huge tax breaks actually helps you….you might be a Trumpster.
• If your tax reform increases the federal deficit by another trillion (with a “T”) dollars….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think putting babies in cages is a good idea….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think six bankruptcies is the definition of “very stable genius”….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think dismissing intelligence reports while embracing Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Bashar al-Assad and other murderers is leadership….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you suffered from stone bruises during the Vietnam war but can’t remember which foot it was….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you want immigration reform while employing undocumented Latinos at your golf courses….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you oppose “chain migration” after your wife’s family is safely in this country….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think grabbing women by their genitalia against their will makes you a stud….you might be a Trumpster.
• If your choice for Commerce Secretary is the former head of the Bank of Cyprus, a major Russian money-laundering bank….you might be a Trumpster.
• If your idea of decisive leadership is flip-flopping on policy—sometimes within mere hours….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you truly believe the press is the “enemy of the people”….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you get your news from Fox and/or Media Wars (Alex Jones)….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you run a scam university and make a huge political contribution to the Florida attorney general who is investigating you and then see the investigation disappear….you might be a Trumpster.
• If the only bank that will loan you money is the Deutsche Bank (which conveniently ignored money laundering activity by your company)….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you are a Christian who thinks Jesus would approve of adultery, bullying, lying pathologically, ridiculing disabled people….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think Farsi is an Iranian brand of binoculars….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think Taxes are how folks get around in the city….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think trickle-down economics is peeing on the leg of the 99%…..you might be a Trumpster.
• If giving your opponents derogatory nicknames is your idea of issue-oriented political dialog….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think the presidency is just an extension of The Apprentice…..you might be a Trumpster.
• If you’re given a clean bill of health by a doctor who subsequently had to withdraw his name from nomination as head of the VA because of past behavior….you might be a Trumpster.
• If your former EPA Secretary thinks he needs a $43,000 soundproof booth for communications….you might be a Trumpster.
• If your director of the Office of Management and Budget would never talk to a lobbyist who didn’t give him money while he was a congressman….you might be a Trumpster.
• If your director of the Office of Management and Budget gets kicked out of the room for coughing during an interview….you might be a Trumpster.
• If your former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention purchases tobacco stock….you might be a Trumpster.
• If the number of people who were fired or resigned from your administration exceeds the roster limits for an NFL team….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you’re so insecure that you have to lie and say you received the most Electoral College votes since Ronald Reagan….you might be a Trumpster.
• If your daddy greased the skids so you could slide through Wharton Business School….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you repeatedly stiffed contractors and refused to pay your undocumented laborers on your real estate construction ventures….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you managed to tell more than 3,000 documented lies in your first two years in office….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think that ripping money from the Pentagon’s budget is the same as having Mexico pay for the wall….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think advocating for the abolition of NATO isn’t playing into Putin’s hands….you might be a Trumpster.
• If Queen Elizabeth washed her hands with bleach after shaking hands with you….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you live in a trailer park and think for one nano-second that your life is going to be all better now….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you think someone is inferior because of the color of their skin….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you’ve ever received a laudatory tweet from yourself….you might be a Trumpster.
• If you’ve ever developed stone bruises on your thumbs from tweeting….you might be a Trumpster.
• If multi-syllable words give you migraines….you might be a Trumpster.

And finally, most important of all:

If you can think for yourself….you most definitely are not a Trumpster.

If you’re offended by this list, you’re certainly free to compile your own list of “you might be a brain-dead, tree-hugging libtard.”

Who knows? They might be funny and I can take a joke—or an honest difference of opinion.