It will send chills down your spine and bring tears to your eyes. You need to read about it and watch the video HERE.

The Louisiana Ethics Board is conducting an Ethics Symposium this Wednesday morning. The first item after the welcome on the agenda is a discussion of legislation and changes to the current Code of Ethics.

But don’t get your hopes up. The second item is a discussion of exceptions to the Code.

From Kim at komando.com comes a superb tool you can use with your children to strengthen child safety while surfing the internet. It’s called the On-Line Ten Commandments for Kids. Print it out, discuss it with your kids, and have them sign the agreement with you at the bottom.

From the Los Angeles Times

“Their ranks thinned by age, Pearl Harbor veterans today are commemorating the 66th anniversary of the Japanese attack and wondering whether Americans will remember one of the most defining moments in history after they die.” Story HERE.

Photos from Pearl Harbor HERE.

Mitt Romney’s Faith in America speech yesterday at Texas A & M University is worth watching, and gives an insightful perspective on faith and the American Presidency. It’s 20 minutes in length. Watch it in two segments if you need to, but watch it. Go Aggies! (Well, maybe next year…)

Watching the CNN Republican Presidential debate last week was an exercise in frustration. An hour into the debate I looked at my husband and said, “You know, if we could just take pieces of each one of these guys and stitch the pieces together, we’d have the perfect conservative candidate.”

Ron Paul is right on target with tax and immigration issues, but his foreign policy (cut and run, don’t fight back, and hope the Islamic extremists will leave us alone) is enough to make me run fast and far away from his candidacy.

Giuliani is second to none in leadership and crime fighting ability, but his social moral positions are liberal.

Huckabee is rock solid conservative on social moral issues, but is a bleeding heart conservative (no, liberals don’t have the corner on bleeding hearts) on immigration, and apparently crime. Huckabee also has a dismal tax record.

McCain is a true war hero and supports finishing the job in Iraq via total support for our troops to finish their mission. But he is an open borders, amnesty for illegals advocate.

Romney is plagued by his changing position on the abortion question and by his Mormon faith (a complete bum rap). Yet his positions on immigration and national security are straight up conservative.

Thompson is probably the closest to having a complete conservative ideology, but just doesn’t seem to have gained the traction necessary to mount a successful run for the White House. If you can’t gain traction via raising money and support, you can’t win. Both seemed to have stalled for him.

Since I cannot mold my own candidate out of the top five, I can only wait to see which one rises to the top, then get solidly behind that candidate. I won’t be completely happy with any of them…but any of them is better than the Democrat alternative.

Reports which have surfaced regarding Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s involvement in facilitating the parole of a convicted Arkansas rapist who exited prison and subsequently murdered two women in another state, leaves Huckabee with a bit of explaining to do. More HERE.

[From C.B. Forgotston]

Earlier today, I heard House Speaker-designate Jim Tucker, R-Algiers, explaining why Governor-Elect Bobby Jindal delayed his first special session on ethics until after Mardi Gras. Tucker was trying to deflect the obvious criticism
about the delay being because of Mardi Gras.

Jindal initial plan for his top priority ethics special session was going to be held in January right after the inauguration
(January 14, 2008). Lawmakers quickly began grumbling that Jindal’s top priority, ethics reform, would interfere with
the Washington D.C. Mardi Gras as well as the traditional Mardi Gras in LA.

Clearly, ethics are not more important than partying. Besides some of the laws that allow leges to be entertained
during the festivities might be in danger of being tightened to the point that it would take the fun out of Mardi Gras.

But, I digress.

Excuses

The excuse/rationale Tucker gave today was that the session was moved, not because of the desire to party, but
because the leges’ committee assignments would not be known until January 14.

Tucker then goes a step further and claims because the committee assignments would just be known on the 14th,
there wouldn’t be time to draft the legislation for the special session.

Flaws in the logic

First, those of us who have followed the LA lege for more than 4 years know that the committee assignments,
for the most part, were known when Jindal tapped Tucker to be Speaker. That’s how Jindal and Tucker got the
votes for Tucker.

Second, having drafted my share of legislation for the LA lege, one’s committee assignment has nothing to
do with the substance of a proposed substantive law.

Third, Jindal must issue the “call” (the agenda) and until it is issued, nobody, other than Jindal and his floor
leaders, knows what legislation can be considered during the session. Any legislation not fitting within the “call”
cannot be heard during the session.

Fourth, since Jindal can control the matters to be introduced and because he has said for months that ethics
is his top priority, surely he already knows what laws he wants to pass or amend.

Jindal does not need to be the governor in order to have the legislation drafted. It can be done by those in the
private sector or by the current lege staff. All newly-elected leges, as a matter of courtesy, have access to the bill
drafters on the lege staff.

The right foot

My point is, lets not get off on the wrong foot with a “reform” administration by misleading the public. It’s okay
to admit that Mardi Gras is more important than ethics. We already know that. However, please refrain from
peeing on my leg and then trying to convince me its raining.

C.B.

LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux is unquestionably one of the keys to an LSU win at the BCS National Championship. But Perrilloux has a problem, a well documented affinity for getting into trouble - serious trouble with the law trouble.

Here are a few suggestions for LSU’s coaching staff to help keep Perrilloux out of trouble for the next five weeks, and keep him IN the championship game:

1. Get an ankle band commonly worn by persons under house arrest and don’t allow Perrilloux to go off campus after 6 p.m. Or if the ankle band is a bit much, make him wear a LoJack.
2. Assign one mature adult per week to chaperon Perrilloux everywhere he goes. (Someone who reminds him of his grandmother would work just fine, as he’d be less likely to sling obscenities and throw punches at her.)
3. Assign a mentor (preferably a former marine drill instructor) to whom Perrilloux must report each day.

Or, LSU coaches could simply leave Perrilloux to his own devices, taking a chance that the very talented, but very immature young man won’t place himself in situations that will inevitably lead to trouble, and lead to Perrilloux not being allowed to help his team on January 7. Nah, on second thought, the ankle bracelet looks better and better.