City of Winnfield Police Department

Date: 12-30-21
Name: Jasmine M. Smith
Address: Winnfield, LA
Sex: Black
Race: Female
Age: 22
Charge: Failure to Appear Warrant

Date: 1-1-22
Name: James Lee Whitman
Address: Hodge, LA
Sex: White
Race: Male
Age: 27
Charge: Failure to Appear Warrant

Date: 1-1-22
Name: Katie M. Prine
Address: Winnfield, LA
Sex: White
Race: Female
Age: 33
Charge: Failure to Appear Warrant

Date: 1-3-22
Name: Frenchesca Johnson
Address: Winnfield, LA
Sex: Black
Race: Female
Age: 31
Charge: Theft < $1,000

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“They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. There are no easy
answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally
right.” Ronald Reagan spoke these words in his famous 1964 “A Time For Choosing Speech” that would launch the “Great Communicator” into national political prominence. Reagan’s words ring just as true today as they did during the tumultuous times our nation was experiencing almost 60 years ago when the future 40th President of the United States warned in his speech that those who would sacrifice freedom for security were destined to a pitiful existence under the yoke of totalitarianism.

With the coming of the new year it is natural to recall the events of the past and look forward to the year ahead. In the next few weeks I intend to preview the upcoming legislative sessions, including the critical three week redistricting special session that begins February 1st to undertake the redrawing of political boundary lines that must occur every 10 years. However, I think it is appropriate to briefly take a retrospective look at 2021 before considering what lies ahead in 2022 and beyond.

As I reflect on my first two years as a state legislator it occurs to me that as President Reagan suggested there are simple answers to every vote I cast, to every decision I must make, and to every question I am asked. The answers to the problems we face are not really complicated – the problem is that so many leaders lack the moral courage to take a principled stand and simply do the right thing. Has there ever been a time in our nation’s history when we have displayed such an embarrassing dearth of courage as the past two years? What happened to the heroic American spirit that led our Founding Fathers to declare their independence with “a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence” and to bravely assert that “we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor”?

Instead, we have countless citizens in our nation and state today who have allowed themselves to be paralyzed by fear when incompetent D.C. politicians threaten “a winter of severe illness and death” for free Americans who choose to exercise bodily autonomy and not take a vaccine that has been proven incapable of preventing transmission of the coronavirus. At this point in our history it seems that a strong dose of courage would be more beneficial to most Americans than vaccines, boosters, and “science”. I must agree with Winston Churchill who once said that “without courage all other virtues lose their meaning”. If we do not have the courage to act upon our principles and virtues, then we have lost our moral authority and have no right to challenge those who would strip away our freedom and liberty.

Unfortunately, today we are reaping the harvest of years of governing by cowardice, appeasement, and moderation. Parents who show up at school board meetings are branded terrorists, stating that there are only two biological sexes is considered hate speech, and assembling to worship during a pandemic can get you arrested. We have submitted to lockdowns, mandates, vaccine passports, and contact tracing all in the name of elevating the greater good by “temporarily” sacrificing our individual rights. Reagan was right when he declared in his 1964 speech that “Somewhere a perversion has taken place. Our natural, unalienable rights are now considered to be a dispensation of government, and freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp as it is at this moment.”

It would be easy to accept defeat and say that 2022 will be no better than 2021 or 2020, and that we should all just go along with the crowd and accept our fates. However, I cannot reflect on last year without recalling the tremendous acts of courage that I witnessed right here in District 22 and across Louisiana. I am encouraged by the hundreds of men and women in my district who have taken a stand and chosen to sacrifice their livelihoods instead of caving to unconstitutional federal mandates. I have been emboldened by local officials and law enforcement officers who have bravely asserted their independence by ignoring immoral dictates from Baton Rouge and Washington D.C. I have been inspired by concerned parents who show up at school board meetings to fight for their children and stand against the teaching of critical race theory and radical LGBTQ propaganda in our schools. I have been humbled by the resilience of my own children who despite having their lives turned upside down by the coronavirus restrictions have maintained their optimism and hope for a brighter future.

As Christians we know that for those who love God all things are working out according to His divine purposes. However, this great assurance is not an excuse to separate from the world, rather it should be our motivation to engage the world and live fearlessly in service to Him. For as long as I can remember my favorite Bible verse has been Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” My prayer for 2022 is that I can follow this commandment to be strong and courageous and to meet the challenge offered by President Reagan that at the Time For Choosing I will always do that which is morally right despite the political, social, or economic consequences.

Please know that it is a tremendous honor to serve as your District 22 state representative and I am always available to be contacted at (318)765-9606 or gfirment@legis.la.gov.

Happy New Year and God Bless!

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The Village Goldonna sales tax began collections in July of 2021 and the revenue has finally began to trickle in. The Village is coordinating with the Parish Government, who is supplying labor and equipment, while we they are purchasing the materials. Pending on agreeable weather, the following roads will be grated in preparation for the delivery of the material. Work is scheduled to begin later this week and into the first week of the new year.

Killingsworth Road
Godwin Road
Savell Road,
Maines Loop,
Gates Road

Goldonna council approves a resolution this month that would offer water customers a chance to obtain water leak coverage. The village chose the $2.35 monthly rate option, which would cover a max amount of $2,500 water cost. This coverage would cover cost incurred through a water leak only. Goldonna Water is contracting with ServLine to provide this option to the water customers who elect to take out this coverage. This is available to residential and commercial customers.

ServLine also provides a sewer option for those customers who would like to contract them directly to make inquiries in reference the company to cover sewer damage.

The turnaround time for implementation is about 3 months, therefore we are looking at a potential date of April 2022 to have this available.

Ordinance update:
Mr. Keith Gates was the Village attorney prior to being elected to judge in Winn Parish. The council sought out other attorneys for the position and selected one an Attorney from Ruston. Due to increased work load at the firm, she has resigned as Village Attorney. The council is once again seeking legal representation for the village and will proceed with revisions to the proposed ordinances once this matter is settled.

Goldonna Assembly of God will have a special night of singing on Sunday evening, January 9th at 5pm – Special guest Johnathan Bond will be visiting with the church.

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Last year began in bizarre fashion at the U.S. Capitol with a mass breaking-and-entering that included a guy dressed up like either Buffalo Bill or an elk that Buffalo Bill had bagged. Dude had paint on and everything, like he was going to a Buffalo Bills game.

Then it ended with the passing at age 99 of the priceless, charming, beautiful Betty White, our devilishly funny, loveable, television great-grandmomma.

So no, 2021 was not the greatest year, sort of like the maiden voyage of the Titanic wasn’t the greatest boat ride.

But there were some good things, especially if you were named new head football coach at LSU. Friends of the university paid the fired coach $17 million to leave and hired a new one — Brian Kelly of Notre Dame — for 10 years at $95 million, give or take.

That’s serious dough, but the incentives are what put this contract over the top.

For every full season Kelly lasts, he receives an extra $500,000 the next July;

If he wins a championship, he gets an extra $500,000;

If LSU is bowl eligible — and the Tigers have been every year since 1999 — he gets an extra $500,000. Because who couldn’t use an extra $500,000, right?

And all this time I’d thought your salary was your incentive, at least your main one.

Not so when it comes to corporate ’Murica. Then it’s all Monopoly money.

In addition to incentives, the LSU coach gets an allowance – 50 hours of travel each year on LSU’s planes and a loan of $1.2 million for a house and two cars, interest free (as if!).

Good for him.

Plus, if LSU wins a title and later fires him, the school owes him 100 percent of his remaining salary. If he’s fired without cause and hasn’t won a title, the school owes him 90 percent of his remaining salary, which he’ll have to figure out a way to squeak by on.

Gnaw on those numbers for a moment: this means that with no titles won — say by 2026 — the school could fire him, would have invested $50 million for nothing, and would still be on the hook for about $40 million more. Kelly’s agent must be descended from the people way back in the day who negotiated for Manhattan Island and the Louisiana Purchase.

We all know the money in college coaching has reached boggle-the-brain levels, but this amount of mostly guaranteed money for a decade is hard to conceive, especially with the new NIL and transfer portal phenomenon still working themselves out.

True, LSU has more than a few rich and loyal supporters, but that’s a lot of football money. So much is invested in the coach, it’s going to be nearly impossible to fire him. Is there any way you think this will turn out well?

(Yeah, me either.)

But good for people making as much money as others are willing to pay, and who am I to tell super-rich people how to spend their money? So … good luck.

Kelly’s giant payday inspired me to check my own contract to see if A) I had one and B) if there were any incentives in there. Like, turn in a story without typos and I get a box of Moon Pies. A small box, but a box just the same.

Or write something that makes at least a little sense, I get an oil change. Write something semi-poetic and BOOM!, Cracker Barrel gift card.

Tried. Didn’t happen for me. Kelly gets incentives; my salary — I’m a big food and shelter guy — is my incentive.

Kelly gets an interest-free car loan. If I do not pay my non-interest-free car note on time, I have to pay a late fee; there’s my incentive again — avoiding a late fee.

And I’m scared to ask the bosses about a buyout; they might cut my salary and give me more work to do, sort of a buyout in reverse.

So I have incentives. Just not the same as Kelly and a lot of other coaches.

But on the bright side in my world, sometimes I get a Saturday off. And, I’m not responsible for beating Alabama.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

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By Brad Dison

During the summer of 1871, Mike Williams worked as a jailer for the Abilene, Kansas, Police department. Mike and the town’s marshal became close friends. At the end of the summer, Mike took a job as a saloon keeper but helped the police anytime he could. On October 4, 1871, Mike received a letter from his wife in Kansas City in which she said she was terribly sick and requested him to come home as soon as possible. Mike made arrangements to leave at 9:45 pm the following evening on the Denver Express train from Abilene to Kansas City.

On the following day, Thursday, October 5, a large group of Texas cowboys (some sources say as many as 50) had planned to attend the Dickinson County Fair in Abilene. The cattle season had just ended and the large group of cowboys were eager for entertainment. Bad weather, however, made the cowboys change their plans. Rather than going to the fair, the large group spent the evening barhopping along Texas Street. Among the group was Phil Coe, a gambler who people regarded as “a man of natural good impulses” when sober, but was a detestable character when plied with alcohol.

The cowboys “compelled several citizens and others to ‘stand treat,’ catching them on the street and carrying them upon their shoulders into the saloons.” The cowboys even “compelled” the town marshal in the same manner. The marshal went along, not out of fear, but to keep an eye on the rowdy group. The marshal was friendly but firm. He told the group to keep order or he would stop them. Coe glared at the marshal.

The drunken cowboys paid little attention to the marshal’s warning and got rowdier with each passing moment. They considered the marshal “green” because he had been on the job less than six months. At around 9 p.m., the drunken cowboys made their way toward the Alamo Saloon. Suddenly, someone fired a pistol. The marshal stepped from the shadows to quell the “spree.” He demanded to know who had fired the shot. Several of the cowboys had pistols in their hands. With a cold, glossy gaze, Coe said he had fired at a stray dog. Before the marshal had a chance to respond, Coe pulled another pistol and fired twice. One of the shots whizzed between the marshal’s legs and struck the sidewalk behind him. The other shot left a hole through the tail of the marshal’s coat.

“As quick as thought,” the marshal pulled his pistols and began returning fire. Three of his shots took effect. Two bullets struck Coe in the stomach. One bullet struck another man who ran in between Coe and the marshal. Several people at the scene received minor injuries from the gunfight. One Abilene newspaper reported that “the whole affair was the work of an instant.”

The marshal watched the drunken cowboys for a moment just in case someone else was trigger happy. Their attention, along with the marshal’s, quickly turned to the injured men. Coe writhed in agony on the ground. The marshal failed at first to recognize the second man he had shot during the gunfight. When he was able to take a closer look, he realized the gravity of the situation. When Mike heard the first shot, shortly before his train to Kansas City was scheduled to depart, he ran to help the marshal. He ran around the corner of a building just as Coe and the marshal began firing.

This was Phil Coe’s last gunfight. He “lived in great agony” and died three days after the shooting spree. This was Mike Williams’s last gunfight. He died within seconds of being hit in the chest by a bullet from the marshal’s gun. The marshal was terribly distraught. Although he paid all of Mike’s funeral expenses, Mike’s death haunted him for the rest of his life. This was also the marshal’s last gunfight. Less than two months after the gunfight, the marshal was relieved of his duties. He never worked in law enforcement again. He died five years later while playing poker. The marshal’s name was James Butler Hickok. You and I know him as “Wild Bill” Hickok.

Sources:
1. The Abilene Weekly Chronicle (Abilene, Kansas), October 12, 1871, p.3.
2. Parsons Weekly Sun (Parsons, Kansas), October 14, 1871, p.2.
3. Rosa, Joseph G. “Hickok’s Last Gunfight.” Historynet. Accessed December 31, 2021. historynet.com/hickoks-last-gunfight.htm.

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By: Royal Alexander

I found striking this past week the statement by Pres. Biden that there is no “federal solution” to the pandemic, making the point that a balance must now be struck between public health/social and economic considerations. 

The statement was remarkable to me both for its candor and for what it really reflects: 1) that one of the central purported rationales for Pres. Biden’s presidential candidacy—defeating Covid—was offered as much for political expediency as for any substantive reason, and 2) as well as the fact that most of the measures the federal government has taken regarding the virus still have the nation and American economy reeling—as much from Covid itself, as from the clumsy and error-filled governmental response to it. 

First, let’s honestly recall what then-candidate Biden emphatically stated in the October 2020 presidential debate.  Biden blamed President Trump personally for the 220,000 lives that had then been lost due to the pandemic caused by the virus which CDC has determined originated in China.  (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/about-covid-19/basics-covid-19.html).

“If you hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this,” Biden said. “Anyone that is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America.” “I will take care of this,” he promised. “I will end this. I’m going to shut down the virus, not the country.”

Fast forward to December 30, 2021: according to CDC’s COVID Tracker, as of this date, there were 820,355 deaths from the China Virus—a number nearly four times higher than the tragic number of American deaths recorded as the Trump Administration worked literally at warp speed to create in an historically short time three vaccines which it perfected, tested, and then gifted to the Biden Administration.  820,355 deaths.  This coming from a man who essentially swore he would “take care of” and “shut down the virus, not the country.”  What a falsehood.  President Biden and his administration have done just the opposite—they have not shut down the virus—in fact, they’ve surrendered—but they have shut down the country.  Thus, based upon his own pledge and promise, Pres. Biden should resign.

Fast forwarding to today, according to the latest CDC isolation guidelines regarding the Omicron variant, the incubation period is shorter and so should be the isolation period.  What a relief!   Even “Dr. Lockdown” Anthony Fauci is quoted as saying “there is a danger that there will be so many people who are being isolated who are asymptomatic for the full 10 days, that you could have a major negative impact on our ability to keep society running.” (Wall Street Journal).  That’s, no doubt, true and has been for the entire period of the pandemic.

Further, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky also stated that her agency had altered its guidelines because “there were starting to be limitations in society…” and concluded with her observation that CDC’s “guidance is only as good as society’s willingness to follow it.” (Washington Post). 

I think what these statements by Drs. Fauci and Walensky really reflect is that CDC’s smothering guidelines have become so burdensome and damaging—because they are doing real harm to society and the national economy—that Americans have largely stopped abiding by them.  

What’s stunning is that none of these conclusions by Fauci or Walensky are either new or were unknown prior to Omicron.  Government will never be able to remove all health risks any more than it can control the blowing of the wind.  However, its handling of Covid is an egregious example of not ever honestly balancing the interests at stake—public health versus individual freedoms and economic strength—seriously considering only the health aspect, however speculative or farfetched it may have been.

What the ruling elite and the national media have either missed or ignored from the beginning is that Americans are fair-minded and open to being persuaded but not coerced.  When coerced, resistance is immediate and widespread.  The Biden Administration’s apparent rejection of new lockdowns is an acknowledgement of that fact as well as of the great tangible and intangible economic and social harm that has been inflicted on the country by lockdowns already. 

The Wall Street Journal recently noted that, regarding the end of lockdowns even by most Democrat governors, “… we can thank public insistence more than the most quoted public-health experts, who appear all too willing to force the public back into isolation even two years into the pandemic.  The people are wiser than the experts.”

Thank God for that.

The views and opinions expressed in the My Opinion article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Winn Parish Journal. Any content provided by the authors is of their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

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WINN
Edwin Taylor
October 28, 1953 – January 1, 2022
Service: Wednesday, January 5 from 1-3 pm in the Chapel of Kinner & Stevens Funeral Home

NATCHITOCHES:
Lorraine Cutright Ebert
October 18, 1923 – January 3, 2022
Service: Thursday, January 6 at 1 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home

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