The Sheriff’s Office and EMC visited Magnolia Bend Academy this week.
The school thanked the Red River Parish Sheriff’s office for giving our students demonstrations of their K-9 units and drone units.
Also thank you to the Red River Parish EMS for allowing our students to tour your mobile unit.
A huge thank you to the Air Evac Lifeteam for making the students day by allowing them to be pretend medics for the afternoon. We appreciate all of our local first responders!
By Jacque Fontenot
For more than 114 years, the 4-H Program of Louisiana has been engaging youth in
activities that help develop skills for a lifetime. These skills range from communication to
community service and from goal setting to leadership. Regardless of the skill learned, the
benefits gathered from a young person participating in the 4-H Program is priceless.
The 4-H Program is a nationwide youth development program that has nearly 6 million
youth involved in it annually. Administered in Louisiana by the LSU AgCenter Cooperative
Extension Service, 4-H serves youth in all parishes in the state through a network of 64
Parish Extension Offices. 4-H is managed jointly by both a professional and volunteer staff.
Louisiana 4-H has more than 235,000 youth participants and more than 9000 volunteers
working together to deliver the projects, opportunities, and events offered annually
through the program.
4-H is unique in that it offers experiences to the most urban young person and youth in
rural areas by providing the opportunity to participate in 4-H clubs, school enrichment
opportunities, project clubs, day and overnight camps, and other special interest
opportunities.
Youth members can participate in a variety of projects in the areas of healthy living,
science, engineering, and technology, and citizenship. Beyond the excitement of learning
something new through a project, youth have the opportunity to participate in leadership
conferences, travel the world, become involved in their community through service, and
meet new friends in a safe and comfortable setting. A young person’s experiences in 4-H
makes a difference for a lifetime by allowing them to grow and appreciate the importance
of being a good citizen, a strong leader, and a person of character.
If you would like to learn more about 4-H, or have a family member wanting to join 4-H,
contact the 4-H Agent, Jacque Fontenot, at the Red River Parish 4-H office, 932-4342.
August Students of the Month attending Magnolia Bend Academy and Country Day Montessori schools were rewarded this week by Coushatta VFW Post and Auxiliary 7287. Each month the VFW recognizes outstanding students in all of the schools in the parish.
The Magnolia Bend Academy August Student of the Month is Rylan Moseley. Rylan is the son of James and Dana Moseley. Rylan, currently a 7th grader, was nominated by Dr. Michael Land and selected by the faculty at MBA. Dr. Land describes Rylan as very attentive, inquisitive, and a solid student.
Rylan is quick to help out teachers when asked and often stays after class to ask for extra work to help him progress in his studies. Rylan’s politeness and attention to his work has not gone unnoticed.
From Country Day Montessori School, the Student of the Month is Zachary Garrett. He is a kindergarten student in the Primary classroom. He was chosen as the August student of the month for his tremendous progress in his eagerness and willingness to receive new presentations, especially in math and reading.
He has a great attitude when he is challenged with a new job, even if that new job is a little difficult for him at first. Zachary also goes out of his way to assist his classmates and is quick to help advocate for the needs of his younger and differently abled classmates.
Country Day said, “We are proud of the ways Zachary exemplifies the values of our school community.”
Parish Registrar of Voters Debra Jones has notified the Journal that meetings have been scheduled for the Board of Election Supervisors. They will meet prior to and during the November 8th election process.
The schedule is below:
By Brad Dison
In 2000, writer/producer Allison Gibson had an idea for a television sitcom which was set in Houston, Texas. The lead character, Sally, was a wisecracking single mother of three children, each of whom had various emotional issues. Sally’s husband had left her for another woman who, because of their connection to the same man, considered Sally to be her best friend, but Sally considered the other woman to be her nemesis. This odd combination of characters and situations produced hilarious comedic mayhem.
The lead character was named Sally because Allison wrote the part with a specific actress in mind. This Sally had won a host of awards for her acting including two Academy Awards. Her career in television began in 1965 with a comedy called Gidget followed by The Flying Nun two years later. She had been in a slew of blockbuster films including Smokey and the Bandit, Steel Magnolias, and Forrest Gump. This Sally, Sally Field, was not interested in the sitcom and turned it down. Allison needed a new Sally.
As luck would have it, Nell was shopping around for a sitcom to star in. Nell began performing as a child in a singing group with her siblings. She had planned to become an elementary school teacher, but the trajectory of her life was forever changed when she sang the Star-Spangled Banner at a rodeo in Kentucky. Her short performance led to a singing and acting career which has lasted four decades so far. Nell played a variety of roles in movies and television from a gun-toting tough woman who helped defend her town from creatures living underground to Colonel Sanders in a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial in which she wore the full goatee, white hair, and signature suit.
Nell was set to play “Sally,” the title role in the show. That was the plan until the very last moment. The production crew filmed the pilot twice in front of two different live studio audiences, one in the afternoon and another in the evening. In the afternoon show, Nell’s character’s name was Sally. In the evening show, Sally’s name was replaced with Nell’s real first name. Everyone involved in the creation of the show paid close attention to both audiences to gauge their reactions. After filming both pilots, it was clear that the audience responded more when the name Sally was replaced with Nell’s real first name. Their reaction was such that the name of the show was changed again. The show was a huge success and ran from 2001 to 2007. Based on the audience’s reaction, the show, originally called Sally, then Deep in the Heart, was renamed again with the first name of its star, Reba McEntire.
Source:
Graduates of years ending in two, back to 1952 will be honored at Red River’s Homecoming October 7th. There will be a reception prior to the game and complimentary tickets will be given to former grads to enjoy the contest with Jonesboro-Hodge in Pat Strother Stadium.
By Steve Graf
Get ready! It’s the time of year that all anglers look forward to… the fall-feeding frenzy…where bass gorge themselves to the point that it looks like they ate a football! It’s official, the bass buffet is now open for all bass, large and small. October in the south is probably one of the best months of the year to go out and catch a lot of bass as they migrate up the creeks chasing shad. This fiesta occurs each year as the days get shorter, triggering largemouth bass to start fattening up for the long winter months.
Probably the first question: What baits should be thrown in order to give yourself the best opportunity to catch these hungry bass? Well, that’s a million-dollar question, but today you’ll get an angler’s perspective on the best baits that will put the odds in your favor. First, you have to understand the prey you’re trying to mimic because bass can be a little finicky this time of year. Baitfish, also known as shad, is the main thing they are looking for as the bass head up the creeks. They will travel in small wolf packs rounding up and forcing balls of shad (bait fish) into shallow water where they will ambush them with force. Remember, they won’t bite just any old bait, it must be something that looks similar to what they are eating.
One of the best baits for this style of fishing is a crankbait. Several come to mind like a Bandit 100 or 200 series in a shad pattern they call pearl/black back. Strike King also makes a great crankbait in what is called the KVD Series (designed by pro angler Kevin Van Dam). Their best colors are a green gizzard shad or what they call sexy shad. Both are great shad imitators and will get the job done. Remember, it’s not complicated, just try to throw something that looks like bait fish or shad. The next great choice would be a spinnerbait, as nothing mimics shad better than a skirted spinnerbait with either double willow blades or a three-bladed spinnerbait. The three-bladed baits are very popular and productive this time of year.
Now let’s look at two great baits for topwater action. A Heddon Zara Spook or the Zara Puppy in a clear or shad color should be your first choice when it comes to walking-style bait. This is bait that literally walks side to side when being retrieved. It mimics bait fish running across the top of the water and bass just can’t stand it; they have to eat it! The next bait of choice for topwater is a buzz bait. This is a bait that looks similar to a spinner bait but is fished as a topwater with a big propeller-type blade. Most will come with a skirt just like a spinnerbait, but this time of year it’s better if you take the skirt off and replace it with some type of white wide tail grub, a twin tail grub, or a Zoom Horney Toad. Again, you’re just trying to mimic shad or bait fish scurrying across the water in order to trigger bass into biting.
I hope these suggestions will help you this fall as you head for your favorite body of water looking to take advantage of this awesome time of year. Another great thing about fall fishing is the fact that many of our lakes and waterways are bare of anglers since many of them are headed for the woods looking to put meat in their freezer with a deer or two, or maybe a few bushy tails. Some days, you’ll literally have the lake all to yourself; that’s when the fun begins! Till next time, good luck, good fishing, and don’t forget your sunscreen. Take it from this angler, Melanoma is not something you want to deal with.
Red River Council on Aging provides services and supports so that area residents can age successfully in the place they have chosen to call home. The priority of Red River Council on Aging is to treat all individuals with dignity and respect. By offering aging services, partnering with community agencies, and programs, Red River Council on Aging both serves and empowers clients, their families and their caregivers to direct their own aging journey.
We are currently conducting a Needs Assessment to learn how we can best serve the community. We need your input to guide this process.
Please take a few moments to complete the Needs Assessment by going to https://bit.ly/GOEASurvey (case sensitive) or scanning the code below.
If using a paper version of this survey, please complete the survey and return it by October 15, 2022.
David Smith, Louisiana Manager, Argent Mineral Management
With oil and natural gas prices at such high levels, the market may be ripe to lease mineral rights. When presented with a lease offer, I and my colleagues at Argent Mineral Management recommend a two-step negotiation process.
The first part involves negotiating the primary term of the lease, bonus per acre, and royalty rate. Generally, the first offer is not the best, and other potential parties may also be interested in leasing the same tract.
It is also helpful to research the area around your minerals to determine if any companies (and which companies) are actively operating in that area to consider if competing offers can be generated. If possible, another tool to maximize your leverage is to determine if you can act in concert with other mineral owners in the area. These other owners can help to increase the size of the fractionalized interests while also offering insight into the terms they have been presented. Mineral managers or legal professionals who actively negotiate in the area also should be consulted for their opinion of market conditions.
While negotiating the primary term, it is in your best interest to keep it as short as possible. Terms of three years or less are preferred, and I strongly discourage an option period (also known as a “kicker”) for extending the term. Negotiating a high bonus per acre is a priority, but do not let the promise of a higher bonus sacrifice your royalty rate (percentage paid on production). Leases typically last for as long as oil and gas are produced in paying quantities.
To maximize the long-term value of your payments, a higher royalty rate is the leading consideration when negotiating terms.
Once terms have been agreed to, the second step is to negotiate the governing document surrounding the lease. Lease documents, as presented, almost always favor the operator. This contract determines how you are paid and the amount of activity on your minerals. Some important clauses to consider adding include:
A properly negotiated lease can help secure the wealth-generating power of mineral assets to benefit owners and their future generations, as well as ensure that you are getting a fair lease offer.
The Red River Parish Journal has experienced tremendous growth in the past year. Therefore, an Assistant Publisher is needed to assist the gathering and production of local news items.
This is an immediate opening for a newly created position. Salary and benefits to be negotiated.
Skills the successful candidate should possess include:
Covering local news events and boiling down the important aspects of the event into a news article.
Photographic skills to portray the event.
Research skills to supplement coverage of an event, including preparation prior to an interview, meeting, etc.
Journalistic ethics including being able to distinguish between the facts of an event and the “spin” of the event.
Acute observation and note taking to assure accuracy of reporting, especially quotations from individuals involved in the story.
The ability to ask relevant questions and keep the subject of an interview on track.
And appreciate hard work and diligence in the gathering, writing, and disseminating local news.
Interested candidates should submit a brief resume, photo, and all contact information. Submissions via email should be addressed to: RedRiverParishJournal@gmail.com
Advertising Salesperson wanted. Immediate opening for a person to market local businesses using the Journal. Digital news is the platform a rapidly increasing number of people look to for their information. Your future success could be marketing your clients products and services on the Journal’s digital platforms.
The successful candidate should possess:
-a friendly smile and helpful attitude
-knowledge of the area and local businesses
-reliable transportation
-be a self-starter
-desire to earn a quality salary
This is a commissioned sales position. The Journal offers high commissions coupled with bonuses and incentives based upon performance.
Send your resume and contact information by email to: RedRiverParishJournal@gmail.com
Alvin “Skip” Trobaugh Vaughn, Jr.
November 27, 1946 to September 27, 2022
Services at 2:00 pm Sunday, October 2, 2022 at Davis Springs Southern Methodist Church.
Arthur Wilson
August 11, 1948 to September 25, 2022
Services will be held Saturday, October 1, 2022 at Starlight Baptist Church in Coushatta, LA at 11:00 am.
The Red River Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $70. The obituary will be included in the emails sent to subscribers and to social media. Contact your funeral provider or RedRiverParishJournal@gmail.com. Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Death shown above with no link to the obituary are FREE of charge.)
Red River Volleyball won in straight sets against Magnolia Charter this week. The Girls move to 6 and 5. Scores were 25 to 6, 25 to 5, and 25 to 1
Bailey Willis of Opelousas was named winner of the 65th Annual Miss Northwestern – Lady of the Bracelet Scholarship Program held Wednesday at Northwestern State University. Willis, a junior secondary education major, will represent Northwestern State in this summer’s Miss Louisiana Competition. She will receive more than $8,000 in scholarships and prizes. Willis was first runner up in last year’s contest.
Mestiza cultural authority Rhonda Gauthier will be named a Louisiana Tradition Bearer by the Louisiana Folklife Commission and honored at a ceremony Saturday, October 8 at 2 p.m. at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches. Serving as a folklife ambassador for the Louisiana Folklife Commission, Dr. Shane Rasmussen, professor of English and director of the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University, will talk with Gauthier about her lifetime spent preserving Louisiana’s traditional folklife. The event is free and open to the general public.
From Annette Triggs
I am one of the organizers of this event along with Pam Rushing. This event came about due to our desire to want to help and be a blessing to other’s.
All items are free to the public. It will be held Saturday, October 1st beginning at 8:00 am at 901 Ashland Road.
We’ve also assisted families that have been burned out and we’ve helped purchase uniforms and school supplies. We are a faith based non-profit group. All of our items are donated or an out of pocket expense from us.
Our only desire is to show Jesus and be a blessing to others. If anyone would like to donate please contact us. Thanks in advance.
Contacts are Pam Rushing 318-609-2352 and Annette Triggs 318-652-0603 if you have any questions or need more information. Missions of Love Ministries and Now Faith Endeavors, LLC.
Congratulations to Kaleka Swint, this week’s winner in the Red River Parish Journal’s High School Football Pickers contest. Kaleka wins the $100 weekly prize for picking the most winners in last week’s football games. Kaleka got nine out of 10 correct.
How did you do? Here are the correct answers:
|
Weekly High School Pickers Contest – RRPJ |
||||
|
Week Ending |
Away |
Score |
At Home |
Score |
|
23-Sep |
Loyola |
9 |
Red River |
7 |
|
Lincoln Prep |
26 |
Jonesboro-Hodge |
30 |
|
|
LaSalle |
6 |
Lakeview |
28 |
|
|
Mansfield |
8 |
Logansport |
52 |
|
|
Newman |
17 |
Many |
25 |
|
|
Winnfield |
41 |
Jena |
26 |
|
|
Northeast Baptist |
22 |
Riverdale JV |
50 |
|
|
BFCS |
34 |
Tensas Academy |
56 |
|
|
Union Christian |
22 |
Franklin Academy |
68 |
|
|
Porter’s Chapel |
32 |
WCCA |
36 |
|
|
Tie #1 |
Mansfield at Logansport |
Total Score |
60 |
|
|
Tie #2 |
Winnfield at Jena |
Total Score |
67 |
|
The Journal invites you to pick the winners in the current week’s High School Football Pickers Contest. The fan who gets the most games correct will win $100.
Click HERE to enter online. Both parish schools are on the road this week. Red River will play Logansport and Riverdale will be at Franklin Academy. Riverdale’s Rebels are red hot this year, and the Bulldogs are struggling and will play the tough Logansport Tigers in the final non-district contest.
Can you pick the winners of these and other local district rivalries? Entry deadline is Friday at 4:00 pm. Everyone in the parish is eligible so what are you waiting for?
By Christy Suggs
The RR Bulldogs football season has started, and it’s been a bumpy road so far. The team played Woodlawn in Shreveport at the Independence Stadium. It was an excellent experience for the Dawgs to play on the field many colleges have played on previously. The game started off slow and uneventful for both teams. First downs and progress toward a touchdown was slow. Woodlawn did score the first touchdown with a hail Mary pass to the end zone. That would be their only points of the night.
The Dawgs scored their first touchdown of the season during the second quarter to tie the game. With 58 seconds to go before halftime the Dawgs scored again to take the lead. After the half RR came out playing and put points on the board. The final score was RR 40 Woodlawn 8. This put the first win in the books for the 2022 season.
Week 4 was a home game against the Loyola Flyers. The Bulldogs hit the field ready to play. The Dawgs scored first with a touchdown from sophomore #15 Jomello McDonald at 6:19 in the first quarter. Senior kicker Miguel Allen added the PAT. Loyola scored their only touchdown in the second quarter but missed the chance to add to it. The Dawgs went to halftime leading 7 to Loyola’s 6.
It was back and forth with neither team able to put up any points until 4 minutes left in the quarter. Loyola added 3 with a field goal. Red River had two missed opportunities in the second half to add points but were unsuccessful due to an interception at the goal line and a missed field goal.
Red River travels to Logansport Friday to take on the Tigers and try to improve their season record. Currently it stands at 1-3.
By Teddy Allen
Yo Brendan!
Word is you’re headed to church retreat to begin your high school senior year. I’ve been asked to write a letter of encouragement. You’ll get several from friends for you to read this week. Mine is a humble C+ at best, but I’m honored to be asked …
You were born the day after I coached my final Little League game. For 10-plus years I had that privilege; most fun I’ve ever had.
The day before you were born, we lost in the semifinals of the state championship, and if I’d have done just a couple things differently — like called time and talked to my pitcher Scarf one batter earlier — I feel certain we’d have been in the finals. And the team that won it all was better than we were but … they might not have been better than us two-out-of-three, not right then. Not on those days.
So the next day driving up I-49, thinking about nothing other than what I have just told you, coming home after a week in South Louisiana and wishing I could turn back the clock and wishing I’d gotten my lard butt off the bucket and gone to the mound in the top of the ninth — your dad calls.
Saw his name on the screen and knew what it was about.
You had arrived on the scene.
I felt better right then.
Even though our little team of 14-year-olds didn’t quite get it done, they did as good as they possibly could have. Still, I was sad over the ending.
And then your beginning made me happy
Harmony of the universe and all that. God is like that sometimes.
I would have loved to have seen you more as you grew up into the wonderful young man you’ve become.
But I’ve gotten to “watch” you a lot through pictures and mostly through stories from your mom and dad. Every time they mention you, their voices are filled with joy and laughter and gratitude. Every time. It’s been fun to listen. And see.
Seems all the stories have had happy endings. We’ve been blessed.
I have a picture posted on my wall of you at age 3-ish sucking down a milkshake at a Shreveport burger joint, your eyes bulging and your cheeks working overtime. I have another picture of you running the bases with a batting helmet on, all business. I remember Brad pushing you into the pool and I remember us playing baseball outside your house.
Since then, you have learned the joy of live theatre. Learned how to do long division. Figured out how to try and not be scared on a first date. Learned a lot—but you’re just beginning. Keep your mind and heart open for all God is teaching you.
I am proud of you and love you because your mom and dad are proud of you and love you. There is never anything you could do, good or bad, that would make us love you more or less. We accept you right now as you are and are grateful for you being you.
Maybe you get the point of all this, which is that I have always been a Brendan cheerleader and that will always be the case. It has made me proud when your parents have called me with a “Little Teddy” update. You were almost named that, but it would have been a disservice to you. You are a Brendan, and a really, really good one.
A wise man once told me: Be kind. Love God and your neighbor. Don’t be too hard on yourself. That’s it. Enjoy this life you’ve been given.
Your friend always,
Uncle TA
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu
The Head Start and Preschool classes at Red River Elementary School are having Donuts with Grown Ups tomorrow morning. Get your day off to a great start from 7:45 to 8:30 am.
This will be a treat for the kids and their parents.
By Molly Seales
On Friday, September 23, the Northeast Baptist Knights travelled to Marston Stadium to take on the JV Rebels in their final game of the season. The Rebels came away with a big 50-22 win. Both the offense and the defense made outstanding efforts to pull out the win.
Freshman Ashton Almond and freshman Tanner Carlisle went out big in their final JV game, with each scoring 2 touchdown and making a 2-point conversion. Freshman Zane Givens, who got to play in his first game of the year due to an injury, scored a long touchdown for the Rebels. 7th grader Kane Milner-Dortlon scored his first JV touchdown, and 7thgrader Jackson Hillman scored his first two JV touchdowns. 8th grader Cannon Breedlove had 2 2-points conversions for the Rebels. Freshman Ben Moseley was on point with his snaps and blocks at center as well as a strong force on the defensive line.
On the defensive side, 7th graders Kane Milner-Dortlon and Kaden McNeely recorded their first JV interceptions. Freshman Tyler Wilhite’s speed on defensive will definitely be missed, as he had numerous tackles on the year. Freshman Remington Dabbs’s presence on the offense and defensive line will be missed next year as well. Even losing six freshmen, the JV Rebels should be a force to be reckoned with as 8th graders Kolten Antilley and Dustin Davis will return on the line, as well as Breedlove on offense and defense. The 7th grade will return Milner-Dortlon, Hillman, McNeely, Riley Keith, and Jax Hearold.
The newly formed JV cheer squad has done amazing job cheering on their boys all season. The JV cheer squad includes captains Alissa Curry, Lexi Mancil, and Krista Mancil, as well as 8th graders Ally Kate Hillman, Abbie Jowers, and Harleigh Lefler. 7th graders include Adyson Barrett, Maddie Baxley, Bailey Borders, Hannah Murray, Kaleigh Pickett, Chloe Spradley, and Emma Youngblood. 6th grade cheerleaders are Kenna Coleman and Brooklyn Giddings.
We will miss our freshman players Ashton Almond, Tanner Carlisle, Remington Dabbs, Zane Givens, Ben Moseley, and Tyler Wilhite and our 8th grade cheerleaders Alissa Curry, Ally Kate Hillman, Abbie Jowers, Harleigh Lefler, Krista Mancil, and Lexi Mancil. Thank you all for your dedication and spirit this year. Go Rebels!
Photo Credit: Kym Dabbs
Graduates of years ending in two, back to 1952 will be honored at Red River’s Homecoming October 7th. There will be a reception prior to the game and complimentary tickets will be given to former grads to enjoy the contest with Jonesboro-Hodge in Pat Strother Stadium.
By Royal Alexander
A civil case has been brought in federal court by Attorney General of Louisiana Jeff Landry and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt regarding the relationship between the federal government and Big Tech—here, Facebook.
The question regarding freedom of speech has always been how these enormous social media sites choose to “moderate”—in fact, censor—the content of speech and whether, either by their own doing or as a result of pressure from the federal government, or both, the tech giants are suppressing certain speech which is virtually always conservative speech.
U.S. District Judge, Terry Doughty, of the Western District of Louisiana, recently ruled that full discovery requires the disclosure of additional email and other communication between Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and several of the public affairs staff at the Department of Health and Human Services.
What led Judge Doughty to require the additional disclosure?
Well, while there are a number of email communications discovered thus far that would otherwise seem benign—if they didn’t involve active coordination between the largest social media company in the world and U.S. government officials—there are several additional emails that are more concerning—and may represent only the tip of the iceberg of improper collusion. These emails involve high-ranking White House officials.
In one example, after Pres. Biden claimed that social media sites and “Covid misinformation” were resulting in “killing people,” a senior staffer at Meta (a Facebook spinoff) sent an email to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, which stated “it’s not great to be accused of killing people” but Meta was committed to finding “a way to deescalate and work together collaboratively.”
A week later that same Meta official sent another email to Murthy stating that “I wanted to make sure you saw the steps we took just this past week to adjust policies on what we are removing with respect to misinformation.” The email concludes “…you (Surgeon General) have identified 4 specific recommendations for improvement and we want to make sure to keep you informed of our work on each.”
This is all much too cozy.
This incestuous relationship between the federal government and Facebook and Big Tech creates a toxic coordination between government and huge social media sites to suppress critical information millions of people need to know to make good, well-informed personal decisions. That’s irrefutable censorship of free speech.
Facebook’s presence in American society is so widespread and prevalent as to bear all the trappings of a government entity—a public utility. These emails clearly establish that Facebook is functioning as an arm of the government, a “state actor” in legal parlance, and as the functional equivalent of the Thought Police of the State. Therefore, it should be held to the same prohibitions on censorship as the Government.
Facebook pretends that it is a neutral arbiter operating an information exchange platform. In fact, in March of 2020, Mark Zuckerberg stated that “I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn’t be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online…. Private companies probably shouldn’t be, especially these platform companies, shouldn’t be in the position of doing that.”
However, when you fast forward to today, we see that Zuckerberg and Facebook have become captives of the Thought Police at Facebook and do regularly make editorial content decisions in the composition of its news feed through its algorithms, and those decisions are often not objective and fair to all points of view.
I note that while our 1st Amendment prohibits the suppression of speech by local, state, and federal governments, government censorship is not the only kind. Private sector suppression of speech is just as threatening, chilling, and destructive. This is particularly true where Big Tech platforms become news editors and make common cause with the Deep State and the National Democrat Party.
In truth, social media has become our modern-day public forum. It’s also true that the greatest virtue of free thought and free speech is that all kinds of ideas are thrust into the rough and tumble of the marketplace of ideas where the best idea prevails. It is this collision of, this testing of, speech and thought in a free and open exchange that produces the best results—and leads the nation to wise and popular policy results on challenging national issues.
I’m looking forward to seeing what new email or other communications are recovered by turning over more rocks in this lawsuit.
From the Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office:
Sheriff Glen Edwards would like to congratulate the twenty-one participants who recently completed the Louisiana Hunter’s Education Course. Following two days of classroom activities at the Red River Fire Station, the students finished with a field day at the Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office (RRPSO) Firing Range.
Course instructors included Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) Director Shane Hubbard as well as Sgt. Michael Longino and Deputy Marshall Guin of the RRPSO.
Red River Council on Aging provides services and supports so that area residents can age successfully in the place they have chosen to call home. The priority of Red River Council on Aging is to treat all individuals with dignity and respect. By offering aging services, partnering with community agencies, and programs, Red River Council on Aging both serves and empowers clients, their families and their caregivers to direct their own aging journey.
We are currently conducting a Needs Assessment to learn how we can best serve the community. We need your input to guide this process.
Please take a few moments to complete the Needs Assessment by going to https://bit.ly/GOEASurvey (case sensitive) or scanning the code below.
If using a paper version of this survey, please complete the survey and return it by October 15, 2022.
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