Thursday, October 23, 2008

Louisiana grows on you every day in the South; 'Ol' Kingfish' beats the hell out of 'Old Hickory'

Except during women's basketball season, I grow in affection for people from Louisiana each day.

The LSU Lady Tigers try to challenge the Olympian god Lady Vols each college season. So I'm strictly pro-UT during those winter months.

But after, I'm for Louisiana or anything tied to it. The people from there just seem to enjoy life. They're gregarious. They're a tad mischievous. Life is celebrated.

These folks don't seem to carry a lot of the social baggage still lugged around the South. Different peoples and languages have been part of Louisiana's history and culture. New Orleans seem to be the epicenter of diversity from food to people to music.

Its economy is bolstered by energy and tourism, two pillars that seldom weaken. And people there are reinforced with a faith that not even hurricanes can blow away.

Politically, people from there stick fast to their principles, unlike the flip-flopper party leaders in Tennessee. "The Kingfish" was more of a populist than Old Hickory, and the governor didn't have to own slaves or kill American Indians to be so.

Louisiana, where America's push West began, still holds something special in its people who bring joy and a bit of mischief across the South. Thank goodness fcr them, except during women's basketball season.

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