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EHS teammates Balke Dautreuil (8) and Christen Migues (1) shake hands with Nate Touchet (12) after he scored a touchdown.

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Blake Dautreuil (8) attempts to tackle a Crowley player.

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Erath's Christian Migues (1) and other Bobcats tackle a Crowley runner.

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Erath defensive end Chase Broussard (30) is able to bring down Crowley QB Omar Butler.

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Erath freshman running back Landon Lemaire (10) runs down field. He had 10 carries for 65 yards in the second half.

Erath survives against Crowley

CROWLEY - The Erath Bobcats got out of Crowley with a 39-28 district victory and finished district at 3-1.
At one time, Erath led 29-6 at halftime and 36-6 early in the third period. But somehow, the Bobcats managed to find themselves in a dogfight with the Gents in the second half.
The Gents outscored EHS 22-6 in the second half after falling behind 36-6.
“It was crazy at the end,” said EHS head coach Eric LeBlanc. “We got a big lead early. Then, the offense and defense played well.”
Crowley managed to put up more offense in the first half than the Bobcats despite scoring only six points. The Gents had 258 yards, and Erath and 173.
The Gents tried an onside kick to open the second half. However, they were unsuccessful. Erath’s Lane Delcambre picked up the ball and ran it back seven yards to the EHS 44-yard line. EHS quarterback Lynkon Romero connected with Christian Pillette for a 36-yard reception, and then Romero found Nate Touchet for a 22-yard TD reception. At the 10:12 mark in the third period, EHS led 36-6.
One would have thought the game was over, but not with Crowley’s one-man show, quarterback Omar Butler. Butler finished the game with 277 yards, and he scored four touchdowns. At halftime, Bulter had 131 yards on 10 carries.
“Butler did not surprise us,” said LeBlanc. “He was as good as we thought he would be.”
The Bobcats thought they were putting the icing on the cake when Dylan Duhon nailed a 30-yard field goal, making it 39-12 with 9:43 to play in the game.
But back came Crowley and put together a 10-play drive to trim the lead to 39-18.
Duhon missed a 45-yard field goal with four minutes left to play in the game. On Crowley’s next possession, Butler ran 80 yards for a touchdown, and CHS converted the two-point play that made 39-28 with 3:49 to play.
The Gents successfully kicked the onside kick and recovered the ball at midfield.
However, instead of going forward, the Gents went backwards and found themselves facing a fourth down and 30 yards away for a first down from the Crowley 28-yard line.
Bulter almost pulled off the miracle run by scampering 25 yards, but then Bobcats were hit with a personal foul penalty after hitting Bulter out of bounds. Crowley thought it had an automatic first down after the penalty. But, instead, Erath got the ball back and ran out the clock.
The Bobcats played the second half without their leading rusher Mason Hebert. Hebert had only five carries for 28 yards. At halftime he took off his uniform due to a leg injury.
Another player took off his uniform after EHS scored in the opening minutes of the third period. Christian Pillette did not play for most of the third period and all of the fourth quarter.
He had a good night receiving. He finished with three receptions for 84 yards and a TD.
EHS quarterback Lynkon Romero also had a good game. He completed eight out of 10 passes for 145 yards and three scores. He also rushed for 66 yards and scored twice.
With Hebert sidelined in the second half, freshman Landon Lemaire stepped in to carry the load at running back. Lemaire rushed for 65 yards on 12 carries, all in the second half.
In the first half, Dylan Duhon recovered a fumble on Crowley’s opening possession, and the Bobcats took advantage of it. Romero had a 24-yard touchdown run. A 24-yard reception by Nate Touchet set it up.
Erath successfully converted the onside kick when Aiden Bourque fell on the ball. The Bobcats scored six plays later. Romero hit Pillette for a 17-yard TD pass.
Erath led 15-0 at the 3:37 mark in the first period.
The Bobcats pushed the score to 29-6 when Romero hit Blake Dauteruil on a screen pass. Dautreuil tipped toed down the sideline for a 16-yard touchdown reception.
EHS is on the road to battle Donaldsonville in a non-district game.

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Jeff Crouere

Joe must go

What is it going to take for the 25th Amendment to be utilized and for President Joe Biden to be removed from office? He is 79 years old and is suffering from significant mental incapacities. Biden needs rest, medical care, and treatment for his condition.
Due to his mental incompetence, Biden has been controlled by members of his administration and pushed in a far-left direction that has been disastrous to our nation. The report card for the first 21 months of his administration is a catastrophe. His grade is an F-, as nothing he has attempted has succeeded.
After inheriting a county that was recovering nicely from the pandemic and moving toward prosperity, Biden decided to shift gears completely. As a result, he has destroyed our good economy and forced our country into a recession. Americans are also dealing with skyrocketing interest rates, record setting inflation, supply chain delays and shortages of vital consumer items such as baby formula.
On the issue of energy, Biden has moved our country from energy independence to complete dependence on foreign countries. The world witnessed the spectacle of Biden begging the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia for increased oil production in the infamous “fist bump” meeting.
Under President Biden, crime in our urban areas is surging uncontrollably, drug overdose deaths have reached a record, the border is wide open, and our educational system is in shambles. We cannot afford to wait another 27 months until his term ends. By that time, the damage to our country may be irreversible.
Fortunately, Republicans are on the threshold of taking control of the United States Congress after the midterm elections. The first order of business for the new GOP majority in the U.S. House of Representatives should be to hold impeachment hearings on Biden.
Remember, President Donald Trump was impeached twice for ridiculous reasons, such as making a “perfect” phone call to the Ukrainian President and giving a speech to a massive rally of supporters and exhorting them to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” In contrast, Biden has committed a multitude of serious offenses, which are clearly impeachable.
Here are only a few of the many reasons that Biden should be impeached:
He created an open southern border which has allowed millions of illegal aliens to enter our country, including criminals and terrorists. The massive influx of illegal fentanyl and other drugs has contributed to over 100,000 overdose deaths per year.
Biden’s botched withdrawal of our military from Afghanistan was the biggest foreign policy disaster in recent memory. It contributed to the deaths of 13 of our military heroes and left our enemy, the Taliban, in control of a multi-billion-dollar Bagram air base, as well as $85 billion in military equipment.
Biden lied about his lack of involvement in his son’s business deals. It was confirmed by his former business associate, Tony Bobulinski, that 10% of the profits from a deal with a Chinese energy company were supposed to be held for “the big guy,” a nickname for Joe Biden.
To keep oil prices down before the midterm elections, Biden has repeatedly raided the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is now at its lowest level in forty years. These reserves are supposed to be used during national, not political, emergencies.
Along with this list, there are many other reasons why Biden should be impeached. Unfortunately, many Republicans lack the intestinal fortitude to proceed with such “controversial” hearings. In an interview on my Ringside Politics radio show on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com, U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (R-LA) claimed that he had not seen anything from President Biden that merited impeachment. Really, Congressman, where have you been?
Sadly, this desire for inaction was echoed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). When asked by Punchbowl News whether Biden or his cabinet had engaged in impeachable offenses, McCarthy said “I don’t see it before me right now.”
Unfortunately, McCarthy is purposely ignoring Biden’s variety of impeachable offenses. This does not bode well for the incoming Republican Party majority in Congress. If they refuse to deliver for the GOP faithful on this critical issue, millions of Republicans will be furious.
The Biden impeachment needs to happen. If Republicans refuse to do the right thing and give Biden a pass, at the very least, they should demand that he submit to a mental competency test.
Biden has not released the results of any mental competency test to the American people since he assumed the presidency. This test is crucial because almost every Biden speech is littered with gaffes and humiliating mistakes.
Republicans must end their fixation with abiding by the Marquess of Queensberry rules while Democrats fight bare-knuckled, mixed-martial arts style. For the benefit of the nation and the world, Biden must be removed from the presidency. Republicans must not flinch from this responsibility.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com

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There were four metal detectors set up at Erath last week. There will be at least two detectors at each home game tonight and Friday.

Reminder: New rules for entering home football games in Vermilion Parsih

Vermilion Parish Superintendent Tommy Byler reminds everyone about the new rule changes for high school football home games on Thursday and Friday.
Tonight there will be two public school football games in Vermilion Parish, and on Friday, there will be one,
The Abbeville Wildcats entertain the St. Martinville Tigers in a district showdown tonight. The game was moved to Thursday due to a possible rainstorm.
Another game that moved was the Gueydan High/Oberlin High School game. That game is also being played on Thursday.
North Vermilion will play host to Lafayette Christian Academy (LCA) on Friday.
One of the significant changes fans will notice is having to walk through metal detectors before the game.
Byler said no pocket knives or vape instruments would be allowed in the stadium.
• Only clear bags will be allowed into the game.
• Items such as diaper bags, blankets, and stadium seats will be checked.
• There is no re-entry into the game once you leave.
• Entrance gates will be closed at the end of the second quarter.
• High school students need an ID to
enter without an adult.
• All students below high school age will need to be accompanied into the stadium by an adult.
• All students must be in the stands and designated area by the school hosting the event.

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Billy Joseph LeBlanc

ERATH – A Mass of Christian Burial for Mr. Billy Joseph LeBlanc, 73, will be held at 3:00PM on Friday, October 28, 2022 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Erath with Fr. Clinton Sensat officiating. Interment will be at Our Lady of Lourdes Mausoleum.
Visitation will be at David Funeral Home of Erath on Friday, October 28, 2022 beginning at 10:00AM until the time of service with a recitation of the rosary at 1:00PM.
A native of Erath and a resident of Youngsville, Mr. LeBlanc passed away at 11:10PM on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 at Camelot of Broussard. Mr. Billy proudly served his country in the Louisiana National Guard and was an accountant for over 40 years. The last four years of his career was working with his sons at Bon Temps Grill in Lafayette. Mr. Billy was known for being fluent in Cajun French and telling stories. He lived life to its fullest.
He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Lolita Marquez LeBlanc; two step sons, Patrick O’Bryan and his wife Angie and Steven O’Bryan and his wife Kay; his twin brother Bobbie LeBlanc; a granddaughter, Madelyn O’Bryan; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Eldredge and Gladys Sellers LeBlanc; and a brother Sheldon LeBlanc.
Serving as pallbearers will be members of friends and family.
You may sign the guest register book and express condolences online at www.davidfuneralhome.org
David Funeral Home 209 E. Putnam Street Erath, La 70533 (337) 937-0405

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Jessie Abshire

May 1, 1944 - October 20, 2022

Jessie Abshire passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, October 20, 2022, surrounded by loved ones.
Jessie was born on May 1,1944 in Kaplan, Louisiana. Jessie loved farm life, carpentry, and his family and friends. He graduated from Kaplan High School and was an active member of the Future Farmers of America, a program which he cared for deeply. After high school, he attended the Vocational Technical School in Abbeville. Jessie was an excellent carpenter and enjoyed playing the handy man. He was honored to have built the pulpit & the kneelers for St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Lyons Point, LA.
He married his beautiful wife on July 29, 1967 in that same church in Lyons Point. The two were each other’s lifelong companions for 56 years and they were blessed with three children.
Jessie worked for Wyman Gordon for over 50 years as their head of Inventory and Shipping. He loved his job and made many lasting friendships there. He was known by his colleagues for his boundless energy and engaging humor.
He enjoyed helping others through organizations like PSI (Public Service Initiative) where he happily put his children to work and was awarded for his efforts and dedication to the cause.
Jessie is survived by his wife Brenda, and their two children Katherine and Shane: his grandchildren Jessi and Shane: brother Rodney and sisters: Ruby, Millie and Shirley: and many many family members and friends that loved him dearly.
He is preceded in death by his parents Nolan and Bertha Abshire and his son Shannon, a beautiful soul that we lost too soon.
Jessie will be remembered for his kindness, humility, humor and energetic spirit that served to strengthen everyone he met.
Visitation is Thursday October 27 at 5pm at Klein Funeral Home, 9719 Wortham Blvd in Houston. Funeral services will be held Friday October 28 at 2pm at the same location.

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Jim Bradshaw

Did they celebrate Emmeline’s birthday?

Even the New York Times took notice of the “literary birthday” at the end of October 1967 of Emmeline Labiche, “heroine who made her name … in real life and then gained immortality in the lines of a poem.” Some people claim she and her sweetheart Louis Arceneaux were the real-life models of Longfellow’s Evangeline and Gabriel, but the Times did it right in making it a literary birthday, not a real one.
The newspaper recorded on Oct. 28, 1967, “After futilely searching in many places for her lover, [Emmeline] finally settled … among old friends in St. Martinville, [where she] lived an unhappy but normal life, until … she learned that her sweetheart had married another, [and] her mind became deranged. For years after that … she wandered through the beautiful Bayou Teche country, weaving bridal garlands of flowers for her hair.”
It’s a romantic story that the Times said it heard from Andre Olivier, the St. Martinville shopkeeper, historian, and storyteller who was credited with “enshrining” Longfellow’s heroine in the Teche county. It’s largely because of his work that businesses and products all across south Louisiana were given the name Evangeline ─ from Evangeline Maid bread to car dealerships and hot sauces and motels, even to a parish that is largely populated by non-Acadians.
A decade before the Times story, in October 1958, the Teche News declared Olivier’s store on the corner of East Bridge and North Pinaud streets “the most famous country store in the United States,” because of the “writers, historians, folk song writers, artists, and people from all walks of life” who over several decades “came to him for information and advice.”
The important distinction here is that he was both historian and storyteller, and that he sometimes intermingled history and story.
Historian Carl Brasseaux has suggested that “growing credence in the Evangeline story… was fostered by Longfellow’s literary successors, particularly Felix Voorhies, whose works were also intended to be purely fictional.”
Judge Voorhies wrote Acadian Reminiscences: The True Story of Evangeline (New Orleans, Rivas Publishers, 1907) which tells how Emmeline was about to marry Louis “when the barbarous scattering of our colony took place.” The lovers tried to flee from the village of St. Gabriel in old Acadia, but were caught by the British and sent their separate ways. In the Voorhies story, Emmeline was sent to Maryland and eventually came to Louisiana.
Olivier’s story was basically the same as the Voorhies version. A prominent sign in front of his store read, “The True Story of Evangeline By Judge Felix Voorhies of La. — Also Postal Card Views by Andre A. Olivier.” Another read, “Tourists! Stop Here. Evangeline Enshrined.”
Voorhies and Longfellow wrote fiction, but, Brasseaux argues, other writers embellished their stories, creating “a legend which bore only a faint resemblance to the original story line and none to historical events.”
Something like the tales of Evangeline and Emmeline probably did happen to more than one pair of Acadian sweethearts. But there is no record that anyone named Evangeline Bellefontaine, Gabriel Lajeunesse (as Longfellow named them), or Emmeline Labiche (the Voorhies heroine) lived in Acadia at the time of the exile. There was no village named St. Gabriel in Acadie. The St. Gabriel in Iberville Parish wasn’t created until well after the Acadian exile. There was a real Louis Arceneaux, but he was born in St. James Parish 13 years after the Le Grand Derangement.
None of that deterred the Times from reporting that Gov. Richard Leche and “literary figures and townspeople” planned commemorative ceremonies at Emmeline’s grave “in the little Catholic churchyard” in St. Martinville on Oct. 30, 1967. That, of course, would be difficult, since there was no Emmeline.
Nonetheless, you can still find accounts claiming that the bronze statue next to St. Martin Church marks Emmeline’s grave. The statue is actually of Delores del Rio, the Mexican actress who played Evangeline in the 1929 movie based on Longfellow’s poem, and who almost certainly looked nothing like Evangeline or Emmeline or any real Acadian girl.
If the governor and literary figures did gather at the statue, they did it very quietly. I find no report of it in any local newspaper. The big story in the Teche News on October 30 was about the St. Martinville High homecoming.
It is true that, even if only loosely based in history, the legend is an important narrative. It reflects the Acadian people’s ability to endure an exile designed to destroy them. That incredible survival is a fact, and the stories do reflect the real heartbreak and trauma brought on by families torn apart. Those facts are a part of the very essence of the Cajun heritage of south Louisiana. The stories are an authentic and enduring reflection of that upheaval, just as good works of fiction should be.
But they should be regarded as reminders of our history, not reports of it, even if they’re in the New York Times.
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

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Bryan Golden

How Do You Treat Others?

“If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain as he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought and could be.” --Goethe

How do you treat other people? Are you ever condescending or rude? Do you feel some people are more important than others? Do you think that a person’s education, occupation, and economic status determine their significance?
Perhaps you take the opposite tact. Do you treat everyone as being important? Do you feel a person’s worth is intrinsic and independent of their job, wealth, or social status? Are you polite and considerate?
The manner in which you treat others has a direct bearing on how they respond to and treat you. As the opening quote so aptly states, people tend to meet your expectations. Of course, this doesn’t happen 100 percent of the time, but it does hold true in many circumstances.
Suppose you bought a vacuum cleaner and it stopped working 10 days after the store’s return period had ended. Aggravated, you rush back to return it. As you approach William, a customer service associate, you are annoyed and expect to be told that there is nothing the store can do for you.
Being ready for a fight, you snap at William as soon as he asks how he can help you. William spends his day facing upset and irate customers. Now he has to deal with you. Do you think William will go out of his way to help you out? Probably not.
What if you take a different strategy? Granted, you are upset that the vacuum cleaner broke and you realize that technically the store doesn’t have to help you. But you also understand that there is always latitude in spite of formal return policies.
Walking up to William you have a smile and the attitude that you know William will be able to help you resolve your problem. You treat William with respect and ask for his assistance. This strategy will give you a much better chance for a satisfactory resolution of your problem.
People do indeed react to how you treat them. They will subconsciously adjust their performance to meet your expectations. Expect little and you’ll get less. Let someone know that you believe in them, their capabilities, and potential and you will get more than you anticipated.
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to force a person to behave in a particular fashion. Even in situations where you may wield power over someone via employment or other circumstances, coerced cooperation will lead to resentment and an unstable relationship at best.
At times, you have to treat people in a way that is the opposite of how they are acting. This is often difficult to do. It’s a real challenge to treat someone well when they are treating you poorly. Although treating them as poorly as they are treating you may be tempting, the chances of you reaching your objective are close to zero. Usually, the only thing that will happen is having the situation deteriorate further.
Treating someone well who is treating you poorly doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, but it does give you the best chance of a positive solution. In these cases, treating someone well requires a lot of patience, persistence, and perseverance.
Treat people as you want them to act. Let others know you recognize their potential and believe in their capabilities. Do these things and you will be pleased with the results.

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Jim Brown

Abolish the death penalty in Louisiana?

A jury last week in Parkland, Florida recommended Nikolas Cruz get life in prison for killing 17 people, sparing Cruz from a death sentence after his lawyers argued he had a troubled upbringing. I read a great deal about this case and I wasn’t impressed with his “upbringing” argument. Hey, life growing up can be tough, but one isn’t excused for such unspeakable, horrific brutality that took place. I would have voted for the death penalty.
Down here in the Bayou State, there’s a clamor for more executions. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry makes no bones about his feelings. More executions -- including nitrogen gas, hangings, firing squads, electrocution, and lethal injection. But a federal judge has put all executions in Louisiana on hold for another year.
There is a reason the death penalty is rarely enforced anymore, particularly in the federal judicial system. Too many innocent victims are being convicted, based on cover-ups and the withholding of exculpatory evidence by some federal and state prosecutors. A recent study published in the National Academy of Sciences concludes that some 4.1 percent of inmates on death row are innocent. More than 4 percent! If that were the rate of airplanes crashing, would you fly?
My alma mater, the University of North Carolina, completed a death penalty study in 2016, and found that in Louisiana, 127 of 155 death penalty cases over the past 40 years ended in reversal, some 10 points above the national average.
Since 2000, there have been only two executions while seven people in Louisiana, about to be put to death, were found to be innocent. The main reason? Prosecutorial misconduct.
Louisiana has taken on the dubious title of having case after case of death row inmates being convicted based on the withholding of evidence that would prove their innocence.
New Orleans has become the cesspool for the innocent being convicted of capital crimes and sentenced to death. One of the most egregious is the case of New Orleanian John Thompson, who was convicted back in 1982 of first-degree murder and given the death sentence.? He came within days of being executed after spending 14 years on death row and 18 years total in prison. Five different prosecutors were involved in the case and all knew that a blood test, and other key evidence that showed Thompson was innocent, had been withheld by the prosecution.
On his deathbed and dying of cancer, one of the prosecutors confessed to a colleague that he had hidden the exculpatory blood sample. The colleague waited five more years before admitting that he too knew of the hidden evidence. Thompson, after 18 years, received a new trial, and his lawyers were finally able to produce pieces of evidence that had been kept from Thompson’s defense attorneys, that overwhelming showed he was innocent. The new jury took less than 35 minutes to find him not guilty. The prosecutors involved all should have been disbarred and had to serve jailtime themselves.
Hiding evidence that can find the accused innocent is nothing new for prosecutors in New Orleans, both in state and federal court as well as with the FBI. The Innocence Project of New Orleans reviewed a number of convictions over the past 25 years in the city and concluded that prosecutors have a “legacy” of suppressing evidence.
Then there is the chilling case of Dan Bright, convicted and put on death row for a murder he did not commit. Evidence came out years after his conviction that the FBI, thanks to a credible informant, had been in possession of the name of the actual killer all along. Luckily for Bright, because of the unconstitutional withholding of key evidence by the prosecution and the FBI, his conviction was thrown out, and he now is a free man.
Questionable conduct by rogue prosecutors who withhold information that could prove the innocence of an accused is far too prevalent. Whether one is for or against the death penalty, there is ample evidence that convictions of a capital crime can be a crapshoot based on the whims of some prosecutors who too often withhold evidence that shows the accused is innocent.
In the movie “Shooter”, Bobby Lee Swagger sums up how the death penalty is often enforced. In Louisiana. “This is the world we live in, and justice is not always fulfilled!”

Peace and Justice
Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the South and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownla.com. You can also look over a list of books he has published at www.thelisburnpress.com.

If Biden was actually concerned about high oil prices, he would prioritize more oil drilling

President Joe Biden is still reeling from the decision earlier this month by OPEC to curtail global oil production as the world prepares for another recession after Covid, induced by inflation levels not seen since the 1970s and 1980s as the post-Covid supply crunch and the war in Ukraine continue.
With less than a month to go before the Congressional midterm elections — every seat in the House and one-third of the seats in the Senate are up for election on Nov. 8 — the Biden administration had been lobbying Saudi Arabia to boost production even as prices have already fallen from their highs of $120 in June after the war began. Light Sweet Crude stands at about $85 as of this writing.
The trouble is, with inflation still north of 8 percent in the U.S., Biden needed the perception that something is being done, somewhere, to increase production. Just not here. That is because he is obeying two masters, the American people and the environmentalist interests that have similarly locked up future U.S. energy production in favor of green alternatives including electric vehicles.
And yet, even there, production is worse than that of fossil fuels, with months-long waiting lists for battery-powered cars and trucks.
That is because, during Covid when much of the global economy was locked down, production was forestalled across the board, resulting in months-long delays for basic orders in supply chains when demand picked up sooner than expected. So, even though petroleum was made more scarce — U.S. oil production is still 9 percent below its peak Dec. 2019 levels of 402 million barrels a month — so was everything else, with the result being higher prices across the board.
The limits on U.S. oil production are largely self-imposed — producible leases on federal lands were down 2.4 percent in 2021 compared to 2019 — as advanced economies have been attempting to transition to net-zero carbon footprints without much immediate success. But ideas of limiting consumption by restricting immediate production are short-sighted.
Another major factor are Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing incentives that have successfully pushed U.S. oil companies to restrict future production. ESG investing has increased dramatically the past decade via private retirement funds regulated under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) thanks to a regulation by the Obama Labor Department in 2015.
Additionally, the $762 billion federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) for federal employee retirees began investing in ESG funds in 2022, following state government employee retirement funds in California, New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland and Oregon.
A group of 19 Republican Attorneys General led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson have threatened the $10 trillion hedge fund BlackRock with antitrust legal action in an Aug. 4 letter to BlackRock CEO Larry Fink accusing the company of “intentionally restrain[ing] and harm[ing] the competitiveness of the energy markets” with its market dominance of retirement investments.
Brnovich and Peterson added, “coordinated conduct with other financial institutions to impose net-zero [carbon emissions by 2050] … raises antitrust concerns. Group boycotts, restraining trade, or concerted refusals to deal, ‘clearly run afoul of’ Section 1 of the Sherman Act [according to the Supreme Court]. Section 1 prohibits ‘[e]very … combination … , or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce.’ Regarding the definition of a ‘combination,’ the Supreme Court has held that this language prohibits ‘concerted action.’”
A follow-up letter has also been sent by the group of 19 Attorneys General to the Securities and Exchange Commission, declaring “BlackRock’s past public commitments indicate that it has used citizens’ assets to pressure companies to comply with international agreements such as the Paris Agreement that force the phase-out of fossil fuels, increase energy prices, drive inflation, and weaken the national security of the United States.”
These are two things that Biden had a lot of control over: Leases on federal lands are down and ESG retirement investment regulations have only been increased in his time in office, with both the Labor Department and the SEC institutionalizing ESG incentives rather than reducing them.
The idea is to reduce America’s carbon output. Biden has been telling the world we want less oil for years now. Now, with the global economy circling the drain into another recession he’s surprised that the global oil producers like Saudi Arabia are listening.

Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government.

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Miss Clara Marie Duhon and Mr. Frank Wynerth Summers III

Duhon-Summers Engagement is Announced

Miss Clara Marie Duhon and Mr. Frank Wynerth Summers III, both of Abbeville, are pleased to announce their engagement and forthcoming marriage.
Miss Duhon is the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Duhon, Sr. of Abbeville. The bride’s mother was the former Dorphi Lee of Erath, Louisiana. Mr. Summers is the son of Mrs. Genie Gremillion Summers and the late Mr. Frank W. Summers II of Abbeville.
The bride is a graduate of Vermilion Catholic High School, St. Mary’s Dominican College, and USL (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). She was the former Comptroller of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office and is now retired. The groom is a graduate of Abbeville High School, USL, and obtained a master’s degree from Louisiana State University. He is currently employed as a teacher by the Iberia Parish School District.
The nuptial Mass will take place at 11:00 am on Saturday, November 19, 2022 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church.

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Vermilion Today

Abbeville Meridional

318 N. Main St.
Abbeville, LA 70510
Phone: 337-893-4223
Fax: 337-898-9022

The Kaplan Herald

219 North Cushing Avenue
Kaplan, LA 70548