Justice Denied

Preface

      The diary entries in the pages that follow are my account of the six-year struggle I faced in opposing the federal government’s effort to unjustly convict me of false criminal charges. But the book tells much more, including  stories about my public and political life over the past forty years. This is neither an autobiography nor a comprehensive history of my  public life. It is more of a personal narrative; thoughts I recorded  each day as events unfolded. I talk about how my family and I responded to the pressures of the false charges; how an incumbent public official could be reelected after he was blindsided by a 56-count indictment just a few weeks before the election; what I went through in building the Louisiana Insurance Department virtually from scratch, and why insurance companies worldwide have been attracted to Louisiana. I also talk about the trial itself, and the devastating effect it had on my family and me. I discuss the aftermath of the trial, including the appeals process, and the massive commitment of time and money I made, trying to keep from going to jail while hoping to win my appeal.

      I believe that experience—mistakes made and lessons learned—sets the foundation for future decisions. I have always felt that one can learn a lot from past events. That’s why, for many years, I have kept a diary of my daily activities. My notations were originally intended for my own reference and remembrance, with no thought of publication. I reread random sections of my journal from time to time, reinforcing past decisions or sometimes second-guessing them. It has just made good sense for me to look back, with an eye to the future. As Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” My journal has been an invaluable aid in remembering the events that transpired over the past seven years. (Seven years! Who could have imagined that a fairly routine insurance decision would have consumed me for so long a period of time). 

      This is my first book, but I have always enjoyed putting words to paper. One of my University of North Carolina roommates, Jonathan Yardley, was the editor of the student newspaper The Daily Tarheel.   He talked me into writing a weekly column on university life; that was my first published work.

      For years I have jotted down anecdotes and observations of political life in Louisiana. In the late 1980s, I turned this material into a series of lectures on twentieth-century Louisiana political history, and I taught courses at both Tulane University in New Orleans and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Some of that history is included in this book  as background.

      But in the end, this book is my personal narrative of what my family and I went through as I warded off the unjust, false charges brought against me.

      I am a survivor!

      I can only hope that few other American citizens have to go through what I endured during the past seven years.

The Charges
Someone must have slandered Joseph K., for without having
done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning.
Franz Kafka, The Trial

Friday, September 24, 1999

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