The FBI again is facing heavy criticism for their failure to adequately anticipate the violence that took place in Washington DC last week. Their local office in Virginia had expressed some ‘concerns,”  but the agency failed to assess and predict the level of the mayhem and violence that took place. Blunderings by the FBI are...Read More

If you’re a college football fan, it’s time to fess up and call it just like it is. There are some great coaches in college football, but hands-down, Alabama coach Nick Sabin is the best. Numero Uno.  His Crimson Tide team absolutely demolished Ohio State in this past Monday night’s national championship game.  Oh I...Read More

Thursday, January 14th, 2021 Baton Rouge, Louisiana SABAN: THE BEST THERE EVER WAS! I don’t normally write a sports column, but a few words would seem appropriate after Alabama’s startling victory this past Monday night in the College Football Championship game. Simply put, love him or hate him, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is the best...Read More

My law school roommate, Bill Weinberg who lives up in eastern Kentucky, has written a perceptive Op Ed article on the changing nature of US Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell. You will be fascinated to read that Bill’s wife Lois ran against McConnell some years back, and the Weinberg’s have certainly been critical of McConnell...Read More

For those of you who have read my new book, My Louisiana Odyssey, you know that I wrote about rock and roller Jerry Lee Lewis, who was my first client when I started practicing law up in the little town of Ferriday, Louisiana. Jerry lee is 85 now, and slowing down a bit, but still...Read More

Should trials in America be televised? Particularly when there is great public interest? This would seem to be a no brainer. Of course they should. But many courts, particularly in the federal system, do not allow cameras in the quart room. The Supreme Court of the United States specifically for bids and he said cameras....Read More

Thursday, January 7th, 2021 Baton Rouge, Louisiana TELEVISE FEDERAL TRIALS?  OF COURSE! With one recent Supreme Court Justice confirmed and another just appointed by President Trump, the issue of televising hearings before the nation’s highest court will surely be discussed. The Supremes have stood steadfastly against letting the public watch the cases argued before them,...Read More

Hopefully, we all are kicking off the New Year on a positive note.  It’s an understatement to say that 2020 wasn’t much of a year for any of us. But I am hopeful, as I’m sure you are, of a much better prognosis for all of us in 2021. Do you make New Year’s resolutions?...Read More

January 1, 2021 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NEW YEAR THOUGHTS FROM THE BAYOU STATE! Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I always do.  A New Year always brings with it promise and uncertainty, but this coming year brings with it a greater foreboding than we have experienced in the past.  The Chinese have a saying: “May...Read More

I hope you’re ready for the many holiday events that will take place in the coming days. In this week’s column, I write about this special time of year. It begins at Thanksgiving when the pilgrims came to America and were looking for a second chance. Then on to Christmas, when we were given a...Read More

Thursday, December 24th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE HOLIDAYS OFFER US A SECOND CHANCE! Most of us have been swept up in the momentum of the holiday season. We have passed Thanksgiving, reached the Christmas milestone and are approaching New Year’s Day, the third in the trilogy of holidays. Sure, there is a lot of our...Read More

During this holiday season, we all know that lots of social drinking takes place. Often, it’s not responsible. Louisiana has as one of the highest percentages of drunk drivers and accidents involving drunk drivers in the nation. We pay through higher insurance rates. But we also pay in loss of lives in serious injury. What...Read More

Thursday, November 25th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  GET THE DRUNKS OFF THE ROAD IN LOUISIANA! Louisiana has always been a “free and easy” state when it comes to drinking and driving.  Visitors are dumbfounded when they see drive-through Daiquiri shops across the state.  Just as prevalent are the drive through liquor stores that punctuate the Bayou State.  And the results should...Read More

OK, I’ll admit it. I’m a big pumpkin pie a guy. I can eat pumpkin pie all year long but I save it up for the holidays. Not the healthiest thing to eat, but it sure taste good. Here’s my group of pumpkins for the year. Good eating to take place.Read More

 Trying to set a password WINDOWS: Please enter your new password USER: cabbage WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must be more than 8 characters. USER: boiled cabbage WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain 1 numerical character. USER: 1 boiled cabbage WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot have blank spaces. USER: 50frickingboiledcabbages WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain at least one...Read More

Thursday, November 19th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana A NEW LOUISIANA GOVERNOR SOON?  Louisiana congressman Cedric Richmond resigned this week announcing he will take a new position as a senior staffer are in the new Biden White House. And within hours, the rumor mills began as political insiders started considering the domino effect of such a...Read More

You’ve heard of the domino effect haven’t you? Well it could be about to take place in Louisiana. With the retirement of New Orleans congressman Cedric Richmond, there’s an opportunity for a number of things to happen. Who else from Louisiana could be considered to receive an appointment by the president? Is our present Louisiana...Read More

My friend of many years Julia Reed passed away recently from cancer at the age of 59. She was certainly one of the most interesting, entertaining, and full of life people I ever met.  She was a marvelous writer of southern life, and her columns appeared in newspapers and magazines all over the nation. Julia...Read More

Celebrity Chef John Besh was in town for a special cooking event this week.  The Chef always calls me for a few cooking tips when he’s in town.  (Yeah, right!)Read More

We thought the election was over on November 3rd. But there’s a flurry of lawsuits challenging the results in a few key states. Voter fraud is being alleged, and many states are reviewing the way they run their elections. The good news is that down here in the Bayou State, things went pretty well. We...Read More

Thursday, November 12th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NEEDED ELECTION REFORMS? Winston Churchill once said the democracies and the election process are messy, sometimes chaotic, and inefficient.  But, he also pointed out, that no one has devised a system that is any better. The recent presidential election was a nail biter with a small percentage of...Read More

The video above gives a moving and poignant reminder of the horrors of war. But so few Americans rarely acknowledge those who serve in the military.I felt an obligation to continue the service to my country. Yes, I’m a patriot and I make no bones about it. I’m a past judge advocate for the American...Read More

As the presidential vote counting continues, there have been numerous accusations about vote fraud in a number of states throughout the country. Is voter fraud that rampant? Sure, there are occasional efforts for elections to be tainted, particularly in some of the more rural counties and parishes around the nation. And if you live in...Read More

Thursday, November 5th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana PRESIDENTIAL VOTER FRAUD IN LOUISIANA? With the presidential election going right down to the wire, widespread voter fraud is being alleged by both the Republicans and the Democrats.  We may see final election results delayed for a week or more. Two Thousand Bush v Gore redux? With electronic...Read More

We lost another really great Texas outlaw singer and songwriter this week. Billy Joe Shaver for years has been always one of my favorites. Any number of great singers recorded his music. The likes of Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash to list just a few.  Two of my favorite Billy Joe...Read More

Putting aside all the campaign advertising that’s going on constantly each day on TV, I’m having my fill of many of the ads related to insurance. Sure it’s the trial lawyers, but it’s also the goofy insurance ads. How about that guy with the ostrich who seems completely spaced out walking around in a daze?...Read More

Thursday, October 28th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana INSURANCE REFORM NEEDS MORE THAN DUMB TV ADS!  Like most of you, I’ve had my fill of political ads and trial lawyer solicitations that seem to be constantly appearing on TV.  But you know what bothers me even more? I’m sick of seeing that goofy commercial of some...Read More

I wanted to let my friends and family know that we lost  one of my favorite performers last week.  Jerry Jeff Walker passed away at 78 years old. You don’t know this but I was the President of the Louisiana chapter of the Jerry Jeff fan club.  Jerry Jeff was a Texas country outlaw singer who began his...Read More

Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  WHAT WOULD YOU ASK THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES? If you could sit down with each of the two presidential candidates, President Donald Trump and Joe Biden, what would you ask them?  What insights would you be looking for?  What knowledge would you expect them to have?  And just how...Read More

With the election for president only a few days away, the negative campaigning doesn’t really educate us very much as to what important issues are facing our country today. If you had the chance, what questions would you put to do to  the major candidates running? The economy, obviously the virus, public safety, education, healthcare:...Read More

I’m a big Ray Stevens fan, and he has a great way of satirizing so many issues we face in this country today. Take a look at his new video, “The Quarantine Song.”Read More

Thursday, October 15th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana TERM LIMITS FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICES? Whatever the final result over the confirmation battle of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, one thing is becoming more urgent.  The court itself has a crisis of legitimacy. And one way to restore its genuineness is to require term limits for all future...Read More

The supreme court hearings taking place right now show a great division between Republicans and Democrats, reflected throughout the country. It used to be that picking supreme court judges was based on a strong legal background and scholarly accomplishments. Not so anymore. It all comes down to ideology. And these judges are now appointed for...Read More

I had planned on being up in Marksville Louisiana this week, speaking to the Louisiana State Retired Employees Association. I made the commitment to attend  over a year ago, and I was really looking forward to getting to know old friends again. I was a state employee up until 2002, and have enjoyed staying in...Read More

I suppose fall is my favorite time of year. Way too hot in the summertime, particularly down here in Louisiana. And we don’t get much of a winter. Our family has had a home up in the North Carolina mountains for many years. It’s really a treat this time of year to go up and...Read More

Thursday, October 8th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  GOV. MIKE FOSTER LEFT AN INSURANCE LEGECY!  There is no place like Louisiana on this earth, and I think that when my days are over, I’ll find heaven to be no different from Louisiana ““ maybe a little bit cooler in the summer. Governor Mike Foster Governor Foster...Read More

Mike Foster was quite a guy. The Louisiana governor did not fit the mold of those who seek the state’s highest office. He was a multimillionaire from Franklin Louisiana, a small town located down in Cajun country. He loved to fish, and I had the opportunity to hang out at his camp with him on...Read More

I hope you have registered to vote in this important coming election. Everybody has an opinion about voting for the president and many other candidates. I’m a JibJab fan, and the message is clear below. Go Vote!Read More

Even us old folks enjoy good music, and like to get out of the dance floor and kick up our heels. Here’s a great cross-section of friends joining in to dance and sing “Roll Out the Barrel,” one of my favorites.Read More

It seems like everyone we know are going to vote in the coming presidential election by mail- in ballot. Some experts say as many as 50% of all votes cast will be done this way. But then the problems begin. It could take weeks, or even longer to count all these ballots.  And are not...Read More

Thursday, October 1st, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana VOTING IN PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Will elections ever be the same? From coast to coast, there is a great deal of controversy over mail in ballots as well as absentee voting.  According to some projections, as many as 50% of voters will cast mail in ballots. ...Read More

Hey you know what? I’m a product of the 50s. My high school days are some of the best memories of my life.  I went to high school in St. Louis Missouri, and the Ronnie Milsap video below pretty well sums up my great memories of the early part of my life. If you’re too...Read More

The President vetted a number of Court of Appeals judges in the process of filling a vacancy on the US Supreme Court created following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He announced from the beginning that his pick was going to be a woman. So naturally, the seven women on the fifth circuit Court...Read More

Thursday, September 24th, 20120 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  LOUISIANA IGNORED IN SUPREME COURT PICK! “Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.”                                                  -Edmund Burke Before the President made his choice this week for a new nominee to fill the vacancy on the United States...Read More

Special holidays like the Memorial Day always have, for good reason, a special acknowledgement of those military service men and women who have defended our country for so many years.  There are few veterans in congress today.  Most politicians reflect the comment of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who, when asked why he did to volunteer...Read More

Below is an excellent video on the perspective of millennials in our country today. There’s a great deal of talent, but also a sense of entitlement. Here is an excerpt of Simon Sinek, a commenter on today’s younger generation from an episode of Inside Quest. It is well worth a few minutes to review. And...Read More

OK, OK. I know The New York Times is not a popular publication down here in the deepest of the deep southern states. And boy did they get things riled up in a recent article on the editorial page saying that black athletes are being exploited at LSU. They went further to say that whenever...Read More

Thursday, September 17th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LSU FOOTBALL AND RACE RELATIONS! Ah, the wisdom found in the New York Times. America’s newspaper (at least according to them) seems to find a reason every week to denigrate the backwards homefolks that populate Louisiana. Certainly some debasement is justified, particularly when it comes to disparaging the state’s...Read More

It was 19 years ago this week. A horrific scene glued by TV watchers all over the world, as two planes hit the World Trade Center in New York City. So many lives lost, and so many questions still on answered.  This event dramatically changed our lives, and brought a whole new wave of security...Read More

Thursday, September 10th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana OUR LIVES WERE CHANGED BY 9/11  I have watched through a window a world that has fallen. W. H. Auden The date, 9/11, turned into the frantic dialing of 911 nineteen years ago. A surreal feeling of shock and helplessness enveloped all Americans as we watched that day’s...Read More

Louisiana has always lagged far behind other states in educational attainment. Now we just get some news from the state Board of Education. If your kids are going to learn virtually, they have to have access to the Internet.  So what’s new? This information has been obvious for a number of years. I wrote about...Read More

Thursday, September 3rd, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana ALL LOUISIANA KIDS HAVE A RIGHT TO INTERNET ACCESS!  Our illustrious state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in Louisiana has just released a startling report.  Over 25% of students, some 179,000 throughout the state, have no internet access.  Yet the vast majority of school districts teach a...Read More

I have always been fascinated by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. He was known to transmute vibrant colors and great detailing of his everyday observations onto the canvas. The poor artist died with little money and during his lifetime, he managed to sell only one painting. Often referred to as the ‘Mad Artist,’ van...Read More

To mask or not to mask? That is the question.  Here’s a fun parody of whether or not to mask based on the hit Broadway Musical Hamilton.  Checkout what side you are on.Read More

Another cleanup begins as Hurricane Laura devastates the Gulf coastline and moves up through Louisiana.  Fifteen years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc and tore into the soul of New Orleans and south Louisiana.  It was one of the most trying times in the state’s history.  I look back at my personal experience with...Read More

August 26th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana Fifteen Years Ago Katrina Tried To Wash Us Away! As Louisiana begins the massive cleanup following Hurricane Laura, those of us living on the Gulf Coast remember the fear and concern that enveloped our region fifteen years ago this week. A lady named Katrina changed many of our lives....Read More

As I have written before on this website, I wish I were a really good dancer. Looking back over these 80 years, I just wish I had danced a lot more.There are so many really good dancers today.Take a look at the video below to see the cast of Ghee do some really creative dancing....Read More

It’s always a treat hanging out with my buddy Tony Bennett. He looks great for being 94 years old. (Oh alright! You caught me. The photo was taken at Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in Las Vegas. We both look pretty good in wax, don’t we?)  Read More

Thursday, August 20th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LEGISLATURE STICKS IT TO LOUISIANA POLICYHOLDERS! Say what?  I’m sure I’m not hearing this right.  After spending millions of dollars in lobbying for so called tort reform, and promising that limiting policyholders’ legal rights will cause a major reduction in the cost of automobile insurance, the industry seems to be taking an...Read More

If you live in Louisiana, you were bombarded with assurances by the insurance industry that new laws limiting the rights of policyholders would show a dramatic drop in the cost of automobile insurance. 25% by the end of this year. But guess what? It looks like you policyholders really got conned.  Now the insurance lobbyists...Read More

Thursday, August 13th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana JESSE JAMES AND LOUISIANA!  With the pandemic keeping us more at home, TV binge watching has become the norm.  My family and I have viewed season after season of Chicago PD, NCIS New Orleans, even old re-runs of The Sopranos and Friends.  And old-time movies.  How many times...Read More

Are you getting tired of staying home and binge watching so much TV? All right, I know there’s a limited amount that you can do with a pandemic going on. And like you, I’ve watched any number of TV series and old movies. One of my favorites is about the outlaw Jesse James. You might...Read More

Sure, I pick up my iPhone regularly, and I am on social media a good bit. But how much is it affecting us? Social Media and technology can connect us, but it can also harm us. Take a look at today’s generation and their digital addiction. And see what did you think?Read More

Bourbon Street in the New Orleans French Quarter is still dead as a door nail.  Do you think it will ever come back?Read More

How about those little critters that seem to be taking over Louisiana and other coastal states? Nutria didn’t exist down here in deep South until the last 50 years. What to do? What to do? Are there any solutions?  Well, yes, if you want to be experimental. Did you know that these little varmints make...Read More

Here are some big news. We have a new podcast basis. My colleague Rannah Gray and I have started a podcast about the fascinating things one can find in our home state of Louisiana. And where to begin? Whether it is the food, the music, art, politics, you name it, Louisiana is often called the...Read More

Thursday, August 6th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NUTRIA-IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER! Those little critters are taking over the state. With so many problems on Louisiana’s plate, add to the list what we can do about the onslaught and continuing invasion of nutria.  That’s right.  And we even have U.S. Senators from both parties in Washington...Read More

Do you like to dance? I sure do. OK, I’m not very good at it. But everyone likes to think they have a little rhythm, and get out on the dance floor from time to time. Actually, I was pretty good back in high school. That’s why I like the movie, Footloose so much. Here’s...Read More

Money, money, money goes the song from the Broadway show Cabaret. And this should be an issue in Louisiana comes to electing state judges.  Insurance lobbyists push through legislation in the recent session of the Louisiana Legislature that limits rulings of judges when it comes to automobile injury cases. But if money is the problem,...Read More

      Thursday, July 30th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND JUDGES! Is Louisiana a judicial hellhole where decisions by state judges are influenced by campaign contributions?  Apparently, the Louisiana legislature and business lobbying groups think so. In the recent legislative session, laws were passed taking away the authority of state judges to...Read More

What do you do when you’re in the middle of a pandemic, stuck at home, and bored to death? You read of course!  Book sales are at an all-time high throughout the country, as people have more free time. I write about the joy reading in this week’s column. And you’ll find some interesting facts...Read More