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THE POLITICS OF POP CULTUREDr. Phil Chronicles: Episode 6 - Life Imitates Art
Posted June 13th, 2008 in All, Books, Celebrities, Commentary, Dr. Phil Chronicles, Entertainment, TV Moment of the Weak and Weekend FluffINTEGRITY:
I broke down and watched Dr. Phil today, because it has been that kind of week. (I admit it. I’m a smugaholic. I’m not proud.) Whenever I tune in to the king of smug I’m always afraid I might hit on one of those smarmy “giveaway” episodes Oprah made so popular, but lady fortune must have taken pity on me. Today was the second episode of a Special Two Part Series, and everyone knows that when Dr. Phil can’t fit all of his copious amounts of smug into one episode, someone’s goin’ down. Booyah.
I was not disappointed. The good doctor decided to get in between a former high school student who accuses his teacher of molesting him, and the teacher who denies everything, because why not drag this situation out into the spotlight for everyone to share? It becomes clear pretty quickly that whatever happened wasn’t good, but it wasn’t necessarily what the student said had happened, which brought to mind my favorite playwright, Mr. David Mamet. Mamet once wrote a play called Oleanna, a scathingly honest look at the role sexual politics plays in generating conflict which tends to get out of hand. The play itself was written in response to the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill scandal, and the film version, being directed by Mamet, manages to capture the play’s tension on a movie set fairly well. Both versions provide a damning illustration of the way minor, but vital, political differences in communication between the sexes can bring a manageable situation to spiral entirely beyond everyone’s control.
On the other hand, who needs scathing honesty when we have Dr. Phil to sort out it all out for us? (Even if he does need two episodes to do it.) Dr. Phil decided to handle this complicated and emotionally-charged situation by sicking his pet FBI agent (you remember) on the student and raking him across a lie detector test, which indicated deception. Since lie detectors have NEVER let Dr. Phil down, he basically tossed the results into a cage match between the two “guests,” and then spent four whole minutes finishing the show by talking about how much the Dr. Phil show loves teachers and respects teachers and thinks that teachers don’t make enough money (totally relevant) and did I mention how teachers are the greatest thing since god created smug? So clearly, that fixes everything. Now we can all go on about our little smug-free lives. I think I speak for everyone on the show when I say nicely handled, doc. No wonder Oprah keeps you around.
New Orleans Law Firm Denies Allegations Of Corruption; Everyone Shocked
Posted June 4th, 2008 in Activism, All, Books, Commentary, Entertainment, Inside New Orleans, Legal, News You Cannot Use and Politics
Fact or Fiction?
Welcome to Round Two of our very own local clash of the titan greedmongering hosebags, also known as Adams and Reese, L.L.P., and the illustrious political leaders of New Orleans. If you missed Round One, it was a doozy, so be sure to check it out.
Yes, here in the Crescent City, we like our lawyers corrupt and our leaders corrupt-er. Hell with it, we like ‘em corrupt-est. But we save the best of the worst for times like these, when the haves host a good old fashioned showdown with the the have-even-mores. In fact these “haves” have so much they just can’t stop themselves, they have to take your house, your health insurance, and a few hundred million dollars in “refinancing” or whatever they call it, just to show they can.
But the haves (Adams and Reese, L.L.P.) made a minor miscalculation this time; they kicked Mr. James G. Perdigao out of their good ole’ boys club, and Mr. James G. Perdigao is having none of it. Hence his lawsuit accusing the firm of - try to keep up with us now - bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, obstruction of criminal investigations, tampering with a witness/victim/informant, retaliation against a witness/victim/informant, extortion, and of course, plain old racketeering. Unfortunately for the haves, Mr. Perdigao is no stranger to being a witness for the government, as his suit explains:
Plaintiff [Perdigao] had…developed various relationships with the U.S. Attorney’s office based on his previous testimony on behalf of the government in an earlier, unrelated video poker case. At the request of the U.S. Attorney’s office, plaintiff had provided general background information regarding the licensing and regulation of riverboat gaming in connection with their investigation. Plaintiff also agreed to provide testimony to the grand jury and if an indictment was returned, at trial if requested by the government. Plaintiff advised [firm partner Robert] Vosbein that he had agreed to assist the government through the provision of information and testimony regarding the regulation of riverboat gaming activities. Vosbein became furious at the plaintiff, advising him that he worked for Vosbein, not the federal government and that he and the firm would decide if, when, and how plaintiff could testify.
You see, Vosbein is a part owner of the Treasure Chest Casino, along with Robert Guidry - one of the firm’s most prominent clients. Vosbein’s (and the firm’s) financial interests are not served by aiding the prosecution of the gaming industry’s misdeeds. Unfortunately for Vosbein, when the house of cards that is Adams and Reese, L.L.P., began to fall, the firm decided to kick Perdigao out of their club. Therein lies what is likely to be their greatest miscalculation of all; because Perdigao, who realized he was about to become public enemy #1, knew who to go to for advice. And surprise, surprise, Perdigao offered to turn state’s evidence and filed his own suit against the still-haves. And here we are.
Now Adams and Reese, L.L.P., has decided to return fire via a surprisingly brief blurb released to the local media.
Statement by Adams and Reese Managing Partner Charles P. Adams, Jr. Regarding Perdigao Lawsuit
(New Orleans, LA) – The lawsuit filed Tuesday represents the latest episode in Perdigao’s continuing fantasy of blaming the government and our firm for his wrongdoing and lashing out at those who are holding him accountable for his actions. Adams and Reese denies Perdigao’s allegations of wrongdoing. We look forward to his upcoming criminal trial and we will continue to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney and the FBI to ensure that justice is done.
That’s it. They’re staying as cool as the other side of the pillow. They say the guy’s a criminal, the only snake in a nest full of lambs, end of story. Mind you, they say this not as part of any legal proceeding. The firm has yet to file an answer for the suit one imagines they must have seen coming from light years away (er, wasn’t that suit filed on Wednesday, boys?). But then if you were them, wouldn’t you rather try this case in the media than in the courtroom? Yet interestingly, this article about the case from the New Orleans Times-Picayune was removed from the site’s main page in a mere matter of hours. Curious…
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