Three big names were dragged into the legal spotlight this week.
Soon to be ex-Governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, fell from defender of the moral high ground to "Client Number 9."
Richard Scruggs -- the lawyer behind the 1998 $206 billion tobacco company settlement -- pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe a judge.
Media mogul Barry Diller, who is wrestling in court with financial backer John Malone for full control of his media empire, took the stand.
So, what brings these three and many others like them to their judgement day? Governor Spitzer risked everything -- his political ambition and his family -- to spend a couple of hours with a hooker. Scruggs, who made over $200 million from the tobacco settlement, bribed a judge to avoid paying a fair share to an attorney who worked with him on the settlement. Despite mega wealth, a jet setting life and a secure place in the media hall of fame, Diller lacks what he most covets -full control over his own media empire.
It's easy to say that Spitzer suffered from lust. Or, Scruggs from greed. Or, Diller from envy (of Rubert Murdoch). But often the root cause appears more complex. To illustrate, take the Sptizer poll adjacent to this post -- How many of the deadly sins did Eliot Spitzer commit? One, three or all? As a reminder, here is the complete list:
1. Lust involves obsessive or excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature.
2. Gluttony is the over-indulgence of anything to the point of waste.
3. Greed is a sin of excess applied to the acquisition of wealth in particular.
4. Sloth represents the failure to utilize one's talents and gifts.
5. Wrath is an inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger.
6. Envy is an insatiable desire for something that someone else has.
7. Pride, is the self-loving desire to be more important or attractive than others.
1 comment:
Over dinner the other night, my wife and I tried to parse out our reactions to Spitzer's behavior. From more intense to less intense, here's where I came out on ranking my responses to the scandal:
1> Disgust at his hypocrisy
2> Shock at his stupidiy
3> Anger at the position into which he put his family... and sadness for his wife and daughters
4> Disappointment at the loss of what he might have accomplished
5> Incredulity at the shere magnitude of the fall
And finally,
6> A vague but irresistible fascination (and queasiness) at what drives a man like this to need a call girl.
Suffice it to say, that there is a lot going on here. As they say, the harder they come...
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