The BP Kid

Philip R. Klein offers biased commentary on local Attorney Brent Coon in the latest posting on the SET Political Review.

Well - we have had a run in or two with Mr. Coon. To be up front and honest - we are not objective regarding Mr. Coon. But we get and got when you dance with the devil - you get the devil. Coon - in our opinion was not ethical with us. But that was us - and that was then - and this is now.

Coon represented Justice of the Peace Tom Gillam in his defamation lawsuit against Philip R. Klein, who was forced to print a retraction of his bogus story. This says much about Philip's sense of ethics. Read his mea culpa here.

Klein offers some unsolicited advice concerning Coon's "image:"

If Coon is going to be taken seriously regarding the BP case or cases - he needs a huge image overhaul. His political tout is zero. And if Coon or anyone around him thinks different - well they are way off. Coon himself has to understand that he has to change his image for anyone to take him seriously. Like maybe get out of a lawsuit with one of the real big dogs? Or maybe put all of the Coonpups behind him? And maybe put the garage band on ice for awhile?

To put Klein's opinion concerning an "image overhaul" in proper perspective, consider this article from the Montreal Gazette (Note to Philip: that's a city in Canada):

Hip rock 'n' roll lawyer is BP's chief rival in Texas
'They hate my guts,' Brent Coon says

HOUSTON - Dealing with the worst oil disaster in U.S. history could be BP PLC's biggest nightmare, and lawyer Brent Coon intends to make it haunt them for a very long time.

The 50-year-old southeast Texan plays guitar in a rock 'n' roll band, hangs out with Playboy playmates, dresses in blue-collar hip clothes and sports sunglasses on top of his spiky blond locks.

He is also BP's nemesis in the Texas courts -and he says they know it.

"They hate my guts, but other than that, we're doing fine," he told the Reuters Global Energy Summit this week.

BP declined to comment. But Coon spearheaded Texas civil litigation against BP in the aftermath of the 2005 explosion at the company's Texas City refinery that killed 15 workers and injured at least 180 more.

Now he represents a survivor of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that exploded and sank last month while wrapping up work on a BP well, and fishermen and others affected by the spill are knocking.

Eleven workers died, and BP faces intense scrutiny and pressure to fix a gushing well that threatens much of the seafood-and tourism-heavy Gulf Coast.

"Every day, economic impact is going to be worse. It's just a matter of sitting here to see how bad it's going to be," Coon said.

The Texas City disaster cost the company more than $3 billion, about two-thirds of that to settle lawsuits. Estimates of BP's liability for the spill run twice that or more.

While Coon went up against stuffy corporate lawyers in the BP cases, he is as unstuffy as they come.

The son of an electrician, he grew up in small southeast Texas towns where political correctness is virtually unknown. He expected to bypass college, play in his band and enter a trade like his father. But his mother, who died when he was in his early 20s, wanted him to be a lawyer.

He started in 1986 at a small firm in Port Arthur, known for refineries and the hometown of Janis Joplin. He found his calling with asbestos cases and other industrial environmental issues.

He said he would rather slit his wrists than represent Big Oil.

"I represented the guys who were the dads I grew up around. I didn't have to wear a three-piece suit -I could meet clients in union halls, wearing my jeans and boots."

In 2001, he founded Brent Coon & Associates in Beaumont, once a bastion of plaintiff-friendly courts. Coon stuck with environmental and personal injury cases, largely in smaller state courts with blue-collar jury pools.

"He's managed to help a lot of people and he brings a lot of energy to his clients," said Mark Lanier, a Houston plaintiffs lawyer who led the lawsuit charge against Merck & Co. regarding its lethal painkiller Vioxx.

Outside of court, Coon greets women with "Hey there, baby doll!" He's got a winged guitar tattoo next to his left bicep that says "ROCK AND ROLL." He also runs a golf course complex that he built, and rides his motorcycles: two choppers and a Harley-Davidson.

He believes BP had him followed when the Texas City litigation was continuing, seeking something damaging about his character. But Coon makes no apologies for his lifestyle.

"I'm in a rock band, I'm single, I run around with playmates and stuff," he said with a shrug.

But get him talking about BP, and his tanned face quickly turns serious.

"With BP, we have this long history of reckless behaviour," he said. "BP is no better today than they were five years ago."

Coon's firm handled about 200 of 4,000 Texas City claims, including that of Eva Rowe, the most high-profile. Her parents, James and Linda Rowe, were among the 15 who died.

But his firm took on the legwork for most cases, such as depositions of top BP executives -including a hard-won telephone deposition of former BP CEO John Browne.

Here are a few others (I've edited for bandwidth) which put Klein's specious argument into further perspective:

Texas judge bars BP from destroying spill records
Businessweek

A judge in Houston has extended an order barring BP PLC, Transocean Ltd. and other parties in the Gulf oil spill from destroying documents, e-mails and other possible evidence in lawsuits.

Stone's attorney Brent Coon says he sought the order because in a previous case against BP, in a 2005 refinery explosion in Texas City, e-mails that served as evidence had been removed from the oil giant's computers.

Lawyer ready to battle BP again
Reuters

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The Texas lawyer who spearheaded civil litigation stemming from the 2005 explosion at BP's (BP.L)(BP.N) Texas City, Texas refinery said on Monday that the oil spill at its operation in the Gulf of Mexico shows the company's risky reputation remains.

"BP is no better today than they were five years ago," attorney Brent Coon said at the Reuters Global Energy Summit in Houston.

BP victims ask court to review criminal plea
Financial Times

Brent Coon & Associates, the lead counsel in the fatal BP Texas City explosion of 2005, is asking US courts to revoke a probation agreement with the UK oil company and re-establish legal proceedings in light of the Gulf oil spill.

US Judge Lee Rosenthal should reconsider the government’s 2007 plea agreement with BP for a $50m fine and a three-year probation period, Brent Coon said in a letter to Judge Rosenthal dated May 6 that he made public Friday.

Do I detect a case of publicity envy in Phlip's article?

The Lawsuit Page

In an open letter to David Yates with the Southeast Texas Record, I wrote:

Many wild accusations and inaccurate statements have been made to bolster a weak nuisance suit specifically aimed at silencing Philip's critics

Here's an example. From Philip R. Klein's "Lawsuit page" on the SET Political Review:

According to filings for the Emergency Stay - both parties (together) have hired legal counsel in Houston. This has happened post errors being made by the party and the trial court issuing notice for attorney fees for Klein.

There have been no errors in our filings, nor has "the trial court [issued] notice for attorney fees for Klein."  With his preoccupation over attorney fees, PRK would have surely posted this spurious notice. Yet no such notice can be found on Klein's site, probably because this exists only in Philip's imagination.   

Bottom line: Philip R. Klein is a blatant liar, but most people already knew that. For this reason, I've posted my own link to a "lawsuit page" at the top of my sidebar, where interested readers can follow the real suit.

Compare Klein's page with my link.

Nitwit Tidbits

Philip R. Klein writes on the SET Political Review:

Another week in the most corrupt county in Texas - so here we go - a few tidbits for you :

Commentary from the biggest liar in Texas follows:

Moving Further Left - We have some sources at the BE that tell us they are even getting an education. From what they can see from the inside - the BE will move even further to the political left with the new managment [sic] in. Great!

Hopefully these aren't the same sources who told him this in January 2009:

As we see it if the current management continues their tactics they will end up closing shop or selling off which is also another rumor running through the community. Backroom sources say that Hearst will try to sell off the paper within the next year after getting their numbers stabilized and at least hitting bottom on the decrease of subscribers. In the wings are the owners of the "Examiner" we are told.

Apparently these same sources changed their story by the time Klein printed this prediction:

The Southeast Texas Political Review has learned of internal "talk" and "planning" to stop the printed product of the Beaumont Enterprise - and only have a paid subscription on the internet to the Newspaper. Leaving one of the longest running papers in Southeast Texas to not deliver to homes as citizens continue there discourse with the Enterprise and drop subscriptions.

I'm certain the Beaumont Enterprise will outlive The SET Political Review. Consider Philip's claim from November 2007 when his talk radio show was canceled on KOLE radio:

As for our show, we are negotiating with another station in a new deal and if that does not work out and is good for all parties, we will explore the new frontier of INET Radio. We have hired a firm to start that process.

How's that INET radio show going, Philip? 

Bankrupt - That will be the spin this time next year to three cities that we have had discussions with.

Even though Philip R. Klein has more direct experience with bankruptcy than all three cities combined, he's previously claimed that both Beaumont and Port Arthur are already bankrupt. As an example from April 2010, he claimed:

Even we sometimes just shake out heads. Why would a bankrupt city continue with a "quality of life" project when simple public service program funding is considered to be cut back? 

On a similar note, Philip made a new prediction:

A Review Prediction - Write this one down kids - in September of 2011 a 37% decrease in sales tax revenue will look like the gravy train for Jefferson County Texas. That is when Motivia and Total will end their projects. The crash should come directly after that. Unless.....but there is nothing in the pipeline.

I'm not a kid - actually, I'm much older than Klein - but I've written this down. We'll revisit in September of 2011.  This is an excellent example of why Klein refuses to post his past articles; see this page for more examples of why Philip isn't credible.

Seafood Prices Go Up - So? If you cannot afford it - go eat a piece of meat? What is the big deal?

Philip plagiarized Marie Antoinette's comment, "Let them eat cake." This is such an abysmally stupid and myopic comment that it deserves no other response.

Media LALA - It is going to be a busy hurricane season! Oh gosh...run and run now!!!! Uh....the NOAA projections for Hurricanes for the past five years? Off by 97%, Do you catch the drift here kids?

The drift being, Philip is typically manufacturing statistics again. From USA Today:

NOAA forecasts for named tropical storms and hurricanes have been accurate in five out of the 10 years in this decade, according to a USA TODAY analysis. Their prediction was too low in four years and too high in just one year: 2006. Eight of the 10 years in the decade saw above-average activity for tropical storms and hurricanes.

The Scripps-Howard News Service corroborated the USA Today analysis:

One estimate puts their accuracy at around 40 percent. But different forecasters agree that this will be a busy season for storms.

Readers may remember that Klein complained about amount of coverage given to Hurricane Rita, even as most residents of Southeast Texas were without electricity and dependable sources for food and portable water.

Click it or Tickit  (sic) - Nanny says you have to wear your seatbelt or she will take money from you. Gezzz - like we are all stupid?

In the case of Philip R. Klein, yes, as evidenced by this abysmally stupid comment that also deserves no further comment. 

DNA - We hear that the case in PA against Gilliam may not be so cut and dry. Still no word from the DA. Imagine that.

As I've pointed out before, I'll reserve forming an opinion until I see something more credible than Klein's wild and unsubstantiated claims.

Speaking of the DA - Who knew? This is what you think of the Jefferson County DA. Over 68% of you the readers think this guy is being political or corrupt? Wow! We will keep the poll open for a few more days.

Here's the math. Since Klein posted this two weeks ago, he received 91 responses (as of Sunday, May 30).  Klein never includes the total of actual votes for obvious reasons:


This response rate underscores the credibility of Klein's statements that he has hundreds of thousands of readers every week.  Putting these numbers into perspective, 69 percent or a total of 63 people agreed with Philip. This represents the opinion of 0.025 percent of the county's total population. 

Readers may remember that Klein recently denigrated the City of Beaumont for a survey that generated a response rate of 13 percent.

All of this is dependent upon the notion that Klein didn't manipulate the poll's responses. I know that in at least one case, he fabricated the numbers entirely. From February 1, 2010:

The Southeast Texas Political Review has conducted two polls in two of the county commissioners races in Southeast Texas. The two polls were conducted over a two week period from January 15 - 29th. There was a total of 102 respondents to the phone poll in both races. The following are the results :

If the election for County Commissioner in your pct. was held today - who would you vote for:

• Mark Domingue: 39%
  Brent Weaver: 43%
  Undecided: 18%
  
  
• Bo Alfred: 41%
  Jamie Smith: 46%
  Undecided: 13%

Here's what really happened:

• Bo Alfred: 69%
  Jamie Smith 31%
  
  
• Brent Weaver: 51.24%
  Mark Domingue: 48.76%

For those who still think Philip has some credibility left, let's consider the last poll he posted on April 23, 2010:

Who Do We Dump? - We are just not happy with the local bloggers. Really - no meat. Other than one site. So we are posting a poll and tightening our standards. Meaning? You get to vote for one sight to drop off the "Local Bloggers Section." So vote.

After a month, Philip's poll generated only 125 responses:


Readers will note the blog, Beaumont Retro, is still contained in the link list found on the front page of the SET Political Review.

Open Letter to David Yates/SE Texas Record

Dear David;

I've been reading your articles on the Klein v. Google case. I thought you did a good job on this article. Thanks for the fair coverage! 

After reading your latest article, however, I felt compelled to respond. I noticed some inaccuracies.  For instance, the case citation is incomplete:

Appeals case Nos. 09-10-00189-CV and 09-10-00051-CV
Jefferson County District Court case No. E184-784

You omitted this one:

Texas Supreme Court No. 10-0366

In the article itself, you wrote:

At the request of the two bloggers, justices on May 20 dismissed a second appeal filed by Sam the Eagle Web blog and Operation Kleinwatch Web blog.

Actually, this was the original appeal, for which we filed a motion to dismiss when we presented our Writ of Mandamus. We changed our appeal to a Mandamus after we did not receive a Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law on why our original motion, filed pro se, was denied. All of this is clearly documented in the court filings.

As such, there has been only one Appeal, now dismissed, and one Mandamus, which is now under review by the Texas Supreme Court. The Supreme Court set a calendar date of today for a response from Klein's attorney, John Morgan, Esq. Morgan's response was filed on time.

You also wrote:

Both Sam the Eagle and Kleinwatch are pseudonyms adopted by the two appellants whose real identities will most likely be revealed soon, thanks to a lower court's order forcing Google to give up their names.

Attached, see Google's Response to our Writ of Mandamus and Motion for Emergency Stay; specifically, the Rule 11 agreement between Google and Klein which clearly states that until these issues are resolved, Google's production of any information is suspended indefinitely. 

I also wonder why you've liberally quoted Klein's filings, but never referenced any of our filings. As another example, you wrote:

In a motion to dismiss filed in response to the bloggers' most recent appeal, Klein says the "bloggers and Google are doing everything they can to drag their feet to protect (their) identities and to continue with the defamation campaign."

A cursory examination of the filing dates reveals that Klein waited approximately three months before responding to our original motion to quash his Rule 202 petition.  His latest response on our Writ and Motion before the Texas Supreme Court was faxed to our attorney less than two hours before the deadline this afternoon, yet we've always responded in a timely manner.

Many wild accusations and inaccurate statements have been made to bolster a weak nuisance suit specifically aimed at silencing Philip's critics. If for some reason you don't have access to the filings in this case, please contact our attorney, Jeffrey L. Dorrell. He can answer your questions for proper perspective and a more balanced story. 

Please note that I've also published this open letter on my blog at OperationKleinwatch.blogspot.com, so you'll know that this is an authentic response to your article.

I welcome your response!

Sincerely,
Gus Pillsbury (AKA John Doe 1)
OperationKleinwatch.blogspot.com

Over (Premature Expectation)

As mentioned before, Philip R. Klein frequently suffers premature expectations. From his latest posting on the Southeast Texas Political Review (the emphasis is mine):

The Southeast Texas Political Review has learned this afternoon that the 9th Court of Appeals has dismissed any and all appeals by the operators of two web sites.  The decision issued by Justice Charles Kreger now clears the way for Google, Inc., to release the names and corporate details of the users of computers that have created and operated three web sites being Sam The Eagle (and its surrogate) as well as Operation Kleinwatch.

In a conference call late this afternoon - the Review has learned that Google shall  comply with the original Rule 11 agreement between the parties. In such, the information shall be turned over to the Review's attorney - for a filing of a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas next week.

The ruling is considered ground breaking regarding those that post anonymous web sites with the intent to harass, intimidate and tortuously interfere with daily business practices of those that might have a differing opinion. The Review, its owners, its stockholders and its employees have been defamed and subject to gross innuendo that has been at best a true interference of business and personal relationships. The Review has all intentions and will continue to pursue all legal rights - as well as compensation for loss of business and damages for their owners and employees - as well as corporate interests.

Klein didn't mention this filing in the Texas Supreme Court.   Last Friday, he claimed he would be in the Supreme Court today, according to this entry in his Nitwit Tidbits from last Friday:

Lawsuit - We are going to the Supreme on Thursday. All lower courts have upheld the Review.

At the time, Philip failed to mention Google's motion to quash, which the Honorable Judge Floyd granted last Friday.  However, Klein posted this purported update on his "Lawsuit Page" Tuesday (emphasis is again mine):

On May 26, 2010, the Klein attorney's file legal documents with the court after Google attorney's file a motion to dismiss the objections to the subpoenas offering them to the plantiffs. The judge accepts the motion - and asks that all proper documents and answers be filed to the appeals court. Klein's attorney's agree - and notice a demand post dismissal of the objections to turn over the documents that are now in camera. The move by Google's attorney is a surprise to all parties.

Perhaps Google's motion was a surprise to Philip, but he posted a copy of the motion on his site about two months ago.  PRK indulges his own ego with the illusion that this Rule 202 petition is anything more than a SLAPP (or nuisance) suit intended to silence critics.

Here's what's really happening and what yesterday's opinion from the Ninth Court of Appeals (9thCOA) means.

We originally filed an appeal of Judge Floyd's decision to sign a subpoena from Klein based on his Rule 202 petition, who planned to serve the subpoena to Google in their Dallas offices.  After we were unable to obtain a Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law on why our original motion to quash was denied, we changed our appeal to a Writ of Mandamus. Once this Mandamus was filed with the 9thCOA, we withdrew our original appeal and asked that this record be appended to the Writ. The memo opinion simply granted this motion.

All of this can be easily verified by simply reading the first line of the memo opinion posted in Klein's article.

The Appellants, Sam the Eagle Weblog and Operation Kleinwatch Weblog, filed a motion to dismiss this appeal and to transfer the record of this appeal to the file of the companion mandamus proceeding.

Apparently, Philip doesn't understand what a memo opinion is. Even funnier, Klein apparently doesn't know what his own attorney is doing!

John Morgan, Esq., has already drafted a Response for the Texas Supreme Court regarding our Motion for an Emergency Stay on all proceedings in Judge Floyd's court while his original decision is considered by the Texas Supreme Court. This is a separate motion from our original Writ, for which the Supreme Court required a response by today. Philip faxed this into our attorney approximately two hours before the deadline, but hasn't posted this response.

In the meantime, Google isn't releasing anything until all legal issues are settled. This is the sum of their Rule 11 Agreement with PRK.  

I have another personal observation. Klein wrote:

Serve this as a reminder that you cannot use a veil of secrecy to harass, intimidate and spread false rumors without being held accountable.

Philip now claims that he's intimidated by my little blog. If so, maybe he should first check his own facts before publishing false rumors.

Ironically, Philip hasn't posted our Writ of Mandamus.  I will, but not today. Instead, I'll revisit Philip's statement next Friday:

In such, the information shall be turned over to the Review's attorney - for a filing of a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas next week.

Next week's perspective will provide more insight into who's account is accurate.

Huh?

Philip R. Klein denigrates the Golden Triangle Empowerment Center (GTEC) in his latest posting on the SET Political Review (Caution: Philip's crude language is left intact):

They were all there. Mayor Prince, incoming Jefferson County Judge Branick and a host of other big names in Jefferson County! They were there for the (get ready) The Golden Triangle Empowerment Center and Small Business Incubator. Oh yes they were. So here comes the cameras and her comes the media and here comes the politicos. And they all stood up and cheered for another government program that is going to do good in Jefferson County - to help folks get employed at the local plants.

Uh....wait.

So we start getting calls from some in the know. Like some cops at the Port Arthur Police department and some of the security divisions of the local plants.  And they tell us : "....and you guys might want to look into who is running that gig down there.....

Let's pause so some local politicos butts can pucker right now - not to mention the media.

So according tot he media this gig has a spokesperson. His name is Arthur Brandon. And this seemingly has upset some local law enforcement. Why? Well, According to our sources, Arthur Brandon has a long and extensive history for Assault, Forgery, Criminal Mischief, Drug Charges, Terrorist Threats, Larceny, and went to the big house for awhile. He was paroled in May of 2008.

Now we all want people to do well. Right? Get better? Give a second chance - or in this case a seventh chance.

Mr. Brandon now teaches at the center. According to our sources at the local plants : "Mr. Brandon would not qualify to come on to the plant property at this time."

Here is our thought - we say give everyone a chance. And we mean everyone. But maybe - just maybe this project or government program or whomever runs their PR program - or maybe even the mayor or someone in the County Judges office might want to check into backgrounds before attaching themselves to something?

We are going to watch this project. Very closely. And giggle to the media and the politicos.....

From The Port Arthur News:

Arthur Brandon, 38, is one of the success stories of GTEC. His life was pitched downward and his future looked bleak. His youth was spent serving time in prison — about 13 years. And then he heard about the center and its life skills programs while working at local refineries as a sandblaster. Today, Brandon is one of the intake coordinators for the program.

“You can come here and have something to come to,” Brandon said. “It’s family, it’s life, it’s employment.”

While prominently featured in this success story, PRK apparently missed Brandon's 13 years in prison.

Read the entire PA News article for more information, but let's examine a few of Klein's other claims here in greater detail:

Klein: And they all stood up and cheered for another government program....

PA News:  The largest chunk of operating funds— ongoing financial pledges of 98 percent — comes from businesses in Port Arthur, Beaumont and Orange — the center’s service area.

Klein: So according tot he (sic) media this gig has a spokesperson.

Klein: Mr. Brandon now teaches at the center.

PA News: Today, Brandon is one of the intake coordinators for the program.

Klein: But maybe - just maybe this project or government program or whomever (sic) runs their PR program - or maybe even the mayor or someone in the County Judges (sic) office might want to check into backgrounds before attaching themselves to something?

PA News: Arthur Brandon, 38, is one of the success stories of GTEC. His life was pitched downward and his future looked bleak. His youth was spent serving time in prison — about 13 years.

Klein: We are going to watch this project. Very closely. And giggle to the media and the politicos.....

PA News: The fact that the center has already connected more than 200 people with jobs is also telling.

Typically, Philip's comments underscore the petty nature of his personality.

In closing, I'll note that while Brandon has turned his life around and has apparently become a valuable and contributing member of the community, Philip R. Klein is still a blight on society.

On Philip R. Klein's Plagiarism

As I've pointed out on multiple occasions, Klein frequently steals content from other sites and claims credit. The title of his latest so-called editorial, "The Real Rudy," comes from a well-known website.

Typically, the content of this editorial (I use the term loosely) is more about Philip and what he thinks. As an example, Klein never explained what this had to do with Rudy Kohn:

When I was young - a young man running for congress in the 60's in Houston came by. His name was George Bush. That was kind of neat. I went on later to have spent some political time with the former president - who remembered my parents name. As well - growing up - I met a bunch of others that were really fun to be around as well as very impressive.  

I've heard a lot of stories about Klein's "political time with the former president," who, when purportedly asked about Philip Klein during his appearance in Beaumont to commemorate the Spindletop Centennial,  allegedly replied, "Philip who?" That's an unconfirmed rumor, but it has the ring of truth.

The Psychic Twins Confirm Klein Contact

The Psychic Twins have corroborated Philip R. Klein's claim of contact with Patrick McDermott:

As a private investigator, Philip claims to have psychic abilities, too. From Tuesday, July 29, 2010:

I firmly believe in the business I am of the 6th sense.

Philip is available for readings and channeling departed loved ones at reasonable fees.

Nitwit Tidbits

I'm back from vacation  - I hope Philip got my postcard! Here are the latest nitwit tidbits from Philip R. Klein, idiotor of the SET Political Review.

Lawsuit - We are going to the Supreme on Thursday. All lower courts have upheld the Review.

Liar, liar, pants on fire! So few words, but so much misinformation.

Honorable Judge Donald Floyd granted Google's Motion For Protective Order and Motion to Quash in a hearing yesterday, so the only lower court involved in PRK's nuisance suit just rescinded its original subpoena duces tecum.
 
Nor is Philip "going to the Supreme on Thursday," as he claims. Rather the Texas Supreme Court is requiring a response from Philip's attorney, John Morgan, on our Writ of Mandamus by May 27, 2010. See for yourself here.  I'm John Doe 1, Sam the Eagle is John Doe 2, and Philip R. Klein is a blowhard who believes the First Amendment only applies to him.

Guard - Get this - your TAX DOLLARS ARE SPENDING FOR A GUARD AT NIGHT TO WATCH THE RECOGNIZED SIGN AT BISD! These people are out of control.>

Philip provides no corroboration for this statement, but consider Klein's purported claim in its proper perspective.

	In June of 2007, the Beaumont ISD Police Department became operational with the hiring of six police officers.
	The Lubbock ISD Police Department is composed of 10 officers and support staff.
	[The Pasadena Independent School District Police Department] functions 24/7 for emergencies and general patrol activities for the Pasadena Independent School District...The High Schools serve as the basis for designating four patrol districts.
	The White Settlement Independent Police Department has 11 officers and support staff.

While this sample is not meant to be comprehensive, most urban school districts in Texas have had their own police departments since the last century. As I've pointed out before, the Houston ISD Police Department is larger than the Port Arthur Police Department.

Typically, Klein has a hard time identifying the real issues. Has anyone noticed that Klein hasn't mentioned that purported Hatch Act investigation recently?

Resignation - We are hearing that "The Mad Hatter" as she is now being called - Ms. Haynes - may resign her position. The heat is on inside BISD. She has gone too far.

The only person calling names is Philip R. Klein.

"Mad Hatter" is another of Klein's signatures; he made the same claim against County Commissioner Mark Domingue on September 11, 2009, and others before that.

10.4% - How is that big government, high taxes and high crime working for you? That is the unemployment rate for SET. Oh...you asked? Port Arthur real unemployment 19.1%. And no change in site.

Philip can't keep track of his own statements. According to his posting on March 17, 2010, the Port Arthur unemployment rate was 19.999 percent. Another example of mendacem memorem esse oportet.

Klein has repeatedly refused to acknowledge recessionary effects on unemployment in Jefferson County, but this chart from the Texas Workforce Commission provides proper perspective. The blue line represents Southeast Texas, while the black line represents the unemployment rate for the entire state:

Neither did Klein acknowledge that unemployment in April was down from the March rate of 10.8 percent.

TAKS Test Results - Memorial High School in Port Arthur will be the cornerstone bench mark for the theory that the BISD and PAISD Bond (s) were sold on. Remember kids - if you build beautiful places they the grades on the tests will go UP UP UP. We will see next week - now won't we? Any bets?

I've heard no one argue this perspective except Philip R. Klein. A more enlightened and coherent argument came from Kevin McCarthy, the former Libertarian candidate for Jefferson County Precinct 3 Commission (emphasis is mine):

My three years at Memorial High School were spent in a portable building.  After Rita, we didn’t have insulation or even ceiling tiles.  That winter, the temperature in the classroom was about 45 degrees when I got there.  By the end of the day, it was almost 60 sometimes.  When March rolled around, it hit 100 in the classroom during 7th period.  I asked for heaters, it was suggested that I buy one (which I did).  I asked for an air conditioner (the portables had their central units destroyed long before I got into them).  I was given an air conditioner, a 1500 BTU window unit.  That lowered the temp about 3 degrees.

With those experiences, you would think that I am in favor of the bond issue.  Heck NO!  Port Arthur ISD doesn’t have a clue about how to manage money or take care of facilities.  They are more concerned with appearances and athletics than anything else.  Admittedly, that applies to any Texas school district.

The bond was badly needed, but the real issue as Kevin pointed out, is how the money is administered. And as McCarthy argued, this problem isn't endemic to Jefferson County as Philip R. Klein claims.

Side Thought - If the grades go up that means that teachers......oh never mind.

Side thought: Philip is still an idiot.

Naked Women Running Around Screaming - And then found dead. Suspected drugs? No way! Not in PA?

Philip didn't explain what this had to do with politics in Southeast Texas, but it's highly representative of Klein's obsessions.

Friday Trog Read -  On Friday Afternoons we try and read Trog from where we left off the week before. We must say that we are blamed for almost 50% of the posts on site. Smart readers get it that this is a chance for those in the media to dump on this site. We thought about dropping it - but you know.....it really shows.....so we will leave the connection to it. As you can assume - we DO NOT write on Trog unless we post it here also and place a watermark in the paragraph. So keep reading. And Enjoy - thanks to Trog for allowing me to post.

Smart readers know that Philip R. Klein apparently posts quite a few of the unsigned postings, mostly those about Philip R. Klein, Channel 6, and the Beaumont Enterprise.

Philip hasn't followed through with the implicit threat in his latest poll?  From April 23, 2010

Who Do We Dump? - We are just not happy with the local bloggers. Really - no meat. Other than one site. So we are posting a poll and tightening our standards. Meaning? You get to vote for one sight to drop off the "Local Bloggers Section." So vote.

At the time, I voted on fixing Klein's front page:

See for yourself

After a month, Philip's poll generated only 125 responses. By comparison, a recent one-day poll by the Beaumont Enterprise generated almost 500 responses. A recent Channel 6 poll generated over 600 responses in less than 24 hours, but Philip has frequently claimed in past months that he has more regular readers than either site. Decide for yourself who's lying.

Here are the results of Philip's four-week poll:

I wonder when Philip's fans will see the Beaumont Retro link disappear from the front page of the SET Political Review?  Instead of disparaging other bloggers with "who do we dump" (as if anyone cares), how about a poll on blogs to add? I have some suggestions (snicker). 

Port Arthur Cops - All of you - and I mean EVERYONE needs to get behind the Detectives At Port Arthur PD - it starts with you folks that may have information on the death of the young lady on W. PA Highway. It starts with you.

An interesting observation: Philip references a white female as a young lady, but African Americans females are black women.  By the way, here's how that "battle for the heart and soul of Jefferson County" turned out.

Still No Word - Nothing with the Gilliam gig. We will see....our guess is that this is not over and there is more to the story.

I'll reserve comment until this investigation produces a real charge, instead of Philip's negative comments against JP Tom Gillam. We'll revisit again, many times I'm sure.

Incoming Mail

Outgoing Mail

Drama (Same Old Think...)

Philip R. Klein writes on the SET Political Review:

Well.....we started the week out with it - let's hit it again in the middle of the week.

Translation: Let's beat this dead horse again.  Standard items from the Philip R. Klein School of Journalism follow.

Klein backtracks on a wild claim:

The Southeast Texas Political Review has learned that the case against sitting Justice Thomas Gilliam by the Port Arthur Police department and the Jefferson County District Attorney's office may just be a bunch of "baby mama drama."

Check.

Philip engages in self-aggrandizement: 

FLASHBACK : This past weekend - KBTV and the SET Political Review were tipped off on an investigation that was verified in progress between the Jefferson County District Attorney's office and the Port Arthur Police Department. Behind the scenes they told everyone that there was an "outcry" by a 16 year old girl.

Check.

PRK quotes a dubious and anonymous source, mixed with a heavy dose of racism:

"They knows this girl is lying. He is a public figure that is under attack by a liar." - Said the source.

Check.

Klein displays symptoms of multiple personality disorder:

We will keep all of you updated.

Check.

Promises of a pending investigation that never happens:

So - here we go - the Review is throwing its foot in the situation. And we will get to the bottom of it. One way or another. We hate political hack jobs.

Check, but as a self-described political "consultant," "analyst," and "editorialist," Klein's reference to political hack jobs is especially ironic.

Klein left this out of his "FLASHBACK." From June 8, 2008:

In March of 2007, sources called the Review telling us there was an incident of an encounter between a Judge and somebody...The Review published the story and it...was further discussed on the Political Review Radio show on KOLE Radio.

We have discovered numerous inaccuracies from witnesses and at least one of the original sources to the story has been found to have been lying to the Review. As well, this witness may have had a political agenda towards the judge in an attempt to run for the Judge’s office. 

Here's a novel idea: Why not imitate an ethical journalist and investigate these wild claims before they're published on the SET Political Review and a stooge radio or TV station?

Mr. Political Editorialist promises to answer these questions:

But our first question is this : "What would possibly be the motivation for any police hack job?" None. So our next question is this : "Who would be behind it?"

We will keep all of you updated. The PIR's are flying as we speak.

I'll revisit, many times I'm sure, but here's the last time Klein claimed the "PIR's [sic] are flying." From March 19, 2010:

PIR Launched - We sent our PIR to Patrick Swain. Paddie has yet to send the information. Tick Tock. It is only a test of time.

Summer is here and I feel a lot of hot air blowing from Nederland again.

Dancing*

In his latest posting on the SET Political Review, Philip R. Klein writes (Klein's crude and vulgar language has not been edited):

However, this time, it is even more fun to watch two giants in the political world go at it - and the one that usually causes all of the T R O U B L E - Willie Bae Lewis - is left looking like a political virgin on a hot Friday night in the backseat of an old mustang wondering what the hell is next?

Compare this imagery with Klein's recent description of a sexual assault:

No jail time for not reporting that her husband was playing with the little girls vagina's after the little girls came to her mother and told her what had happened!

Maness took heat from the public after not demanding from the court that Guidry spend the full 10 year sentence in prison for playing with the little girls vagina's multiple times.

Philip's juvenile preoccupation places past iinstances of parapraxis into proper perspective. Apparently Klein has given up the claim that his website is required reading in many middle and high school classes.

PRK offers this gibberish in lieu of real comprehensible commentary on the Port Arthur Mayor's race:

So we got the POPO and the FIREMEN on Princes side. Why? Who the hell knows? Maybe the lesser of all evils? Only they can tell you and they are being very quite - except one good cop - Mr. Gaspard that came out swinging saying that Ortiz threatened to whip some cop ass.

Beard thinks that is upsetting - to the taxpayers? Hey Beard - how about the Port Arthur Housing authority that dropped a cool half a million on a basketball program for disadvantaged teens - and all they got was uniforms? Hell - why not buy everyone in Port Arthur a d*** fridge? Really? A $76 dollar tape dispenser and millions go down the frigging drain in the Housing Authority? Should we even talk about the EDC? And the money that is WASTED? Thrown down the tubes to enrich political yummies that are in power? The real fundraising arm of the city of Port Arthur?

In Klein's alternative universe, the $67.00 tape dispenser appreciated in value to $78.00.  According to the Idionomics© by Philip R. Klein, one could leverage the margin of costs between universes to reduce taxes in Port Arthur.

Klein's bleatings have little resemblance to real events more accurately described in these articles:

• It's getting weird (The Examiner)
• PA Police Association addresses comments (Port Arthur News)
• PA candidates want better roads, more money (The Beaumont Enterprise)
• Port Arthur mayor, public officials should do what's right, not just what's legal (The Beaumont Enterprise)

Historically, elections in Port Arthur have always been contentious,

Another fine example of Klein's arrogance, where he offers unsolicited and dimwitted advice to everyone in South Jefferson County:

1) To the POPO - get the hell out of the race! Really? 

2) To the Fireman - Stay out of it. Sit down and shut up.

3) To the city council - stay out of it.

4) To mayor Prince - you blew it.

5) To Oscar - you are done. Go home. Goodnight. Turn out the lights. You have pissed off everyone with your hard core antics.

6) to John Beard - go get you mug shot taken - apologize to your community - and then let it all go.

7) To City Manager Fitzgibbons - one word : XANAX - at the corner of.....sorry bud - just kidding.

8) To the Citizens - you get what you elect! Enjoy yourselves and get your damn checkbooks out. You owe them all! Yes you do! Damn it! You owe them all.

Klein offers this advice to Councilmember John Beard (emphasis is mine):

The paper trail was there. All you had to do is tip the media - opps - us to it. That simple Johnny. Now - go to the POPO house and turn yourself in.

Philip meant "oops", but I find great humor in how Klein clearly considers himself a serious competitor to the mainstream media.


*Caution: Mature content: coarse Language and graphic depictions

16

Philip R. Klein writes in his latest posting on the SET Political Review (emphasis is mine):

Two years ago, the Review was involved in a lawsuit with Justice Gilliam in which he sued the Review after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against Judge Gilliam with a secretary and a window being broken by an angry suspected girl friend / employee. The case was dismissed after the Review printed Justice Gilliam's side of the story.

Fact check: Philip R. Klein and the SET Political Review made those "allegations of sexual misconduct." Here is Klein's original retraction, which isn't what PRK describes as "Justice Gillam's side of the story:"

Questions have been raised on a story the Review covered this past year in March. So the Review made the decision to take another look at the original story and do some follow ups.

In March of 2007, sources called the Review telling us there was an incident of an encounter between a Judge and somebody – and an employee that may have been witness to the event and slammed a glass door and broke it. The Review published the story and it appeared on this website in March and again in April of this past year. It was further discussed on the Political Review Radio show on KOLE Radio.

Since that time, the Review has conducted a full and complete investigation into the claims. We have discovered numerous inaccuracies from witnesses and at least one of the original sources to the story has been found to have been lying to the Review. As well, this witness may have had a political agenda towards the judge in an attempt to run for the Judge’s office. The Review has had an opportunity to view the surveillance videotape which leads support to Judge Gillam’s side of the story.

Evidence that we now have obtained indicates that the Review must side with Judge Gilliam and his denial of the incident. Seemingly, Judge Gillam is a victim in an attempt to smear him in the court of public opinion and that is not fair to him, his family, supporters and any other public person that may choose to serve their community. In the Review’s opinion, Judge Gillam is innocent of the accusations against him.

Judge Gillam is due an apology from those that attempted to smear his name by using this web site and the media in general in an attempt to garner office.

As I pointed out at the time, Klein failed to conduct a "full and complete investigation" before he published the rumor as fact. The "media in general" avoided the story, since the unsubstantiated rumor couldn't be verified.

I'll reserve forming an opinion on the current investigation until I read more credible accounts than the SET Political Review and Klein News 4.

Suspended

The Beaumont Enterprise writes:

Beaumont ISD police officers responded to a call that teachers were fighting at Martin Elementary School at about 8:43 a.m. Thursday, said Sgt. Aqua Delco with BISD police.

Once officers arrived, they discovered the two teachers were involved in a verbal fight, Delco said.

The issue was handled by the principle, Delco said.

Philip R. Klein posted his own unique version on the SET Political Review:

The Southeast Texas Political Review has learned that Five Teachers have been suspended by the BISD for fighting.

According to our sources at the Elementary School, a teacher asked another teacher to come out in the hall because she wanted one of the children in her class to come to some type of special ed class.

According to the sources who work at the school, another teacher came up and asked what was going on and confusion about the child was discussed. At that point three of the teachers started yelling at each other and two more came out. Verbal yeling, cursing, screaming could be heard in the classrooms - and upset young children at the school. The teachers were removed from the hall by BISD police who responded in force.

There were no arrests - and the teachers in question will be questioned Monday at BISD headquarters.

Parents raced to the school after hearing of the incident according to sources at the school. Three children went home because they were upset.

Sources tell us racial comments were made.

We attempted a comment by BISD to which we were told "no comment." "We don't have comment to you sir. You are not the media. You are simply a man with a loud mouth," said a BISD representative.

Adding insult to injury - the children were taking the TAKS tests this week.

According to Philip R. Klein, this only elementary school in the State of Texas conducting TAKS Tests this week is in the BISD.  The rest of Klein's fanciful account is just as accurate. Add this to the long list of things that the SET Political Review has learmed.