Wednesday, July 05, 2006

NO EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY IN LAY DEATH

Several e-mails chided us for not posting Ken Lay's death sooner. Sorry, but we were on Stockton Lake, sailing and burning. Point goes to Doc Larry for getting the first word to us.

Lay, 64, just up and died, according to CNN:
"Apparently, his heart simply gave out," said Lay's pastor, Dr. Steve Wende of Houston's First United Methodist Church.

An autopsy indicated Lay died of coronary artery disease, Mesa County, Colorado coroner Robert Kurtzman said. There was "no evidence of foul play," he added.
Jeff Skillings still faces up to 40 years in prison for driving Enron into the ground.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Drudgereport first reported in an untagged headline that Ken Lay had killed himself. It was changed minutes later.

Anonymous said...

In a sense, perhaps he did.

Anonymous said...

Ken Lay. I've got a feeling the really big Judge sentenced him to an eternity in the gas pits in hell making sure everyone down there had free heat...forever.

And speaking of perhaps mortally wounded, Mexican liberal presidential candidate Manuel Lopez Obrador has threatened to challenge the Mexican election in court over ballots riddled with fraud. Seems the Conservative candidate, Felipe Canderon won by a thin margin through a recount.

We maybe seeing Mexicans cross our border by the bus load, but we sure can export the "waa waa" factor when it comes to losing elections. Hanging chads are alive and well and vacationing in sunny Mexico.

Anonymous said...

From fauxnews.com:

President Bush said Thursday he hopes Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay's "heart was right with the Lord" when he died before he could be sentenced on fraud and conspiracy charges.

Ken Lay died of a heart attack. George Bush hopes Lay's heart was right with the Lord. Stupid? Insensitive? Typical of Dubya?

Anonymous said...

No, just being a human being.

Anonymous said...

Of course, Bush said Lay was a "good guy," but the president had no words of sympathy for workers who lost their pensions when Enron collapsed. A real human being, all right.

Anonymous said...

Oh, for the love of God.

Did Clinton have any words of sympathy for the workers at Global Crossing? Or World Com?

I hate to break your "Bush Is Evil" balloon, but the Democratic Party also got their fair share of political contributions from Enron, too. Almost 1 million in 2000 to the DNC.

When it comes to corporate scandal and them justifying ways to "get away with it" just remeber Bill Clinton's outlook on life, "Reality Is Plastic, Truth Is Elastic."

No, that kind of attitude at the top is bound to foster honesty in any way of life.

Anonymous said...

The hate is strong in you, Newstster.

Time it is for ALL to walk the path that takes us away from being a hate-fueled retard.

Step one:

If, on the day before the 2004 election, it was revealed that George W. Bush had been paying Chinese hit men to kill Democrats and their children, more than a million Americans still would have voted for George W. Bush.

If, on the day before the 2000 election, it was revealed that Bill Clinton had been paying Chinese hit men to kill Republicans and their children, more than a million Americans still would have voted for Bill Clinton.

Your goal: In either of those groups do not be.

Anonymous said...

Misprint alert.
Replace 2000 with 1996 in the prior post.
Fired his proofreader Yoda has.

Anonymous said...

And your source for this, newtster?

Anonymous said...

newtster says: "...the Democratic Party also got their fair share of political contributions from Enron, too. Almost 1 million in 2000 to the DNC."

According to opensecrets.org:
In the 2000 campaign, Lay was a Pioneer for Bush, raising $100,000. Enron also gave the Republicans $250,000 for the convention in Philadelphia and contributed $1.1 million in soft money to the Republican Party, more than twice what it contributed to Democrats.

Lay and his wife then donated $10,000 to Bush’s Florida recount fund that paid for Republican lawyers and operatives to ensure that a full recount of Florida’s ballots never occurred. To this day, Bush has refused to release an accounting of how that recount fund money was spent.

After Bush took the White House in January 2001, Enron Corp., Enron’s President and Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Skilling, and Ken Lay contributed $100,000 each for a total of $300,000 to the Bush-Cheney Inaugural Fund.

These contributions cemented Lay’s standing with the White House. From the beginning of the administration, Lay advised on policy and personnel. The Enron chief was on the short list for two Cabinet posts, Energy and Treasury, though he ultimately stayed in the private sector.

Starting in late February 2001, Lay and other Enron officials took part in at least a half dozen secret meetings to develop the Bush's energy plan. After one of the Enron meetings, Vice President Cheney's energy task force changed a draft energy proposal to include a provision to boost oil and natural gas production in India. The amendment was so narrow that it apparently was targeted only to help Enron's troubled Dabhol power plant in India. [Washington Post, Jan. 26, 2002]

Then there's this:
REPORTER: "The President was [Ken Lay's] friend..."
SNOW: "No, the President has described Ken Lay as an acquaintance, and many of the President’s acquaintances have passed on during his time in office."
-- Press Secretary Tony Snow, 7/5/06, distancing President Bush from Ken Lay on the day of Lay's death
Versus:

"One of the sad things about old friends is that they seem to be getting older -- just like you! ... Laura and I value our friendship with you. ... Your younger friend, George W. Bush."
-- Letter from then-Gov. Bush to his "friend" Ken Lay, 4/17/97

Anonymous said...

Didn't Bill Gates contribute pretty much the same amount to both Brand X parties?