Cape Karen
Justice has been served! Guilty on all counts. Led away in handcuffs, Ken Lay, Enron's founder and Jeff Skilling, former CEO, no longer looked so smug, as they left the courtroom in shackled shame. It took five years, but finally those who were bilked out of their life savings, and who lost their investment and retirement accounts, have seen two of the top-most men responsible brought down.
Still insisting that they "didn't do anything wrong" and it was just a "bad market" that caused the downfall of their giant corporation, they plan to appeal their verdicts. Still oozing arrogance, Skilling responded to the verdict with an "Oh well . . . that's the way it goes" attitude. I think he's still in denial. A few days dressed in prison garb should change all that. Take off the suit and tie, and underneath, he's just another lying crook.
A former employee, Roger Boyce, who worked for Enron for 30 years, said he first knew something was wrong the year after he retired, in 1991. "I'm glad they are finally trying to get some of the top guns and put the blame where it belongs," said Roger Boyce, former human relations director of an Enron pipeline company in Minnesota. Boyce figures he lost more than $2 million in retirement savings when the Houston company collapsed. The loss has sent him back to work again. 72 year-old Boyce now does consulting work in the Minneapolis area.
And, we are being given the opportunity to purchase some of Enron's Stress Balls. Now, for sure, this is an important piece of history. O'yeah ~ everyone should have at least one Enron stress ball as a family heirloom. The ad reads: "The bankruptcy courts ordered that Enron's assets be liquidated -- and that included Enron Stress Balls. They come direct from Enron's own warehouse, and now they can make their way to you. The stress balls are made of springy foam and they measure 2-3/8" in diameter. Like the Enron CEOs, you are probably under a lot of stress yourself. Why not use these actual artifacts to squeeze your tensions away."
GENUINE ENRON SQUEEZY BALL
WAS $3.99 - Now just $1.99 to own a piece of history.
(while they last, which may not be any longer than Enron lasted.)
To wrap this up - I elect as "The Person of the Day" former Enron employee, Sherron Watkins - Ms Watkins, honoured in 2001 by Time magazine as one of a trio of whistleblowers, uncovered the professional misconduct and fraud that was running rampant in Enron. She had the guts to stand up to these giants of industry and to call their bluff.
So, this is her red-letter day! Thank you, Sherron Watkins, for having the courage to help bring to justice these greedy, corrupt and powerful criminals ~ and to start the 'real squeezing' of those balls!