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July 07, 2006

Is Ken Lay Really Dead?

Kenneth Lay’s late night July 4th heart attack seemed to catch the media off guard – most of the initial reaction was in the vein of this snide Barbara Walters dis (YouTube link). It seemed that the big questions were being asked first on the internets and thus by the time the mainstream press put out its front page stories, rumors and speculations about “conspiracy” and “faked death” had actually made the news (msnbc link)

Now everyone knows that a vacation is a prime opportunity for faking your death – and even though Ken Lay isn’t buried under an avalanche – Old Snowmass seems like an ideal location for a snowjob. And expect speculation to heat up even more should the family opt for cremation. But enough with the rumors – lets examine some actual facts:

Mr. Lay's death likely will erase his conviction. Under prior decisions by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals -- which includes Houston, where he was convicted -- a person who dies before his appeal is completed isn't considered convicted.

Ken Lay never wavered in his insistence that he had done nothing wrong. He even claimed to be shocked by the guilty verdict. In death his innocence makes the official record. But so what you ask? Surely Ken Lay wouldn’t go to the trouble to get a fake body and or pay off coroners just to have his name cleared?

His death also likely will end the efforts of prosecutors to seize through the criminal proceeding Mr. Lay's remaining assets, since he may no longer be considered a felon, said Wayne State University law professor Peter Henning.

Yes, there is much more at stake than a soiled reputation! And consider this: the government made a move on those remaining assets (low-balled at 43 million dollars) just last Friday! So in death Ken Lay beats the rap and keeps the cash! But is there enough evidence to suggest that Kenny Boy will be drinking Mai Tais on the deck of his yacht in both body and spirit? I think so – when you examine the philosophy of Mr. Lay – you find a truly audacious imagination– I think its clear that he knew what he had to do:

Lay said his upbringing "gave us the confidence that there was absolutely nothing we couldn't do with our lives; if we could dream it, we could do it."

All the above quotes come from John Emshwiller’s July 6th front page Wall Street Journal story – don’t forget Ken Lay always blamed WSJ's negative coverage for that whole collapse thing – LINK (a pay site - sorry)

BONUS: you can get a similar sense of the boldness of Ken Lay from the TV ads that Enron was airing just before the crash. you can find them all on YouTube here, here and here

AND... it wasn't until walking home after seeing a midnight screening of Scanner Darkly - that I saw the POST scoop of this entire entry..

Posted by bw at July 7, 2006 03:36 AM