The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
http://www.apfn.org/enron/scandalous.htm
Kenny-Boy and George
Enron was, simultaneously, umbilically tied to George W. Bush
MORE:>>
Smoking Gun in Enrongate - Let the impeachment begin?
Liberal Slant mailto:liberalslant@entermail.net
Smoking Gun in Enrongate - Let the impeachment begin?
Sun Jan 27 21:01:02 2002
68.3.140.180
Smoking Gun in Enrongate - Let the impeachment begin?
By : Mike Hersh - 01/24/02
Former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Curtis Hebert, Jr. is going
public with explosive allegations. Hebert says Enron CEO Ken Lay--the largest
contributor to George Walker Bush--made improper demands.
When Lay threatened that his close friend Bush, would fire Hebert unless he
obeyed,
Hebert refused. Lay ordered Bush to fire Hebert, and Bush complied in August
2001.
Hebert has been on record about all of this for months, but he recently made a
new,
even more explosive charge. Hebert says Bush also let Lay INTERVIEW him and
other candidates for FERC Chairman in the first place!
In a nutshell: Enron gave Bush $millions to sponsor his rise from a losing
Candidate
for the US House to the "leader of the free world." In return, Bush gave Enron
"hire
and fire" authority over the FERC, and performed other favors in return for
money.
This directly and personally ties Bush to the Enrongate scandal in all its
illegality.
Bush betrayed his oath to the American people when he let Ken Lay hand pick
regulatory watchdogs we entrusted to prevent the massive meltdown that cost
Americans $billions. This makes letting the fox guard the hen house look like
tender loving fiduciary care.
This is nothing new for Bush, who fired Texas Funeral Service Commission (TFSC)
director Eliza May in retaliation for her investigations of Service Corporation
International and its CEO Robert Waltrip. Waltrip--like Enron's Lay--is a
longtime
Bush patron.
Bush lied under oath regarding this political quid-pro-quo, then he and SCI
settled a
lawsuit to keep May quiet. Texas taxpayers picked up $155,000 of the hush money
tab, while SCI paid May the other $55,000, according to a Dallas Morning News
story published 11/09/2001. Texans know this scandal as "Funeralgate."
The Rule of Law requires that Bush testify under oath about Funeralgate, his and
his Brother John Ellis Bush's Votergate activities during the 2000 election in
Florida,
and Enrongate. We already know George Walker Bush has an established pattern
of helping his friends and backers evade regulation and possibly even criminal
charges!
We must demand action now, because Enron and its accountants at Anderson have
been destroying evidence by the box-load. We must know what Bush did, and why
he did it.
Enrongate is not just a Bush scandal: this is a Republican scandal. Other top
GOP
officials like VP Dick Cheney, White House advisor Karl Rove, House Leader Dick
Armey and Sen. Phil Gramm also helped Enron plunder and evade regulation.
They helped Enron rip off consumers, investors and employees.
Ignore Republican and media efforts to spin this as a business scandal or a
bipartisan
scandal. This is not about the generous, but legal contributions Enron made: 73%
to
Republicans, 27% to Democrats. This is a GOP political scandal because
Republicans
helped Enron pay no taxes in four out of five years, while hiding profits in
offshore
accounts. Despite the hype, no Democrat did anything of the sort.
Even with all these special favors, golden boy Ken Lay ran Enron into the
ground.
Adding insult to injury, if not perfidy to perjury, the Republican "stimulus
porkage"
aims to give Enron and Lay even MORE of your tax money.
This Republican scandal exposes GOP corruption at the highest levels, but more
profoundly, it reveals the bankruptcy of the GOP "government is the problem"
ideology. It blows the lid off Bush's Enronomics, and his plan to Enronitize
Social
Security, energy and other policies.
I am currently working on another article concerning these fundamental failures
in
Republican philosophy. For now, back to the immediate scandal. Already, Armey
and Gramm are quitting politics to escape Enrongate, but ending their careers to
enjoy tax-paid pensions may not be enough to satisfy justice and the Rule of
Law.
These top Republicans--all outspoken critics of President Clinton's conduct in
office--should welcome full-scale investigations into their own apparent
influence
pedaling. As should House Whip Tom DeLay, VP Cheney, George Walker
Bush, and other GOP leaders. As should Ken Lay, Sen. Gramm's wife
Wendy--a former regulator turned Enron board member.
If they broke the law, they should pay the penalty. That's been the Republican
mantra for nearly a decade. Let them prove they meant it by volunteering to
testify
before the US Senate--under oath, on national television. If they're innocent,
what
do they have to fear? They should welcome the opportunity to come clean or set t
he record straight.
Despite their nonstop pontificating about others' lacking accountability, I'm
not
confident these Republicans will step up and do the right thing. We must take it
upon ourselves to demand justice and uphold the Rule of Law. Call the media and
your elected officials NOW to make sure they understand the real issues in
Enrongate, Funeralgate, and Votergate.
Let the investigations, perhaps even impeachment begin!
Mike Hersh is a contributing writer for Liberal Slant
June 19, 2005
Bethany McLean - ENRON - BUSH'S COVER STORY:
Fortune Magazine Senior Writer
Watch Program
Read Transcript
More Information
http://www.qanda.org/
http://www.fortune.com/fortune/author_archive?pub_id=6&authorname=Bethany%20McLean&year=2005
http://www.apfn.org/APFN/ENRON_BUSH.HTM
MORE:>>
Bush Helped Promote Enron's Business Interests Feb. 15, 2002 - Public Citizen
press release
Newly Released Documents Indicate that as Texas Governor, Bush Helped Promote
Enron's Business Interests
AUSTIN, Texas - Documents obtained by Public Citizen on Friday suggest that as
governor of Texas, President Bush helped promote Enron Corp.'s forei gn and
domestic business agenda on behalf of company CEO Kenneth Lay.
The documents were among 350 pages of Bush records released by Bush's father's
presidential library, where Bush sent them, after a request by Public Citizen
under the state's open records law.
http://www.apfn.org/enron/promote.htm
Bush Helped Promote Enron's Business Interests
Feb. 15, 2002 - Public Citizen press release
Newly Released Documents Indicate that as Texas Governor, Bush Helped Promote
Enron's Business Interests
AUSTIN, Texas - Documents obtained by Public Citizen on Friday suggest
that as governor of Texas, President Bush helped promote Enron Corp.'s forei
gn and domestic business agenda on behalf of company CEO Kenneth Lay.
The documents were among 350 pages of Bush records released by Bush's
father's presidential library, where Bush sent them, after a request by
Public Citizen under the state's open records law.
Though Bush has tried to distance himself from Ken Lay following
the implosion of Enron and the loss of billions of dollars by investors
and employees, the documents include handwritten letters exchanged between
Lay and Bush reflecting a personal relationship. They also show Lay
requently sought help from Bush. Lay and Enron have contributed $736,800
to Bush's political career, including his 1994 and 1998 campaigns for
governor, his 2000 presidential campaign, and his recount and inaugural
funds.
"These documents suggest that Bush was acting as promoter-in-chief
for Enron and its business interests at a time when he was getting ready
to raise money for his run for president," said Public Citizen President
Joan Claybrook. "They certainly raise questions about how far Bush went
to help Enron and what other favors he might have done."
In 1999, Lay sent Bush a letter asking him to meet with the Romanian
prime minister when he visited
finalized a gas marketing joint venture with Petrom and had a Bucharest
office. Lay noted that "we are committed to participation in the Romania
energy and water markets."
In 1997, Lay sent Bush a letter noting that Bush would be meeting
with Uzbekistan's ambassador and saying that Enron was negotiating a $2
billion joint venture to develop Uzbekistan's natural gas. Lay noted that
"this project can bring significant economic opportunities to Texas" and
said that "I am delighted that the two of you are meeting."
In 1997, Lay sent Bush a letter thanking him for calling then-Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Ridge, noting that "I am certain that will have a positive
impact on the way he and others in Pennsylvania view our proposal to
provide cheaper electricity to consumers."
In 1997, Lay sent Bush a letter thanking him for his efforts to find a
middle ground on the debate regarding electricity industry restructuring
in Texas. "Thanks to your leadership . . . we made significant progress
towards the goal of making the state's electricity industry fully
competitive. . . . Enron looks forward to continuing to work with you."
In 1998, Lay, as chair of the governor's business council, sent a letter
to Bush thanking him for his "outstanding and committed leadership"
in getting eight bills passed that made changes to the legal system to
help business.
In 1998, Lay wrote Bush to bring his attention to a federal tax
bill relating to wind production tax credits that Lay was supporting for
Enron's wind energy business and asked Bush to send a letter to U.S.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer in support of the
measure.
Last week, Public Citizen obtained documents showing that Lay made a number
of recommendations to Bush, as governor of Texas, for appointments to
public office.
###
Public Citizen is a nationwide nonprofit consumer advocacy organization.
For more information, please visit
http://www.citizen.org
