Longtime Houston attorney Tom Kirkendall's observations on developments in law, business, medicine, culture, sports, and other matters of general interest to the Houston business, professional, and academic communities.
It must be intimidating to be a defendant in Federal court…”The United States of America vs Key Lay.” The entire government against one man?
Some people think that if the government has accused him, that’s all the proof we need, we should just trust our government.
Maybe, maybe not. As Ronald Regan said: “trust but verify.” The judge, jury and media must examine and verify the proof. That’s what Ken Lay is asking for. A trial.
It is refreshing to see a person accused of a crime welcome an immediate trial, and make no effort to stall or thwart justice. In my opinion, 99.99% of all accused felons are guilty. Ken Lay may be part of the .01% who are factually innocent. His statements appear logical, and appear to ring true. The trial should be interesting. Let’s listen with an open mind.
If he is found guilty, if the prosecutors can prove a violation of Federal law, he will probably spend the rest of his life in a Federal prison. The stakes are very high. This is not a TV soap opera. This is a man’s life.
I met Ken Lay just once, in a public place, a year after the Enron fall. We spoke for less than 5 seconds. He looked me straight in the eye, with the confidence of an innocent man. My gut opinion, my instinct, says this man is not being deceptive.
I have no involvement with Enron, and no involvement with any party to any Enron related case. I am just a local citizen who looked Ken Lay in the eye, and I trust him.
The government has made the allegations, in court and in every media outlet. The name Ken Lay has become a generic phrase for fraud. It is now time for the government to prove this case, in public, to the satisfaction of the community, before the 2004 election.
If the government does not have the proof ready, they should not have filed charges against this man, and told the world that he is a criminal.
Mr. Lay and I nominate you to be foreman of his jury! ;^)
Your comment reflects objectivity that is sorely lacking in the criminal cases involving former Enron executives. The most recent polls done by the defense attorneys for the former Enron exectives indicate that almost 80% of the prospective juror pool is biased against the former Enron executives. Sad.
It must be intimidating to be a defendant in Federal court…”The United States of America vs Key Lay.” The entire government against one man?
Some people think that if the government has accused him, that’s all the proof we need, we should just trust our government.
Maybe, maybe not. As Ronald Regan said: “trust but verify.” The judge, jury and media must examine and verify the proof. That’s what Ken Lay is asking for. A trial.
It is refreshing to see a person accused of a crime welcome an immediate trial, and make no effort to stall or thwart justice. In my opinion, 99.99% of all accused felons are guilty. Ken Lay may be part of the .01% who are factually innocent. His statements appear logical, and appear to ring true. The trial should be interesting. Let’s listen with an open mind.
If he is found guilty, if the prosecutors can prove a violation of Federal law, he will probably spend the rest of his life in a Federal prison. The stakes are very high. This is not a TV soap opera. This is a man’s life.
I met Ken Lay just once, in a public place, a year after the Enron fall. We spoke for less than 5 seconds. He looked me straight in the eye, with the confidence of an innocent man. My gut opinion, my instinct, says this man is not being deceptive.
I have no involvement with Enron, and no involvement with any party to any Enron related case. I am just a local citizen who looked Ken Lay in the eye, and I trust him.
The government has made the allegations, in court and in every media outlet. The name Ken Lay has become a generic phrase for fraud. It is now time for the government to prove this case, in public, to the satisfaction of the community, before the 2004 election.
If the government does not have the proof ready, they should not have filed charges against this man, and told the world that he is a criminal.
Mr. Lay and I nominate you to be foreman of his jury! ;^)
Your comment reflects objectivity that is sorely lacking in the criminal cases involving former Enron executives. The most recent polls done by the defense attorneys for the former Enron exectives indicate that almost 80% of the prospective juror pool is biased against the former Enron executives. Sad.