From the New York Times

Enron Founder Dies Before Sentencing

By JEREMY W. PETERS and SIMON ROMERO
Published: July 5, 2006
Kenneth L. Lay, the former chairman and chief executive of Enron who was convicted of fraud and conspiracy in the giant energy company's collapse, died today at his home in Aspen, Colo. He was 64.

A spokeswoman for the Lay family, Kelly L. Kimberly, confirmed reports of Mr. Lay's death but declined to discuss specifics. In a prepared statement, Ms. Kimberly said: "Ken Lay passed away early this morning in Aspen. The Lays have a very large family with whom they need to communicate. And out of respect for the family, we will release further details at a later time."

Mr. Lay was convicted in May on six counts of fraud and conspiracy and four counts of bank fraud, and was free on a $5 million bond while awaiting his sentencing, which was scheduled for this fall.

Each count carried a maximum sentence of 5 to 10 years, so he faced the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.

The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that an emergency crew was dispatched to Mr. Lay's home at 1:41 a.m.; he was transported to the Aspen Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:11 a.m.

The financial crimes that Mr. Lay and Jeffrey K. Skilling, who succeeded Mr. Lay as chief executive and presided over Enron during its implosion, were convicted of committing came to symbolize the corporate excess and greed of the 1990's. While not as large in dollar terms as the fraud at Worldcom, a telecommunications giant driven to bankruptcy by an accounting scandal in 2002, the crimes of Enron's executives resonated the most in the public mind, and the company's name became synonymous with corporate malfeasance.

Mr. Lay and Mr. Skilling were found by the jury to have lied to investors, employees and regulators so they could disguise the financial weaknesses of their energy empire.

For his part, Mr. Lay always maintained his innocence. On the day of his conviction, he denied having ever done anything improper during his tenure at Enron.

"We believe that God in fact is in control, and indeed he does work all things for good for those who love the Lord," he said outside the courthouse in Houston after the verdict...

Read more at the new York Times....

A paper at the Combating Terrorism Center website, "Stealing al-Qa`ida's Playbook", quotes Abu Bakr Naji as claiming the American armies are effeminate. This is wrong, absurd and deeply offensive, as well as preposterous. Lex will back me up on this, because we have the evidence to the contrary, as Junior Bush in that manly jump-suit on the aircraft carrier. 

no prizes for guessing which god .....

the god of mammon is the only god that Lay & his ilk ever worship. 

 The US federal anti-terrorism database includes potential "targets" like Old MacDonald’s Petting Zoo, the Amish Country Popcorn factory & an unspecified “Beach at End of a Street," a new inspector general report shows.

Indiana is listed as the most target-rich state in the U.S., with "50 percent more listed sites than New York.

House Intelligence Chairman, Republican Peter Hoekstra, promised yesterday to crackdown on intelligence leaks to the media, suggesting “some unauthorized leaks could have been deliberate attempts to help al Qaeda.” To back up his claim, Hoekstra said: “I don't have any evidence.”

"unauthorised" leaks .... no evidence .... I'm outta here !!!  

A federal Department of Homeland Security agent passed along information about student protests against military recruiters at UC Berkeley & UC Santa Cruz, landing the demonstrations on a database tracking foreign terrorism.