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Enron Mail |
fyi... editorial in today's LA Daily News:
Lockyer lockdown Not wanting to be outdone by Gov. Gray Davis, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer recently tried his hand at Sacramento's new favorite game: demonizing power generators. Elaborating on his plan to file criminal charges against energy officials, Lockyer singled out Enron Corp. Chairman Kenneth Lay for imprudent remarks. "I would love to personally escort Lay to an 8-by-10 cell," Lockyer told The Wall Street Journal, "that he could share with a tattooed dude who says, 'Hi my name is Spike, honey."' Get it? Spike would proceed to rape, maul and otherwise abuse Lay. Real funny, isn't it? Rape is widely considered commonplace in prison, and for good reason. Human Rights Watch estimates that as many 140,000 inmates have been raped in penitentiaries nationwide. In a recent study, the organization documented instances of sexual slavery taking place in prisons in six different states -- including California. That should be a serious concern for the state's top law-enforcement official -- not a laughing matter. Lockyer might have only been kidding, but his joke contains a tacit admission that rape is rampant in the state prison system. It suggests that he thinks this illegal and unconstitutional horror might, on occasion, serve as just punishment for some. Perhaps that's why prison officials -- in California and elsewhere -- have done so little to contain the problem. But their neglect comes at society's expense. Sexual abuse in American prisons hardens prisoners and makes them more dangerous upon their release. Rather than rehabilitating criminals, dangerous prisons reinforce their sense of lawlessness. We're willing to write off Lockyer's statement as merely thoughtless and unfunny, but we doubt that others will be quick to let him off so lightly. It's hard to imagine that a lawyer representing a raped inmate -- or the entire class of raped inmates -- would be quite so forgiving. In a lawsuit against the state corrections system, a quote from the attorney general making light of rampant sexual violence in state prisons could be damning. As the state's top attorney, Lockyer should know better than to serve up political rhetoric that could open up his clients -- the taxpayers -- to millions of dollars in legal penalties. His reckless words and callous attitude do little to inspire public confidence. ---------------------- Forwarded by Karen Denne/Corp/Enron on 05/29/2001 04:48 PM --------------------------- Sandra Yamane <SYamane@marathon-com.com< on 05/29/2001 01:39:36 PM To: "'karen.denne@enron.com'" <karen.denne@enron.com< cc: Subject: Lockyer lockdown.htm <<Lockyer lockdown.htm<< Today's Editorial from LA Daily News - Lockyer lockdown.htm
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