July 13, 2005

• It's a start.
• He'll get out on appeal, and if not, there's always the Presidential Pardon.
• Fastow was first, then the likes of Kozlowski, the Rigases, and now Ebbers. It looks like finally some of the people responsible for the misappropriation and loss of hundreds of billions of investor dollars are going to be punished. That may be small comfort to the thousands of people whose life savings were wiped out, but it's something.
• don't think there's an appeal after the sentencing is there?
• It's still just a start. Isn't Ken Lay still rattling around somewhere?
• Lay's next up at bat. er, to be batted.
• In some ways, it's also sad news because there were lots of other folks who are getting away more or less scot-free for fraudulent/deceptive business practices.
• The Enron top execs go to trial in January.
• Is he going to a "pound me in the ass" prison, or an ex-CEO Club Med prison? Where in the prison spectrum? Serious question.
• Federal prisons, where he's going, are widely known as "Club fed." If youre going to commit a serious crime, you're much better off doing it on a federal level. I just read somewhere about one of these guys, from Enron maybe, who somehow got tried in state court and now he's going to the proverbial "pound me in the ass" prison..
• Hey, Peter, man, watch out for your cornhole, buddy.
• Viva la Revolucion!
• Let him get a pardon. I'm sure his wife would just love to have him back.
• don't think there's an appeal after the sentencing is there? the article had one sentence mentioning he plans to appeal the verdict, which is in his right to do even after sentencing. it's not like he can be sentenced to more prison time if he loses an appeal, so the only thing it will cost him is more high priced legal fees. not that he has a good chance of winning an appeal; most appeals fail. I just read somewhere about one of these guys, from Enron maybe, who somehow got tried in state court and now he's going to the proverbial "pound me in the ass" prison.. if that's true, then the Texas prison system may be really messed up, but at least it is good for something here.
• I'm beginning to wonder about whether the Enron task force can nail Ken Lay and the other big fish. I've been following the Houston paper's coverage of the Enron broadband trial, which should have been a slam-dunk, and the prosecutors have made at least three stupid mistakes that have cheesed the judge and may have cost them the convictions. Apparently whoever was prosecuting Ebbers was less incompetent.
• ha ha he cried what a pussy.
• ha ha pansy. let's put operation: steal his lunch money into action.
• Hey, Peter, man, watch out for your cornhole, buddy. Rape - it's hilarious.
• I've never understood why otherwise compassionate people find prison rape so hilarious/just. Perhaps they aren't compassionate.
• Billions of dollars lost to fraud. Only 25 years. Sentences for white collar crime don't seem as harsh as those for blue collar crimes. But hey, we've got people asking for the death penalty for kids who vandalize computers! Woo-hoo! I'm looking forward to the "shoot first" clause for people who litter.
• Nomen, that article was pretty tongue-in-cheek, and I actually agree with the writer. Maybe the punishment should fit the crime, or we need more imaginative punishments. Perhaps the guy should spend the next 25 years, not being in prison, but working in soup kitchens or picking up rubbish from the streets, or something.
• Alnedra: While Landsburg has argued pro-death penalty in the past for other crimes, he might very well be talking facetiously now when he examines the death penalty for hackers from an economist's perspective. But it is hard to tell if he is playing a swiftian role when there are places now where people who commit computer crime do get put to death. Personally, I think it is better to fix the root of the problem: unsafe programming and the need for sandboxing, rather than enact after-the-fact band-aid solutions in law. I fear I've derailed this topic too far. Anyway, it is good to see Ebbers get punished for his fraud.
• anyone who uses spurious economic methodology to argue in favor of the death penalty deserves to be put to death, imho. the huge number of utils that i will derive from this far outweighs the disutility caused to the deceased, his/her family, the executioner, and so on. the university of rochester is just an ongoing freakshow.
• finally one of these douche bags gets whats coming to them. but is it just to appease the masses, make it look like they've cleaned up the mess and sweep the rest of the white collar criminals under the rug?? i guess we'll see. actuallysettle: "I've never understood why otherwise compassionate people find prison rape so hilarious/just. Perhaps they aren't compassionate." I think we all want to see this guy and his ilk do some actual jail time for his crimes. a "pound him in the ass" prison equals a real sentence while Club-Fed is a joke. Not that i would want the guys cornhole to get violated, but i wouldn't feel sorry for him.
• but is it just to appease the masses, make it look like they've cleaned up the mess and sweep the rest of the white collar criminals under the rug?? a handful of prison sentences will be handed down to the most blatant and braggardly. A few more will be fined. 99% of the go-go 90's perps will never even be charged. meanwhile, the kid caught with a couple "XTC" pills will get the ass pounding. Ain't justice grand?
• petebest, I read that he is indeed appealing.
• gonzo: I think you missed ActuallySettle's point. I believe he's using sarcasm to shoot down rogerd's knee jerk reaction. and Office Space is funny.
• regardless of how little you care about this: immlasss is right. Ultimately, these pricks are answerable, but they are in fact untouchable. Cry all you want.
• No, actually, prison rape disgusts me. It would be one thing if it were just ordinary insignificants laughing at it - quite another when people on parole boards laugh about it. But it is funny, don't get me wrong. Going to jail without AIDS and coming out with AIDS is hilarious. Did you hear the joke about the person who tried to get their life together after prison but couldn't because they had AIDS? They died - that's god's justice right there.
• Oh, ouch. Please don't do that Settle. AIDS is not god's punishment, it's just another shitty thing some unfortunates have to put up with in this world. Didja ever notice that it's always the innocent/mildly guilty that get the brunt of "god's punishment" and the rich/extremely guilty come up smelling like a rose?
• Yeah, wtf settle. AIDS isn't funny. And why are you such a big fan of rape? (just kidding, i'm not retarded.)
• he's being ironic. willfully obtuse. Synonyms: birdbrained, dense, dopey, drippy, dull, dumb, flat tire, imperceptive, insensitive, lamebrained, opaque, retarded, slow, stolid, thick, uncomprehending, unintelligent flat tire. heh. far out, daddy-o.