|
|
1.17.2002 10:57 PM While stark, the treatment of Afghan prisoners in Cuba doesn't seem inhumane. They get fed and are allowed to pray. They're being treated that well in spite of the threat that they want to kill an American before they leave. Which brings me to this question: When will those prisoners leave? The point of holding them is to get information about al Qaeda out of them, and prevent them from attacking the U.S. If they spill their guts, how long will the Bush administration consider them threats? A permanent prison is being built at Guantanamo, so it looks like the prisoners will be there for a long time. "Afghan Detainees Threaten Guards" [via Sgt. Stryker] Sean Hackbarth | 9:57 PM Page down to the part where Jonah Goldberg writes about the Holy Grail. If you don't laugh, slam your forehead on a hard object for a few seconds, then re-read. "Immanent Corrections" Sean Hackbarth | 6:18 PM Enron fires Andersen. But what's really interesting is the comment from Enron attorney Bob Bennett:
It's Andersen's fault? Andersen didn't set up partnerships to move debt and losses from the books. That was the decision of Enron directors and executives. "Enron Axes Andersen Accounting Firm" Sean Hackbarth | 3:27 PM Andersen knew that Enron's accounting tricks to divert debt from their balance sheet wasn't the wisest thing to do. Executives of the accounting firm even talked about cutting ties with Enron. It's not a real shock that Andersen knew about the potential consequences. They were Enron's accountants. They had access to the books and were paid to ask hard financial questions. It's obvious, Andersen failed in their duty. "Andersen Memo Provides Smoking Gun on Enron Deals" Sean Hackbarth | 1.16.2002 2:14 PM A NOW spin-off wants to stick their paws in 9.11 relief money so they can promote affirmative action. The money is supposed to be used to rebuild New York City, not for liberal social engineering. "Women's Group to Congress: Give Us 9/11 Money or See You in Court" Sean Hackbarth | 1.15.2002 1:32 PM It's interesting to compare how private business handles crisis compared to public entities. Andersen fired the lead auditor of Enron and suspended others. The accounting giant seems to be taking this scandal very seriously. Now, compare this to post-9/11. Most agree that the attacks were a complete failure of the intelligence community, yet no one's been fired. President Bush even gave a pep talk at CIA headquarters and publically supported Director George Tenet. I think Tenet should be fired, or he should have the decency to resign. Instead, he joined the gang on the cover of Vanity Fair. The difference between public and private institutions is feedback. Andersen's integrity as an objective accounting firm is threatened. Without it the firm would suffer financially. The Enron scandal is a direct threat to the company and its partners. Because of that self-interest they're firing people and suspending others. Public institutions (particularly government) have a more round-about feedback mechanism: voters. Politicians don't have to worry that they'll be fired because their term is for a specified length of time. Only on election day can they be fired or re-hired. Sure, there's public opinion, but they still wield the reigns of power unless they're recalled (if that's even possible). Because of that there's not the same urgency to hold people accountable or to change things. "Firm Fires Chief Enron Auditor" Sean Hackbarth | 1:19 PM Consumers are doing their part in holding up the U.S. economy. December sales fell slightly. If consumer spending holds up, the key to recovery will be capital spending, and businesses may gain confidence to invest more into their companies with this new data. "Retail Sales Dip Much-Smaller-Than-Expected 0.1 Percent in December" Sean Hackbarth | 12:23 PM On the affect of large campaign donations from Enron on the Bush administrations "inactivity," Bill Allison of the Center for Public Integrity said officals couldn't act because "The appearance would have looked terrible. They felt that they couldn't act on behalf of Enron because of the political fallout." Whether Allison feels officals should have acted is uncertain, but it does sound a little like some Democrats' assertion that the Bush administration should have intervened to protect Enron investors and employees. If the administration would have acted critics would say it was because of campaign contributions, and if they didn't act it was because of campaign contributions. With this kind of spin, there's no way to win. (Sorry, the spirit of Johnny Cochran momentarily entered my body.) "Enron Employee Warned Chairman Lay" Sean Hackbarth | 1.14.2002 2:08 PM Schottenheimer's out and Spurrier's in. Now, the Redskins are looking for a General Manager. One name floating around is ex-Packers GM Ron Wolf. He won't take the job. He'd want total control, and owner Daniel Snyder is running the show in Washington. "Redskins Fire Schottenheimer; Spurrier's in" Sean Hackbarth | 2:04 PM Congressman Waxman (D-CA) is taking advantage of the Enron affair. NRO's Byron York reports that Waxman's trouncing Sen. Lieberman (D-CT) and Sen. Levin (D-MI) in press coverage, and Waxman has no subpoena power. "Waxman?s Enron Attack" Sean Hackbarth | 1:48 PM Planet MR2 got a small bump in hits by mentioning Final Fantasy X. Am I desparate enough to do the same? I have never played any of the games, but I did see the movie last summer. Sean Hackbarth | 2:37 AM Did President Bush have money on Miami? That might explain the choking. "President Faints at White House" [via Drudge] Sean Hackbarth | 2:03 AM Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) is tossing around charges of "obstruction of justice" after learning of an Andersen memo ordering destruction of Enron documents. In the same AP story, Mr. Campaign Finance, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is taking advantage of the Enron scandal to promote his agenda. "We're all tainted by the millions and millions of dollars that were contributed by Enron executives, which ... creates the appearance of impropriety,'' said McCain. Notice where he said Enron's donations create "the appearance of impropriety." Actual wrongdoing or unethical behavior isn't enough to move an agenda. Now, only the appearance is necessary. By his logic, anything that goes wrong and involves a public official that gets the attention of the NY Times, the Washington Post, and 24-hour news channels ever seeking material to put on-air, can be considered "the apperance of impropriety." Well, here's a good appearance of impropriety: 9.11. The U.S. intellegence community failed horribly by being surprised of the attacks. Yet, no one has been fired in any major intelligence position. In fact, CIA Director George Tenet has the full confidence of President Bush. Sen, McCain (who received $9,500 from Enron) has bigger fish to fry than using Enron to promote campaign finance (and free-speech curtailing) reform. "Timing of Enron Memo Questioned" Sean Hackbarth | 1.13.2002 3:28 PM Andersen, Enron's accountant, should go down with the one-time Texas energy power house. Time reports that Andersen lawyers told employees to destroy documents. From now on when researching a stock, check to see who did the auditing. If it's Andersen, politely move onto another company. I have lost all faith in their ability to objectively evaluate companies. "Who's Accountable?" [via Drudge] Sean Hackbarth | 2:56 PM The Green Bay Packers move on to face St. Louis after beating the San Francisco 49ers, 25-15. The 49ers couldn't shake off the mystic of Lambeau Field where the Pack have never lost a playoff game. Cornerback Mike McKenzie earned part of his new contract by tipping a ball in the fourth quarter that turned into an interception by Tyrone Williams. Ahman Green added to the Packers' dominance over San Francisco by powering for 86 yards and a touchdown. Next, are the St. Louis Rams with the most explosive offense in the league. "Green Bay 25, San Francisco 15" Sean Hackbarth | 12:32 AM Enron got $4 billion in corporate welfare. Much of it from the Clinton administration. "Enron and the Clintonites" Sean Hackbarth | |
ABOUT When I'm not pondering the fate of the universe, I'm reading, writing, or selling books. Here you'll find comments on politics, culture, books, and music. Not necessarily in that order. MAILBOX sean--at--theamericanmind.com  Support democracy and human rights in Iraq! 
My Bloginality is INTP!!! WEBRINGS « LibertyLoggers » < ? wiscoblogs # > WEBLOGS WIRES AP International AP National AP Politics AP Sports UPI COLUMNISTS Buckley Goldberg Kudlow Novak Horowitz Noonan Reynolds Sowell Will NEWSPAPERS Ha'aretz LA Times Milwaukee Journal Sentinel NY Times Washington Post Washington Times MAGAZINES The American Prowler The Atlantic City Journal Commentary Enter Stage Right First Things FrontPage IntellectualConservative.com In the National Interest National Review New York Times Magazine Opinion Journal Reason Spintech The Weekly Standard NEWS 1stHeadlines ABCNews BBC CNN Cybercast News Service Drudge FoxNews MEMRI MSNBC BOOKS All Consuming The New Republic New York Times Town Hall Book Club Washington Post Weblog BookWatch TECH News.com Wired News HUMOR Mallard Fillmore The Onion ARCHIVE 
Comments by: YACCS template by HELQUIN
|