Stones Cry Out

So what have we learned from Enron? The business world and regulators are patting themselves on the back and telling us it’s ok to invest in stocks again because the bad guys have been punished. But Refco, Fannie Mae, and the backdating of options tell us that the bugs are still in the system. A few years of Sarbanes-0xley is not going to save us from another Enron. Read more at:
http://www.soxfirst.com/50226711/what_have_we_learned_from_enron.php

I am an attorney, but have a degree in criminology and worked in "the system" during grad school. I can tell you that the idea of restorative justice is appalling to most inmates. They'd rather do the time because they'd rather forget their victims.

Personally, I think it's a good idea.

Why not make them do both the time and the restorative element? Or better, make them live within the fiscal constraints many of their victims experienced while working to make money to give to their victims.....

Yes, of course restorative justice! After all, isn't that what justice *is*?

That said, I'm not so sure all the *victims* are blameless. Hadn't any of hose folks ever heard the old saying, "don't put all your eggs in one basket"? I used to work for one of those rising companies, a healthcare maverick back in the early 90's. It was great, seeing my stock rise and spllit and rise and split but then the company started getting away from their original mission, the atmosphere changed and I got out with my stock while I had the chance. Lived almost a year on the money I'd "made" in three years of working for the company. Within about 5 years, the company no longer existed and my huge pile of stock would have become worthless.

So, yes, restorative justice. But don't cry too many tears for the *victims* as many of them were fools, too.

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This Republican Administration should be held accountable for its failure to intervene on behalf of California while Enron was defrauding that State of this Great Union.

Due to Republican ideology, this administration did not intervene, claiming it was merely "market forces".

The Enron Gang should face new charges in this vein, and the Republican administration should be investigated for complicity.

So, will we apply restorative justice for the millions imprisoned on drug charges? Or will this rule be only for the wealthy?

I'm all for keeping jails reserved for the dangerous and letting others work off their penalty, are we agreeing on this matter?

(To be honest, I'm rather tired of the US being a world leader in percentage of population in prison).

"You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Lay and Skilling may be greedy and arrogant, but we need to tend to the plank before we can diagnose the speck.



It is my opinion that we should be voicing an entirely different witness concerning the Enron saga. The whole spectacle is a blatant example of scapegoating and mob violence. We, as Christians, ought to be on the forefront of revealing this nasty business, not joining the chorus of the morality play contributing to it.



This is not a question of conservative or liberal. It is not a question of economic theory or social theory. It is about the underlying depravity in our hearts, and our eagerness to judge, to condemn, and to be self-righteous. In short, it is about the central revelation of the New Testament, which leads directly to the cross.



I don't see Christians responding any differently than non-Christians to this present-day mob violence, and I doubt that any church in the land has addressed it. To do so would probably be instant scandal, but the message of the cross is a scandal. The omission of this message reveals a bankruptcy in our Christian witness. We are often indistinguishable from any morality system in the marketplace, and just as blind to the real dynamics of our own depravity. Is it not our duty to speak truth to power, even when that power is the power of the mob?



All of this may sound like the ranting of a radical. If you are interested in some perspective on this Enron saga, other than that of the yellow press, I suggest the Enron coverage on this blog: http://blog.kir.com/



You may not have the time or inclination to sort through the minutia of the facts. Certainly, superior research is not the basis of our faith and witness. We should, however, be alert to recognize these mob dynamics as central to the revelation we proclaim. Especially when the entire yellow press is united on a story, we should be shrewd as snakes. The Gospel revelation gives us a bold witness about the depravity around us, and the hope. If we keep quiet, the stones will cry out.

restorative justice---will that apply to people who use narcotics or commit other nonviolent crimes? prison should be the best deterrent and if these men knew they were breaking the law, why should they get get leniency? The notion of having these men make money for their community is preposterous...this is America people...we are the capitalist kings of the world, and these guys reaked of the kind of stink that comes with that connotation. The point of their existence up to this point has to been to make themselves money, and to have them make money for others, in my uneducated opinion, would be like forcing a crack addict to work in the pharmaceutical industry. Furthermore, these crimes are the most harmful towards the robust economy this country smelts in. What do you think would happen if every corporation underwent Enrons evolution, and what if this occurred simultaneously. The victim would be an entire country--the greatest country as far as I am concerned. Good business built this country and bad business can break it. Do you think the severity of the charges and possible sentences came from no where?