Utility Exposes Enron Greed at Its Core--WashPost

[Demeter]

Exclusive Tapes Portray Lust for Profit, Lack of Concern for Consumers

By Blaine Harden
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 1, 2005; Page E01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61253-2005Feb28.html

Details on the Enron traders gloat tapes:

"....In the litigious aftermath of Enron's bankruptcy, Snohomish County Public Utility District pushed to obtain the tapes over federal objections, exclusively transcribed them and starting last summer has gleefully fed transcripts of Enron's skulduggery to courts and the news media.

The release of the transcripts is part of a legal and public relations strategy by Snohomish that has deepened Enron's humiliation, put pressure on federal energy regulators (who didn't bother listening to the tapes until after the Snohomish utility released them to the press) and may save about $420 for each of the utility's 295,000 customers.....When Enron began to unravel in late 2001, lawyers from Snohomish terminated the high-priced contract. It stopped sending money to Enron and found cheaper power elsewhere. "That money would have disappeared into a bankruptcy," said Eric Christiansen, assistant general counsel for the utility.

Although mired in bankruptcy and essentially out of the energy business, Enron struck back. It sued Snohomish, demanding $122 million for profits it would have made had the utility honored its contract. In response, Snohomish went after the tapes, which had been seized by the government in 2002. They existed because energy companies like Enron routinely record the rapid-fire, mostly verbal deals that traders make on the phone to balance a region's ever-changing need for electricity.

Neither Justice nor FERC had heard them. Federal officials have said they didn't listen because they didn't have the money to pay for transcription."

[Demeter]

1. More Juicy Details In Article! n/t

[cthrumatrix]

13. ask Cheney about Enron in his energy secret meetings......

[EVDebs]

25. Can't....Enron appears to have been a CIA proprietary front in its

dealings with India, Afganistan and the region in general. With reports that around 25 CIA were on its payroll, it is reasonable to speculate that this alone is why KennyBoy hasn't had his swift trial yet.

What could be disclosed at trial ? We should expect the public's lawyers to reveal this in discovery, shouldn't we ? And the 'reporting' done on the case so far ignores this.

Ah, yes, and why is little Snohomish County the fly in the ointment ? Why couldn't CA or other big losers bring forth the case and do what the 'David' D.A.'s of this county in WA are doing ? Corruption in CA, of course. We couldn't disclose the deals made during the CA deregulation that brought this about, huh ?

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Demeter]

3. Millions for Conquest, Not a Dime for Justice n/t

Get out of Iraq and into the boardrooms!

[Nomad559]

4. CBS Video

CBS video of Enron energy traders.

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=Enron_Traders

:mad:

[Demeter]

6. Stunning Indictment!

This news clip goes right up the line: traders; Skilling; Bush!

Let's get them, Musketeers!

[natrat]

5. oh i feel for this country-the government is so corrupt

[cthrumatrix]

7. this is the "coprorate greed" running and writing US policies

[WhiteTara]

8. interesting that FERC doesn't want to let the utility

out of the contract!  Isn't FERC staffed with * friends? Can
we say Cahoots?

[Cocoa]

14. Justice Dept. too

how weak are these excuses:

Neither Justice nor FERC had heard them. Federal officials have said they didn't listen because they didn't have the money to pay for transcription.

When Snohomish asked if it could listen, the government objected, citing the ongoing criminal investigation. Finally, a judge ordered the tapes released to the utility.

[juslikagrzly]

9. FERC says "due process"

for who? Enron? Excuse me, but bilking your customers and committing fraud should negate any contract. Is this the result of making corporations "persons" in terms of "rights". Due process my ass!

My God I'm sick of this mentality that the bottom line is sacrosanct.

GREED is the CREED; the faux religious mantra of this faux administration.

[Occulus]

16. thank you for mentioning corporate personhood

Rarely do I see the true underlying issue get a nod.

[Merlot]

10. These little guys are tough!

They stood up for themselves and their customers. AND they fought back against enron which in effect means taking on the preznents' best buddy kenny boy.

In it's self, it's amazing what they did. The part about Justice nor FERC listing to the tapes is a big red flag. And Snohomish outsmarts them , by having them transcripted and sent to the press.

Hollywood, there's a movie waiting to be made!

[clayton72]

18. SNO Co PUD

Yes, these people are wonderful! I'm a Snohomish County resident. At one point my bill came to $350 for one month!!! It was ridiculous. I hope the Enron folks get everything they deserve. Ain't holding my breathe though. Maybe they'll pay in the afterlife.

Clayton

[EVDebs]

26. BFEE Bush family evil empire and 'other people's money' the motto

We in CA need to thank your Snohomish County people who are fighting this fight. We couldn't because our representatives from the Wilson and Davis administrations had made too many deals with the Enron/Bush clique.

Keep on fighting and I assure you, if you ever need a favor up there you tell them that CA as a whole owes you BIG TIME !

[Trillo]

11. If find you have a contract with an entity

and discover you are dealing with a criminal:

Are you under an obligation to honor the contract, and will you be required to continue doing business with them?

If indeed you are required to honor the contract, what kind of criminal exposure do you now have? Have you become an accomplice and enabler to the other entities crimes being committed? Or will you be considered a victim under the law and be granted prior immunity? Will this type of precedent apply to other types of criminal activity that routinely result in innocent victims going to prison and having their property confiscated, such as the spouse and/or other relatives of a druggie who are living in the same dwelling?

[DirtyDawg]

12. Reminds Me...

...of a time when I discovered, well after work had begun, that a remodeling contractor I had engaged had intentionally over-estimated the square footage for some tile work, resulting in both over-charges for materials and labor. When confronted with the accurate measurements and my denying further payments, his comment was: 'Well, you agreed to it'.

[Cocoa]

15. these tapes also expose the media

these tapes should be all over the TV, all channels, especially the programs that are devoted to high-profile court cases.

CBS News played some of them, and they were fascinating, of course.

There's absolutely no reason that these tapes shouldn't get the same attention that similar developments in other, less important cases, get. Except that the media is not interested in focussing attention on this case.

Also, that Bernard Ebbers case should be a huge deal on TV. But there's zilch on it.

[mod mom]

17. WHY ISN'T KEN LAY IN PRISON? NT

[euroforex]

19. Ah-nold, Lay, and Enron

Ken Lay met with Arnold in 2002 - So.Cal. as a strategy planning session in thwarting Gray Davis' move to investigate the Enron energy scandal, that would have brought indictments against President Bush. Ah-nold weighed in to help the cause by throwing his hat in the ring for a RNC orchestrated re-call scam on Davis.

Man, when are California's gonna wake up? When is the country going to wake up?

These tapes are the tip of the iceberg. Thank god for them.

[troubleinwinter]

20. Enron bastards!

During the "energy crisis", my friend in San Diego who lives in a mid-size, modest, ordinary house, was paying $1,200- $2,000 per month in electric bills. Granted, in San Diego, you have to have air conditioning.

At the same time, here in northern Calif, I was paying $700+ per month in the summer, and don't have AC. $700+ for lights, stove, and a plug-in fan for a TWO person household (hot water is gas). Even at that of course we had these rolling blackouts "due to energy shortages".

I want to see these people swinging from a rope. And I want them to sign their numerous mansion estates over to me. I paid for them, after all.

[Smirking_Chimp]

21. Don't laugh at grandma millie! n/t

[NVMojo]

22. Welcome to BushWorld, this is what they live for, fucking us.

[0007]

23. Kick

:kick:

[aquart]

24. Medals of Freedom to the people at Snohomish County PUD.

This is fighting for your country. For your people. For your freedom. It only looks like money.