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