NEWS

Enron Again and Again and Again

Besides the shredding of documents, the latest news about the Enron debacle involves the president's mother-in-law, Jenna Welsh, who apparently lost 8,180 dollars in investment when Enron folded. From $40.90 a share when she bought the stock in September of 1999 to 42 cents a share when she sold it on December 4, her investment is now worth $84.00.

The president is outraged about Enron now. No more mister nice guy treatment for family friend, Kenneth Lay. Can you see the following hypothetical scene between Bush and his wife, Laura?

Laura: Well, you know Georgie, Mother has lost over 8000 dollars in Enron. I think we should try to do something to get it back for her. Don't you think it's an outrage for the president's mother-in-law to lose money to a long time Bush family friend? Now why can't you just call up Kenny boy and see if he'll return her money. As Mother says, he cashed out his stock and received millions before anyone else knew Enron was going under. Surely, he ought to be able to donate a small portion of that back to my mother.

Georgie: If I get the $8000 dollars back for Mom Welsh, where is it going to end? I'll have to get the money back for all those Enron employees that invested their life savings in 401k's. Certainly, I can't get all if back from Mr. Lay. I'd have to go to the Congress. I don't want to do it. That wouldn't be fiscally responsible when we're racking up such tremendous debts in our fight against terrorism. You know that without this war, I'd be fighting the opinion polls again, instead of experiencing the highest favorability ratings in recent American history. No, you and your mother aren't going to make me risk that. Besides, this question of yours will be moot. If I can get that tax cut for us, I'll be able to hand over the 8000 to Mom Welsh, myself.

Laura: That's all well and good, Georgie, but Mother may not see that money while she's still alive (Bush mumbles,"then you get it"). No, I think my way is the best way.

Bush: Not gonna do it.(firmly, folding his arms across his chest)

Laura: It would be a shame if someone leaked to the press that you had a similar bruise on your face from a fall once before.

Bushie: What are you saying? (suspiciously)

Laura: I guess you don't remember the time when you came home from an all night binge, tripped over Barbara's play stove and fell to the floor in a drunken stupor.

Bush: I'll see what I can do.

Six Months of Bush's Disastrous Policy Making

If you want to be reminded of what damage Bush was doing before September 11. go to truefacts.co.uk and you will find an impressive list of terrible decisions. I'll mention a few of them now. I started a column months ago about Bush's Bad Things, but had trouble keeping up with all of them. There were so many, that I grew depressed just thinking about them. It's becoming apparent that I'm finding it difficult to spend enough time researching the Bushes and their shenanigans. The poisonous effect they have had on our country, beginning with Herbert Walker (Georgie's great grand-father), is not only depressing but frightening.

Here are a few items from the list:

Cut federal fundings for libraries by $39 million. (If they want to read, let them buy books)

Cut funding for research into renewable energy sources by 50%. (We'll be drilling for oil in the Alaskan wildlife refuge)

86% reduction in Community Access Program for public hospitals, clinics, and care providers for those without health insurance. (Let them eat cake).

Cut program that provided day care to women moving from welfare to work. (The kids should learn to take care of themselves).

Repealed workplace ergonomic rules to ensure for worker health and safety. (If you can't stand the possibility of injuries on the job get out of the kitchen[quit]).

The reasoning behind Bush's policy decisions isn't difficult to figure out: Cut all services in order to afford a tax cut for the wealthy. The rich don't use these services, anyway. They pay for their own, and they don't want to pay for those that use them--the poor and the middle-class.

The Bohemian Grove Masked Marauder

In another mercury retrograde story, masked marauder, Richard McCaslin got into the Bohemian Grove,located in Monte Rio, CA., over the weekend. Hoping to find Grovers he could exterminate, but not realizing that members of the exclusive all-male club in the Redwoods do not attend during the winter, he ran into two guards, instead. He was concerned that there was child molestation and human sacrifice going on at the Grove after seeing a video put out by Texas talk show host, Alex Jones, who claims to have attended a ceremony during the 2000 encampment and used a tiny camera to photograph a human sacrifice.

Jones says in defense of his video, "If my neighbor was worshiping a 40 foot stone owl and burned children on a fire, I wouldn't let that neighbor walk my dog or baby-sit my children. Instead these people are baby sitting the big red button. This is some sick stuff."

I don't know about the reality of human sacrifice and child molestation in the Bohemian Grove, but I do know that the rich have tried to sacrifice the well-being of the middle class and the poor to satisfy their own greed, and they've molested children by their lack of support for services that benefit them.

As an addendum to the story, I can vouch for sleazy goings on at the Bohemian Grove. I took a tour of it once and saw a crude picture of a nude woman painted on the window of a cabin. An aquaintance of mine also reported to me that he was going to be the bodyguard for a dominatrix who was going to work at the Grove during an encampment. I'm glad some of those rich guys are spending their hard earned bucks getting thrashed by a woman in latex.

Lonely Death

Another person has died. I can't call him a friend, really, because I didn't spend enough time really getting to know him. I regret that. He had a congenital degenerating disease and he, I now know, was an alcholic. Despite his problems he was always friendly and congenial, at least to me. I became more personally involved with him last September when I asked him how he was one day after not seeing him for over a month. He said he'd been very sick and I instantly felt afraid. I had a feeling that he was going to die. But he didn't and I let my guard down. I should have taken it as a clue to make more contact with him. I feel badly that I didn't.

Friday, David's landlord told me that he was found in his apartment last Thursday. Although he died alone without human companionship he did have a little dog that went everywhere with him. Friday evening as I was feeling a sense of shame and regret for lost chances to make contact with someone that really needed it, I heard his voice clearly say, "Not to worry. I just couldn't take it anymore."

Apparently I can talk to the dead. It may be a dubious talent. I'm not John Edwards after all. I was told years ago by a psychic in San Francisco, I had the talent to be a very good trance medium. I told her I didn't want to develop my skills. She said I shouldn't.

Would it have made any difference to David had I made more of an effort to get closer to him? Would he have been able to feel less lonely? Would he been able to alter his life enough to find it worthwhile to continue? Probably not. Still there is regret for not trying a little harder.

Women like to think they can change a man's life for the better,but I sometimes think that we've bought into a myth. I think it's a rare man that really listens to a woman. Even now in the feminist 21st Century when my daughter finds it difficult to understand how much I disliked being a woman when I was younger because I didn't feel that I had the freedom or the access a man might have, men still have trouble listening to us.