I probably need an "Oh Good God" icon for this...

[redneckgaijin]

Notable Houstonians Attend Lay Memorial

Among those in attendance: George H. W. and Barbara Bush, former Houston mayor Bob Lanier (who had to be taken away in an ambulance), Astros owner Drayton McLane, James Baker, Rob Mosbacher (former Secs. of State and Commerce, respectively), heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley, real estate mogul Ed Wulfe, plus various social movers and shakers among Houston's wealthy.

But the winning paragraphs have to be:

The Rev. Bill Lawson, pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, likened Lay to James Byrd, an African-American man who was dragged to death in a racially motivated murder near Jasper eight years ago.

"Ken Lay was neither black nor poor as James Byrd was," Lawson said. "But I'm angry because he was the victim of a lynching." Lawson, who also spoke at Lay's Colorado memorial service, likened the businessman to President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Jesus — all of whom, the minister said, were wrongly victimized.

So, let's see: the man who died worth nearly $10 MILLION- the man who deliberately chose to defraud investors and stockholders alike, according to a trial by jury- the man who jacked up energy prices in California in 2002, creating a national crisis, all for the sake of profit... you compare this man to Jesus? You compare his trial by jury with full benefit of counsel and procedure to the brutal and torturous murder of a black man by three skinhead whites?

I don't care if it IS his funeral. The man was a snake- not a fucking MARTYR.

Comments

[jinwicked.livejournal.com]

That is absolutely disgusting.

Did they do an impartial DNA test on the corpse to make sure it's really him?

[omorka.livejournal.com]

Oy, gevault. Privilege dies hard, but this is ridiculous.

(I wonder why Skilling skipped out? Is his psyche so fragile at this point that he couldn't handle it?)

[redneckgaijin.livejournal.com]

If you read the article, you'll see that Skilling's wife or ex-wife- I forget which- did indeed attend.

Also, you need to bear in mind that this is the Houston memorial; Lay's actual funeral was in Aspen, Colorado.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Lay was one of the moneylenders in the Temple, if you REALLY want a Biblical reference.

Feel free to grab this icon if you like; it's floating all over LJ.