<(BTW Mary Anne, SDAI wouldn't remember Fawn Hall or know much of what Ollie North was doing back then as he was still out probably flying kites.)

Flying kites? Heck no, I was having my diapers changed right about 1987.

I also wanted to spare Mary Anne a long lecture on Communist infiltration into South America and the 100 year effort to keep South America from becoming a Soviet satellite.

Fawn Hall was a 80's era patriotic babe - a role model for loyal secretaries everywhere. No Anita Hill type whining from Ms. Hall. ;-)

The Iran-Contra thing is so overhyped as to be laughable - it was one operation of hundreds like it going on throughout the world. Every day secret deals and negotiations occur with foreign powers of varying calibre.

Some are conducted by the office of the Secretary of State, others by representatives duly authorized by the US government to deal with the rest of the world.

Surely you do not think a world with as many nations as our world has could survive and remain stable without horsetrading and covert money transfers?

Arms for hostages is a good deal - especially if you pay in outmoded or second rate weapons surplus. It is an even better deal if it is conducted in secret by third parties so that other nations do not think the US is an easy mark.

US citizens are valued. We make deals every year, through third parties, for kidnapped US dignitaries and their immediate families - none of these transactions ever see the light of day or an AP desk.

I fully support such a policy - since I value human life.

The "we don't deal with terrorists or kidnappers" line is a good front but it is not true. Each case is taken individually as it comes.

The energy scandal is what happens when you have a State Assembly not fit for hauling trash and which is easily bought out by wealthy corporate sponsors. Wilson was, and is, a closet democrat who raised taxes, botched the handling of Prop. 187 and made one long for the days of Deukmejian.

No surprise there.

To viscerate Cheney for the energy mess is preposterous. Cheney is doing what any good adminstration should - actually listen to the folks who make the power and distribute it.

I find it almost hysterical that the same folks who claim Bush is invading other countries for their oil - when Bush or anyone mentions domestic drilling, -respond in a way which always tries to slam down our own energy industries, restrict drilling anywhere in the US or offshore, disdain nuclear power and every other rational response to increasing populations and increased energy consumption, all while dressing themselves up as tree-hugging, spotted owl loving environmentalists.

I knew Enron was corrupt as soon as I saw their SEC filings - anyone with an eye for the way they were restructuring their stock quantities could see they were exploiting the lucrative stock market for maximum returns on a company that did so very little other than try to make Enron a "brand" name.

But everyone was doing it, dot-coms were massively fraudulent and the moral of the day was "You are only guilty if you are caught and convicted."

This greed was infectious and so the likes of Belden were probably rewarded for their ingenuity in applying the bogus accounting methods which accrued millions.

I don't recall having defended the power companies back at Afterhours. I do recall having said, something to the effect that they were all in collusion, much as are the gas companies.

The gas companies are even more corrupt and have defrauded California consumers for decades - yet no one is investigating them, nor will they.

Wonder why? Just take a look at the historic PAC money behind both parties.

I find it hard to gleefully point the finger at the Enron folks when I know that as bad as they are - they are not the worst offenders and were newcomers to the manipulation and rip-off game.

SDAI-Tech1