Evil People Being Honorable?

Once upon a time, people actually took responsibility for their actions. Honor was not considered a backwards concept. When something went wrong or someone did wrong, someone took responsibility and did the honorable thing - Stepped up. Confessed. Resigned. Sometimes they even fell on their sword - literally in the case of martial Japan.

Two cases come to mind today:

• Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay, who was convicted of helping perpetuate one of the most sprawling business frauds in U.S. history, died Wednesday of a heart attack in Colorado. He was 64.

Lay faced decades in prison after being convicted of looting Enron of millions. It's hard to imagine that he did this intentionally, but poetic justice is justice none the less. It reminds us of Aldrecreature Bill Henry dropping dead right before "Silver Shovel" broke wide open. The feebs had indictments signed, sealed and not yet delivered when Bill was building a mountain of Dan Ryan concrete waste over on Kilbourn and Roosevelt. Something like 7 million tons of waste, all for $5,000.

The second case is even more shocking:

• A powerful aide to Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine resigned today less than one week after two family members she had previously recommended for jobs were criminally charged in a shakedown scheme involving the state's attorney's office.

A political animal? In Cook County? Taking responsibility for their actions? Unheard of! We are shocked. We talked to an ASA this week and evidently the aunt and sponsor of the alleged perpetrators, is a BIG wheeler dealer in County politics. A very big wheel in the Machine. Either this is bigger than we had thought or this woman made some very powerful enemies and they were just waiting for her to screw up.