The trial of the defendants in the collapse of Enron went to the jury, but it seems that Ken Lay, the chairman and principal defendant, didn’t notice.
A reporter asked him how such an important event escaped his attention.
“Well, to tell you the truth,” Mr. Lay said, “I hardly ever notice anything. I mean, I didn’t notice anything was wrong when Enron’s finances were going up in flames like an oil well on fire right outside my office window. So it’s only understandable that I wouldn’t notice a little thing like the jury going off to deliberate how much time I’ll spend in jail.”
“What were you thinking about instead?” the reporter pressed on.
“Oh, nothing much. How nice my wife still looks after all the scandal and financial ruin I’ve put her through and how I can still smile like an innocent elf when the press snaps my picture. Yep, that’s what I was thinking about.”
Then, growing pensive, he added, “Don’t you think the fact that I didn’t notice the jury going off to decide my fate helps make the case that I might not have noticed anything was wrong at Enron?”