I haven't been able to get on Blogger for a while, so I have some pent up blogging to do. Here goes.

First, more good economic news. The stock market has posted gains for three straight months.

More ethics news. The SEC is seeking a suspension against major accounting firm Ernst & Young. The SEC wants to suspend EY from taking any new corporate clients for six months. This is the first time since 1975 that the SEC has sought this sanction. It alleges that EY violated rules designed to keep the firm independent from its clients. The SEC alleges that EY is likely to continue to violate the rules.

Fazal Karim has been prosecuted and convicted in federal court on charges resulting from his carrying 32 double edged razor blades in his carry on luggage. The blades were in a cardboard box inside a coiled belt. Predictable, Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations is charging racism. He said it is an ongoing concern that Muslims are singled out. He accuses authorities of ethnic profiling. Of course, singling out Muslims would be religious profiling, not ethnic profiling, but that is a fine point. And, many would claim that Muslims have singled themselves out by their actions, such as attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and, well, you know.

Mr. Hooper said "If that person had been a Norwegian businessman, he wouldn't be in the trouble Mr. Karim is in." I'm not sure that is true. If Mr. Norwegian tried to board a plane with dangerous materials and could not explain them, he would be detained. Surely, Mr. Hooper has heard the complaints of little, elderly white women being searched. But, again, my research fails to turn up a single incidence of Norwegian terrorism on American soil. Mr. Hooper seems to have a short memory to have the audacity to even make this claim.

There are some additional facts that Mr. Hooper fails to mention. First, Mr. Karim tried to disassociate himself from the bag. He put it through the x-ray machine at one spot, then went further down to go through the magnetometer. Not many Norwegians do this, I'm told. Most of us, including Norwegians, go through immediately adjacent to our bag so no one will steal it (and so no one will think we are suspicious and should be searched, thereby wasting a lot of our time even if we aren't terrorists). Additionally, Mr. Karim had no razor in his bag to use the blades with. Finally, Mr. Karim told 3 different stories about why he had the blades. First he said he needed them to shave his beard. Then he said they were for a friend. Finally he said he did not have any blades. It's kind of like the old Racehorse Haynes defense: my dog didn't bite you and in fact I don't even have a dog. Interestingly, Mr. Karim did not use racial profiling in his defense.

It also turns out that Mr. Karim lied about his status in the country. He said he was visiting friends in Houston for a few weeks, but it turns out he has been living in Houston for three years and has businesses there. So, you have to ask yourself, Mr. Hooper, if Mr. Karim is innocent and had no ill designs, why did he not just tell the truth? Here is my unsolicited advice, Mr. H. Save your defense for a guy that at least looks honest. You know, tells the truth, obeys the law, and cooperates. You know there are many law abiding Muslims out there. If they get a bad deal, defend them. But, let the liars, cheats, terrorists, and miscreants fend for themselves. Your credibility will increase, and when you speak, people will listen. But most people know that there has been great restraint exercised with regard to Muslims. There have been those who have acted wrongly toward Muslims. But, the President has urged restraint and most people have complied. You should exercise some restraint also.