<HTML>In a message dated 3/21/2003 9:24:32 AM Eastern Standard Time, dhenwood@panix.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">And its chairman is considered a "special government employee," subject to federal ethics rules, including one that bars anyone from using public office for private gain. Mr. Perle and his lawyer said yesterday that his involvement with Global Crossing did not violate the ethics rules.</BLOCKQUOTE> Perle and his lawyer said. Said. Actually, it does violate ethics rules. Federal law requires government officials to refrain from lobbying their former agency (which in Perle's case is his current agency) on behalf of a new employer for at least one year after leaving public service. In Perle's case, his PAID work for Global Crossing is concurrent with his public service work. The law makes no exceptions for which role in public service. A violation of such restrictions is a federal criminal offense under the Ethics in Government Act, 18 United States Code Section 207. Of course, many men have violated this code with no punishment. Robert Rubin comes to mind. Global Crossing, has always had close ties to the government. Former OIL-CEO and chairman of ARCO, Republican millionaire Lodwrick Cook, who became co-chairman of Global Crossing after leaving the 7th largest US oil company, later taken over  by British Petroleum (BP) routinely connected Global Crossing to the republican officials in the Department of Defense and the Pentagon. That's how former Secretary of Defense, (R) William Cohen got on the board of Global Crossing in early 2001 to pave the way for them to land contracts, even though Global Crossing was domiciled in Bermuda which technically made them ineligible for security reasons. Nomi <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> </BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>