A Follow-up To Ashcroft's Heroics, Comey Fills in The Gaps
In a lifetime in which began for me in Camelot revisited, and heroes were grown in large bunches and cut down by dogs, to a latter period where money and all it can buy are more important than souls and those who say they are Christians or Muslims abuse the privilege of such honorable institutions as easily as those in government, sycophants, cowards and sneak-thieves and murderers. Attorney General John David Ashcroft and former Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey are the heroes of the day.
The Truth Outs Again in More Detail Below I excerpt from a newly posted speech by former Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey at a meeting of the National Security Agency on May 3, 2007. Interspersed within are details of the wider story.
In 2004, Comey and other Justice Department lawyers went to battle with the White House over the legality of NSA's warrantless surveillance program. However, his audience in May was unaware of the dispute.
If you recall I reported the underlying story of the battle, which included an attempt by Alberto Gonzalez to take advantage of a seriously ill man after major surgery. Gonzales was sent by the White House to overrule Comey, who had said a resounding NO to their attempts to have him sign a statement that would destroy the system of habeas corpus by gaining the approval of then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft. At that time, although under siege by the left for his Right Wing politics and his apparent attachment to Fundamentalist Religious Principles, as it turned out Mr. John David Ashcroft's principles, strong religious and ethical beliefs showed him to indeed, be a man, who, although he was frequently at odds with the Left, stood against Bush even and in spite a few of his thugs arriving to Mr. Ashcroft's room to try, it appeared to get him to sign off on the continued use of illegal surveillance.
August 21, 2007 at 00:25:52 "To his undying credit, the man who I at times lampooned and criticized, although right out of surgery and barely in control of his senses, fought off the unprincipled attempt to get an anesthetized man to sign-off on something despicable. John David Ashcroft refused to sign-off on the escalation of wiretapping even while seriously ill and not quite able to function. While still dazed and overcome from surgery and the aftermath drugs, assisted by his deputy, James Comey, snuffed out the most unbelievable whoring, slime balling, cowardly action, by what passes in an era of nefarious, and despicable, misbehavior, as by what degrading pestilence, to anyone with an ounce of integrity would agree, is unmatched in American history.
It was said by John the Baptist that he was not worthy to unlatch even Jesus sandals, I will say that regardless of what many may hold against John D. Ashcroft, in this case, at least, he was a man of honor and principles, it is a modest matter to say, and I do not mention his name, not wishing to sully the name of Ashcroft by association in the same line, the current Attorney General is not worthy even to clean the outhouse if only perhaps used once by his predescessor."
Gathered from TV, Radio and News Stories It was only after Comey and a number of other DoJ lawyers threatened to resign, did President Bush agree amend his changes to the program.
Green Bag a legal affairs journal, in its summer issue, published Comey's speech, which is excerpted below.
He explains that it is extremely difficult "...for a conscientious attorney to work in the intelligence community, particularly for those whose work touches on war and counter-terrorism. It is not because we don't work with great people. We do. We work with people who have dedicated their lives to protecting this great country and all it stands for."
He goes on to say that the rational, is that the DoJ doesn't do this or that, people will die It can be hard, ... extraordinarily difficult to be the attorney standing in front of the freight train that is the need for this. Because we don't want people to die . . .."
He goes on to intimate that things may seem simple to some people, but it is not that simple to place honor and patriotism against each other in conflicting pressures...
To some requests, which place one's personal integrity but then also, work against the Constitution "...No is much, much harder. No must be spoken into a storm of crisis, with loud voices all around, with lives being uncertain. No is often the undoing of a career. And often, No must be spoken in competition with the voices of other lawyers who do not have the courage to echo it."
'For all those reasons, it takes far more than a sharp legal mind to say "no" when it matters most. It takes moral character. It takes an ability to see the future. It takes an appreciation of the damage that will flow from an unjustified "yes." It takes an understanding that, in the long-run, intelligence under law is the only sustainable intelligence in this country . . .."
There two men, Comey and Ashcroft put honor, the constitution, and the Law, above men who control their jobs, armies, killers and assassins, but they did not shirk that duty, as so many in the current administration have. The other came away with money laughing all the way to the bank, but crying all the way to Hell. In My Article At The URL Above, I Also Said: "I thought in my lifetime that I had witnessed the most vile, ignominious, lowest of the low, here and there, but I was wrong because until this smirking, miscreant, maladjusted image of Charlie McCarthy, puppet, never have I seen anyone so arrogant, with so little about which to warrant arrogance, if it can indeed ever be warranted, as this popinjay with a badge. Gonzales is not only a schmuck; he is a foolish, schmuck, a coward and a sycophant sucking up to the Gringo, disowning his own heritage. One on one with anyone I know, or ever knew, he would rank last in integrity, and intellectually a shade below Wiley Coyote, with none of Wiley's charm, or anyone else's. Some men do not believe in God, and they display it by selling what little dignity they, (though it is doubtful Gonzales has any) do have and thus eagerly embrace the flames of Hellfire, for the favor of an evil empire and it's despicable Emperor. To one of his disgusting character, neither the Bill of Rights, nor the Constitution has any meaning...and that was before the story we now know so well and about which I elaborate herein. The incident I relate here, reminds me of people blaspheming in the presence of The Lord. In the case, I relate next, Gonzales was allegedly also willing to accost a seriously ill man in his hospital room to get his signature on a malicious justification for unprecedented domestic surveillance.
Professor Bagnolo is a Renaissance man: Cultural Anthropologist, Architectural designer, painter, writer, novelist, theologian. As a child prodigy, abed with polio for almost two years, with an off the charts IQ, reading at the graduate level by 5th grade, offered an opportunity to skip three grades at age 8. Later He was a recipient of an Art Institute scholarship at age 11, a Ford Foundation Fellowship in Anthropology and in Painting and a merit scholarship in art, and was appointed a Graduate Research Assistant position in college. He holds a triple bachelor's degree in Painting and Drawing, Anthropology, Architectural Design Advertising. MA's in Cultural Anthro, Painting and more. After being tenured he taught; architecture, anthropology, Theology, advertising, painting and drawing, entrepreneuring and Creative Profit Making. He produced a star-studded Music festival, had a radio talk show in Chicago, and cable TV show. Now, retired from Teaching, he paints, writes, and pursues other ventures.
The above bio harvested from the comments of Deans, colleagues, students, clients and collector's.
It's like a movie plot right out of Hellywood......
Man rushes to bosses rescue before the jackboot thugs poison him!!!
I do recall this incident and it made me sick then as it does now. The cowardice preceeds itself in this situation.
To attack a man when he's down, physically or in this case with rhetoric, in any 'civilized world' is absolute cowardice to say the least. The fact that Comey turned the car around to rush back is chivalrous indeed!!!
If more men would 'turn the car around' on their views and rush back to aid the Constitution before it was set on fire we wouldn't be in the predicament we're in right now!!
by (8 articles, 4 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 143 comments)
on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 8:57:23 AM
The initial story can be seen at my archives. It is a cary when life truly did immitate film art. a skidding car chase through Washington streets, on a phone call from Ashcroft's wife, arriving in the nick of time and thwarting the slimy attempt, and the seriously ill man everyone thought was one of the Fundamenatlist Villainsm rising to the occasion through the smokey spider web of the anethetics and other mandatory drugs, to tell them to go to Hell, in essense. Rob singled out the story: RE: "It's interesting to follow Doctor Pete Bagnolo's exploration of how John Ashcroft, who I was no fan of, was so morally superior to Gonzales. Getting back to my opening paragraph, there are different varieties of feces."
I once got criticized by my coach when I scored a TD, and the extended a hand to the guy who made a futile dive to tackle me and just laid there, so I helped him to his feet and we talked for a moment or two. He had played a great game and I admired that, so i said to the coach, "He played great and it behooves an athlete or anyone else to call attention to excellence regardless of who displayed it."From that day whenever he looked my way he had an odd expression on his face, like he was in church or something. I think he must have felt very guilty that a 16 year old showed more common sense than his coach.
I love heroics no matter who the hero is! Heroics are straight from God.
Pete
by
Professor Emeritus Peter Bagnolo (144 articles, 1 quicklinks, 95 diaries, 1220 comments)
on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 9:41:52 AM
all of my life I have always respected an athlete of caliber!!!
Sides don't matter in one on one more so than a team effort.
You find more exhilerating games in Chess where it's one on one and you always shake hands at the end and congratulate for a well played "battle".
Now-a-days to often in team sports you have the added factor of peer presure, which might contribute to the notion of not building up someone for their accomplishments regardless of the "side" they're on.
I thank you as always for enlightening the world with your thoughts for you are a true man of God!!!!
by (8 articles, 4 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 143 comments)
on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 1:17:12 PM
Actually Joe-no, I am a bit of a hypocrite, because of Viet Nam, I became a Republican Until Bush Senior ran-I did homework on him and found out about his father, Prescott's connections to the Nazi's, and then became an independent.
by
Professor Emeritus Peter Bagnolo (144 articles, 1 quicklinks, 95 diaries, 1220 comments)
on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 6:04:52 PM
You mean how he and the elite were funding both sides to keep it going longer so their blood-lined pockets could get even fatter! Or how they wanted all the German technology for themselves so they brought them over here and gave Nazi Scientists ( or not an ardent/Nazi ) jobs at NASA.......Nazi's And Seven Astronauts.......;o)
by (8 articles, 4 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 143 comments)
on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 7:00:18 PM
