REVISIONS, RETRACTIONS & APOLOGY FOR RECENT "JUSTICE" ARTICLE ON FOLEY, HASTERT & GONZALES

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Although slight sarcasm may shimmer through this article, all apologies and corrections reflect profound sincerity. Make no mistake, FACTUAL ERRORS destroy formal writing. Although, passive sentences appear in major print publications, they reduce readability and fail to engage readers. With some experience in broadcast writing, accept my apology for previous passive phrasing, along with a pledge to present my readers the type copy they deserve in future articles. Of course, direct quotes, like "has activated" or "can also be used" will remain intact. History appears to be quite another matter. In a surprisingly rapid state of flux, on-line accounts of actions by certain political leaders, give the phrase making history a deeper meaning.

While the actual announcement likely took place October 5, 2006, at a website that regularly revises the date leading into this copy, expect ongoing changes:

Speaker Hastert Announces Page Program Tip Line Number
Monday, December 18, 2006

According to Hastert, "As the Speaker I take responsibility for everything in the building. The buck stops here. The safety and security of the students in the Page program is imperative."

Hastert goes on to offer, “That is why I directed the Clerk of the House to establish a hotline for reporting any information concerning Pages or the Page program. As of this morning, the Clerk of the House has activated the tip-line. It is for anyone with information regarding the Foley matter. This number can also be used to report any other concerns regarding the Page program."

The Page program tip line is 866-348-0481."
http://speaker.house.gov/default.asp

Aside from slightly altering passive sentences to enhance readability, no copy changes will occur in the next section, unless CNN or the Washington Post issue retractions.

Appearing to shock Hastert, during a CNN broadcast on October 3, 2006, news of sexually explicit e-mails from former representative Mark Foley (R-Fla.) to a 16-year-old male page brought the House leader, also responsible for Page safety, to insist on a "full investigation." In other interviews, Hastert claims he previously knew nothing of inappropriate behavior, involving minors.

Contradicting assertions by Hastert, outgoing Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) went public with memos notifying the House Speaker of inappropriate e-mails from Foley to the child that were sent by his office much earlier this year.

On October 1, 2006, an article in The Washington Post quotes Boehner as saying that Hastert knew of "inappropriate contact" between Foley and the young page since last spring; another claim Hastert disputes.

Hastert did not dispute the claims of Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (R-N.Y.) and his office, confirming that several top aides to Hastert knew last year of an order for Foley to cease contact with the boy and treat all pages respectfully.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093001265.html

Not only CNN but also other news programs, surprisingly claim that actions by Foley are not criminal, during a brief media focus on the scandal, right before the elections.

Perhaps a lack of legal training leads to this question: Is CONTRIBUTING TO THE DELINQUENCY OF A MINOR, no longer a crime? Though absent from the first post, comments with a source by pResident Bush will now appear to provide fairness and balance:

According to the Seattle Times, President George W. Bush claims that the Foley matter "only reaffirms my belief that we must crack down on illegal immigration."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003300088_andy12.html

SAFEGUARDS CURRENTLY IN PLACE FOR HOUSE PAGES
House Page Board:
3 House members
2 congressional staffers
House Sergeant At Arms
AND
Clerk of the House

Following a recent revision, to the official Clerk of the House Website, information from that site appears as active copy, with no other changes to the data:

"The Office of the Clerk is pleased to announce the launch of Kids in the House–an interactive center that helps kids learn about the United States House of Representatives and its role in lawmaking." http://clerkkids.house.gov/

Current Clerk of the House
Since December 2005, Karen Lehman Haas, a native of Catonsville, Maryland, serves as the thirty-fourth Clerk of the House. She is only the second woman in history to hold this position. As Clerk, Ms. Haas plays a central role in daily operation and legislative activities of the House.

In 1984, Ms. Haas began working on Capitol Hill for then-Minority Leader Robert H. Michel, serving almost 11 years as his Executive Legislative Assistant. Upon her return to the Hill, in June of 1999, after a brief leave to work in the private sector, Ms. Haas began duties as Floor Assistant to Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, a task that includes appointing presiding officers and coordinating daily floor activities. During tenure with the Speaker she also became Staff Director of the Steering Committee. http://clerk.house.gov/

Original Jeffersons Ghost commentary, with retractions and apologies in red:

Whether it be Goddess or concept,
if Justice lives, let Her speak now.
Symbolically, Alberto Gonzales dares
cover her bosom, as if to appear moral.
Let Her raise sword with voice to expose
Her naked beauty to the world once more.
Let Her scales again weigh all evidence,
without shameful influence or partiality.
Let Her render verdict without mercy or
scorn. Justice delayed is Justice denied.
Let Justice sing!

Without ANY hint of sarcasm, I humbly apologize for a glaring factual error. In my assumption, nothing is more appalling than factual errors. I offer no excuses for failing to confirm information with reliable sources. After reading in a highly recommended DU Opening Post, earlier this week, which blames Gonzales for covering the Spirit of Justice statue, I also made a false statement. Presenting erroneous information, while numerous sources show his actions as exactly the opposite, gives me JUST cause for current embarrassment; since he is responsible for finally uncovering the statue. Actually, John Ashcroft the Attorney General, during the first presidential term of Bush is responsible for covering the statue with $8,650 of drapery. Another statue of Lady Justice appears in the earlier version of this feature, which is not accidental. Reasons for its use, along with the other picture, appear later in this article.

Correct version of statue in question:


As a cautionary note to writers; multiple recent upgrades in history can create future problems. Finally, instead of subscribing to archaic ideas of a past cast in stone, fast-acting Western culture offers NEW AND IMPROVED versions, with finer truths.

After mistakes on statues, errors in statute might arise, if "obsolete" appears in quotes by Gonzales regarding his prior statements about the Geneva Conventions. Currently, many modern on-line versions only offer "quaint," perhaps to shorten the lengthy early quote.

Description and Status

In early 2002, Gonzales, then Counsel to the President, sought a memo from the Justice Department asking if the Administration could evade current laws governing treatment of war-time detainees, without being open to prosecution for war crimes. Gonzales used that memo to justify the U.S. Government ignoring bedrock guarantees, involving prisoner interrogation in the Geneva Conventions. His actions led directly to abuse and torture in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib prison.

At least one previous Bush insider disagreed with Department of Justice reasoning. Secretary of State Colin Powell wrote in opposition, saying it will “reverse over a century of U.S. policy and practice in supporting the Geneva Conventions and undermine the protections of the law of war for our troops."

Flippantly dismissing concerns of Powell, Gonzales wrote to the president that Geneva Conventions are “obsolete” in context to the war on terror. According to a website dealing with Constitutional Law, current policies trivialize a "core point of the Conventions by enumerating such 'quaint' provisions as affording prisoners athletic uniforms." http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/reports/report.asp?ObjID=7Sji957UtN&Content=463

Other old ideas in flux involve Gonzales ties to Enron, an energy company that went bankrupt, amid financial scandal in 2002. While current sources depict Gonzales as working for Vinson and Elkins, a Texas law firm of Enron, "others" regard accounts as "politically motivated attacks." According to current information, Enron gave Gonzales $6,500 for his 2000 re-election campaign to win a seat on the Texas Supreme Court.

Becoming a lightning rod for criticism of administration actions in Enron affairs, after his appointment as White House Counsel by Bush in 2002, Gonzales was no stranger to controversy prior to becoming Attorney General in 2005.

While one source still claims Gonzales "apparently lied" at Senate confirmation hearings, during an attempt by Russ Feingold to determine where Gonzales believes presidential authority ends, corrections are in the works. In asking whether a president can spy on U.S. citizens without a warrant, another "quaint" archaic Constitutional cornerstone, Feingold set the stage for problems in history. Perhaps Gonzales was not avoiding the question by claiming that warrantless eavesdropping is a "hypothetical situation," thus impossible to answer. He went on to add that it is "not the policy or the agenda of this president" to authorize actions that conflict with existing law. Were his statements later proven false before Congress on February 6, 2006 by Gonzales admitting to knowledge of U.S. domestic spying programs, during his tenure as White House Counsel? At any rate, please check this source quickly before history changes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Gonzales

Perhaps the best known symbol in the world, statues of Lady Justice derive from the Greek Goddess Themis. Blindfolds on modern renditions suggest that Justice is blind to outside influences but the ancient goddess wore no blindfold. Scales signify weighing evidence and the sword symbolizes the power held by anyone making a decision.

Holding neither sword nor scale, a controversial statue that appears earlier in this article, reaches upward. Is she showing frustration? By quietly removing the pricey curtain that hid her nudity, Gonzales also deals in subtle symbolism. After the gang-rape of American Justice by Bush, Cheney, Gonzales and others, perhaps she reaches toward Heaven, praying to die. Artful nudity is beautiful but stripping Lady Justice of her scales and sword represent a pathetically disgusting form of pornography. Perhaps they might put Lady Justice out of her misery, although tearing the statue down, offers even more sick symbolism. In my opinion, the Lady deserves her sword, her scales and most of all, her dignity. Perhaps future renditions will present her in a full suit of armor. She needs to dress accordingly for upcoming occasions.