While former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has been able to escape investigation and prosecution for his role in the torture program, no law firms or ranking law schools wanted to touch him as he sought gainful employment. Gonzales has been struggling to find someone who wants to be represented or taught by an individual ridiculed for politicizing the Justice Department and bringing in hacks who were accused of a variety of criminal and ethical violations. Well, he finally found one school. Belmont University has created an unaccredited law school in Tennessee. Its new Doyle Rogers Distinguished Chair of Law is no one else than Alberto Gonzales.
Presumably, the “Distinguished” refers to the chair rather than the holder.
Belmont College of Law Founding Dean Jeff Kinsler insisted that Gonzales has what it takes to be “an outstanding professor.” So long as he does not waterboard the students.
What is truly scary is is Gonzales’ pledge to help “develop tomorrow’s leaders in the bar, the Nashville community and beyond.” The idea of Gonzales shaping lawyers is enough to force one into a fetal position.
Nevertheless, Doyle Rogers’ wife, Barbara Massey Rogers is ecstatic: “I thought it fitting and most appropriate to recognize a man of his stature and accomplishments in the legal profession at the opening of the new law school at Belmont University, a university very close to my heart.” “Of his stature and accomplishments”? He is on the top of the list in various countries as an alleged war criminal and was the target of the Spanish war crimes investigation until the Obama Administration coerced the Spaniards to block the prosecution. He is viewed by conservatives and liberal lawyers alike of destroying the professionalism and morale of the Justice Department by hiring exceptionally low quality lawyers who were selected for their blind loyalty to the President.
Here is the school’s press release.
I know little about Belmont University or its law school. However, it is a disgraceful start of any institution committed to teaching the rule of law by hiring a man viewed as its very antithesis. Here is a more relevant quote for the next press release from Justice Louis Brandeis in Olmstead v. United States, 277 U.S. 438 (1928).:
In a government of laws, existence of the government will be imperiled if it fails to observe the law scrupulously. Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. To declare that in the administration of the criminal law the end justifies the means — to declare that the government may commit crimes in order to secure the conviction of a private criminal — would bring terrible retribution. Against that pernicious doctrine this court should resolutely set its face.
Source: Tennessean
Alberto Gonzalez–a man with a really bad memory:
OS, It is not too late to move out of Tennessee!! 🙂
The reason that Reagan and his ilk feel free to break the law is that they truly believe that they are the “Elite”. They feel that they have a mandate from the founding fathers to run this country for their benefit. When they speak of the American people, what they mean is, the wealthy powerful people. The rest of us are just along for the ride and it annoys them that we won’t just shut up and do as they say is best. No joke They will never admit it but their attitude shows it clearly
raff, that puts this POS in MY back yard.
NIMBY!!!!!
OS,
I have nothing against Tennessee, but the farther away from Illinois the better when it comes to anything Gonzo touches!
“Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy”
In other words it becomes systemic, such that each administration is caught up in its grip.
A little bit OT … but not by much:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/04/national/main20115266.shtml
“City bus drivers sued the New York Police Department on Monday for commandeering their buses and making them drive to the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday to pick up detained protesters.
“We’re down with these protesters. We support the notion that rich folk are not paying their fair share,” said Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen. “Our bus operators are not going to be pressed into service to arrest protesters anywhere.”
The beat goes on …
raff, what did Tennessee ever do to you?
Ken Burns’ new documentary, ‘Prohibition,’ features that quote from Justice Brandeis, and narrates the story of Olmstead, a bootlegger.
Arthur, well said.
I am glad that Gonzo is getting back to work in training new, impressionable attorneys. The good news is that hopefully they will stay in Tennessee.
He may not have been charged, brought to trial, or convicted but this job sounds like part of a work-release program.
Historians are going to have a ball with these Bush folk for decades to come. And, quite frankly, if he continues down the path he has thus followed, also with Obama and his buds. Legacy, baby, legacy.
The wingnut welfare office(WWO) is well staffed and it ALWAYS takes care of its minions. The WWO pays people in a large number of ways, sinecure at some think tank, TV talking head, speaking engagements and book deals (check the NYT best seller list, it puts an asterisk next to books with large bulk buys – you always see them next to books by wingnut authors). It now seems the WWO is intent on adding college chairs to their pay office.
IF the average American figures out how to identify the WWO clients and ignore them it will still take two generations to bleed the leeches out of the system.
In reply to Bron, I will list the Americans who were murdered by the US government while living abroad. Ben Linder, who was targeted for death by the CIA Contras under Reagan. His crime was to be a civil engineer working on a hydroelectric project for the Sandinista government in rural Nicaragua. He was murdered at his work site. Then there is the case of Charles Horman who had the misfortune to have learned of the CIA involvement in the coup in Chile. He was rounded up by the military since he was a supporter of Allende and a reporter. He was later taken out and murdered without trial. The fact is that the Chilean military would never have executed an AMERICAN without the express consent of the Nixon administration. Then there were the US reporters who were attending a press conference with Eden Pastora who was fighting against the Sandinistas, but who hated the thugs of the Contras and would not join with them. The reporters were the victims of a CIA bomb that was designed to kill Pastora, but only wounded him. It was at first believed the Sandinistas had done that, but later turned out to be the CIA. The reporters sued the US government for their injuries, but the case was thrown out of court since it happened on foreign soil and the US government had immunity.
Then there are the four nuns in El Salvador who were raped and murdered by US trained and sponsored forces. It is highly doubtful that the soldiers involved would have done that on their own, especially since they knew that the women were Americans.
You will notice that ALL of these victims were NON-COMBATANTS and NOT affiliated with any group which had committed terrorist actions against the US or anybody. Unlike the fanatic who was killed in Yemen, who had acknowledged his membership and activity with Al Qeada. He also had full opportunity to return to the US and avail himself of his rights. He chose NOT to do so. Again, NONE of the victims I mentioned were given that right, or even knew that they were marked for execution for their lawful and peaceful activities.
As for Holder being held responsible for so called crimes. The fact is that the US and law enforcement agents allow illegal transactions to take place all the time in hopes of catching more crooks or getting better intel about their activities. At least when it went wrong, it was in Mexico for the most part. Unlike Reagans war on the black community when the Contras and the US government were importing tons of cocaine into the US. That alone should have resulted in impeachment or imprisonment for most of his administration. The only person who suffered was the reporter who broke the story. Reagan and the GOP have always been the most law breaking politicians in my recent memory and have had nothing but contempt for the law.
As for Alberto, he was simply doing what he always had done which is looking out for his own best interests, and a willing dupe to give cover to any activity of his superiors. If he is to blame for anything, then his bosses should also be in the dock. It is even worse that Yoo is still at a prestigious law school in Berkeley. THAT should be of FAR greater concern than this piss ant school and “teacher”.
OS,
That was good….
Mespo,
Now…wait….both of those men..were special forces…once was a Ranger and the other a Seal,( I think it was this SOD)……They do have ethics….lol
Bron, I don’t think you will find too many around here defending Eric Holder. Or should we start calling him, “Holdover?”
AY:
Right you are. I understand Gonzales is joining other eminent faculty members Captain Kangaroo and Mister Rogers. Pity they’re dead but it does keep the lectures brief.
mespo,
As Mike S….would probably say…What stinkin ethics….
Is he teaching legal ethics?
And Children this is where you end up if you throw your nose to the constitution….
But he can claim he had it all:
Gonzales was an attorney in private practice from 1982 until 1994 with the Houston law firm Vinson and Elkins, where he became a partner – the first Hispanic partner (along with one other new partner that year) in the firm’s history – and where he worked primarily with business clients.
Where he started going wrong:
In 1994, he was named general counsel to then-Texas Governor George W. Bush, rising to become Secretary of State of Texas in 1997 and finally to be named to the Texas Supreme Court in 1999, both appointments made by Governor Bush.
Gonzales received the endorsement of every statewide official and every major Texas newspaper in his election bid to remain on the court in the Republican Primary in 2000, a race he won with over 57% of the vote. The citizens of Texas elected Gonzales to a full six-year term on the Supreme Court in the November 2000 general election with 81% of the vote.
Where he went WRONG:
On November 10, 2004, it was announced that he would be nominated to replace United States Attorney General John Ashcroft for Bush’s second term.
I guess this doesnt bode well for Eric Holder then. At least Alberto didnt nuance having a US citizen executed without benefit of trial. Nor did he cause the death of individuals by allowing drug cartels to purchase weapons in the US.
Damn, Holder has a good deal of blood on his hands. I think Gonzales crimes are a little less severe. On the one hand you have water boarding and on the other a predator missile strike on a US citizen, both without due process. One you get water water up your nose and your hair gets wet and it scares the bejesus out of you, the other you lose your head, arms, legs and torso and get sent to be with Jesus or Mohammed as you prefer.
Personally I’d be up for a “swim” any day of the week.