Registered: Aug 2000
Location: In a Blue, Blue State
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Updated: 07:32 PM EDT
Ashcroft Gone, Justice Statues Disrobe
By MARK SHERMAN, AP

WASHINGTON (June 24) - With barely a word about it, workers at the Justice Department Friday removed the blue drapes that have famously covered two scantily clad statues for the past 3 1/2 years.

Spirit of Justice, with her one breast exposed and her arms raised, and the bare-chested male Majesty of Law basked in the late afternoon light of Justice's ceremonial Great Hall.

The drapes, installed in 2002 at a cost of $8,000, allowed then-Attorney General John Ashcroft to speak in the Great Hall without fear of a breast showing up behind him in television or newspaper pictures. They also provoked jokes about and criticism of the deeply religious Ashcroft.

The 12-foot, 6-inch aluminum statues were installed shortly after the building opened in the 1930s.

With a change in leadership at Justice, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faced the question: Would they stay or would they go?

He regularly deflected the question, saying he had weightier issues before him.

Paul R. Corts, the assistant attorney general for administration, recommended the drapes be removed and Gonzales signed off on it, spokesman Kevin Madden said, while refusing to allow The Associated Press to photograph the statues Friday.

In the past, snagging a photo of the attorney general in front of the statues has been somewhat of a sport for photographers.

When former Attorney General Edwin Meese released a report on pornography in the 1980s, photographers dived to the floor to capture the image of him raising the report in the air, with the partially nude female statue behind him.

The first attorney general to use the blue drapery was Republican Richard Thornburgh, attorney general under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He had the drapery put up only for a few occasions when he was appearing in the Great Hall, rather than permanently installed as it was under Ashcroft.

Most news conferences now are held in a state-of-the-art conference room, although the Great Hall still hosts speeches and other special events.

Fron the AP via http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/art...624185809990004

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While I don't think much of Gonzales, I do give him credit for having some common sense about this.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Or a rubber stamp.

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so he's a pro-torture, but not a prude. phew.

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Obviously he's into the BDSM scene. He and G need to exchange notes.

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Gonzales now needs to decide whether or not calico cats are minions of the Devil.

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Alien Ant Farm had a song involving calico cats. Therefore they are evil.

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You know, the one thing that I never understood about Ashcroft was his habit of anointing himself with oil.

By Preston Peet http://www.disinfo.com/archive/pages/dossier/id755/pg1/

"But something that really bugs me, something that (probably) epitomizes his entire being: John Ashcroft anointed himself with Crisco cooking oil.

Ken Freidman posted an editorial recently to the alt.discuss.politics newsgroup, dissecting Ashcroft's apparent belief that he is "ordained by God to blend politics and religion."

In his book, Lessons From a Father to His Son (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1998), Ashcroft writes of his anointing himself, before both terms as Missouri Governor. He felt that his successful 1995 Senate campaign was important enough to warrant using a bowl of Crisco. Friedman then pointed out a New York Times article, containing this comment about Ashcroft: "'The act of anointing,' he wrote in his largely autobiographical book, replicated the practice of 'the ancient kings of Israel, David and Saul,' who Ashcroft said 'were anointed as they undertook their administrative duties.'"

Of course, neither David nor Saul anointed themselves, they were anointed by the Prophet Samuel, who did it under direct orders from god. But as Friedman so eloquently noted, "there is something entirely appropriate about Ashcroft anointing himself in Crisco."

Friedman continues: "The Bible prescribes the specific formula of sacred anointing oil in Exodus 30:22-29. Sacred anointing oil is comprised of fine spices blended into olive oil. The spices include myrrh, cinnamon, fragrant cane, and cassia, all in a 'fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer.' (Exodus 30:25) John Ashcroft substituted supermarket cooking oil for sacred anointing oil. This seems appropriate for a senator distinguished for representing corporate interests."

I don't know why when word got out about this that the majority of Americans didn't label him as an ouright religious flake and ran him out of office. That, and his distaste for calicos. Together they made Ed Meese seem normal.

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It I find a pic of that sculpure or whatever and I attach it,would mods delete it?

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is criso the only oil that can be used for anointing or can i use olive oil from palestine? this issue is suddenly very important to me.

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Olive oil is holier.
I would use olive oil.

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Registered: Jun 2005
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario
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Well here in TB we had a situation sorta like that.

It involved a painting of classic greek figures and the morally indignant people wanted them repainted with clothes on!

These figures were on a wall 30 feet above the ground. Needless to say the company that had them painted won out.

The indignants were told to close their eyes if they didn't want to look.

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