Karl Rove: No Courage. No Consequences. Yet.

Mike & Friends Blog

Coleen Rowley

Former FBI agent Coleen Rowley was one of three whistleblowers chosen as persons of the year by TIME magazine in 2002

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May 2nd, 2010 5:06 PM

Karl Rove: No Courage. No Consequences. Yet.

We had to scurry last week to organize the proper welcome when we heard that war criminal Karl Rove was coming back to the Twin Cities to “inspire” his young Republicans at the University of Minnesota and try to peddle more of his bizarrely-titled Courage and Consequence books. Even though we didn’t have much time, we were able to come up with a pretty good t-shirt design showing how “Turdblossom” (as George Bush affectionately called his buddy, but whom most people know as “Bush’s Brain”) should be doing time for his war crimes.

Although Rove was flanked by a squadron of police officers and security guards at his first speech and book peddling at the University of Minnesota, his control of the microphone was interrupted a few times by protesters. Some of us listened patiently, however, to Rove’s entire speech falsely boasting of “how he was able to maintain his morality in politics.” We then waited respectfully to get our turn in the book signing line. (After purchasing his book with a check for $24.25 with memo: “Karl Rove—War Criminal”, I had quickly used a black magic marker to correct the title on the cover to read more appropriately: NO Courage. NO Consequences. Yet.) Then I wrote “please address this to Leavenworth Prison” on the yellow sticky inside telling the war profiteer who to address his book to. But Turdblossom didn’t comply! As you can see in the video below, he did sign my book, however, and also accepted but did not thank me for our t-shirt gift. The t-shirt we gave Rove showed a number of the child victims of the war he helped lie us into with the heading: “Karl Rove—Bush’s Brain. War Profiteer. War Criminal”. Although he let everyone else take a picture with him, Rove again showed no courage and refused my request for a mugshot. Rove was equally unappreciative when I handed him the citizen’s arrest warrant which I had brought to try and help the police officers who were mostly standing idly by. Sadly all the police officers at the University to whom I provided the sample arrest complaint seemed to prefer enforcing the rules against protester rudeness instead of their actual duty to enforce our country’s serious laws pertaining to torture, illegal war, destruction of evidence and other significant crimes.

So when the war criminal was able to make his getaway and escape to the Mall of America for his second book signing of the day, a few of us conscientious citizens had no choice but to follow him.

It turned out that I was not allowed to show my old FBI handcuffs to Karl Rove at the Mall as they have a rule, unbeknownst to me, against possession of handcuffs on Mall property. I was just trying to show him what real handcuffs look like so he wouldn’t be so shocked when the day comes when police do decide to enforce our country’s laws. Again Rove was flanked by legions of police and security officers assigned to protect him (and probably trying to bolster his ego by making his small fan club of 40 people in the Mall seem bigger).

Oddly enough, given Rove’s speechmaking right there on the Mall’s podium, the Mall of America Security advised me that they have rules against “political speeches” at the Mall and said I would only be allowed to whisper quietly with my friends. They said Rove was their guest. (And the rest of us Mall shoppers are chopped liver?) It didn’t do any good either to remind the mall officials of the speech I had helped them organize there several years ago for Al Gore to give out his good government “Hammer Award.” The Mall Security said they get full discretion to determine what is a “political speech.”

At that point, we didn’t want to buy a second book so we just got in line a second time with the books we had already purchased. The poor mall security guards, who looked worried but were very nice and professional, came to accompany us while we waited our turn (and probably also to supervise any political speeches that could pour forth while waiting in line). Everything went well even though Rove seemed a little surprised to see us a second time.

Some time later, I got the blame when a young shopper got carried away and yelled “war criminal” while Rove was still on the Mall podium. So I received a courteous security escort out of the Mall and was told I’d have to do my shopping somewhere else the rest of the day.

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