Charles Colson: “Grab St. Peter by the Balls, and He’ll Let You Into Heaven”
Charles Colson, one of Richard Nixon’s dirty tricksters, has passed away at the age of eighty. Next to Gordon Liddy, Charles Colson was probably the most colorful of Nixon’s henchmen.
Two of his more memorable quotes are: “I’d walk over my grandmother to get Richard Nixon re-elected” and “Grab them by the balls and their hearts and minds will follow.”
Colson’s main claim to fame was his involvement in Nixon’s effort to smear Daniel Ellsberg. Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office was burglarized in an attempt to find damaging information that would discredit Ellsberg and, more importantly, get even with him for writing The Pentagon Papers.
Colson pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and got a seven month prison sentence. Before his sentencing, he became a born again Christian. Whether or not that was just a gimmick to get a lighter sentence — as everyone thought — Charles Colson remained active in evangelical activities up until his death.
He founded the Prison Fellowship Ministries in 1976 to help prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families. In addition to preaching, Colson tried to reduce prison overpopulation and pushed for alternative penalties — i.e. community service instead of prison — for nonviolent crimes.
He graduated from Brown University, served as a captain in the Marine Corps and received a doctorate from George Washington University.
Labels: Charles Colson, Daniel Ellsberg, Gordon Liddy, Pentagon Papers, Prison Fellowship Ministries
posted by Tom Harper @ 7:29 PM
11 Comments:
Good headline, Tom. Yes, Colson was colorful. He certainly had that trademark anything-to-win attitude Republicans are infamous for.
Before Watergate,
Chuck Colson represented the Nixon Administration to a prison rights groups that fought for fairer conditions in the prisons. Colson basically told them they are criminals and get what they deserve.
Fast Forward to Chuck Colson at the Watergate Hearings telling the Ervin Committee he doesn’t want to go to jail because he was afraid he would get raped.
Funny I still remember Colson as the law and order right winger after he got out, possibly pushing for the tougher laws that crowded the prisons, I never heard of him pushing for less crowding.
When I hear someone died I always check the foreign sources, they don’t seem ot have this “say only good things” Philosophy the American papers do on Obituaries.
Erik
Another one taking a well deserved long assed dirt nap, that will not be missed.
@Erik, I think he got the tougher laws in place, so he could keep more inmates incarcerated to hear from his prison ministry. The world became a happier place the second this fuckwit took his last breath. Before you ask, no I don't feel bad about saying bad things about this guy at all. He was nasty in life and should not be remembered fondly in death.
May he rest in peace with the high ranking KKK member Bobby Byrd.
Sock it to me?
What I remember was someone else saying he was the kind of guy who would walk over his grandmother . . . .
He was a completely bad guy on every occasion and when he cried about his fear at the trial, he should have been really worried except that all of them went to Country Club prisons, don't you know?
His backers presented him with the foundations for "good prison work" upon his early release (not a 7-month sentence to my recollection), where he made millions and wrote books to reclaim his rep and the Nixon admin's.
You wouldn't have been fooled by these "good works" at all.
I never read where one person who was trustworthy said he had really changed afterwards.
Keep remembering that all these connected-fellow-travelers (yes, what they used to accuse others of being) always emerge from prison to be very well-cared for.
Thanks for the remembrance, Tom.
S
Colson even had a movie about his life tearfully played by Dean Jones who should've stayed with "That Darn Cat" and "The Love Bug"!
Erik
I get so tired of these Republicans who only do the right thing after they get caught doing lots of the wrong thing.
May he rest in peace with the high ranking KKK member Bobby Byrd.
That's cute, repeating what you heard Hannity saying. It's really too bad that you and Hannity never figured out that Byrd gave up the Klan (which was a near-requirement for young white men who wanted to get anywhere where he came from) nearly 80 years ago.
OK, you made us all laugh at your stupidity yet again. Back to making us some breakfast.
FYI
Sentenced to 1 to 3 years on the Fielding break-in after a plea bargain getting him out of the Watergate break-in. He had his sentenced reduced to approximately 6.7 months by a friendly judge.
His right to practice law, vote, etc., were restored to him (unusual in serious felony cases) when living in Florida by Gov. Jebbie.
http://www2.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/GUIDES/275.htm
Thanks JR now I know what she was talking about -
Conservatives love to jump on the fact that Byrd was a member of the Klan back when it was a dominant party in many states - something both he and Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black have apologized for many times but the right wingers wont let it go.
Now Lisa's comment makes him sound like a former Grand Wizard which is such a distortion. Republican David Duke was (is) a Grand Wizard.
It's well known, that when the Republicans accepted with South with Kisses and Hugs they got leading White Supremacist and White Citizen Council Members like Strom Thurmond and Jessie Helms (who never apologized), but are quiet about that.
Erik
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