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September 21, 2005CSI Bush: The Next Generation/Frist's Million-Dollar Coincidence/Everything Causes Cancer?Here's my latest posting for my "Capital Games" column at www.thenation.com. Some might think it's unfair to pick on the children of a politician. But with the Bush clan we've learned that it's never too early to keep an eye on its members. If you've seen this column already, please scroll down to other postings. With the challenges and obligations created by the Katrina disaster, some political commentators have declared that George W. Bush's presidency is done, suggesting his agenda has been washed aside. That may not be so. He and Karl Rove may yet figure out how to exploit the tragedy in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast to revive their Social Security plan, to sell more tax cuts for the well-to-do, and to justify their previously planned cuts in programs for low-income Americans. But if this is the end for a lame duck president, then perhaps it's time to look at Bush: The Next Generation. After all, we are already into the second generation of Bush presidencies, and bad news does come in threes. I'm not going to bother with Jenna and Barbara Bush. They've received enough attention. (And who wants to revisit their icky "speech" at the GOP convention last year?) So let's turn the spotlight on the other Bush family in politics: the Jeb Bush clan--which just days ago had yet another brush with the law. Interestingly, every member of this family--with the exception of Jeb--has had legal trouble. In 1999, mother/wife Columba falsely stated on a Customs declaration form that she had bought only $500 in goods during a jaunt to Paris. Yet she had purchased $19,000 worth of merchandise while shopping in the City of Lights. Customs agents nabbed her, and she had to pay a $4100 fine (when the maximum penalty could have been a $19,000 fee). But we're looking at the younger Bushes. * John Ellis Bush, aka Jebby, age 21. This past weekend, he was arrested by Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas. He was stopped when the agents suspected he was drunk. He then, it seems, did not cooperate with these public servants, for he was arrested on two charges: public intoxication and resisting arrest. In the scuffle, Jebby received a chin injury and was treated at a hospital. He was released on a $2,500 bond. (Question: given George W. Bush's DWI charge and Barbara's and Jenna's underage imbibing issues, is getting into legal trouble over alcohol considered a family rite of passage?) This was not Jebby's first encounter with the police. Five years ago--a month before the 2000 election--he was caught by security guards while in the act with a 17-year-old female in a Jeep Cherokee parked in a Tallahassee mall. Both were naked from the waist down, except Jebby was wearing his socks. The security guards called in the cops. A police officer arrived on the scene and investigated a possible crime of "sexual misconduct." In the subsequent police report, the officer wrote, "I became aware of the political ties" of the suspect. He then "contacted the watch commander...to inform him of the incident." After one of the security guards talked to Jebby's father--who happened to be the governor of the state--this guard told the on-the-scene cop that he believed that his own supervisor would "pull" the preliminary report. The cop replied that he would still have to complete an incident report. And a report was written. Nothing happened after that. The incident did not become public until two days before the presidential election, when this police report was leaked to the local media and a London newspaper. (Only the London paper went with the story.) According to Artie Brown, one of the two security guards who nabbed Jebby that night, the young Bush spoke to his father after being caught and then remarked, "My dad will fix it." * Noelle, age 28. In January 2002, on the day when her uncle was to deliver his first State of the Union address, Noelle was arrested for allegedly trying to use a fraudulent prescription to obtain the anti-anxiety drug Xanax at a drug store. She was sent not to jail but to drug rehab. Did she receive any preferential treatment? Seven years earlier, a woman with the same name was busted for shoplifting at a mall in Arizona. If the governor's daughter did have a prior criminal record, she would have faced a stricter sentence than assignment to a drug rehabilitation facility. Then in September 2002, a fellow resident in Noelle's drug rehab center anonymously called the Orlando police and complained that the "governor's daughter" had been buying crack. Noelle received a ten-day jail sentence for crack possession. The following August, she was released from rehab and placed in the custody of her parents. Drug charges against her were dismissed. * George P., 29. On December 31, 1994, George P. Bush, the much-hyped hunk of the Bush family and a fellow mentioned as a future prospect for politics, dropped by the Miami home of a former girlfriend. It was four in the morning and apparently he had not been invited. He broke into the house and began arguing with the woman's father. He then departed. But 15 to 20 minutes later, Bush, a Rice University student, was back. This time he drove his Ford Explorer over the front lawn, causing damage. The father contacted the police, and a Miami-Dade police officer called on George P. and his parents that night. But as the subsequent police report noted, George P. "was not arrested on the scene" because the woman's father did not want to press charges. The report also said that George P. and this woman broke up a year and a half earlier and that Bush "has been a problem ever since." We all know that all families have their share of troubles. And, of course, it is always tough to grow up in a dynasty. (Al Gore's son was busted for speeding.) But what are the odds that in any family of prominence all three siblings will merit police reports? There is, however, good news for the children of Jeb and Columba Bush. Difficulty with the law was no career obstacle for their uncle, and it seems that with Bush family members there really is no such thing as a permanent record. The University of Massachusetts Lowell today released a report that links dozens of environmental and occupational exposures to nearly 30 types of cancer. The new study by the University's Lowell Center for Sustainable Production reviewed scientific evidence documenting associations between environmental and occupational exposures and certain cancers in the United States--marking the first time this massive body of material has been summarized in one, accessible document. "We need to pay attention to environmental and occupational risk factors," said Molly Jacobs, project manager. "Known and preventable exposures are clearly responsible for tens of thousands of excess cancer cases each year. It is unconscionable not to implement policy changes that we know will prevent sickness and death." "Environmental and Occupational Causes of Cancer: A Review of Recent Scientific Evidence" shows that many cancer cases and deaths are caused or contributed to by involuntary exposures. These include: bladder cancer from the primary solvent used in dry cleaning, breast cancer from endocrine disruptors like bisphenol-A and other plastics components, lung cancer from residential exposure to radon, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma from solvent and herbicide exposure, and childhood leukemia from pesticides. "The sum of the evidence makes an airtight case for reconsideration of chemicals policies in the U.S.," said Dr. Richard W. Clapp, lead epidemiologist for the report and adjunct professor at UMass Lowell. "We need to follow the example of the European Union's REACH program, which prevents the use of known or suspected carcinogens when suitable substitutes are readily available." The full report is available here. I wonder if cancer and its prevention can ever become an issue of political salience. After all, shouldn't we worry more about malignant tumors invading our bodies than married gay couples invading our neighborhoods? Posted by David Corn at September 21, 2005 11:09 AM |
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"HUBRIS is a bold and provocative book that will quickly become an explosive part of the national debate on how we got involved in Iraq." --Tom Brokaw |
Comments
Mr. David Corn,
Another good post!
Thanks
Kirk
Posted by: capt at September 21, 2005 11:37 AM
" But get this: his stock was supposedly in a blind trust. Yet Frist was still able to ask the trustee to sell all his HCA holdings. Under such an arrangement, this blind trust might really be more of a wink-wink entity.
Think Cheney - Halliburton?
Just a thought
"Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more"
capt
Posted by: capt at September 21, 2005 11:42 AM
Not that I feel it should be a crime, at all. AT ALL, but, didn't Mr. Gore's son also have cannabis in the car...just noting.
Check out today's Democracy Now! for an interview with Ricardo Alarcon.
Also see:
Carter/Baker Report can't face how the GOP stole America's 2004 election & is rigging 2008
by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
September 20, 2005
****************
What happens when the ballot is suspect? Malcom X asked,"The ballot or the bullet?" It seems that the Bush administration is not above fixing the first and using the second.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at September 21, 2005 11:57 AM
Hmmmmm...Martha Stewart, a significant contributor to Democratic Party causes/candidates, gets nailed for dubious stock sales and is thrown into the slammer.
Bill Frist, a major Repug, sells stocks under dubious circumstances and what will happen to him?
Will he get the Presidential Medal for Smart Investing Decisions?
Posted by: micki at September 21, 2005 12:10 PM
Leahy Says He Will Vote to Confirm Chief Justice Nominee By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: September 21, 2005
Oh shit! FOTD, Mr. Leahy?
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at September 21, 2005 12:13 PM
A short list of events in history...
Top 11 known arrests/crimes by the family who would restore honor and dignity to the White House
11. Dick Cheney's first DWI.
10. George W. Bush's DWI.
9. Barbara Bush, minor in possesson of alcohol.
8. Jenna Bush, minor in possession of alcohol (3 times).
7. Dick Cheney's second DWI.
6. Laura Bush's vehicular homicide, record expunged.
5. George W. Bush's arrest for larceny (stealing a Christmas tree, really!).
4. Jeb's 24 year old daughter Noelle arrested for fraud at 1:15 am Walgreen's drive-thru in attempt to obtain prescription drugs.
3. Jeb's son George arrested for breaking into girlfriend's home and malicious destruction of property.
2. Jeb's other son John (Jebby) arrested for violating Florida sodomy law in a mall parking lot during days after 2000 election.
1. Jeb's wife for smuggling undeclared purchases into the United States (fined thousands).
Bonus:
1. Dick Cheney's third DWI.
2. Whatever earned George W. Bush a one year sentence of community service in Houston.
3. Neil Bush fined for his "ethical disability" in Silverado savings and loan investigation. Cost to tax payers: 1 billion dollars (still paying interest), Cost to Bush: $0. The $50,000 fine was paid by a banking deregulation lobby.
Posted by: micki at September 21, 2005 12:14 PM
#5
O. Shit. O. Deer.
Posted by: micki at September 21, 2005 12:16 PM
9-21 Toon of the Day: $1 Billion Worth of Iraqi Accountability
Posted by: jjoats at September 21, 2005 12:18 PM
This was not Jebby's first encounter with the police. Five years ago--a month before the 2000 election--he was caught by security guards while in the act with a 17-year-old female in a Jeep Cherokee parked in a Tallahassee mall. Both were naked from the waist down, except Jebby was wearing his socks. David C.
"Hold everything!" in the words of the old Dick Tracy cartoons I remember as a kid. Wouldn't this qualify him, if he had been anyone else, as a sexual offender, requiring registration and all sorts of other community harassment?
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at September 21, 2005 12:26 PM
Robert,
This is a posting from the last posting. I remember that fine health care when my father in law was in hospice. It was truly a caring atmosphere. I know the family felt as if they were watching a journey instead of a death. New Orleans illustrates the tragedy of what this country has become. Doctors couldn't practice. That is basic. That is dignity denied to humanity. The Bush administration worried more about lawsuits. The right blog sites are still busy as bees trying to shift blame.
When David asks if cancer will ever become a political issue, I think Katrina made our medical ethics a political issue. It is how we define ourselves.
Posted by: Jeanne at September 21, 2005 12:34 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/12/20/gore.son/
In the interest of accuracy, Albert Gore III wasn't simply stopped for speeding. In December 2003 was arrested for marijuana possession after being stopped for driving at night with headlights off. The police officer who made the stop says he was suspicious because during traffic stop all windows and sunroof were open despite it being very cold outside.
The same article also indicates that Gore III has had two other brushes with the law -- in 2002 he was arrested for DUI and in 2000 he was charged with reckless driving after he was stopped for speeding. Police in North Carolina said he was driving over 90 MPH in a 55 MPH zone.
If memory serves, several years ago one of Gore's daughters was also charged with alcohol possession by a minor.
Posted by: Bill McKern at September 21, 2005 12:34 PM
The Jeb Bush and wife clan fit right into the scheme of things. The Bush clan is dysfunctional because they are spoiled brats.
Frist fits in well with the rest of the crooks.
Bush and his minions are well on their way destroying everything good about God's creation, Mother Earth.
I love this country with all the filth and garbage that exists. What's there not to love about filth and garbage. Such an environment is Americans' comfort zones.
Posted by: Gerald at September 21, 2005 12:35 PM
I seriously think the Bush dynasty is kaput. This family is a tragedy. No responsibility. No accountability. It is a family living from one drunk to the next. It's like watching O'Neil's family disintegrate in Long Day's Journey into Night.
Posted by: Jeanne at September 21, 2005 12:41 PM
I understand that may be imortant to show a pattern of "no permanent record" for the Bush family. But I do not find it apprpriate to poke fun at a family that struggles with addiction issues, no more than I would find it funny to poke fun at a family that has a pre-dispostion for cancer. It is also rather absurd for Bush to appoint Rove (the chicken hawk who likes to kick grief sticken war mothers around) to head the reconstruction of New Orleans. I wanted to know if you happen to know who came up with the 10- 15,000 dead figure? Was the source of those numbers Rove? Also what ever happenned to PHASE II OF THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, THAT REPUBLICAN SENATOR PAT ROBERTS PROMISED US AFTER THE ELECTION? I go over to National Review almost everyday to read MICHEAL LEDEENS ARTILCES just so I know where the most radical right wing ne0=o-cons are trying to lead our nation next. He generally writes every two weeks at the very least) do you know where he is or what he is up to. Is he over in the Iran or Syria neighborhood cooking up some more " yellow cake " documents?
Posted by: kathleen ..soccer mom at September 21, 2005 12:42 PM
Jeanne,
The interview today on Democracy Now! with Ricardo Alarcon really emphasized the difference in values that societies chose to align themselves with. The U.N. has recently congratulated Cuba on its hurricane preparedness.
Alarcon stressed how Cuba is organized around national defense, whether from an aggressor or nature, but, not on aggression against another nation.
He also commented on the fact that John Bolton had accused them of manufacturing WMD's.
It is also pleasing to hear someone who is far more articulate in English, even as a second language, than our own leaders.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at September 21, 2005 12:46 PM
Kathleen..Soccer mom,
I wouldn't bother with the Bush's addiction problems, but for two points.
1) Continuance and furtherance of the WoSD for others, &
2) Not applying that standard to their own.
They become fair game.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at September 21, 2005 12:49 PM
I love Democracy Now. In fact I am getting my lunch ready and I'm going to sit down and watch it on the internet.
By the way, I have been trying to find out about the Cuban 5 forever. That is a very very interesting story. Someone needs to write a book about that. Very interesting. DAVID, you or somebody you know should look into the subject for book material.
Posted by: Jeanne at September 21, 2005 01:05 PM
A discussion of the Cuban 5, which is sadly muted in this country, is included in the interview. This case reveals major contradictions in U.S./Bush policies, for during the cold war, terrorism was one of the usual tactics we used against "leftists."
This is illustrated by the continuing fight at the U.N. to define terrorism as only applies to non-state actors.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at September 21, 2005 01:29 PM
Earlier this summer, a Zogby poll showed that 42% of Americans would support Impeachment if Bush were shown to have lied us into war in Iraq.
Is there any follow-up?
Did anyone listen?
Posted by: Dan V at September 21, 2005 03:58 PM
Mr. Corn,
I always enjoy your commentary very much; first became
acquainted with you on (where else?) c-span, years ago.
I do not agree with you on some issues (I am conservative
and also I dislike the current tendency in politics (on both
sides) toward character assassination). But I do sense
empathy and fairness (sometimes!) in your writing; and
I am truly, equally upset with some of the excesses of
the current administration (please, excessive leftists,
do not ruin your own case by calling it a "regime" or
even a "reich" - Repeat after me: Bush is not Hitler!)
Thanks, David; you are fair even when we disagree.
Richard Ashmore
Posted by: R. Ash at September 27, 2005 11:14 PM