cannabisnews.com: Bush's Double Standard Bush's Double Standard Posted by FoM on June 04, 2001 at 21:36:02 PT By Joe Conason Source: Salon.com The president demands severe punishment for drug and alcohol offenders -- unless they're members of the Bush clan. Knocking the wind out of a self-righteous windbag is always healthy fun, especially when the windbag happens to be an authority figure like the president of the United States. Sometimes, however, the impulse to deflate also injures innocent bystanders such as Jenna and Barbara Bush -- whose moralizing pappy must be mortified by their recent booze busts. Unfortunately for the Bushes, their fellow citizens have a right to know that the first family will be held to the same rules imposed on the rest of us. The necessity for a single standard is greater still when those rules were imposed by the president himself. Yet conservative commentators, in a sudden display of tender concern for victims of tabloid journalism, are urging reporters to stop picking on the Bush twins. They point out that almost all American kids start drinking before they reach legal age, that underage guzzling is usually a private problem for families to resolve, and that neither of the girls has harmed anyone else. The pleas for mercy sound perfectly reasonable, even though several of the same pundits couldn't resist attacking Chelsea Clinton in the most cruel and boorish way. But except for a few lonely civil libertarians, almost nobody made those permissive arguments when George W. Bush (and a bipartisan majority of the Texas Legislature) enacted the "three strikes" penalties that could lead to Jenna Bush's imprisonment if she is arrested with alcohol once more. In the situational ethics that now define conservatism, cracking down on kids who drink was a great national imperative, until that policy meant political trouble for a Republican in the White House. No doubt the public humiliation of Jenna and Barbara Bush has been inevitable since 1997, when their father approved a set of Draconian revisions to the Texas laws governing consumption of alcohol by minors. Like most teenagers, they eventually were bound to run afoul of those statutes, which he had trumpeted as symbols of his own rectitude and his determination to crush youthful vice and criminality. Due to their high visibility, they were likely to be caught, too. In fact, as reported in the Houston Chronicle, Jenna Bush's first alcohol offense occurred within six months after the then-governor signed the harsh new standards into law. (Were it not for a loophole that excludes her first offense because she was only 16 at the time, she would now be facing up to six months in jail as well as a $2,000 fine.) By the time he approved that bill, Bush had already fashioned a political career out of his propensity for cracking down, for "tough love" and for treating juvenile offenders with "zero tolerance." Those were the principal themes of his first campaign for governor, when much more was said about his opponent's history of substance abuse than about his own excessive drunkenness. During that 1994 race, he went so far as to cite his daughters as evidence of his fitness to punish other kids. "I've raised two children that respect discipline," he said proudly (and somewhat optimistically). Within weeks after he signed the laws that now haunt his family, Bush triumphantly addressed a Midwestern GOP conference. "One of my main responsibilities as governor -- and I believe one of the responsibilities as Republicans -- is to set the tone for change," he remarked. "Whether that change involves schools, or the juvenile justice system, or whether that change involves solving the No. 1 problem facing America -- the culture of our time -- a culture that says if it feels good, do it, and if you have a problem, blame somebody else." When he embarked on his campaign for the presidency, Bush continued to emphasize the nation's supposed moral decline while proclaiming a "new era of personal responsibility." As the long-concealed facts about his own past finally emerged, however, it became difficult not to wonder whether he assumed that his preachments are for ordinary citizens only, not members of the Bush clan. With his insistent avoidance of honest discussion about his own indulgences and indiscretions, including his drunk-driving arrest, he made that contradiction all too obvious. Lying behind Bush's personal double standard are issues not only of abusive authority but of class and race. The imagery he exploited in his crusade against juvenile offenders always focused on black, Latino and white working-class youth, not the sons and daughters of the fancy Dallas and Houston suburbs. That nasty habit hasn't changed with his elevation to the White House. The latest penalty to be imposed on young people arrested for possession of marijuana -- permanent ineligibility for federal student loans -- is heavily class-biased. Young scholars with backgrounds similar to that of Bush girls, each of whom is the beneficiary of a half-million-dollar trust fund, don't need federal loans. So for many Americans, the Bush booze bust represents a question of elementary fairness as well as an opportunity for a few laughs. It isn't that the president's daughters deserve to be mocked or humiliated. They don't. It is simply that they must be accorded the same tough treatment mandated by him toward other young people, whose chances and privileges are otherwise far smaller than theirs. The only insurance of such equal justice (or injustice) is appropriate media coverage of their illegal conduct and its consequences. In short, on Father's Day they will have only one man to blame for their present predicament. And speaking of Daddy Dubya, perhaps his daughters' distress will encourage him to reconsider his punitive attitude toward those who make the same mistakes he once did. Had he been subjected to such a strict and unforgiving code, after all, this paragon of sobriety would be in no position to inflict his hypocrisies on the rest of us today. About the writer:Joe Conason writes about political issues for Salon News and other publications. Source: Salon.com (US Web)Author: Joe ConasonPublished: June 5, 2001Copyright: 2001 Salon.comWebsite: http://www.salon.com/Contact: salon salonmagazine.comRelated Articles:The Devil Inside Jenna and George http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9941.shtmlThree Strikes and She's Out?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9942.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #15 posted by just me on June 06, 2001 at 19:33:41 PT: Double Discreet...and swampie Double Discreet: Anyone who thinks pot can't impair a driver must have never smoked any good pot. see: http://www.norml.org/facts/myths.shtml It's the 5th myth down "Myth: No One Has Ever Died From Using Marijuana"Again, I'm not saying pot causes all accidents be if you really think that nobody has ever died due to pot, you're delusional. It is widely known that you can't over-dose on pot, though and nobody would argue that driving under teh infulence of alchohol is far more dangerous. Even NORML http://www.norml.org/about/responsible.shtml says, "II. No Driving The responsible cannabis consumer does not operate a motor vehicle or other dangerous machinery while impaired by cannabis, nor (like other responsible citizens) while impaired by any other substance or condition, including some medicines and fatigue. Although cannabis is said by most experts to be safer than alcohol and many prescription drugs with motorists, responsible cannabis consumers never operate motor vehicles in an impaired condition. Public safety demands not only that impaired drivers be taken off the road, but that objective measures of impairment be developed and used, rather than chemical testing."You guys really should read NORML's web site. There's lot's of good info there. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by lookinside on June 06, 2001 at 18:59:53 PT: the shrub... has inflicted on us, values which he was obviously incapableof instilling in his own daughters...i'm afraid bushII is,at best, a hypocrite... [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by dddd on June 06, 2001 at 11:21:05 PT That's a good question Cuzn If things were fair,,she would go to the same Texas lockdown asanyone else,and spend a few sobering months with the brutal realitythe rest of us peasants get....I say,lock her down with some ex-junkies,and crack whores...her dad could come and visit her and meet her newfriends...............dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Cuzn Buzz on June 06, 2001 at 09:40:24 PT A Question. If Jenna Bush has to do jail time over her latest infraction of the law, will a secret service team have to go to jail with her?I guess I always wonder about the wrong stuff. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by observer on June 06, 2001 at 07:00:51 PT Double Discreet I hope you mean by over-dose because pot certainly has impaired drivers and caused other acidents that resulted in death.Noted author Peggy Mann wrote of the horrible, terrible carnage on the roads from Our Children who's little minds were blown away on DRUGS. Yes, this is why we need to throw adults in jail for using marijuana (unless they're well connected, and discreet, that is). Maybe Jenna will learn to be discreet -- like her uncle? As for stoned drivers, experts, officials and authorities seem to be in disagreement. Some (on government's payroll) insist that marihuana is a terrible scourge upon our Children and highways. Others, seem to get different results, finding stoned drivers are less dangerous than non-stoned drivers.Australia: Cannabis Crash Risk Less: Study (1998) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98/n945/a08.html Australia: Study Goes to Pot (1998) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98/n947/a06.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by just me on June 06, 2001 at 06:40:11 PT: seriously... I don't agree that Bush is an ASS but that's just me. As for pot and traffic deaths, you bet it's contributed. I'm NOT saying it causes all of them, but marijuana does affect neuromuscular control and surely has effected accidents. Even NORML doesn't advocate smoking and driving. Any informed pot smoker knows, you can NOT overdose or smoke yourself to death. B.T.W. Ricki Lake is a big time Gun-Grabber so the Colonel is safe, dead already but safe. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Rambler on June 06, 2001 at 06:30:03 PT lighten up just me... I agree with you when your; "She is responsible for her actions, not her father and he is responsible for his actions, not his daughter.",,,,,but I dont have a problem joining Swampie in poking fun,and disgrace towards G.W.,,,because he is an ASS!I think you are stretching reality when you say;"..... I hope you mean by over-dose because pot certainly has impaired drivers and caused other acidents that resulted in death.",,,,and then you say;"As for guns, well I'm pro-gun and blamng guns for crime is like blaming spoons for Ricki Lake being fat.",,,,,well I think that blaming pot for traffic deaths,is like saying Ricki Lake could be responsible for using a gun to hold up Colonel Sanders for a spoonful of fat..Sorry to sound kinda snotty just me,,,,You and Swampie are both cool.....I think I'll try and get a hold of Ricki Lake,and see if she wants to get stoned,and drive around with guns....? [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by just me on June 06, 2001 at 03:54:00 PT: Get a grip swampie... "what if they had covered it up and it was found out later after one of them had an accident or something?" What if? What if monkeys flew out of your butt? What if the moon was made of cheese? The fact is, some liberal bartender cought a 19 year old college girl, who happens to be the Presidents daughter trying to get a drink with her meal using a fake ID and called 911. I haven't heard what happened over this, but she had to go to court for the other thing, so she'll most likely have to go to court over this one too. Just like almost every other teen who gets busted for drinking under age. Again Bush's policies have nothing to do with his daughters or their decisions. If you want G.W. to be a role model that has nothing to do with what Jenna does. Pot should be legal but Jenna Bush's adult (over 18) under age (21) drinking has nothing to do with marijuana reform. She is responsible for her actions, not her father and he is responsible for his actions, not his daughter."POT NEVER EVER KILLED ANYONE!" I hope you mean by over-dose because pot certainly has impaired drivers and caused other acidents that resulted in death. As for guns, well I'm pro-gun and blamng guns for crime is like blaming spoons for Ricki Lake being fat. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by SWAMPIE on June 05, 2001 at 22:11:40 PT What's good for the goose.... Is good for the gander!If the president is so intent on being a good role model,and if the laws he signed into validity are to be used for the "good of the people".then these girls should NOT get preferential treatment!No matter what political party they come from!I,personally,would give them a second chance,but that second chance was blown to smithereens!!!!!Because they enjoy the guardianship of the secret service,[the S.S.]as it were,they are still "private citizens"according to the press,and I don't care what you say,Daddy signed the law into effect!The Secret Service only acts as protection for them,NOT as BABYSITTERS!They are subject to the same laws as you and I!I feel bad for their misfortune that someone saw a scandal,but what if they had covered it up and it was found out later after one of them had an accident or something?That alone makes this worth publishing!We still do have some Freedom of speech!You can proselitize all you want,but the song remains the same!Republicrats,Democrans,ASSHOLES,IGNORANT-INDUSTRY-BOUGHT NIMRODS,it is all the same old story!These sheeple all follow their Hypocritical oaths to the kiss-asses that want to buy their way out of the logjam their forefathers created by declaring that "we don't own our own bodies,and therefore ,if we don't follow their leadership,we will all go to HELL for our "sins"BULLSHIT!!!!!###$$$%%^^*&(*(*(()_ If you want to do something constructive,INFORM OTHERS ABOUT REAL ISSUES THAT WILL HELP ILL PEOPLE TO COPE WITH THEIR MISFORTUNE!!!! POT NEVER EVER KILLED ANYONE!HOW MANY HAVE DIED FROM ALCOHOL,COKE,CRACK,HEROIN,GUNS,GROUCHY HUSBANDS,THE LIST COULD GO ON FOREVER!BUSH NEEDS TO RETHINK HIS STANCE ON A FEW THINGS,BUT MAYBE HE'LL THINK MORE AFTER THIS PLAYS OUT...... ONWARD THROUGH THE FOG!!!!SWAMPIE [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by just me on June 05, 2001 at 21:11:48 PT: Pathetic... It's pathetic to blame President Bush for what his adult (over 18) daughter does at college. Bush didn't write the existing drug laws, Hell, he's only been in office a few months! While he, very well, may be ignorant about Marijuana and what reform America wants, he doesn't make the laws, that's the job of Congress. What does underage (21) drinking of Alchohol have to do with Marijuana reform? Even if there were legalization it would still be illegal for minors. Now there are some who think that the drinking age should be lowered to 18 with the "old enough to vote, old enough to drink" line of thinking. That still hasn't been changed yet. So how is President Bush supposed to control his 19 year old daughter while she's away at college? How is any 19 year old controlled while in college? They aren't! The fact that the liberal media is slinging mud is just an attempt to discredit our President because Sore/Loserman couldn't steal the election. What happens to Jenna Bush for her "crimes" is yet to be seen. We should stay out of it. If you don't think Democrats pull strings for their families too, you're wrong. People in power, regardless of party, can/will do what they can to help family. Wouldn't you? If any of this had anything to do with Marijuana reform it'd be different, but regardless of what Pontifex "wishes" she wasn't smoking dope, so it's beside the point. A college girl tries to get a drink, big deal! Why aren't you all making a big deal over the other milions of kids who try everyday? Give her a break and don't try to pin her mistakes on her father. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by throatcoat on June 05, 2001 at 20:07:41 PT Shrub's necktie is caught in his ass crack. THink he'll notice? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Pontifex on June 05, 2001 at 11:29:45 PT: Up the ante, Jenna! Wow, Salon has been turning out some great pieces on the Drug War lately. As usual, the most piercing articles are coming from online sources, not the sclerotic and co-opted print media.How I wish Jenna would take it to the next level! If only they'd catch her pulling rips off a three-foot bong. Or better yet, snorting some Columbian. Now that would be drama. I don't know what the penalties would be for a multiple offender like Jenna, but they'd surely be brutally severe.Poor girl, she doesn't deserve to be on the business end of the Drug War -- any more than the rest of us do. But if she can only muster the bravery to poke her father in the eye, she could do more for our cause than any politician to date.Let's hope she runs afoul of a "friendly stranger". [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by JJM on June 05, 2001 at 05:50:51 PT: What if Jenna was black? Imagine for a moment that Colin Powell had a son in the same situation, or caught smoking a spliff... HELP WANTED: narcosoft.com needs writers, researchers, more... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by dddd on June 05, 2001 at 05:20:47 PT I couldnt agree more ....nice to see you greenfox......dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by greenfox on June 05, 2001 at 05:03:44 PT Bush is an idiot, a puppet figure for the GoP. The "string man" if you will.-gf [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: