If I were her, I might consider shutting up on the family values issue
February 14, 2002 7:01 AM Subscribe
What with Jeb's daughter going into re-hab and her twins getting into touble drinking and with faked id, perhaps she ought to merely note that it is tough raising kids. Especially when there are so few decently financed programs available to those not so wealthy as the Bush clan.
posted by Postroad at 7:24 AM on February 14, 2002
posted by Postroad at 7:24 AM on February 14, 2002
if you were her, you'd be as stupid as her husband and therefore unable to 'consider' much of anything.
posted by quonsar at 7:28 AM on February 14, 2002
posted by quonsar at 7:28 AM on February 14, 2002
Give her a break...I have seen some of the best parents have trouble with their kids at times. And these kids have grown up in a fishbowl, which means added pressure.
Did YOU ever do everything your mama wanted you to?
posted by bunnyfire at 7:32 AM on February 14, 2002
Did YOU ever do everything your mama wanted you to?
posted by bunnyfire at 7:32 AM on February 14, 2002
That's true magullo. Fake id's and joining a terrorist organisation are clearly similar. Foolish me for not noticing.
posted by haqspan at 7:50 AM on February 14, 2002
posted by haqspan at 7:50 AM on February 14, 2002
As much as it pains me, I have to agree with bunnyfire. . .any comments about a politician's family are inappropriate. . .for a time, Chelsea's looks were great fodder for the right wing, and while I think that Jenna's situation is talked about with more humor, it is also not very fair. There is quite enough to bitch about just with Bush's ongoing sequel of the Reagan years.
Having said that, I'll highlight my own hypocrisy with this comment. . . .I can't stand the color of lipstick that Laura Bush always wears. . .for some reason it just bothers me.
posted by Danf at 8:26 AM on February 14, 2002
Having said that, I'll highlight my own hypocrisy with this comment. . . .I can't stand the color of lipstick that Laura Bush always wears. . .for some reason it just bothers me.
posted by Danf at 8:26 AM on February 14, 2002
haqsan: It's not fake IDs, it's major addiction history in the family, it's denial, it's Bush not fighting for his country if there is a chance in hell he'll personally be near enemy fire, it's a family history of excesses cushioned by money, it's laughing about how ignorant one is. And to compound all that, we get ethics lessons from them. No thanks.
posted by magullo at 8:48 AM on February 14, 2002
posted by magullo at 8:48 AM on February 14, 2002
it's major addiction history in the family
Again, underage drinking is not a sign of addiction. While not the smartest thing to do as a child of the current president, a trip to any college bar will convince you that not everyone there is 21. As for Jeb's daughter and her apparent prediliction for illegally obtained narcotics, that's not GW's child. Would you like to be held responsible for your brother's (or sister's) childrens' actions?
it's Bush not fighting for his country if there is a chance in hell he'll personally be near enemy fire
Bush was in the reserve, generally considered part of the military. That it was not called up--hence the name reserve-- is not his fault.
it's laughing about how ignorant one is
This I would like to see.
posted by haqspan at 9:58 AM on February 14, 2002
Again, underage drinking is not a sign of addiction. While not the smartest thing to do as a child of the current president, a trip to any college bar will convince you that not everyone there is 21. As for Jeb's daughter and her apparent prediliction for illegally obtained narcotics, that's not GW's child. Would you like to be held responsible for your brother's (or sister's) childrens' actions?
it's Bush not fighting for his country if there is a chance in hell he'll personally be near enemy fire
Bush was in the reserve, generally considered part of the military. That it was not called up--hence the name reserve-- is not his fault.
it's laughing about how ignorant one is
This I would like to see.
posted by haqspan at 9:58 AM on February 14, 2002
"But parents' fight against inappropriate influences must "continue to say ... these aren't our values," she said. "
... and teenagers will continue to rebel against their parent's so-called values. Do parents really want their children to be brainwashed automatons, or would they prefer to raise independent thinkers?
posted by mischief at 10:10 AM on February 14, 2002
... and teenagers will continue to rebel against their parent's so-called values. Do parents really want their children to be brainwashed automatons, or would they prefer to raise independent thinkers?
posted by mischief at 10:10 AM on February 14, 2002
I think we prefer to raise independent thinkers who make non-destructive choices.
posted by revbrian at 10:11 AM on February 14, 2002
posted by revbrian at 10:11 AM on February 14, 2002
What I really think is sad is that the San Francisco Chronicles considers Laura Bush's parenting advice to be newsworthy. Parenting is an individual experience, and if one needs advice on how to do it, one normally solicits advice from trusted friends/clergy/therapist/etc.
I'm sure that Lindh's family didn't solicit this advice, and I honestly don't understand why the chronicle printed it.
It bothers me that we Americans place so much value on celebrity, and so little on integrity.
posted by jack-o at 10:31 AM on February 14, 2002
I'm sure that Lindh's family didn't solicit this advice, and I honestly don't understand why the chronicle printed it.
It bothers me that we Americans place so much value on celebrity, and so little on integrity.
posted by jack-o at 10:31 AM on February 14, 2002
There's a certain time when children are not going to do what their parents want them to," said Bush, whose teenage daughters' foibles have been the subject of news coverage. "[They] get to a certain age where it doesn't matter what you say."
-- Laura Bush
...perhaps she ought to merely note that it is tough raising kids.
-- Postroad
Yeah, the quote at the beginning of the article was pure comedy gold. However, the quote at the end makes it pretty clear that the First Lady was in fact referring to her own offspring's behavior.
I don't like Dubya, but Laura Bush is a class act. She's pretty obviously uncomfortable with the spotlight that's been thrown on her, but still manages to pull it off with grace not seen since, ummm... a really long time ago.
posted by swell at 10:52 AM on February 14, 2002
-- Laura Bush
...perhaps she ought to merely note that it is tough raising kids.
-- Postroad
Yeah, the quote at the beginning of the article was pure comedy gold. However, the quote at the end makes it pretty clear that the First Lady was in fact referring to her own offspring's behavior.
I don't like Dubya, but Laura Bush is a class act. She's pretty obviously uncomfortable with the spotlight that's been thrown on her, but still manages to pull it off with grace not seen since, ummm... a really long time ago.
posted by swell at 10:52 AM on February 14, 2002
Wasn't Johnny of legal age when he went overseas? If so, what letting is there if he put his mind to it?
posted by holycola at 10:55 AM on February 14, 2002
posted by holycola at 10:55 AM on February 14, 2002
Wasn't Johnny of legal age when he went overseas? If so, what letting is there if he put his mind to it?
He was born in 1981 and went overseas in December of 1998. However, it does not appear that he joined up with any militant groups until he was well past 18.
posted by iceberg273 at 11:08 AM on February 14, 2002
He was born in 1981 and went overseas in December of 1998. However, it does not appear that he joined up with any militant groups until he was well past 18.
posted by iceberg273 at 11:08 AM on February 14, 2002
Bush was in the reserve, generally considered part of the military. That it was not called up--hence the name reserve -- is not his fault.
There are some who believe his reserve service was not entirely aboveboard. (That page is not free of bias. It still has links to places that are not exactly bastions of liberal thinking, though.)
posted by joaquim at 11:09 AM on February 14, 2002
There are some who believe his reserve service was not entirely aboveboard. (That page is not free of bias. It still has links to places that are not exactly bastions of liberal thinking, though.)
posted by joaquim at 11:09 AM on February 14, 2002
if you were her, you'd be as stupid as her husband and therefore unable to 'consider' much of anything.
I can't stand the color of lipstick that Laura Bush always wears. . .for some reason it just bothers me.
Considering how much the GOP debased itself with personal attacks on Hillary and Chelsea, it would probably be wise to take the high road and lighten up on Laura and Jenna.
Bush was in the reserve, generally considered part of the military. That it was not called up--hence the name reserve-- is not his fault.
Bush was accepted into the Texas Air National Guard program with test scores in the lower 50%, at a time when the TANG was accepting only scores in the top 2%. The "underground railroad" which helped well-connected young men of fighting age avoid service in Vietnam, is well documented. He joined TANG precisely because it was very unlikely that he would be called up.
posted by Ty Webb at 11:10 AM on February 14, 2002
I can't stand the color of lipstick that Laura Bush always wears. . .for some reason it just bothers me.
Considering how much the GOP debased itself with personal attacks on Hillary and Chelsea, it would probably be wise to take the high road and lighten up on Laura and Jenna.
Bush was in the reserve, generally considered part of the military. That it was not called up--hence the name reserve-- is not his fault.
Bush was accepted into the Texas Air National Guard program with test scores in the lower 50%, at a time when the TANG was accepting only scores in the top 2%. The "underground railroad" which helped well-connected young men of fighting age avoid service in Vietnam, is well documented. He joined TANG precisely because it was very unlikely that he would be called up.
posted by Ty Webb at 11:10 AM on February 14, 2002
I can't believe nobody has mentioned that Laura Bush ran a stop sign and killed her boyfriend when she was a senior in high school.
That puts her personal death toll one higher than Johnny Walker Lindh's.
Y'all are just being soft because it's Valentine's Day, right?
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:02 PM on February 14, 2002
That puts her personal death toll one higher than Johnny Walker Lindh's.
Y'all are just being soft because it's Valentine's Day, right?
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:02 PM on February 14, 2002
Give her a break...I have seen some of the best parents have trouble with their kids at times. And these kids have grown up in a fishbowl, which means added pressure. Did YOU ever do everything your mama wanted you to?
Sure I did things my mother didn't want me to, but my mother didn't go around telling other people how to raise children while her own kids were major screwups.
Face it, Dubya, learned how to be a father from his father, and his father was not exactly a warm fatherly figure from what I have read, which may explain alot.
posted by terrapin at 12:08 PM on February 14, 2002
Sure I did things my mother didn't want me to, but my mother didn't go around telling other people how to raise children while her own kids were major screwups.
Face it, Dubya, learned how to be a father from his father, and his father was not exactly a warm fatherly figure from what I have read, which may explain alot.
posted by terrapin at 12:08 PM on February 14, 2002
What "letting" is there?...Um how about financial support for the John's trip overseas. It helps a bit to have some financial enablement, even when we choose to live like Samurais.
Oh the hell with it-- I believe her point was about the sympathy she feels. Some come from the philosophy that one must support their childrens' choices, especially if it is for something that the individual believes may contribute to his or her own spiritual growth.
However, my parents chose to financially support me when they knew there was nothing spiritual about my choices. Bad decision on their part, but in retrospect I've learned that sometimes parents are stricken with grief over the fear of losing their child, and they will show support though financial means as a last resort.
posted by Quixoticlife at 12:20 PM on February 14, 2002
Oh the hell with it-- I believe her point was about the sympathy she feels. Some come from the philosophy that one must support their childrens' choices, especially if it is for something that the individual believes may contribute to his or her own spiritual growth.
However, my parents chose to financially support me when they knew there was nothing spiritual about my choices. Bad decision on their part, but in retrospect I've learned that sometimes parents are stricken with grief over the fear of losing their child, and they will show support though financial means as a last resort.
posted by Quixoticlife at 12:20 PM on February 14, 2002
I love my kids, but I hope they understand if they decide to make some wild hare choices it's gonna be on their own nickel. Fair enough...when I was young I held myself to the same standard.
posted by bunnyfire at 12:27 PM on February 14, 2002
posted by bunnyfire at 12:27 PM on February 14, 2002
I love my kids, but I hope they understand if they decide to make some wild hare choices it's gonna be on their own nickel. Fair enough...when I was young I held myself to the same standard.
posted by bunnyfire at 12:28 PM on February 14, 2002
posted by bunnyfire at 12:28 PM on February 14, 2002
It's not fake IDs, it's major addiction history in the family, it's denial, it's Bush not fighting for his country if there is a chance in hell he'll personally be near enemy fire, it's a family history of excesses cushioned by money, it's laughing about how ignorant one is. And to compound all that, we get ethics lessons from them. No thanks.
So, to be snarky, can we agree that when the Democrats stop electing Kennedys to public office then the Republicans will stop electing Bushs?
posted by RevGreg at 3:04 PM on February 14, 2002
So, to be snarky, can we agree that when the Democrats stop electing Kennedys to public office then the Republicans will stop electing Bushs?
posted by RevGreg at 3:04 PM on February 14, 2002
I hope bunnyfire's kids understand if they decide to make some wild hare choices it's gonna be on their own nickel.
posted by internook at 3:42 PM on February 14, 2002
posted by internook at 3:42 PM on February 14, 2002
I hope bunnyfire's kids understand if they decide to make some wild hare choices it's gonna be on their own nickel.
posted by internook at 3:42 PM on February 14, 2002
posted by internook at 3:42 PM on February 14, 2002
Did YOU ever do everything your mama wanted you to?
Let's put it this way, I've never engaged in criminal or self-destructive behavior that would have caused a stir in the national press had my family or I suddenly become famous.
I think she's pretty happy with me.
posted by rushmc at 9:28 AM on February 15, 2002
Let's put it this way, I've never engaged in criminal or self-destructive behavior that would have caused a stir in the national press had my family or I suddenly become famous.
I think she's pretty happy with me.
posted by rushmc at 9:28 AM on February 15, 2002
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Too lenient, indeed.
posted by hummus at 7:12 AM on February 14, 2002