Crack Bust Signals Big Trouble For Noelle Bush
	found on AP (via Yahoo!) written by popeatlarge2000, edited by Dylan (Plastic) [ read unedited ] posted Wed 11 Sep 7:25pm
		"Perennial troubled child Noelle Bush has been found in posession of crack cocaine," reports popeatlarge2000. "The white, rocklike substance was found in her shoe at the at a rehabilitation center she has been living at since she tried to fake a prescription for Xanax in January. This complicates her recovery effort, which has already been complicated by a relapse in July. She was found in contempt of court when she was caught carrying prescription pills that had been taken from a cabinet." If Bush is charged with posession or is kicked out of her recovery program, she could face two different charges with five-year sentences attached. Any Plasticians want to take bets on what kind of time she'll end up serving?

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1.  The Bush family police sheet   by captainebo       at Wed 11 Sep 8:07pm score of 4 informative     Noelle is not the only one: -President Bush has three criminal convictions, one for vandalism, one for drunk and disorderly and one for DUI. While never arrested for coke use, he once responded to a reporters question about his history with the drug that he has used not used any illegal substances since 1974. -George P. Bush, oldest son of Jeb, committed vandalism and harassment when he arrived at an ex-girlfriend's home, badgered her family, and then left tire marks all over her lawn by driving through it. He has no criminal convictions b/c the family chose not to press charges. -John Bush, younger son of Jeb, was once found in a parking lot doing the nasty with his girlfriend. The police did not persue the crime. -Jenna and Barbara Bush, daughters of Dubya, are legendary for their love affair with the bottle, and the problems with the law this has brought. -Neil Bush, brother of Dubya and Jeb, was made famous for his ties to the S&L scandals. -Jeb Bush, while himself never involved with the law, has no doubt wielded his considerable influence to harbor his felonious daughter against prison time. It seems they just breed lawbrakers down on the Bush ranch, if this ain't an arguement for condom use, I don't know what is. Ebo "In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds." -Martin Luther King   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

3.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by ClosedMindOpenE       at Wed 11 Sep 8:13pm score of 1.5 clever   in reply to comment 1     It seems they just breed lawbrakers down on the Bush ranch, if this ain't an arguement for condom use, I don't know what is. Uh - sounds like the family has the same problems that a lot of other families in America have. I'm no fan of the Bush's, but really - there's plenty of alcohol abuse in my family, and I'm sure some of my aunts or uncles used coke in the 70's and 80's. Both me AND my brother, and numerous cousins have been arrested for minor infractions like vandalism, etc... What 20 year old kids don't have "love affairs with the bottle"? Noelle Bush is the real black sheep of the family, crack cocaine is much more serious than getting busted by cops while fucking in a parking lot. So we've established the Bush family has problems, besides feeding our schadenfreude, what does any of this matter? Fists, feet and teeth. Keep the animal tuned.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   5.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by Tessera       at Wed 11 Sep 8:41pm score of 1.5 witty   in reply to comment 3     ...besides feeding our schadenfreude, what does any of this matter? Breathing? Apart from providing our bodies with the necessary oxygen to fucking live, what purpose does it serve?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   6.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by captainebo       at Wed 11 Sep 8:43pm score of 2 compelling   in reply to comment 3     So we've established the Bush family has problems, besides feeding our schadenfreude, what does any of this matter?       When I am dealing with normal people in average situations, I can forgive a few transgressions. When I am dealing with the leaders of the free world, however. When a family maintains a dynastic rule over the most powerful nation in the world, I expect them to be immune to the "same problems that a lot of other families in America have." Ebo "In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds." -Martin Luther King   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   14.  You must have a hell of a family.   by TheJazzPen       at Wed 11 Sep 10:34pm score of 2.5 clever   in reply to comment 3     My family's got some crazy shit, there's no doubt. We, however, do not boast two presidents, a bunch of governors, senators and other assorted statesmen at the Passover table. (Part of the problem may be that that it's a Passover and not an Easter table in that department, but who's to say). Anyway, if W wasn't a cokehead, a liar and an illiterate goon, his niece's crack adddiction would just be Billy Carter nonsense. Instead, it's a reminder of what we've got leading this country right now.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   27.  Does your family also ...   by Miguel Agullo       at Thu 12 Sep 6:56am score of 4 succinct   in reply to comment 3     ... support harsh penalties for those vices? And are they also in favor of letting family and friends off the hook for those same "pecadillos" while condemning eveyone else?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   30.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by Nephthys       at Thu 12 Sep 7:14am score of 4.5 astute   in reply to comment 3     So we've established the Bush family has problems, besides feeding our schadenfreude, what does any of this matter? It matters because of who the Bushes are and the values they espouse. Pre-election George W called for the return of decency and values to the Whitehouse. GW has called for an act to make student aid money unavailable to students with drug or alcohol convictions. Jeb has pushed for tough prescription fraud penalties in Florida. Both men have supported the three-strikes rule, which the Noelle would fall under. Both men have called for stricter sentencing for drug use/possession. If the Bush girls are not treated the same as everyone else for their alcohol and drug abuse it is blatant hypocricy. Cake or Death? Cake, please.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   86.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by waldeaux       at Thu 12 Sep 12:45pm score of 1   in reply to comment 3     crack cocaine is much more serious than getting busted by cops while fucking in a parking lot. True - however: if you're heterosexual, odds are you'll never get busted. In fact you can pretty much do it in front of the cops and they'll just watch (I've seen this happen - at a Denny's) and enjoy the free show. If you're not heterosexual, odds are you WILL be busted, have your names printed in the paper, and have to enroll with a sex offenders registry. Depending on where you live, they might be nice enough to not lump you in with rapists and child molesters, but that's not a guarantee. (It's not just sex, people have had this happen to them for taking a leak in the woods off the side of a road, too.) Life is a peanut butter and liverwurst sandwich --- Me, 1977   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   7.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by stankow       at Wed 11 Sep 8:48pm score of 1.5 funny   in reply to comment 6     When a family maintains a dynastic rule over the most powerful nation in the world, I expect them to be immune to the "same problems that a lot of other families in America have." Eight years of "rule" out of sixteen constitutes a dynasty? Don't ever take a Chinese history class, ebo -- your head would explode.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   10.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by dylanr       at Wed 11 Sep 9:10pm score of 3 succinct   in reply to comment 7     The Bush family has held political office of one kind or another since the early 1950's when Prescott Bush was elected Senator of Connecticut. Dubya is the third generation, not the second. True, that doesn't compare with a Chinese dynasty, but the Bushes are about as much of a political dynasty as the Kennedys. In theory there should be no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there usually is.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   12.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by stankow       at Wed 11 Sep 9:37pm score of 1   in reply to comment 10     Political dynasty, sure. But it's hardly maintaining "a dynastic rule over the most powerful nation in the world," as ebo stated. Get back to me when they're looking for Jeb's successor to the Oval Office in 2016 and I'll start buying that line.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   13.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by captainebo       at Wed 11 Sep 10:03pm score of 1   in reply to comment 12     Methinks my statement is not being taken in the spirit I had hoped. Granted, my description of the Bush family as a "a dynastic rule over the most powerful nation in the world" was somewhat hyperbolic. That being said, my intended point is that many Bushes are in extraordinary positions. As such, I expect them to be more than simply ordinary men. Ebo "In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds." -Martin Luther King   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   25.  Who did the Praetorian Guard take out?   by MAYORBOB       at Thu 12 Sep 6:39am score of 1   in reply to comment 6     "When a family maintains a dynastic rule over the most powerful nation in the world..." While I wouldn't argue that the family Bush is without influence in this world, that statement has got to win some sort of award for hyperbole. The U.S. is full of families that have as much, if not more, influence than the Bushs: Kennedy, Rockefeller, Roosevelt, Dupont, just to name a few. Tending to final details.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   26.  the Bush dynasty   by davidpalter       at Thu 12 Sep 6:52am score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 10     In a sense, I can accept that the Bush family has created a dynasty. Even two Presidents can constitute at least a small dynasty (of course, we don't know for sure that it stops at two, although I think we can safely predict that Noelle Bush is not destined to become the first woman to achieve the high office of the Presidency). Interesting that you should say that the Bush family is as much a dynasty as the Kennedy family - the Kennedys only had one President (although they have had a few Senators). Much earlier in American history there was a sequence of two Presidents from the Adams family, but as dynasties go, that one fizzled out pretty quickly - where are the successors of the Adams family today? I hear they're creepy & spooky, mysterious and kooky, but I digress. It's really an overstatement to call the Bush family a dynasty, as stankow pointed out. The main reason why we are tempted to do so is not because they have established any kind of long-term grip on America (they'll be gone soon enough) but because Dubya was so obviously elected through the influence of his father. That does have at least a whiff of the dynastic about it. --dp   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   29.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by rantor       at Thu 12 Sep 7:13am score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 13     That being said, my intended point is that many Bushes are in extraordinary positions. As such, I expect them to be more than simply ordinary men. Wasn't this basically the idea behind impeaching Clinton? At the final shot he won the war, after losing every battle.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   33.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by kallisti       at Thu 12 Sep 7:28am score of 1.5 intriguing   in reply to comment 29     Wasn't this basically the idea behind impeaching Clinton? Yes it was, and now we're calling for blood. Where's the special prosecutor? The impeachment proceedings? The media frenzy? Oh yeah, that's right - this is a Republican, and the Democrats are acting like a bunch of cowards. But there are people who still want blood.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   35.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by pete_townshend       at Thu 12 Sep 8:04am score of 1   in reply to comment 33     Wait...you want to impeach Noelle Bush?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   44.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by kallisti       at Thu 12 Sep 9:09am score of 1   in reply to comment 35     No. But how does "Obstruction of Justice" sound? A lot like "Perjury" in terms of charges, doesn't it? We could get George, Dubya, AND Jeb on that charge alone. Then we should hold a secret court and get George and Dubya for treason. We still theoretically allow federal executions for treason, don't we...?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   47.  It's not the expectations....   by jbou       at Thu 12 Sep 9:27am score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 6     it's the hypocricy that gets me. The Bush klan is part of the Republican party, and that party takes the moral high ground, if they weren't so damn judgemental then this story wouldn't be so amusing. Arguments have no chance against petrified training; they wear it as little as the waves wear a cliff.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   51.  Re: the Bush dynasty   by dylanr       at Thu 12 Sep 9:39am score of 1.5 clever   in reply to comment 26     Even two Presidents can constitute at least a small dynasty I think that's setting the bar too high. Political dynasties should include anything higher than mayor of a large city. The Bushes have had at least two senators, an ambassador, a vice president, two governors and two presidents. They have their fourth generation attending Yale. They have run the CIA and, of all things, the PGA. Dubya was so obviously elected through the influence of his father And the only reason George Sr. had any influence to spend was because of his own father. Either that or he was appointed to head the CIA strictly on his keen grip of geopolitics. Tough to say. George Sr. was (and still is) one of the most insipid pieces of political tumbleweed to blow inside the Beltway. Presiding over the large-scale bombardment of a couple minor thugs did not make him a leader any more than appointing Clarence Thomas made him a civil rights champion. It's both sad and telling that Dubya makes us nostalgic for the good old days with Poppy. Either things are really that bad or we have really short memories. Probably a little of each. In theory there should be no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there usually is.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   55.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by kazem       at Thu 12 Sep 10:12am score of 1   in reply to comment 6     When I am dealing with normal people in average situations, I can forgive a few transgressions. I agree. We're always told to look to our leader for support and guidance. But the Bush's have a significant number of issues that make it hard to take them seriously, let alone follow their example. As the Monica/Clinton thing point out, we've lost a lot of respect for the position of president. I for one cannot view our president as a pillar of our nation if his own daughter can be found lying face down in her own vomit at the local pub. "You're only young once, but once is enough if you do it right the first time."   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   63.  Ordinary vs. Extraordinary   by Aiella       at Thu 12 Sep 10:38am score of 1   in reply to comment 13     A healthy dose of ordinary is fine in a leader. It helps them understand (and empathize with, God forbid) the tribulations and temptations faced by the ordinary people they're elected to represent.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   66.  Re: Ordinary vs. Extraordinary   by emperorpenguin       at Thu 12 Sep 10:43am score of 1   in reply to comment 63     You've got a valid point there. However, I think many would agree that the kind of 'ordinary' we'd like to get from the Bushes is more along the lines of "lack of privilege" and less in terms of "lack of intelligence". everything moves real slow when it's forty below   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   70.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by ExciteableBoy       at Thu 12 Sep 11:16am score of 1   in reply to comment 44     If they're guilty of Obstruction of Justice, or in fact of any Malfeasance in Office, why doesn't their opposition pursue charges? But don't let me interrupt your little execution fantasy -hey, I thought you people didn't dig the death penalty.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   71.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by Blue Dot       at Thu 12 Sep 11:18am score of 1   in reply to comment 29     Wasn't this basically the idea behind impeaching Clinton? No, the idea behind impeaching Bill Clinton was that he committed perjury. We expect that of ordinary men.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   72.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by ExciteableBoy       at Thu 12 Sep 11:20am score of 1   in reply to comment 29     No the idea behind impeaching Clinton was the fact that he committed acts that allegedly constituted Perjury and Subornation of Perjury. He lied in court and allegedly attempted to influence Monica Lewinsky to lie in court.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   73.  Re: Ordinary vs. Extraordinary   by ExciteableBoy       at Thu 12 Sep 11:25am score of 1   in reply to comment 66     Can you enighten us about the president's purported lack of intelligence with anything but your own opinion?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   76.  Re: the Bush dynasty   by davidpalter       at Thu 12 Sep 11:54am score of 1   in reply to comment 51     I do not quite see the Bush family as being literally a dynasty, however, they are at least metaphorically a dynasty. Clearly they are a very powerful family. They are not quite in the position of having a hereditary control of the country in their grasp. Dubya is not a monarch. But they have probably come closer to that than anyone ever has in the US. --dp   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   77.  Good bit of witty riposte there...   by Aiella       at Thu 12 Sep 12:01pm score of 1   in reply to comment 66     Succinctly put! When I added my $.02 above, I was thinking that American people seem more and more alienated from political leaders, and the biggest problem is those leaders' apparent lack of empathy and understanding for the issues of ordinary life. But perhaps I am wrong. Maybe it's just rank hypocrisy, not lack of empathy.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   78.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by phenry       at Thu 12 Sep 12:15pm score of 1   in reply to comment 72     No the idea behind impeaching Clinton was the fact that he committed acts that allegedly constituted Perjury and Subornation of Perjury. NO. NO IT WAS NOT. The Clinton impeachment was about sex. Everyone knows that, even those who claim not to. And if it hadn't have been about sex, it would have been about something else. The Gingrich Republicans intended to stop at nothing in their efforts to remove our most recent popularly elected President from office. "Perjury" was the fig leaf they used to cover their real, borderline seditious motivations, which most of them barely bothered to hide. The American people knew that, which is why Clinton's approval ratings remained in the 70s throughout the impeachment hearings. (Say, how's the Hero of the Fatherland doing these days, anyway?) Impeachment, to me, is like the stolen 2000 election: the anger still festers, but it would almost be worth it if the right wing would just admit what they did. phh | Away for 3 years and still in the karma top 50! Woo hoo!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   83.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by kallisti       at Thu 12 Sep 12:41pm score of 1   in reply to comment 70     Like I said, the Dems are pussies. And as for me, I don't dig the death penalty - but Dubya sure seems to. I dig Karma, personally. That's the real problem here - I really, really dislike the Bush family and the vast majority of the things they've done as well as what they stand for. I see them as hypocrites and fools. Unfortunately, their opposition-in-power is also a pack of hypocrites and fools.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   91.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by sglover910       at Thu 12 Sep 1:22pm score of 1   in reply to comment 78     > The Clinton impeachment was about sex It pains me to say it, but I gotta disagree with you there. I'm one Dem who thought that it really was about perjury. In particular, I was appalled that Clinton, a sitting president, lied and evaded in his deposition in the Paula Jones suit. Equal justice under law is supposed to be the ideal; silly me, I kinda hope Dems are gonna follow the high road. Now granted, there was clearly a well-funded campaign to get Clinton, and to them Paula Jones was nothing more than a tool. But another thing that was so infuriating about Clinton was how well he played into their hands. Christ, nowadays presidential candidates should expect to be grilled every time they forget to tip a waiter (well, of course for the fraternity boy that rule doesn't seem to hold). Clinton's judgement was appalling -- hooking up with an obviously immature, yapping groupie like Monica Lewinsky?!?! I could never understand how a guy as smart and ambitious as Clinton could blow it all for so little. Personally, I couldn't care less if a President has a harem of concubines in every state, but with politics played the way it is now, he ought to be damn sure they're mutes, sequestered in old Minuteman missile silos. An argument isn't merely nay-sayings and contradictions! M. Python   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   93.  he's not the only one   by Aiella       at Thu 12 Sep 1:55pm score of 1   in reply to comment 73     Enough people have raised the question of W's intellectual prowess to inspire columns like this one. And, really, one can be forgiven for thinking he might be -er - intellectually challenged when one looks at some of the things he has said. Also, there's a big difference between smart and cunning.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   97.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by Mad Ogger       at Thu 12 Sep 2:08pm score of 1   in reply to comment 91     It pains me to say it, but I gotta disagree with you there. I'm one Dem who thought that it really was about perjury. In particular, I was appalled that Clinton, a sitting president, lied and evaded in his deposition in the Paula Jones suit. Bah. Who cares about perjury? It's standard practice for accused criminals and for police officers that don't have quite enough real evidence in that drug case. And it's hardly ever prosecuted. Clinton was clearly singled out for political reasons.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   98.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by nmiguy       at Thu 12 Sep 2:12pm score of 1   in reply to comment 6     Strange, what expectations you have over people who are not the leaders of the world is fascinating. Really. To me, it shows the Bush family is normal, like everybody else with good and bad members. The luxury of living in a family of wealth and privilege is that you get to be wild once and a while, I guess. But using Noelle Bush to judge the whole family seems farcical. To use the indiscretions of youth and the rebelliousness that comes along with it to indict the president is disingenuous. It isn't like he's a 50 something getting a hummer from his 21 year old intern or anything ;)   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   101.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by nmiguy       at Thu 12 Sep 2:31pm score of 1   in reply to comment 13     I expect them to be more than simply ordinary men. Uh, Ebo. There's something that doesn't quite seem logical about those expectations. We all bleed the same blood here. Every leader has faults and most have qualities too. G.W. has many qualities, and he has proven to be more than the simple ape his detractors have made him out to be. I forgive him for any alleged cocaine use in his college days, as I forgive Clinton for smoking pot.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   105.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by Mx       at Thu 12 Sep 5:00pm score of 1   in reply to comment 72     Nobody's time should have been wasted with the Lewinsky-Clinton incident. The adultery should have been between Hil and Bill. The Republicans just took advantage of Americans' lust for a scandal and hunger for a lynching. I am disturbed at how easily we are manipulated by the GOP, and it's nothing compared to what they are doing now.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   112.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by ExciteableBoy       at Fri 13 Sep 2:27pm score of 1   in reply to comment 78     Ow, turn down the bold caps, you're hurting my ears. Look, I know that that's clearly what you want to believe, but It just isn't true. If Clinton hadn't broken any laws, he'd wouldn't have been impeached. Having sex with Monica Lewinsky wasn't illegal in itself. He was being sued for Sexual Harassment by Paula Jones. The Violence Against Women Act (which Clinton signed into law) made any other sexual relationship(s) he had had in a work setting admissable in such a case. The prosecution had evidence of an ongoing sexual relationship he was having with Monica Lewinsky, so they brought it up in court. He lied about it, and he got caught. It's no more or less complicated than that.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   113.  Columns like that one?   by ExciteableBoy       at Fri 13 Sep 7:43pm score of 1   in reply to comment 93     What do you have to do to inspire a sketch on Saturday Night Live? Why don't you link The Onion next time? But if it's college grades you're worried about, it's probably a good thing Gore lost the election.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   114.  Re: Columns like that one?   by Aiella       at Sat 14 Sep 7:17am score of 1   in reply to comment 113     Oh, bollocks, it was the first thing that came up when I typed "Bush stupid" or similar into Google. Beggars with only 5 minutes between boss-cube invasions can't be choosers, sadly. I was just saying that it's a commonplace opinion - there's even a site called toostupidtobepresident.com. As for what you have to do to inspire a sketch on SNL, I reckon being Janet Reno helps a lot.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   115.  Re: Ordinary vs. Extraordinary   by smokeanoog       at Sat 14 Sep 11:59am score of 1   in reply to comment 73     heh a monkeyfist.com link   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   118.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by ExciteableBoy       at Mon 16 Sep 7:34am score of 1.5 helpful   in reply to comment 105     Somebody else on this thread mentioned that it's fitting that the Bush family is bothered by substance abuse because "they and their party are the ones promoting morality." There's more than one kind of morality. The Violence Against Women Act, which Democrats put before Congress and which Clinton signed, broadened the criteria for prosecuting sexual harassment, and made admissable any evidence of a pattern of sexual behavior in a work setting. Clinton had been hitting on women who worked for him for years, with varying degrees of success, apparently. Maybe you don't have a problem with that. Maybe I don't either. But he and his party made it illegal, and it promptly bit him in the ass.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   8.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by Anonymous Idiot       at Wed 11 Sep 8:50pm score of 1 informative   in reply to comment 1     Sounds like pretty much every family I know. Maybe that's just my circle though. Well, the ones I know would include at least one eating disorder, and a trip to the psychiatric ward. Why I've got a car wreck and a DUI to my name. Crack's a bitch though. I went through rehab. The crack addicts would show up, sent by court order to treatment in lieu of 6 months in jail. They would INEVITABLY fail a piss test, which would violate their probation, and this meant they were going straight to jail. The prospect of 6 months in some hellhole wasn't enough to make them stop. Nasty stuff.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   34.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by sglover910       at Thu 12 Sep 7:42am score of 5 brilliant   in reply to comment 8     > They would INEVITABLY fail a piss test, which would violate their probation, > and this meant they were going straight to jail Agreed, there are lots of shoals out there upon which people can run aground. But there's one vast gaping difference between this case and those facing most families with wayward, self-destructive members: How many of those families advocate draconian punishments for the wayward? How many are in a position to evade those punishments, and then inflicting them on others? Let's summarize the state of Republican 'values': Self-reliance & initiative: My daddy knows some guys who'll give me job.... Responsibility: My daddy knows some guys who can get me out of this.... Education & self-improvement: My daddy's an alumnus..... Patriotism & national service: My daddy sure can cut through all that National Guard red tape.... Compassionate conservatism: What, don't y'all have daddies like mine? An argument isn't merely nay-sayings and contradictions! M. Python   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   59.  That's interesting...   by Eli1021       at Thu 12 Sep 10:31am score of 1   in reply to comment 34     I certainly agree with you on this one, though somehow I don't see the Democrats as being much better. There's enough hypocrisy in Washington D.C. to go around.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   67.  Re: That's interesting...   by sglover910       at Thu 12 Sep 10:45am score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 59     A minor quibble -- I'm sure not gonna claim that the Dems have a lock on virtue, but to my mind, their biggest sins are that they're 1) Gutless -- they've allowed the fraternity boy to get away with too much for too long; their silence is pathetic 2) Brain-dead -- they seem incapable of enunciating a coherent agenda, a grand strategy Since they're pretty much the only real counterweight to GOP lunacy and piracy (well, not quite true, the Greens have that crucial college- kiddies-with-too-much-time-on-their-hands constituency) the Dems can always count on saps like me to vote for them, or at least not against them. Thus they can happily ossify. An argument isn't merely nay-sayings and contradictions! M. Python   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   79.  OT: I want to thank all the little people....   by sglover910       at Thu 12 Sep 12:24pm score of 0.5 modappeal   in reply to comment 34     ...who've made this post such a success. Gosh, +4, highest I've ever seen. Now I have a theory of this here mod point system -- there's some threshold value (say, around 2), below which is post is likely to be overlooked, above which it tends to draw more eyeballs. I've had other posts that I thought were better than this, in threads that I'm sure had a lot of interested participants, but apparently no moderator ever looked at them. Does anyone have any insights about how plausible or absurd my theory is? An argument isn't merely nay-sayings and contradictions! M. Python   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   11.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by sweeney       at Wed 11 Sep 9:34pm score of 2 brilliant   in reply to comment 1     And of course, there's George H. W. Bush's history of complicity in treason, time and time and time and time again. Is it any wonder that W. wants to seal the presidential records of the Reagan administration? Wouldn't want the "liberal media" to get a hold of anything potentially damaging...   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   57.  Re: The Bush family police sheet   by phenry       at Thu 12 Sep 10:20am score of 1   in reply to comment 1     Don't forget Laura "Vehicular Homicide" Bush, or Jeb's wife Columba and her little smuggling incident. I for one would love to see a similar rap sheet compiled on the Clinton family, just so we can all make an informed comparison between the decadent Arkansas hellhounds and the folks who said they were going to bring Honor and Dignity back to the White House. For that matter, it seems somehow relevant to compare my own family with the Bushes. Here's our combined police record: phh | Away for 3 years and still in the karma top 50! Woo hoo!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

2.  No worries about 'three strikes' laws   by Hound       at Wed 11 Sep 8:08pm score of 5 brilliant     Noelle needn't worry about three strikes laws, since Florida officials cannot count.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

4.  Amazing   by USFboy       at Wed 11 Sep 8:16pm score of 2 informative     Most people in this state get the book thrown at them (and hard) for the kinda crap Noelle tried to pull off (writing fake prescriptions). I know this b/c my girlfriend is a pharmacy technician and has called the cops on quite a few who write false rx's. That said, this sad case shows the power that is wielded by : 1.) Addiction and the brain 2.) The Bush clan. I sincerely hope that this will bring to the forefront of politicians minds the need for a reform of drug laws in this country, with a greater emphasis on treatment. Alas, that's probably just wishful thinking.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

9.  Jeb should follow Jerry's advice   by moof1138       at Wed 11 Sep 8:55pm score of 2.5 compelling     Since Jeb thinks that Jerry Regier is a perfectly reasonable person to head up the Florida Department of Children and Families, you would assume they agree on parenting styles. So Jeb should get a nice big stick (ideally one of Biblical proportions) and beat her. Keep pounding her until she has a large number of nice welts and bruises. I think it is Jeb's Christian duty. Bene agere et laetari   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

20.  Jerry Regier's "Family" Values   by Philosawyer       at Thu 12 Sep 5:09am score of 2 helpful   in reply to comment 9     Jeb claims that criticism of Jerry's extremist views on family is just religious bigotry. a tampatrib.com link In a 1989 essay entitled The Christian World View of the Family, Regier and co-author George Rekers railed against abortion and gay couples forming families, and emphasized that husbands have ``final say in any family dispute.'' And the essay declares that ''biblical spanking'' that leads to ``temporary and superficial bruises or welts do not constitute child abuse.'' The essay also said Christians should not marry non-Christians, that divorce is acceptable only when there is adultery or desertion and that wives should view working outside the home as ''bondage.'' The ''radical feminist movement,'' the essay adds, ``has damaged the morale of many women and convinced men to relinquish their biblical authority in the home.'' Asked if the governor was aware of Regier's writings before they were raised by The Herald, Bush spokeswoman Katie Muniz said: ``I have a simple answer. No.'' a www.miami.com link It is worth noting that he used the qualifier "temporary and superficial" welts and bruises, but does Florida really want this guy to be the Head of the Florida Department of Children and Families. For his background from his own perspective, here is Jerry's own bibliography for his gubinatorial campaign: a www.jerryregier.com link The marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a robot as "Your plastic pal who's fun to be with."   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   50.  Re: Jeb should follow Jerry's advice   by SacredGroundChuck       at Thu 12 Sep 9:36am score of 1.5 helpful   in reply to comment 9     From Media Whores Online: Florida Department of Children and Families Jerry Regier, Secretary 1317 Winewood Blvd. Building 1, Room 202 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0700 Dear Jeb, You know, I was sitting here thinking how mean some Democrats are being about Noelle's latest arrest when it came to me. The child needs a good Godly beating. Jeb, I say this as a friend. You need to go out back behind the outhouse, cut you a stout hickory switch, and whip that girl until she's covered with welts and bruises. That'd cure her right quick. I know we see eye to eye here, you said as much by standing by me when the liberals attacked. So enough of this secular/new age rehab. We need to put our righteous principles to work, praise Jesus. Let the purveyors of religious bigotry in the press say what they will. Yours in Christ, Jer "Did you know that the human brain is the only computer in the universe made of meat?"   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

15.  Hypocrisy or The Other Shoe Dropping?   by iarnuocon       at Wed 11 Sep 11:05pm score of 5 informative     Pre Noelle-Bust Positions: Papa Bush speaks: "There are few clear areas in which we as a society must rise up united and express our intolerance. The most obvious now is drugs." Inaugural Address, Jan 1989. Brother George endorsed and help pass Texas' mandatory jail time law for people convicted of possessing less than 1 gram of cocaine (previously punished by probation), OK'd the housing of 16-year old drug users in adult correctional facilities, slashed funding for inmate substance abuse programs, and as president has endorsed cutting off need-based educational funds to people previously convicted of any drug offense. My current favorite W quote: "Incarceration is rehabilitation." GW Bush Positions on Drugs and Crime: Tough loves means consequences for committing crimes. (Sep 2000) Stronger penalties for first time cocaine possession. (Mar 2000) "Tough-love" in strictly disciplined boot camps. (Dec 1999) More searches and less parole for criminals. (Jan 1997) Mandatory sentencing for repeat offenders. (Feb 1995) Jeb Bush's Official Position on Drugs (warning, pop-ups): Mandatory prison sentences for drug offenses. (Nov 2001) Reduce drug use by 50% by prevention & enforcement. (Jul 1999) More federal funding for all aspects of Drug War. (Aug 2000) Jeb Bush opposes alternative sentencing and rehabilitation, and favors stricter penalties for drug offenses. Jeb's Post-bust position: "This is a private issue as it relates to my daughter and myself and my wife." "We ask the public and the media to respect our family's privacy during this difficult time so that we can help our daughter. We will have no further comment on this issue. Thank you for your understanding." You know, Jeb, maybe that zero-tolerance, hard jail time for minor possession plank of your party's platform needs a little rethinking. Mention that to George next time you see him, would you? Or do drug crimes and abuse only warrant privacy and respect when you're related to the offender? insanus omnis furere credit ceteros... ecce signum   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

16.  Re: Hypocrisy or The Other Shoe Dropping?   by Anonymous Idiot       at Thu 12 Sep 12:42am score of 1.5 brilliant   in reply to comment 15     Thank you. This is the key point. Of course tons of families have these issues -- probably the majority. But the Bush bros. have been in the forefront of those calling for harsh and mandatory imprisonment for drug use. And there has long been a gross imbalance between how crack ("poor black users") and powder cocaine ("rich white users") have been treated (sentencing laws differ radically). So let's see if Jeb calls for the manditory imprisonment here. God knows if it were some poor black kid his ass would be in stir a lonnnnnng time...   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   38.  Re: Hypocrisy or The Other Shoe Dropping?   by NH4       at Thu 12 Sep 8:29am score of 3.5 brilliant   in reply to comment 15     Precisely because I think you are right that Gov. Jeb is a hypocrite (as well as a hopeless elitist who clearly thinks he and his family members are above the law), Iarnuocon, I think it perfectly clear that Noelle won't do any jail time in connection with her latest run-in with the law. I fully understand why a loving parent would try to shield his/her daughter from the consequences of drug "crimes" (and/or other examples of young people "sowing their wild oats"). How many parents would turn one of their children in to the police for a drug-related "crime" knowing that spending time in jail is a one-way ticket to the underclass, that "rehabilitation" really means teaching thieves and other criminals new tricks for when they get out (since they won't be able to earn a living in many other ways), and that homosexual sodomy is a normal part of prison life? I sure wouldn't, under ANY circumstances. What makes Jeb such a despicable character is that he has no qualms about destroying the lives of other people's children in the course of his politically-useful prosecution of a Jim Crow War on Some Drug Users. * * * I actually hope Noelle doesn't do any time. I want her, and George's twins, to serve as walking advertisements for the legalization of presently-proscribed intoxicants, and as walking rebukes to a family that is "compassionate" primarily to its own members.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

17.  Petition   by captainebo       at Thu 12 Sep 1:16am score of 2.5 brilliant     For those who are interested, here is a petition asking for Noelle to be treated as a common criminal for her numerous felonies and misdemeanors. Ebo "In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds." -Martin Luther King   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

19.  Re: Petition   by EamPeB       at Thu 12 Sep 2:42am score of 2.5 brilliant   in reply to comment 17     No no no no no. Where the hell do we get off? Go after her old man for being the crooked s.o.b. that he is, go after her uncle for being one of the most corrupt public officials imaginable. Point out the hypocrisy of demanding Jail time for one crack user and privacy for another. But if we argue that treatment is preferable to incarceration, or that too much legislation is preventing effective sentencing and damaging the prospects of thousands of Americans, or the the War on Drugs is a sound-bite campaign, then the law will most likely fail her as much as it does any other addict. This is just spiteful.   If they find a way to keep her out of jail, and into rehab, good for her as long as that route/defense is then open to others it may actually help diffuse the damage that knee-jerk politics and our knee-jerk reaction to it is doing.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   31.  Re: Petition   by marduk_kur       at Thu 12 Sep 7:22am score of 2.5 compelling   in reply to comment 19     Go after her old man for being the crooked s.o.b. that he is, go after her uncle for being one of the most corrupt public officials imaginable. Point out the hypocrisy of demanding Jail time for one crack user and privacy for another. That's exactly what agitating for equal treatment under the law does. If princess paid the price of the idiotic laws the Bushes claim to support, perhaps the Bushes would see how idiotic the laws are. You can't use the law as a weapon against only those you don't like- it applies to everybody or it applies to nobody. Justice wears a blindfold for a reason. Sad lad, he really couldn't handle starting from scratch on the very first level. But he died the death of a warrior.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   64.  Re: Petition Princess?   by EamPeB       at Thu 12 Sep 10:38am score of 1   in reply to comment 31     Princess paid the price of the idiotic laws the Bushes claim to support, perhaps the Bushes would see how idiotic the laws are. First of all do you really think that having sold the country down the river for a sound-bite, risked the blood of citizens to divert attention from their crooked busines connections- they wouldn't hesitate to sell their daughter niece to the big house to further their careers.   I don't know enough about Noelle to call it, but there are very, very few crack contessas, to want to use a bad law against someone to prove your point makes you as culpable in it's continuing existence as those that put it there in the first place.     Or are you prepared to sacrifice someone you don't know because you don't like her dad? As moral high grounds go it's not much of a view from there.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   75.  Re: Petition Princess?   by marduk_kur       at Thu 12 Sep 11:52am score of 1.5 compelling   in reply to comment 64     It's bad to have stupid punitive drug laws that ruin the lives of countless victims. It's worse to have stupid punitive drug laws that only apply to the 'lesser' people. If all citizens aren't equal in the eyes of the law, then there is no justice. Also, you talk about sacrificing Noelle to get at Bush. That's not what's going on here at all. Noelle is a high-profile example of how wrong our drug laws are. But she's not being subjected to our drug laws. An opportunity to challenge them in the public view is being lost due to cronyism and corruption. If the privileged go free, and the largely invisible underclass pays the price, these laws will never be repaired. The true sacrifice is all those who remain in jail. And this will not change unless the law is applied equally across racial and class lines. Sad lad, he really couldn't handle starting from scratch on the very first level. But he died the death of a warrior.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   92.  Re: Petition Princess?   by calestreet       at Thu 12 Sep 1:30pm score of 1   in reply to comment 75     and to all those who after jail will not be able to vote to change things   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   36.  Don't stoop to their level   by sglover910       at Thu 12 Sep 8:06am score of 2 brilliant   in reply to comment 17     This contradicts everything I associate with Liberalism. It is thoughtless. It wants to inflict suffering on a perceived enemy. It plays to the mob. It essentially seeks to punish the daughter for the transgressions of the father. As a purely practical matter, it will bring no good will to the petitioners. This reminds me of the latest trend in knee-jerk, cost-free law enforcement, the proliferation of electronic, publicly available lists of sex offenders. I can never understand why similar lists aren't maintained for, say, embezzlers. But I guess it makes folks feel good, and what else is law about, eh? They really seem to be a genuinely loathsome clan, the Bushes. But those bastards aren't gonna get me to sink the their standards. Don't you let them do that to you. An argument isn't merely nay-sayings and contradictions! M. Python   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   80.  Re: Don't stoop to their level   by CaptainLiberal       at Thu 12 Sep 12:26pm score of 1   in reply to comment 36     It is thoughtless. It wants to inflict suffering on a perceived enemy. It plays to the mob. An unwillingness to acknowledge the field that politics is actually played on is part of the reason the Dems keep getting handed their asses. This is realpolitik. If the only way to succeed is to smear, defame and brutalize your opponents, then so be it. You can be as noble as you need to be, to keep yourself feeling peaceful and happy. While you're doing that, the other side is going to tear you to pieces with lies and innuendo. The end result is that you get defamed and they win anyway. Turning the other cheek is, regardless of the opinion of erstwhile messiahs, a damn good way to get slapped some more. Every dream turns into something on a T-shirt -- Shriekback   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   81.  Re: Don't stoop to their level   by sglover910       at Thu 12 Sep 12:38pm score of 1   in reply to comment 80     You have a point, but c'mon, it's not like it requires a goddam Machiavelli to get political advantage out of this. Odds are that precious little Noelle isn't going to suffer too much. Meanwhile lots of other, less-well-connected people will, for the same offense. One need only let those (likely, but not yet true) facts speak for themselves. Anyway, if we're going to talk realpolitik, the petition is simply mean-spirited. Don't you think the GOP shot themselves in the foot during the Lewinsky episode for coming across the same way? I don't see any rallies to draft Ken Starr for elective office, do you? An argument isn't merely nay-sayings and contradictions! M. Python   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   82.  Re: Don't stoop to their level   by Adipic Acid       at Thu 12 Sep 12:39pm score of 1.5 scholarly   in reply to comment 80     f the only way to succeed is to smear, defame and brutalize your opponents, then so be it. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you. --Friedrich Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil Is doing the wrong thing for the right reasons morally justifiable? No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Churchill   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   87.  Re: Don't stoop to their level   by CaptainLiberal       at Thu 12 Sep 12:51pm score of 1   in reply to comment 81     Don't you think the GOP shot themselves in the foot during the Lewinsky episode for coming across the same way? I don't see any rallies to draft Ken Starr for elective office, do you? Well, considering that they immediately took the Presidency, and leveraged that to essentially reshape the function of the Executive branch, I don't think they've made out too badly. As for just putting the information out there and hoping it sinks in, that doesn't work. The Repubs have learned the important lesson that if you tell the same lie enough times, people start to believe. They beat Michael Dukakis near to death with Willy horton and the stoicism with which he answered the rape question. They beat Clinton half to death with infidelity, when similar reports were floating around about Bush and the Dems said nothing because it wasn't right. Should the process run this way? No, but it does, and pretending it doesn't is a great way to ensure that we don't get to have a say in how the process runs. Finally, as for mean-spirited, I agree whole-heartedly. It's mean-spirited to use a person who is clearly in need of help as a club with which to beat her father and uncle. But it's what we have to do unless we want to continue to let the bullies rule the sandbox. Take a look over at one of the big Repub redoubts, Free Republic. They are in the process of eviscerating the Letterman show because Dave had the temerity to have Clinton on the show on 9/11. That's pretty damn mean-spirited, and it's going to work. After they cause a meltdown in the NBC switchboard, NBC will think twice about pissing them off. Politics is a blood sport. That's unfortunate, but it's also true. Every dream turns into something on a T-shirt -- Shriekback   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   88.  Re: Don't stoop to their level   by CaptainLiberal       at Thu 12 Sep 12:55pm score of 1   in reply to comment 82     Is doing the wrong thing for the right reasons morally justifiable? In a Kantian sense, of course not, but Kant was an ass. Here's the flip side of that question. If you can do a small evil that stops a larger evil, is it immoral not to do so? If you could punch the clocks of the 19 terrorists, before they had committed a crime, would you? As I said above, I don't like it, but sitting there and moralizing while your opponent punches your head in isn't going to help anyone but your opponent. Every dream turns into something on a T-shirt -- Shriekback   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   41.  Re: Petition   by NH4       at Thu 12 Sep 8:37am score of 1.5 compelling   in reply to comment 17     I agree with EamPeB and Sglover, Captain Ebo: the answer to the evils of the War on Some Drugs and the War on Some Drug Users isn't to change the identity of the victims but to end the victimization once and for all. Throwing Noelle in jail won't change her father's (public) position on drugs: politics is thicker than blood. And not throwing Noelle in jail may well cause anger and agitation in minority communities where a few marijuana seeds might get a kid incarcerated even as the privileged can do as they please. Such agitation is more likely to lead to changes in wicked laws than relying on the conscience of a Bush.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   56.  compassion   by monobrau!       at Thu 12 Sep 10:17am score of 1.5 compelling   in reply to comment 41     What's the use of criticizing "compassionate conservatism" if you can't have compassion for all people with substance abuse problems? NH4 hits the nail on the head. Let them play games and continue to sow unrest. People need to wake up in this country and deal with the insanity that has been foisted on us by republican hypocrites and democrat cowards. Yeah, I'm talking about you, Bill Clinton.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

28.  The CIA has failed us again!   by Touch Analog       at Thu 12 Sep 6:57am score of 4 clever     There must be some mistake! I thought we all agreed that only black people smoke crack, and only white people snort coke. If the two sides start intermingling, how are we going to use baking soda as an excuse to keep black people in jail? We need some fresh ideas, and fast! Everyday, there is less and less reason for there to be an organized drug reform lobby in this country, as the transgressions and hypocrisies of the drug warriors are so ridiculous that the argument almost doesn't need to be made.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

39.  Re: The CIA has failed us again!   by Anonymous Idiot       at Thu 12 Sep 8:33am score of 1.5 clever   in reply to comment 28     I thought we all agreed that only black people smoke crack, and only white people snort coke. Well, it depends how you define 'white people' - Noelle's mom is Mexican. Maybe half-Mexicans do coke by putting a rock of crack in their shoe and absorbing it through the skin?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

40.  Any Plasticians . .take bets on what kind of time?   by Anonymous Idiot       at Thu 12 Sep 8:33am score of 1 astute     None. Once the police were called, the other patients/residents refused to sign a sworn statement. The only one who began writing his, later tore it to pieces. Police 'kept it as evidence' but don't think a Bush is going to do time. If you can steal a NATIONAL election, a little bit of crack isn't going to hamper you. Welcome to the elite, where when you get caught with a joint, you'll do time. Noelle, fucked up and needing treatment, will smoke a rock and laugh as you pass by on the black and white bus. But, it's better she stay in treatment. Hey wait, where are you going?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

42.  A Silver Lining to Sordid Lives   by mrwarmth       at Thu 12 Sep 8:59am score of 3.5 witty     Yes, ironies and hypocrisies abound here. But look at the good that comes of that. I think we should be thankful that all the Bush girls seem to have major substance abuse problems. This is why the Bush administration has in fact been quite reasonable in its own drug control policies. Witness the recent edict that students caught with drugs should get education and treatment, not criminal penalities. Hmm, I wonder where that preference came from? Likewise, Cheney's dyke daughter is certainly the reason that the Bush administration has been far less strident on gays than other Republicans are. I think we should give all these women some kind of award. We could perhaps christen it the "Felix Culpa" award for inadvertent service to your country. I think as well we need to do everything in our power to get some of the Bush/Cheney clan addicted to porn, and we're home free. -Niall Where is Ratko Mladic?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

58.  Just Do It!   by plutocracywatch       at Thu 12 Sep 10:30am score of 5 brilliant     Rather than sign a petition urging Noelle to be treated like the rest of us, I'd prefer to sign a petition urging the governments at all levels to treat all apprehended drug users like Noelle. We should applaud that: 1) Noelle's family has not been evicted from its public housing as happens to families in low-income public housing if anyone in the household is busted for drugs. 2) Her property and even her family's property has not been confiscated as happens to people not only before they are convicted but even if not charged (and in least one case in Ohio where no drugs were even found). 3) She can still attend college because she won't need loans that would be denied her if she was a civilian. 4) She won't face prison, our colleges of criminality where brutality and indifference rule. read   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

68.  Time served: 0   by logan       at Thu 12 Sep 11:09am score of 2.5 compelling     According to the NY Daily News: [Bush] faces up to five years in prison if convicted of cocaine possession - a felony. She also could face jail time on the previous drug charge for violating the rules of the rehab center. Center staffer Julia Elias told cops she found the crack in Bush's shoe, but she later ripped up a sworn statement, apparently on the urging of supervisors, cops said. Officers collected the torn-up statement as evidence and planned to reinterview other workers. Police may be hoping to build a stronger case, especially because the defendant is the governor's daughter, legal experts said. "Without a witness who's willing to come to court, they don't have much," said lawyer Yale Galanter, who defended O.J. Simpson in his Miami road-rage case. So, staffers found a rock of crack in the Governer's daughter's shoe, and called the police. According to the deal worked out on the original conviction, if she violated the rules of the rehab clinic, she would have to serve jail time. Once the cops and media descended, clinic management pressured the staffer who found the crack to retract her statement. My question for Jeb Bush is if he thinks this is helping his daughter. She forges a prescription, and he pulls strings to get her rehab instead of prison. She violates the terms of the rehab clinic, and he covers it up. Again, no jail time. What part of this is supposed to convince Noelle that she should get sober? She hasn't had to deal with any penalty harsher than her Dad yelling at her. Think back to high school, did parental lecturing keep you away from the keg? As long as Jeb sees Noelle's problem in terms of political damage control, she'll never get clean. Daddy's always there to clean up the mess, so why bother? If Gov. Bush truly believes that harsh prison sentences are the best way to treat drug users, then letting his daughter do 5 years is the best course of action. He has proof that he really is tough on drugs, and really does believe prison works. If he thinks that rehab is the way to help Noelle, then he would be best served politically by owning up to it. He should announce that now that he's seen the problem up close and personal, that it's become something that he has to deal with as a father, not a politician, he realizes that he was wrong. Then he should propose massive statewide funding for rehab clinics. Don't worry, he can always make sure that the bill dies in committee, or that all the money goes to clinics owned by his friends. "Spockmate!"   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

69.  On dealing with weasels and their offspring   by DJ Localhost       at Thu 12 Sep 11:12am score of 2 interesting     The state of the leadership in the USA is truly alarming. As the 9/11 anniversary passes, one reviews what the nation has accomplished in countering religious fundamentalism. The answer: damned little. For example, in the videotape of Osama Bin Laden discussing the day of the 9/11 events, OBL refers by name to numerous Saudi religious leaders, implicating them as conspirators in the attacks. Our government should be demanding custody of these people, but has not mentioned them. This fundamental oversight in the utterly phony "war on terror" is one facet of a complicated international relationship involving quite a bit of hypocrisy on the part of the leadership class of the US. Putting together a long list of these moral embarrassments I will leave to the conscious reader. I come today not to indict one foible or ten, but rather the hypocrisy endemic to today's US leadership class. Saying one thing to the public and doing another is a natural tradition among all political leaders, but the egregious excesses of the Bush aristocracy boggle the mind. From Jeb's presidential election thievery to Dubya pretending not to know Ken "Kenny Boy" Lay, a vast panorama of bullshit is the context we see these yokels in every day. Naturally, they posses no actual moral authority, and just as naturally, they spend a lot of time daring to tell us how to live. Which brings me to the case of Noelle Bush. I hope the little muffin gets her head together someday. But in the meantime, her failure to be incarcerated for impersonating a doctor, shoplifting, fraud and DUI is inexcusable. We know why she's not in jail, yet her repeatedly landing in the news has given us a rare opportunity to poke at the soft underbelly of ruling family privilege. We as citizens can't affect the outcome of meetings of the National Security Council, but I have found at least something positive to do to counter the maddening hypocrisy of the Bush family. If, through our efforts, we can add thousands of signatures to a petiton hosted at a www.PetitionOnline.com link, we can send a message to the hypocrites that Florida crack smokers of all backgrounds must be answerable to the law.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

74.  typo?   by somebaudy       at Thu 12 Sep 11:50am score of 1     posesssion or possession? [sig]"insert something witty here"   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

84.  I'll take "zero time" for 300, Alex...   by dswensen       at Thu 12 Sep 12:43pm score of 1     No, come on now, she's the President's brother's daughter. If she goes to jail, the terrorists will have won. The case will be dismissed in the name of liberty, freedom, and compassion, she'll get a stern talking-to, and not so much as one day at Club Fed.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

104.  comment 8   by fancyboy       at Thu 12 Sep 4:16pm score of 1     troubled bush in cocaine reports found in living fake complicates complicated contempt if possession two five take kind of   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

107.  Re: comment 8   by Anonymous Idiot       at Thu 12 Sep 9:34pm score of 0.5 brilliant   in reply to comment 104     Where is Haiku Guy When his work is needed most Damn this imposter   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

109.  One Thing You Can Count On   by mischief       at Thu 12 Sep 11:45pm score of 1.5 astute     This issue will be brought up during Dubya's (and Jeb's) campaign for re-election, and not necessarily by the Democratic Party proper either. The 2000 election was the first election in which the Internet played some role (mainly the relative success of the Green party). Individuals learned they can influence a national election without having to buy TV ad time. I would not be surprised that many groups, independent from the control of any one party, already have such 2004 Election sites and other viral marketing schemes in the design stage. The "voice of the people" will be an increasingly painful thorn in politician's behinds. As a recent example, Cynthia McKinney was taken down by Republicans crossing over to vote in the Democratic primary. The ouster was orchestrated by New Leadership for Dekalb . At the Henderson Mill precinct, 300 voters had cast Democratic ballots by 10 a.m., while 54 Republican ballots had been cast, elections officials said. And the margin was even wider in other precincts, including Rock Chapel (255 Democratic ballots to 7 Republican), Lakeside (220 to 7), Oak Grove (207 to 5) and Coralwood (265 to 13). At election time, the news media may have short memories concerning 'minor' scandals, but the aggregate cells of concerned voters do not. "And then... and then... and then...", and then the man who stuttered died, his last words an echo of his life   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

111.  bet she gets more chances then Robert Downey, Jr.   by montana rain       at Fri 13 Sep 5:53am score of 1     Oh, another poor little rich girl. Daddy was never there, showing his love not with emotion, but with all the precious things money could buy. I'm sure Noelle wasn't working 40 hours a week to support her crack habit. You know that money comes out of some million dollar trust fund Jeb put aside for his precious daughter. The entire Bush family is insane. I must bring up good ole' Bill again. When asked if he ever smoked pot, he simply replied (the classic line) yes, but I did not inhale. After that, all I ever heard was how Bill was a pothead, toking on that joint while getting his cock sucked by Monica. The odd thing is the same people who criticized Bill for his wacky antics are the same people who worship a guy that once was a cokehead alcoholic. I don't understand. If I have to choose, I'd rather think of my president mellowin' out on a bean bag chair jamming out to Iron Butterfly, toking on a fatty, then a president running around all geeked out on coke, covered in Jack Daniels induced vomit. I'm so sick of double standards. The ones with the most money who act as if they were sent by God are the ones you really got to watch out for... someone once told me that i was radical... i said, yeah, like, totally!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]