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Our heartfelt condolences to George, Laura, Jeb and the entire Bush family on another historic day in American History! Much will be written and much will be said about someone that lived quite an amazing life. George 41, was a legacy of the rich land developer Prescott Bush and they came from the great Northeast. For those of us that have visited Kennebunkport, Maine and seen the Walker Point compound from afar know what a sense of history is and from where it comes from. For those that have had the privilege of staying a few nights at the Captain’s Lord Mansion, a 200 year old Bed and Breakfast just down the road from Bush Compound, you realize that American History didn’t just appear on one night in 2018: the sense of tradition, class and quality of life are ingrained in those that live in that area and have again for over 200 years of American expansion and growth. There is a deep and abiding sense of legacy in an area our Founding Fathers founded as their bedrock of Democracy and sense of Republic!
To essentially grasp what has happened with the passing of George 41, there might need to be a sense of proportion given to try and explain where we are and where we are going in the Global Community and this Nation of the United States. 50 years ago in 1968, the world’s population was 3.3 Billion people. Today, the population of the World is 7.7 Billion! Yes, our world has greatly changed in just 50 short years, when George H.W. Bush first worked in the Nixon Administration and took over as Director of the CIA, the first time! George H. W. went to Yale and was Skull and Bones – as was George W. some years later! Which of course is very fitting!
There has been a lot of water over the bridge since 1968, a Vietnam War, A continuing War on Drugs, The Savings and Loan Disaster, The Fall of the Berlin Wall, Operation Desert Storm, Waco, Whitewater, Elian Gonzales, 911, George and Laura 43, The 2nd Gulf War, The Enron Debacle and the Energy Crash in California, The National Financial Crash of 2009, Barack Obama – the first Black American President and of course: Donald J. Trump – the first Real Estate Developer to Occupy the Whitehouse! One thing is certain: Without Barbara Bush – none of this would have been possible! Barbara was the likable Mom that every American could relate to. Barbara made George relate to American people, by keeping it real. Barbara even gave George W and Laura the support they needed to keep going when the going got tough! Not to mention Jeb as well, when he ran in Florida!
Yet, the Legacy of George H. W. Bush is not entirely glowing. He surrounded himself with the likes of his arc rivals Donald Rumsfeld, James Baker and some other very interesting personalities that included Ken Lay and Jeff Skillings. After George H.W. left office, he was without trepidation connected with the Enron India Dam Debacle. “Those without sin, should cast the first the stone!” they say and because of that we can only remain silent to further extrapolate or speculate on those subjects. Let’s just say that George H.W. Bush was a true American, with all his faults, moles and scabs…..he was able to bring out exceptional qualities at certain times. Ronald Reagan indeed was forced to take him as his Vice President. As much as the popular press would have you believe that Reagan really wanted Gerald Ford…..we remember the true goings on at the time. The Reagan kitchen cabinet here in California had to knuckle under to the Eastern Establishment. Yet, having said all that – Reagan survived the assassination attempt, got a great astrologer in Joan Quigley and lived out his eight years in office with George H. W. and Barbara by his side. Thank you Nancy! Thank you George Schultz! Thank you Ed Meese!
Anyway, George H.W. Bush was the greatest of survivors – 94, not a bad run! He knew the business of government, he knew power structures, he knew how the system worked. George H.W. Bush, was an American in the broadest sense of concept. His sense of history, his sense of family, his pragmatic understanding, his willingness to do the hard work and his consciousness – that politics is just a game that has to be played with class! This is why George H.W. Bush will be or may be remembered as a wonderfully flawed, scruffed up political baseball, with grass stains that could still be pitched with a tremendous curve or slider – when necessary! George H.W. Bush will be remembered more often for lesser things like jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft on his 90th Birthday or saying “Read My Lips”! The truth of course is much deeper and enriching to the historians in our country.
Big hugs to the entire Bush family…..all of you guys were and are still pretty darn amazing!
George H. W. the legacy!
[And this is also your open thread.]
*Chairman Vern, you obviously misinterpret what our message is here. Subtle remarks can be misread….that is true. There are a variety of things and people we do not miss, for example: Bernie Madoff, Ken Lay, Jeff Skillings, Bernie Ebbers and a local list as long as your arm. We invite you to review just one of the recent races in Newport Beach for example which features Tim Stoakes and Marshall Duffield. We ran into one of the NB mavens today at the Car Show at the San Clemente Outlet Stores. We got to see a new McClaren Senna worth between $1.2 million and a cool $2 million dollars and here the classic remark: “Looks like Duffy will be able to hang in there!” We responded by saying: “Yeah, as long as those extra Provisional Ballots come in before December 6th!
Politics is basically a very dirty game, played by folks who like to push their weight around and like people that vote “their way”….every time. They love consistency. Currently we have a National Chief Executive that feels exactly the same way! Our message here is that George H.W……….was not exactly the worst of the lot, but we never voted for him. We voted for Ross the Boss on both occasions that he ran. On the other hand, we voted for George and Laura both times! Because? They were more likable than the alternative at the time. Ronald Reagan we miss! Barack Obama we miss! All others were either just tolerable or terrible. Sadly, Hillary has had her shot. She will not be a viable candidate in the future, except as a possible support Cabinet member. We love Joe and Jill Biden very much, but we encourage them….not to run against the Grand Orangutan! We love Bernie and Elizabeth too – but again, not the candidate we need to run against The Trumpster! Corey Booker is almost good. He reminds us of a Democrat Marco Rubio. OK – but just doesn’t have the complete package! Heck, he is a football player which is great but only Gerald Ford was a football player that became “Hail to the Chief”, However, here are some names you might want to keep in the back of your mind as we move forward: John Kasich…..but would have to take Jeff Flake as his running mate. Terry McAuliffe with either Kamala Harris or Kristen Gillibrand. Of course if we really get desperate we can always go with Tom Brady and Alex Rodriguez. At any rate, we need to have people lead us, with just a touch of class, someone that has a modicum of social responsibility and that cares about our quality of life, our environment, our progeny and that can make this a country we can all be proud of. So, if you think we miss George H. W. …you are mistaken. We just miss the clarity!
We have a remarkable future ahead…..and we need someone that explain the vision.
Survival International, an organisation that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, has sent this urgent plea:
” We have 4 weeks to prevent the genocide of the uncontacted Kawahiva Indians in the Amazon rainforest.
Crucial steps to protect their land must be taken before Jair Bolsonaro becomes Brazil’s President on 1 January. And agents on the ground guarding the tribe’s territory need police support.
Will you help?
Two minutes of your time can make a huge difference for the Kawahiva. They are forced to live on the run, fleeing violence from illegal loggers on their land. Attacks and disease have killed their relatives. The survivors face extinction.
But they can thrive if their land is protected.
In April 2016, following global pressure from Survival supporters like you, Brazil’s Minister of Justice signed a decree to create a protected territory for the Kawahiva.
The decree must be put into practice before Bolsonaro tries to block it. You may well remember that earlier this year, he said: “If I become President there will not be a centimeter more of indigenous land.”
Please email Brazil’s Minister of Justice now, before it’s too late.
Stephen Corry
Director
Send a pre-written email
If the button doesn’t work for you, please write your own email using the details below.
If you have time to adapt the text it’ll make even more impact.
To: chefiadegabinete@mj.gov.br, gabinetemj@mj.gov.br
Cc: presidencia@funai.gov.br
Bcc: advocacy@survivalinternational.org (optional, but important for our records)
Subject: Protection of the Kawahiva’s land this year
Dear Minister,
I respectfully urge you to take the final steps to protect the land of the uncontacted Kawahiva tribe in the next few weeks.
The Kawahiva are one of the most vulnerable peoples on the planet. Attacks by illegal loggers and ranchers have killed their relatives, and they now face extinction.
But they can thrive if their land – the Rio Pardo indigenous territory – is protected, as ordered by Brazil’s constitution and by the decree signed by your Ministry in 2016.
I ask you, together with the President of FUNAI, to guarantee police support for the FUNAI team working to protect the land, and to move fast to take the final steps to complete the demarcation of the Kawahiva’s territory in 2018.
Yours sincerely,”
Where is SubCommandante Marcos….now that we need him?