If your name is Bush
by Darrin Siegfried

It's late on Tuesday night, and the back and forth of the Presidential election is still going on. I logged on to a discussion group and was hit hard by the topic: "What are our children learning from this election". Sadly, I think many of them are learning that:

You don't need to study hard and get good grades to get into a prestigious college...If your name if Bush.

You can party your way through college with mediocre grades, yet be accepted into graduate school at an Ivy League college...If your name is Bush.

You can cut ahead of 500 other applicants to get into the Air Guard and avoid any chance of going to fight in a war which you'll claim that you "supported"...If your name if Bush.

You can go AWOL from the Air Guard and not be listed as a deserter...If your name if Bush.

You can refuse to take a mandatory flight physical which includes testing for illegal drug use...If your name if Bush.

You can be arrested for theft and walk away from it as a "prank...If your name if Bush.

You can be arrested for vandalism and trespassing and walk away from it, again, as a "prank"...If your name if Bush.

You can be arrested for driving drunk with other people in the car and skip the mandatory rehab classes...If your name if Bush.

You can avoid losing your driving privileges by having someone issue you a new drivers license with a different number...If your name if Bush.

When you have unprotected sex with your underage girlfriend and get her pregnant you can pay a doctor to perform an abortion during a time when it is illegal for him to do so, then promise that when you are elected you will do everything possible to outlaw abortions...If your name is Bush.

You can have business after business fail and go broke, knowing that there will always be other rich men who will hire you for an executive position...If your name if Bush.

You can use your political connections to have other people's houses and land seized under eminent domain and sell that property off at a great profit, while publicly claiming the "sovereign right" to own property, free of government interference...If your name if Bush.

You can have, finally, a business success, but one which would have been impossible without the assistance of the government, yet vote to have that same government refuse to assist needy children who need health care...If your name if Bush.

You can claim publicly and piously to be a follower of Jesus Christ, who stopped a lawful execution by telling us the one among us who is without sin should cast the first stone, yet carry out executions...even mocking the condemned...If your name if Bush.

You can promise to bring civility and gentlemanly behavior to an election campaign, and then call someone an asshole over a public address system, in front of a crowd of families with children present...If your name if Bush.

You can promise to campaign honestly and on the issues, but when a member of your party, a decorated military hero who spent years in a prisoner of war camp, challenges you in a primary you lie about his voting record and spread false rumors about his fitness to serve...If your name is Bush.

When you campaign in an area where women suffer from breast cancer at an alarming rate, you can put a pink ribbon in your lapel and lie to the people that your opponent voted against funding needed research for breast cancer, knowing that you are distorting his voting record and that the next day you will throw away that ribbon and never wear it again, and never even mention breast cancer again in your campaign...If your name is Bush.

You can complain bitterly about how much money your opponent is spending against you when you are in fact spending more than twice as much as he is, and never feel the slightest twinge of hypocrisy...If your name is Bush

You can work less than six hours a day at a part time job and manage to convince people that you're doing the best job possible...If your name is Bush.

You can veto legislation and then, when it passes over your veto and without your signature, take public credit for it...If your name if Bush.

You can make up labels for yourself like "compassionate conservative" yet never have to actually tell anyone what they mean...If your name is Bush.

You can be Governor of a state with the second worst education record in the Nation yet still have people believe that you are committed to improving education...If your name if Bush.

You can be Governor of a state with the worst record of providing health related services to children and the poor, yet get people to believer that you want to improve and broaden health care coverage...If your name if Bush.

You can be Governor of a state with the worst air pollution and water pollution in the nation, yet manage to get people to believe that you're an "environmentalist"...If your name if Bush.

While you are Governor of that state, you sign a bill allowing the polluters to avoid mandatory clean air and clean water standards by pledging to adopt "optional" monitoring, yet still call yourself a friend of the environment...If your name is Bush.

When people in your state begin to complain about the sickening levels of air and water pollution, you appoint to the position of pollution regulator the man who, as paid attorney in numerous lawsuits suing for the "right" to pollute, was the offending corporation's top gun in fighting any regulations to slow or stop polluters...If your name is Bush

When you become Governor of a state where the position is actually the fifth most powerful, where the legislature meets once every two years, and where you make no waves, never challenge the status quo, author no bills, or achieve any major changes for the better you still are offered your party's endorsement to run for President...If your name is Bush.

You can claim to be a Federalist who believes in States Rights and local control, yet run to Federal Court when a recount of ballots doesn't look as if it will go your way...If your name if Bush.

You can have your team of lawyers be the first to go to court to dispute the results of an election, yet claim that your opponent is the one who did that...If your name if Bush.

You can have your team incite a crowd to intimidate vote counters, yet still get away with saying that you believe in the rule of law...If your name if Bush.

You can have a state official, appointed by your brother and who is a co-chair of your campaign, use her office to decide to apply tougher standards in accepting absentee ballots, and then put the blame for that on your opponent...If your name if Bush.

You can have a retired General, who first made his "mark" as part of the My Lai Massacre coverup attempt, question the patriotism of your opponent, accusing him of rejecting those same ballots...If your name if Bush.

You can be the grandson of the man who had his personal assets seized during the Second World War under the Trading with the Enemy Act for his business dealings with the Third Reich, yet talk about your family having a long history of patriotic service...If your name if Bush.

You can be the son of a former President who sold arms to Iran while they were supporting terrorist acts against us, gave $2,000,000,000.00 in arms to Iraq, supplied arms and money to murderers and drug merchants in Central America, yet still run for President as the scion of a family of "true American Conservatives"...If your name if Bush.

You can be married to a woman who runs a stop sign and kills another person, yet convince the press not to talk about it during your campaign, even though you were spreading false rumors about the wife of your father's opponent eight years ago...If your name if Bush.

You can win one state by 300 votes and call your opponent's call for a recount "unfair", yet go to court demanding a recount in another state where you lost by 483 votes...If your name if Bush.

You can lose the popular vote, be behind in the Electoral vote, yet get the allegedly "liberal" media to take up your claim to victory...If your name if Bush.

You can openly try to steal an election, yet still stand in front of the American Flag and talk about "honor"...If your name is Bush.

You really don't have to work hard for anything, strive to achieve anything, set tough goals for yourself, save for anything: it will all be given to you as a part of your birthright...If your name is Bush.

You can do all of the things I've mentioned blithely and without a moment of self reflection, knowing that you're always going to get away with anything...If your name is Bush.

What I fear the most is that our children will believe that this is the true American way. God help our Nation if they do.

Pray for our Nation. Pray for the children.