A friend emailed me a day or two after the recent presidential election and spoke despairingly about the fortunes of President Bush who, in his opinion, should have been celebrated for what appears now to be a significant victory in Iraq.
I agree the President stood his ground and has been responsible for seeing the creation of a democracy in the middle of an ocean of constant turmoil and undemocratic governments as well as other more controversial actions such as a program to bring prescription drugs to seniors at reduced prices, education reform in grade schools, and medical assistance to AIDS victims in other countries, and still, he is denigrated by his own countrymen and political party followers.
Perhaps Mr. Bush should get more credit and thanks than he does, but he has brought a lot of it on himself in other areas that are hard to take by a very large segment of conservative Americans.
Personally, I just can't understand, nor do I agree with Bush’s positions regarding amnesty and ‘fast-track to citizenship’ for illegal aliens. His refusal to strongly back border security, including the fence, has meant allowing millions more illegal aliens to flow into our country causing huge taxpayer dollars being spent just to try to keep up with them. And his absolutely disgraceful intransigence on not providing any help or assistance to two hero border guards that wounded a drug smuggler caught with tons of drugs in his possession for distribution in the United States. Had these drugs made it to the mainstream of undercover drug distribution it is impossible to say how many young American boys and girls might right now be hopelessly addicted with no future for them except death.
The two border guards were rounded up like common criminals and railroaded by a vindictive prosecuting attorney named Johnny Sutton looking to make a name for himself. Well he did make a name for himself: ‘Rotten little son-of-a-bagel’. But he gets away with it because he is a personal friend of George W. Bush. And George W. Bush has turned his back on the two guards who languish in prison on unjust and unfair 10 to 12 year prison sentences.
In the meantime, the drug smuggler who was freed of all charges, EVEN WITH ABSOLUTE PROOF of possession of drugs, continued his trips into our country with even more drugs to pass along to our kids. He was recently caught a second time attempting to smuggle drugs, but I haven't heard of what the disposition has been this time. But you can't blame him for trying when he has the backing of a prominent prosecutor and the President of the United States.
Bush did not oppose the Law of the Sea Treaty which is a terribly one-sided deal forever favoring the corrupt United Nations at our expense.
Bush refused to recall the Congress when they adjourned for a month's vacation in August after they refused to bring the oil drilling legislation to the floor for discussion.
Bush refused to take any action to get medical care improvements for older veterans of our armed services, while illegal aliens and foreign countries who oppose us in the UN constantly were being given all kinds of aid; but impoverished veterans got no attention.
Bush gave permission for Mexican trucks to cross our borders and travel unchallenged throughout the country doing God only knows what.
Bush has favored the new expressway from Mexico through our country directly into Canada with little or no border control checks on such traffic.
Bush signed a bill passed by the liberal Congress and environmentalist whackos to ban production of incandescent light bulbs and dictating use of the gaseous fluorescent bulbs that are dangerous to humans as well as the environment.
Bush signed a liberal Democrat bill into law on Congressional ethics that had deliberately NOT included any reference about adding earmarks to other legislation, thus assuring taxpayers that many more millions would be wasted on those gifts to the Democrats’ supporters.
Bush refused to issue an Executive Order to all executive government agencies, recommended by prominent conservative leaders, advising them to just ignore the earmarks in the omnibus spending bill.
Bush aligned himself with Al Gore's blindness on Global Warming despite hundreds of scientists that prove it to be a natural part of the environment, which is now showing signs of Global COOLING! One scientist even offered a reward to anyone that PROVES the global warming threat exists; guess what, no takers.
Bush didn’t try to stop Republican Congressmen from excessive spending and when the financial crisis hit he didn’t place blame on Presidents Carter and Clinton for creating the give-away law or Congressmen Barney Frank and Chris Dodd who benefitted while shielding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from effective reform.
As this is being written, Bush is siding with Democrats and labor unions on the Big 3 auto bailout bill in Congress. But just now we find that bill has failed in the Senate due to Republican pressure and now Bush is looking for another way to help those who wish to go against the very large majority of Americans who are AGAINST the auto bailout. Another poisoned quill in his legacy quiver.
With all of the above, I have misgivings about Bush. He certainly proved to the world that his early statement that he was a "compassionate conservative" was incorrect. The compassionate part was right - as his giving in to the liberal Congress on so many occasions has shown. But the sum total of all the above, plus probably other things not mentioned here, leads me to state that he was not a good conservative Republican president.
Gerald A. “Jerry” McConnell, 92, of Hampton, died Sunday, February 19, 2017, at the Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill, Mass., surrounded by his loved ones. He was born May 27, 1924 in Altoona, Pa., the fifth son of the late John E. and Grace (Fletcher) McConnell.
Jerry served ten years with the US Marine Corps and participated in the landing against Japanese Army on Guadalcanal and another ten years with the US Air Force. After moving to Hampton in 1957 he started his community activities serving in many capacities.
He shared 72 years of marriage with his wife Betty P. (Hamilton) McConnell. In addition to his wife, family members include nieces and nephews.
