Is This Any Better? - UPDATED

Barbara Bush says W. got it wrong. She didn't put a fetus in a jar.  That's preposterous! Ridiculous!

... It was her housekeeper.

"I didn't put it in the jar," Bush said, clarifying that it wasn't as if it was "in the library" on display.

Bush continued:

"Paula [the housekeeper] put it in the jar. And I was shocked when she gave it to him to -- but, you know, memories dim a little bit but, anyway."

When all else fails, blame the help.


UPDATE (11/24/10, 11:25am):

A reader approached me privately about this post and had concerns about the validity of the story. While there may have been some misrepresentation in the media or in repetition of the story about when or how George Bush witnessed the miscarried fetus in a jar, whether is was his mother showing it to him or the housekeeper, or maybe he just came across it, I have no reason to doubt it didn't happen as neither party has denied that it did.

But something struck me more than anything else and I wanted to set the record straight in case anyone else mistook the post. My reader inferred I was "making fun of a woman who miscarried."

I'm not making fun of the miscarriage episode, so much as spotlighting how there's something fundamentally wrong with this family when it comes to paternal and maternal instincts, and where there might possibly be a sociopathic streak that runs in the family.

Remember, these are also the parents that went golfing the day after their four-year old daughter died of leukemia with no real explanation to the rest of their children. They didn't even attend the funeral that was eventually initiated by Bush's grandmother.

And after watching both the Lauer interview with W. and the Barbara Bush interview, something did occur. Bush said it was mom, Barbara said it was the housekeeper. Either way, what the hell is the housekeeper doing with the fetus in a jar? Is that something you would give your housekeeper to take care of?

I have little doubt when watching George Bush that there has always been something that didn't connect in his brain. Who knows? This episode in his life could be part of why he seemed emotionally detached during some chapters of his White House years, while tearing up at some other events that would make most everyone else shrug their shoulders. Or maybe it's just the effect of years of alcohol abuse.

But no, I was in no way making fun of miscarrying. It's an awful thing to go through. I was pointing out how strange this whole matter has become. Someone is telling the truth. Whether it's Babs or W. is not as significant as the incident itself, which neither one denies occurring.

Earth Hour

guest-posted by Armadillo Joe

I've often said before that being a Rethugli-tard (or a conserva-doofus, generally) is the manifestation of some kind of personality disorder, likely of the sociopathic variety. Something about subscribing to a political philosophy that tells people that they don't have to give a shit about the well-being of other people, especially people who look different or talk different than you -- those people you can actively root for harm to befall them -- but also that you can be as selfish an asshole as you want, drive like a dickhead, act like a glutton and a waste and otherwise simply never, ever sign on for anything that requires group action, because cooperation is wimpy. Hollywood has provided a raft of action flicks to naturally prove this point, because Chuck Norris and Rambo can provide oh so many helpful hints about how to deal with neighbors and co-workers for these arrested adolescents.

You know the type, right? He was that dickhead at the back of the class who, when the poor, beleagured English teacher finally got the class to see past the arcane words into some of the beauty in the poetry of Shakespeare, would rip a fart. He was that piece of shit who, in science class when the teacher finally got some students to understand the basics of reproductive theory, would snicker about penis' and vaginas. He's the douchebag who, when a bunch of people within earshot express how much they liked a particular - say - talky European film, loudly declares that it didn't have enough gun fights in it.

You know the type.

Well, those assholes behave this way when the rest of us try to do something about our global energy predicament (via Bob Cesca):

Last night at 8:30 was Earth Hour when everyone around the world was supposed to turn out their lights for one hour in order to raise awareness of the climate crisis.

But throughout the wingnut blogotubes, they decided to turn on all of their lights as a too-clever way of canceling out Earth Hour. Here's another wingnut who's offering a list of suggestions for how to go about doing this. Utterly brilliant suggestions like:

8. Burn tires

Smart! Your neighbors will enjoy the fumes and odor coming from your hillbilly bonfire.

24. Leave your oven open

And maybe climb in.

34. Turn on your air purifier