Barbara Bush has passed

ElaineA · Apr 17, 2018

My heart goes out to her friends and family. Mrs. Bush always did make me smile with her unique blend of grace and feistyness. May the pearls rule!

eqb · Apr 17, 2018

I have issues with Mrs. Bush, but I do sympathize with her family.

Alessandra Kelley · Apr 17, 2018

May the people who love her be comforted.

MaeZe · Apr 17, 2018

eqb said:
I have issues with Mrs. Bush, but I do sympathize with her family.

I can't have too much sympathy for the woman herself after she said it was working well for people stranded in the Astrodome after Katrina.

Snopes: True

Former first lady Barbara Bush said that Hurricane Katrina refugees being housed in the Houston Astrodome were "underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."

That image will forever be how I picture B. Bush.

Jason · Apr 18, 2018

Whenever anyone passes on, I try to recall the positives as I was brought up to not speak ill of the dead...

Thoughts and prayers go out to her surviving family and friends as I am sure they loved her greatly

nighttimer · Apr 18, 2018

Hey. Why is this news?

According to the current occupier in the Oval Office, Barbara Bush died last year.

We really are living in the Idiocracy.

Tazlima · Apr 18, 2018

nighttimer said:
Hey. Why is this news?

According to the current occupier in the Oval Office, Barbara Bush died last year.

We really are living in the Idiocracy.

Actually, Idiocracy would be far preferable to the mess we have now.

MaeZe · Apr 18, 2018

Jason said:
Whenever anyone passes on, I try to recall the positives as I was brought up to not speak ill of the dead...

Thoughts and prayers go out to her surviving family and friends as I am sure they loved her greatly

I know I know, but the news about how this woman was so loved and revered by everyone, the country's grandmother, etc., bothers me. I felt it needed a tiny bit of rebuttal. Sorry.

Kjbartolotta · Apr 18, 2018

MaeZe said:
I know I know, but the news about how this woman was so loved and revered by everyone, the country's grandmother, etc., bothers me. I felt it needed a tiny bit of rebuttal. Sorry.

I feel the same way, though it's a gut reaction more than having it out for her. I try to see the good & wish every best thoughts and so on so forth. But that Astrodome comment is always going to stick out for me.

Roxxsmom · Apr 20, 2018

I always liked her, for all my dislike of her family's politics. Not only was she an unapologetically grandmotherly type in a world of plastic surgery and trophy wives, she appeared to have retained the "softer" form of republicanism her husband abandoned (along with the rest of his party's heavyweights). She even embraced some social justice issues, back before "social justice" was considered a pejorative by conservatives. I certainly don't agree with most of her politics, but she seemed like someone I could sit next to and converse with at dinner without wanting to punch her. I don't think that's true of very many Republican bigwigs these days.

cornflake · Apr 20, 2018

Roxxsmom said:
I always liked her, for all my dislike of her family's politics. Not only was she an unapologetically grandmotherly type in a world of plastic surgery and trophy wives, she appeared to have retained the "softer" form of republicanism her husband abandoned (along with the rest of his party's heavyweights). She even embraced some social justice issues, back before "social justice" was considered a pejorative by conservatives. I certainly don't agree with most of her politics, but she seemed like someone I could sit next to and converse with at dinner without wanting to punch her. I don't think that's true of very many Republican bigwigs these days.

It's sad for her family.

I've always had the opposite opinion from the above though, and heard mostly bad things about her and things she'd said.

nighttimer · Apr 23, 2018

As Barbara Bush was no fan of Donald Trump, I'm sure somewhere in the hereafter she got a good giggle out of these photos of Melania doing something she doesn't often do when her hubby is around her---crack a smile.

Alessandra Kelley · Apr 23, 2018

nighttimer said:
As Barbara Bush was no fan of Donald Trump, I'm sure somewhere in the hereafter she got a good giggle out of these photos of Melania doing something she doesn't often do when he hubby is around her---crack a smile.

I liked this Tweet about it:

Adam Best
✔
@adamcbest
This photo from Barbara Bush’s funeral speaks volumes. After everything Trump has done to Obama, Obama still treats Melania with kindness and respect. What a diplomat and gentleman. That’s a real President. No way Trump would be half this warm to Michelle.

It was lovely in a way to see the mutual respect shown by George H. W. Bush, George W. and Laura Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Barack and Michelle Obama.

I would have expected no less than courtesy and compassion from them.

MaeZe · Apr 23, 2018

Papa Bush is back in intensive care. Seems like a peaceful end for a couple married more than 70 years to die close to each other I would think. The family should let him go if they are the ones making the medical decisions for him.

Tazlima · Apr 23, 2018

Sigh. This post just showed up on my Facebook feed.

I was going to swear off of political posts outside of the Oklahoma corruption with the legislators and governor. I won't back down on that one. But I was going to stay quiet for a while on red and blue, donkey and elephant issues on the national stage. But I just need to say if you are so disgraceful and so disrespectful that you need to speak or write ill of our Fine Former First Lady Barbara Bush...you need to check yourself. Feel FREE to unfriend me if you don't like that I'm not willing to hear your side of some kind of hateful rhetoric, because I'm not. Let her rest in God's peace. She more than earned it!

There were a bunch of likes and a chorus of agreement, so of course, I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I responded thusly:

Just for clarification, is your issue that people dare to speak ill of Mrs. Bush in general, or that they've had the nerve to retain their original opinions of her now that she's passed away?

I'm not going to badmouth her, but I'm also not going to pretend she was some perfect, saintly figure. She was human and flawed. Some of her actions and words (as represented here) were inspirational, others (silenced here) were odious. That's not "rhetoric," it's a simple fact.

After the fancy funeral will come the history books. Whether she'll prove a hero or villain to future generations... only time will tell. I will give her this much - I legitimately believe she tried her best, and that's not nothing.

If this post qualifies for unfriending, so be it. I won't sing ANYONE'S praises just because they happened to die. That's something they have to have earned during their life.

I doubt I touched any hearts or changed any minds (the responses basically boiled down to "Fuck you for speaking ill of the dead; have you no manners?"), and I'm not going to waste my time responding further. However, I was rather proud of the post itself, so I figured I'd copy it here for posterity.

Barbara Bush has passed

ElaineA

All about that action, boss.

eqb

I write novels

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian

MaeZe

Jason

Ideas bounce around in my head

nighttimer

No Gods No Masters

Tazlima

MaeZe

Kjbartolotta

Potentially has/is dog

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

nighttimer

No Gods No Masters

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian

MaeZe

Tazlima