Posted on 10/27/2017 2:15:04 PM PDT by Kaslin
The recent allegations against former President George H.W. Bush for "sexually assaulting" young women who stood next to him during photo shoots are obscene -- but not because of what the president did or did not do. Enough is enough. President Bush is 93 years old. He sits in a wheelchair, and anyone who witnessed his appearance last week when all the living former presidents gathered to help raise funds for hurricane victims can plainly see that he is much diminished, physically and mentally. Unlike former President Ronald Reagan, who publicly announced that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, neither Bush nor his family has talked much about his declining mental capacity -- but it is clearly there.
President Bush did not assault young women when his hand, which rests at a lower level because he cannot stand, touched their bottoms and he covered up his awkwardness with a bad joke about his favorite magician, "David Cop-a-Feel," as they allege. His behavior is perfectly consistent with what doctors who treat patients with dementia call sexually disinhibited behavior. The risk of developing Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia increases with age, doubling every five years after age 65. At age 80, 1 in 6 people will have developed the disease. By 85, it goes up to 1 in 3, and by 90, 85 percent of people lucky enough to still be alive are likely to have some dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Society.
Like many elderly men -- and women -- President Bush said and did something inappropriate not out of malice or with the intent to harm but because he now lacks the judgment to behave as he did all his life. And those who are using this incident to score political points or to turn themselves into victims akin to women who have been assaulted by individuals with all their mental faculties intact should show a little mercy.
saw this behavior firsthand with a relative who had Alzheimer's for at least 10 years before dying of the disease at 93. One of the first signs that something was wrong was inappropriate sexualized talk. At first, the comments were just out of character and inappropriate, but they grew to be very disturbing over time. As far as I know, nothing physical ever happened, but having spoken with those who work with the elderly in nursing homes, it happens every day, and both men and women engage in such behavior. It is one of the most embarrassing things about dementia for those whose family members suddenly start acting in ways they never would have if disease were not eating away at their brains.
According to a scholarly paper on the issue published in Current Treatment Options in Neurology, inappropriate sexual behavior "should be seen as a part of the symptom cluster of behavioral and psychiatric disturbances associated with dementia, which is disruptive and distressing, and impairs the care of the patient." It isn't something for which others should shame someone, much less criminalize. We should recognize when behavior is driven by disease -- in this case a devastating, fatal disease that strips individuals of everything that made them who they were.
It broke my heart to see President Bush onstage with his son and other former presidents. His eyes were vacant. He seemed not to know where he was or even why he was there. When the national anthem played, his hands stayed at his side and his eyes wandered. Does anyone think that President Bush would have sat there so confused if he were in control of his faculties?
The former president's office has issued an apology on his behalf to the women who have come forward, which is absolutely appropriate. And perhaps the family should say more about the former president's condition; President Reagan's candor did a great service for those families who have suffered through the experience of their loved ones' dementia. But to treat this incident as if it were akin to the stories about men who used their power and fame to demean women and solicit or force sex or sexual contact is disgraceful. It not only hurts an honorable man who served his country but also demeans the real victims of sexual assault.
Is anyone surprised? This is what the left does. Lotta class in that family-at least outside of politics.
Maybe it’s just slow karma.....................
I knew of a 90+ year old man who tried to stick his tongue in the throat of a 20something working near him. Impulse control issues I guess when they hit that age. Family needs to protect him.
Bush family did a lot to destroy this country. Maybe they need to step away from the spotlight for a few generations.
Took too long for ANY defender to come forward.
It’s just to make us think he can’t POSSIBLY be behind the murder of JFK.. or 9/11.... just a feeble old man....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3599154/posts
So you’re running the exact same article you posted this morning but changed the title?
These pathetic excuses for women will do anything to get their names in the Pantheon of Aggrieved Females.
Linda makes a good point. The family should keep H. W. out of site.
And while they’re at it - the should keep Jeb out of site. And W. Him too.
And Laura, and Barbara and ...
All of them.
Obscene or not, the Bush family always seems to defend liberals even when it is under attack by them. Both presidents did more to advance the left’s agenda than their own voter base.
Exact same?
Linda Chavez and Mona Charen are the “exact same” person.
I too thought it looked familiar. But I checked before opening my mouth and inserting my foot.
It was obviously an Act of Love.
Why are people making excuses for him?
I think W picked a bad week to go after Trump, after years of letting the Dems attacks go unanswered. That’s at least part of why more people weren’t so quick to defend, fair or not.
If a corny line about a pun on the name of a magician is “sexual assault” - then no man is safe.
An old gag that was running around years ago involved asking a young lady to hold the guy’s thumb. He then produced a card which read, “I am a member of an alien race come to earth, whose sexual organs are located in the thumb of the male and the palm of the female. You have just engaged in coitus. If you enjoyed it, SMILE!”
It sounds like somebody should be keeping an eye on the guy and isn't.
If the ex-president isn't responsible for his actions, the people responsible for him are.
There's nothing obscene about letting the family know that whatever they're doing isn't working.
so I can grab a girls butt and say David Cop a feel and get away with it?? Good to know
Not the same articles.
I think he was just trying to get his hands on her wallet. I know that back when he was president he certainly reached further into mine than I expected.
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