'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Baron Dave Romm
Were Bush's Great-Grandfather and Grandfather Nazis?
By Baron Dave Romm
The Straight Dope has been terrific fun for 30 years. The Chicago Reader column has been setting the record straight with Cecil Adams' wit and research. But Cece tried to answer this question, and seriously screwed up. Not only didn't he talk about one of the slimiest people of the early 20th Ccentury, George Herbert Walker, but he let Prescott Bush off with a mild rebuke. After I complained, he changed the question, but still didn't answer it. Here is the column I wish Cecil Adams had written. I'll try to stick to his style, but the words are mine. I may use some of the original column's research (and that from the Straight Dope's Message Boards).
By David E Romm
with apologies to Cecil Adams
While there are no recorded incidents of them goose stepping or giving the "Heil Hitler" salute, the short answer to the question is yes. Both Bush's grandfather's palled around with sympathizers to the Nazi cause, with George Herbert Walker the worse of the two and grandfather Prescott Bush even worse as he dealt with Nazi Germany before and during WWII.
The Bushes don't like to talk about their past, and much of the early information comes from George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography by Webster G. Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin. While the book's origins are suspect and the authors tend to go off on wild LaRouchian rants, the basic research has held up to scrutiny since business dealings and government actions are a matter of public record. Note: I don't have Cecil Adam's resources, staff or salary, and all sources are from the web.
George Herbert Walker married off his daughter to Prescott Bush. It was a good arrangement for both: Prescott married into money and financial connections; the Walkers rose in society and power. A standard trade-off. George Herbert Walker isn't listed as a member of the Skull and Bones Society at Yale, but future son-in-law Prescott is, and the son and grandson named after him are, as are the Bush's who were his grandson and great-grandson. Aside: The Skull and Bones Society itself has been the subject of much speculation especially about the Bushes, and the real story is as interesting, but an entirely different column.
In 1919, Missouri deal-maker Bert Walker became the president and CEO of the W.A. Harriman and co. bank, which became one of the largest companies in the world. In 1922, the Harriman company set up a branch in Berlin under the residency of George H. Walker. In 1924, the Harriman company spun off the Union Banking Corporation, also run by Bert. The UBC was established to send American capital to Germany to finance the reorganization of its industry under the Nazis. Their leading German partner was the notorious Nazi industrialist Fritz Thyssen, who wrote a book admitting much of this called "I Paid Hitler." An article called Nazis In The Attic states boldly, "Walker was one of Hitler's most powerful financial supporters in the United States." and gives other details.
Samuel Prescott Bush, father to Prescott, was an Ohio manufacturer and close advisor to President Herbert Hoover. During WWI, Samuel was director of the facilities division of the US War Industries Board under Bernard Baruch. In 1920, Harriman and Bert Walker gain control of the German Hamburg-Amerika Line, said to be the world's largest private shipping line which had been confiscated by the US after the war. Still, while many of his business deals are with shady people who were more involved with the Nazis, Samuel himself wasn't a major player.
Prescott Bush was a major player. In addition to having ties with most of his father-in-laws friends (notably the Harrimans) and companies (notably the Union Banking Corporation), Bert hired Prescott to supervise the new Thyssen/Flish Consolidated Silesian Steel Corporation and the Upper Silesian Coal and Steel Company. John Loftus, a former Justice Department prosecutor whose latest series of lectures is on The Truth About Terrorism, has published a number of books about the Nazis and WWII. The page on Loftus' site linked above is from a Clamor magazine article by Toby Rogers entitled Heir to the Holocaust and also says, "Prescott Bush became managing director of UBC and handled the day-to-day operations of the new German economic plan. Bush's shares in UBC peaked with Hitler's new German order. But while production rose, cronyism did as well." and "According to classified documents from Dutch intelligence and US government archives, President George W. Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush made considerable profits off Auschwitz slave labor." Rogers says this information came from "A Dutch intelligence agent in 1941," before we were at war with Germany. While the companies were seized by the Germans during the war, claims Cecil, Rogers points out that Prescott was eventually paid $1.5 million for his interest in UBC after Thyssen died and the companies assets were unfrozen.
Dealing with Nazi Germany, and even financing Hitler, may have been ethically and morally repugnant, even at the time, but they weren't illegal until Hitler declared war on the US. Six days after Pearl Harbor, FDR signed the Trading With the Enemies Act. By then, most (though not all) of the companies that had been doing business with Hitler's war machine had stopped. But not Prescott Bush and the Union Banking Corporation. Writes Rogers, "Prescott Bush continued with business as usual, aiding the Nazi invasion of Europe and supplying resources for weaponry that would eventually be turned on American solders in combat against Germany." Citing the Tarpley book, this site goes on to say that on October 20, 1942, UBC assets in New York were seized under the act, and "On October 28, the government issued orders seizing two Nazi front organizations run by the bank (in which Bush was a partner): the Holland-America Trading Corporation and the Seamless Steel Equipment Corporation...U.S. forces landed under fire near Algiers on November 8, 1942; Nazi interests in the Silesian-American corporation, long managed by Prescott Bush and his father-in-law, George Herbert Walker, were seized under the Trading with the Enemy Act, on Nov. 17, 1942."
Bush family apologists like to point out that Prescott only had one share of UBC, though how that came to be worth a million and a half is never explained. Prescott was one of seven directors, says a Boston Globe article (payment required to see whole archive), quoting a 1942 New York Herald Tribune article, "Hitler's Angel has 3 Million in the Bank". While "Hitler's Angel" refers to Thyssen, Prescott was worried about the association. No need to worry; he was appointed senator in 1950. Apologists also claim that Prescott was an unpaid director, out of courtesy to a client. That's not completely creditable for two reasons: First, it's hard to believe he would do anything for free. Second, being a director has certain responsibilities, legal and ethical, and one can't duck from them quite so easily, especially when your assets are being frozen during a war. It certainly doesn't relieve him of culpability.
What all this says about future generations of Bushes is problematic. George Herbert Walker Bush, called "Poppy" in the family, fought in World War II, but was sent to Pacific theater, presumably so he wouldn't shoot friends. George W. was born in his senator grandfather's state of Connecticut, but moved to Texas fairly early, though he hung out and was arrested for drunken driving in the family estate in Kennebunkport Maine. He doesn't talk much in public about his progenitors. Still, in today's climate of "you're either with us or against us," there's no question that George Herbert Walker and Prescott Bush were against us.
End note: In the same week, defending the indefensible positions of George W. Bush has destroyed the credibility to Colin Powell and Cecil Adams. Proof that the terrorists have won.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia with a radio show, a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. He reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E here, and the archive of this page on the Bushes here. Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air, and I'm collecting extra-weird stuff for a possible CD compilation.
Reader Link
from JD
that Mad Cat!
The BIG List - So BIG It Needs Its Own Page!
Grammy Awards 2003
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Overcast & dreary day. No rain, yet.
Caught up with the Alaskan grandmother early in the morning & met her traveling companions. A lovely older couple, Fritzie & Helen. Turned out Fritzie had been in the Wehrmacht, and was full of interesting tales.
Yeah, Rosemary sure knows how to pick 'em!
The Grammy 'stuff' ran so long it has its own page - Grammy 2003 Winnter - with pictures
Tonight, Monday, CBS starts the evening with a FRESH 'King Of Queens', followed by a
FRESH 'Yes, Dear', then a FRESH 'Raymond', followed by the
Series Premiere 'My Big Fat Greek Life', and then a FRESH 'CSI: Miami'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave are Steve Martin and Foo Fighters.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers are Vince Vaughn, Jennie Garth, and the Dan Band.
NBC offers a FRESH 'Fear Factor', then a FRESH 'Third Watch', followed by a
FRESH 'Crossing Jordan'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are Rosie Perez, "American Fido" competition, and Good Charlotte.
On a RERUN Conan are Rudolph Giuliani, Tyra Banks, and Zach Galifianakis.
On a RERUN Carson Daly are Jeff Daniels and Apples in Stereo.
ABC starts with a FRESH 'I'm A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here', then a FRESH 'The Practice',
and then a FRESH 'Miracles'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel is Har Mar Superstawith this week's guest co-host, Don King.
The WB has a FRESH '7th Heaven', followed by a FRESH 'Everwood'.
Faux has a FRESH 'Boston Pubic', and then 'Joe Millionaire: The Aftermath'.
UPN opens with a FRESH 'The Parkers', followed by a FRESH 'One On One', then a
FRESH 'Girlfriends', followed by another FRESH 'Girlfriends'.
'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' is all RERUNs all week.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Author Kurt Vonnegut and wife, photographer Jill Krementz arrive at the J Records Grammy party in New York February 22, 2003. The Grammy Awards will be presented in New York February 23.
Photo by Fred Prouser
Bono Succeeded Where I Failed
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton thinks Bono is a leader "we should follow in the new millennium."
The former president praised the lead singer of U2 Friday at a celebrity-packed reception honoring Bono's charitable work, most notably his efforts at promoting awareness of the AIDS epidemic and famine in Africa.
Clinton credited the rock star with helping close partisan gaps and getting Congress to pass a bill to provide debt relief for Africa.
"He did something I couldn't do: He convinced Jesse Helms (former Republican senator from North Carolina) to be for it," Clinton said, adding: "I love this man because he has a mind and a heart."
In accepting the award from the recording industry charity MusiCares, Bono talked about possible U.S. military action against Iraq.
"We do not need to make a martyr out of Saddam Hussein," said Bono, a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize last year. "It is not as simple as war or no war. These are complex problems, and we need complex solutions."
Bill Clinton
MusiCares
Frustrated by War Drive
George Clooney
American actor George Clooney stepped up his criticism of George W. Bush's administration on Sunday, saying he feared a war against Iraq was inevitable but would ultimately only lead to more violence.
"America's policies frustrate me," Clooney said in a German television program. "I think a war against Iraq is as unavoidable as it senseless. I think it's coming. But I also think the real danger is going to be what happens after it."
"You can't beat your enemy anymore through wars; instead you create an entire generation of people revenge-seeking," Clooney said in the ARD television program "Beckmann."
"These days it only matters who's in charge," Clooney said. "Right now that's us -- for a while at least. Our opponents are going to resort to car bombs and suicide attacks because they have no other way to win."
Clooney, 41, said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was making a mistake to think a war against Iraq would be an easy win for the United States.
"I believe he thinks this is a war that can be won, but there is no such thing anymore," said Clooney, who starred in a film about the 1991 Gulf War "Three Kings" that took a dark look at the war to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.
"We can't beat anyone anymore," added Clooney, who has called it unfair that Americans opposed to war are being branded unpatriotic.
George Clooney
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Winners Laud French
Cesars
American winners at the Cesars — France's version of the Oscars — used their acceptance speeches to thank the French for their anti-war stance on Iraq.
Michael Moore, whose gun violence documentary "Bowling for Columbine" was honored as best foreign film, brought the audience to its feet Saturday when he applauded France for trying to slow the U.S. drive to war.
"Thanks for showing us the way, and for taking up a position on something very important," Moore said. "A real ally, a real friend, is someone who tells you when you're wrong."
Director Spike Lee, presented a career award, thanked the French for "knowing the difference between the American people and American foreign policy."
In impeccable French, actress Meryl Streep accepted her own career award "in the spirit of international understanding."
Roman Polanski's "The Pianist," set in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II, was the most honored film Saturday, receiving seven awards, including best film, best director and best actor to Adrien Brody.
Cesars
U.S winners Adrien Brody, left, for best actor, Spike Lee, second left, for Honor Csar, Meryl Streep, second right, Honor Csar and Michael Moore, right, for the best foreign movie, during the Cesar film awards, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2003 in Paris.
Photo by Jacques Brinon
Reunited After 10 Years
Simon & Garfunkel
Setting aside the famous fractures of their friendship, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited Sunday to open the Grammy Awards show with their Vietnam era ballad "The Sound of Silence."
Simon and Garfunkel have reunited periodically since ending their partnership, but this was believed to be their first performance together since 1993.
After singing, accompanied only by Simon's acoustic guitar, the pair put their arms around each other's backs — and they received a standing ovation.
"I can't think of a more fitting way to open the show than Simon and Garfunkel, who defined a generation," said Dustin Hoffman, one of the many presenters during the show.
Simon and Garfunkel said they were aware that "The Sound of Silence" could be taken as a political statement with war brewing, but that they weren't looking to use the forum for this purpose.
Offstage, these old friends had trouble creating the same harmony. When he was inducted as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, Simon said of Garfunkel, "I regret
the ending of our friendship, and I hope that one day before I die we will make peace with each other.
After the audience applauded warmly, Simon deadpanned, "No rush."
Simon & Garfunkel
$1M Birthday Present
Wendy Whitworth
Wendy Whitworth, executive producer of CNN's "Larry King Live" and a huge Paul McCartney fan, received an unforgettable 50th birthday present: a private concert from the former Beatle.
Whitworth's husband, financier Ralph Whitworth, came up with the unusual gift idea and offered McCartney $1 million to do the San Diego gig. McCartney agreed, saying he would donate the
money to the anti-landmines charity Adopt-A-Minefield.
Wendy Whitworth, broke into tears when her husband announced McCartney was taking the stage before 150 guests, including Katie Couric of NBC's "Today" and King.
Near the end of the 90-minute set, which included the Beatles' classics "Let It Be" and "Yesterday," McCartney called Wendy Whitworth on stage and presented her with 50 roses. The band
then went into the Beatles' song "Birthday" while the Whitworths danced at McCartney's side.
Wendy Whitworth
Adopt-A-Minefield
Auctioned in Denmark
Lennon Memorabilia
A 1970 calendar autographed by former Beatle John Lennon sold for $4,412 at an auction.
Two Christmas cards signed by Lennon's second wife, Yoko Ono, and their son, Sean, fetched $2,868, twice the estimated price, at the auction held Saturday.
The memorabilia belonged to a former Danish school principal who met Lennon and Ono during their trip to northern Denmark in December 1969.
The couple met Aage Rosendahl, head of the now-closed Verdensuniversitetet adult college in Skyum, 230 miles northwest of the capital, Copenhagen. They were visiting Ono's then-5-year-old daughter, Kyoko,
who lived there with Ono's ex-husband, Tony Cox.
The auction raised $8,618. Rosendahl plans to donate the proceeds to peace groups in Denmark "in line with Lennon's spirit."
Lennon Memorabilia
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Loses Pro Debut on Split Decision
Tonya Harding
Tonya Harding's professional boxing debut ended in defeat on Saturday, the disgraced figure skating dropping a split decision to self-described bar room brawler Samantha Browning.
Banned from figure skating for her part in the plot to keep Nancy Kerrigan out of the 1994 Winter Games by hiring thugs to club her gold medal rival in the knee, a snarling Harding was introduced to the near
sellout crowd at the Pyramid Arena as the "Bad Girl of Boxing."
Dressed entirely and black, the former U.S. figure skating champion entered the ring to thumping rock music and a chorus of boos and immediately charged across the ring at her opponent at the crack of bell.
"It not like I expected at all, this was much, much harder than I ever figured," said Harding, who has two more fights scheduled before the end of March.
"It was my first fight and it was very exciting. I look forward to fighting again and I feel the fans got their money's worth."
Tonya Harding
Queen Abigail reigns over the Mystic Krewe of Barkus parade through the French Quarter of New Orleans, February 23, 2003. Over 1,000 pooches marched in the annual Mardi Gras parade. Fat Tuesday is March 4.
Photo by David Rae Morris
Polanski Victim Speaks
Samantha Geimer
The woman at the heart of a 1970s sex scandal that derailed the career of Roman Polanski said she had no "hard feelings" toward the director and that his actions 25 years ago should not color whether he wins an Oscar next month.
Polanski became a surprise front-runner for next month's Oscars by winning best film and best director with The Pianist at Britain's Bafta annual film awards Sunday. But Polanski, who fled to France in 1978 as he
was about to be sentenced for having sex with a minor, still faces arrest the moment he steps foot in the United States.
In a bylined editorial published Sunday in the Los Angeles Times, Samantha Geimer, the victim of a 25-year-old statutory rape case against Polanski, said that his actions toward her in 1977, while "creepy" and "scarey" at the time
should not color whether he wins an Oscar this year or not.
"I don't really have any hard feelings toward him, or any sympathy, either. He is a stranger to me," wrote Geimer, who was 13 at the time of the incident but now is a happily married mother of three, living in Hawaii.
"I believe that Mr. Polanski and his film should be honored according to the quality of the work. What he does for a living and how good he is at it have nothing to do with me or what he did to me."
In her article, Geimer fell short of excusing Polanski's actions but seemed sympathetic as she described the incident for which he pleaded guilty 25 years ago. She said it occurred after Polanski set up a photo shoot of her for
a magazine at the Hollywood home of actor Jack Nicholson. Polanski gave her champagne and a quaalude and "took advantage of me."
"I know there is a price to pay for running. But who wouldn't think about running when facing a 50-year sentence from a judge who was clearly more interested in his own reputation than a fair judgment or even the well-being of the
victim? ... Sometimes I feel like we both got a life sentence," Geimer wrote, referring to years of media attention she has faced since the incident.
Samantha Geimer
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Fire Disrupts Filming
Harry Potter
A grass fire started near a railroad bridge in Scotland as crews filmed the latest Harry Potter movie, disrupting production of the popular series.
Authorities extinguished the fire Sunday after it burned across more than 100 acres of scrub near the Glenfinnan Viaduct in northwest Scotland.
When the fire started, the film crew was shooting a scene on the bridge from "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban," which is scheduled for release next year.
Harry Potter
Kenji Taguma, right, and J.K. Yamamoto light a candle in memory of more than 100,000 Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during World War II during a Japanese Day of Remembrance
ceremony in San Francisco, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2003. Japanese-American activists consider the 61st anniversary of the internments as important this year following comments by a North Carolina congressman
who earlier this month suggested the internment was the right decision - as well as their own families' experience that the government can take away civil liberties in times of crisis.
Pencil Carving
Key West Fest Honors
Tennessee Williams
Ernest Hemingway may have been the most famous raconteur to put this storied island on the map, but playwright Tennessee Williams is getting his due for works influenced by life in this southern paradise town.
Key West's first Tennessee Williams Festival culminates on Monday -- the 20th anniversary of Williams' death at age 72 at New York's Hotel Elysee on Feb. 24, 1983 -- with a gala appearance by actress Elizabeth Ashley. Ashley starred in a Broadway
revival of Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1955.
Williams, who moved to the town on an island south of Miami during the mid-1940s when he was in his mid-30s, won his first Pulitzer in 1948 for his sultry "A Streetcar Named Desire."
Williams rewrote the famed play while living at Key West's downtown La Concha Hotel, although he began penning it as a resident of New Orleans.
In Key West, Williams was known for dressing casually in white, often sporting a mustache and beard. He enjoyed local watering holes such as Sloppy Joe's and Captain Tony's Saloon, cycling around the 2-by-4-mile island and taking daily ocean swims.
For more, Tennessee Williams
Tribute Paid
Lana Clarkson
About 250 friends and family of Lana Clarkson gathered Sunday to pay tribute to the actress found slain earlier this month at the mansion of record producer Phil Spector.
The service, held at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater in Hollywood, featured clips from Clarkson's cult classic "Barbarian Queen", as well as home videos of the actress riding horses as a child.
Friends of the actress also sang original songs they'd written for her.
"It was a very warm and loving ceremony," said her agent, Ray Caveleri. "Everybody that she knew considered her their best friend. She was very unique in that area."
Friends who attended Clarkson's memorial made a plea for gun control.
"In Lana's name, I hope people will stop even owning guns," actress Sally Kirkland told KCBS-TV after the service.
In a biography released by her family, Clarkson was described as an independent and athletic woman, quick to pick up horseback riding and sword fighting, which she learned for her film roles.
Caveleri said Sunday that the memorial was not a time to focus on Clarkson's death.
"Today was a celebration of her life," he said.
Lana Clarkson
In Memory
Richard "Dr. Richie" Moore
Richard "Dr. Richie" Moore, a recording engineer who worked with the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and scores of other famous musicians, has died at age 55.
Moore, who was born in San Francisco, died Feb. 16 at his home in this Orcas Island town.
The cause of death was not specified, and San Juan County Coroner Randy Gaylord could not be reached Saturday.
Moore helped create many gold and platinum albums. Artists he worked with included Huey Lewis and the News, Rita Coolidge, Canned Heat, the Neville Brothers, Pablo Cruise and Country Joe McDonald.
He helped design recording studios up and down the West Coast, taught recording engineering in San Francisco at the College for Recording Arts and wrote articles for Mix, a magazine for recording professionals.
For the past three years, Moore served as technical director for the Children's Discovery Center of Orcas Island, where the children called him "Dr. Dude."
Moore is survived by his wife, Annie Moss Moore of Orcas Island; a daughter, Daphne Firkus of Canoga Park, Calif.; and a sister, Daphne Satterlee, and a brother, Patrick Moore, both of Redding, Calif.
A memorial service is planned for Monday at McAvoy O'Hara Mortuary in San Francisco.
Richard "Dr. Richie" Moore
Sami Al-Arian, holding daughter Lama, 6, center, with son Abdullah, 19, left, daughter Laila, 18, foreground left, daughter Leena, 14, center, wife Nahla, center right, and son Ali, 9, foreground left,
pose for a photo with presidential candidate George W. Bush and wife Laura in this March 12, 2000 family photo in Plant City, Fla. Others, extreme right, are unidentified.
Photo courtesty Al-Arian family
"We enforced a clear doctrine that said if you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorists -- and the Taliban knows what we meant."
Many thanks to the Stranger at www.blah3.com!
'The Osbournes'
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 4
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 3
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
