September 22, 2002

8:02 PM

Jeb Bush's daughter found with crack cocaine, did rehab employees hide it?As this transcript of a 911 call indicates, Noelle Bush received special treatment that kept her in rehab and out of jail, at the same time her father opposes the Florida Right-to-Treatment Initiative, which encourages handling non-violent drug offenses with treatment rather than incarcertation. Strangely enough, the 911 transcipt indicates that Noelle Bush's rehab center was primarily targeted to drug-addicted women with children, which begs the question of why the childless Noelle Bush was in there in the first place. The hypocrisy of this branch of the Bush clan does not cease to amaze me
posted by jonp72 (45 comments total)

Also see Arianna Huffington's recent column on this topic.
posted by madamjujujive at 8:20 PM on September 22, 2002

Or the recent MeFi discussion...
posted by eddydamascene at 8:23 PM on September 22, 2002

Dude, why aren't people out in the street crying bloody murder about this? Are we so numb to hypocrisy that we are willing to let a rich family obviously get away with this right under our noses?

I can't stand it anymore. I have tried to support the drug laws in the country, in my state, in my school. If the governor of the state of Florida, if (for that matter) the President of the United States of America, cannot be bothered to enforce the laws consistently and fairly, I see no reason why I should have to report or turn in a student for suspected drug use. I will not be part of this machine anymore. [insert angry smiley]
posted by Joey Michaels at 8:39 PM on September 22, 2002

are you the guy who admitted to turning in his student in another thread?
posted by quonsar at 8:52 PM on September 22, 2002

it was you. that makes your remark above much more significant and credible. at first i thought your "i will not be part of this machine anymore" was a little tongue-in-cheek. congrats on your epiphany. still, i'm a little uncomfortable. you made it all the way to Teacher and yet bought into the WOD until just now...?
posted by quonsar at 9:04 PM on September 22, 2002

don't sidetrack stuff quonsar, this is about Jeb Bush's selective interpretation of the law, and how it's unfair to everyone but his screwed up daughter.


I know well-connected and well off people get the special treatment in life, but rarely is it ever so out in the open and public. Where's the outrage?
posted by mathowie at 9:15 PM on September 22, 2002

Blah blah blah blah blah. Rich family + daddy governor + uncle president = no jail time. Noelle Bush could shoot a baby in the head with an Uzi on national television and she'd never see the inside of a jail. Next issue.
posted by RylandDotNet at 9:16 PM on September 22, 2002

Seems some folk's outrage fatigue kicked in early. Around the "election," perhaps.

Everything that's coming, we deserve.
posted by rushmc at 9:17 PM on September 22, 2002

Where's the outrage?
florida? enron? iran?
posted by quonsar at 9:22 PM on September 22, 2002

It's not even the Bush family specifically. Rich people have always written themselves a different set of laws from normal people.
posted by RylandDotNet at 9:24 PM on September 22, 2002

plastic also had an outrageous discussion, keke :) out rage!
posted by kliuless at 9:26 PM on September 22, 2002

Where's the outrage?

Maybe if we could get some videotape of Jeb whaling the tar out of Noelle... preferably with a vibrating broomstick....
posted by SPrintF at 9:29 PM on September 22, 2002

Aren't we supposed to be concentrating on killing Saddam Hussein, instead of this boring domestic stuff?
posted by LeLiLo at 9:35 PM on September 22, 2002

Wow, I didn't realize it was a client who called it in, not staff. Even keeping in mind that the caller's taped allegations (e.g. that Noelle had been caught with drugs before and nothing was done) are unproven, that looks bad.
posted by crunchburger at 9:37 PM on September 22, 2002

that plastic discussion is pretty good!
no wonder matt is feeling a bit testy!
posted by quonsar at 9:38 PM on September 22, 2002

Well, they obviously found a friendly jurisdiction. But it's key to remember that Jeb isn't the person on the spot here. What county is this? Who is the district attorney? That's the person who has some answering to do -- who has statutory responsibilities that are not being met.

Now, the question is, will the community stand for harsher prosecution of the governor's daughter, simply to put the governor in a less tenable position politically?
posted by dhartung at 9:40 PM on September 22, 2002

"Rich people have always written themselves a different set of laws from normal people."

So that's your excuse? "This is the way it is, so what's the point in trying to change it." You consider yourself an American?

(half satric, half earnest)
posted by raaka at 9:46 PM on September 22, 2002

will the community stand for harsher prosecution of the governor's daughter, simply to put the governor in a less tenable position politically?
no, but hopefully the community would stand for harsher prosecution of the governor's daughter, simply to put the treatment of the governor's daughter on an equitable basis with others prosecuted under the identical law.
posted by quonsar at 9:48 PM on September 22, 2002

Harsher prosecution? What would you propose?

I've known quite a few people through out my years here in The State of Florida who got off easy compared Jeb's daughter for far worse violations.

-Z
posted by ZupanGOD at 10:30 PM on September 22, 2002

and they made zippo for income
posted by ZupanGOD at 10:31 PM on September 22, 2002

So that's your excuse? "This is the way it is, so what's the point in trying to change it." You consider yourself an American?

I'm open to suggestions.
posted by RylandDotNet at 10:35 PM on September 22, 2002

The first and most important thing you can do is end your passive of acceptance of a system you obviously hate. That's pure cynicism.

Organize a ward. Get a neighborhood group together. Agitate. Vote for politicans who support the end of aristocracy. I know for a fact you will find many like-minded individuals in Austin.
posted by raaka at 11:06 PM on September 22, 2002

rylanddotnet: It's not even the Bush family specifically. Rich people have always written themselves a different set of laws from normal people.

What are you a Bush apologist now? The post was written to reflect Jeb's opposition to the Right-to-Treatment Initiative and in that context this is a lot more than just rich people getting off the hook.

"To suggest there should be no penalties for continued drug use is to stick our heads in the sand," Bush said.

See now? He is in a position to change things. To give all Floridians "preferential" Noelle Bush-type treatment, but for whatever political reasons he won't do it, yet its fairly obvious the Bush clan approves of treatment over incarceration.

Its kind of like the end of the movie Traffic, which naively assumes that those exposed to the WosD hypocrisy would wise up. Politics don't work that way and Jeb proves it. Jeb chose to give in to the mouth breathing Rush Limbaugh types. Jeb knows he and his own are safe from his own legislation.

These aren't just rich and powerful types in general here, these are polticians. Jeb is a powerful voice in how we deal with drug offenders. Its a shame its the powerful voice of a hypocrite.
posted by skallas at 11:26 PM on September 22, 2002

Speaking of apologists:

dhartung: What county is this? Who is the district attorney? That's the person who has some answering to do -- who has statutory responsibilities that are not being met.

You know how you keep those jobs, Dan? You don't piss off the governor. Don't be naive.
posted by skallas at 11:35 PM on September 22, 2002

Coy. He's being rather coy.
posted by crasspastor at 12:40 AM on September 23, 2002

[derail]

that plastic discussion is pretty good!

The few times that I've dropped into Plastic recently to have a nose around, the discussions I've seen have been, well, smarter - less prone to snarks and smart-ass one-liner comments intended more for self-aggrandizement than discussion - than what has become the usual in these parts. It's unfortunate, perhaps, but that's been my observation. Still, I love my little crackpipe, the 'filter.

[/derail]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:47 AM on September 23, 2002

"You consider yourself an American?.".?
posted by johnnyboy at 1:24 AM on September 23, 2002

Of course there's no outrage. I think we're so used to stuff like this happening that we pretty much expect the well-connected to get off scott-free.
posted by gramcracker at 5:20 AM on September 23, 2002

Here is a better idea, praise Jeb Bush for his new stance on Drug reform!

He's obviously a supporter of treatment rather than arrest, and I say it's about time. Good for you Jeb Bush!

It's not like he's got two standards, one for his family and one for the rest of the population, no one is THAT stupid.

Since this is the new vision for Florida, I say Jeb gets the award for liberal of the year! Go treatment!!!
posted by CrazyJub at 6:00 AM on September 23, 2002

The State's Attorney for Orange County, Florida, is named Lawson Lamar. That's Lawson Lamar. He is, apparently, deeply political and not necessarily the sharpest tool in the drawer. You can do the Googling and read the sites and work out why he's dropped the ball on Noelle's case for yourselves, yes?
posted by Dreama at 7:44 AM on September 23, 2002

What I learned from this:

I'm changing my last name to Bush.
posted by DragonBoy at 7:52 AM on September 23, 2002

skallas said: What are you a Bush apologist now? The post was written to reflect Jeb's opposition to the Right-to-Treatment Initiative and in that context this is a lot more than just rich people getting off the hook.

and then he said: Jeb knows he and his own are safe from his own legislation.

You lambaste me and then prove my point. Jeb Bush is just a specific instance of a general phenomenon - the Right-to-Treatment Initiative is just the specific way in which this specific rich guy wrote one set of laws for himself and another for the plebs.

All flipness aside, I am outraged. But it seems to me that this isn't a problem that can be solved by outrage. The only way to solve it is by A) become rich yourself and try to fix the system from within (and risk becoming what you hate), or B) stage a revolution and remove the rich from power (a "regime change"?). I don't see how poor people can stop rich people from doing what they want, because for every poor person that is shocked and outraged at the blatant hypocrisy, there's another one that takes their wages from that hypocrisy.
posted by RylandDotNet at 7:56 AM on September 23, 2002

are you being sarcastic crazyjub? i can't tell. because except for his daughter, jeb bush is decidedly against treatment for drug offenders.
posted by centrs at 7:58 AM on September 23, 2002

Strangely enough, the 911 transcipt indicates that Noelle Bush's rehab center was primarily targeted to drug-addicted women with children, which begs the question of why the childless Noelle Bush was in there in the first place.

click on the "opposes" link above:

Bush made his remarks at a luncheon in Orlando honoring the 30th anniversary of the Center for Drug Free Living.

The center is one of 78 community and law-enforcement programs helping people fight substance abuse that will receive $4 million in grants from the state, Bush said.

and where does noelle stay?

Center for Drug Free Living

i would assume that if you are a rehab center and receive a lot of money from the state, you would bend the rules a little to accept the governor's daughter as a patient.

i find it odd though that he would say this:

"To suggest there should be no penalties for continued drug use is to stick our heads in the sand," Bush said.

at a celebration for a rehab clinic that houses his daughter who faces no penalties for continued drug use.
posted by centrs at 8:06 AM on September 23, 2002

I don't think an adult child's behavior should be used against their parents.
posted by PoliticalJunkie at 8:55 AM on September 23, 2002

it's not her behavior that is "being used against" them. it's his reaction to her behavior.
posted by centrs at 9:37 AM on September 23, 2002

PoliticalJunkie: I don't think an adult child's behavior should be used against their parents.

I couldn't give two shakes about Noelle's behavior. I give two shakes about a double standard that seems to allow the child of a rich governor to avoid the kinds of legal penalties that the child of a not-as-rich person would have to face.

Noelle can smoke all the crack she wants, but she should suffer the same penalties as anyone else who is caught smoking it. If her relationship to the governor is what is keeping her from being prosecuted, then that is absolutely something that can be held against the parents or, at the very least, against the people kowtowing to the parents.
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:27 AM on September 23, 2002

The few times that I've dropped into Plastic recently to have a nose around, the discussions I've seen have been, well, smarter

That would be something we refer to around here as "the Holgate Effect", my friend.
posted by UncleFes at 12:36 PM on September 23, 2002

I wish this kind of hypocrisy was limited to the Bush family. But unfortunately it isn't.
Bill Clinton was widely quoted on the subject of his brother Roger's conviction of selling cocaine and conspiracy. "I don't think my brother would be alive today if it weren't for the criminal justice system," he said. "I think the justice system saved his life."
If Roger's case came three years later his mandatory sentence would have been 10 years without parole. I wonder how that kind of sentence would have affected his answer.
posted by keithl at 12:46 PM on September 23, 2002

It's not like it's typical for people to go to jail for simple possession or use of drugs for personal consumption. People buy and use crack in plain sight of undercover officers all day long and nothing ever happens to them.

The vast majority of people who are in prison on those charges are plea bargains down from sales or possession of distribution quantities, or people who were arrested on other more serious charges and could only be nailed on the drug offenses because they were dumb enough to have the crack vials or weed on them when they got collared.

The main thing that Noelle Bush did that put her in the way of the criminal justice system was forging a prescription for narcotics, which is an offense of a higher order than simply buying to get high.
posted by MattD at 1:12 PM on September 23, 2002

Anybody with any money and exposure whatsoever hardly ever goes to jail for so-called "victimless" crimes. Look at any Hollywood star -- Robert Downey Jr. and Wynona Ryder, for instance -- who get relatively minor "punishments" for their crimes. Granted, Ryder still hasn't been sentenced, but who in their right mind believes she will be sitting in an 8X10 jail cell? This isn't a political thing. It is a "fame and fortune" thing. If you want to do drugs and get away with it, simply become rich and famous.
posted by mychai at 2:08 PM on September 23, 2002

I'm glad to see this story -- I posted it here about a week ago, but it was deleted by the powers-that-be who told me it was "old news". I'm so glad you posted it, as I don't think it's old news at all! The 911 call is NEW news! And such an amazing story that I think is very important for people to know about. Bravo!

(I was starting to feel censored there for a minute... is MeFi run by the Bush camp? It had me a little paranoid!)
posted by sparky at 2:23 PM on September 23, 2002

Don't overlook the biggest point of this story -- Noelle had the drugs and was caught over and over again but never reported. The staff at the center is supposed to call the police BY LAW, but they repeatedly ignored it. The crazy thing about the 911 call is that it was made by a group of people in the rehab center -- they finally took it upon themselves to report it since the management never would. The cops arrived to find a group of 24 "patients" who filed the 911 report. Ah!!! This is one crazy story.
posted by sparky at 2:30 PM on September 23, 2002

"The cops arrived to find a group of 24 'patients' who filed the 911 report."

Does that qualify as a grassroots movement? I think it does. =)
posted by ZachsMind at 3:43 PM on September 23, 2002

sparky-

You re absolutely right. The caller wouldn't identify herself, but told the cops that *all* of the inmates would meet the black-and-white. I assume the leaked 911 transcript has been fact-checked: the link was to a working, respectable newspaper.

That was the detail that set this post apart from being a mere recapitulation.
posted by crunchburger at 6:42 PM on September 23, 2002