Nov 30, 2018
As corporate media gloss over the former U.S. president's record with fawning tributes and sanitized obituaries, some observers took to social media to highlight key aspects of the record and legacy of George H.W. Bush, who died Friday at 94.
Among the 41st president's acts during his political life Twitter users noted were his role in the Gulf War, Central America, and the Iran-Contra affair.
While it's fair to offer condolences to Bush's family members as they grieve, "As a public figure with lots of innocent blood on his hands, his record has to be examined without any whitewashing," assertsThe Intercept's Mehdi Hasan.
\u201cGeorge HW Bush was an unrepentant war criminal. May his many victims across the globe Rest In Peace.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1543675609
\u201cI remember feeling a deep sense of shame and anger when I visited the Amiriyah shelter in Iraq. George HW Bush killed more than 400 civilians huddled there on February 13, 1991. These are the crimes we should be discussing today.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1543676251
\u201cGeorge HW Bush systematically attacked the civilian infrastructure in Iraq. He turned hospitals into death rows for infants. He widely used depleted uranium, causing cancer rates to skyrocket. He made Iraq a mass graveyard. And the killing hasn\u2019t stopped since.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1543676806
\u201cWalsh: Bush 41's pardons of his own close aides, several of whom had been convicted of lying to investigators, "demonstrates that powerful people with powerful allies can commit serious crimes in high office -- deliberately abusing the public trust without consequence."\u201d— Glenn Greenwald (@Glenn Greenwald) 1543666395
\u201cAIDS deaths were increasing during Bush's presidency. He responded by reducing research funding, promoting abstinence education, reducing safer sex education, and banning HIV+ people from entering the USA.\n#RIPGHWB\u201d— AucklandPeaceAction (@AucklandPeaceAction) 1543641533
\u201cThis Christmas it will be 29 years since George HW #Bush ordered the US invasion of Panama with the sole objective to arrest Noriega, the former CIA agent who \u201cknew too much\u201d. Nearly 3000 civilians were killed.\u201d— Lance Karlson (@Lance Karlson) 1543670407
\u201cAll the fake #Resistance tweeters eulogizing George HW Bush should be reminded that Bush\u2019s disgusting, racist and effective Willie Horton ad was the blueprint for all of Trump\u2019s overt racism. Yes, the genteel Bush brought race baiting back into the open https://t.co/LtlzE13Sbv\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1543676474
\u201cPoppy Bush started the war on Iraq in 1990. It hasn't ended yet...\u201d— Jeffrey St. Clair (@Jeffrey St. Clair) 1543641334
\u201cIn 1990, President George H.W. Bush released Orlando Bosch, right-wing terrorist & CIA-backed operative from Cuba, who was involved in the bomb attack on Cubana Flight 455 in 1976, which killed 73 people. #RIP41\u201d— Kevin Gosztola (@Kevin Gosztola) 1543676758
\u201cRemember when President Jimmy Carter was not re-elected in 1980? An "October surprise" engineered by CIA-within-the-CIA helped ensure Carter was not president for second term and Reagan won. George H.W. Bush was implicated. More here: https://t.co/dxMqbvPhTN #RIP41\u201d— Kevin Gosztola (@Kevin Gosztola) 1543676758
\u201cAs Reagan's vice president, George H.W. Bush played critical role in Reagan admin's dirty war in Nicaragua. He was involved in Iran-Contra operation that raised funds for anti-communist militants in country. \n\nFrom @RSPolitics in 1988: https://t.co/Lh3UtuD4Js #RIP41\u201d— Kevin Gosztola (@Kevin Gosztola) 1543676758
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
As corporate media gloss over the former U.S. president's record with fawning tributes and sanitized obituaries, some observers took to social media to highlight key aspects of the record and legacy of George H.W. Bush, who died Friday at 94.
Among the 41st president's acts during his political life Twitter users noted were his role in the Gulf War, Central America, and the Iran-Contra affair.
While it's fair to offer condolences to Bush's family members as they grieve, "As a public figure with lots of innocent blood on his hands, his record has to be examined without any whitewashing," assertsThe Intercept's Mehdi Hasan.
\u201cGeorge HW Bush was an unrepentant war criminal. May his many victims across the globe Rest In Peace.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1543675609
\u201cI remember feeling a deep sense of shame and anger when I visited the Amiriyah shelter in Iraq. George HW Bush killed more than 400 civilians huddled there on February 13, 1991. These are the crimes we should be discussing today.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1543676251
\u201cGeorge HW Bush systematically attacked the civilian infrastructure in Iraq. He turned hospitals into death rows for infants. He widely used depleted uranium, causing cancer rates to skyrocket. He made Iraq a mass graveyard. And the killing hasn\u2019t stopped since.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1543676806
\u201cWalsh: Bush 41's pardons of his own close aides, several of whom had been convicted of lying to investigators, "demonstrates that powerful people with powerful allies can commit serious crimes in high office -- deliberately abusing the public trust without consequence."\u201d— Glenn Greenwald (@Glenn Greenwald) 1543666395
\u201cAIDS deaths were increasing during Bush's presidency. He responded by reducing research funding, promoting abstinence education, reducing safer sex education, and banning HIV+ people from entering the USA.\n#RIPGHWB\u201d— AucklandPeaceAction (@AucklandPeaceAction) 1543641533
\u201cThis Christmas it will be 29 years since George HW #Bush ordered the US invasion of Panama with the sole objective to arrest Noriega, the former CIA agent who \u201cknew too much\u201d. Nearly 3000 civilians were killed.\u201d— Lance Karlson (@Lance Karlson) 1543670407
\u201cAll the fake #Resistance tweeters eulogizing George HW Bush should be reminded that Bush\u2019s disgusting, racist and effective Willie Horton ad was the blueprint for all of Trump\u2019s overt racism. Yes, the genteel Bush brought race baiting back into the open https://t.co/LtlzE13Sbv\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1543676474
\u201cPoppy Bush started the war on Iraq in 1990. It hasn't ended yet...\u201d— Jeffrey St. Clair (@Jeffrey St. Clair) 1543641334
\u201cIn 1990, President George H.W. Bush released Orlando Bosch, right-wing terrorist & CIA-backed operative from Cuba, who was involved in the bomb attack on Cubana Flight 455 in 1976, which killed 73 people. #RIP41\u201d— Kevin Gosztola (@Kevin Gosztola) 1543676758
\u201cRemember when President Jimmy Carter was not re-elected in 1980? An "October surprise" engineered by CIA-within-the-CIA helped ensure Carter was not president for second term and Reagan won. George H.W. Bush was implicated. More here: https://t.co/dxMqbvPhTN #RIP41\u201d— Kevin Gosztola (@Kevin Gosztola) 1543676758
\u201cAs Reagan's vice president, George H.W. Bush played critical role in Reagan admin's dirty war in Nicaragua. He was involved in Iran-Contra operation that raised funds for anti-communist militants in country. \n\nFrom @RSPolitics in 1988: https://t.co/Lh3UtuD4Js #RIP41\u201d— Kevin Gosztola (@Kevin Gosztola) 1543676758
As corporate media gloss over the former U.S. president's record with fawning tributes and sanitized obituaries, some observers took to social media to highlight key aspects of the record and legacy of George H.W. Bush, who died Friday at 94.
Among the 41st president's acts during his political life Twitter users noted were his role in the Gulf War, Central America, and the Iran-Contra affair.
While it's fair to offer condolences to Bush's family members as they grieve, "As a public figure with lots of innocent blood on his hands, his record has to be examined without any whitewashing," assertsThe Intercept's Mehdi Hasan.
\u201cGeorge HW Bush was an unrepentant war criminal. May his many victims across the globe Rest In Peace.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1543675609
\u201cI remember feeling a deep sense of shame and anger when I visited the Amiriyah shelter in Iraq. George HW Bush killed more than 400 civilians huddled there on February 13, 1991. These are the crimes we should be discussing today.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1543676251
\u201cGeorge HW Bush systematically attacked the civilian infrastructure in Iraq. He turned hospitals into death rows for infants. He widely used depleted uranium, causing cancer rates to skyrocket. He made Iraq a mass graveyard. And the killing hasn\u2019t stopped since.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1543676806
\u201cWalsh: Bush 41's pardons of his own close aides, several of whom had been convicted of lying to investigators, "demonstrates that powerful people with powerful allies can commit serious crimes in high office -- deliberately abusing the public trust without consequence."\u201d— Glenn Greenwald (@Glenn Greenwald) 1543666395
\u201cAIDS deaths were increasing during Bush's presidency. He responded by reducing research funding, promoting abstinence education, reducing safer sex education, and banning HIV+ people from entering the USA.\n#RIPGHWB\u201d— AucklandPeaceAction (@AucklandPeaceAction) 1543641533
\u201cThis Christmas it will be 29 years since George HW #Bush ordered the US invasion of Panama with the sole objective to arrest Noriega, the former CIA agent who \u201cknew too much\u201d. Nearly 3000 civilians were killed.\u201d— Lance Karlson (@Lance Karlson) 1543670407
\u201cAll the fake #Resistance tweeters eulogizing George HW Bush should be reminded that Bush\u2019s disgusting, racist and effective Willie Horton ad was the blueprint for all of Trump\u2019s overt racism. Yes, the genteel Bush brought race baiting back into the open https://t.co/LtlzE13Sbv\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1543676474
\u201cPoppy Bush started the war on Iraq in 1990. It hasn't ended yet...\u201d— Jeffrey St. Clair (@Jeffrey St. Clair) 1543641334
\u201cIn 1990, President George H.W. Bush released Orlando Bosch, right-wing terrorist & CIA-backed operative from Cuba, who was involved in the bomb attack on Cubana Flight 455 in 1976, which killed 73 people. #RIP41\u201d— Kevin Gosztola (@Kevin Gosztola) 1543676758
\u201cRemember when President Jimmy Carter was not re-elected in 1980? An "October surprise" engineered by CIA-within-the-CIA helped ensure Carter was not president for second term and Reagan won. George H.W. Bush was implicated. More here: https://t.co/dxMqbvPhTN #RIP41\u201d— Kevin Gosztola (@Kevin Gosztola) 1543676758
\u201cAs Reagan's vice president, George H.W. Bush played critical role in Reagan admin's dirty war in Nicaragua. He was involved in Iran-Contra operation that raised funds for anti-communist militants in country. \n\nFrom @RSPolitics in 1988: https://t.co/Lh3UtuD4Js #RIP41\u201d— Kevin Gosztola (@Kevin Gosztola) 1543676758
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.