Jenna Bush
Revisited
Politics of Personal Destruction
By John D. Turner
Jenna Bush is a marked
woman. If she didn't know it before, she certainly does now. She may
as well have a target tattooed to her forehead, or a "kick me" sign
taped to her fanny.
Whatever possessed her to
think that she, the daughter of a conservative Republican President,
would be allowed to live a "normal" life, like so many others
attending college? Especially in Austin? Especially at UT Austin? I
can understand why she would want that. Heck, so would I. But she
really should have known better. Then again, with age comes wisdom;
and how many of us were wise at 19?
Lets face it. For many
attending college today, the primary focus is not on getting an
education. To be sure, that is the ultimate goal, and many achieve
it. But a big part of the college experience involves having a "good
time". And for many college-aged young adults across the country,
having a good time means having a drink or two...or three, or, well,
you get the picture.
Drinking age laws are just
an inconvenience to be circumvented. And UT Austin, once rated the
number one party school in the nation by Playboy magazine is a great
place to have fun, and incidentally, pick up an education at the
same time. BYU it is not. For Jenna, it must have seemed a
no-brainer. She's lived in Austin the past five years. She graduated
from High School there. Her friends go there. It is a good school,
and like thousands of other kids from Texas looking to have a good
time and do what other college kids do, UT Austin is a logical
choice.
The state legislature (at
the coercion of the Federal Government) raised the legal drinking
age to 21, in an effort to reduce traffic fatalities, which in many
cases involved young adults and alcohol. Now I am no big fan of
driving under the influence. But when those politicians, in their
effort to please those in Washington who were trying to "make a
difference" passed that law, did they really expect that college
students across Texas would suddenly become teetotalers? Especially
those attending "party central" at UT Austin, practically right next
door to the capitol dome?
Jenna broke the law and
therefore must pay the price. The drinking age is 21, and at the
time she was not and was caught in possession. Twice. Once trying to
purchase with a fake ID. Ok, fair enough. As the President's
daughter, she shouldn't get any "special privileges" based on her
dad's position. But on the other hand, she shouldn't be singled out
either. If we want to be fair about this, the UT campus should be
swarming with police on the lookout for underage students in
possession. If drinking by those under 21 was such a big problem
that the legislature felt the necessity of passing a law, shouldn't
the police be enforcing that law to the maximum extent possible? And
only someone living under a mushroom would be so naive as to think
that underage drinking isn't rampant among the UT student body. Not
to single out UT; the same is true at most colleges and universities
across the country.
Unfortunately for her, Jenna
Bush is the daughter of a conservative Republican President in a
city about evenly split when it comes to liking or disliking him.
This may seem strange, since Texas is the President's home state and
Austin its capitol. However Austin is a liberal enclave surrounded
by a vast sea of more conservative folks. There are many in Austin
who didn't like George W as governor and who do not like him as
President either. Some, as has been reported, would "do anything" if
it would embarrass her father. At the restaurant where Jenna was
busted, the manager first called the police using 911 (a misuse of
that service, as underage drinking is hardly an emergency event) and
then made a second call to alert the news media to the unfolding
story. I find it hard to believe that this is the normal practice at
that locale for handling underage drinking.
It is unfortunate that
people would use the President's daughter to "get back" at the
President but that's the world we live in today. During President
Clinton's tenure, his daughter Chelsea was considered "off limits",
even after she started college. Of course, he was a liberal Democrat
and Chelsea attended a liberal college. No one would even think of
informing the police if she had a drink or two.
Mr. Gore's kids had a free
pass as well. In October 1995, 16 year old Sarah Gore was caught in
Maryland by police with an open can of beer, the same offence Jenna
was first cited for. History records no national hullabaloo by the
news networks, cable TV, or media pundits. In 1996, son Al Gore III,
then 13, was suspended from school for possession of marijuana.
Again, silence, despite the national "war on drugs". Likewise in
2000, when he was pulled over for driving 97 mph in a 55 mph zone in
North Carolina. Daughter Karenna Gore also has a past history of
illegal alcohol and marijuana use dating back to her high-school
days (including fake ID use), yet the media didn't see fit to pounce
on that either. Once again, for the children of a liberal politician
covered by a liberal press, such events are written off as "youthful
exuberance" and are therefore "non-news". Jenna obviously lacks that
"protection".
Some might think it strange
that I, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
am defending someone in an alcohol-related matter. Isn't that a bit
hypocritical coming from someone who doesn't imbibe adult beverages
and indeed, counsels his children against such?
Not at all, as a member of
the Church, when I was baptized I covenanted with the Lord that I
would keep the word of wisdom, wherein the prohibition against
alcohol is found. Having made that covenant, for me to partake would
be a sin, as I have promised the Lord I would not, and take my
commitment seriously. Jenna Bush however, is not a member of my
church and has taken no such covenant (at least to the best of my
knowledge). She is free to drink as she pleases, subject to the laws
of the State of Texas, of course. Even if she had made such
covenants, the fact that she has free agency, the ability to choose
her own path and make her own mistakes, demands that I not condemn
her. If she were a Church member her actions would have consequence,
such as not being able to hold a temple recommend, for example. Even
so, for me to judge her personally would be wrong, as I am not her
judge.
My defense of Jenna (and her
sister) is not with regard to her breaking the drinking laws of
Texas (which she undeniably did), but with her being singled out as
an object to get back at her dad.
It is painfully obvious that
she cannot lead a "normal" life at UT Austin, much as she may want
to. And if she is discovered again with alcohol in her possession
(which I would find quite likely, her dad's lecture at Camp David
notwithstanding; she is a sorority sister after all and does have
certain standards to maintain) she will then fall under Texas "three
strikes" rule passed by her own father when he was Governor. The
sweet irony of this possibility I am sure is not lost on many
liberals in Austin, who would see it as "pay-back" for the way
conservatives treated "poor Mr Clinton", never mind that it might
ruin the Jenna's life.
The inconsistency of
singling out Jenna for the maximum penalty, while ignoring or
excusing others doing the same thing, simply because her father is
President and they dislike him, doesn't even seem to occur to those
in the "ends justifies the means" crowd. And it is a dead certainty
that if she is caught a third time, she will face three strikes,
even if that is not the normal procedure for other UT students. What
will happen then is anyone's guess. If she gets a liberal judge, as
she easily could, she may end up with the maximum penalty; a hefty
fine, six months in jail, and a criminal record, which could have
other repercussions for her further on down the road.
At the time, Jenna's best
bet is probably to leave Texas before that third strike; to go to
another school, or perhaps wait until she is 21 to continue with
college. Perhaps she should even consider going to a school overseas
where the drinking age is lower. Even if she goes to a
"conservative" school here in the States, it is certain that someone
will be watching her, trying to make a name for themselves by
catching her in some compromising position, now that she has been
highlighted. And who would want to go drinking with her in Austin
now anyway, knowing there is a large target painted on her forehead,
and that they are apt to be caught in the same net.
It's unfortunate, but that's
how the game is played these days, at least if you are connected to
a conservative.
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