Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels July 24, 2004 'Big Bush Lies' draws audience at Bloomsbury By Chris Honore Tidings Correspondent Steve Scholl, Ashland-based publisher of "Big Bush Lies: 20 Essays and a List of the 50 Most Telling Lies of George W. Bush," will be the first to acknowledge that he has watched the unfolding of events over the last three years of the Bush administration with growing anger and dismay. Speaking at Bloomsbury Books Thursday to a standing-room only audience, Scholl pointed out that the list of disingenuous statements, errant policies and calculated spin about what is actually transpiring in America amount to a small group of politicians trying to hoodwink the country on a massive scale. America's image worldwide has been tarnished, Scholl asserted. He was just getting started. Scholl's list of Bush flaws, as the book title suggests, is lengthy. The search for weapons of mass destruction has proven futile, he said. The conviction, proffered by the current administration, that Iraq was a clear and present danger to our national security has proven hollow at best. Our unprecedented deficit spending has saddled future generations with staggering debt. The tragedy in Scholl's mind is that the press and the citizenry had been strangely passive. For more than two years after 9/11, a profound silence has hung over America as the full import and meaning of what occurred, and our response, to include the Patriot Act and Homeland Security, were fully absorbed. Our national discourse about policies, both national and international, has been all but inaudible. Scholl, a resident of Ashland for more than 10 years, who owns and operates White Cloud Press and Riverwood Books with his wife, Janice Lineberger, wanted to put a voice to his frustration and address what he viewed as the lies of George W. Bush. He contacted Jerry "Politex" Barrett of Austin, Texas. Barrett, a well-known figure in political circles, is responsible for the www.bushwatch.com Web site that monitors the Bush administration on a daily basis. Scholl suggested that Barrett pull together a meticulously researched book focusing on the lies the Bush team has promulgated to justify its policies both international and domestic. "Big Bush Lies" is the result of that collaboration. The book contains 20 original essays by 18 contributors that document, according to the authors, lies both outrageous and subtle. Scholl also contributed to the book writing the chapter, "The 50 Most Telling Bush Lies." "One thing we tried to do with the book was draw on mainstream press sources," Scholl said. "I suspect that 98 percent of our sources come from the New York Times, Washington Post and other mainstream media. What we have done is keep the light focused on the lies, how they are presented and how they impact our lives ... and perhaps more importantly, on the health of future generations. "How is it that our Congress can find $84 billion for the war in Iraq but can't fund the No Child Left Behind legislation? Schools are closing in Ashland and throughout the country and those most in need of medical care are left out in the cold by policies of our federal and state lawmakers." The timing of the book, perhaps, couldn't be better. It's release followed closely after the nation's attention turned to Michael Moore's movie "Fahrenheit 9/11." "What Michael Moore does in 'Fahrenheit 9/11' is to use the power of film to capture the horror of the consequences of Bush lies," Scholl said. "He is a great storyteller who effectively edits his film to show us certain ugly realities about George W. Bush and the money and players who guide and drive him. What Moore doesn't do is provide the viewer with a wider context and complete documentation. That is what our book does." Those at the book signing seemed united by an interest in more information about past events. Bev Barber of Gold Hill said that, "For the longest time I've been wondering why people haven't been reacting beginning with the election. Why no one was asking questions. Now that there is information out, I'm anxious to see what it is." Trish Malone, a resident of Ashland, shared a similar interest. "A lot of us have been on vacation from politics and now it's time to come off vacation and get involved. I felt helpless after 9/11, I retreated. But that is such a victim's stance. One person does count. I felt isolated. I've decided to step out." Gaea Yudron, also of Ashland, said, "It's not enough to be a liberal anymore. The steady stream of lies - Americans are not aware that we barely live in a democracy anymore." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams