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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rainy_Day_Woman who wrote (18698)	8/13/2004 3:13:33 PM
From: Doug R	Respond to of 173976

shrub is a little bush Arbusto means shrub...a company named after the family. being a Junior...he's a "little bush"...hence, shrub. I have all kinds of shrubbery around my property. When I buy a shrub I say, "This would be a great shrub for the area next to the gazebo." There's nothing inherently derogatory about the word shrub. YOU have attached a derogatory meaning to it...not me.

To: Rainy_Day_Woman who wrote (18698)	8/13/2004 3:14:34 PM
From: JakeStraw	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

R_D_W, No sense in wasting your time on a partisan mental dwarf like Doug R... He gets his jollies by calling President Bush names. I mean how pathetic & childish is that! LOL!!

To: Rainy_Day_Woman who wrote (18698)	8/13/2004 5:00:21 PM
From: Shawn M. Downey	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 173976

and I'll ask you again, defend the use of "shrub" If I may... Use of the nickname “Shrub” There is a long tradition in the politics of old Rome to give a “cognomen” or nickname to persons (particularly in the patrician ruling class). It was sometimes used as a way for political rivals to bring the person down few notches. These cognomens were generally clever plays on words and were sometimes embarrassing to the person. Roman patricians took this needling in stride – probably because they could do nothing about it anyway. Cognomens were never given to ones self. And they were usually not given by ones friends. That said, President Bushes nickname (Shrub) is very fitting. It was given to him by Molly Ivins a reporter and writer in Texas back when he ran for Governor. She apparently knew Bush from school (I not sure about this though). Shrub means, “Little Bush” since W is the son of the better-known Bush senior. Admittedly, this does not seem that clever. But it is also a dig another way – albeit subtle. This nickname brings to mind the cognomen for Gaius Caesar: Caligula (Little Boots). Caligula was the 3rd emperor of Rome after Tiberius. This man was a monster. Most historians agree that Caligula was made emperor because his father was an honesty and virtuous man as well as a great General. His men loved and respected him. Caligula (his son) was a complete unknown when he came to power. He ruled for a short time (less than 2 years) and was assassinated. He managed to set the stage for the downward spiral of the Roman Empire. He defined bad governance. He brought about the end of the worldwide respect for all things Roman. Caligula as you may know was a hedonist, cruel, and a terrible leader. He had no interest in reading reports from the battlefield. He had no interest in doing anything needed to rule an empire. He just wanted to have fun. This nickname embarrassed Caligula terribly. He received the nickname when his father took him on a campaign as a boy (probable around 5-7 years old). The troops loved this kid. They called him “little boots” after he was seen walking around wearing his dad’s oversized boots. But as an adult, calling him little boots was belittling for the great man. Unlike most Romans that were mature enough to ignore the use of a Cognomen that poked fun at them, Caligula ordered everyone to stop using it. Doing so could lead to your death. So, naturally, EVERYONE who hated him – and many that did not - called him Caligula. There are parallels between Caligula’s short reign and W’s. Notice I did not say similarities. Caligula’s miss-management of the Roman Empire stands as a gross exaggeration of W’s management of this country and its place in the world. So when someone says “Shrub” they are evoking all of this baggage (if they know it or not). It is a clever and cutting Cognomen of a powerful man who could do with being taken down a few notches.