Fear of Flying: ...Nerves Ended W's National Guard Service in Texas

[Lori Price CLG]

Fear of Flying

Fear of Flying: A Duval County Woman Says Nerves Ended W's National Guard Service In Texas -- by Susan Cooper Eastman --From Folio Weekly, Jacksonville, FL

Janet Linke has been thinking about George W. Bush a lot lately. Thirty-two years ago, her late husband Jan Peter Linke served briefly in the Texas Air National Guard's 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. Bush's service in the same squadron has gotten plenty of mention in an election year when what you did during the Vietnam War is suddenly a litmus test of character. But Linke claims she knows a part of the story that nobody has mentioned.

According to Linke, a Jacksonville resident and artist, Bush's flying career was permanently disabled by a crippling fear of flying.

Linke's husband was admitted to the Texas Guard in the summer of 1972 to replace Bush. President (sic) Bush has said that he stopped flying fighter jets because the Alabama Guard unit didn't have jets, and he wanted to transfer to Alabama in order to work on a political campaign. But Linke says she heard a different story from her husband and Bush's squad commander, the late Lt. Col. Jerry Killian. Shortly after her husband joined the Texas unit, Linke says, the couple discussed Bush's service with Killian at a social event.

Contrary to some news reports that suggest Killian admired Bush, Linke says the officer didn't have much use for the young Lieutenant. He mentioned that Bush appeared to have a drinking problem, she recalls, but he was most offended by another incapacity: his fear of flying. According to Linke, Killian said Bush was grounded in his fourth year of flying after he became incapable of flying or properly landing a plane.

"He was mucking up bad, Killian told us," Linke says. "He just became afraid to fly."

<snip>

Lori Price
http://www.legitgov.org/

[Sparkle]

1. I'll bet Killian used the f in mucking instead.

[LiberalFighter]

51. In the company of the wives...

I doubt it!

Mucking sounds like what would be used instead.

[NMDemDist2]

2. kicked and nominated Thanks Lori n/t

[thecrow]

3. Amen to that

Kick!

[Lori Price CLG]

6. Wow, thank you so much!!

Thank you, AZDemDist6!! You rock!
:bounce:

:)-Lori

[NMDemDist2]

101. and you made it! Front page woohoo! n/t

[ima_sinnic]

4. BWAHAHAHA!! the truth comes out about the little wussy-ass coward

--or is this another piece of disinformation to make everybody look away from the idea that he was an Iran-contra coke smuggler, drunken sot, and coke-head himself?

[Lori Price CLG]

10. I actually believe that is one of the components of his lack of service...

One reason for Bush's lack of service may not necessarily preclude the other reasons/motives for being a chicken-hawk.

Lori Price

[TahitiNut]

30. That's the word: COWARDICE!

He's the typical sociopath: a COWARD and a BULLY!

[dArKeR]

115. 3 years ago I posted on the DU aWol has a "Panic Disorder" why he never

flew overseas most of his adult life. Not even taking trips on Air Force One when his father was President. Can you imagine you being a young adult and turning down chances to fly overseas on Air Force One?

I'm telling ya, I've got a sixth sense and there are 2 dozens examples over the last years here on the DU.

[LiberalFighter]

133. I wouldn't want to fly on a daily, weekly or monthly basis but...

A chance to fly on AF1... hell yes

In a fighter jet... yes

I've been in an army helicopter back in college... it was neat with the lift off.

[NV Whino]

5. Love it!

Love it! Love it!

[clydefrand]

7. You can bet CBS won't be contacting her for her story.

Nor will anyone else in the media. I think this village idiot should be called the Teflon KID.

[colonel odis]

8. betcha 5 bucks her words were forged.

nobody used the terms "fear" or "incapable" until 1977.

this is devestating to the kerry campaign.....

[Jackpine Radical]

38. Did she pronounce "th" in superscript?

They didn't have superscripts in those days, ya know.

[bmbmd]

9. Wuss? Me, too.

You wouldn't catch me in one of those things, either. When he "landed" on the aircraft carrier, you could see the sense of relief and achievement in his eyes. He was glad to be alive. Fear is not the whole story-that would make him too human. He was physically unable to fly a plane.

[Fridays Child]

11. Right, Janet. Paranoia is a side effect of heavy cocaine use.

Which may explain why Jim Bath developed a fear of flying at the exact same time. :eyes:

[jwirr]

93. Paranoia could also

explain why he is so secretive, obsessed with fear of his fellow Americans and had to have Cheney in the room when he testified at the 9/11 Commission.

[nolabels]

122. Along with heavy drinking and some pot

I would think it might be one of being scared of not being able to pass them recently set up drug tests.....:shrug:

Watched several people I once knew let this stuff screw up their lives, they say that pot has some devastating effects that are not noticed all that well but can effect for the rest of one's life(effs up the brain cell receptors dendrites)

Effects:
Cocaine increases alertness, wakefulness, elevates the mood, induces a high degree of euphoria, decreases fatigue, improves thinking, increases concentration, increases energy, increased irritability, insomnia, restlessness. In large doses users often display symptoms of psychosis with confused and disorganized behavior, irritability, fear, paranoia, hallucinations, may become extremely antisocial and aggressive. It increases heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, temperature, pulse, and respiration, decreased sleep and appetite, seizures, strokes, heart attacks, death.
(snip)
http://www.drugabuse.com/drugs/cocaine/

[joefree1]

12. This Chicken hawk was also afraid to fly?

I thought he was just afraid to go to Vietnam.



on edit: Just e-mailed this to everyone I know. So how do we get this on the media? Somebody climb a building, get naked, and hold the article in front of a strategic body part.

[mhr]

13. So, He Really Is A Coward And Is Ashamed To Admit It

Take that Freepers; Your leader is just like yourselves.

GUTLESS!

[Pirate Smile]

14. Well, that would explain why even though he had the financial resources

to continue to fly when he got out of the NG, he never bother to fly (as a pilot) again.

Didn't they say he flew or "took the controls" some during his little mission accomplished photo op?

[Ilsa]

33. Yeah, but the pilot said it was only for a moment.

I got the impression that * didn't handle the plane that well and the pilot took back the controls to prevent crashing into the ocean.

[2Design]

15. my brother signed up for the air force and was afraid of flying - go

figure - still afraid today

[TrogL]

19. My son signed up for air cadets and said he doesn't want to fly

and no, he has yet to give me a coherent explanation other than "you ain't gettin' me up in one o' them dinky things".

[LiberalFighter]

52. It might be similar to heights...

you could be okay being up in a skyscraper and looking out a window but if you didn't have a wall or other restraining device while looking over the edge it would give you the willies. I would be okay as long as I wasn't standing while doing this... laying on the ground an peering over the edge... no problem.

It could also be that it vibrated too much and he felt that it might fall apart.

[burrowowl]

141. I'm fine at the top

of a mountain (I trust earth until it quakes), but you won't get me leaning over a balcony fence above 8 stories. You won't get me in a skyscaper (don't trust man?), yet I've climbed up to the towers of Notre Dame in Paris and looked out over Paris. Will fly in anything, but the tramway up to the top of the Sandias makes my calves feel funny. Have rappeled more than 200 meters.
You don't get vertigo flying, no 3-D references. Always alert landing (landing and take-offs always critical). In Mexico City, the Torre Latino sways a hell of a lot during an earthquake, it has not yet fallen in an earthquake.
So, I don't understand Bu$hie's fear unless he knew deep-down he was INCOMPETANT! and afraid to do a proper landing.
And anybody who is a real pilot, tries to continue to fly. Went up with my Dad to do his landings to keep his pilot's liscence current. Keep current until a stroke kept him down, but my sister gave him a gift of 3 hours to be taken up when he was 80, I went with him, he had had a stroke, the pilot asked if he would like to take the controls for awhile and my Dad said, NO but was aware of everything and the pilot said: you know, in an emergency, I would trust your Dad now more than a lot of recent light-aircraft pilots. I said I would too. Dad died in May, he hated Bu$h. When you are a pilot, you are a pilot, when you love flying, you love it to death. When my Dad had his stroke, my Mom and Sister knew he was coming out of it when he saw a plane out the hospital window and said: the ____ going to Los Alamos, heading correct.
One of my sisters would always want to come along when Dad did his landings and take-offs to renew his licence. She would always puke and I would say, no, I have to hold the barf bag. However, she got her pilot's licence and never puked when she was pioloting, a control thing maybe.
Bu$hie ain't no pilot!

[Lori Price CLG]

142. 'Bu$hie ain't no pilot!' and, even more to the point...

'Bu$hie ain't' no president, either! Someone should tell the Freepers that!!

:)-Lori Price
http://www.legitgov.org/

[skooooo]

16. Harder to fly when you're hungover all the time..

..I would imagine.

[oneighty]

17. Now this is believable

We had a failed pilot in Diving school told us he could not get passed the fear of flying. Unfortunately he could not get passed the fear of diving either.

180

[TacticalPeek]

39. Well, could he eat snakes?

:silly:

[oneighty]

50. ?????????

?????????? Snakes?

180

[TacticalPeek]

81. I was just thinking of the other "gut-check" schools/training, such as

Army Ranger, SF (snake-eaters), etc.

[mhr]

42. I Flew As A Safety Pilot With Another Student That Prayed

before every takeoff.

When I asked him about, he said he was afraid to fly and hence prayed.

People like this have no business being a pilot in command.

Good pilots have a healthy respect for the dangers of flying but rarely have I seen fear.

Have you ever noticed when listening to cockpit tapes of emergencies how cool and controlled the pilots are.

This comes from training that focuses on keeping the plane under control at all times.

In most emergencies, there is no time for fear because handling the emergency is first priority.

Fear is something that one has on the ground. That is probably what happened to Shrub. He could just never get it up again.

[eridani]

105. Really odd what people are afraid of

My husband and I were biking in rural Snohomish county, and stopped to help a young woman pulled over by the side of the road. Seems that there was a wasp in the back seat, and she was terrified of it. Hubby (ever the chivalrous fellow, him :-) ) was jonny-on-the-spot grabbing a piece of paper and chivvying the buzzing death out the door. Then he looked at the paper more closely. It was a certificate for the young lady's 100th parachute jump! (Something he would never consider doing in a million years.)

[pfitz59]

117. Yeah Snohomish

Mukilteo pilot checking in! Yellowjackets are BAAAAAADDDDDD!!!!!

[Eurotrash]

140. the buzzing death

ha, great line!

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. Remember that pic of W wearing the flight suit,

with the big cod piece. That wasn't a cod piece, it was a diaper. Poor little W must have crapped his pants landing on that carrier. I feel bad for the folks who had to stand down wind. No wonder he had to change his clothes afterward.

[Fridays Child]

21. A diaper. Bwhahahaha!!!

[blm]

20. True to form. Like the faux rancher who is afraid of horses.

.

[dmr]

22. Interesting and a question

I don't know anything about piloting, but is there a cause and effect from drug use and flying in high altitudes? Would that make him ill? Or disorient him to where it was difficult to land a plane?

I know I've had a few hangovers in my day where just walking made me loopy the next day.

What a waste he was/is.

The thing is, no matter how Bush* slices it and dices it, the men he served with are not stepping forward to defend his 'honor'. THAT is telling, too bad we no longer have a news media ...

[mhr]

40. Right On - People May Dislike You But They Rarely Denigrate

you for being brave and tenacious.

The deafening silence from squadron mates speaks volumes.

[July]

107. Unless you're John Kerry.

Or Max Cleland. Or Wes Clark. Or John McCain. Or anyone with a distinguished service record running against a Bush or his henchmen.

[R Hickey]

67. Coke use, LSD use, or even pot use could freak out a student pilot

My best bet is that he was getting too paranoid to fly from the coke.
But how does Bush's 1972 community service for "PULL" in Houston fit into this?

[Lisa]

80. well, he goofed off in a plane even during that period ...

http://www.seanet.com/~johnco/bush102.htm


"David Anderson was another PULL employee, two years older than Bush, and he especially liked the fact that Bush had made arrangements to take some of the PULL kids such as Jimmy up for their first airplane ride.

The day of the ride, Bush asked his sixteen-year-old brother, Marvin, to come along. One of the PULL kids started popping off, making noise, once they were up in the air. Bush stalled the engine for a second, and the passengers, scared to death, grew quiet." Minutaglio, Bill. First Son, George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty, Random House, NY, 1999 Pg. 151,

[dogtag]

23. Hugh Scott surmises the same in his book

The Phony Fighter Pilot. BTW, he's updated his site - scroll down and there's a postcard ready for mailing. He's also readying a new website to be up by Oct. 1. Gulf War Veterans for Truth.

http://www.phonyfighterpilot.com/

[Javaman]

24. Drinking and flying don't mix...

Kinda hard to land when you are looped most of the day

[Dhalgren]

25. This has such a resounding ring of truth!

This is why he cannot admit that he crapped-out of the Guard. Not that he went AWOL (he could deal with that), but that he is a coward! That he can't deal with. When (if) this hits nationally, Bush will have a break down!

[LuminousX]

27. Must be a disappointment to his father

oh wait, his father sucked ass at flying also.

[Democracy Died 2004]

26. Had to be more than fear

I spent 10 years as a Naval Aviator and was scared shitless the whole time. Somehow I managed to get back in that piece of junk made by the lowest bidder. Methinks character is the real reason he couldn't hack it.

[brook]

31. A relative of mine...

marine pilot in VietNam, crashed while in training. The guy with him never flew again. Different strokes, as they say. My guess it was a combo of hangovers and gutlessness in *'s case. The arrogance is a cover for the fact that he's a 'white-knuckle liver'.

[Judi Lynn]

28. Really good of her to speak up. She has offered a look at W.

which doesn't surprise anyone who has watched the pretender these long 3 3/4 years. Cool she came forward!!!!

[Rose Siding]

29. What a great ending

Unlike his mom, Linke's son Chris supports President Bush. But he doesn't doubt her version of events. "Is she says it happened, that's good enough for me," he says. He notes that flying fighter jets is a dangerous job and "not everyone's got the mettle," so he doesn't doubt that Bush could have lost his nerve.

But Chris Linke's faith in the president remains unshaken. When he goes to the polls in November, he says, "I will be voting for him."

[LiberalFighter]

53. So he has faith in someone that didn't have faith in themselves

[bobbyboucher]

32. Coke'll do that to ya.

He lost his nerve after doing too much blow.

[DoYouEverWonder]

35. When you can't find the runway

because your too fucked up, will do it to you every time too.

[fishnfla]

34. Explains his comments and inaction on 9/11 too

What did he say? "thats one bad pilot" transferral?

[HarveyBriggs]

36. This accusation is common around Houston.

In fact, if the media was doing its job, they'd have told us that many of the folks who served with George WMD Bush, have related privately that George's reaction to 9-11 is very similar to the "freeze up" reaction he demonstrated while flying in TANG.

He's a yellow belly who can't handle stress. Unfortunately, we have suffered because George does not know how to handle the stress of 9/11.

Like many rookies in combat, Bush wastes ammunition shooting at shadows and misses the real target.

We are all in danger with this coward as CIC.

Harvey Briggs

[Bandit]

44. "that many of the folks who served with George WMD Bush,"

There is over sixty thousand dollars in rewards for any person who can honestly say and be able to back it up that they served with GW Bush* in Alabama National Guard. No one has stepped forward to claim it. :shrug:

[KoKo]

58. I was thinking the same thing, Bandit...where are they? I guess they

could be mighty "afeered" though, given the track record of those who go against the BFEE..

[Eye and Monkey]

77. The 60k in reward money is theirs if they can SUPPORT Chimpie.

I'm sure that the RNC and BushCo would be happy to augment that sum. Anyone seeking to collect would not be going against BFEE, rather coming forward would pull BFEE's fat from the fire.

(Yes, I used the word "rather" intentionally.)

[dweller]

37. now, where are the medical records

and the reasons behind his grounding in TANG?

btwn the drug allegations and this, there must be more info out there.

dp

[hansolsen]

41. The two main ingredients in out of control booze are anger and fear.

I've long advocated they be listed on the label right before mash and hops.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

43. Okay....but where's the paperwork?? Let's see the files, FratBoy!!

[Liberal Dude]

45. Oh swell. Another dead witness.

This may very likely be true and fun to chat about but it's completely useless politically.

[jwirr]

96. I agree that this is useless

when we are talking about his NG service. Do not get sidetracked again. However, if paranoia is still a problem for him which I think it may be - see my message above - then he is not able to perceive reality at all times. Wouldn't that be a requirement for a president?

[mhr]

46. Probable Scenario - Bush Turned To Booze And Drugs To

Compensate for his fear of flying.

He seems to have been pretty normal up until the time he joined the TANG.

One suspects that he overcompensated during training to satisfy his Dad.

Once the demands and reality of flying the line became too much he turned to Booze and Drugs.

Eventually his fear became so debilitating he had no choice but seek relief by finding a way out of flying all together.

I seem to remember hearing a story about him flying a small plane some time in the seventies. Apparently he scared the shit out of the other pilot who let him fly.

It all seems to be so consistent once the dots are connected.

[starroute]

88. Here's that story about him flying once in 1976

http://www.seanet.com/~johnco/bush102.htm

Bush banged on the door of Susie and Don Evans on an otherwise placid Sunday afternoon and suggested to Don that they head out to the airport and spend a few bucks for a spin over the desiccated Permian Basin in a single-engine Cessna. ... Evans said he'd love to go flying. At the airport he watched Bush stare at the controls, at the panel, and he realized that Bush-though not admitting it-had no idea how to fly the thing properly. After finally figuring out how to launch the plane, Bush pushed the Cessna hard down the runway. Evans screamed, "Give it some gas!" The Cessna's warning system was blinking and crackling. Bush tried to lift his craft fast, almost as if he were piloting a jet back in the Texas Air National Guard. The plane wobbled into the air, and the unsubtle maneuvering threatened to shove it into a stall.

<snip>

After more seemingly endless moments, he somehow got control of the plane again. He aimed the aircraft down, and the landing was as shaky and brutal as the takeoff. The plane careened off the runway and onto the desert. Evans sighed in relief. Then an unbelieving Evans braced himself as Bush suddenly and unexpectedly spun the plane and bounced back along the runway. Evans stared at Bush. He could see the fear and panic flooding his face. Bush pressed on. Evans had no idea why Bush wanted to go again. The plane wobbled uncertainly back into the West Texas skies, and Bush turned to Evans. "Hey," said Bush airily, as if he had just had an original, amusing idea, "let's fly around Midland."

The men began cracking up. Bush brought the Cessna back to the airport. It was the last time he flew a plane.

[mondohondo]

92. Booze and Drugs the cause?

This is an area with which I have had some unfortunate experience.

When one overindulges in alcohol it depresses the functioning of the body's systems. Your body responds after you sober up by dumping a ton of adrenaline into your system to make up for its previous depressed state. This is what causes the "shakes" in serious alcoholics. It can also cause severe panic attacks that cause the victim to associate whatever activity they were engaged in at the time of an attack negatively with that activity. Panic attacks are no fun. You hyperventilate, further compounding the problem, and can't think straight. Your body revolts quite unpleasantly against what you are trying to do. The victim learns to associate panic attacks with engaging in a particular activity. Consequently, they avoid participating in that activity.

Today, fortunately, there are medications (e.g., clonazapam) that can help immensely in suppressing those panicky feelings. I don't think such medication was available in the early 1970's. In those days, I think you were either branded as a coward or you had to go through deep immersion therapy with a psychiatrist to pull you away from your fear.

Lets just play a game called lets suppose. Suppose Bush, after a hard night of drinking, climbs into the cockpit of his jet plane, takes off and experiences the kind of adrenaline kick I described earlier. Maybe he also drank a cup or two of black coffee to bring himself out of his hangover (caffeine AND adrenaline coursing through his system. Bad idea).

Based on my experience he may have had an extremely difficult time flying his aircraft. He would have trouble thinking clearly, he would have been hyperventilating, his hands and feet would be sweating and he'd have a serious tingling sensation in his limbs. He would have been lucky to have brought the plane back to earth safely. I think he would have had a hard time explaining what happened and surely wouldn't admit that he had experienced a panic attack (not very macho you see). Even though he was scared to death.

As a consequence, he would have done anything to avoid flying again, which appears to have been the case. He ran off to Alabama and refused to take a flight physical. He flew only in training craft with another pilot present. More than likely he was in a state of denial that there was anything wrong, but he also may have welcomed any circumstance that kept him out of the pilot's seat.

I know how resourceful my fellow DU'ers are at digging up the facts. It might be worthwhile to find out whether there are any records of aberrant flight behavior by Lt. Bush during the time in question. I'm guessing that he experienced some severe booze-induced panic attacks while flying and that is why he abandoned his post with the TANG.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

111. You're right...in our medical office we occasionally have

badly hung over patients come in thinking they're having heart attacks, because of that post ETOH syndrome. I can't imagine piloting a plane during one those episodes. MKJ

[Spinzonner]

47. Since he reportedly was a good pilot during his early years

I don't know whether fear really tells the whole story in this case, in particular if its going to be characterized as cowardice.

I think perhaps he had a loss of confidence in his skills and that could correlate to increasing substance abuse. If he had a reduction of his ability to deal with the decisions and reactions required to pilot the plane, especially landing, that could readily manifest itself in a fear of flying - a well founded self-preservation response - if not entirely honorable or honest about the cause.

His honesty about what happened those times is another matter, of course.

[Zero Gravitas]

71. "reportedly"

If we've learnt one thing in last 4 years it is that repeating a lie over and over doesn't make it true. If he stopped flying out of fear and lack of character he was probably a bad pilot all along. I still think its most likely he stopped because of cocaine abuse.

[Fridays Child]

48. Cocaine causes vertigo, the feeling that either you're spinning...

...or that everything around you is spinning. Piloting a fighter jet would be impossible for a heavy cocaine user.

[bullimiami]

118. heavy cocaine use also can cause nervous fear and paranoia

years ago I had to drive a guy home in this state.
he was hiding under some trash in a ball in the back seat scared and trembling.

maybe we should start calling him

CHICKEN GEORGE

[Politicub]

49. Cowardice personified

A coward then, a coward on 9/11 when he sat there at the school with the deer in the headlights look on his face, and a lying coward now.

[karlrschneider]

54. I'm not so sure about this...I've taught hundreds of people to fly...

and many of them were afraid in the beginning, but got over it. On the other hand, I can't recall knowing any who gained a fear -after- learning but I'm sure it probably HAS happened...maybe a "close call" could do it, although I've had a few dozen myself including numerous engine failures, a couple crashes and various other emergencies. Not to defend the Chimp, but ... well ... :eyes:

[Fridays Child]

60. Did you ever have a student who developed a cocaine habit...

...during the course of instruction? I agree with what you're saying. So, if Janet Linke's recollection is accurate, something caused the sudden development of his "fear." Two well-documented and common effects of heavy and/or frequent cocaine consumption are paranoia and vertigo.

Just a thought.... :)

[karlrschneider]

78. I'm late replying, had to go to town. But AFAIK no, I pretty much quit

instructing in the late 70s (too busy with the regular flying job) and I don't recall knowing about any coke use in my small town back then. It didn't take long to show up, though. So I don't really know about coke-induced vertigo...but I'm sure that mary-ja-wanna use doesn't contribute to it. I toked a bit back in those days and never had any ill effects. ;-) And another thing, I know thousands of pilots (well, I actually "know" a few hundred well enough to call them friends) and there is a HUGE percentage of them who drink. But of course never while flying (there are exceptions, one of which involved myself but that's another story) You've probably heard the description of flying...hours of boredom punctuated by occasional moments of terror. :D It's pretty accurate.

[dave123williams]

132. The second greatest thrill in life...

is flying a plane. The first is landing one ;)

[truthisfreedom]

61. if he developed a fear of flying and WASN'T doing cocaine at the time it's

even worse. he has mental problems and could crack at any time, during our nation's worst crisis. and all we seem to have is crises since he got in office.

[kskiska]

55. This backs up the secretary's story

that Killian didn't like *, and casts a lot of doubt on Killian's wife and son, who claimed otherwise.

Looks like * was trying to emulate Daddy, but failed again. That's the reason we're in Iraq.

[LiberalFighter]

56. They decline to be interviewed...

Folio Weekly was able to reach two former Bush squadmates in Texas, but both declined to be interviewed.

If it was positive they would had stepped forward to verify his service.

I guess it wasn't positive.

[Lori Price CLG]

59. Yes, they didn't want to end up on the 'Bush body count' website...

I wonder how many people have been silenced since the Bush regime took office (literally, *took* office).

Lori Price
http://www.legitgov.org/

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

70. Guaranteed audit. Minuimum.

[Auntie Bush]

57. Damn...I'm so disillusioned...I thought he was our FEARLESS LEADER!

[w4rma]

62. Fear of horses. Fear of planes. Fear of fighting in Vietnam.

What a dispicable disgrace he is. If he had morals, ethics, no famous last name or wasn't willing to bend over backwards to give away America to his wealthy donors, he would be a total nobody.

[Cha]

75. All that alcohol and cocaine..addle your brain And

Nerves.

[FirstDoNoHarm]

63. Thank Goddess for legitgov.org to expose the truth

Can we get legitgov.org to canvass Dan Rather to expose these FACTS? Dan Rather needs a strong attack against Bush to regain his standing in the middle household. This expose could both destroy bush and get Rather his standing back!

[Lori Price CLG]

116. Thank you so very much, FirstDoNoHarm...

We're trying to get the essay distributed far and wide, especially to the media outlets.

:)-Lori Price

[KoKo]

64. I posted a couple of weeks ago: I don't think Bush ever flew...alone in a

post. I checked all the time lines and even though his record seems okay for four years and he passed flight training in Georgia after he signed up...I don't think he ever flew alone. One of the timelines even says he was bumped back to flying a "two seater.

I had asked on the post if he'd ever flown his own plane and there's some comment in a book by one of his buddies in the Administration that he almost crashed a plane in a field in Texas...but it was in a book as sort of background comment on Bush.

I think he's been covering that he didn't have the guts to fly alone for years, and everyone else is helping him cover it up...but then that's just my speculation. This article just makes me believe I might have been on to something, though. :shrug:

[FirstDoNoHarm]

65. One more thing...

Does Janet Linke or legitgov.org have any memos or other documentation to help sink bush? What we need now more than ever is a set of memos that are ironclad proof that bush was coked out and didn't serve his time in the guard.

[Iceburg]

66. bush doesn't need help ... he's gone

[R Hickey]

68. Link should do a TV ad for "Texan's for Truth" - that would get attention

The "Texan's for Truth" should do a one-minute TV commercial featuring this lady, on CBS national news.

[Chomskyite]

69. Will be dismissed as heresay

Unless more people come out agreeing this was the case (what put the swift boats lies in play to me were their sheer numbers), this'll probably sink like a stone.

But if I were any kind of reporter I'd sure want to know what other sources could corroborate this. I wouldn't just stop with this one report.

[DS1]

72. He probably snapped out of a coke-addled nose-dive just before

the end of the mirror runway.

[pa28]

139. Just could not resist that mile long white line. n/t

[Carolab]

73. Also revealed in "Phony Fighter Pilot"

www.phonyfighterpilot.com

[4dsc]

85. This is good

thanks for the information!! I'll pass it on..

[rustydad]

74. Fear indeed.

It is highly likely that with his alchol and coke addled brain a few of his landings may have been close calls. The reality is that he may have saved his own life by deserting. bob

[Lisa]

76. Interesting. Especially in light of Capt. DemoTex's description ...

... a while back, of how Bush reacted during takeoff in the Enron private jet. Hope he can remind us of the details on that, since I seem to recall that the TANG "jet jockey" with hundreds of flying hours looked as apprehensive as a novice, and expressed no interest in the plane's controls at all.

By the way, I know somebody who had to give up flying after suffering psychological trauma caused by a near-crash. It can happen.

[karlrschneider]

79. I missed that one...Mac is a friend of mine and I'd like to see the post,

did you perchance bookmark it?
thanks

[Lisa]

82. it was at least a year ago

I believe it came up in the course of a thread about Ken Lay and Enron. Unfortunately I didn't bookmark it. I'm hoping that Mac himself will weigh in on this.

[karlrschneider]

83. Ah, okay, thanks...I'll email him and ask about it.

:D

[starroute]

90. I keep seeing rumors that he did crash a jet

I don't know if there's any basis to them, or if they just come out of speculation about why he stopped flying, but it would be interesting to find out.

Are there any sort of equipment records that could be gotten to with an FOIA request and that might not have been destroyed with Bush's personnel file?

[Columbia]

84. BS! This is just a distraction

We all know it was from the crack.

[Lori Price CLG]

86. Uh, why can't it be 'crack' AND 'cowardice?'

Why are people assuming it cannot be both drugs AND cowardice (and, fear of flying?)

Lori Price
http://www.legitgov.org/

[jwirr]

100. I think one reason it

cannot be is because paranoia is not another word for coward. It is a term used in psychiatry to describe a state of unreasonable fear.

[TexasProgresive]

87. A nice site defending the 111th FIG

http://www.talkingproud.us/Military022804.html

I was really trying to find the stall speed and landing speed of the F-102A. I know it's really fast. My son called the 102 a flying flat iron. BTW do the flight logs show that he logged any time in the F-102 instead of the TF-102A which was a 2 seat trainer?

[Bruce McAuley]

125. I understand those F-102 Delta Darts weren't easy to fly...

They were designed as a manned missile to intercept Soviet bombers, nothing else. So they would NOT have great flying characteristics under OTHER circumstances like maneuverability or landing. I expect they flew like tanks other than straight forward as fast as they could go.
I heard they were notorious for falling out of the sky, and tricky to fly correctly.
Not to excuse Bush's drinking, but if ever there was a jet to fear, this might have been the one.

Bruce

[tibbir]

89. This is the first time the story's been told

that makes perfect, complete sense. After seeing Bush's valiant 7 minutes of glory after 9/11 I can see him choking back then too.

[Chiyo-chichi]

91. This jibes with the Nation's report: Why Bush Left Texas

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040927&s=baker


In 1972 Bush's unit activities underwent a change that could point to a degradation of his ability to fly a fighter jet. Last week, in response to a lawsuit, the White House released to the Associated Press Bush's flight logs, which show that he abruptly shifted his emphasis in February and March 1972 from his assigned F-102A fighter jet to a two-seat T-33 training jet, from which he had graduated several years earlier, and was put back onto a flight simulator. The logs also show that on two occasions he required multiple attempts to land a one-seat fighter and a fighter simulator. This after Bush had already logged more than 200 hours in the one-seat F-102A.

Military experts say that his new, apparently downgraded and accompanied training mode, which included Bush's sometimes moving into the co-pilot's seat, can, in theory, be explained a variety of ways. He could, for example, have been training for a new position that might involve carrying student pilots. But the reality is that Bush himself has never mentioned this chapter in his life, nor has he provided a credible explanation. In addition, Bush's highly detailed Officer Effectiveness Reports make no mention of this rather dramatic change.

A White House spokesman explained to AP that the heavy training in this more elementary capacity came at a time when Bush was trying to generate more hours in anticipation of a six-month leave to work on a political campaign. But, in fact, this scenario is implausible. For one thing, Guard regulations did not permit him to log additional hours in that manner as a substitute for missing six months of duty later on. As significantly, there is no sign that Bush even considered going to work on that campaign until shortly before he departed--nor that campaign officials had any inkling at all that Bush might join them in several months' time.

[Zero Gravitas]

99. Wow very interesting!

What could account for this loss of skill?

Is it possible to have a drug and/or alcohol overdose and not die, but become neurologically impaired?

[trueblew]

103. F.L.I.P F.L.O.P

Flying Large Important Planes, Feel Lots Of Paranoia

[July]

110. Does this also account for his not making captain?

Someone here mentioned some months ago that it was unusual for Bush not to have been promoted to captain, saying that it was pretty much a matter of course for someone in his position. If that's true, perhaps he didn't make it because he was barely getting by?

[Gregorian]

94. And Kerry was probably just a bit frightened to be in Vietnam.

Bullets flying past his head.

BUT, HE TURNED AROUND AND WENT BACK INTO THOSE BULLETS, TO PICK UP AN OVERBOARD SHIPMATE. HE DIDN'T WIMP OUT, LIKE YOU DID. YOU WIMP!

Oh, I'm affraid to fly. Oh, I better go get drunk. Oh, I'm AWOL.

[Chiyo-chichi]

95. Kerry can also

land a plane!

[carols]

97. To the tune of the Yellow Rose in Texas...

There’s a yellow Bush in Texas
Who was afraid to fly
It’s hard to see the flight controls
When you’re about to cry…

There's material here folks...
Carol

[Eloriel]

98. My God, he's failed at EVERYTHING he's ever tried. Everything.

Don't miss this article, folks.

And this says it all:

Anyone else who was AWOL like that would have been in Leavenworth, and here he is president of the United States."

[Carolab]

102. Sudden Loss of Guts (SLOG)

Again referring to Webster's, a coward is someone who "lacks bravery."

The definition describes Dub-ya to a "T"--as in timid. Fear of flying, I am convinced, is the reason he quit the Texas Air National Guard and went absent without leave (AWOL). It's the only thing that makes sense to me, since being a fighter pilot like his father was a big deal in Bush's life back then. What else but SLOG would explain why he walked away from a glamorous part-time job as a supersonic F102 Delta Dagger jock, a role played in real life by Chuck Yeager?

SLOG, by the way, is an aviation acronym for "Sudden Loss Of Guts."



I first learned of Bush's possible aerophobia while reading All the Best, one of his daddy's autobiographies. In the 1999 publication, George H.W. referred to his first offspring's military service in just one place. Within a 1968 - 1969 timeframe, the former 41st U.S. president wrote, "Last weekend, our son came home leaving his frightening jet behind in Georgia."

Frightening jet? I wondered at the time.

I suspected the impression had come from Dub-ya since his father had been a WWII naval aviator who was clearly unafraid of military aircraft.

As for me, I’m an ex-USAF pilot, former Strategic Air Command (SAC) combat crewmember and retired Continental Airlines captain. I’ve flown over 16,000 hours in multiengine jet aircraft, most of it for Continental, and not once did I ever hear a cockpit crewmember say he or she had operated a "frightening" plane. Real fliers don’t think that way.

So exactly how did George W. describe his USAF flight school experience?

Just the way I had thought. On page 51 of his 1999 autobiography, A Charge to Keep (hardcopy edition), Bush admitted in regards to his primary pilot training, "I’ll never forget one of the first flights with my new instructor--a tough, gruff Georgian. I was intimidated by him. I was even more frightened when he suddenly pulled the nose up and deliberately stalled the plane."

As for the instructor “deliberately” stalling the plane--of course, he did that! Stalls aren’t accidental maneuvers and they are always briefed before each flight. But then, advance warnings don’t matter to student pilots who piss in their flight suits on takeoff.

Throughout my flying career, only one airplane came close to intimidating me: the daunting and dangerous Boeing B47 Stratojet. No way would I have volunteered to fly the six-engine bomber, but had SAC assigned me to a B47 unit, the risky duty would have suited me just fine, as it would most Air Force pilots--the ones that weren’t afraid to fly, that is.

Back in those days, pilot wannabes were screened for aerophobia before being commissioned. The scrutiny occurred at one of the service academies--such as West Point--or in college Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). To enter advanced Air Force ROTC in their third year, sophomore students had to take a written aptitude test. At my school, Texas A&M (Class of ‘56), candidates for USAF pilot training had to score above average to be accepted. I made 8 of 9, nine being the best mark.

George W. took a similar exam in the National Guard called "Air Force Officer’s Qualification Test." He scored in the bottom 25%, barely passing.

http://www.phonyfighterpilot.com/wst_page4.html

[Surf Cowboy]

112. Nothing sudden about it.

[Emillereid]

104. Georgies probably had the shakes from too much drinking!

[strizi64]

106. Bush is a big fucking whimp, LOL! n/t

.

[Mr_Spock]

108. Amazing this party could prop up such a complete failure

Dumbya has never done anything right. Anything that was successful was due to cheating or knowing the right people (BFEE killers).

Absolutely amazing.

[Octafish]

109. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!! Put her on TV.

Oops. I forgot.

This I'll never forget:

Bush is a crook and a coward.

[JCMach1]

113. Fear of Drug testing... can we add that as well

???????

[DinahMoeHum]

114. Well, ya gotta remember, he DID score in the 25th percentile. . .

on that aptitude test!

:evilgrin:

[Octafish]

119. And THAT looked like it was "whited-out."

So who knows what the real score was.

I like the part in the story where the woman says nobody knew who Bush was other than his Poppy was "in the CIA." And that was 1973, before the shmuck became head of the Agency.

[DinahMoeHum]

121. LMAO !! . . ."whited out". . . Bwahahahahaaa!!!

:evilgrin:

[Octafish]

137. True. The little turd from Crawford may've scored BELOW 25

Frank, I'm laughing, too. Please check out the document...



Source:

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/02/con04073.html

It IS funnier than heck! The guy got 50 on "Navigator Aptitude," meaning he could find his way back to the apartment drunk half the time. This card also shows the guy who can't put a verb and noun together in a sentence scoring an 85 in "verbal aptitude." Wonder what they'd give Koko the Gorilla? She knows more English. Gee. They gave him a 95 for "officer quality?" Oh yeah, pre-urine-testing days.

Well, no matter if it's rigged or not, "25" is still flunking in my book. So, the coward from Crawford also is a moron. I'd feel sorry for him if he weren't so busy destroying the world and our country.

[mad_hatter]

120. It doesn't matter.

We've got to let this go guys. The masses just don't care. It's just a distraction that's masking the true issues of this campaign. The repubs are not going to abandon the party in mass because Georgie was afraid to fly.

Time is short and if we don't stick to the issues at hand we're going to have to endure another four years of neo con rule.

[Lori Price CLG]

124. No, it does matter. Posting such information does not mean we are...

not 'sticking to the issues at hand.' We can address more than one issue, simultaneously. (The topic of Reichwing media/issue control is a separate issue.)

Lori Price
http://www.legitgov.org/

[VegasWolf]

126. Right Lori, a concept widely known as multitasking. Plus its

plain damn fun to just bash bush!!

[Lori Price CLG]

131. Any and all evidence regarding...

...the lies, crimes, mental instability, and overall terrorist tendencies of the Idiot Usurping Lying Dictatorial Weasel (Bush) needs to be brought forward. :)

Lori Price
http://www.legitgov.org/

[Thom Rafferty]

127. The Whole "Elect-ability" Thing Was Based On These Comparisons Between

the Kerry and Bush Vietnam records.

How foolish to vote for a candidate in the primaries that you don't want to be President because polls indicate he is more "electable". Are these the same polls and pundits now being disparaged on this board? Where's all that elect-ability now?

I think the primaries were fixed for Kerry so he could take a fall in the General Election. The weekend before the IOWA Caucases, Dean was lured to Plains, GA under false pretenses (to be endorsed by Carter) and Rasmussen shows up in Iowa while Dean is in Georgia? Then when Kerry wins his neighboring state the whole media declares its over? Why? Was in over in 1992 when Clinton didn't win New Hampshire?

Call me a conspiracy nut but if Kerry goes easy on Bush in the debates, it might be on purpose. I keep coming back to the Skull and Bones thing.

[Bridget Burke]

130. Kerry & Edwards are tackling the big issues.

This is just a sideline--but some fools are voting for Bush because of his "character".

And being urged to drop the matter just makes some of us think that the investigation should continue.

[Octafish]

134. Bush is a COWARD! And a COKE-WHORE!

The past four years show it.

[VegasWolf]

123. In my wild days, I flew coked up all the time --

I think that Bush is just a spineless, spoiled brat who grew up
proving his manhood by sticking firecrackers up frog's asses!

[DoYouEverWonder]

128. Were you drinking at the same time?

I think the alcohol would be a bigger problem than the coke. But both together? That's nuts.

[Bridget Burke]

129. Alcohol & coke go together real well.....

Alcohol is a downer, so it calms the nerves after too much blow. But the coke overrides the downer effect, so you can drink even more. Then, a bit more coke.... To get the full effect, tequila is recommended.

Of course, the full effect isn't felt until the next morning. Or the next afternoon.

(I never was into the lifestyle, but I had generous "friends" from time to time.)

[Lori Price CLG]

135. Freerepublic.com maggots discover the article! And...

I need a favor from a DUer who is registered to post at Freerepublic.com. One of their posters asked why I added 'sic' following the word 'president' every time the essay's author used the term 'president Bush.' The Freeper asked, "To: leadpenny --What's with all the 'President (sic)' entries? President is spelled correctly... The writer needs a grammar and syntax checker; sounds like a 5th grader wrote this."

Can someone reply to this maggot-moron on freerepublic.com and state that the 'sic' is in reference to the fact that Bush is NOT the president??? The term 'sic' applies to ANY acknowledged error(s), not just spelling.

The Freeper post is #47 on the thread. Here is URL of the thread, which discusses the essay and CLG, etc.:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1226345/posts

Thank you,
Lori Price
http://www.legitgov.org/

[todwest]

136. I Agree

Hey, you can't blame the guy. Cocaine makes you paranoid as hell.

[Pale_Rider]

138. Damn acid flashbacks and ...

... hangover tunnel vision probably did Bush in.