People flooded the streets of England on Thursday in observation of Bonfire Night, also known as GuyFawkes Day. Every year, participants set off fireworks, light bonfires and walk in parades to commemorate the Gunpowder Treason of 1605, when rebel Guy Fawkes was foiled in his attempt to destroy Parliament and kill the king.
In keeping with the theme of remembrance, this Weekly Wrap reviews old news stories that reemerged with new information throughout the week.
After years of silence, former President George H. W. Bush spoke critically about some of his son’s former White House advisors in interviews with his biographer. Specifically, Mr. Bush criticized former Vice President Dick Cheney for asserting too much “hardline influence” in the Bush administration and for encouraging military force around the world. Mr. Bush said he felt his son was “responsible for empowering” Cheney, and that the former president was too aggressive in his language on several occasions, citing specifically his 2002 Inaugural Address. George W. Bush responded to his father’s comments in a prepared statement, saying, “I valued Dick’s advice, but he was one of a number of my advisers I consulted, depending on the issue.” Jeb Bush, Mr. Bush’s second son, currently on the presidential campaign trail, has yet to comment on his father’s remarks.
The biography in question, “Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush,” by Jon Meacham, will be available for purchase next week.
Throughout his campaign, republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has connected with religious voters, speaking many times to “key moments in his life” where he “has felt the hand of God.” This week, however, Carson was under fire as friends and family repeatedly debunked his stories, particularly about his troubled childhood and his religious awakening.
In his 1990 autobiography “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story,” Carson discusses being an angry young man, claiming to have succumbed to a “pathological temper,” and on several occasions stabbing, throwing rocks and committing other violent acts. Furthermore, he says he was saved by divine intervention and prayed away his anger. Those who knew Carson during that time, however, report having no memory of such behavior. One individual told CNN the person Carson claims to have been is “unrecognizable” when compared to how they remember him, and that they are skeptical about his claims. When asked to explain the inconsistencies, Carson asked reporters, “Have you ever played that party game where you whisper into the person’s ear and then they tell it, and by the time it gets all the way back around it’s a different story? That’s what we’re talking about here.”
This week in Illinois, new information was released regarding what was once Lt. Charles Gliniewicz murder investigation, but is now being called a “carefully staged suicide.” At a press conference on Wednesday, George Filenko, commander of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, announced that Gliniewicz, formerly praised for his service as a police officer and mourned as a fallen hero, has been found guilty of “extensive criminal acts.” Among other things, the lieutenant embezzled for years from a popular youth program, and was facing severe punishment, including incarceration. The investigation concluded that Gliniewicz, who suspected his impending arrest, committed suicide out of shame and fear.
Do Mr. Bush’s comments change the way you think about the Bush Administration? How do you think Ben Carson will proceed with his campaign? How does new information affect the way you view these old stories? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
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Brian Mulligan is an Intern at WordWrite Communications. He can be reached at brian.mulligan@wordwritepr.com or on Twitter, @brian_mulligan1
