[HARDCORE]

?Don?t fart, lest ye be chastised!?

?When one runs for public office, even the family dog is apparently put under extreme scrutiny!? It happened when Governor Jeb Bush?s (R) daughter was in trouble for drugs, and it is happening again, now that Howard Dean?s (D) son is accused of absconding with a little grog (booze) from a local country club!

?Get real?, Republican or Democrat, the guy (or gal) running for office can not be held accountable for each and every unfortunate action of a family member!

The accusation here entails the theft of liquor by a 17-year-old, who will now be charged as an adult! Hey, maybe it wasn?t right or smart, but for gosh sakes, you can not fault a man for every screw-up of an adolescent family member! This is a family problem, and it hardly ranks up there with Benedict Arnold or Watergate! And just as George and Jeb could not be faulted for the lack of wisdom of a sibling, so too, should Howard Dean be given a little slack during this non- political issue!

?Hell, I hear tell where even President Grant occasionally liberated a little booze that happened to fall within his reach!?

?There is more than enough political intrigue floating around, without making the foolish actions of a mere kid an election issue!? (opinion)

VERITAS