andard quickie biography of the Texas governor and frontrunner for the Republican nomination in the 2000 presidential race--and useful primarily because few people outside of Texas (for that matter, few people within Texas) know much about Bush's history and political record. It's all about connections, Hatfield says: if he'd had a different father, Bush "could be just another Texan who failed in the oil business and now operates a shrimp boat in the Gulf of Mexico." The bombshell doesn't even come until a short afterword, tacked onto the already completed manuscript at the last minute, complete with a "Deep Throat" within Bush's inner circle. (Said informant throws in an almost too perfectly worded attack on the governor's hypocrisy in vigorously fighting the war on drugs: "I've known George for several years and he has never accepted youth and irresponsibility as legitimate excuses for illegal behavior--except when it comes to himself.")

Bush has denied the allegations, however, and it seems that Hatfield has a few dark secrets in his past. Shortly after the publication of Fortunate Son, The Dallas Morning News reported that Hatfield was a paroled felon who had attempted to hire a hit man to kill his boss. The online magazine Salon went on to add that he may have lied about his history as a freelance journalist and invented a fictitious award for a previous book. Throw in the skepticism of many journalists at the afterword's heavy reliance on anonymous sources, and Hatfield's credibility is in serious jeopardy. For his part, the author maintains that the paroled felon is a different James H. Hatfield, born the same month and year and living in the same part of the country, and if public records say otherwise, he argues: "Doesn't it sound a little bit weird to you that all of a sudden, the guy that's accusing potentially the next president of the United States of having his record expunged, all of a sudden miraculously has a record himself in the state of Texas?" It should perhaps be noted that among Hatfield's previous books is an unauthorized guide to The X-Files. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher Why was this book burned? What is in it that warrants censure?

Despite a spectacular thrashing in public after Fortunate Son was first released by St. Martin's Press, author J.H. Hatfield has retracted nothing. He stands by his three sources that allege Bush was arrested for cocaine possession in 1972. Underneath heavy fire in the media, the former publisher panicked. But as Jenny Lyn Bader points out in The New York Times, "If he's merely a convicted felon...that doesn't preclude him from... read more

Book Description

Fortuate Son juxtaposes Bush's accomplishments as Governor of Texas with the specters of his past, including accusations of draft-dodging Vietnam and cocaine abuse. Fortuate Son provides the full research on these and other allegations, including anti-Semitism in the Bush family and a possible connection to the BCCI Scandal. Originally published by St. Martin's Press, this bio was recalled after revelations about the author's criminal past.

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From: Kerry Hart: triknite@earthlink.net

The film. "Horns and Halos" is about the attempted suppression and burning of the book "Fortunate Son" and the fate of it's author, J. Hatfield.

The book, a critical biography of Bush, contains accounts of numerous scandalous activities including Bush going AWOL from the National guard, his selling of his stocks in Harken Oil just before the became worthless, his acquisition of the Dallas Rangers stadium for a fraction of what it cost the taxpayers to build, etc.

Shortly after taking office, the Bush administration pressured the original publisher into recalling the book from the shelves, and burning as many existing copies as possible. Fortunately another publisher has picked up on the book and continues to publish it, despite pressure from the administration.

The Author was recently found dead under somewhat dubious circumstances, He allegedly died of a drug overdose, but he had no known history of drug use.

On Wedneday, Feb 18, Cinamax will air this documentary, telling the story about the admistrations attempts to destroy both the book and it's author. Once again, the Title is "Horns and Halos". Set your VCRs, and check your local listing for the time.

kerry Hart triknite@earthlink.net

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