KENT Barbara Bush brings her wit, straight talk to KSU campus

The ex-first lady said she knows where her child is at all times.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
KENT -- Barbara Bush equates her pride in her son, President George W. Bush, to that of a parent of a child who gets an A on a test or hits a home run in a Little League game.
"George is just doing it on a national stage," the former first lady said Tuesday at the Kent State University Memorial Athletic Convocation Center.
During her nearly one-hour presentation, Bush gave her unique insights into the first family.
"He's the same boy I took to Little League and tried to get out of his bed in the morning to go to school," Bush said. "I'm the only mother in America who knows where her kid is all the time, and I know what he's doing."
Although he is often referred to simply as "W," Bush said no one in her family ever called the president by his middle initial.
"He is the warmest, funniest, sweetest man in our family. I'm the enforcer. He never raises his voice to his children or spanked them. I can't say the same," she said, as about 30 protesters, primarily students, picketed outside.
Protesting funding: Most of the protesters were there to complain about the College Republicans' receiving $60,000 from KSU for the Bush speech, including a $45,000 payment to the former first lady, whose husband, George, served one term as president.
They were also upset with the amount the school gave the committee organizing the annual May 4 commemoration of the 1970 campus shootings that killed four students. The May 4 committee wanted $18,850 and rejected the $2,500 that was offered.
"When my husband was out of office, no one showed up to yell at me," Bush said, acknowledging the protest. "It's sort of fun to be yelled at again."
KSU officials said 1,900 people paid $10 each to hear Bush, so the school made less than one-third of the money it spent on her speech. The building was set up to hold 2,500 so KSU was going to take a loss on the presentation no matter what, and making a profit was not the purpose of the event, school officials said.
Most in the audience were older, with KSU students making up a tiny fraction.
Urges involvement: Bush urged those in attendance to get involved in the political process whether it is working at the local precinct level, helping candidates or simply voting.
"All of us have a responsibility to take part in our government," she said.
Bush spoke at length about promoting literacy and parents' spending quality time with their children.
"If we don't teach our kids, they'll learn from TV shows like 'Jerry Springer' and 'South Park,' violent video games and from inappropriate Internet chat rooms," Bush said. "The way to build a stronger America is to build stronger families. Children must come first."
Bush urged parents to turn off their television sets and to talk and read to their children.
She acknowledged that she and her husband have a soft spot for A & amp;E's "Biography" TV program. As for her favorite books, the first mother enjoys romance novels and mysteries.
"I can kill you any number of ways," she said about what she's learned from mysteries.