Just hours before the shooting.

Although neither of the pair’s injuries are at all life-threatening, this incident has rekindled the flames of a feud that started back in 1908 when Bush’s great grandfather A.J. Bush founded the baked bean juggernaut in the face of established “number one bean” Van Camp’s which started much earlier, in the 1860’s.  Ever since Bush’s Baked Beans made their debut, a bitter rivalry has existed between the two companies; a rivalry that hasn’t seen violence since the mid 1980’s when a Bush’s employee allegedly knocked out a Van Camp’s competitor at a trade show in Madison, Wisconsin. 

Since that time, an incident referred to as “The Beanevolent Blow”, the two companies have engaged in several “friendly” meetings, or “summits”, in the hopes of garnering some type of workable peace that would allow both sides to carry out business dealings without interference from the other side.  At the last such meeting in 2001, Van Camp’s and Bush’s signed the historic Crock Accord which promised to foster a new and mutually profitable future for the two beaneries, but amidst the anger and betrayal of the recent hijinx in Bloomington, the landmark treaty seems to be all but null and void.  While sporting a band-aid on his cheek as evidence of the heinous attack and standing outside of a Bloomington veterinarian’s office, Jay Bush says that he will not rest until “those beanee weenee bastards” are held to account for their actions and promises “swift and acute vengeance” will be brought to bear on Van Camp’s and anyone else involved in the failed shooting. 

Industry insiders are already speculating that perhaps Duke himself orchestrated the assassination attempt after years of fruitless frustration trying to sell Bush’s secret family recipe to the competition.  According to those who know him, Duke is one of the cleverest and most conniving dogs on the planet and “would not hesitate” to take out Jay Bush for the right price and add that he would no doubt be willing to take a bullet himself in order to shift suspicion away from his own hide and onto someone else.  Some of our readers may remember back in 1997 when it was alleged that Duke actually started the fire in Jay Bush’s home that he received much adulation for after heroically pulling the Bush family out and into the front yard at great risk to his own health and well-being.