BuzzFlash presents Barbara's
Daily BuzzFlash Minute
exclusively on BuzzFlash.com
A collection of insightful ruminations, reflections, and rants on the events of the day (with the exception of the weekend). Come visit each weekday to see what's pushing Barbara's buttons.
November 11, 2005
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Another week, worse than the last---we’ve gotten news of the use of chemical weapons of mass destruction and the horrific deaths of innocent people resulting from this heinous act, not by Saddam Hussein or the terrorists, but by our own military! This week brought news of more terrorist attacks resulting in the deaths of more and more innocent people, while Osama is still at large. We’ve heard about even more “detainees” subjected to torture and abuse in prisons other than “tropical paradises”! We’ve seen a man accused of spying for Iran welcomed with open arms and hearty hand-shakes by the Washington elite. We’ve witnessed a Repuglican Senate Leader state he is “not concerned about what goes on behind prison walls” where torture and abuse is occurring in the name of the American people. We’ve been witness to proposed budget cuts that affect the disabled and the poorest among us, we’ve seen the hope and promise of educating our children ebb away, we’ve watched the bank accounts of oil men overflow while emptying the pockets of our citizenry, we’ve seen a president whose diplomatic skills ended at the borders of our country while the numbers of those who hate us around the world is on the rise, we’ve been subjected to a triumphant speech, over our airways, in front of a group of infamous lawyers by a man named Karl who has admittedly discussed the name of a CIA covert agent with reporters in an attempt to cover previous lies he told and that is but a snippet of the bad news that plagues us this week! The “good news”---the Democrats won 2 hard fought races for governor, and Auhnuld lost the vote for all 4 of his political initiatives. Hey, it’s a beginning!
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“Alito explained his participation in the case as “an oversight”! How in the world does one forget the fact he has hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in a company that has a law suit pending against it? Do we really need a Supreme Court Justice who is either downright unethical, when considering his personal finances involved in a case before the courts, or, even worse, has a substantial problem with memory? Of course for me, the fact Alito was nominated by Bush, himself a liar and a cheat, to serve as a Supreme Court Justice, is enough to reject this nomination! This whole process has been a rather revealing representation of the dark side of some people’s “Christian” values!
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Bill Frist says he’s “not concerned about what goes on behind prison walls”---he’s just concerned with “leaks of information that jeopardize your safety and security-period”! Whose safety and security is really at jeopardy here---seems to me the Repuglicans are the ones at risk because they failed in their duty to oversee the business of the American people. Torture and abuse is not an acceptable way to conduct the people’s business, it is against the law both legally and morally. When the Congress refuses to do their duty, when they choose “not to be concerned” and to look the other way, when they fail to hold America’s leadership accountable for crimes committed in the name of the people, someone has to carry the banner, and that someone was brave enough to let us know what is really going on behind prison walls! Get off your pious self-righteous indignation, Mr. Doctor Frist, and do the job you are supposed to do for the people of this country!
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A sobering moment of clarity on CNN’s Situation Room yesterday, spur of the moment advice from Jack Cafferty that America would be well advised to support. While commenting on another one of Pat Robertson’s insane statements, Cafferty had this to say: “You know, they’re going to just throw a net over him one day and take him away. What was the last Looney Tune he came up with? Somebody ought to go---was it down to Venezuela and assassinate Chavez?” The “net” is long overdue and should include a full round up of those who would arrogantly presume to tell the world exactly what God would do in any given situation!
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Separation of church and state is one of the most important tenets of the Constitution, and one I support absolutely, but the thought occurred to me while mulling over Judge Roy Moore’s predicament with that tonnage of granite he was responsible for creating. Rather than ethics classes by those who would continue business as usual, perhaps Roy Moore might offer up those Ten Commandments written in granite for purposes of display in, say, the Oval Office, with emphasis on Thou Shalt Not Kill, Thou Shalt Not Lie, Thou Shalt Not Steal, Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods. Maybe, just maybe in that place, in this time, it would best serve as a reminder for those who really need a refresher the most!
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