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Barbara's Daily BuzzFlash Minute

WELCOME to Barbara's Daily BuzzFlash Minute, a collection of insightful ruminations, reflections, and rants on the events of the day (with the exception of the weekend). A regular contributor to our Mailbag, we've elevated Barbara to her own BuzzFlash page. We'll collect a week's worth here and then archive them. Come visit each weekday to see what's pushing Barbara's buttons.

March 22, 2002

The Repugs will do anything and everything they can to block any investigation of Enron! They've gotten the word that skeletons in the closet will rattle loud enough to be heard. Partisan or not, there were millions of people hurt financially, and otherwise, by Enron and Enron's political buddies. Those hurt, and the rest of this country, have a right to know the depth of deception that exists between corporations and politics. There was no hesitation when the Repugs suspected there might be a story in some 20-year-old podunk land deal. Their stated desire was the "truth," and nothing but the truth! So today, when the truth is as bold as the nose on your face, we want the truth, and all of the truth, about Enron. We want to know who in politics was involved in bilking people out of their life savings, where the real crimes were committed and by whom, how a casual friendship that "wasn't much" influenced public policy and who profited from it, and we want to see if justice in this country can prevail. We don't want any more secrecy in government that favors a select few or a repeat of Enron in the future.

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Let me get this straight -- Bush says your personal medical records can be released without a signed consent, but his administration can keep secret the names of "advisers" on the energy task force. Sounds, again, like a double-standard. The "little people" don't have the right to privacy regarding their most intimate information, but Bush can keep secret anything he does, even if it effects the people. Somehow, it's beginning to sound, more and more, like democracy is not a consideration in the Bush administration.

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Tribunals are only another example of Bush's inflated view of himself. To be the "final" approval of life or death is certainly grandiosity at its most vile extreme. I've always believed that the founding fathers came to America to escape this was the kind of "law." Our justice system was founded on a review of guilt or innocence by our peers, not a single person dishing out retribution at a whim. I pray that we will not tolerate this kind of justice -- legal vigilantes! How far do we have to slide before people begin to realize the folly? Are we caught up in a Caesar-like debacle?

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The arrogance of Enron sending garbage to the California prosecutors is absolutely intolerable. I guess they believe they are immune, now that the Bush DOJ has decided to prosecute Anderson for the crimes of Enron. Don't think for one minute the Bush administration isn't "helping" Enron. If the Bushies really wanted justice, don't you think they would prosecute those who really committed the crime? But then, Ken Lay learned the lesson of arrogance from the best, GW the boy wonder, and it seems that Kenny boy doesn't have a worry in the world. Even if the DOJ decides to serve justice, Kenny boy can always look forward to a presidential pardon, as in shades of the father.

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In listening to Rummie and the military tell us how fair the tribunals are going to be, all the time put into making them a fair process, and that the detainees will be presumed innocent, all I can say is "yeah, right, that's why they are locked in cages surrounded by barbed wire, with armed guards, being interrogated." Don't get me wrong, if any one of these guys is guilty of the crimes they've been alleged to have committed, then yes, they should be prosecuted. But, it must be prosecution in an open court, following the rules of the law, and adhering to the foundation of the law in the U.S. In listening to the pundits debate all of this today, a question came up: "Why shouldn't we trust the government or our military? They have our well being at heart." Because the government and the military can make mistakes, no matter how good the intention! Plain and simple, mistakes can be made -- just ask those Afghans who were considered collateral damage and were mistakenly killed in the war on terrorism; the women and children who were in the wrong place at the wrong time that we are now so sorry that mistakes were made and our government, our military, killed the wrong people. The point being, no one, not the government, not the military, not Bush, not Rumsfeld, not the Repugs, is perfect. They are quite capable of making mistakes. My preference would be to be absolutely certain that when the terrorists are prosecuted, the right people have been sentenced, not someone mistakenly sent to prison while, perhaps, the real terrorists are still out there running around waiting for an opportunity to strike again. I want to know for sure these are the guilty guys and they are in jail for a long time and no mistakes were made in putting them there. Our legal system works, it has for a long time, and it's ridiculous to make a change now when we need it the most.

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March 21, 2002

Boy, have times changed, in just over a year. The world welcomed President Clinton with open arms, flowers, and cheers. The world is welcoming Bush with car bombs, protests, and jeers. Don't you think this should tell somebody something? The press in the U.S. may be able to hide the dissent happening at home, protesters may be relegated to "protest zones" miles away, Bush appearances may be audiences "by invite only," but when Bush ventures out of our borders, the foreign press and the people let it be known what they really think of President Jerk. And that is hard to cover up!

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Excerpts from an article by Mark Helm from smh.com.au: "'Lying to the public is all right,' says Washington's chief lawyer. 'It's easy to imagine an infinite number of situations where the government might legitimately give out false information,' the Solicitor-General, Theodore Olson, told the court on Monday.

Lying has become so necessary to promote an agenda for the conservatives, they now attempt to justify it in front of the Supreme Court. If the courts find in favor of Olson, then this country, for sure, has taken a nose dive into the hell they have created. I believe the intent of the conservatives is to lie, because they know that to stay in power they must lie to the public. The truth will reveal them for what they are: inept, power-seeking, tyrannical boobs with an agenda that benefits only the rich in America. They aren't satisfied with just stealing (theft of an election), they now want to justifiably lie to the citizens of this country. It's beginning to sound more and more like a coup d'état. The next thing you'll hear is that Bush needs to remain president and we don't need an election because of the war on terrorism. Then bin Laden will surely have won, because we will be living under a regime rather than a government. It's looking more and more like the Taliban with every passing day and every cockamamie new policy by the Bushies.

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Just think: If the Repugs and the money behind them had put all that energy into a terrorist investigation, wouldn't it have benefited America more than a Clinton scandal that wasn't? Amazing, isn't it, that the taxpayers had to fund a hate-filled campaign, on top of the millions spent out of pocket! Had the Repugs spent those same funds investigating terrorism, perhaps "intelligence" would not have failed America. As we've learned, seventy million could have bought a lot of snitches, with better info.

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Only Bush and his unilateral brain could have come up with "The Office of Homeland Security," giving them lots and lots of funds, no power, and what he believes is a method to maintain secrecy about what he's doing! Just think about it -- a club that really can't do much, but has a lot of money, no oversight, no direction, and he's in charge! Again, at the expense of sounding redundant, Bush is stuck somewhere around 10-years-old in the brain department. Next thing you know, he'll be ordering up Dick Tracy rings for Tom Ridge and himself in order to identify those who belong . . . maybe even have a pledge to make it important. They already have a "color code." Do you suppose there will ever be any instruction to go along with the colors?

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The conservative side of the aisle believes the "rules" only apply to President Clinton and the Democrats. They believe they can make and break all rules because they are above morality and the law. It's ironic, isn't it, that Ted Olson was out there during the Clinton smears harping on "it's all about the truth" and how the conservatives only wanted the "truth." Now he's arguing to the shameless Supremes how it's okay to lie! Go figure the logic! Then their is GW who wants a law to make corporate execs report dumping stock within two days, when he himself took several months! Then comes Ari "noting" any reporter who asks a question he doesn't like or writes news not generated by Ari, while Ari feels free to stand up there everyday and tell less than the truth. And dear old Trent, he has the audacity to criticize Tom Daschle for things that Trent did and Tom did not! My mother once told me that there's a thing called a double-standard, and it's my opinion the conservatives know how to practice it better than all others. Their mantra is "my way or the highway and if you don't we'll get even." They've become so used to the Bushies, they've underestimated the intelligence of the American people -- people who were able to discern what the right-wingers tried to do to Bill Clinton and are capable of discerning that same double-standard now being practiced.

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Trent Lott is as buffoonish as that guy in the White House. All the world can see how childish he is acting. If he's not careful, someone will reach up and snatch that toupee off his head and reveal the fact that there is little, if no, brain underneath. If I can't have my way, then I'll make you pay -- a stage he should have outgrown preteen. I really do think the "tone" in Washington needs changing, and the best way to start is to send all these pubescent old codgers back to wherever they belong! With this mindset, we know they don't belong in Washington making laws!

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March 20, 2002

An excerpt from Reuters via Netscape entitiled "Indian comic strip spoofs US President George Bush": "In either case, today Dubyaman is no longer an individual but a state of mind: a combination of arrogance, ignorance and intolerance." The very best description thus far! No need to comment further! The only thing to add is how do we get a link so that we can enjoy this comic strip too?

[BuzzFlash Note: How about this?]

* * *

I just wonder who's pockets will end up with Bush's new proposal of twenty billion dollars for emergency spending? It seems that they want to spend more and more and the people will benefit less and less. Is this any way to run a government? I suppose if you are Repuglican, it's a resounding yes, but if you are a sane person who thinks about what we are doing, it would give you pause to say no or even maybe and I need some information. Questions need answers in this time of fear and confusion. I don't see or hear anything but tax cuts, spending, and benefit cuts, with color-coded answers that don't make sense.

* * *

In reading the article "U.S. Concludes Al Queda Lacked a Chemical or Biological Stockpile," by David Johnston and James Risen, it gave me pause to wonder -- if top officials in this administration are saying "they could still be out there," just how long will it take them to find the "evidence"? Then, due to Ted Olson's reasoning, this could be a "situation that the government might legitimately give out false information," I wonder if we could trust that evidence!? So much confusion has been created that the people in this country don't have a clue. Congress must stand up and be recognized as having a significant part in the governing arm of our country. We cannot allow people who would "legitimately give out false information" to continue without oversight. We cannot allow the questioners to be "noted." The people's voices need a hearing!

* * *

I wonder if it's going to take more than icebergs to convince the Bushies that global warming is a fact and that the whole world needs to wake up? I do think that massive flooding might go a ways to giving them a small clue. Believe me, I take notice when an iceberg the size of Rhode Island becomes a free floating weapon of mass destruction. Do you ever think the Bush administration has their priorities mixed up? Or do you suppose that because of the lack of intelligence they can only focus on one thing at a time in a world with a myriad of problems? Oh, for a president who could assimilate information and do more than one thing at a time, someone who could attend to all the problems facing America, even under the most extreme personal attack. There was a time when we could count on peace and prosperity and security, and that was only a year and a half ago!

* * *

In response to B.J. Corden MD, in the Mailbag: I took 2 quotes, among many from an article printed by the NYT, from Doctors who are denying service for elderly patients on Medicare and patients who will be on Medicare in the near future. This was not something dreamed up for the moment. I do think denial of services is abominable. Medicare patients are hard-pressed to find physicians who will take them for treatment. There are waiting lists for patients on Medicare for preventive medical services and they are treated, in some instances, like charity cases. I too, have worked long hours doing hard work in the medical profession, for little money. I know what that can be. I still believe if Doctors nation wide are refusing care because Medicare doesn't pay them enough, then the Doctors should take it up with the government, not take it out on the patients. You are to be commended for your efforts in caring for children on Medicaid, and if the reimbursement isn't sufficient I suggest you contact the AMA and ask them to begin to look into this matter. Doctors have as much right to question the governments lack of support as anyone else.

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March 19, 2002

The excuse that "Congress funds pet projects," thrown out there by Ari Fleischer, is ludicrous. The truth is this administration wants to run this country on their own without oversight or investigation into anything they do. They want free reign to operate in whatever way they chose. They have used "a war on terrorism" to cover every action they've taken to undermine democracy in America. They stole an election, they stole the taxpayers money (camouflaged as a tax cut), they are funding huge corporations, they are funding arms dealers and now they are attempting to silence any effort into the hows and whys of their actions. They would like to undermine democracy in America. Their attempts at rationalization and justification are becoming more and more comical everyday.

* * *

Is the Bush policy regarding nuclear weapons a stance to encourage other countries to build their nuclear arsenal, thus giving the U.S. reason to build a "missile defense" system? I hate to believe that nuclear weapons, which create devastating destruction, are the basis for some people in this country to profit under the guise of defense. Will they stop at nothing to increase their bank accounts? Will they put the whole world in jeopardy to profit? Is money the basis for this terrible ploy? Are we to worry over our future and our children's future, just so some fat cats can get even fatter?

* * *

In reading Bill Moyers commentary, "On the Domestic War Against Terrorism," I am reminded their are some sane voices that still exist in mainstream media. For this I am thankful. His simple eloquence is the voice of sanity, in a world that seems to have lost all signs of common sense. We are reminded that their are people who believe that values based in democracy are the only values we should aspire to. Anything more or less would be allowing that which the terrorists sought. Fear cannot be the basis for tyranny. We must insist that democracy remain supreme. We must stand for civil rights, we must allow disagreement, we must demand information that will lead to debate, we must debate, and we must insist that those who are in the position of leadership remember they are there to benefit all the people, not just the conservatives with a conservative agenda.

* * *

For the life of me, I cannot understand how in the world the conservatives in this country can complain about public education and how it has failed our children! All one has to do is look to their choice for President! It's OK that he does not have a command of the English language; it's OK he does not have the ability to absorb and assimilate information; it's OK that someone else must write his speeches and he doesn't do a great job of reading what's written; it's OK that he has limited knowledge of world affairs; it's OK that he has a tendency to repeat and repeat the same phrases over and over; it's OK that he has to delegate everything; and it's OK that uhs, ohs, and ers are a major part of his conversation. I really think that when it's OK to idolize someone like this, then conservatives have lost the right to criticize. I truly don't believe we have underestimated the man. Instead, we have underestimated the tactics, the power, and the misguided determination of the conservatives, mainstream media, and the fanatics in our country.

* * *

Trent Lott is blocking the funding for an investigation by the Senate into HOW DID 9-11 HAPPEN! He has been looking for reasons to justify blocking this investigation and now thinks he's found it. But folks, it's called CYA -- the conservative side of the aisle does not want you to know what this investigation will reveal regarding those on the right. The Bush administration has asked that the Congress NOT conduct this investigation. Why? They do not want the public to find out the truth about where the intelligence failed. They do not want you to know how the intelligence failed. They do not want you, the public, to know who was actually responsible for that failure. I, for one, support an investigation into policies that may have been complicit in the events of 9-11. We deserve a thorough investigation and we deserve an effort to keep this horror and terror from ever happening again. It is against national security to attempt to thwart an investigation. It is against the well-being of the people in America. It is a ridiculous invasion into national security. It must not be allowed. Americans need to know how it was possible that terrorists were able to invade this country. If we expect "Homeland Security" to be effective, then we need to investigate how 9-11 happened, and Trent Lott should be overruled.

* * *

March 18, 2002

Just read BuzzFlash link to The Progressive article "McCarthyism Watch." Can't help but recall Bush's remarks, "you're either with us or agin us," and that means everyone, not just the terrorists! Why do you think there are now gray areas regarding civil rights? Why do you think "protesters" are shipped to areas out of sight to protest? Why do you think that mainstream media reports only what they are told to report by the White House? Why do you think the DOJ and police nationwide can tap into your phone calls? Why do you think the FBI is allowed to monitor email? The terrorists aren't the only ones the Bushies want to eliminate -- they want to silence those voices who disagree with their policies! The conservatives in this country want to reign supreme and they will stop at nothing to attain their goals. They won't stop with defaming Bill Clinton, Tom Daschle, or any liberal who doesn't tow the line they've thrown out. Remember "you're either with us or agin us." I believe he meant just that! The problem here is that Americans seem to think it's meant for someone else, until they get caught in the injustice. Then and only then do they realize what is really happening to democracy in America.

* * *

If Tom Ridge is given the right to spend taxpayer money, then he must be open to taxpayer scrutiny! We, the citizenry of America, are represented by Congress, and Congress has the right to question how this money is being spent, what the plans are for our protection, and when can we expect results. A color code without instruction is not the answer to security. We have a right to expect oversight into our security. This administration personalizes government as a tool for their well being, rather than an instrument for the well being of the people. That's a somewhat twisted view of what government is all about. The tone has changed in Washington under the Bushes -- it has become of the Bushes, by the Bushes and for the Bushes. This is their interpretation of the Constitution.

* * *

It's really comical that Karl Rove and the Repuglicans seek to politicize a war by stating the Repuglican party and the Bush administration know how to fight a war. The implication here is that the Democrats don't. Excuse me but President Clinton waged war on the atrocities committed in Kosovo and won! The Repuglicans were very verbal in their condemnation of Clinton and his ability, I seem to remember all that right-wing rhetoric regarding war cannot be won in the air alone, we need troops on the ground, he doesn't know what he's doing, we are opening a can of worms, etc., etc., etc. coming from those same Repuglicans!

As we look back, America did not suffer any casualties, we did win a war using air attacks only, a fledgling democratic government has replaced a tyrannical regime, and Milosevic is now being tried for his crimes against humanity in the Hague! And it was all done in a relatively short time aligned with NATO! There was a common goal and we won!!!!

Comparing that war with Desert Storm, waged in the best Repuglican form, we suffered casualties, we didn't finish, and Saddam is still a threat! Comparing it to our current war on terrorism, we are told this will go on for years, we have had casualties, we haven't achieved containing the Taliban or al-Qaida, "pockets" of resistance still exist and seem to be eternal and illusive, and Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar are still at large, while we are being told they are irrelevant.

We have opened numerous new fronts, our coalition is questionable, our policies are being questioned worldwide, and the American people are not being informed of what's going on or about the status of the war. All we are being told is that it will last for years, we need to fear terror in our own country, and nuclear weapons will probably be necessary! We have seen biological weapons being used right here in America, with the belief that it is domestic terrorism and no one has been arrested for this piece of terrorism.

Go Karl go, yes sirree, the Repuglicans really know how to run a war. But, you know, I believe the Democrats have proven to have a better and saner strategy for winning!

* * *

Doesn't the fact that the Bush administration now feels bin Laden is no longer relevant to consider victory in the war on terrorism, and the fact that the anthrax "sender" who is probably home grown has not been caught, give anyone pause for consideration that this administration is now proposing expanding this war on terrorism to Iraq? Are we so eager to "almost win," as in Desert Storm, that we are willing to plow ahead willy-nilly into war, any war, just for the sake of waging war? Thus far I would say THE SON IS REPEATING THE MISTAKES OF THE FATHER, declaring victory without a finish and that is a mistake. A mistake that could prove costly in the future. We aren't playing a board game here, we are talking about lives, not inanimate chess pieces to be moved around. We in America and humanity world wide deserve more and better than what we are getting from Bush and his administration. We also deserve the TRUTH.

* * *

Two statements taken from an article in the New York Times on Health by Robert Pear, "Dr. Conrad L. Flick, 39, of Raleigh, N.C., said: 'We don't take new Medicare patients. We want to, but as a business, we really can't afford to,'" and Dr. Robert L. Hogue, 51, president-elect of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, said: 'I have a hard and fast rule. I don't take any new Medicare patients. In fact, I don't take any new patients over the age of 60 because they will be on Medicare in the next five years.'"

While medicine has long been accepted as a profession, we all know it has become a business, and a big business, a profitable business that is overruling the need for their service. To refuse the elderly in our population is abominable. We are fast becoming a third world country, at the expense of those most in need, right here in the U.S. Has money truly become a sane reasoning for denying care to the elderly and underprivileged in this country? I agree, to expect a fair fee for service is certainly a premise to respect. But, to deny service because there isn't enough money in it to take care of people who are in need is despicable and the medical profession should be ashamed of themselves.

* * *

I don't believe money is the root of all evil! I've seen to many wonderful things that those who have money have been able to do with a generous heart and that money! Children have been fed, education is an attainable goal for those who don't have the money personally, and many good things have been done with money. Their were many openhearted, generous citizens who gave of their time and money to aide the victims of 9-11. Money can be a blessing.

I do believe greed and the lust for power and money is evil. I watched an interview with David Brock regarding his book "Blinded By The Right," and that only supported my opinion. Money -- lots of money -- went into the effort to defame and ridicule people who did not deserve the attacks. Journalists, mainstream media reporters, lawyers, politicians, and many others were joined together in their lust for power and money. Their hatred was obvious. This is greed at it's utmost.

Conservatives are hard pressed to admit their complicity in maintaining an aura of scandal and lies, the likes of which we have never seen before. But, we all know what they did. Lawyers presented what they claimed as the law, without telling you it was their twisted opinion of the law and didn't tell you their opinion was questionable. Journalists wrote opinions that could not be, or were not verified, that also twisted the facts. Media reporters rushed to "Get me on the air" to report "breaking news" that only fed the flames of scandal, not relevant reporting! Politicians perpetuated the swirling hatred and untruths with a vehement self-righteous diatribe, that didn't serve the truth or benefit the public.

So you see, greed and lust for power and money are truly the evil doers in our society today and there was a concerted, organized effort by the conservatives to bring havoc on a presidency and those associated with that presidency and even some who weren't.

Every reporter and journalist, lawyer, and politician who ever ridiculed Mrs. Clinton when she proclaimed a "vast right wing conspiracy" should apologize for the unnecessary pain they caused in their effort to seek the power and money they were so hungry for.

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