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Subj: Jim Talent violates oath of office
Dear BuzzFlash,
While watching the US Senate debate regarding the nomination of Miguel Estrada today, Jim Talent (R-MO) attacked the function of the advise and consent of Congress. He stated that this function stripped away the powers of the President (powers never given to the Pres. by the Constitution??). I am suggesting that Senator Talent took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States and in his attack on the balance of powers on the floor of the Senate he has violated his oath of office. I have written him pointing this out and asking for a public apology and requesting that in future he faithfully honor his oath of office. I am suggesting others do the same.
senator_talent@talent.senate.gov | Talent's web site
Carol
Kirkland
WA
Subj: Iraq
Sir,
The following is a copy of an email I sent to Mr. Bush. You may consider it as being sent to you as well.
Unlike you, I am a veteran of eight years of active duty in the USAF and I wish to register, in the strongest possible terms, my opposition to your war in Iraq.
Robert
M. Sakowski
Tulsa,
OK
Subj: Bush and Governors on CSPAN
Dear BuzzFlash,
I was FURIOUS after watching the talk Bush gave to the US Governors on 2/24/03. His demeanor was condescending and speech tongue in cheek. On the subject of the economy, he blamed Congress for not getting with his program and the ACTUALLY SAID the he was upset because he felt "Congress was trying to MICROMANAGE the executive branch." What kind of a country are we living in today? But the best was yet to come. His remarks finally made it to his favorite topic...guess what? You got it...IRAQ and Saddam! After he was finished, the microphone was still on and he said "OK, 1st question...GET THE PRESS OUT" and the camera went blank.
MG in California
Subj: NO Lieberman No Gephardt
Dear Buzzers,
I think it is worth writing to the DNC at www.democrats.org and telling them that we do not want Lieberman, Gephardt or any other lap dog for George W. Bush. The reason Tom Delay got so angry with Howard Dean is that Tom Delay, the biggest piece of slime in United States history, knows Dean can get out there and destroy that GOP once and for all. We need a Democrat who is unafraid to speak his or her mind instead of these fools who are so afraid of Bush and Rush disapproving of them that they pussyfoot around and give Bush ill earned praise. Howard Dean is who I want for the next president because he has NOTHING good to say about Bush. He only says the truth about Bush and Bush is the WORST president we have ever had. If you notice how angry Dean makes the Republicans, you will notice that he has the same strength as Clinton without any of the Clinton weaknesses, although the GOP wishes Dean had those weaknesses. Look for a nasty bunch of GOP rabid dogs to go after him. Never trust a Democrat that Republicans say they like. They are foolish Democrats who sit around and contemplate where the GOP thinks the center is. Then they move to that center. Not so with Howard Dean. He is his own man and I am throwing my support 100% behind him. I am going to get a bumper sticker now from his web site. The GOP wears theirs. We should wear ours.
Hint from Helen
Subj: Bush vs. Saddam
Dear BuzzFlash,
Today I realized the difference between Bush and Saddam.
Saddam is willing to die for what he believes in, Bush is willing to let your sons and daughters die for what he believes in !!!!!!!!!!!
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subj: Stop your subscriptions to the right-wing newspapers
Dear BuzzFlash,
If the newspapers circulation dropped 50%, {all democrats cancel their subscriptions like I have}, they will stop being a propaganda machine for the bush dictator - they will go broke. The US public has the economic power to take our country back. We need to organize a date to cancel our newspaper subscription, I guarantee things will start changing THE NEXT MORNING!!!
Lets get this organized thru BuzzFlash and DO SOMETHING!!!
replace the moron
A BuzzFlash Reader
Dear BuzzFlash,
Powell is in South Korea and the DPKR fires a rocket near Japan, and the media keeps quiet.
Sincerely,
Jon Sebastian
Subj: Scabs and scratches
Dear BuzzFlash,
Someone noticed scrapes on Bush's face and wondered if he was having seizures. More than likely he has taken back to the boozing while eating pretzels, which have led to falling down episodes.
Or...Cheney is hitting him with a 2" X 4"!
Irma
Subj: Praise and a Criticism
My friends,
I want to thank you, first of all, for maintaining one of the most invigorating political websites around. I love to come to BuzzFlash to see your selection of stories, many of which I haven't found on other sites. And I enjoy your editorial tone, as shown in your editorials and in the funny and sarcastic notes with which you headline your article links. Great, valuable work!
Your link to the CBS story about the Supreme Court decision regarding the application of the RICO statutes to anti-abortion protests, however, implies that this is a bad, right-wing decision on the part of the Court. While little the court has done since its anti-democratic appointment of our new fuehrer has pleased me, this decision is in fact the correct one, and your site, with its emphasis on freedom of expression and debate, should praise it.
If the RICO statutes, (some of the most repressive and least constitutional laws on the books, at least in the pre-Patriot Act era) apply to anti-abortion protestors, then they could be equally applied to anti-war demonstrators. This decision is in fact, a victory for free speech, even, yes, the speech of those we disagree with. While I personally think anti-abortion protests outside clinics are distasteful, abusive, and just plain wrong-headed (not compassionate conservatism, that's for sure), the right of the people to protest should not be threatened by oppressive laws. What is good for the goose is good for the gander, and we are now told by the Supreme Court that we are not gangsters if we organize pickets outside Army recruitment centers, or form groups with the specific purpose of protesting Rush Limberger. (who stinks like bad cheese).
This may be a case of a good decision for the wrong reasons, but nonetheless, I would think that folks of your open-minded persuasion would be able to see that if we restrict the speech of those who disagree with us, we weaken our own rights as well.
Perhaps a better link title would have been, "why does the SCOTUS only get things right when applied to anti-choice extremists?" or something like that. Anyway, nuff said. Thanks again for all your fine work!
Ken Zimmerman
Dear BuzzFlash,
Meanwhile in Florida, 'Education Gov.' Jeb is waging a little war of his own, on the state library. Check out:
…and he's hiding his plan from the public:
a loyal BuzzFlash reader
Subj: Bush
Dear BuzzFlash,
I listened to GWB's message to the people as to why we are going to war and I think I've finally got it.
We are going to war with a country who hasn't been in a war for 12 years to show them that war isn't the way to resolve bad behavior. Now I know that the Middle East will forever be safe with a "stable" economy (in spite of the fact that we don't have a stable economy.) But the sheep will lie down with the lambs and all will be wonderful. It was such a perky little speech. Makes one wonder if he still smokes crack.
Sally McDonald
Dear BuzzFlash,
Ari Fleischer and other strange goings on
I watched it and it was obvious that he was laughed out of the room. I remember saying, back 4 years ago, to all republicans who constantly derided Bill Clinton, "your day is coming...you will see one day how it feels to be smashed to the ground and not let up, once this media starts, the will never let go!" Now, these lying republicans are finding out how it feels to make up lies about the Clintons and conspire to bring him down no matter what the truth is. And, I believe it will get worse for the Bushies. Problem is, they seem (after the "terrorist attack") to have people kissing the feet they walk on (But the media does not kiss up!).
I saw Bush today for just a minute, and his face looked as if it was sort of blotched all over. I think he hates being in front of people unless he is totally guarded by his henchmen!
I also watched the Fox set, too, with Janine Garofolo....there was no contest, although the morning dude, who thinks he is as good as Bill O'Reilly (for criminy sakes) tried to outshout her, he failed miserably! Then, who else but Sean Hannity (the other Anti-Christ) went on his show and lied more about it!
Did I lose something along the way...or is it okay to blatantly lie now for your own good? My mother, I am quite sure, told me I would burn in hell for that. But, come to think of it, I remember republicans back then, who lied all the time! So, maybe it is a Republican thing!
I still pray for the innocents and the troops in this miserable administration...they will be sent without choice.
I hope our stupid president...loses his war..or chance to go...and his nomination for this Estrada nut!
Love you all..........Shirley..........St. Louis
Subj: Thank You, Senator Murray
Dear Senator Murray:
Congratulations and thank you for resisting the Bush Administration's efforts to further impoverish our State's school systems. Specifically, I am referring to the letter you sent to Mr. Bush which can be referenced at http://www.mediawhoresonline.com/.
The audacity (and naked hypocrisy) of the Unelected Deserter to, at once, laud the Republic's service members while robbing their children is staggering.
As a veteran and Washingtonian, I remain deeply impressed by the leadership you have shown during the long crisis our Nation has suffered since late 2000.
I urge you to keep up the good work you have done representing our State.
Gratefully,
Rob Olson
Bellingham,
WA
Subj: US Public turns to Europe for News
Dear Buzz,
When I saw the headline on your site, "US public turns to Europe for news (and BuzzFlash, we might add) 2/27", I smiled. You see, a few days ago, after ABCNews.com published the article with the headline "Thousands Worldwide Protest War in Iraq" at http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030215_1291.html, I fired off a letter to them in disgust. The text of the letter is given below.
--
"Thousands Worldwide Protest War in Iraq
Hundreds of Thousands Worldwide Open Day of Rallies Against Possible Military Action in Iraq
The Associated Press
LONDON Feb. 15 - Millions of protesters many of them marching in the capitals of America's traditional allies demonstrated Saturday against possible U.S. plans to attack Iraq. In a global outpouring of anti-war sentiment, Rome claimed the biggest turnout 1 million according to police, while organizers claimed three times that figure."
What's with the downplaying of numbers in each successive line? You might as well have said, "tens of tens of tens of hundreds worldwide protest war in Iraq"! Corporate media news in America has become a joke, not trustworthy anymore. These kinds of propagandistic tactics are despicable. You should look at the U.K.'s Guardian Unlimited to see how real journalism looks. I think I'll write them a letter of appreciation now.
See ya,
NOT!
--
So, you see why I just smiled while reading the article at
http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story576.html
As always, BuzzFlash readers are ahead of the curve!
Best,
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subj: Please consider this on invading Iraq . . .
Dear BuzzFlash,
The President's speech tonight made me even more fearful for my country. The speech seemed to focus more than anything on what a great favor we will be doing the Iraqi people to bomb and invade their country. I know Saddam is a SOB, but do we really accept the notion that we care so much more about the lives of the Iraqi people, we are going to launch a "shock and awe" attack on them?
I know one can make the legitimate claim that many Iraqis are treated horribly by their government and want change, but I maintain that most Iraqis, like more Americans, care more about day-to-day concerns.
But I want to lay out a what if. Imagine everything Bush said this evening about Iraq was said by another foreign leader about the U.S. in 1850. Imagine the British government, for example, deciding that the American government was oppressing all the slaves here in North America, that it was the British obligation to depose the American "regime" and free the slaves. Would the British have been justified in invading America?
No matter how badly Saddam treats too many of his people, do we really have the right to go into Iraq?
You know I hear so many arguments about what a potential danger Iraq is to us, and I agree on that potential, but I just can't accept that this is the time to abandon our nation's history of only going to war in response to an attack.
I think it is a legitimate conservative complaint that too many countries are jealous of our success as a nation, but I think, deep down, most knowledgeable people in the world understand that our interaction with the world has been far more noble than most nations can claim. That heritage of doing the right thing, of not striking first, is something we can all be proud of. If Bush goes ahead with this attack, we will have lost that.
I fear for my country and, if we do this, I will be ashamed of my country.
Andy Rosenberg
La Verne,
CA
P.S. I am just a voice in the wilderness please feel free to use any words or thoughts contained here.
Subj: MSNBC Dumping Donahue, Hired Ultra-conservative
Dear BuzzFlash,
tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?30315
Donahue's final show will air on Friday night and for the near future, MSNBC will expand the news show "Countdown: Iraq" to two hours to fill the time.
The firing of Donahue represents a recent shift to the right politically for MSNBC. Perhaps concerned with the failure of liberal pundits in the political talk show format, MSNBC has hired ultra-conservative radio host and author Michael Savage to bring his "The Savage Nation" to the small screen. On Monday, MSNBC also announced that former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, a Texas Republican, will join the cable network as a regular contributor to provide on-air commentary and analysis.
A BuzzFlash Reader
Re: On February 26, BuzzFlash.Com Established A New One-Day Record
Dear BuzzFlash,
Congrats! This is evidence that more and more thinking people have had enough of the right wing "fair and balanced" Bush propaganda foisted on us by the alleged "mainstream media" on a daily basis. For those of us who prefer the truth as opposed to "Talking Points by Ari und Karl" we turn to you. Keep up the good work!
Dan DeLisio
Subj: Franco Phony
Dear BuzzFlash,
For breakfast I had French toast, for lunch french fries, for dinner french bread with a glass of real champagne while watching the 9 millionth showing of "La Femme Nikita" on the USA Network, of all places. On tomorrow's menu: German sausage, weinerschnitzel, frankfurter's with a glass of Russian vodka.
Eat your heart-out, Mr. Bush! A big French kiss to everyone.
Orrie Voo Ah,
Kurt Polakoff
St Petersburg,
Florida
Subj: Columbia tragedy: NASA knew or should have known
BuzzFlash:
You might consider linking to this. It's starting to look like September 11 -- with each new revelation, it becomes clearer that responsible officials knew about the serious danger to the shuttle, but did nothing to prevent the disaster.
How many of these will we have to suffer on Smirky's watch before America holds him accountable?
Just asking.
Keep up the good work.
-Doug Salzmann
E-mails foretold Columbia's doom
By Ted Bridis
ASSOCIATED PRESSWASHINGTON, Feb. 26 One day before the Columbia disaster, senior NASA engineers worried that the space shuttle's left wing might burn off and cause the deaths of the crew, describing a scenario remarkably like the one investigators believe ultimately happened. They never sent their warnings to NASA's brass.
Subj: NASA and the Defense Dept
Dear BuzzFlash,
This is strange. Were NASA officials trying not to 'burden' the defense department, and could this have been the cause of the shuttle crash?
"The e-mails make clear that shuttle program officials, in deciding to withdraw a request for Defense Department imagery, effectively overruled the Jan. 22 request of engineers in the Johnson Center's Safety, Reliability, and Quality Assurance Office"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8387-2003Feb26.html
greg
Subj: Hillary Clinton owns largest Electronic Voting machine corp in US?
Dear BuzzFlash,
Well ... it IS a Senator ... just not Hillary.
Actually Republican Senator Chuck Hagel is a founding partner in ES&S voting machine corporation.
Just wondering what the reaction would be if it was the other way around.
I haven't heard near a peep from the national US media about a Republican senator owning one of the largest voting machine companies in America.
If Hillary Clinton owned ES&S do you think there would be the same lack of coverage??
Best!
Kelley Kramer
==================
http://www.ecotalk.org/VotingMachineCompanies.htm
(be sure to scroll down just a little and see the ES&S info .. this is IMPORTANT stuff people!)
VOTING MACHINE COMPANIES:
privatizing, monopolizing, & politicizing the voting process
It appears that three companies (Election System & Software-ES&S, Diebold, and Sequoia) tabulate as much as 85 percent of the vote. These three companies, along with a handful of smaller companies, have overlapping ownership, rotating management, family relationships, and equipment usage making it difficult to separate many of the companies from each other. Most of the voting machine companies appear to be privately held, with the second largest (Sequoia) foreign-owned. Funding sources for many of these companies are nearly impossible to trace. And, in what is an obvious conflict of interest, key members of active political campaigns appear to be involved in the ownership of the voting machine business. For example, Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and his campaign treasurer, Michael R. McCarthy, have held top executive positions (and still have investments) in companies that owned the machines that counted Hagel's votes for the 1996 and 2002 elections. Lastly, a cursory review of voting machine "glitches" seem to most often (but not always) benefit Republican candidates over Democratic candidates.
MUCH more on the link ..
Subj: The Shame of MSNBC
To Whom It May Concern:
Now we know the truth about NBC and MSNBC. "Donahue" has been cancelled and the public statement indicates the cancellation was due to low ratings. The only truth in that statement is that "Donahue" lags behind Bill O'Reilly and Connie Chung.
However, the powers that be failed to tell the American public that "Donahue" is the highest rated show on MSNBC! They failed to tell the American public that "Donahue" has higher ratings than the much publicized and promoted "Hardball."
NBC and MSNBC has taken the cowardly route of dropping "Donahue" because it presented both sides of the story on the Bush push to war! Shame on you NBC and MSNBC! Shame on you!
Instead of making a difference, you have chosen to follow the path of the war mongers. Instead of providing a voice for millions of Americans, you have chosen to fall lock-step in line with the propagandized version of the media and become a FOX News clone.
What have you accomplished by taking the coward's path? You will lose me and millions of other Americans as viewers. Your ratings will fall because those who praise FOX News and watch it faithfully are not going to shift to MSNBC. At the height of a most critical time in our nation's history, you have dismayed and disgusted your loyal viewers. What a pity.
Don't ever let it be said again that there is any "liberal bias" in the media!
It is not too late to redeem yourselves! Reconsider your decision and give the viewers of "Donahue" their voice!
Rebecca Knight
See article: http://www.allyourtv.com/0203season/news/02252003donahue.html
Subj: What's Wrong with this Picture?
Dear BuzzFlash:
Let me get this straight. We have the money to buy off Turkey, to the tune of $30 billion, to defend them in the event of war with Saddam Hussein.
But we can't even come up with the $3.5 billion promised for the U.S. to defend us in our own country against perceptions of attack from Saddam Hussein, and real threats from Al Qaeda.
What's wrong with this picture?
U.S. taxpayer from Vermont
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/27/politics/27HOME.html
Hi BuzzFlash,
I'm sure you could say *Who would Mr. Rogers Bomb?* And you would hear a resounding NO ONE!
This gentle man will be missed, yet will live in memory as to what the meaning of GOOD is.
A BuzzFlash Reader and a Mr. Rogers admirer.
Subj: Patriot
Hi BuzzFlash,
Stealing of an Americans vote, or preventing an American their right to cast their vote is most UNPATRIOTIC.
Forcing Americans to fight a war that is pre-empted, is unjust, and most UNPATRIOTIC.
Fighting for the rights, and truth, for We the People, of America, and promoting peace around the world, and protesting for the honor, rights and lives, of all peoples, this is MOST PATRIOTIC. These are TRUE American Patriots.
A loyal BuzzFlash Reader
Subj: War is Peace
Dear BuzzFlash,
Please mention today's (2/27/03) news of Bush's speech last night. The New York Times's headline is "Bush Says Ousting Hussein Could Aid Peace in Mideast." AOL has a similar headline. We are truly through the looking glass. It's official: War is Peace. How do they say it with a straight face?
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subj: Smirking Through Armageddon
Dear Buzz:
How many world leaders smirk when threatening another country with war like Bush did throughout his speech last night? Dubya has all the gravitas of a schoolboy breaking wind in church. No wonder so many countries look on Washington with disdain.
CR
RE: Ari Gets Laughed Out of Press Room
Dear BuzzFlash,
You know that the press corps will pay out the nose for this, thanks to the Bush "administration"'s petty vindictiveness which Fleischer personifies.
But that is actually the GOOD part about all of this--because the media whores are the one that set Bush and Ari up into the position where they could continue to lie and get away with it. That Ari continues to lie to them is the press's fault, and no one else's. They could have nipped this in the bud--if they had for one second treated the Bush "administration" like they would have any other administration they had covered, and called them on their lies and bullshit.
I hope the press gets the full wrath of the Bush "administration." Since WE can't let the media whores have it, I'll consider, in this one instance, Bush Jr will actually be doing something that I approve of.
--Celeste Harrison Whitlow
Subj: Kurds Betrayed . . . Again
Dear BuzzFlash,
The Washington Post story, "U.S. would Limit Action by Kurds In Postwar Iraq" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8113-2003Feb26.html, is the Bush Administration's first tentative steps in leading the U.S. military into a Viet Nam-like quagmire.
The Kurdish people suffered at the hands of The Iraqi Republican Guards at the conclusion of the 1991 Gulf War. So when Dim Son waves the bloody-shirt about Saddam gassing his own people he is referring to the Kurds. What he always neglects to say is that, after inciting rebellion, Bush The Elder refused them assistance to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
The Kurdish people trusted a Bush then, why should they trust a Bush now?
Bob Jewett
Subj: Fasting for Dubya
Dear BuzzFlash...
The "Fasting for Dubya" site is not only real--it's surreal. I did a piece on it for Democratic Underground on 9 January (http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/03/01/09_fasting.html). The URL in my article differs from the one that you posted in that it takes you directly to the sign-up form (http://www.heartlight.org/fast/signup.html). The really neat thing is that once you have signed up, you will be assigned a day to pray and to fast. If you have other things to do on that day, you have to let your "controller" know at fast4georgew@heartlight.org -- so he can assign another nodwell to that task...
What these fools don't realize is that most thinking people -- at home and abroad -- are desperately praying for Dubbie every minute of every day...to be muzzled, contained, impeached, tarred-and-feathered....It's easy to fast for the Dubster, too, as the very thought of him ruins the appetites of most patriotic Americans...
I have included my DU piece if you'd like to publish it. Thanks.
Sheila Samples
Fasting for Dubya
http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/03/01/09_fasting.html
Subj: New Name for the GHP
Dear BuzzFlash,
As I watch our deficit skyrocket, I wonder if perhaps GDP, Grand Deficit Party is not appropriate. Of course, the deficit is just another example of their hypocrisy.
After years of blaming the 'Tax and Spend liberals' for the deficits that Reagan ran up, they will now have to take responsibility for their own actions (not that they have the integrity to do that publicly). At least the American People may actually recognize who is responsible this time.
Another name for the 'Spend and Spend Conservatives' my actually be GBP, the Grand Bankruptcy Party.
Bill Martin
Subj: Florida's Senator Bill Nelson
Dear BuzzFlash,
I'm so disgusted with Florida Senator Bill Nelson for backing Estrada, I looked up his toll free number, so I could call and leave word to him that with Democrats like him, who needs Republicans.
It felt good knowing that I was calling and insulting the SOB on his dime, and thought other BuzzFlashers might enjoy doing the same, so here's his number, call away!
Sen. Bob
Nelson
1-888-671-4091
A Concerned Citizen
