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Subj: time to say "good riddance" to a ruthless, power-hungry ruler

Bush said he had a simple message for Saddam: "Good riddance." " The world is better off without you, Mr. Saddam Hussein," he added.

I can't wait to say the same in Mr. Bush's direction a year from now!

A Buzzer.

Subj: SADDAM AND BUSH BOTH SHOULD BE IN CUSTODY

My reaction to the announcement that Saddam Hussein is in custody is the same as thousands of people in America and around the world: When are they going to get George W. Bush in custody?

It's a felony to lie to Congress, and we've all grown weary of counting Bush's lies, to Congress and to the world. Like the popular bumper sticker says about this president: "Over a billion whoppers told." But unlike a previous president's harmless lying about his sex life, our soldiers are dying because of Bush's lying.

As perhaps the most horrific example of his deceit, his administration was clearly told by the intelligence community that Saddam getting uranium from Africa never happened. Yet Bush psychologically terrorized us all with that false claim to the contrary. Then Cheney and Rice went on the road with the same psy-ops con-game, dishonestly frightening people with images of "mushroom clouds" from Saddam Hussein.

Well, now just look at the powerless man-in-the-rat-hole that Bush immorally manipulated us into fearing. If Saddam had nukes or other WMD, he would have used them against our troops during the invasion in March. He had nothing, and he's been on the run with nothing.

Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell said on tape in 2002 that Saddam was "no threat." But that was before Bush's arrogant epithet was reported in Time Magazine: "F*k Saddam, we're taking him out." That was before Bush's goofy grin and stupid statement in September of last year: "This is the guy who tried to kill my dad."

I say, how dare this little thug -- who hid out from Vietnam in the National Guard and never even completed those duties -- how dare he lie to us about reasons for a pre-emptive strike, and then send our loved ones to death and destruction in a war that has had absolutely no justification!

Let's hope at Saddam's war-crimes trial it becomes crystal clear that Rumsfeld's and Bush Sr.'s deals with Saddam in the 1980's were precisely what kept Saddam in power. Bush Jr. now says "a dark and painful era is over," even though his father's deals helped create it. I join with thousands of outraged citizens in hopes that our own "dark and painful era" -- under both Bushes' monumental deceits and destructions -- will also soon be over.

from Connie's Comments http://www.conniescomments.blogspot.com/

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subj: Saddam

Dear Sirs:

Perhaps I was hearing things when Bush said on Sunday "We have captured the man who tried to kill my father."

I have always said that was the reason for the invasion in the first place. Food for thought !!

John

Subj: Bush dodged 9-11 question

QUESTION: I know you said there'll be a time for politics, but you've also said you wanted to change the tone of Washington. Howard Dean recently seemed to muse aloud whether you had advance knowledge of 9/11. Do you agree or disagree with the RNC that this kind of rhetoric borders on political hate speech?

[bush] There's time for politics. And, you know -- there's time for politics. And I -- it's an absurd insinuation.

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0312/15/se.01.html

Linda

Subj: Something fishy about Saddam story-TIME

TIME MAGAZINE HAS A DIFFERENT STORY....

Then one man on the property, apparently realizing the game was up, pointed out a bricked-in wall inside the basement of a small house on the property. Saddam is in there, he told the special forces operators from Task Force 121, who took down the farm with the aid of soldiers from the 1st Brigade of the Fourth Infantry Division. Saddam was bricked into his hiding place, he added. "They couldn’t get him out at first and had to dig, from either side of the hole," said the official. The soldiers finally made a large enough passageway to drag him out. When he came out, he looked bedraggled, said the official: "He looked like a homeless man at the bus station."

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,561472,00.html

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subj: Capture of Saddam

Sirs:

I think it is time for all of us liberals to admit a sad fact -- with rare historical exceptions (New Deal, 60's Cultural Revolution with the attendant war protests and Civil Rights struggle) this is not our country. A poignant truism was uttered in the movie "Patton" by George C. Scott in his guttural voice: "America loves a winner!" It doesn't matter whether the cause is particularly just or worth the cost because introspection and possible misgivings (which we liberals are very good at -- we, as opposed to right wingers, can admit we might be wrong) are not America's strong suit -- just kicking ass and taking names later is far more satisfying for most voters. So George, in the eyes of most Americans, has won the gunfight. I think it's time to pack our bags and learn Canadian.

Sincerely,

Glenn Hervi
Vietnam Vet and US Army (Retired), but very liberal

Subj: I Smell a Rat!

Buzz,

I have noticed something a bit strange about the coverage on the capture of the "big fish"???? as one radio propagandist put it. From the first reports Sunday and continuing today there is an odd "sameness" about the angle on this (the rove talking points I guess.)

The spin so far has been "what does this mean to the Democratic candidates?" Is that really the most important part of this story? I have heard it over and over on TV, radio, and elsewhere. "What will the Dems do now?" "Will they have to completely change their attack plan?" "This kills their momentum," etc.etc.etc.

I just had to hear el-flushbo's opening monolog to see how he would spin it. He went right to the same point in his very first sentence. He said "I expected them to also find a copy of Gore's book in that hole with Saddam." Within the next couple of sentences he said "it's now time to pull the plug on the Democratic life support system"

As always with rush I couldn't last through more than about two minutes of his childish twisting of the facts, not to mention his fully annoying arrogant blowhard nyah, nyah, nyah style. And as usual, I got the premise of the entire three hour rant in about 30 seconds.

So then it hit me! This whole caper is about Gore's endorsement of Dean. Think about this. It came within days of Gore's announcement. Just like every event that has happened, it came right when the repugs needed it most! They sure have the luck of the Irish don't they? This "capture" just put a stop to any gains the Dems could get from a build up of support for Dean.

My guess is they had Saddam on ice somewhere and Dean is scaring them enough that they felt it was time to pull him out. Look for Bin Laden and WMD's near election time. The fact that everyone is parroting the same angle is highly suspect. If this is the case, we have a VERY scary group of "evildoers" right here in our own Government. This next year is a crucial time. Someone has got to stop this stuff before it's too late!

Phil Rowland
South Pasadena, CA.

Subj: Bush Christmas Present to America

Just in time for Christmas! Bush gets Saddam.

Bush to America: "You got Saddam, now stick him under your tree" and stop your whinning.

Forget about 3 million (and counting) jobs lost. You Got Saddam.

Forget about leaving all children behind (except for the rich ones). You got Saddam.

Forget about the Medi "scare" bill that will gouge old and helpless seniors out of the "gazizal". You Got Saddam.

Forget about tax cuts to my rich friends so they can donate to my campaign. You got Saddam.

Forget about my political hacks, manipulating the numbers to make the economy appear to be reviving. You got Saddam.

Yeap. Saddam is good for America. He'll help me and my trusted hack Rove win the 2004 election. And that got to be good for America. Because I am America. Remember my motto:

"You are either with us...going to Iraq to steal their OIL and to help me, dad and our rich friends profiteer from the gazizal... or You are against Us and for the terrorist"........there is no third choice. The world has changed since 9/11....the stakes are too high." Forget what your momma and daddy taught you about right and wrong. 9/11 changed everything.

Karl is busy, working on Saddam's script right now. To be sure Saddam will "admit" to having WMD, and his "help" in planning 9/11. Saddam will get his prime time live interview on Fox...say around October 30th in 2004...he will let the world know, just what a great guy I ( Bush) was to prophetize all of this.

So stick a bow, and tie a red ribbon around Saddam and put him in your Christmas stocking....cuz you ain't getting nuttin else for Christmas.

Remember, I gave you a fake turkey for Thanksgiving. But I'm giving you a real, in the flesh, live, decrepit, old, tired and bewildered turkey for Christmas. And that got to be good for America.

May God Bless Saddam.

May God Bless America.

And may God bless my 2004 Campaign.

Greeting: From your "stolen election" president W

Esther

Subj: Bush and Co. schemes - $87+ billion, but who's counting. Pulling Saddam out of a hole - priceless.

Dear Buzz,

I keep scratching my head, trying to find any current news about Halliburton's thieves, but there aren't any. All we hear about is the breathtaking triumph of the American military that successfully pulled out a disoriented and weak man out of a hole in the ground - or rather, as we are told over and over again (with no regard for common sense), bravely captured a ruthless dictator. They've called this mission "the mother of all raids"...

Makes one wonder about the timing of the triumph du jour, doesn't it? Halliburton's machinations would be such an unpleasant topic to discuss at a Christmas dinner table; getting Saddam, on the other hand, is so much more uplifting (or so the Bushies want us to believe). This is even better than Jessica Lynch's rescue mission - and will last longer (or so the fake turkeys in Washington hope).

But as much as I revel in the absurd cultivated by the Bush's propaganda, I must say that there are limits beyond which their (unintended, to be sure) attempts at absurd become ridiculous and clumsy. See the below story about Saddam's capture as presented by our presstitutes:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Col.: Forces Were Close to Killing Saddam

Mon Dec 15, 2:51 PM ET

By ALEXANDAR VASOVIC, Associated Press Writer

(...)

Col. James Hickey, 43, also said Special Forces soldiers were seconds from pitching a hand grenade into Saddam's tiny underground refuge when the fugitive dictator's hands appeared above ground in surrender.

"He was assisted out of the hole," said Hickey, commander of the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. Saddam was armed with a pistol, but chose to surrender, identifying himself in English and asking to negotiate.

Specialist Ryan Bresher, who saw Saddam pulled out of the ground, told ABC's "Good Morning America" Saddam seem confused. "They were escorting him out, he was very disoriented," Bresher said.

(...) Hickey called it the "mother of all raids," borrowing Saddam's terminology that labeled the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites) the mother of all battles.

(...) The operation to grab Saddam —code-named Red Dawn —was aimed at two farmhouses dubbed Wolverine 1 and Wolverine 2. The fugitive dictator was caught at a third farmstead nearby.

"The most important thing was stealth and speed to shock and overwhelm the enemy," Hickey said. "We expected a bit of fight and we were ready."

As the operation progressed, Hickey was in his command vehicle coordinating movements of the 600-strong force of infantry, cavalry, Special Forces, light artillery units, helicopters and combat engineers.

"We had intelligence that there would be an underground facility ... but we expected something better constructed, not something so humble," Hickey said.

Troops from the 4th Infantry Division sealed the area while Special Forces moved into the compound, found Saddam and pulled him out of the narrow hole after his hands signaled his presence and surrender.

Soldiers that searched the farmhouse and orange and palm groves found a white cloth that covered the entrance to the hideout. It shrouded a piece of plastic foam that served as a hatch for the underground hiding place. The foam had two wire handles and was painted to look like the soil surrounding the opening.

Next to a date tree beside the hole was an exhaust pipe that served as a ventilation shaft. Drying salamis and figs were hung on the pipe to disguise it.

"I felt a great sense of accomplishment," Hickey said on Monday as he recalled the capture.

(...)

[LINK]

-------------------------------------------------------------------

A great sense of accomplishment? After using "600-strong force of infantry, cavalry, Special Forces, light artillery units, helicopters and combat engineers" to "assist" one frail, confused and willing to surrender man out of a ditch? Is this the best military in the world or what...

"The most important thing was stealth and speed to shock and overwhelm the enemy." Judging by Saddam's appearance, it worked - he seemed to be " shocked and overwhelmed," don't you think?

And, as Col. Hickey says, the US troops had "intelligence that there would be an underground facility ... but we expected something better constructed, not something so humble." Some intelligence.

You know, I grew up under the communist (so-called) regime in Eastern Europe and was brought up there on daily doses of shameless propaganda. But none of it prepared me for the US-style media manipulation, which is beyond shameless. Actually, I have not yet found an appropriate adjective to describe it - at least not one I could use in a public forum.

I'll keep searching.

A Buzzer.

Subj: Saddam & war crimes?

Hello BuzzFlash,

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/371895.html

The above article says Saddam may be offered imprisonment rather than execution for war crimes if he reveals where the non-existent WMD are.

I'm confused - what war crimes did he commit? We started this war, on false pretenses. To date there have not been any WMD found, no nuclear weapons, nothing. Or are they talking about the first Iraq war? The one where he invaded Kuwait? That would be pretty interesting to prosecute given that the evidence for that war was faked. They'd have to bring out all the documentation on where he got the chemical weapons during that time (it was from us)

I can see prosecuting him for crimes against humanity & his own people, but war crimes? Perhaps I a missing something - I must have missed that chapter in the current propaganda book

Linda

Subj: "compassionate conservative" response to the death of a Greenpeace Activist

Dear Buzzers,

Every so often I check out the postings on Free Republic, a conservative website I discovered from another Buzz reader. I was saddened to learn of the death of a Greenpeace activist in Brazil; sadder still to see some of the nasty, snarling remarks contributed by, yes, our fellow "compassionate conservative" Americans:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1040876/posts

London (dpa) - The body of a British Greenpeace activist was found in a river in Brazil's rain forest, three days after she was reported missing, Greenpeace said Monday.

An investigation is under way to determine the cause of death. Emily Craddock, 27, was last seen Friday night aboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise on the Xingu river, 2,400 kilometres north of Rio de Janeiro.

The ship was on a mission to protest against logging in the Brazilian rain forest.

The kindergarten teacher has worked for Greenpeace for four years as a radio operator. She was found close to where the ship was located on Friday night.

----------------------------------------

Check out some of these postings:

"Brain still unrecovered..."

One less contributor to global warming, several billion more to go...

Can you imagine being a kid in this babe's kindergarten class? That must be a real blast. Wheat grass juice and tofu for snack time, followed by leftist indoctrination time, and then a nap.

Some graves come pre-equiped [sic] with tap floors. I don't think this one did, we'll find out as the investigation proceeds, but some do.

I cannot comprehend the hatred and disdain some people have for the planet and for those among us who don't wish to see it trashed.

A handful of the responses, thankfully, were from human beings.

-A BuzzFlash Reader

Subj: the cost of getting Saddam.....priceless

160 thousand US troops, 500 US soldiers dead, thousands horribly maimed, 3000 dead innocent Iraqis, 20 thousand dead Iraqi soldiers, 160 billion US dollars (plus interest). What do we get? Not the guy behind 9/11, as a matter of fact, that guy has been given a new source of angry young Muslim men to recruit. Priceless, for Osama.

Lawrence Roush
Columbus, Ohio

Subj: Shirley's Letters

Hi Buzz,

I just wanted to let you know I really enjoy reading Shirley from St. Louis' letters in your mailbag. If you were to put a collection of them together and publish them, I'd definitely get a copy.

Cheers,

Bri Held
NY, NY

P.S. I plan to stock up on as many of your premiums as I can this week. They will be my Christmas present to myself. Happy Holidays -- in spite of Bush.

Subj: Best Democracy Money Can Buy

for Special Saddam Hussein BuzzFlash Mailbag

To the UK Subject,

Read Greg Palast's book 'The Best Democracy Money Can Buy' and you will understand the connection between Tony Blair and George Bush, and how alike they are.

Those of us who feel like we're going nuts making sense out of of what's in the mainstream media, at least in the U.S., may as well not even bother. The truth doesn't fit in a soundbite, and the major networks and papers, such as the NY Times, have their own ax to grind. They want a Republican administration and Congress because that's the only way they'll achieve deregulation allowing near-monopolization of media markets.

No one wants to think reputable newspapers would distort the truth to give George Bush a political advantage. No one wants to believe Bush would start a war for political and financial gain for himself and his friends. Saddam Hussein, WMD, terrorism -- a feather in Bush's cap if he roots them out, but he's done nothing to convince me that those were ever his goals. The money -- our money -- continues to flow to his cronies either way. And from them to his political coffers and back again. In tax breaks. In deregulation. In corruption. The name of the game is greed and power. And more greed for more power. The more they get, the more they want. Everything makes a lot more sense if you view Bush and Friends' actions from the standpoint of having these simple objectives. No other explanation is quite so satisfying, so fitting.

Read the book and you'll see. Tony Blair is very nearly as big a glutton as George W. Bush. It all makes perfect, hideous sense.

Cheryl
California

Subj: Two Presidents, Two Holes

Bush said, after Hussein’s capture "The world is better off without you, Mr. Saddam Hussein. And I find it very interesting that when the heat got on, you dug yourself a hole and you crawled in it."

Considering Bush’s actions on September 11, I find that statement ironic to say the least!

Gary

Wow, they found the tin horn dictator in Iraq after nine months, But they can't find the leaker who ousted a CIA operative...Let's arrest the usurper and chief squatting in the White House and his accomplice uncle Dick. We'll put these two war criminals on trial along with saddam. Hmmm a trifecta.

Mike in Pa

Subj: Saddamization of America

Dear Buzz,

Looks like we are being saddamized on a scale not seen since Michael Jackson's recent troubles. With Saddam on all news/all the time one has hardly a moment to stop and think what it all means. And that's exactly the point, isn't it.

There is nothing like the excitement of a "victory" to make the populace forget that long after Saddam is gone America will be struggling to recover from the post-traumatic stress syndrome induced by the Bush and (neo)Co. rule. Judging from the news, it seems all we need to know is that Saddam was a bad, bad, really bad man and that he will be punished. The media treat us to his biographies, generously peppered with photos of different international celebrities and luminaries who once were his friends and/or visitors. Conspicuously absent from these reminiscences are pictures of the young and perky Rumsfeld vigorously shaking hands with Saddam and looking admiringly into his eyes.

Hm. Memory loss (or, more accurately, selective amnesia) can be one of PTSD symptoms. Are we suffering from it already?

A Buzzer.

Subj: HUSSEIN - I SMELL A RAT

Does anyone else thank it is strange that Hussein was hiding in a hole near his home town?

It doesn't make sense.

He knew that Bush was coming after him. He had money and I'm sure contacts to get him out of the country. Why would anyone stick around when they knew that an army was coming after them?

A BuzzFlash fan

Subj: Bush making fun of Saddam in his hidey-hole

Mark,

Funny how Bush can taunt Saddam when Bush did the same thing on 9-11 when he fled to his Nebraska hidey-hole.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/iraq/cst-nws-bush16.html

Keep up the great work.

Chris Hainey

Subj: Saddam's Capture

I am mostly intrigued by the comment of LaHood rep. of IL on Dec. 2, 2003 that he knew he was to be captured.

Also, Why was Blair allowed to break the story in England hours before they could get Shrub before the cameras (after the talk shows). Also, weird, decision to place Powell on the operating table on Monday.

Thanks Della