 |
|||||
|
December 22, 2003 |
|||||
Important Note: Because we can't always determine your intentions, we need to ask a favor of you when you send us email. If you DO NOT WANT YOUR EMAIL PUBLISHED in the Mailbag or in the Contributors section, please write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the Subject line or at the top of your email. That way we'll know it's just a comment to BuzzFlash. Additionally, if you submit a mailbag item and DO NOT WANT YOUR NAME associated with your submission, sign your email, "A BuzzFlash Reader." If you send email unsigned, we will post your name with your submission, or, if that's not available, your email name (not the full address, just what's on the left side of the email address). Please try and keep your word count under 400. We can only post a small percentage of what is sent to us. The opinions expressed in the Mailbag are not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. Thanks again for your email and your patience.
Subj: Help the Troops? Buzz: I just heard an announcer on local TV asking viewers to bring $25.00 donations to help our downtrodden troops. What was the $87 billion all about that tax payers will have to pay ? With Halliburton over-charging and Dubya's bragging ( bring 'em on), shouldn't the troops have all that they need? Rest assured the yahoos who support this war will continue their Holiday shopping and won't send a dime! D.Turner Dear Buzzers, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/18/opinion/18FRIE.html See above editorial by Thomas Friedman, still apparently at war with France.
BARF!! Will this guy ever give up? Yeah, it is true that Tony Blair has risked his political career by following Bush into a war with Iraq, but to say the same of George W. Bush borders on the absurd. Sure, it may end up ruining his presidency (one can only hope), but not because he intended to take any risks - he's way to arrogant to think that he could make a wrong decision. Perhaps if he were to, let's say, break from the extreme right wing of his party which he works so hard to appease at the expense of ordinary Americans, you could say he was risking his career. He might also try telling the truth once in a while. That would be a tremendous risk. Going to war based on proven lies, backed up by a compliant, unquestioning, loyal, corporate-backed, cheerleader media is not risking your career. George Bush did exactly what Thomas Friedman accuses Jacques Chirac of doing - stretching the truth to advance his own political career. Everything he does is to advance his political agenda - which is nothing more than to be re-elected and carry on with the demise of our democracy. If that's not so, then can Thomas Friedman explain to me why every decision the Bush administration makes seems to follow a strict schedule - one that coincides with the 2004 election. And by the way Tom, didn't we go to war to get rid of those WMDs? Barbara in NYC Subj: Bill Moyer We need at least 100 clones of Bill Moyer. It appears that he is one of the few if not the only news commentator that presents a little of both sides of the news picture. Keep it up Bill! Allen and
Naoma Clague Re: Rush Limbaugh, The Neanderthal Ape Comparing the drug-addict-in-denial hypocrite Rush 'anal cyst' Limbaugh to a Gorilla is demeaning to the Gorilla. The Gorilla's smarter, kinder, more compassionate and has more integrity. Please apologize on behalf of Gorillakind. Kind regards Noah Stern Hey Buzz, "Conventional wisdom" among the mainstream media has it that Dean will be creamed by Bush in an election. I think this is more of Republican spin being picked up by the Russerts, Matthews, and Blitzers etc. of the world the same way they ran with the color of Al Gore's suits and other nonsense stories during the presidential campaign. My theory is that since Gore won the popular vote by over 500,000, if you look at the condition of this country under Bush, foreign and domestic, you would be hard pressed to find a Gore voter who regrets their vote. On the other hand, again looking at what's happened under Bush, I think it would be easy to find a number of people who regretted voting for Bush. I say that whoever the Democrat nominee is he will start out with at least 500,000 more votes than Bush. JohnW Subj: Ralph Nader survey I ran across this item on Josh Marshall's blog and it's a survey asking if Ralph Nader should run again next year. The obvious answer is NO!!!! http://www.naderexplore04.org/survey/survey_start.php Nancy Subj: Rumsfeld's visit to Baghdad in 1984. Regarding article by Dana Priest (Washington Post 19th December,2003) regarding Rumsfeld's prior association with Saddam Hussein and the latter's henchmen in 1984 regarding weapons of mass destruction. I have know about this matter previously, but it is none-the-less disgraceful. The message coming out of Washington D.C. these days does nothing toward the good name of the USA abroad. We in Australia are firm allies of the USA, but the majority of us do not approve of subterfuge such as exposed in Dana Priest's article. I believe the electors of the USA should hold Dubya accountable for this fiasco and with him all who harbour similar views to him (Dubya). Noel E Cain Subj: "Bush picks diverse team to win [California] in 2004" -- Not if I can help it… http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/7977804p-8914637c.html "Given that the Republican Party has been perceived as being 'anti-women, anti-immigrant,' [presidential adviser Gerald Parsky] said Bush's appointments and visits to the state as president have been aimed at correcting that impression.” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been enlisted as honorary chairman to help change this image... Let's see, Arnold’s refused to address the groping allegations, he’s being sued for libel, and he repealed the law allowing undocumented immigrants to have drivers licenses... Sure, that makes sense. Not to mention that Arnold has increased California's budget deficit, declared his own emergency status so he can act without the legislature, forced the legislature to act on big issues with short timetables and no details, threatened the legislature with " casualties" in upcoming elections, repealed laws, froze pending regulations for six months, ran a press junket to sell his ideas, redefined the term "special interest" for himself, and much more. All of this action, not to mention the numerous fundraising opportunities, in less than thirty-three days... Sincerely, A BuzzFlash Reader in California Dear Buzz, Having just finished listening to the GOP hypocrite of the week concerning Connecticut's governor John Rowland, I too would hope that presidential candidate Senator Joe Lieberman would stand in the well of anywhere and condemn his actions. Oh, but Joe "RepublicRat" Lieberman would never do that. Seems he too is a hypocrite as well. Upon further listening to this marvelous feed, I had forgotten how he tip-toed lightly around the Enron scandal that caused the financial loses of so many while as Governor Dean loves to call them "Kenny Boy Lay and friends", could have done more, but didn't. It is about time that this latest hypocrite of the week, Gov. John Rowland resign and hypocrites such as Senator Joe "RepublicRat" Lieberman drop out of the presidential race. Anyone have a voter re-registration form for Sen. Lieberman? I know that I do. I once sent him one via fax and checked off Republican for him. Merry Christmas, BuzzFlash. Sincerely, Mary MacElveen Subj: Can you write something about this? Why is our intel (cia) so inept that we were clueless as to the extent of the weapons that libya had? We screw up 9/11--cannot find osama--and were clueless about libya and clueless that iraq had no wmd's. Why won't bush change the intel people, so we can really have info about what is happening? Karin Dicker Subj: Your Administration Everyone keeps tying in Dick Cheney with his stint as CEO of Halliburton and the no bid contracts...along with their subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root. They need to dig just a little deeper. In the not so distant past servicemen and women cooked, mopped, cleaned latrines, erected housing and hauled fuel. All as support staff. A few contractors built housing or runways for landing fields. The first time the American Military gave all out-sourcing contracts (during wartime) for all of the above was during Operation Desert Storm 1991. All of the contracts went to one corporation: Kellogg Brown and Root. President .... George Bush Sr Secretary of defense .... Dick Cheney I guess after securing that prize hog barrel he was duly appointed CEO!!!!!!!!!!!! I see so many references to Dick Cheney as CEO of Halliburton 1995-2000, but nothing about his antics prior. Ironic asides ....KBR headquarters...Houston, Texas. Does this not stink ????????????? of GREED, GRAFT, CRONYISM. I guess we need to enlist all the millions of illegal aliens (who do our shit work here) to serve your gal on the front lines. Breezy Subj: Curiosity Department What exactly do you mean when you post a headline that Montana's population grew this year in your curiosity department? Have you been to Montana? While Colorado may be more liberal, it is not more beautiful. Are you suggesting we lack progressivity? As a six times a day BuzzFlash headline checker and a proud Montana resident, I am just a little curious. Marc Tschetter Subj: One question that has really been bugging me Dear Buzz, I was wondering if you could answer a question that has really been bugging me for a long time now. Why do Bush and Cheney need two hundred million dollars to run a presidential primary race, as an incumbent with supposedly good poll ratings, where they are literally unopposed by any other candidates? (I think it is because they are running against the American People instead of for them.) Nancy Lynn Nagy (TN) Subj: To hell in a handbasket Greetings from Bizarro George Bush. Well, it's been a few days since we wrassled Saddam out of his hole, and a lot has happened. But not much of it has been as positive as the White House would have us believe. Just take a look at today's BGB headlines: -Rerealeased documents: Rumsfeld's '84 Iraq visit reassured Saddam of US support despite chemical attacks -US soldiers wounded in Iraq nearing 11,000, highest casualty since Vietnam -Al Qaeda audi tape warns of future attacks on American soil -US concerned about growing terror threats -US admits Bremer was target of recent bomb attack -WMD search weakening, lead inspector considering quitting -Sept. 11 investigating commission: Attacks were preventable -Annan warns 'we may lose Afghanistan' due to growing chaos -Court decisions rule US terror prisoner policies illegal Not exactly what the Bush Administration would like potential voters to hear, what with 130,000+ troops overseas, and the Holidays upon us. Bush's war is not going as planned. It's time Americans knew the reality. What better Christmas present for the White House could we give? Give the gift that really means something this year - the truth. Season's Greetings, Jan Primus,
Editor Subj: Carville and Dean Dear BuzzFlash, The only connection is that I have watched both today. Carville did a stand up speech in a Lutheran Church in DC....His idea is great, of course, Carville always is. He says these democratic candidates have to grab a cause and stand on it...do not back down and no name calling..ergo: Lieberman, calling Dean some kind of hypocrite for saying that he did still did not think we went into the war for the right reasons. Now, to begin with, I am not at all surprised at Lieberman, most of you know that I think of him as Bush lite..and also, remember the blasting of President Clinton when he was trying to keep his head above water. Dean is right....we did go into Iraq under bad circumstances(lies)!!!! There is an article, in today's Post Dispatch, editorial page about this very thing. We were told, over and over, that the man was an imminent threat..to us!...that he had WMDS and he could in fact hit the west coast, that he planned to use them, so we had to go, period. When questioned about this speech, from Diane Sawyer, He got a little testy and asked her "What difference does it make whether or not he had them?" What an arrogant son of a gun!! So don't lie, Mr. Bush...just tell us that you want to finish the job your father did not do...no matter the loss of life to our men or Iraqi lives!!! Dean is right...Clark is right...Carville is right, no plan, no exit, no fair!!! The article in the editorial page of Saturday's Post dispatch..is by Leonard Pitts.. and it is good, if you get a chance to pull it up! Shirley St.Louis Subj: War on something else in Texas Oddest story of the week. What is the matter with US drug enforcement officers? Following on from the lunacy of last week's exclusion of a student for possessing headache tablets and a military-style raid on a high school, they're at it again. Undercover narcotics officers posing as a "dysfunctional married couple in search of a sex aid" arrested a Texas woman for selling them a vibrator. I assume that if they've time to do this then the war on terror's been won. http://www.news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=1381002003 David Subj: TV Media are Totally Useless Why is that I can read something via BuzzFlash in a daily newspaper TODAY, and only the day after tomorrow (if ever) hear about it on the nightly news? CNN's Newsnight with Aaron Brown is only NOW getting around to reporting on Rush Limbaugh's medical records - as a "headline story," no less. They are useless. TV cannot seem to report on anything on the same day, unless: 1. There is a helicopter flying over it, and it looks like it might explode or crash or kill itself, or... 2. The producers get several days' advance notice from the newsmaker, together with a briefing book and a list of spin doctors ready to talk on camera! Why? Hmm. Stupid question, I guess. Never mind. Michael Subj: Senator Bill Nelson says: 'We Received False Security Briefing Prior to Iraq Vote' Hi to all BuzzFlash Readers, 12/20/03 The news that Sen. Bill Nelson and 75 Senators were told in Oct. 2002 that Iraq had WMD and could attack the east coast of the USA appeared in Florida Today and BuzzFlash on 12/15, but got no mention in the mainstream media. On 12/16, I called Kennedy, Byrd, Durbin, Kerry, Lieberman about Sen. Bill Nelson's claim that he and 75 Senators were given this bogus and preposterous information before the infamous Oct. 2002 vote for war. NOT ONE SINGLE SENATE OFFICE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THIS STORY. It will be swept under the rug and forgotten, esp. during Christmas week, unless we take action. Please read the first several paragraphs of the story to see the questions raised by Sen. Bill Nelson's allegations. **************
****************** WE NEED TO KNOW: Who were the 75 Senators present for this briefing (besides Bill Nelson)? Who was the Bush administration official who presented this information? What was the reaction or response to this wild preposterous claim that Iraq could attack the USA? What was the impact on the Oct. 12, 2002 that gave Bush "authorization" to use force against Iraq? Who will hold the Bush administration accountable for lying to members of Congress? Please call both of your Senators for an answer to these questions. Also, call Senators Bill Nelson, Kerry, Lieberman, Kennedy, Byrd, First or any others to demand an investigation into Nelson's charges. The free number for the US Capitol to reach all Senators and Representatives is: 1-800-839-5276. Thank you. Judy Munro-Leighton Subj: The Pre-Invasion Propaganda Hi, Buzz: One of yesterday's linked stories sounded vaguely familiar (Report: Last Year Bush Administration Told Senators that Saddam Could Bomb the East Coast). As I recalled, there was a report on "Democracy Now!" where the mother of a fallen 9/11 firefighter told of the FBI visiting NYC firehouses to 'brief' and warn of the danger Saddam Hussein posed for the NYC area. I did some digging and found that you had posted my letter recounting the details of the "DNDN interview (I have 'cut & pasted' it below). The significance of this cannot be played down or ignored. There was, as we know, a concerted effort on the part of the bushites to "sell" the invasion of Iraq. It is obvious from the newspaper report in the "Florida Today" article that they left no rock unturned, no opportunity missed in their drive toward war. It is another "connect the dots" time. Isn't it unfortunate that thanks to the mainstream media's complicity with the bushite this link will most likely never be reported? Liz Taylor Houston
Subj: Libya's Mistake I read that Libya has agreed to give up its weapons of mass destruction program. After seeing Bush’s (really Cheney’s) reaction to Iraq not having any weapons of mass destruction, look for America to invade Libya very soon. John Andersen Subj: Pentagon is gonna take over TV "news" broadcasts from Iraq In order to tell the complete story –not just the spectacular. All that crapola about electricity and schools. Slippery slope time! Listen to NPR story from yestereve:
Hilary Subj: Strom Schwarzenegger From now on, every GOP hypocrite will be renamed "Strom." During the Recall election, Arnold excoriated Gray Davis for his "pay to play" relationship with donors. Call him Strom Schwarzenegger. Jon * * *
Subj: FYI, an interesting link Thought you'd be interested: Found this ad at the bottom of this Washington Post webpage: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9821-2003Dec17.html (see the "Advertiser Links" at the bottom of the page) Here's the ad's URL. http://www.morrellconsulting.us/ Check it out. Someone ought to find out who's in this Morrell Consulting. . . . Ciao, -- Arne Subj: and did it terrify Gaddafi? Aha! Now we know again!
Chewgababy Folks, Thought you might get a kick out of this. Last year before the Bush Budget package was pushed through congress, before the official "planned attack on Iraq", Andrew card made a great speech to the press about the presidents budget. He sums up the Bush economic plan beautifully. He says " I am confident that congress will pass the president's economic plan". He likens capital hill to a sausage machine. " We give the sausage machine all the right ingredients they have to churn, and I am confident that when they turn that sausage out, it will be the right kind of sausage for america." I guess that the american people, without a doubt, are getting their wurst from the Bush Regime. Ed Krasner re: "It's Time to Go for Broke" by Becky Burgwin I couldn't agree more with Becky Burgwin that it is time to bring out the people who don't vote because they cannot see a difference between the two parties. Most of the Democrats are not courageous enough to take stands that differentiate them much from the Republicans. But Becky has picked the wrong candidate for real reform and a real difference!! Dennis Kucinich does NOT believe we should do as we did in Vietnam and STAY there for the sake of "honor" or to "save face." Dean has swallowed that line. All continuing the occupation will do is create more death on both sides. There may well be a Civil War of some sort in Iraq given the power vacuum since the fall of Saddam, but our soldiers shouldn't be made to die for something they cannot stop!! Dennis voted against the Patriot Act, wants to repeal NAFTA, and pledges to cut the pork in the Pentagon budget. He is the only one who advocates cutting military spending. The Pentagon can't account for a quarter of the money we give them now, yet we keep shoveling more money at them. Money that is not used to supply the troops, but IS used to line the pockets of defense contractor fat cats and encourages them to stir up more conflicts all over the world for corporate profit. Dennis Kucinich is the candidate to support for a different kind of America, one that is more responsive to the needs of the average people. Howard Dean is another person who came from a life of relative privilege. If one is concerned he is two far left, well, that is why we have two parties; So compromises will be more toward the middle. As it is now, the only compromises there can be are from the far right to the right! Dean would not cut the military budget. He is not for universal health care. Dennis is the only candidate who advocates gay marriage as a civil right! The 40% of Iraq War veterans who may come home and develop illnesses as so many First Gulf War veterans have done is another reason to support Kucinich. With one payer health care they would just get the health care they needed, period. They wouldn't have to fight to prove their military service was responsible for their illnesses, and as veterans can attest, what the military works hardest at is to try to do is to deny responsibility for the illnesses that befall soldiers once they are out of the service! As Studs Terkel says, "Dennis Kucinich is the one!" Best Regards, Lonna VanHorn Go to google.com and type in a search for: Neil Bush EVERYONE should be reminded of this scandal and it should be on the front pages. The Bush family is a gang of liars and cheaters who care nothing about anyone but themselves. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Seemingly Unrelated Events December, 2002: WASHINGTON —The Environmental Protection Agency was on the verge of warning millions of Americans that their attics and walls might contain asbestos-contaminated insulation. But, at the last minute, the White House intervened, and the warning has never been issued. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/1229-01.htm September, 2003: Halliburton has come under fire in recent years as hundreds of thousands of claims were filed by people who say they were exposed to cancer-causing asbestos and silica at DII and KBR facilities. http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2003/09/22/daily7.html?t=printable October, 2003: The federal government's 17-year effort to warn backyard and professional mechanics of the dangers of cancer-causing asbestos in brakes is under attack. The international law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius has petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to stop distributing warning booklets, posters and videotapes that give mechanics guidance on the need to protect themselves from asbestos. The 10-page petition called the science on which the material was based unproven and irrational. The firm said the EPA's guidance for mechanics had been used to support thousands of personal injury lawsuits brought against hundreds of American companies by mechanics. The suits involving the auto workers alleged they were sickened or killed by exposure to asbestos in brakes. http://www.mindfully.org/Air/2003/Asbestos-EPA-Warning25oct03.htm December, 2003: Halliburton Unit Seeks Bankruptcy to End Asbestos Suits Tuesday, December 16, 2003 03:50 PM ET DALLAS -- Halliburton Co. (HAL, news) took a giant step toward completing its $4 billion asbestos litigation settlement Tuesday by filing for bankruptcy protection for its DII industries unit, which includes its Kellogg Brown & Root construction and engineering services business. One more element of the “perfect storm”which precipitated Saddam’s capture. Turk Subj: Rumsfeld - selective memory or senile?? I have to do a bit of homework on this one to be sure, but for some silly reason I seem to remember Rummy sitting in front of Congress not too terribly long ago (pre-Iraq invasion) and swearing up and down that either he'd never had dealings with Saddam Hussein at all or that if he had, those discussion had nothing whatsoever to do with weapons. And yet, here it is disclosed under the freedom of information act that he had in fact done so under instruction from Ronnie Raygun?? See url below. So I have to ask. Is it selective memory, ie: Rummy is as full of sh*t and as much of a liar as I've long suspected, or is he suffering from some sort of senility induced long term memory loss (or whatever other causes one could imagine) which in the end would still render him legally incapable of looking after his own affairs never mind the defense of the USA ?? For reference - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13558-2003Dec18.html A BuzzFlash Reader. Subj: Neil Bush is taking another chance on love
Chewgababy Subj: why does every day's news prove to be spin on the very next day?? who really captured saddam? does Gaddafi even HAVE wmd's? fake balls, fake turkey.... one day we are for the road map, the next day for the Geneva Accord, next day we want to assassinate Arafat, bet that tomorrow we don't?? The media jumps on any information from the White House without checking a thing, and Bush doesn't care if it's true or not, he assumes that everyone is as dumb and ignorant as he is, and they'll just remember the picture... which is probably true. Nobody is embarrassed, nobody is concerned.... news is entertainment, entertainment sells advertising, and there IS no threshold of truth in the USA anymore, lying is like... hey, who cares? the big thing: be cool, get away with it and by tomorrow it will all be forgotten. All but the photo op pictures. NYT has an ad about Saddam on their site that knocks your block off whenever you enter..... the more sensational the more you have to believe it??? A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Ken Starr and Whitewater Mr. Starr's hypocrisy becomes even more pointed when he says, "The Whitewater Case was winding down." In point of fact, the Whitewater case had already been FINISHED. Under the direction of a highly qualified, conservative republican investigator, Robert J. Fiske, who had conducted a thorough and extremely competent investigation and had ruled that there was no proof of any malfeasance on the part of the Clintons, the recommendation was that the case be dropped. But that was not enough for Judge David Sentelle, a rabidly conservative Reagan appointee, who overruled Mr. Fiske, and in a two-to-one vote (two conservatives versus one liberal) enjoined Ken Starr to re-open the Whitewater case, with the subsequent circus that we were all forced to watch. If there is one thing that hasn't changed in all this, it is the obscene level of Mr. Starr's hypocrisy. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: A Turd by Any Other Name Goppers? I like it but it sounds sort of silly and harmless. Neo-Cons? A tad better perhaps, but that may lack the sort of visceral impact that the Republican Party deserves. Repugnicans? I use that one myself, but it still sounds a little too cute. What's a flaming liberal shite (like myself) to do when it comes to describing the Grand Hypocrisy Party? We need some good old fashioned brand name recognition when describing our anti-democracy Repugnican Party? We need to call a duck "a duck", just as we need to call the Republicans by their true name. Fascism, anyone? Yes, I am calling the Party of Lincoln by the name, "fascist." Is this over the top? Oh, yes, it is definitely over the top and it must necessarily be over the top as in trench warfare. We have seen stolen elections at all levels, the repeal of the bill of rights, and the hegemony of corporate greed as the norm in Republican affairs. "Fascism Anyone?" is the name of an article by political scientist Dr.Lawrence Britt and can be seen at http://codepink-alert.org/britt.htm, and discusses the 14 characteristics common to fascist governments. Here is a sample: 1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism- Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.... 13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption- Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions, and who use government authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders. Please read Dr. Britt's wee gem; and by all means let's call a fascist, "a fascist." Michael J. Fowler Firefighter/Paramedic retired Subj: Kurds Dear BuzzFlash: So -- Saddam was already captured by the Kurds prior to the Bush "raid" that bagged him last Sunday. The Agence-France Presse report, as reported on Bloomberg.com and carried by BuzzFlash, is explosive. Now, let's see if our top-down controlled corporate media will pick up on this. I doubt it. Thoughtful progressives were wondering out loud if Saddam had already been captured prior to the Bushie photo-op of last Sunday. Credible foreign press sources are now corroborating this theory. Thus far though, not one single Sunday morning political talk show is saying a word about this story. Simply outrageous. Donald Russo Subj: Bush and God Buzz: El Chimpo, supreme chickenhawk in charge (SCIC), along with his many sycophants in the right-chicken wing press, has made his so-called " christian" conversion a symbol for why this man should be trusted. However, I am curious how it is we are expected to believe that Chicken George, who never met a book he could read and comprehend, has read and digested a book as deep as the Bible from start to end and "got it". A second conundrum is this pathological liars' tendency to lie and lie again and again. I mean, if God truly spoke to George in his own private burning bush, and told George to hit Saddam, then why is it that EVERY single one of Shrub's reasons to war has been proven not only faulty, but an outright lie? Last, if God truly selected George to be President, there should be a biblical precedent... after all, God is the same Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, unchanging and not a man that He should lie... so it should follow that Bush being anointed of God should not need to raise filthy lucre, lie about his record, or indeed have to extend very much effort at all. Yet Bush would blaspheme God and deceive millions that God has no power to make a man a ruler, but instead, has to lie and cheat and intimidate, not to mention stealing the right to vote from thousands, that His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. And so, even though, according to Bush, God wanted Saddam hit so very badly, Bush would have us believe that God is so impotent that He couldn't just strike down the man with some pesky disease or a timely sudden death, but had to go to all this effort to prop up the SCIC, create an elaborate 3-card monty, all so the Kurds could capture Saddam and give him over to the faux Pres in another made for Hollywood photo-op production. I guess this is so, since El Chimpo could barely conceal his glee while making his God-like pronouncements about who deserves to die and what not. It is so comforting to know that the SCIC is now also God. I mean, I always believed it was God who determined who deserved to live and to die. But now that El Chimpo has arrogated this God-like power to himself, he must also be god among his other titles. But, excuse me now... I seem to recall that one of the temptations of Jesus was to be given the rulership of the kingdoms of the earth if he worshipped the god of this world. Its crap like Bush and Ashcroft and Falwell and the rest of that ilk that give real Christians a bad rep. Wake up folks: Jesus was NOT a right-wing conservative with a Southern Strategy. He wasn't a white european either. Bush is not from God, but from the god of this world, and by his rotten fruit we know him for what he is. Irv Subj: Media Reaction to Move-On's Ads Well! The "liberal" media in northwest Ohio is in a veritable snit about anyone daring to tell the truth about Bush. The CBS station's noon anchor, who's about equal to Dubya in brainpower, seemed truly to have her knickers in a knot about Move-On's ads, saying they "bad-mouthed" the president and the war in Iraq. No, Melissa, they didn't "bad-mouth" Bush. They just told a few truths about the shameful waste of money and lives (both American and Iraqi) that he is causing by attacking a country that has done nothing to us. Truth is apparently a concept the media no longer can even recognize, much less tolerate. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Feeling Safer Now? A big item on today's Sunday talk shows is whether Howard Dean was in his right mind when he said that American is NOT a safer place after Saddam's capture. The talk shows are interrupted by a Homeland Security announcement: Tom Ridge is raising the threat level to Orange. I would say more, but right now I have to crawl under my desk. Michael Subj: Foreign Journalists Buzz, Amazing isn't it that the day after 9/11, while all American commercial aircraft were grounded, the Bush administration provided flights out of the country for the Bin Laden family without so much as a questioning period, let alone a thorough interrogation and now we learn that legitimate JOUNALISTS from countries such as Denmark, Austria, France and Australia are being treated as if THEY had possible links to terrorist organizations. Only in the land of morons and media sycophants could Bush still be in power and have a shot at a second term. Jim Tragos Subj: Fighting killer flu not a national priority http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/nation/7515391.htm The flu kills 36,000 Americans a year, but the federal government spends only about half as much money on research to fight it as it spends to attack the boll weevil Geoffrey Subj: What can one believe? Not much, at least not for a few days. Now that it's coming out - as Bush lies and photo ops always come out, quick and ugly [though the Kurds tried to tell this from the onset, but the media liked the story it was spoonfed better]- that Saddam was actually captured by the Kurds, who drugged him and held him drugged for the US, it will be interesting to see what develops. How did the Kurds actually capture him, how long did they hold him, and how was it decided that the story would be fed to us the way it was? We are at the point of not being able to believe ANYTHING we read or hear and waiting for a few days for some semblance of the truth to leak out. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Money I hear the GOP wants to put Reagan on the dime. I have a better idea. Instruct the Treasury to print $3.00 bills with the image of George W. Bush. We could call them Bush Bucks, "Where the buck never ends!" Thomas
L Potter Dec. 21, 2003 Dear Buzz, Well, our guileful opposition is at it again, compadre. "Aren't we glad that Saddam is out of commission?", they ask, with their inimitable disingenuous flair. If we don't share their unequivocal euphoria over recent events in Iraq, then I guess the inescapable conclusion must be that we are secret admirers of the deposed despot. This is the corner that they would like to paint us into, at least, shameless scum suckers that they are. Of course, to the simple minded, like Tom Delay, it is a no brainer. There could be no down side to Saddam's ouster. ( I saw the infamous Delay on Meet the Press, incidentally, and he was bad mouthing Wes Clark, if you can picture that. Well, I guess it's not so hard to imagine if you consider the source. Where was Delay during the Vietnam War, again? 'Nuff said. ) So, is the world better off with Saddam gone? Well, that kinda depends on whether he is replaced by a Jeffersonian democracy or a fundamentalist Islamic state. I think the later outcome is much more likely, by the way, unless we are prepared to commit to a very long haul ( I daren't use the dreaded term "occupation". ) Moreover, if a fundamentalist Islamic state does take hold in Iraq, we should expect a considerably more fecund breeding ground for terrorists then Saddam's Iraq ever was. Sorry to rain on your parade. What would be the costs of such a long haul, both to our National Treasury and in terms of precious human life? Was it worth it? Deposing Saddam, that is? These things will have to be weighed and balanced out, in the final analysis, as Gen. Clark has said. Time will tell. Hey, keep the faith, Buzz! Happy warriors to the end! Peace, G. Will Hunter Hi, Buzz Just wanted to drop you a short note with some food for thought. I saw Gen. Wesley Clark on CSPAN last night at a N.H. campaign stop. He was bright, articulate, and well informed. (He has improved his campaigning style immeasurably during the last few weeks) His remarks were especially effective, striking the right balance between criticism of Bush and a positive forward thinking message. Although I have been uncommitted until now, I am increasingly convinced he is our best hope of defeating Bush. Even two Republican friends (who watched the event with me) were impressed enough to say they would consider voting for him. Obviously we have to have the strongest possible candidate to have any chance of winning in 2004. The person we choose will have to overcome enormous odds (including negative coverage from the pro-Bush corporate media) to unite our diverse party, and attract enough independents to win in the Blue states plus one. I believe Clark is the man for the job! His military record, intelligence, knowledge of economics and foreign affairs will be enormous assets; assets which Howard Dean (as much as I love his fighting spirit, and will actively support him if he is nominated) cannot match. If we could only get some of the other candidates out of the race (including Lieberman (he makes me mad!), Gephardt, Kerry, and Edwards) I feel Clark would pick up much of their constituency and have a much better chance of securing the nomination. Let's not lose our best hope of beating the abominable Bush. Thanks for your invaluable service. Sincerely, Dan Van Neste Subj: Clark Steps on The Texas Cockroach Winning Without DeLay: Clark's Response to Tom DeLay's attack Sunday morning on "Meet the Press," Republican House Majority Leader, Rep. Tom DeLay, took a cheap potshot at General Wesley Clark. Clark has consistently argued that the Bush Administration should have focused on eliminating the threat from al Qaeda and capturing Osama bin Laden, rather than rushing into war with Iraq. The Majority Leader attacked Clark for challenging the Administration's strategy. DeLay claimed questions about the Administration's failure to find Osama bin Laden came from the "fringe" of the Democratic Party and said, "unfortunately, Wesley Clark must live in a different world." The Clark campaign fired back.
Clearly, DeLay and the rest of the GOP are scared of Clark's candidacy. From A Reader Subj: Saddam's Capture Why is it necessary for this administration to make a fool of our arm forces every chance they get? Now we find out the brave and courageous U.S. "capture of Saddam" was staged for the gullible American media machine... just like the Jessica Lynch "rescue." Only those of us who read BuzzFlash already knew it was a fraud because of your earlier posting by the Israelis. I assume the morale among the troops has gotten even lower since this latest P.R. stunt. It's bad enough to be away from home during the holidays, a sitting duck for the Iraqi insurgents, and then to be exposed as willing conspirators in a fake rescue -- for the second time. Do they really think the military is made up of a bunch of peasants, who only exist to do their political bidding? That we are all a bunch of idiots who like being made fools of by our "betters?" It's embarrassing that the rest of the world can see right through these charlatans, but the U.S. press keeps on eating up the bullshit and going back for more -- time after time. Don't they have any pride or are they just scared of their "masters?" S. Harrington Subj: Orange Alert Doesn't it seem a little strange that Gov. Dean was absolutely insulted in the media that he didn't agree that the capture of Saddam Hussein would calm down the war on terror, and that Americans would be safer? And not even one week later we are in what level of security warning? We are safer and our world is good thanks to Dubya's foreign policy. Mantra time, aummmmm! Larry Subj: Howard and the dem. candidates If ever there is proof beyond a doubt that Howard Dean is doing will, running double digits above other candidates....it is the way their fear shows through. If we want to beat George Bush, we must get behind the front runner and boost him at every chance! I come from the same neighborhood that Gephardt grew up in..., however, he is getting on my nerves.. At every debate...he and Kerry and Lieberman blast the man as if he is on the opposing side...that is childish and only hurts their cause. And, not even the debates....they tell reporters (at least Lieberman does) that the man is not fit to be president. You see, Lieberman is just Bush Lite...and his policies would be no better than what we have now. And, as I have said before, the hypocrisy of this man drives me nuts. The way he brags about Clinton now...as opposed to the way he bragged about his stance on his behavior at the time.. I do not watch him unless I am put in a position...he is no different than the entire Bush administration...so far as I can see! Shirley...........St.Louis This is a weird country. Here we have the President of the U.S. lying to us about going to war and dick cheney misdeeds with Halliburton and these people are supposed be our leaders. They should be impeached A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: But wait a minute! Didn't they say the capture of Saddam made us safer? (AP - Nation's Threat Level Rising to Orange) Someone please explain to me why the threat level is now up to "orange alert" if the capture of Saddam made us "safer". Might Howard Dean have been right? Again? A BuzzFlash Reader * * *
Subj: Leave every child behind.....& then draft them I am a young BuzzFlash reader who will be voting in 2004 and NOT FOR BUSH. I cannot stand his policies towards the young people of America. His no child left behind is rigged for schools to fail and is a completely unfunded mandate for the purpose of a photo op that bankrupts our public schools so he can get vouchers which by definition is leaving 90% of children behind. Furthermore he has exhausted our formerly strong military that we had under Clinton. I remember how he said he would help our troops. Now he has our soldiers in two wars on the other side of the world including a war in Iraq which we became involved in for now completely irrelevant reasons. If he is re-selected we will go to war again maybe in North Korea, Syria or Iran. All of those axis of evil countries. With these new wars he will need to institute a draft. I think that if the democrats mention these they can pick up 70% of the youth vote. A Young BuzzFlash reader Subj: pre-knowledge of kurds capture of Saddam BuzzFlash referenced a certain senator promising the delivery of Saddam just a couple of weeks ago. Do you think there is any chance he knew what we are now hearing about the Kurds? Matt Subj: Tom DeLay and Uncle Remus Dear BuzzFlash, This Sunday morning (December 21, 2003), Representative Tom DeLay of Sugarland, TX, appeared on Meet The Press with Tim Russert. DeLay, of course, is quite simply the most extreme member of the entire Congress, on practically any given issue, bar none. Perhaps assuming that making accusations about the extremism of others diverts attention away from one's own, he undertakes this particular day to discuss the politics of Howard Dean:
An "extreme extremist"? Rep. DeLay, wordsmith that he is, enjoys nothing more than vacuously setting up strawmen for DittoHeads to go tilting at. (Don't believe me? Open up the following address in your browser: http://www.majorityleader.gov/news.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=127 Now tell me, is this guy ghostwritten by Anne Coulter, or what? It's simply astonishing that two people can both be as simultaneously glib, vacuous, and mean-spiritedly derisive as these two. Is there some sort of John Lott-Mary Rosh relationship going on here?) But more often than not, his self-satisfied smirk belies his defensive posture; he always appears to be on the offensive, but why go about attacking everything in sight if he really has such confidence about both the correctness of his views and the concurrence of the vast majority of the electorate?
Forgive me, Mr. DeLay, but I really can't take that at face value. Not from you, anyway. I can't help noticing that your little tirade has strong overtones of Uncle Remus:
I certainly hope that most Democrats, progressives, Greens, et al don't fall into Mr. DeLay's painfully obvious trap. This sort of GOP "Bring 'Em On" rhetoric has certainly become familiar enough to us all by now. Surely we can see through the illusory warnings of the Right that we DemonCraps (or whatever they've most recently taken to calling us) are about to choose an "unelectable" nominee. As for myself, I'm not buying it. To paraphrase a more worthy wordsmith, methinks he doth protest too loudly. Kevin Christy Sent to: news@ctyme.com: Subj: Letter to the Editor - Saddam's Capture Faked As with so many other events in the Bush administration - it turns out that the capture of Saddam Hussein was in fact faked. Yes - Saddam is in custody - but it was the Kurds who had captured him - drugged him - and stuck him in the hole waiting for the Americans to show up in a made for television event. The revelation of this phony story as revealed by a Yahoo news story caused the Bush administration to raise the political threat level to Orange. This phony capture is just the latest in a string of phony events to justify Bush's phony war - the hunt for phony weapons of mass destruction - and going all that way back to Bush's phony 2000 election. If you believe any of this then I have a story about a phony economic recovery for you to listen to. Marc Perkel Subj: Lieberman It's pretty obvious that Joe Lieberman is running for Vice President and not President. Both the polls and the debates clearly show he has no chance at the highest office. However, with Dick Cheney's poor health Lieberman apparently thinks he has a shot at the VP's office. Bob McDonald Subj: Helping Troops Travel Was Bullshit
Mika Subj: Orange Orange, the color orange! Just as I finished decorating with red, green and gold topped off with a splash of winter white, Tom Ridge tells me Christmas this year is ORANGE. What on earth is "chatter?" Who are the "chatterers?" We are told that Big Brother is watching us and can tell us what we had for breakfast and how many times we talked to our sister, why is it they can't seem to track one chatter? It would seem that all the intelligence agencies in the Western World cannot track or find a chatterer. No wonder the Kurds were the ones to find Saddam. What are we supposed to do this Christmas? Don't fly, don't drive, don't go to malls, don't gather with family? Should we buy gas masks, water, duck tape? If these people are chattering, what are they chattering about? Someone asked me if I thought we were in danger, I of course answered YES, of course we are in danger. Not like the Afghans and Iraqi's are in danger from us (that's real honest to God danger) but still we are in danger and have been since the country began. The question is, are we in more danger than we were on 9/11? Probably not, unless of course our military turns on us and starts to drop bombs. I just think the Grinch got a hold of the White House, if they cared one tiny bit about the rest of us, they would have made this a "red" alert, in keeping with the color coordinates of Christmas. Sally A. McDonald PS I say, is this "chatting," can they find out we are "chatting?" Subj: the Orange Alert Holiday Dear BuzzFlash, according to Ridge - "The information we have indicates that extremists abroad are anticipating near-term attacks that they believe will either rival or exceed" the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in announcing the change. The implications of this statement is astounding. It contradicts Bush's statements of last week that with the capture of Saddam that we are safer. It implies that invading Iraq on the false premise of WMD's didn't make us safer. It implies that the capture of Saddam didn't make us safer. It implies that al-Qaeda is still alive and well and leaving a job half done in Afghanistan to invade Iraq didn't make us safer. But, perhaps the most damning implication is that Bush failed to make us safer. Bush FAILED to make us safer. have a safe Orange alert holiday, D. Hippauf Subj: Cheney's Rigged Hunt Shows Up in Iraq When I read reports over the weekend that Saddam had been captured by Kurdish forces, then released into a hole so that U.S. forces could 'capture' him a little later, I thought, "where have I seen this thing happen before, very recently?" Then I remembered reports from just a week prior to the Saddam re-capture about Vice President Dick Cheney's exhilarating"hunt" at the Rolling Rock Hunting Club in Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago. There, in the Pennsylvania wilds, the Great White Vice President from Halliburton bagged dozens of pheasants and ducks, after said fowl had already been "farm raised" and released in front of Cheney's hunting party so he and his buds could be assured of many, many, jolly kills. Now, as a hunter, I opine that such a practice is as wimpy as it is slimy. Part of hunting, perhaps the main part, is hunting one's prey. When I and most humans hunt, we hunt. We look for or wait for our prey. Often we hunters are disappointed because our prey, whether it's quail or deer, do not cooperate. Turkey hunters are notoriously weird and happy people who spend many, if not most, of their waking hours perfecting their ability to call-in their prey using various devices that are rubbed, struck, or inserted into one's mouth and gargled through. For them, the actual shooting a turkey to death -- not a gimme shot by any means -- is secondary to the thrill of matching wits with a horny gobbler, primed for love and, hopefully, ready to mistake the clicks and clucks of a guy named Buddy for the amorous invitations of a like-minded hen. If you took away a turkey hunter's calls and just stood him (or her) before a big, wild gobbler for target practice, Buddy (or Brenda) would just walk away. But for Cheney, the killing is the sport, not the hunting. Ah, but more than that, for Cheney his romp in Pennsylvania was but a precursor to larger, yet similar, things to come. Sure enough, a couple weeks after Our Vice President's brave-hearted "hunt" in the foothills of the Allegheney's, news rocketed around the world that the wily and dangerous Saddam Hussein had been bagged by U.S. forces in the heart of the now-infamous "Sunni Triangle." While not taking anything away from the soldiers who brought-in Mr. Hussein, it now comes as little shock to me that the Cheney-Bush Administration has been caught crowing with great hubris and self-congratulation over an operation that, alas, was as real as Cheney's pheasant hunt. Yes, it's out now -- Saddam was captured by the Kurds, then, like one of Cheney's pheasants (whose " bagging" was pre-ordained), let the Bad Guy of Baghdad go and told our soldiers where to go and pick him up. Is that in and of itself "wrong"? I see it more as a theatre-of-the-silly than scandalous. What is scandalous, though, is what appears to be the Administration's not coming clean with the story and, in fact, lying about the facts as a means to "pump-up" its image. And, like Dick Cheney's faux pheasant hunt, the White House's disingenuous PR campaign, founded on the "capture" of Saddam, is, it appears, nothing but another in a long line of fake, ginned-up stunts, meant, not to make our country safer, but to make Mr. Bush look better in the eyes of future voters. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Rumsfeld Co-Owns New Mexico Ranch with Dan Rather [TIME]
Click on the link below for the full story on TIME.com: http://www.time.com/time/personoftheyear/2003/poyrummy.html A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: NYTimes.com Article: Friendship and Business Blur in the World of a Media Baron Hey -- Another article on the Hollinger media company. Interesting opening: Henry A. Kissinger writes, "No biography of Roosevelt is more thoughtful and readable." The columnist George F. Will calls the book a "delight to read." And William F. Buckley Jr. commends the biography as "a learned volume on F.D.R. by a vital critical mind." What the blurbs did not mention was that each man was praising the work of a sometime boss. During the 1990's, Lord Black had appointed all three to an informal international board of advisers of Hollinger International, the newspaper company he controlled. For showing up once a year with Lord Black to debate the world's problems, each was typically paid about $25,000 annually (until the board was disbanded in 2001). --- Also note George Will's snippy response as to why he didn't disclose his relationship when writing of Conrad M. Black: "My business is my business. Got it?" Indeed. -- Jake
Subj: Rummy Dear Buzz, Doesn't anyone else get a little bit paranoid with the tidbit in the article on Rummy that states that he owns a share of a ranch with Dan Rather? How can Rather be objective in his news analysis when he has a partner in a venture that works for this administration? I realize that Rather needs to invest his income for the future, but shouldn't he not be partners with someone that he may need to criticize on the air? Maybe this news explains Rather's reluctance to criticize Bush et al. Just asking. An avid North Carolina fan Subj: DeLay on Meet the Press I was shocked when I watched Meet the Press and heard Tom DeLay say "We've upset the al-Qaida networks to the point that they can't do anything right now". The next day Tom Ridge explains that the security alert was raised to orange with the following words: " The upgrade from "Code Yellow," or "elevated" status, followed warnings that the terrorist organization al-Qaida may be plotting attacks against the United States during the holidays." But didn't Delay just says that there weren't capable of doing anything? James car company can move its factories to Mexico and claim it's a free market. A toy company can outsource to a Chinese subcontractor and claim it's a free market. A major bank can incorporate in Bermuda to avoid taxes and claim it's a free market. ........ BUT... Heaven help the elderly who dare to buy their prescription drugs from a Canadian pharmacy. Why, that's just so un-American and now illegal! ....................Thanks G.W and 'freinds'!.................... note: Makes ya wonder who our patriotic politicians regard more in need of representation when the new regulations and laws are passed. Seems like contributions are a good investment for corporate expenditures considering the excellent harvests of huge tax breaks and corporate welfare funded via favorable representation (payback). It might be illegal if the same people were not actually deciding what is actually legal. j Subj: Our Circular Firing Squad The Democratic party reminds me very much of a great fighter on the skids. He can still see the openings but by the time he launches his punch his opponent is standing behind him. Joe "Cry me a River" Lieberman attacks Howard Dean by saying that a vote for Dean will be divisive for the party. Well, if Joe means the sleepwalking Democratic party that meekly acquiesced the election in 2000 and still, spends more time bent over than an altar boy in Boston, I say good riddance. What remains of the Democratic party resembles a circular, firing squad as each candidate seems more concerned with shooting each other and pushing their personal | |||||
