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January 16, 2004 |
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THIS IS PART 2 OF THE JANUARY 16, 2004 MAILBAG. CLICK HERE FOR PART 1. ...and the hits just keep on coming!
Chewgababy Subj: Turncoat Zell Miller Buzz, I sent variations of the below e-mail to every Democratic senator, plus Jeffords, and the DNC today. This issue is tailor-made for an Internet campaign to boot Miller and make his impending leadership of Democrats for Bush laughably irrelevant. Dev Tobin I am not a constituent, but I believe all Democratic senators should be interested in this issue. Why is Zell Miller still in the Senate Democratic caucus? Would you seriously confide in him any bit of strategy or tactics to oppose the Bush regime? He's not on our side, and the sooner Democratic senators make that official the better. Now that he has officially declared himself a Bush partisan, Democratic senators should loudly expel him from the caucus and let him take a seat with his fellow Republicans on the other side of the aisle. Such an action will only help whoever runs for that seat in November. You could never count on his vote for anything important anyway, so why keep him in the tent? Subj: And the big difference is................... Ok, so the regime had the excuse- " The Clinton administration wanted Saddam gone too" or something like that. The difference is, and I can't believe that none of our candidates are saying this, is that the Clinton administration didn't LIE and take us to war! President Clinton probably wanted him gone, I mean, who wouldn't. But to lie, as Bush did to the nation, about the real reason we went to war is treasonable. Our soldiers DIED because they thought they were ridding the world of WMD's from an evil dictator. This goes to prove that our military men and women are just numbers to this idiot. And I mean idiot in the most insulting way. A pissed of fan of Buzz Subj: Bush on Religion Dear BuzzFlash , Whenever I read where Bush uses himself as an example of how religion changed his life I want to scream. First off I would like to point out to him that religion has nothing to do with salvation. Further more, no amount of money invested in any program will buy salvation. IT IS FAITH THAT CHANGES THE HEART, and that faith is brought not bought. It is not something that is to be used for political purposes or to be arrogant about. It is a personal thing, just as is salvation. It will find us anywhere at anytime. I have always been taught that religion is a practice, but that faith is the way. You can have all the religion in the world and practice every minute, but without FAITH it means nothing. Without faith there can be no salvation. Not meaning to preach here, but just felt it had to be said. My candles still burn in my windows all night long every night. I keep them lit in Hope for the return to sanity in this nation, the return of all our troops safely and to show that I still have FAITH. PLEASE JOIN ME IN THIS. LIGHT THE CANDLES. Mike Andrews Subj: Euro vs. $ "Indeed, while OPEC has yet to make any formal break with the U.S. dollar, its refusal to boost output has already offloaded much of the cost of the dollar's depreciation on to the American economy. Mr. Gobert said oil prices at the end of last month, about $32 (U.S.) a barrel, would have been much lower if not for the decline in the value of the U.S. dollar over the past 24 months. Using the exchange rates of the dollar versus the euro two years ago, crude would be selling for $22 a barrel instead, he said." Also see.. " Drivers of SUVs and other gas guzzlers may want to keep their vehicles parked over the summer. That's because some experts are saying that gas could -- gulp -- hit the $3-a-gallon mark. "It is not only possible, it is probable," said Fred Rozell, director of gasoline pricing for Oil Price Information Service, which tracks and reports on the oil industry. " Both are articles posted on BuzzFlash over the last couple of days... Perhaps this will begin to wake up the SUV drivers and the asleep middle - roaders that traditionally vote Republican... This country needs to wake up...and fast...We need a regime change and we need it this November...if not, we, and the world, are in a lot of trouble; not just financially, as that is just a reflection of the policies of the Central Government and its' ideological extremists, but we may truly be beginning World War III. As we sever the ties, dramatically, with our oldest and largest Allies, and surround ourselves with minute and powerless countries such as Poland, Bulgaria and Estonia, the rest of the world is beginning to organize themselves in their own Unions ( EU - which possibly will soon include Russia ). These Unions may sit back and watch as the US and its coalition of the bullied and bribed fall into inconsequential mediocrity on the world stage...and all of us along with it. Wake up America...the world is watching. Geoff in Austin. Subj: $1.5B to Promote Marriage Dear Buzz: Keep up the good work. I check your site out daily and love to buy book premiums. May I sound off about something? I just read the dumbest quote: "If poor mothers married the fathers of their children, nearly three-fourths of the nation's impoverished youth would immediately be lifted out of poverty." The quote was on the Heritage Foundation's website and may be accessed through People for the American Way's right-wing newswatch. This quote, and other like it, were an attempt to justify directing $1.5B dollars to " strengthening marriage," diverting it from funds that are used to provide food and health care services to families. Apparently, this ridiculous idea is circulating around on the right-wing websites. They must occupy a different world than I do. I was a social worker for seven years and still keep in touch with friends still working for the counties in Southern California. Most of the time, both parents live in abject poverty. Much of the time, Father has no interest in either maintaining a functional household with Mother, in parenting or in marrying Mom. In fact, more often than not, Dad is a violent drug addict who is a danger to both Mother and Child. The last thing Mother needs, as she tries to work through her program (so that she can continue her aid) is to be struggling to legally cut marital ties as she struggles to secure health coverage and daily food for her children, and transition into the workplace on a permanent basis. Quite frankly, when I did encounter a situation that involved domestic violence, it was easier if the children's parents weren't married -- easier for me to pop Mom and Kids in the van and set them up in a domestic violence shelter. It was easier for those that aided her legally to protect Mom and Kids when there were no marital ties. Even when a worker is in contact with two poverty-stricken parents trying to maintain a household, there is no indication that encouraging them to marry, while cutting aid, helps in any way. In years of working with families, none of us have seen any indication that "encouraging marriage" would magically transform a tragic situation into one of middle-class domestic bliss, with two well-educated parents guiding the little tykes toward self-actualization happily every day. At a time when states are cutting staff, aid and medical benefits, in addition to programs aimed at preventative care, it is unconscionable for the federal government to be diverting funds that would flow to the states, to meet critical needs, so that President Bush can cater to the rather uninformed whims of the religious right. Please encourage readers to contact their elected officials and prevent this diversion of vital funds. Thanks for letting me sound off! Dawn Brosius A letter to Joe Lieberman Subj: We should all reach out to our candidates Hello to BuzzFlash and to all BuzzFlash readers, I sent the following e-mail to my own Senator Joseph Lieberman:
Subj: Baghdad hotel killings result of 'criminal negligence', says media watchdog Hi BuzzFlash, A US army attack on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad that killed two journalists was the result of "criminal negligence" and George Bush's government was partly to blame, said international media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres. http://media.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4836873-111303,00.html Violence is shrouded in justifying myths that lend it moral legitimacy, and these myths for the most part kept people from recognizing the violence for what it was. The people who burned witches at the stake never for one moment thought of their act as violence; rather they though of it as an act of divinely mandated righteousness. The same can be said of most of the violence we humans have ever committed. Gil Bailie Subj: Excellent Article about 9/11 Dear Buzz, I just read the "never forget 9/11" article and I applaud you! It was stunning and I had to tell ya.' I too have been perplexed about this administrations responses since 9/11 and even more so that the media has help them mislead us. Short of C-SPAN with the 9/11 Commission and such and a few great sites like you folks, we have no real means of getting the truth. I did find a really good site for 9/11 documentation called physics911.org -If you can get through any one of the timelines without breaking down, you're either heartless or brainless. The contradictions about who knew what and when will show you that the Bushites knew well before 8/01. Goes back years. So keep up the great work and maybe consider a master list of such sites that we can all go to. I'd truly appreciate it. Kath the Buzz-lover Subj: The Drug BuzzFlash, One reader asked what did Colin Powell takes to go to sleep, that was so wonderful, and everyone was taking it. It is AMBIEN! (Check out the side effects!) Rush on illegal drugs, Powell likes his Ambien. Poppy Bush, now what was that drug that he took when he visited Japan??? etc., etc. That tired saying*what if President Clinton did this?* An American so tired of the double speaking Republicans. BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Let's send Dumbya to the Moon Dear Buzz, What the heck is our brainless (p)resident thinking? Here we are fighting two wars, the deficit is growing, and unemployment is at an all time high, and he is proposing missions to mars and the moon? I cannot help but think that perhaps: 1. More lucrative deals for Halliburton and his contractor buddies. 2. Maybe they heard that there is oil to be drilled over there. 3. He is sick of messing with earth, so he wants to pollute these pristine places. 4. Maybe we are in imminent danger from those aliens. 5. Saddam must have sent his WMD's to be hidden over there. 6. Maybe it might be a safe haven for him and his administration, when they start proceedings for war crimes committed during the Invasion of Iraq. George Bush is certainly not of sound mind. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: CBS nixes moveon.org ad Hi, I read your stuff every day. Love the site. I work at a CBS affiliate. I'm a little pissed off that they are "nixing" the winning moveon.org ad. So I thought I would send you some email addresses so people can email their displeasure with their decision. Now, these are global email lists so they will go to a bunch of people. cbs-advertising&promotion@tvc.cbs.com Have fun and keep up the great work... A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Gray Davis Redux I'm very weary of hearing how much we Californians disliked Gray Davis, how colorless he is, how corrupt, how incompetent, "not very likeable", etc., etc....and that's supposedly why he was recalled. Just to set the record straight, he was duly re-elected less than a year before the recall but became the victim of incessant propaganda about how he "caused" the electricity problems in California, the state deficit, the wildfires, etc., ad nauseum. He got a bum rap. Personally, I admired his calm demeanor. During televised town hall meetings, I was struck by how witty he could be (with an amused twinkle in his eye) and, yes, handsome when he smiled. Yes, he sometimes used political buzzwords and phrases (as do all politicians) and accepted campaign contributions (duh!) and sometimes consorted with lobbyists; but I had the feeling that beneath all that "political necessity", there was a caring human being who was too civilized to go bare-knuckled in defending himself against his critics and the rabid neo-cons out to grab our fair state. Just to let you know there is one person out here who has not changed her opinion that the recall was a total farce and completely unnecessary...and that Gray Davis was not disliked by all Californians. Big Cranky Subj: Paul O'Neill For damned sure, just as chris matthews said tonight….someone got to Paul Oneill..he is backpedaling so fast, he is out of breath…and yet, you know he told it just like it was! This country is so crooked, by now, we think we are straight. I wonder sometimes, if it can ever be set straight…I have hope, with Dean working so hard in Iowa and the money from Soros, that maybe we can. Whomever the democratic candidate is…you can bet I will work myself to death…well, except for those two I have always said I could not work for….Liebermann and Sharpton… I would not vote for Bush (God would strike me dead) but I would write someone in!! Go team Dems!!!! Shirley…….St. Louis Subj: The Emperor's Visit to Ga. Buzz, I didn't make it to protest Dubya's trip to the M. L. King Center today, but my friends who did go there say that it was quite an event! Apparently many in the crowd had been warned that they would be placed in "containment zones". They were prepared! Most resisted and refused to move. Authorities attempted to shield the president from protestors by placing busses between Bush and the crowd. So some in the crowd actually climbed atop the busses. A couple of daring and creative folk stood on stilts to ensure that they were seen. And the signs were marvelous. This is one trip where the president's mafia couldn't prevent the crowd from being seen or heard. If Bush likes dissent, he got in Atlanta. D. Turner Subj: Exhausting Every Option Hey Buzz, Scott McClennan's assertion that Bush "exhausted all possible means to resolve the situation in Iraq peacefully" reminded me of his last ditch diplomatic effort just days before we attacked Iraq. Bush went to Spain and met with Aznar. At the time I wrote the local papers (not published) with this question. If you are making a final diplomatic effort to avert war, don't you meet with your enemy or his representative instead of you ally? How could meeting with Spain possibly stop a war with Iraq? Oddly, no one in media asked this very obvious question. Keep Buzzin' Leslie Crabtree Subj: Far out -- blind, deaf, dreamy At 3:38 EST Colin Powell is being interviewed. He just told Lisa Mullins on NPR that "Libya has decided to give up its weapons on mass destruction". Libya doesn't have any, right? He sounds dreamy/programmed. Check it out. His talk followed a very critical assessment by an author who's book has "blind" in the title! How appropriate. In tune with Mr. O'Neill's description of (Bush) as a blind man surrounded by deaf people. Best, Liz W Subj: Ted Kennedy Rocks! And a few words on Colin Powell Teddy Kennedy's speech was fabulous! It laid out timeline of the Bush team's deceptive strategy very nicely. The lesson in all of this: The Democratic candidates should point out over and over again that you cannot believe what the Bush Administration is saying because they are always in marketing mode. On an unrelated note, I used to think very highly of Colin Powell. He is the only Republican I would have ever considered voting for as President. He lost my respect when he made the false case for the war. Many people of good conscience believed him, but I thought his "evidence" could have been easily doctored and would not hold up in a court of law; the Washington Post seems to have lesser standards of proof than I do. I was very disappointed when he did that and I tried to reconcile it in my mind. At the time, I came to the conclusion that he was trying to be loyal to Bush. I thought maybe he had made a deal with Bush to get the AIDS money for Africa in return for supporting Bush's policy. I still wanted to think well of him, but my view of him was significantly diminished. Loyalty is an admirable trait up to a point. However, Colin Powell chose to continue to actively participate in validating and spreading the lies about Iraq, WMD, and Al Qaeda connections. This ate away at my opinion of him. But I think the most telling moment was his son's actions on the FCC. Michael Powell sucking up to the media giants and the Bush administration put his father's actions in a different light. Michael Powell is not his father; the problem is that even Colin Powell is not even the idealized, reasonable, principled, steady Colin Powell we thought him to be. Why would Tony Blair and Colin Powell ruin their reputations for George W. Bush? Is it due to personality disorders--some kind of misplaced narcissism? Or is it due to some big monetary reward that they will get later? A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: The secret life of a Newsweek "reporter"
Subj: Beat the Media Hey Buzz, One way we could get the "truth" to the masses would be to hang banners on overpasses with slogans such as "Corporate Media Is Lying to You. Read BuzzFlash.com" or "The Truth Is @BuzzFlash.com". Millions of commuters would see them. I think people just don't know where to go to find information. A Loyal Reader Subj: Can you spell capitulation? Hi BuzzFlash: Well we're beginning to see Paul O'Neill tucking his tail and running for cover. Capitulation is ugly, isn't it? What is up with Paul O'Neill? Did he actually believe that the Bush administration was going to roll over after his 60 Minutes interview? When O'Neill told 60 Minutes that his first one on one meeting with George W. Bush was nothing but a monologue with O'Neill doing all the talking and Bush asking no questions I knew he'd nailed his own coffin closed. Even if he hadn't mentioned the Iraq issue he was doomed because he created an image of a dunce president who was incapable of curiosity. It seems to me there are only 2 reasons why George W. Bush would ask no questions while meeting with the Secretary of the Treasury for the first time. 1. O'Neill was saying what Bush wanted to hear, which we know is not the case. In fact Paul O'Neill was fired for not towing the party line. Bush campaigned on a platform built on tax cuts and O'Neill opposed tax cuts from the get-go. or 2. George W. Bush didn't have a clue what O'Neill was talking about. Herein lies the truth. George W. Bush didn't ask questions or interact with O'Neill because he is in the dark on all issues complicated or complex. He demonstrates over and over again that the only intelligent thoughts that he is capable of articulating are those that are scripted for him. He is a mental featherweight a midget among men and women of enormous intellect and talent. If it wasn't so sad it would be funny. Howdy Doody is the President of the United States and I can't even laugh about it. Carolyn K. Ball Subj: Ashcroft Probe Checkout the Washington Post story on yesterday's call by Public Citizen and other public interest groups for a special counsel to investigate Ashcroft's 2000 Senate campaign: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21089-2004Jan15.html It gets better - Bush-Cheney's deputy finance director is implicated in the scandal!! Alfredo Subj: My email to Sen. Kennedy: Mr. Bush and Iraq The Hon. Sen. Kennedy; I have been hearing of your speech, castigating Mr. Bush for planning the conquest of Iraq when it was clearly no threat to the United States, and applaud you for taking this stand. However, I urge you as strongly as I can to take the next step: to introduce a bill to create an Independent Prosecutor, to look into the possibility that this was a High Crime, and leading to the introduction of the Articles of Impeachment. You are not running for President, and can not be accused of grandstanding. Please, on behalf of so many Americans, call for an Independent Prosecutor. mark roth Subj: The people need to be reminded of this bush today talked about faith based government funds to help people that want redemption. what happened to karla faye tucker. if anyone was redeemed, she was. what happened to her redemption that she couldn't be converted to a life sentence instead of death? he joked about her begging for her life. karin dicker Subj: The Money Shot The money shot: I saw it in the list of photo's at the Atlanta Journal Constitution online newspaper. The money shot: Bush HOLDING HANDS with Coretta Scott King. That was worth having to wade through 400 or so angry protesters. Mrs. King said she did not invite the President, but went along with the photo-op out of respect for the office and to honor her husband. This is what Republicans rely on: OUR INNATE SENSE OF DECENCY. When are we going to learn. I think the next time she should just do what Mandela did. Mandela left town COMPLETELY. Mandela the most humble man living, refused to be a part of ANY Bush photo-op. The photo was just totally sickening. I don't want to give Bush any more exposure so I won't provide the link. But if you must, you have been warned. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/photos/0104/bushvisit/image7.html PJOnes Subj: Smudgereport, GOP and Leiberman(?!?!) distort Clark testimony on Iraq I just discovered this quote from Neocon Richard Perle during the much talked about (Drudge and GOP called conflicting) Clark testimony on the U.S. POLICY TOWARD IRAQ at the Hearing Before the House Armed Services Committee on September 26, 2002.
Perle's statement occurred after Clark left the hearing early to catch a flight. Which is why it probably wasn't noticed before since it occurs well after Clarks testimony. We need to email this to all the news organizations!!!! This is big news and has yet to be reported. Getting this out there will shut Rush and Drudge up and reveal the truth and consistency that is Wes Clark! I encourage everyone to email this to CNN and others! I would like to see this all over the news later tonight! . The full testimony can be found here: Iraqwatch.org Dan |
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