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January 23, 2004 |
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THIS IS PART 2 OF THE JANUARY 23, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG. CLICK HERE FOR PART 1. Subj: Fox News Shows It's True Colors If there were doubts left in anyone's mind that Fox News has got it in for Howard Dean, the last two days' news coverage has surely dispelled them. Dean is no longer the frontrunner, yet Fox has not let up a bit since the Iowa caucus. By comparison, John Kerry is getting a free ride on Fox. They believe they can nail the coffin lid onto Dean's campaign by turning a few overzealous seconds of his Monday night speech into the apocalypse. O'Reilly started the fun early on Tuesday's Radio Factor by viciously slamming Dean with his "far left" nonsense, and the requisite "mean Dean" rant. Does Bill really believe that everyone who opposed the Iraq war is a radical leftist, or is he just trying to MAKE us believe? After the President's state of the union speech, the big news was...Howard Dean!...and the revelation that his "far-left" campaign was doomed after the "maniacal meltdown" in Iowa. Tonight's coverage of the Democratic debate in New Hampshire was equally ridiculous. Fox News commentators were clearly given standing orders not to mention Dean's name without bringing up his post-caucous raucous. H&C Guest Bill Bennett pointed out that the "meltdown" was much ado about nothing, but later had a change of heart, and joined the fun. Brit Hume's stint as a questioner in the debate continued the anti-Dean slant. He kept the "mean Dean" ball rolling by using negative statements made by Dean toward other candidates in several of his questions. All the other candidates have criticized their rivals, but Brit used Dean's words, and made it clear that they were Dean's words. Hume said that he hated to bring up Dean's nonconcession speech, while doing just that. If he didn't want to bring it up, why did he? Because he was required to, as a member of the Fox team? The "Fair and Balanced" network truly has no shame. ---Don Kuhns, "angry democrat" Subj: A Letter to our Senators Dear Senator (fill in the blank), Just exactly what is a "Weapons of Mass Destruction-Related Program Activity?" And why did it cost us $170 billion dollars to stop it? A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Fighting Back You know that all the right wing talk show hosts are playing dean's speech over and over and over. Can you locate the voice track of an angry Reagan screaming " I paid for this microphone" that he said during a Debate during the primary??? I would love to play it as a call in to hannity et al Phil Subj: The Energy Bill From Public Citizen and another from Robert Redford. More of the Radical Regime Change - Laws being passed screwing future generations for "profit" in the very short term. What do the Bushevik lunatics think their grandchildren will breathe or eat or drink or bathe in ? I guess they assume that with no estate tax, and huge profits to pass down, their grandchildren can build huge private hermetically sealed atmospherically controlled non toxic living domes. But in this case, there is a LOT that YOU can DO. And it has been proven to be very effective. Please check this out, and DO something about it. A BuzzFlash Reader * * * "...This bill may be the worst piece of legislation you and I will see in our lifetimes. It would pick your pocket, despoil your natural heritage, endanger your family's health and smother your hope for a more secure energy future. Subj: Grover Norquist - "Do you want to talk about who's closer politically to national socialism, the Right or the Left?" Dear BuzzFlash, Regarding your article on Grover Norquist: Mr. Norquist goes on record to defend his statement that the estate tax in the U.S. was like Nazi policy under Hitler. In the next breath he goes on to say that Bush/Hitler comparisons (and GOP/Nazi comparisons) are deluded. To quote Mr. Norquist from the article: " Do you want to talk about who's closer politically to national socialism, the Right or the Left?" To answer his question - YES I DO. And I would like to use this space to do it. THE FIRST fact I point out is that G.W. Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush, was doing business with the Nazis from the 1920s to ~1950. He was a Nazi collaborator, a Nazi business partner, and a war profiteering opportunist. Prescott Bush had his assets frozen by Roosevelt in 1942 (Bush was in direct violation of "The Trading With The Enemies Act"). Bush's family also made money off of slave labor from Auschwitz. All this was recently reported by journalist John Buchanan. All of this can be corroborated by former federal prosecutor and former Holocaust Museum Officer, John Loftus. (Loftus has held the highest security clearances in the U.S. Government). SECOND point - The Nazis used manipulation to create circumstance for political advantage. They started the Reich-stag fire and exploited it give Hitler total power. They staged a fake attack on a German radio station - dressing German soldiers up in Polish Army uniforms and then performing the attack. This was used as an excuse to attack Poland 'as a defense'. In the same context, Bush used the 911 attacks to justify his war on Iraq. He created phony threats which he referred to as "WMDs" to manipulate us into that war. He allowed Ken Lay of Enron to price gouge the state of California out of billions of dollars. Immediately after the rolling blackouts had begun, Vice President Cheney was on the air calling for an immediate increase in the number of coal and nuclear power plants. They also used the ensuing California budget crisis (that arose from the energy swindle) to capitalize on the political debacle for Davis, allowing them get a recall vote and put in Schwarzenegger. THIRD point - Florida 2000 election - the fake riot outside the election commissioner's office was staged by Congressional Republican staffers. This was a felony that was never prosecuted. FOURTH point - Katherine Harris and her voter purge of 90,000 eligible voters - most were African American and most were Democrats. FIFTH point - Bush like Hitler, wears a military uniform in public while he is in office. SIXTH point - Goebbels method of propaganda - tell the people that they are under attack - denounce the pacifists as anti patriotic - attack the intellectuals - and you can achieve whatever you want. This is exactly what is happening in the states today. War protesters are being monitored by the FBI. The right wing media denounces pacifists. And Rumsfeld called for the creation of a ministry of disinformation (right after 911). He even stated he would lie to us. (He back-peddled on that later). SEVENTH point - people wonder why The Bush Administration blocked the formation of the 911 commission. People are also wondering why Bush is blocking an extension for the commission's report. People are wondering why Condoleeza Rice doesn't want to testify under oath. People are wondering how Bush saw the first plane hit the tower (he said this 3 different times). People want to know why Bush sat there in the classroom for more than 20 minutes, AFTER Andrew Card told him about the second plane. People want to know why Ari Fleischer lied in a news conference where he was quoted as saying "no warnings." People want to know what you are hiding in the August 6,2001 CIA briefing. People want to know why Ashcroft stopped flying commercial airliners in late July. People want to know why several major international warnings regarding an imminent terrorist threat were ignored by the Bush administration. People want to know why the Taliban emmissary, sent here in July 2001, was rebuffed when he warned the state department about Al Qaida's plan: (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0907-08.htm) It is too horrible to think that 911 was Bush's equivalent to the Reich-stag fire or to the phoney attack by Polish troops. But the opportunistic actions to exploit California's "energy crisis", the lies that led to the war with Iraq, and even the corruption of the 2000 election were beyond belief before George W. Bush. So Mr. Norquist, I state that the GOP and the right wing have more in common with the Nazis -- both with regard to immediate instances and in overall methodology, than ANY OTHER POLITICAL PARTY ON THE GLOBE. Sincerely, Z.E. Subj: On to New Hampshire! Hi Buzz, I just read the two Mike's---Moore on Dean Supporters and Williams on the N.H. polls, that and the "Media" reaction to Howard Dean In Iowa. The "Media" in particular continues its relentless rant in which they try to tell us 'What to think' and 'How to Think' as they pile up on Howard Dean. It is the same old same old---smear another Democrat and ignore the glaring lies of the self serving narcissistic gwb as he blabs incoherently about "Weapons of Mass Destruction--Related Programs Activities". What in the Hell is that? Have we not learned anything? Have we not learned that the many who demonstrated to prevent the Iraq Invasion, and especially the 15 million who World Wide 'Marched for Peace' were right? There was no justification for that Invasion. And Howard Dean was right to be one of the few voices to oppose that Invasion. We learned that 15 million was not enough. And in Iowa, Howard Dean learned that more voices are needed to carry foreword his message of opposition to the gwb mob in power. Al Gore was too stiff, the Antiwar 15 million was a 'focus group', Howard Dean is unelectable. Same old same old, destroy by slight of mouth. A smirk and a lie--have a beer, America curl up and let george entertain you with his nice little war. A war without casualties because America you are Democratic and Free and why bother your 'beautiful little minds' with the vision of the Dead at Dover or the injured and Maimed at Walter Reed. Do Not Give UP Howard Dean !!! Moore was right when he wrote that you voice is needed. And more importantly, the many many who follow your cause say that you speak for us and you speak for America. We will elect you because we "Have the Power". Do Not Give Up Howard Dean!!! Because the gwb mob and the "media" do not want you to be the Democratic candidate for the President in the year 2004, and they are trying their worst to prevent that. Best, Cole... Subj: Call for Civil Servant Disobedience As I was reading your story about the Kean Commission, and he mentioned he couldn't talk about the President's daily breifing or he would go to jail, I wondered if he really would, and even if he did, if it wouldn't be worth it for the public good. If the law protects acts so evil, the law should be ignored. The White House itself ignored the law about revealing the identities of undercover agents and suffered no repercussions whatsoever. How could they then punish Kean, or any FAA officials, or Air Force officers who come forward and say what the Bush administration is trying to keep quiet about 9/11? When will we come to that moment that the Russian soldiers came to after the coup when they were called upon to fire on their own people and refused? Right now, those who know what Bush did or knew and withhold it might be obeying the letter of the law, but they are killing the soul of the country by letting this cancer fester. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Ted Koppel Apparently Ted Koppel (and a few Republicans as I recall) are comparing the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq to various fatality statistics. For example, 500 dead isn't considered a lot compared to traffice accidents, murders, toaster mishaps, whatever. What this argument misses is that the U.S. deaths in Iraq are not just random events. These soldiers have been deliberately targeted. They are well-armed, well-trained, vigilant, and acting under the color of authority. Imagine, if you will, that in addition to all of the statistically "normal" deaths in this country, over 500 police officers were deliberately targeted and violently killed and that tens of thousands more police officers were injured. Can you imagine the public outcry and terror that this would create? Clinton worked on putting 100,000 more police on the streets. Bush is just sending out targets. Joseph Luna Subj: ALERT: Bush's State of the Union Speech is All Wet http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040121/480/wcap22601210640 President Bush knocks over a water glass as he shakes Vice President Cheney's hand after delivering the State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2004, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Scott Applewhite) Note the position of the water glass in the before photo: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040121/480/wcap30501210331 A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: The MoveOn Ad It looks like CBS isn't going to run MoveOn's ad because it's "too controversial". By that logic they should have refused to run George Bush's State of the Union address! Everyone should write or Email CBS to complain. In a free and democratic society there is no place for this type of political censorship. Someone needs to remind them that the airwaves belong to the people of this country. Rob Moitoza Subj: Howard Dean is Presidential I saw Dean on the ABC interview and the Democratic debate. He was great. He really looked like the comeback kid. Anybody who can take so much pummelling from the rest of the Domocratic field and the media and still stand up and say what he believes in is truly great. That quality of being standing tall and solid and saying the truth is what I call being presidential is all about. Hey, fellow Dean supporters, we do have the best candidate this country can offer. A Dean Supporter. Subject: Jennings for the Defense The most interesting comments during last night's NH debate definitely came from Wesley Clark. His exchange with Jennings on Bush's military record, and rightly pointing out that Bush didn't do everything he could to protect us on 9/11 were truly heroic positions. Jennings, who must have seen Bush's Air National Guard records from the 70's, tried to get Clark to denounce Michael Moore for calling Bush a deserter at a Clark rally. Obviously not being in a position to support or deny Moore's claim, Clark did a good job of telling Jennings that he couldn't know either way and isn't running against Bush's military record since he has his own campaign agenda. Of course that didn't sit well with Jennings who pressed, but Clark reiterated his position and left the issue open for further purview. After the debate, co-defender Fred Barnes labeled Clark the big debate loser for not repudiating Moore's comment, and of course that fine liberal Mort Kondracke pretty much agreed with him. On the 9/11 issue, Clark has been using the tack that Bush ignored the Clinton's sage advice that Usama bin Laden should be their highest priority, and instead, the Bush's focused on the missile defense shield. Clark emphasizes that Bush did not do everything he could have to stop the attacks and for that he has to answer. It is a brilliant move to make Bush run from 9/10/01 and not 9/11/01, which takes away all of Bush's excuses for domestic woes and aggressive foreign policies. It goes to the heart of Bush's supposed strength, and reveals that the adults who were to protect us were merely babysitting for a bigger agenda. Of course Bush could clear up his deserter status by releasing his military records Bush could clear up his insider trading history with Harken by releasing his SEC records. Bush could clear up the notion that Iraq wasn't about oil and natural gas by releasing Cheney's Energy meeting minutes. Bush could clear up the claim that the Saudis pre-warned him about 9/11 by publishing the redacted pages from the Senate Intelligence Report. Bush could find out in a nano-second who outed CIA agent Valerie Plame if he so chose. Clark is more than a dark horse in this race, he is the knight on the white steed who is charging into battle putting the evil emperor on the defensive. YT Cai Dear BuzzFlash Mailbag, Robert Novak -- When Journalism Abets A Crime I think it is time for Robert Novak to resign or explain his apparent close ties to the Republican establishment and the White House. His involvement in the outing of a CIA operative Plame and now links to the US Senate Judiciary Committee's hacking of Democratic senators' computers weigh heavily on his credibility and ethics as a journalist and citizen involved in the distribution of information obtained through illegal channels. To what end are democracy and the 1st Amendment served when journalism benefits from criminal acts? BuzzFlash
Reader Subj: Mailbag 1/22 Joe, and his description of the State of the Union address...and the democrats who all looked like they wanted to leave? Or be very sick??? I watched Ted Kennedy twice, take a deep breath as if he were having a heart attack...once running his hand along his face....with a look of pure hatred on his face. The next one they showed, was Charlie Rangel (NY) and he had his head completely down...as if he were almost asleep...troubled look on his face. None of the democrats cheered with heart...Clinton stood once, and pretended to clap...with a look of pure disgust on her face!!! I wonder, at the ages of these two men,...how much more can they take? Kennedy has been working with the Democratic candidates...tirelessly. I fear it will not work...there is something im my gut that tells me, that it is already fixed. The rightwingnuts have been blessed with this talent for crucifying anyone and making it stick...I wish I could find out how they do that. The Media, of course aids and abets them. I do hope that Gary Condit gets millions....billions...trillions!!!! They can take a thing like Howard Deans screaming rant after Iowa....and change it into a crazy man that could not run the white house...then..I suppose they deserve to have a REAL CRAZY EVIL MAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!!! AGREE???? Shirley.............St.Louis Subj: To Al Gore: This is the moment! Greetings to all, I sent this message to Al Gore today in the hopes he will consider the Democratic nomination. After Monday’s news from Iowa and Bush’s speech, we are all reexamining the 2004 election. We can not take any chances this year. We must win. Gore can win. You can contact him through his website, www.draftgore.com or by his email, draftgore@draftgore.com. Thanks. ********************* To Al & Tipper Gore, 1/22/04 Thank you for your thoughtful commentary on issues facing Americans today. Thank you for your support of the Dean campaign, which has energized Democrats across the country. I’m sure we agree about the urgent need to get our country back on the right track. After suffering through Bush’s militaristic speech on Tuesday night, I am even concerned and convinced we need a strong Democratic candidate who can win in 2004. YOU are the candidate that can defeat Bush. I appreciate the skills & strengths of Kerry, Dean, Edwards, Clark, and Kucinich. But this year, we are not in a position to take any chances. Both Kerry and Edwards got a boost in Iowa, but they voted for the war in October 2002. We need a candidate who had the guts to speak out against the war, so that we can effectively challenge Bush’s policies in Iraq. We need a candidate with a national reputation. We need a candidate strong on the environment. We owe it to the people of the world to elect a president who already commands international trust & respect. WE NEED YOU. Will you please consider this extraordinary commitment—for the good of your country? There is historical precedent for a man from Tennessee, who “lost”the presidency through unusual circumstance, running successfully in the next election. Andrew Jackson won the 1828 Election after he “lost”to John Quincy Adams in 1824. Democrats will of course support and work hard for any candidate. But we will be much more assured of victory if we have a candidate of your experience, stature, and willingness to take a stand against Bush’s invasion of Iraq; Bush’s actions that threaten the environment; Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy; and Bush’s plans to expand the Patriot Act and make it permanent. Thank you for considering this bold request. Please know that anxious Americans, including a strong group in Louisville Kentucky, will support your candidacy. Sign me up to work on your campaign. Judy Munro-Leighton President has proved he cannot be trusted 1/21/2004 With the recent release of the report by the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, can there still be any among us who don't realize that many of us were duped into supporting the invasion of Iraq? In addition, revelations by a former Cabinet member have confirmed what many had suspected - that President Bush and his administration were discussing this invasion within days of the start of his presidency. And what has been accomplished by it? As of this writing, 500 American service members have been killed and many thousands have been maimed, while uncounted numbers of innocent Iraqis have met the same fate. We will have vast numbers of returning servicemen and women whose lives will be forever scarred by their participation in this needless war. U.S. relations with the majority of countries around the world are severely strained or non-existent. U.S. taxpayers are contributing billions of dollars to rebuild and democratize a country that shows little sign of allowing either. We will have an unbearable federal deficit for years to come. All of this and more are consequences of an unprecedented, pre-emptive invasion to protect us from a country that was never a real threat to our security in the first place. Perhaps the saddest thing about this entire situation is that we have a national leader who refuses to admit that he was wrong about the risk posed by Iraq. To do so would require him to admit his responsibility for the consequences. He obviously places his political career well above the truth that the American public deserves to hear. We have been misled. If we cannot trust our president to do the right thing when American lives are at stake, how can we trust him at all? DON HOWARD Subj: Where is the sanity? After last nights debate in NH and the obvious showing of major ego evoked on the US public by Jennings I have to ask where is the sanity? Jennings knows all too well that one remark "embedded" in his question (The General vs. the Deserter concerning Mike Moore's comment), and asked in such a smart ass way will sway the herd mentality of our citizens. Oh, like how dare Mike make such a statement. Good for Clark for standing his ground. I am sure it was a successful attempt by King Ego though because most Americans are too lazy to find out the facts for themselves. And after all if Jennings felt that way about it he must be right. He is everything that is good in American, right? He embarrasses my deep Canadian roots. Dam I am angry at the way the media has skewered certain candidates and citizens in what I believe is a blatant attempt to keep the military industrial complex gears grinding. Some fucking democracy, are we now being forced to vote for the lest wealthiest of the candidates? Fried in Freeport Ugh!!!!!!! A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: IF THIS WERE CLINTON OR GORE..... If this story were about clinton or gore your media would run it every 5 minutes.... if it were mike jackson it would be every 3 minutes and on the front page of every newspaper... BUT HERE IS THE STORY WE SHOULD BE HEARING AND READING... in an election year especially WHY ARE WE NOT GETTING THE NEWS... If you're only watching the American media, there's a story you haven't heard a thing about, but not because it's inconsequential to Americans: International news sources have reported that Vice President Dick Cheney could come under criminal investigation for his role in a massive bribery scandal while he was head of Halliburton. The story has been discussed in French, British, and Austrialian papers for at least three weeks. On Saturday, the Dallas Morning News became the first major U.S. newspaper to cover the story -- with a front page article, no less. Yet the other 11 of America's 12 highest-circulation daily papers haven't covered Cheney's inclusion in the investigation at all. Please write a brief letter to the editor of one of these newspapers, and let them know that they're failing the American public by ignoring this news: The New
York Times: letters@nytimes.com (If you're not a member of the Media Corps, click here to join. As a Media Corps member, you'll receive more alerts like this one in the future.) MORE INFO: The investigation involves allegations that Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root and a French company together paid $180 million in illegal commissions to government officials during the construction of a natural gas complex in Nigeria. This comes after Halliburton's admission in May that, under Cheney's leadership, the oil-field services company "paid a Nigerian tax official $2.4 million in bribes to get favorable tax treatment," according to the Associated Press. An investigation on the matter by the Securities and Exchange Commission continues. Halliburton has also come under fire for inflating gasoline prices in Iraq and receiving noncompetitive contracts to rebuild Iraqi oil facilities. Initiated by French law enforcement authorities, the case would be prosecuted under an international treaty making bribery of foreign public officials a criminal offense. The treaty has been signed by the United States, France, and over 30 other countries. For more information about this investigation, read the international news articles assembled by the Center for American Progress in its daily Progress Report: This isn't about supporting or opposing Vice President Cheney. Whether or not Cheney is ever tried on criminal charges of misusing corporate assets, the American media should be keeping the public informed about significant legal investigations involving elected leaders. Journalistic principles demand the free press serve as a monitor of those in power. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Made a dif Just thought you might like to know I emailed your link about the Rush story and it got a mention on CNN this morning by the McCaffery (not sure his name) guy. I noticed no one else has reported on it yet. You guys do great work. Larry P Subj: Emergency I have been increasingly concerned about the very real threat of massive voter fraud in the up coming 2004 presidential election due to these touch-screen voting machines. Bush and his group of thugs stole the last election with just the help of his brother and cohorts in just one state, Florida. Imagine what he could do with his new republican nazi’s in control of the software that electronically counts the votes without any audit trail at all. He lost the last election, he lost the recount and had to be installed by an illegal decision handed down by a corrupt Supreme Court. Think about it, the leader of the free world, the President of the United States of America was not elected to the office but is illegally squatting in the oval office through a political coup d'état. After reading Paul Krugman’s column in the New York Times today I followed up by going to congress.org to find out about Representative Rush Holt’s bill. I’ve included the links below. I really believe we have to mount a concentrated effort to get this bill past. This country, this democracy, America can not survive another four years of bush and his new nazi wing of the Republican Party. From Paul Kruman’s column in the New York Times of January 1, 2004. Democracy at Risk http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/23/opinion/23KRUG.html So what should be done? Representative Rush Holt has introduced a bill calling for each machine to produce a paper record that the voter verifies. The paper record would then be secured for any future audit. The bill requires that such verified voting be ready in time for the 2004 election —and that districts that can't meet the deadline use paper ballots instead. And it also requires surprise audits in each state. From Representative Rush Holt’s web site. http://www.congress.org/congressorg/webreturn/?url=http://holt.house.gov November 19, 2003 MOMENTUM BUILDS FOR HOLT VOTER VERIFICATION BILL THREE REPUBLICANS JOIN DEMOCRATS IN SUPPORTING H.R. 223 Washington, DC –Rep. Rush Holt today announced that three Congressional Republicans, Rep. Tom Davis III (R-VA), Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT), and Rep. Charles Bass (R-NH) have agreed to cosponsor The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003, introduced by Rep. Rush Holt and co-sponsored by 74 Members of Congress. They are the first Republicans to co-sponsor the bill. Rep Davis is the former Chair of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee. The Holt bill would require all voting machines to produce an actual paper record by 2004 that voters can view to check the accuracy of their votes and that election officials can use to verify votes in the event of a computer malfunction, hacking, or other irregularity. Experts often refer to this paper record as a “voter-verified paper trail.” “I am very pleased that my Republican colleagues have joined my effort to protect the future integrity of our elections. There’s clearly momentum building in Congress and across the country to see this legislation pass. I expect we’ll see even more cosponsors sign on in the days and weeks to come,”said Rep. Rush Holt. “As I have said all along, making sure that the votes of our citizens are counted properly is not a partisan issue. I am confident that more Republicans will join me so that together we can pass this legislation and make sure that every vote cast in every future election is counted accurately.” Key provisions of The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003 include: For those using the increasingly popular ATM-like “DRE”(Direct Recording Electronic) machines, this requirement means the DRE would print a receipt that each voter would verify as accurate and deposit into a lockbox for later use in a recount. States would have until November 2003 to request additional funds to meet this requirement. Jurisdictions that feel their new computer systems may not be able to meet this deadline may use an existing paper system as an interim measure (at federal expense) in the November 2004 election. Like the voting machines for non-disabled voters, those used by disabled voters must also provide a mechanism for voter-verification, though not necessarily a paper trail. Jurisdictions unable to meet this requirement by the deadline must give disabled voters the option to use the interim paper system with the assistance of an aide of their choosing. Subj: Sen. Robert Byrd Wednesday, I actually witnessed a brief moment of Democracy. I saw the speech given by Sen. Robert Byrd on c-span and was completely transfixed. At first I thought the Senator was going to drop dead from a heart attack but I quickly realized he was a lone voice of reason in the Senate that day. Where can I find a copy of that speech? Are you planning on posting this? Just curious. I really enjoy the broad subject matter that you guys cover. Keep it up. More people check in every day. Thanks Rob Smith Subj: Bush Military Record At last a member of the media establishment (Peter Jennings) has introduced the military record of our "commander in chief" in a public format. And what is the Democrat response? Silence. Could you imagine what the Republicans would do with an opportunity like that? No wonder you are in the wilderness. Bill Carter Subj: This is an e-mail I sent to Peter Jennings after the debate Dear Peter Jennings, I am appalled by the question you posed to General Clark in the debate last night, referring to Michael Moore’s reference to George Bush being a deserter. Not only did the tone seem inappropriate for someone who’s job it is to be impartial but the underling assumption that any inference of impropriety on George Bush’s part during the Vietnam War is ludicrous, is well frankly ludicrous. The reason your question is so offensive is that many unresolved issues about George Bush’s guard record still exist. These questions are not solely the domain of crazy of Internet conspiracy theorists or the maturations of DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe. They have come from major newspapers, magazines and maybe most importantly directly from at least one superior officer who Bush was ordered to serve under at the time in question. What I find most troubling is that it is utterly impossible for you not to know the basic facts in this case yet for some reason your question completely ignorer them and the very serious issues they raise about our President. I do believe that candidates should be questioned about what supporters say and do but ultimately it is your responsibility as a journalist to check the accuracy of these statements. Below are a few links and reference that took me all of ten minutes to find on the Internet to support the idea that George Bush may not have fulfilled his National Guard duty. Being neither a layer or a the military expert I am not qualified to determine if the term “deserter”applies or should be used to describe someone that skipped out on up to a years worth of Guard Service. Once again I believe that is a question a journalist such as yourself would want to know. If the accusations are true a few other questions you may want to ask are, what would the range of punishment for this crime have been and what happened to other soldiers who committed the same offence. Thank you for your time. Edward Cecchi * * * 1-YEAR GAP IN BUSH'S GUARD DUTY\ NO RECORD OF AIRMAN AT DRILLS IN 1972-73 Published on May 23, 2000 Author(s): Walter V. Robinson, GLOBE STAFF AUSTIN, Texas - After George W. Bush became governor in 1995, the Houston Air National Guard unit he had served with during the Vietnam War years honored him for his work, noting that he flew an F-102 fighter-interceptor until his discharge in October 1973. And Bush himself, in his 1999 autobiography, "A Charge to Keep," recounts the thrills of his pilot training, which he completed in June 1970. "I continued flying with my unit for the next several years," the Click for complete article (2510 words) * * * BUSH DEFENDS GUARD RECORD, DISPUTES REPORT OF MISSING DUTY Published on May 24, 2000 Author(s): Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff Texas Governor George W. Bush insisted yesterday that he fulfilled his military obligation and disputed parts of a Boston Globe report that there is no evidence that he appeared for duty for a year just before his 1973 discharge from the Texas Air National Guard. "I did the duty necessary . . . That's why I was honorably discharged," Bush told reporters traveling on his campaign plane to Ohio, according to the Associated Press. Bush, who was assigned to a Houston Air Click for complete article (390 words) |
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