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March 1, 2004 |
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Subj: 2/27 Bush White House: Home of the Whopper February 27, 2004 On One Hand*
White House: "*there are two victims -- the mother and the unborn child -- and both victims should be protected*". [White House Statement praising House passage of Unborn Victims of Violence Act, making it a crime to harm an unborn child, 2/26/04] On The Other Hand*
Jason * * * Bush Proposal Would Ease Regulations on Mercury Pollution. Bush proposed loosening regulations on mercury emissions under the Clean Air Act the same week that his own FDA and EPA cautioned adults to limit their intake of fish because of potentially high levels of mercury. By allowing mercury pollution allowances to be bought and sold freely, Bush's cap-and-trade program does nothing to prevent or alleviate "hot spots" * areas of dangerously high mercury pollution. In fact, Bush's proposal would exacerbate existing "hot spots". [FT, 12/4/03; NYT, 12/3/03; WP, 12/3/03, 12/5/03, 12/11/03; Houston Chronicle 12/5/03] Mercury Is Especially Toxic to Fetuses and Pregnant Women. Mercury, a known neurotoxin, accumulates in the environment and builds up in the tissue of fish and the humans that consume them. It is particularly hazardous for pregnant women because of the developmental effects on fetuses. - Fetal exposure to mercury can cause brain damage, poor attention span and language development, impaired memory and vision, problems processing information, and impaired visual and fine motor coordination. - According to the EPA, 630,000 infants are born in the U.S. each year with blood mercury levels higher than the EPA's level of concern. - And 43 states already have warnings against consuming several species of fish because of the possibility of mercury contamination. [NYT, 12/3/03; WP, 12/3/03; AP, 12/3/03; LAT, 2/6/04; Environmental Defense, "Out of Control & Close to Home, Mercury Pollution from Power Plants" 2003] Subj: Good stuff in the Senate Friday morning Don’t know if you were watching the Senate Friday morning but it appears McCain and Lieberman have decided to get the 9-11 Commission extended or hold up the highway funds extension. McCain sounded really pissed and Frist was just unhappy. Larry P Subj: Do-gooders gone wrong Hey Buzz: I was shocked to learn that MBNA is now Bush's biggest contributor. Why? Because my Working Assets Mastercard is issued by MBNA!! I immediately sent a message to Working Assets asking them to please switch card-issuing companies because the last thing I want to do is be an unwitting contributor to Bush's campaign (sweet lord!). Given how the Bush administration pretty much under cuts every cause Working Assets supports, you have to wonder how Working Assets ever ended up in bed with a Bush supporter like MBNA! Then there's NPR. Here's my latest letter to their ombudsman:
Thank goodness for BuzzFlash's continuing to keep it real. My NPR-designated dollars are now going to go to you A devoted BuzzFlash fan Subj: Let's organize a national protest against the white washing of 911 Rob Carlson has a good idea here! Why not all of us here at MoveOn start a drive to get a protest started not just in DC but Nationwide to protest the WHITEWASHING of the independent commission! We need to show the people in charge of our nation that we don't like being lied to and having the truth kept from us! I know their are quite a few family members that are fighting to get the truth out but all that the Republican leadership wants to do is give us another Warren Commission Report! I can think of a few sites on the internet that have been trying to get to the truth especially with all of the contradictions in the time lines and how are great fearless leader sat and listened to kids for at least 15 to twenty minutes after being told that it was not an accident but we were under attack after the second plane hit! Watch his reaction to and his response to the knowledge that our country was under attack! http://www.bushflash.com/nothing.html All Americans should be as passionately committed as the victims families themselves when it comes to uncovering the truth of what happened on September 11, 2001. One thing we should push for is that they release an interim report on the original day the panel's mandate calls for it to complete its work May 27th and be given a charge to continue their investigation until all of the stones have been looked under! After all how many years and dollars did we spend to find out the President had an extramarital affair that only hurt him? We need to find out how our defense was let down if not outright compromised for political gain and war profiteering! original post @action forum \
Subj: Conservative & Liberal? Don't you think the old "Conservative" and "Liberal" labels are obsolete? The current "Conservative" President is the biggest spender in history, while the previous "Liberal" President actually created a budget surplus. So maybe we drop Liberal in favor of "Progressive" and drop Conservative in favor of "Regressive". What do you think? Scott Subj: Flip and Flop George Bush has recently started talking about flipping and flopping. Perhaps this explains why he has found himself on the wrong side of issues that concern the American people. He needs to either flip or flop and get on the CORRECT side of these issues so that he can truly say he is representing ALL AMERICANS, not just WEALTHY AMERICANS! We don't care what he wants to call himself ( a flipping Conservative or a flopping Liberal) as long as he gets back to representing the majority of Americans, not just his rich corporate friends! Thanks, Bonnie in Florida Subj: Bush Policies Explained Dear BuzzFlash Some recent propositions by Bush seem completely nuts, until you finally pull it all together. Then you see his brilliance and all doubt about his wisdom fades. Like this: We will let in guest workers, then out-source them AND their jobs to Mars. There, the workers will establish democracy and start terra-forming the planet for the arrival of those few, elite, humans who survive the widespread ecological and Franken-science disasters ravaging earth. Admit it-he's a genius! Jim P Subj: Scalia I have just read in my paper, that Scalia was playing footsie, again, with the Dean of the University of Kansas. The dean of this school had a case in front of him about the amount of time they could hold a sex offender (I think I am at least close)....he (Scalia) requested a trip to Kansas to go Pheasant hunting with this particular person, and got it. At State expense, they flew him down, and two weeks later, to make a long story short., after the Scalia trip....Kansas University won their case. When will it end? It was on page A9 in the Post Dispatch....It should be in front of the smartass Supreme Court right now, for impeachment of this particular Judge. It was not enough that he went with the Vice President on a Pheasant hunting trip while we were fighting this Energy Policy thing....now, he is doing everything he can to change policy in this country....and he will! It's time for impeachment for a lot of people in Washington! Shirley.....St.Louis Subj: At a glance calculations: Calculate segments of American citizens who Bush has ticked off with his counter-productive mandates, decisions and gross ineptness: . Pro environment people . The Unemployed . Displaced workers . National Guard folks and Reserves + their families . Many in the Volunteer Service + their families . Educators . Unions . US labor force . Gays and Lesbians . The peace makers . Firemen and Police . Democrats . Independents . and me! Those segments of society are right off the top of my head. The listing could continue into the night. On the other hand, there are republicans who would vote republican merely because their daddy and grand daddies were republicans. They are in a minority. Rejoice Buzzers! When we add up all of the groups of people Bush has ticked off, it is impossible for him to be elected in 2004. These groups are the majority. Couple in many staunch republicans who are vocal about refusing to vote for Bush again and common sense tells us Georgie cannot win! ~ Cathy Re: Hypocrisy of the Bush Cartel So, it's OK to visit Libya where they freely admit to being sponsors of terrorism, and freely admit that they killed innocent US civilians, confiscated millions of dollars worth of US and other Western nations oil industry equipment. Harbored numerous criminals from justice, and helped other radical Muslim countries do the same. However, we can't go to Cuba, because the Bushes need to kowtow to the stridently vocal Cuban, Ultra-Minority. Talk about the tail wagging the dog. These Cubans that the Republicans seem to feel are much more important than thousands of US farmers and exporters, and much more important than thousands of US citizens rights to freely travel (Assembly) to any country that we are not at War with. We can travel to North Korea, Vietnam, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iran, China, and anywhere in the old Soviet Union, but not to Cuba. We can do business with all of the above, but not with Cuba. This policy is as failed and backward thinking as the so-called "Drug War." After nearly half a century, it has done nothing to inhibit Castro from doing anything except come to the US. However, it has done much to line the pockets of that miniscule group of ex-Batista Era exploiters living in Miami. They still smart from losing their fiefdoms to Castro. They could care less about the average Cuban. It is all about lost privilege and wealth, not about compassion and humanity. North Korea has killed millions of their people in the name of Communism, but we can go there. The only thing I can figure out is that this policy is based on complete mean-spiritedness that is the hallmark of the Republican Party, unless there is oil in Cuba that only the US oil industry is aware of. Of course, if that was the reality, we would have found a trumped up reason to invade a long time ago. Castro is very lucky that we do not have a desperate need for sugar. Bill Short Subj: Bush the Emasculator Regarding Dubya's inclination to calling other men "pretty". What he is doing (probably subconsciously) is establishing his dominance or authority by publicly emasculating a man that is not in a position to defend himself. The word pretty is usually used to describe a woman. There are numerous examples of this sexist and not so subliminal domination, the most obvious being:
I'm not making excuses for him, but I believe the tendency to intimidate and project authority is so ingrained in Bush that he isn't even aware his behaviour is inappropriate. Just another example of this man's (lack of) character. A Canadian BuzzFlash reader Subj: I think Bush needs a doctor As I read some of the items that Bush is doing, I think that he may be on drugs or is hitting the bottle again. If we all can raise some money and send him to a doctor, it may help. A supporter of BuzzFlash, R. Aschmotat Subj: DubyaSpeak From: www.dubyaspeak.com:
Holy Shit!! This guy has an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from Harvard. That’s a friggin post-graduate degree! Maybe he earned that diploma the same way he earned his Honorable Discharge. I’ve brought this up ad nauseum, but seriously, prep schools and Ivy League colleges and this is the result.... Turk Meister Subj: Greenspan says he will cut $1000 to $445 A Social Security recipient should have saved his or her money, Greenspan says and he will cut benefits that are $1000 per month down to $445 per month. This is while gasoline prices are $1.99 per gallon and increasing and all the while billionaires are getting richer. It is fine with Bush. mev Subj: Electronic Voting Hello- I was visiting my County Clerk's website and found a great piece she posted regarding e-voting. I was astounded and delighted to see that an elected official would be bold enough to post the information on their site. http://www.yoloelections.org/homepage/snews/SD1069109000 My favorite excerpt: "[The Help America Vote Act] has set off a gold rush. Not a rush by local voting officials to meet some new gold standard of voting reliability and security. No, a gold rush by special interests and their lobbyists, joined by the entrenched local bureaucrats who are the natural prey of public-contract profiteers." Just thought you might be interested... Thanks, A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: MSNBC Poll Is Mel Gibson one bead short of a full rosary? MSNBC asked this after posting this article quoting Gibson as saying his wife won't make it to heaven despite her being a better person than him. Also he was suicidal but making The Passion cured him. Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4224452 I found it ironic after Gibson's claims of divine inspiration to make this movie that crew members were hit 3 times by lightening during filming. The assistant director was hit twice and Jim Caviezel who portrays Jesus once. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3209223.stm I also find it very ironic that the so many people who condemn violent movies and worry about their effect upon children are lauding The Passion for just that thing - the blood and the gore - and think it is a wonderful thing to take their children to. I would laugh if I was not thinking about the nightmares these kids will be suffering in the future. A BuzzFlash reader Subj: Conservatives and Liberal Talk Shows Last February CNBC cancelled Phil Donahue's show. He was averaging 446,000 viewers, the highest rated show on CNBC, and apparently his ratings were growing monthly. There was a lot of talk about how liberals could not attract an audience on television. This February conservative Dennis Miller has averaged 303,000 viewers, nearly 50% less viewers than Donahue. CNBC seems perfectly happy. Nobody has said a word about the failure of a conservative to draw an audience. Warmly, PhilosopherJay Subj: Now THIS should be objective; Pentagon to offer direct news service Is that legal? Oh yea, I forgot, nobody cares about the law in the new USA.... so why not? now the NYT and all the others won't have to COPY stuff sent from the Pentagon, they can just use it like they do Reuters and AP. Good idea, dontcha think?? And paid for by the taxpayers too.... wow, all the good things we get to pay for. Thank heaven we have the Democrats to trounce on these ideas... oh, they don"t? Because they think it'll be good for them when THEY are (if ever again) in the White House? Well, I guess we can just get rid of social security to pay for all this - and if a lot of old people starve and freeze to death, then we can also save a lot of money on medicare, welfare, wasted money like that... http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3799306,00.html A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Clear Channel It's obvious that the reporters covering the Howard Stern controversy don't listen to his radio show. There was one glaring difference between his shows before the Winter Break and after. Before, he would praise Bush and Robin Quivers would dutifully repeat the Republican spin of the day. On his first day back (Feb. 23), he announced he had read Al Franken's new book, and despite the fact that he is disparaged on the very first page, he praised it. He then became the very first mainstream media personality to tell the truth about the Bush administration. On Tuesday and Wednesday he said "I will do everything in my power to see that Bush is not re-elected." Wednesday afternoon, Clear Channel (run by a Bush pioneer and sponsor of pro-war "rallies") announced they were dropping the Howard Stern Show from all six Clear Channel stations that carry it. The reason given was that a caller (unscreened) had used racist language. Stern often exposes the racism that still exists in our country by making fun of it (he has been playing tapes of Mel Gibson's father every day). What Clear Channel obviously did was frantically read through recent transcripts, and they found something that's hard to defend out of context. But it's a red herring, and Howard Stern is really being "Dixie Chicked." Beverly Subj: Mailbag 2/27 Hey Buzzers! Brad, good common sense as to why Stern was kicked off Clear Channel in Pa. and Fla...double whammey. I believe every word of that..they (the rightwingnuts) will stop at nothing. The loyal reader...re: Vietnam No, I do not believe either of the dimwits..Tom or George, I think they would have done anything to stay out of Vietnam...as did Cheney (5 times evaded) and Ashcroft (8 times evaded). There are so many republicans in congress and senate who evaded you cannot even count them. The only one, I think who went other than John McCain, is maybe Chuck Hagel..(could be wrong about that). Cheney, admittedly, had better things to do. Ashcroft supposedly was needed too much to teach in Southwest Missouri...so getting down on your knees and pleading is much better than facing what the poor guys did when they went to Nam...most of them realized it long before the end came...My brother was a casualty for either George, John, Dick or Tom...put them in a barrel and shake 'em up and they all come out the same! Howie....I love that line...I missed it and I try to never miss Letterman! Paula, you are so right...this administration has made many of us paranoid, and schizophrenic. Thank you, Dee Turner...you also hit the nail on the head!! Anon: slow down...take a deep breath. I know exactly what you mean and how you feel...I went into deep depression when Howard Dean started to lose....and he lost, and he lost. And I said the only way I would write in a vote was if Sharpton or Lieberman was the Nominee. It was hard, but I watched them debate...and I truly think, and I have to think that the reason they are pushing Kerry, is the difference in the war records...Bush's a war President...he wants to have it, just does not want to fight it! I love Kucinich, too, but our holding off, will not get Bush out of the White House....think it through! Now, I have to run....."Exit Wounds" is coming on, one of my favorite action movies, and a book written by our sometimes buzzer, John Westermann! Shirley.............St.Louis Re: The O'Neal Thing: What if the Repugs Bring Up Clinton Maria, I read what Bob wrote, but I haven't read the other responses. Here is what I plan to tell anyone who mentions Clinton to me. I feel the same way about Mike O'Neal as I feel about Rush Limbaugh. They both have a huge platform that they could use to improve the country for all, but instead they have decided to use it as a judgmental pulpit and attempt to tell people what they can and cannot do with their personal lives. Rush has suggested severe punishment, with not a lot of rehabilitation or compassion involved. O'Neal has made it his life's work to tell people how to have a happy marriage and actually attempted to tell people who to fall in love with, who to marry or define incompatibility which are all things he has done. Both men have been accused of committing actual crimes, Bill Clinton was not except for lying about sex which wasn't any of our business, unless the sex interfered with his job performance and it didn't. The constant badgering from Gingrich, Barr and other people like O'Neal interfered with the government as a whole and cost a fortune and Clinton still came out with a surplus. Do I think it is any of my business if O'Neal chases women? It is not any of my business unless the women being chase do not want to be chased or harassed in any way. It upsets me greatly that Rush is still demanding that other drug addicts be held to a harsher standard than he is and I feel the same about O'Neal. Bill Clinton lied about having oral sex with a consenting adult. O'Neal has plead not guilty to a crime. He will either say she actually wanted it, that it is mistaken identity or that it was the alcohol and he plans to give that up. It might be a good idea to show up at some of the events where he is preaching and see if he confesses there. I think Rush, since I think he plead guilty, should get the maximum because it is what he demands for others. If at any time O'Neal has insisted on Bill Clinton or anyone else accused of a crime to resign, he should definitely resign even before he is convicted. If Hillary Clinton or Mrs. O'Neal wants a divorce, then I am on their side. If Bill Clinton ever decides to start telling me or anyone else who they can have consensual sex with, then we might have something to talk about. If anyone sends this out do not call him any nasty names other than hypocrite, which he is. While I am at it and since I am sending this to the TV stations, why is it that we got the name of the guy harassing Forrest Claunch because as Forrest puts it, "legislators shouldn't be threatened and harassed" within minutes after his arrest, but it took a week for the TV stations to even mention O'Neal's name. I guess it is alright for O'Neal's name to be protected, but not the other guy or it is alright for legislators to be the harasser's. Either way, not one station I am aware of has informed Oklahomans that this is the guy who wrote DOMA and is legislating proper marriage, divorce laws and private moral conduct in general. I can assure you we will know everything about the intent of the guy harassing Claunch and he hasn't kick Claunch or his door. Karen Webb, Moore, Ok. Subj: Bin Laden Capture Not the Most Reliable Source, But Iranian Radio Announced That bin Laden Had Been Captured Awhile Back and is Being Held for a Bush October Surprise 2/28 ****hey, let's not forget who broke the Iran-Contra story! It wasn't ABC news! Keep up the good work folks! Pat Bishow -BuzzFlash reader... Dear Buzz:RE: Kerry Donors Include 'Benedict Arnolds' http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6884-2004Feb25.html The fact that some folks involved in offshore tax havens have contributed to Kerry's campaign has not kept him from criticizing them. That is good! This shows courage on his part! Bush is vulnerable. Bush has taken exponentially more from these companies than Kerry and he does not criticize them for their tax avoidance policies! 25 Fortune 500 Corporations With the Most Offshore Tax-Haven Subsidiaries El Paso, AES, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Aon, Marsh & McLennan, Mirant, Halliburton, Bank of America Corp., Marriott International, BellSouth, Boeing, Williams, PepsiCo, Viacom, Interpublic Group, J.P. Morgan Chase, Sara Lee, American Express, Lehman Brothers Holdings, Xerox, Prudential Financial, and Enron (former member of the Fortune 500). http://www.citizenworks.org/corp/tax/top25.php Bush 2004 election cycle contributions from some of the companies listed: Lehman Brothers $235,496, Citigroup $172,250, and Morgan Stanley $154,725. Just from three companies, the total is $562,471 - MORE THAN FOUR TIMES KERRY! http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/contrib.asp?id=N00008072&cycle=2004 Contributors & Paybacks Bush's Big Donors Lick Their Chops over Medicare Law and Malpractice Bill Energy Bill Delivers Favors for Bush’s Rangers and Pioneers Bush Fundraising Machine Relies on Big-Dollar Donors, as New Names Swell the Ranks of Rangers and Pioneers On the Frontiers of Fundraising Who Are Bush’s Rangers and Pioneers? Bush Puts FirstEnergy First, Consumers Last Path to embassies paved with donations http://www.whitehouseforsale.org/ContributorsAndPaybacks/ Rebecca Knight jesus god! the most important investigation going on in the history of our country, the 9-11 commission and bush and cheney say they will only talk to the commission for one hour and not under oath. christ almighty! helloooo! three thousand of our people died that day! all they can give is one hour and only then if they don't have to tell the truth if they don't want to! if this were a movie no one would believe it!!! da Subj: My letter to Bush There has not been a doubt in my mind, for some time now, that no matter whom the source is....BinLadin will be trotted out in or around Oct.04....this bunch in the administration is so predictable! Yawn!!! Shirley.............St.Louis Subj: MORE ELECTION YEAR SHENANIGANS I knew it was coming when I saw a newspaper article a few days ago (Buzz, did you save it? If so, can you link it here?) that stated Americans can expect a larger-than-expected tax refund this year for the simple reason that the IRS elected not to correct its withholding tables mid-year to reflect the new lower tax rates. In other words, for the last seven months of the year the I.R.S./U.S. Treasury Department withheld more of your money than it was entitled to, and that's reprehensible. The more sinister part of it was the motive, which was not to save the government money; it was to ensure that Dubya would be able to claim that his tax cuts are working. See, his favorite word, you're getting a bigger tax refund. Well, sure, you are. The feds was taking out more than could be legally withheld. And sure enough, now with the planted stories like the one referenced here that appear in all the major newspapers today (I know because I checked), Dubya is using this hocus-pocus to boldly and fraudulently claim his tax cuts are working for the small guy. IRS: Average tax refund up almost $100 http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/8060470.htm I'm not even go into the matter of being "given" your refund in depreciated dollars, but let it be known that you've gotten screwed twice on this deal and ain't even been kissed. I would have to LMSAO if I weren't so filled with revulsion at how utterly brazen their ploys are, but, unfortunately, a bunch of dumb saps who don't read newspapers and don't follow the news will fall for this b.s. hook, line, and sinker. Sharon Andrews Subj: 9/11 Commission Hi Buzz: Guess Hastert received some feedback on his decision. Actually, we all know Bush wants this inquiry ended ASAP but Hastert has to do his dirty work, however, I do not consider a two month extension a victory. They'll be able to say "Hey, we already gave you guys more time -- enough is enough." Bob Kerry, who is on the committee, said the White House has been stonewalling for so long, the committee has so much left on their plate, he feels he may just resign as it seems like a hopeless cause. I truly believe this report should have been completed long before now, first off, to understand how it happened in order for it not to happen again but the powers that be have done everything possible to stifle it. Bush, for example, is now willing to give one hour of his precious time and talk to only two members of the committee. 3000 lives, one hour. Does this strike you as ludicrous? Bob Kerry said President Clinton, Vice President Gore, President Bush and Vice President Cheney should all appear before this committee before any report is issued. I wrote Hastert after his proclamation and I will write to him again. If the commission needs more than two months, so be it. Whatever it takes to get to the truth. I just wish it were possible to expose those who are stonewalling this investigation and anyone who is should be prosecuted as it should be considered a criminal offense. Regards, Marlene Wagner Subj: Don't Forget Iranian state radio was the first to report of Saddam's capture. Kathryn Subj: The passion of the idiots Does it strike anyone else as odd that the same people who are still losing their minds over Janet Jackson's nipple are the same people who are flocking to see a movie in which Jesus gets His ass beat to a bloody pulp for two hours? Nude boobies bad, ultra-violence good! Which do you think would warp a child's mind more? It's a strange world, somebody should sell tickets. Oops, they are! Mike in Raleigh (Hey, Shirley.You are a woman after my own heart. Love your posts.) Subj: Medicare "Reform" is turning out badly for Republicans - Law "probably would fail if the votes were taken today" Liberal and conservative lawmakers, for different reasons, are racing to introduce bills to change key aspects of the Medicare law. Discontent is strong enough on Capitol Hill that some Republicans say the Medicare legislation, which passed the House and Senate by sliver-thin margins in November, probably would fail if the votes were taken today. " There is buyers’remorse among many who voted for it," said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who opposed the bill and said he has encountered no criticism from constituents. Both Democrats and Republicans were shocked at last month’s White House prediction that the law will cost $534 billion during the next decade. That’s one-third more than the $400 billion price tag promised by Bush and predicted by Congress’s budget analysts. Politicians and policy analysts say the GOP is now paying a price. "It was an extraordinary political miscalculation," said Robert Laszewski, a nonpartisan health policy consultant. "This thing has blown up in their faces." "Political Gain of Medicare Bill Ricochets Off the GOP; Drug Benefit Changes Planned" Jackie Subj: Another GOP sex scandal ignored It's axiomatic: Big Busheviks can do whatever pleases them, libido-wise, and get away with it-even though they preach the strictest family values. Democrats, on the other hand, are routinely pilloried for their sex lives. This despite the fact that nothing any of those Dems has done (Clinton, Condit, Kerry) is even faintly comparable to what the GOPpers get away with. So a dangerous sexual predator-a serial rapist and harasser-can be elected governor of California, with White House help; William Bennett, although involved with a Las Vegas dominatrix, is publicly humiliated only for his gambling; and now the governor of Texas-Dubya's own hand-picked successor-is exposed for gay adultery. Meanwhile, the GOP is gay-bashing like mad, since they don't have any other issue. And the US press is silent on this vast hypocrisy, or sickness. MCM From Jackson Thoreau:
Subj: Gas prices paying back Bush donors? So gas increased $.50 per gallon in one month. Why? To pay back the maximum donors to the Bush campaign. The oil Buddies who contributed to Bush are cashing in on the working people at the pumps again. mev Subj: DeLay Dear BuzzFlash: I really like the idea of posting Richard Morrison's website (the guy running against Tom DeLay. I think it's a wonderful idea to post the websites of the candidates running against the most noxious Republicans in the Congress. Here's the way I see it -- if all the BuzzFlash readers send these Democratic candidates even just a few bucks, this will be "found money" for them. Sure, progressives will never have the kind of monetary clout that the big corporate PACS have. Nevertheless, there are millions of us out here. We're angry, we're dedicated to the cause, and we're willing to open our wallets to the extent that we can.If every BuzzFlash reader sent Morrison just ten dollars -- think of what this means!! Many of these Democratic candidates are complete unknowns, and without the power of the internet, they wouldn't find many campaign dollars outside of their own districts. However, with BuzzFlash and all of the other progressive websites and blogs, perhaps we can get a national movement going for campaign contributions. Look at Howard Dean's internet fundraising success. Moreover, to the extent that we can make any "safe" Republican district more competitive in November, this is also bound to help the Democratic Presidential nominee, because it drives up Democratic turnout. Posting campaign websites is also a good idea, because if a BuzzFlash reader happens to see a news tidbit about a particular Republican, he or she can forward that tidbit to the Democratic opponent's website to help with campaign research issues. Now is the time to start gearing up for the fall campaign. For example, I cannot imagine that Republican congressional candidates in Ohio (given the economic picture in that state) can be feeling extremely comfortable right now. Moreover, it would also be nice to give Denny Hastert a run for his money in Illinois. Sure, he's probably unbeatable in his district, but why not make him sweat it out a little? Couldn't hurt. Donald P. Russo, Bethlehem, Pa Subj: Is Dumbya Parsing Again? February 29, 2004 I noticed that a couple of days ago George W. Bush used the term "ideal situation" with reference to marriage being between a man and a woman. As an adjective "ideal" means: 1. conceived as constituting a standard of perfection or excellence; ideal beauty 2. regarded as perfect of it's kind; an ideal spot for a home. 2. existing only in the imagination; not real or practical; visionary; an ideal future. 3. advantageous, excellent, best; It would be ideal if she could stay. If heterosexual marriage is "a standard of perfection" why do 50% of them end in divorce in Oklahoma. I think it is because this ideal is "existing only in the imagination" of the unreal, impractical and vision-less, self-righteous right wing theocrats. Legislating morality never has and never will work if you believe in a God that gives you the right to choose or abandon morality, no matter how you choose to define morality. Isn't choosing to define another person's sin as criminal making your own sin of a lesser variety and therefore judging? There is never a time in the Bible where it is suggested that you take care of someone else's sin before assessing and correcting your own sin. It is also never right to take from the poor and give to the rich, Mr. Sheriff of Nottingham Bush. I prefer to be Robin Hood, if the Bushes continue to believe their contributors can never have enough wealth and do not have to trickle down anything, except demagoguery. Karen Webb, Moore, Ok. Subj: Our Future Remember when someone wrote that he’d trust his wallet with Al Gore but trust his daughter with George Bush? Well that daughter is more than broke, has had all her cash spent and all her credit cards maxed out to way beyond the limit. She is getting a worse education than before Bush, but that’s OK because she won’t need one to collect unemployment. Her chances of living in poverty are greater. If she’s not rich, she will pay more local and state taxes than the small cut she received in her Federal income tax, if she received one at all. She is having more trouble breathing because the air, which under Bush, is becoming dirtier. She has less chance of visiting a virgin forest in America or a natural unspoiled wilderness, than before Bush took office. If she travels to a foreign country, there is a very good chance she will be disliked or even hated because she represents an arrogant, bully country that invades other countries for unfounded reasons and without declaring war, which is against the law of America’s own Constitution, and also international law. When she has time in her too hectic life to stop and think, she realizes she has a lot of unanswered questions about her county’s current leadership. She wonders if she will receive Social Security when she retires, even after all the money she has contributed if Bush use it to help pay off his huge deficit. She wonders about the American soldiers and innocent Iraqi civilians dying every day and how it all began, now that she knows that Saddam wasn’t part of the 9/11 attacks, and without weapons of mass destruction he wasn’t a threat to America. She also wonders about all the unanswered questions about the 9/11 attacks on her country. She wonders about Bush’s response, or lack of response, when he was told America was under attack. Where were the defensive jet fighters always on call at Andrews Air Force Base? Why, when all air traffic in the United States was grounded, did Bush arrange and allow a plane carrying Osama bin Laden’s family to leave the country? What’s the connection between the Bush and bin Laden families? She wonders what Bush is hiding when he won’t tell the American people what he knew before the attacks. When she stops and thinks about her country, she wonders if America is going in the right direction. She wonders, with the election coming in November, if she would trust her daughter with George Bush. Christy
Barr Subj: Benefit Of Having BuzzFlash As Home Page I was wanting to send you a note mentioning a benefit of using BuzzFlash as my home page. Microsoft's stupid programming in XP causes a wireless connection to be broken when the "hibernate" feature kicks on. As you may know, the "hibernate" feature is used to keep the computer cool and use less energy when the computer goes unused for longer than an hour or so. However, if you use XP with a wireless connection, rebooting the computer becomes necessary to reestablish the wireless connection. Microsoft has created a patch to fix the problem, but on many systems (like mine), it doesn't work. The solution? BuzzFlash! I have found, if I keep the BuzzFlash home page up on the screen while away from the computer, I don't loose the connection. I think it's because you update the site periodically without the user having to use the "refresh" button. BuzzFlash keeps me connected. Literally! Tony Romano Subj: How U.S. Democracy Works Now Want to see the Presidential debates, not in Montgomery Alabama you won't. The CBS affiliate in Montgomery Alabama WAKA, aired a local paid commercial for a used car salesman instead of the Democratic Presidential debate on 02/29/04 at 11:00 EST/10:00 CST. Chuck Subj: An Idea The Democratic Party should send Howard Dean out to do interviews with all the major News Networks and have him trash the Media. The pundits will just play it off as Sour Grapes, but the viewers will have the idea in the back of their head about how the media acted to sabotage Dean. It may also help in the lead up to November, much in the same way the "liberal media' charge helped the wingnuts. This way the Media might think twice before acting as dishonestly as it did in 2000--to Gore. It may help inoculate the Kerry from the Media's recitation of RNC talking points as facts. Just a thought stevie g Subj: AP forgets to ask the big question The Associated Press notes in the article "U.S. Hunt for Bin Laden Gathers Steam" (Katherine Shrader) that "the United States is rounding up and questioning the relatives of fugitive al-Qaida leaders to generate information on the possible whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and his top deputies". Did you notice there is no mention of rounding up and questioning ANY relatives of bin Laden himself? Does the question 'why not?' spring to mind? Isn't that the first question most 2nd year journalism students would ask? Shrader never did. Joe Subj: October Surprise Yours: I reckon they're getting set to invade Cuba. Bin Laden will turn up deceased within about 15 days in my view. He might already be dead. the crystal Ball |
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