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April 5, 2004 |
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THIS IS PART 2 OF THE APRIL 5, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG. CLICK HERE FOR PART 1. Subj: is this grade 2 or what? http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/01/opinion/01DOWD.html "The President at all times, even on trips to the men's room, will be accompanied by the Vice President." Give me a break! Linda Subj: What New Jobs? Since there have not been any new jobs created recently how can the new statistics be correct? How did this new massive upswing of workers take place?? Who checks these figures?? John in Hawaii Subj: 308,000 Jobs Figure I'm hearing lots of rumors, even on a conservative talk show in Seattle, that this number is at least well-heated if not outright cooked, one version saying it included the California grocery strikers who returned to work. Even as a dedicated closet conspiracy theorist, I find this less than convincing, but I wondered if you were picking up any such soundings on this tremor, or if it is misleading in any other significant way. Eldon Leuning [BuzzFlash Note: The new employment numbers did include CA grocery workers who returned to work after a strike. It also included construction workers who returned to work due to the good weather in March. However, any numbers coming from this administration are suspect. Don't forget that the Bush administration wants to classify fast-food workers as "manufacturing" jobs. It's possible that most of the upswing in job growth came from people manufacturing Filet-o-Fishs.] I would like to suggest that you start a contest to get President Bush a nickname like the cowboys in the Old West he tries to imitate. My entry is "The Codpiece Kid". Bruce Martin Subj: Interesting CBS News item for your site... From an interview Condi gave to CBS News on Dec. 18th 2000! These people are nuts! Saddam, Saddam, and more Saddam. The part about the military being overextended is hilarious. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/12/18/politics/main258054.shtml "We have moved now from the Cold War, in which we had a single enemy in the Soviet Union ... to a time of uncertainty as to where the threats are going to come from. Certainly, the threat of weapons of mass destruction - nuclear, chemical, biological - in the hands of people like Saddam Hussein is a challenge for us," Rice said Monday morning. Asked about the preparedness of the U.S. military, a source of heated campaign season arguing, Rice said, "it is clearly overextended. You hear [this] from everywhere, from captains on up, and you're seeing the overextension of the national guard and the reserves to backfill for regular forces. And so clearly, one of the things that President-elect Bush has promised to do is review our military commitments. Brian L. Finco Subj: Powell's Retraction Friends in Texas have said that nothing of Powell's retraction had appeared on any of the US stations. It is all over the Brit and Irish channels, however; and as it was in an address to the NATO foreign ministers it likely got a lot wider coverage than the White House might have liked.
A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: A Letter to CNN Sent to CNN News Production I infrequently watch CNN anymore after having been a loyal viewer since 1985. And your “reliable sources”of today is a prime reason why. Of all the silly, bombastic and hypocritical shows you put on, this one epitomized exactly why half the country has turned off to you. So, you are too moral and too caring of their families to show exactly what was done to innocent Americans in Iraq. Too bad you didn’t have the same sensibilities when Somalis dragged American servicemen through the streets. No worry for the families there; not only did you show it ad nauseum - you showed close ups of the carnage. Might I suggest that your lack of complete reporting has nothing to do with the families but everything to do with protecting George Bush at which you have become expert. So, please don’t wonder why your ratings are heading south. You will be forever battling with MSNBC to avoid bottom of the toilet prize because of one thing: All the right wing in this country are committed to FAUX and will swallow any swill they throw out but the rest of us who want honest and professional reporting have been shut out by your stupid ratings battle with a biased station that you can never hope to win. So while FAUX listeners are committed to their idols on that station, the rest of us have found our sources of news elsewhere. Silly of you to alienate so many former viewers. Have a nice day. By the way, how is Bernie Shaw? More than ever, he is sorely missed. You need unbiased reporting, not vapid, cap toothed, coifed “personalities”who are nothing more than groupies for the present administration. Sally Simms Subj: Bill of Rights ... under attack Dear BuzzFlash Staff, The F.E.C. is considering an amendment that would stifle criticism of Bush and gag nonprofit interest groups like Moveon.org. This has been highlighted on your web site, but I have not yet seen an article suggesting your readers contact the F.E.C. (as the Matrix Masters site below has.) April 9th is the deadline to email testimony to stop this subversion of free speech, and BuzzFlash has the clout to make an impact. (If you've posted this info and I missed it, I apologize.) Lorene
Parshall http://www.matrixmasters.com/blog/borattackblog.shtml Subj: Is US worker productivity really up or is it just that they are working & not getting paid? http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/04/national/04WAGE.html?hp I'm not even surprised. No wonder US worker productivity is at the highest levels it's ever been. It's not because people are working harder/faster it's because they aren't getting paid for the actual number of hours they work. This is what happens when you put anti-labor people in charge at the Labor Department. But there's no difference between the Democrats & the Republicans, right Ralph? What is it going to take to wake up the sheeple? Why do the rest of us have to suffer? Linda Hi, BuzzFlash, I would like to point out to every one that, today's Washington Post (Sunday's) has an article ,"framework of Clark's book is bolstered," that on page A-12, 1st column about half way down, it says this"Administration officials have been preparing a number of points--already known to the 9/11 commission but not to the public--that rice will make on Thursday. Why is this administration giving the commission questions to ask of rice? (so she will have her answers ready, of course). Just like the bu$shiters, huh? A BuzzFlash reader. Subj: URGENT!! Could this be the flaw that breaks the camels back?! Came across this little number today in the Sun-Times, surprised you guys haven't discovered it yet. Maybe you have and I missed it but I think this one has big potential to stun the pundits on the circuit for a few days. This completely neutralizes the administrations smear campaign against Richard Clarke: The Link to this article is http://www.Sun Times.com/output/sneed/cst-nws-sneed261.html Respectfully and humbly yours, Brian Browder,
faithful BuzzFlash reader The text is as follows:
Subj: How Astute I Was... Hi Gang! I know you didn't run my OPEC/Bush Administration Theory because it was a silly postulation. However, it seems someone else has the same theory about OPEC increasing prices/decreasing productivity to affect the election here in the U.S. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5971.htm Jerry Peurala Subj: BuzzFlash Rocks Hey BuzzFlash team, Your site is a breath of fresh air....I just found out this afternoon on a wet Sunday in Sydney Australia. ..I have been looking for a comprehensive straight thinking hard hitting U.S. political online news service for a while....All the issues that you face in the U.S are being mirrored by the Australian government: executive control of government, politicisation of the public service, lies, lies and damned lies, the crushing of dissent in the media, the rise of the media whores, the character assassinations of public service officials (our head of police, a former spy analyst) who dare to speak a different line......its is remarkable how similar events here are tracking that of America. I lived in Baghdad as a boy and I feel sickened every day by what is happening in Iraq...It will surely go down as the biggest foreign policy blunder in post-modern history.. Actually, it would make a good column for your readers to draw the similarities between Australia and the U.S.... The Australian government's sign up as deputy sheriff for the U.S. has many people worried here....Keep up the good work and I will spread the news down under about BuzzFlash.... best regards, Duncan
Craig Subj: Lack of Imagination Dear BuzzFlash, I must have read ten different headlines today about how the graphic nature of the Fallujah incident might begin to erode public support for the war (a la Somalia). If this is true, than we can draw a simple conclusion: A majority of Americans lack imagination. For these folks, a war based on flimsy intelligence and White House prevarication is fine, but only in the abstract. When confronted with the ground-level, real life horror of the proceedings, they begin to have doubts. As shocking as the attack in Fallujah was, it certainly was no worse than reading about a humvee full of U.S. soldiers getting shredded by a roadside bomb. When I read these seemingly daily accounts, stark, horrifying images come to mind of U.S. soldiers lying in pools of blood and viscera, arms and legs missing, screaming for their mothers as their lives slip away on a hot, dusty side street in Baghdad. This is the harsh reality of war that Americans don't see and that apparently many can't visualize from dry statistics. I find it incredible (not to mention disheartening) that only the most vivid images will sway the opinion of some pro-war Americans. It would seem that Bush and his circle of "Vulcans" understand this fact - hence the almost complete lock-down on images of dead and wounded soldiers on the battlefield, or the hundreds of flag-draped coffins returning to Dover Air Force Base, or the thousands of horribly wounded (both mentally and physically) returning home. I firmly believe that if the daily carnage of this war had been beamed into U.S. households from the beginning, we would a) already have an international peace-keeping force in Iraq and a withdrawal of most U.S. troops and b) Bush would be on his way to impeachment. Unfortunately, the White House and the Pentagon seem very adept at controlling the news and images from Iraq - I fear that the ugly sights and sounds of Fallujah will dim within a few days, as the news cycle churns on and America goes back to worrying about Janet Jackson's breast, who's getting kicked-off the island and who Donald Trump will fire next. Ignorance truly is bliss... Sincerely, Jason E. Green Subj: Fighting Terror in the Bush Administration Dear Buzz, This is important - so please take a look! Remember in May 2001 when the news broke about Bush sending $43 million to the Taliban in Afghanistan? I know that it was billed as exclusively humanitarian aid, but with what we know about this administration - is that really believable? This could be the smoking gun relative to Bush's concern about terrorism prior to 9/11. It might not be - but shouldn't someone investigate this a little closer? Given this president's record with the truth - I would think it worth the efforts. CNN reported this issue http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/05/17/us.afghanistan.aid/ as did the CATO institute http://www.cato.org/dailys/08-02-02.html A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Beyond Belief Bush plans to implant wireless radio tags into homeless people to track their movements in real time. Pilot program for the rest of us I wonder? http://politechbot.com/pipermail/politech/2004-April/000573.html Ken Subj: Sad Musings Hey Buzzers, Thanks to BuzzFlash and our amazing community of letter writers, I have somewhere to turn when I feel overwhelmed by the days bad news. I was all flush with hope after listening to Air America last week. I'm so glad we have a voice and a place for people to hear smart, funny liberal ideas. Finally we will hear from all of those brilliant lefty minds that NEVER show up on CNN or even NPR. But then I watched the Sunday shows and heard about the latest atrocities in Iraq and the Marines encircling Fallujah to retaliate. The Shia are rising up against us in Iraq and our response will cause an explosion of new terrorism around the world. It feels like a slow motion 9-11 and the Bushies are criminally inept to deal with such a threat. They thought that when they invaded Iraq, they were blowing up a box of dynamite. What they didn't realize was that there was a fuse leading to a dynamite factory and its just gone up. There are many traps ahead for the Bushies, the 9-11 Commission report, the Halliburton investigation, the Valerie Plame investigation, the June 30th Iraq turnover and the Republican Convention in New York. But no matter how bad all this gets, the Bushies will lie and lie and inundate the airwaves with anti-Kerry propaganda. They have too much to lose. They are willing to sacrifice all of us to keep power. We are ALL expendable unless we belong to their inner circle of "friends". So we must register every new voter we can and get every vote possible. We must vote absentee if e-voting in our only option and holler for vote verified balloting with our local officials. We must try to convince (without screaming) those whose minds can be changed because this is our only chance to turn the tide. No group who has taken power through a coup has ever relinquished it willingly. They will not say "Oh, let's have a FAIR election this time and see if we win". They are capable of anything. We must be ready. Leslie Crabtree Subj: The 9 11 Commission If you go to The New American Century website you will see a link of letters . One was written to President Clinton in 1998 stressing how they had felt that Iraq was and immediate premier problem. The interesting point about the letter is not only its contents but the signatures at the end of this communication. All of the signatures are of course neocons but the one most interesting is the last one. Zoellick, who just happens to be the executive member of the commission. No wonder the family members are so upset and wish him removed. Just more food for thought Charlene of Crystal Lake, Illinois Subj: Bush's Slippery Oil Slope and the GOP. . . God's Only People BuzzFlash, Of course, we Americans should know by now that Bush could stop the oil prices. It is my belief that he will . . . right before the election. Lies and slick deals . . . death and destruction . . . this is Bush's America. How many October surprises can we Americans stand in one month? We already have Halloween!! A perfect month since that is an "all souls day." How many more deaths are Americans going to allow this regime to commit? The big guns that are killing our military and Iraqis or anyone who happens to be in Iraq are being aimed and fired by Bush and his War Hawks. On another note . . . Grand Old Party . . . that used to be the name of the GOP. Today, it could stand for God's Only People . . . or so the Republicans seem to think anyway. Just this week in our local newspaper there were two articles proving this fact. 1) On trial in Texas is a mother giving testimony on the slayings of her children. The following is quoted from the Longview News - Journal . . . "I feel like that I obeyed God and I believe there will be good out of this," she told psychiatrist Phillip Resnick in the interview. "I feel like he will reveal his power and they will be raised up. They will become alive again. They will be healed completely. They will walk on the earth. (skip) In the tape shown by defense attorneys as they began their case Thursday, Laney told Resnick that she never thought of the consequences of killing her children and had no regrets." (snip) He said Laney was convinced she was divinely chosen by God --- just as Mary was chosen to bear Christ --- to kill her children then serve as a witness after the world ends. (snip) "She's separated psychologically from all the horror of it and she's simply a woman on a divine mission carrying out the Lord's will," Resnick said. " Friday, April 2, 2004 . . . 2) Longview News-Journal Saturday 3, 2004 . . . "Candidate became Republican after dream . . . Railroad commission hopeful says God wanted him to switch parties (snip) After four arrests for public intoxication and a dreamlike confrontation with God, Robert Butler decided he was either going to have to become a Republican or face eternal damnation. " (snip) The theory is that Butler was chosen to run, with backers counting on his election solely based on his name. The theory is that Republican voters will choose an Anglo name over an (sic) Hispanic one, creating embarrassment for the party. Butler's absence and the media's inability to locate him has only heightened that suspicion. (snip) The local barber's suggestion for locating Butler was to look in a bar, not a barbershop. Although the public intoxication charges had been filed two years prior, Butler's reputation as a drinker had not been entirely forgotten. " . . . and, does anyone remember that Bush has said the he was chosen by God to invade Iraq (paraphrasing)??? The number of dead keeps rising and yet it is okay for Bush to kill and maim anyone he chooses and blame it on God told me to, and we put the so-called common-folk killers on trial for their lives . . . which proves that if you steal . . . steal trillions and if you kill . . . kill millions and all will be overlooked . . . People keep referring to our, "White House," and Bush probably always wears a "white hat," but inside those halls and all over those walls are bloody hand prints smeared with the blood of many Americans and thousands of people around the world. What God is Bush talking about . . . and if he is taking his orders from God, why isn't he being questioned and probed and tested? eh? Oh, and about those oil prices . . . God probably doesn't care . . . at least until October . . . Just a thought . . . Thanks Buzz, Shirley Smith Subj: A Quiz Dear Buzz, Here is a quiz I sent to Tim Russert. I don't expect him to answer. A Quiz Why are Bush and Cheney allowed to testify together, and not under oath, and never again?
"d" is the correct answer. What is the Bush Administration afraid of?
A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Negligence Personified The murder and defiling of the four security contractors in Falluja last week is being used by the right wing media to further our resolve in dealing with the insurgents when the real story is yet again being ignored. After one year of occupation Donald Rumsfeld's inept plan to secure Iraq is further exposed as a grossly negligent failure. Having been informed by many experts that a much larger force would be needed to provide security before, during, and after the invasion Rumsfeld blew them all off while forging ahead in protecting the oil fields and avoiding the urban centers. This should not surprise anyone because with Afghanistan as a model we should have had a clear picture of what to expect in Iraq. Protect our interests while letting anarchy reign elsewhere. Although what transpired was tragic and even shockingly morbid the response here at home was equally chilling. The number of war supporters who are calling for us to respond by flattening Falluja through the use of nuclear weapons, executing locals just as an example to those who resist, or cordoning off the city and shutting off their water and electricity are equally as disturbing. It is become more clear every day that Bremer and his hammer and anvil approaches are not working and that the war planners may have less understanding of the people of the region now than they had before the occupation. Seeing the anger and rage of the crowd just reinforces in my mind that we are much less safer now than we were before this folly. The only question that remains now is how long will it be before they are able to reach us here at home. YT Cai Subj: Targeted Media Campaign Someone needs to conduct a targeted print and Internet media/public relations campaign on issues...to various groups venerable if Bush is re-elected. Traditional Democratic, independents, and new voters need to be pre-conditioned for Kerry's thrust in the fall. For example, why not do a public release/media folder for college/vocational school newspapers? Give them the information about career areas/majors that are no longer open to them because of outsourcing. Explain to them what the huge Bush deficit could mean to them in paying back student loans and in their future ability to buy a house when interests rates go up. A print ad could be produced now for the fall to go to these newspapers hitting the same theme and encouraging them to register and vote. How about the construction industry? Why not target this group of workers and start making them feel uneasy about their futures? Play up the huge deficit and how it will affect interest rates in the future and thus affect their jobs. Remind them about the last Bush recession and what it did to the housing/development market. Some are too young to remember, but the older workers would be happy to inform. Give them the reason to discuss it. Start producing and running these ads now in hunting/fishing/woodworking/sports magazines. The lack of medical insurance and high cost of care is affecting everyone. Target women's and sports publications with publicity releases and ads asking why the Bush administration and Republicans are ignoring this issue? Women's and parents magazines should be targeted for the high cost of high education. "Is your son or daughter training for a job/career that will not exist in the United States anymore?" Ask them how much longer can they afford to send their kids to college/vocational schools if the deficit is allowed to get out of control causing interest rates to soar? Are the tax cuts for the rich affecting the rising tuition costs at state universities, community colleges, and vocational schools? Is the youth of India facing a better future than our children? Don't ignore the non-traditional media -- Internet websites and cable networks. Apparently more men, and particularly young people and computer savvy seniors, are bypassing traditional TV and radio. Target ESPN, iVillage, the Comedy Channel, etc. The cost is probably less and the audience prime. You get the idea. Pre-condition now with fears of the future and then in the fall hit them again with the answer. Thanks for listening to my ideas and please pass them along to anyone who could use them. S. Harrington Subj: "Mission Accomplished" Sign Correct me if I'm wrong, but did the White House not say several months ago they had absolutely nothing to do with hanging the "Mission Accomplished" banner on the USS Lincoln last May? George Bush specifically said it was the Navy's idea. Yet this morning, on "Meet the Press", Karen Hughes herself said she was the one who came up with the idea, and had the Navy place it there. A BuzzFlash Reader [BuzzFlash Note: The Bush crowd initially said they had nothing to do with it, then they said it was advance organizers, and, finally, after more facts were discovered, they meekly admitted they created and hung it. They lie about EVERYTHING.] Subj: The Democracy of Depleted Uranium Hi BuzzFlash, Came across this in The Guardian on Sunday. Just a thought...if American soldiers in Iraq for a short time are suffering symptoms like this, what must Iraqis be living with? What would the effect be of years of depleted uranium exposure on the children? Perhaps this is the first inkling of a health disaster of horrifying proportions. A whole generation may well be dying of cancer in 10 - 20 years. I wonder if people like Colin Powell ever look in the mirror and think 'What have we done?'
Andy Grainger Subj: Kentucky Politics Haven't we really come to expect this from the republicans?? Really, to make a remark like that (the Bunning) remark about your opponent, is soooooo republican! They could never hide their hatred for dems. during the Clinton administration. I can remember hearing the most awful things said about Hilary Clinton in my life on this earth. There were jokes about her being gay...about "Well, wouldn't you go out and get another woman if you had to live with that dog?" I mean, nastier people never lived on this earth.....than frightened Republicans! That is just the long and short of it...if they cannot come at you with policy...watch out about your appearance. And the crappy thing is...Hilary Clinton was and still is a very attractive, smart woman. I hope Bunnings opponent beats the living S**** out of him!!! Shirley...............st.Louis Subj: Mr. Bush, Welcome to Vietnam Friends, Let me quote an old chestnut: Denial is not a river in Egypt. We all thought it couldn't happen again. We had learned the lessons. Some of us warned that it could occur again. So many refused to believe. This is not the time for "I'm right and you're wrong." Now is the time for honesty. Close your eyes. And think carefully. A number of months ago, a close friend of mine and I argued about the Iraq invasion. He and I agreed that we would know the truth in a year's time. Last week, he said we would know the truth in ten years' time. Vietnam. "We will pacify that city... It will be at the time and place of our choosing," Brig.-Gen. Mark Kimmitt said. Think about it. I do believe I smell the faint scent of napalm in the air. Vietnam. My friend last week said that by June 30, our problems would be over. He was unaware that the US has been busy building large military bases in Iraq, places designed to be occupied by our armies for decades. Like all businessmen, we do not spend money without an expectation of a return on our investment. Denial. It is not a river in Egypt. Vietnam. It is not a war that we won. Vietnam. It is a war that some people think can still be won. Denial. Warmest regards, Top Dog Subj: The War If any of you out there have anyone due out from Iraq...be patient! They are dying in tens now, and those people, from what we have been told, are put first. I have no idea how they do it.....there is not enough money, I think, to transport all the dead and wounded back here. My granddaughter was a medical evacuee, two weeks ago...and is still not on her way back...her illness is one that they cannot take a chance on her being 14 hours from medical emergency treatment (she has to go to Houston,Tx. (yeah, I know) or Baltimore). We are all sort of in a state of suspension. She can only make one call a day....and she tries to call her mom...but if one number is wrong, the process they go through is too hard. I really feel for them...for the ones who are sick and cannot get out. She had made friends with a newer recruit, after she went to Germany, and the girl was having trouble with her throat and chest.....and my daughter in law, said they fixed her up and sent her back. Now, my granddaughter cannot go back...she has to have thirty days of recuperation after this surgical procedure....but the waiting and not knowing is hard! If it happens, be prepared, because all the soldiers who are seriously injured and need to go to Walter Reed hospital...and all the dead who come in to Dover, Del. are the first.... Shirley...........St.Louis Worst war in my life...I know Nam was just as bad...but this one is so chaotic!!! Subj: Two outcomes after receiving messages from God According to a brief published in the Seattle Times (4/4/04) a Texas jury found Deanna Laney innocent "by reason of insanity" for stoning her two sons to death and maiming another in his crib. "Defense attorneys argued that insanity was the only reason why a deeply religious mother who home schooled her children would kill two of them and maim another without so much as a tear. 'There was no crying. She was insane. There is no other answer." In contrast, George W. Bush made the following statement in June 2003: "According to (Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud) Abbas, immediately thereafter Bush said: 'God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them.'" By his own testimony it is clear that Mr. Bush hears voices and attributes them to God's word. We also have evidence that Mr. Bush feels no remorse over causing the deaths of thousands of Afghanistan and Iraqi civilians. He was caught on videotape prior to his world wide broadcast declaring his pre-emptive war against Iraq pumping his fist and saying, " feels good...feels good." My question to you is this, how can Deanna Laney be declared insane and George Bush's sanity not be questioned by American corporate media or the American people? SSD * * * References: http://www.unknownnews.net/insanity7.html 'Road map is a life saver for us,' PM Abbas tells Hamas by Arnon Regular, Ha'aretz (June 27, 2003) http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/5434637.htm Mar. 20, 2003 "War begins in Iraq with strikes aimed at `leadership targets" By Martin Merzer, Ron Hutcheson and Drew Brown (Mar. 20, 2003) ["Minutes before the speech, an internal television monitor showed the president pumping his fist. 'Feels good,' he said."] |
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