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April 9, 2004 |
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Important Note: Because we can't always determine your intentions, we need to ask a favor of you when you send us email. If you DO NOT WANT YOUR EMAIL PUBLISHED in the Mailbag or in the Contributors section, please write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the Subject line or at the top of your email. That way we'll know it's just a comment to BuzzFlash. Additionally, if you submit a mailbag item and DO NOT WANT YOUR NAME associated with your submission, sign your email "A BuzzFlash Reader." If you send email unsigned, we will post your name with your submission, or, if that's not available, your email name (not the full address, just what's on the left side of the email address). Please try and keep your word count under 400. If your letter includes hypertext links, please include the entire URL. We can only post a small percentage of what is sent to us. The opinions expressed in the Mailbag are not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. Thanks again for your email and your patience.
Subj: File those "Must Read" Articles It appears that a caveat is needed. Any reader finding a "must read" article might be doing us all a favor if they will file the article on their computer, and then adding their Email address to their message to BuzzFlash. If the message is filed and the Email address is available those interested in reading the article might have a better chance of doing so. All too often these recommended sites have a mysterious way of becoming "No Longer Available." Now, I am not making any accusations (wink--wink) but I sometimes feel that I can smell stinking fish. Bill Sybert Excerpt from...
Iraq is burning and he takes his rich buddies in the NRA on a taxpayer funded hunting trip!?? Is it just me, or does this guy not give a CRAP about anything?!!! I cannot believe he gets away with this!!! AAAARGH! I'm OK now. Thanks for letting me vent. Andy Grainger Subj: Energy crisis....Reliant??? I am listening to John Ashcroft reveal that they have indicted the Reliant Corp for fraud.....they really did jack up the price of electricity in 2000....Grey Davis was not lying...I suppose he feels it is a little late to claim that he was screwed!!! Is Reliant a Halliburton Company? Does anyone know...?? And, I am wondering how Grey Davis feels about being kicked out of his office on a lie??? Oh, well, we are surprised every day. My granddaughter is still traveling the world with an Ovarian Cyst She may even be discharged and sent home, to have the surgery.... Tell me if that is strange....and does anyone but me think that the military is going to claim it to not be a war injury......so the mother and dad will be responsible?? Oh, well, what can anyone do if they do? I would not put anything past this government or military....the leaders of this country STINK!!!!! Shirley..........St.Louis Subj: Only 233 Days? Dear BuzzFlash, I listened to Condi Rice's testimony today. I noticed on several occasions she offered up the excuse that they were only in office 233 and that simply was not enough time to make changes. Condi also said that immediately following 911 the changes were put into place. Why then couldn't these changes not have been immediately put into effect before 911? Why couldn't they have been put into effect in February when Richard Clarke first asked for changes? Paul [BuzzFlash Note: We particularly hate that they use the term "233 days." 233 days is 8 months. 8 MONTHS! Why don't they just say it was "only 6000 hours" or "838,000" seconds? Because it would blatantly reveal their intention to deceive.] The longer this goes on the more I believe Condi & the rest of the mob did not want to do anything about warnings of attacks, it would have interfered with their imperial plans. Prevention would take up too much time which they needed to begin their war games. Marlene
Spitz I don't look good in RED either! Subj: Supremely Bizarre!!! http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/04/08/scalia.reporters.ap/index.html " ...Last year, Scalia was criticized for refusing to allow television and radio coverage of an event in Ohio in which he received an award for supporting free speech." A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Impeach Bush? LOL Hi, The GOP House would not impeach Bush if you had video of him giving a nuclear bomb to Bin Laden. You need to put your efforts into beating him in Nov. Thanks FAC Subj: Condi admits to gross dereliction of duty Dear Buzz: In today's testimony, Condi Rice admitted that they knew SOMETHING BIG in the way of a terrorist attack was coming, but they couldn't act on the information because they didn't know exactly when or where. I submit that they did know on the morning of September 11, 2001--at the moment four planes were hijacked. They knew this was THE BIG THING. So why did the president continue his schedule at the elementary school? What accounts for his comment that he saw the first tower hit and he thought, "That's some lousy pilot"? Why was our military not in the air immediately, protecting our airspace? As far as I can tell, Rice has admitted to gross dereliction of duty on that morning on the part of herself, the president, the Secretary of Defense, and the vice president. If they didn't know enough to prevent the attack, they certainly knew enough to identify it as one as it was happening. Sincerely, Rita Weinstein Subj: Rice Baloney Hey Buzzers, We set our alarm for 6AM (West Coasters) so we could hear Condi Rice's testimony before the 9/11 Commission. Dissembling, deceitful and prevaricating at every turn, her ham-handed tactic of filibustering the questions of democrats Gorelick, Kerry, Roemer and especially Ben Veniste was especially maddening. She just ran out the clock with repetitive and overly detailed answers until she used up their ten minutes. Her answers to the Republicans were concise and brief. I could imagine the 9/11 widows who were there must have been ready to explode. They were interviewed by Chris Matthews afterwards and my admiration of them knows no bounds. They are heroes of this tragedy and without their persistence we would know nothing of the events of that day beyond what the Bushies think we should be permitted to know. Kean asked the important question about Rice's previous statement regarding using planes as weapons yet he didn't mention the G8 Summit in Genoa. Just two months before 9/11, Bush stayed on an aircraft carrier because of warnings of Al Qaeda crashing planes into the summit. Rice in a later question mentioned Genoa but no one followed up on her slip. Beyond all of the earlier reports of hijackings, this happened to Bush himself! Wouldn't that be a reason to try to prevent hijackings in every way possible? The most perceptive comment of the day was by Kristin Breitweiser to Matthews. She pointed out that the warnings in the August 6th briefing coupled with the heightened alerts all summer should have resulted in a shock of recognition on the morning of 9/11. When the first plane hit, everybody from Bush on down should have said "This is what we were warned about." instead of Bush hanging around in the classroom and Rumsfeld sitting in the Pentagon until it was hit. How many lives could have been saved if they had acted instantly and cleared the towers? They are incompetent bunglers and liars who cannot protect us. Leslie Crabtree Subj: Insanity! I can't STANDZ it! I can't STANDZ it no more!! I truly think I am going insane! There is this fist sized ball of bile that sits atop my stomach and constricts my throat that will eventually be purged in convulsive sobs and copious tears! HOW can ANY thinking, intelligent adult even contemplate voting for that pathetic, pencil necked, pea brained, pin headed pretender to the throne? The man ( and I use that term with tongue planted firmly in cheek) is a bumbling buffoon, a moronic maroon, an idiot, an imbecile, a nimrod, a numbnutz! I am begging the good people of this once great country to PLEASE boot his ass back to Crawford! I had planned on taking a summer vacation this year, but am now having second thoughts. I think it best that I save what little money I make - should pResident schmuck make it back to the White House, I truly will leave the country for the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, where I can raise sheep, drink good Scotch, and shake my head in profound disgust at the stupidity of some of the American people. Finally - I leave you with this ominous quote: "What good fortune for governments that people don't think." Adolph Hitler Regars - Phaedra Subj: Ms. Rice The testimony of Ms. Rice was a new low even for the Bush administration. If the US had "better information" then maybe we could of done something to prevent 9.11 according to Ms. Rice The nerve of the terrorists, how uncivilized of them to not warn us that they planned to attack the US. This administration is a despicable joke. The evidence and the facts prove that they did nothing. Julie Versace Subj: Protect the presidency, to hell with the people I'm writing the following to that "commission" that, after having seen only small snippets, has made me nauseated, I'm so disgusted. They asked no questions about the really suspicious things, they tried to drag President Clinton into it to take the blame, they did no follow up (i.e., when Rice said they didn't like Mr. Clarke's idea of funding the Northern Alliance, why in the hell didn't somebody then ask, "well, why did you give the Taliban millions in aid"? * * * "To The 911 Commissioners: I am asking that a full, in depth, and honest investigation be done. What I have seen of today’s session was very disappointing. An honest answer to those who grieve cannot happen under the circumstances dictated by the White House. If Mr. Bush is capable of being President, then surely he is capable of coming before you Under Oath and answering questions about the continuing tragedy our country is undergoing. If we can impeach a good president for lying about what no one but his wife had the right to ask about in the first place, then surely we can at least fully and honestly investigate a situation in which thousands have died or been maimed for life and present it to the American people without being vetted by the White House first. Further, no investigation can be either credible or complete until the following questions are answered: What was the connection if any between the meetings held several months before 911 between Bush, Bush officials, oil companies such as Unical, and the Taliban? It has been only very infrequently mentioned in the media but it appears that the participants in that meeting were unable to come to an agreement about laying a pipeline across Afghanistan. That is, they were unable to come to an agreement until after Afghanistan was cleansed of the Taliban. It was mentioned once on the news that Mr. Karsi had signed the agreement but no follow up or investigation was ever done to my knowledge. It was also mentioned that the Taliban were given millions in “aid”. The American people have the right to know exactly how that money was earmarked. If this administration was so clueless as to the possibility of this happening, then how did they so quickly, not only identify the terrorists, but give a complete resume of their lives including videotapes of a hijacker dancing at a wedding?. Why were wealthy, important Saudis taken out of the country when “all”air traffic was grounded? Why did it take so long for the correct military units to be put into play leaving the hijackers plenty of time to finish their “jihad”? Why has the Bush administration fought so hard to prevent any kind of investigation of 911? Surely, it can be done without publicizing critical classified information. And why has Cheney refused to lift the shroud of secrecy about his energy company meetings? Is big business entitled to classified information more than the American people are? Lastly, in a situation such as this, it is less important to protect the office of the presidency than it is to protect the lives of millions of American people. That should be this commission’s charge. We are waiting and we are watching, hoping that at last we will be given an honest and credible answer as to why and how this horrible tragedy occurred. To give us and the families that have lost so much less will be neither credible or fair." I don't think anyone can ignore any longer what is happening to the US. This, the most corrupt administration in my lifetime, has the probability of becoming a lame duck administration. And the only thing that seems to constrain them is the reelection. What will happen when that constraint is removed? I don't even want to think it about it. SOS Dear Buzz, Rice testified today “There was no silver bullet that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks." But Rice has a problem. The Bush administration never bothered to shoot any of those “silver bullets”. In fact, they didn’t shoot lead, rubber, or any type of bullet. NO ONE IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION EVEN BOTHERED TO LOAD THE GUN! Steve Bodenheimer Subj: "I solemnly swear" dear buzz, here's a letter I sent to my local paper today: To the Editor, "I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God." Do you see any problems with this oath? Sadly, our President has a problem with it. Specifically, Mr. Bush WILL NOT swear, "So help me God" to the panel investigating 9-11. Shouldn't it be easy for a Christian to swear to tell the truth? And why does Mr. Cheney have to hold Bush's hand while he testifies? The Vice President also won't swear an oath. They won't testify publicly, nor will transcripts be made of their private meeting. First, Mr. Bush told Senator Daschle NOT to investigate 9-11. Then Congress was allowed to form a commission, but with very limited questioning. It was a whitewash, with much of the testimony in closed hearings, or redacted from transcripts by the White House. (Especially the sections about our "ally" Saudi Arabia, and their funding of the 9-11 terrorists...) The White House tenaciously resisted any Independent investigation, and, after they finally gave in to public pressure, wanted it chaired by a war criminal, Henry Kissinger, the man responsible for the "secret bombings" of Cambodia and Laos that killed tens of thousands of civilians. Mr. Bush first refused to allow Condoleezza Rice to appear under oath. Now she will testify, but ONLY under special rules set by a White House lawyer. No matter what she says, or who she blames, NO ONE ELSE from the White House may appear before the panel to refute Dr Rice's testimony or defend themselves. Take a look at the rules for yourself and decide. What does Bush have to hide? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4630900/ Kathleen Sullivan Subj: Silver Bullets, etc. When Condoleeza Rice baited the mainstream media with her 'silver bullet' sound-bite while testifying at the 9/11 commission hearings, she justified the invasion of Iraq while absolving the Bush Administration of responsibility for the 9/11 attacks. She also illuminated a long-standing rhetorical strategy in the Bush Administration of spinning criticism into its opposite. But for anyone paying attention, this comes as no surprise. The 'smoking gun' of Iraqi WMD's was said to be coming in the form of a mushroom cloud. The 'grave and gathering threat' of Iraqi weapons programs was to alert the world to the clear and present danger Saddam Hussein posed to the American people. His 'refusal to disarm' has become an oxymoron. Cast in terms like these, the Iraqi insurgents 'hatred of freedom' hardly requires comment. Under Saddam Hussein, they had none. How could they hate something they were fighting to gain under his rule? This may go a way towards explaining the Iraqi predicament the Bush Administration now finds itself in. How do they justify their actions to the world, while denying the freedom they purport to be dispensing? Condi's testimony today proved that they can't. How's that for a silver bullet. Ian Nagy Subj: Another Condi-contradiction Here’s Condi-contradiction that occurs in the span of one sentence to the next. From Condi’s April 8 testimony, while whining about not having had time to do anything because the Bush Cartel was only in office 233 days (many of them on vacation):
Structural reform is too “hard”to do in seven months (especially if you never start), but can apparently be done “almost immediately”after 9-11!!! Don Alejandro Subj: Condoleezza Rice Dear BuzzFlash, Watched as long as I could, then listened in the car as I drove to an appointment. Some things really bothered me. Since when does someone under oath feel it is all right to tell lies? It certainly looked to me as if Ms. Rice had a script from which she did not wish to deviate. At one point, Bob Kerry asked her to stop filibustering him. That is exactly what she did to many. She always had to go back in time to discuss this and that. It sounded like a way to get around the point. This war stuff! "It wasn't until 1939 that people went to war with Hitler," and all the other drivel that she presented. I could just imagine Dimbulb rejoicing at this or that remark...." Oh, she sure got them on that one!" Piling blame on President Clinton was another tender spot for me. The Dimbulb administration has 11,000 pages of papers from Clinton, having to do with gosh knows what, but I bet it is about what the Clinton Administration did about gearing up for Al Qaeda. Will those 11,000 pages ever be declassified? It is always a case of blame it on someone else...that way we don't have to take the blame. Well, Dimbulb was our 'leader' for at least 230 days before 9/11. He is the one to blame for what happened. Dear Lord, I believe RICHARD CLARKE! I felt that Condoleezza did not really go after Richard Clarke. She couldn't. He told the truth. Truth is so important. And, we are not getting truth from Dimbulb. Stephanie Subj: I don't recall Dear BuzzFlash: As I listened to Condi Rice testify before the 9-11 commission I was stunned by the number of times she answered the commissions questions with the phrase, "I don't recall". How I wish that phrase would have been an acceptable answer for me during my 6 decades on earth. When I was in high school and I came in late from a date and my Mom said "didn't I tell you to be home by midnight" all I had to do to avoid the wrath of a menopausal, overworked and under appreciated woman was to say, "I don't recall". When I forgot to do my homework and the tall nun with the evil eyes asked " Do you think that you're to good to do homework ?" I could have closed the gates of hell with a simple " I don't recall". When I arrived late to work after a night out with my friends and my boss approached me angrily with the question " do you realize that we start to work at 7:00am here" I could have scored major points with the big guy simply by saying, "I don't recall". When I got pregnant after forgetting to take a birth control pill and my husband tearfully asked, "didn't you take your birth control pills", I could have eased his agony with three little words, " I don't recall". When the police officer pulled me over for doing 60 in a 15 and asked me " Lady, don't you know what the speed limit is in a school zone" I could have lodged the epitome of legal defenses with a calm yet confident, "I don't recall". What a shame. I've spent all of these years on earth and didn't realize that all I had to do to make the problems of the world go away is merely say, "I don't recall". Carolyn
Ball Subj: Then and now Yesteryear it was ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy; today (4/8/04) its Vice-President Cheney and his dummy Dubya. They will soon appear before a 9/ll panel (together, of course). Should any film excerpts be shown on TV, watch carefully if the puppet operator drinks a glass of water while his dummy “talks.” derschurke, a BuzzFlash reader Subj: McConnell's Nasty Comment about Kennedy BuzzFlash, 4/8/04 Three cheers for Sen. Edward Kennedy for calling Iraq "Bush's Vietnam." A resounding boo for the Republican Majority Whip, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who responded with a nasty comment that challenged Kennedy's patriotism. McConnell "called Kennedy's charges completely outrageous" and said, "Americans would be much better served if the Senator from Massachusetts would remember who the enemy is." Please call McConnell's office to let him know we will not accept these tactics. He lives in a Bush bubble and needs to hear from real patriots who are watching with horror Bush's Iraq War debacle. You can call McConnell for FREE at 1-800-839-5276. Use the same number to call Kennedy's office and thank him. Judy Munro-Leighton Subj: What Ms. Rice Told Us Dear BuzzFlash, So the Aug 6, 2001 briefing has the title "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States." Rice says the briefing itself was merely "historical information based on old reporting ‹there was no new threat information." Bush asked for this historical information, if Ms Rice is to believed. This record of Bin laden's plans seems to have referred to airplanes being hijacked and used as missiles. Note this: the title is NOT "Bin Laden NO LONGER Determined to Attack Inside the United States." The inescapable conclusion: Bush was provided this information because Bin Laden was still planning to do something, and in fact, possibly something like airplanes being used as missiles. We won't know how strong a possibility until Bush publishes the--what?--2 pages, 3 pages of the brief on the internet, where we can judge for ourselves. According to Ms Rice, Bush asked for this report, this history. He could only do that if he wanted to know exactly what kind of things Bin Laden was still determined to do. In short, Bush knew. Ms Rice just told us this, under oath. Now we need to know why, in the 5 weeks until September 11, was there no effort whatsoever to protect our skies? In fact, how is it defense response was in complete violation of all established procedure and history? Jim P PS Maybe the briefing was 4 pages rather than the usual 1-1/2 Bush has been reported to prefer. Perhaps he just really really needed his vacation, having had to think all those thoughts in one day. Or maybe he just hit the trifecta and figured he'd take time to celebrate. A lot of wars to fight coming up, you know. As BuzzFlash requested in Wednesday's mailbag, I called AOL/TIME/WARNER (more about the call later) about the fact that they had refused to deliver my email to my brother and a friend because it contained a copy of Maureen Farrell's opinion that had links to BuzzFlash. I hope the implications are being realized by you readers, as they are sinking in here. The failure to deliver notice stated "The URL contained in your email to AOL members has generated a high volume of complaints." Read that again! The URL CONTAINED IN YOUR EMAIL...not the address of the sender has generated complaints, but a link I was sending in my letters! I asked my brother what gives with AOL? and he said it is just anti-spam. As I pointed out to him, this is not an anti-spam effort. This message was from his family. The url was contained within a personal letter. Believe it. AOL refused to deliver my email because I included a link to BuzzFlash! I wonder how many emails are not delivered because they contain urls to websites AOL/TIME/WARNER doesn't like? I called AOL tech support about this. I said I want you to stop censoring my mail to my brother and friend and they said I should have my brother and friend call them about it. In other words, they won't stop until they hear from the ones who aren't getting their mail (if then). I told them they would undoubtedly be in touch to cancel their business with a company such as this. I hope any AOL user reading this also gives them the boot. You are empowering the beast. AOL's mission is "to build a global medium as central to people's lives as television....and even more valuable". Yes, they are global. Yes they are central. Yes, they are very valuable to the ruling corporate elite when we allow them to control our access to information. I think anyone who wants to see Bush fall from power should also consider hiring an ISP that is not politically active in your mailbox.! Karen [BuzzFlash Note: AOL Tech Support can be reached at 888-346-3704.] Subj: He can't be that obtuse, can he? Rumsfeld at a press conference:
This gave me a headache. 69 words to say absolutely nothing of value. Karen W. Subj: CON RICE COVERS FOR HER INTELLECTUALLY CHALLENGED BOSS Dear BuzzFlash It was obvious that Con Rice is more eloquent, and definitely has more in the brain department than her intellectually challenged boss. But I must say that her loyalties, though expected, were misplaced. She did try to cover her boss's behind a few times. For instance, how can she clearly remember a speech made by Sen. Bob Kerrey, and fail to remember if she mentioned "sleeper cells" to Bush? I am guessing that she did, and that since it would look bad for little Georgie, she has a little lapse in her memory. I could see her trying to get out of answering direct questions, by rambling on about things they did, and prolonging that question, so that the member of the commission who was questioning her had less time to do so. They are experts at stonewalling. I just read a scrawl on MSNBC which said an Associated Press Poll shows that Bush is only 1 point ahead of Sen. Kerry in the presidential race. And I thought it was funny that after pouring their millions into misleading attack ads against Sen. Kerry, bungling Bush is only 1 point ahead!!! In my opinion they can keep throwing their miserable millions into that sink hole! I am also curious to know what George Bush's schedule has been these past few sad days. Our troops are being tragically killed in battle, and has he been going for his usual fund raisers like nothing is happening, and how come he had the time to go to a ball game? Shouldn't he be burning the midnight oil and working on important policies (okay, I admit the his policies are failing ones, but shouldn't he be trying to fix them?). This man seems to spending more time fund raising, and resting (after strenuous fund raising) in Crawford, than placing his behind in the Oval office and slogging for this country. I would dearly love to know how many hours per day he puts in for this nation. With all the working out, early bedtime, fund raising and a few symbolic signing ceremonies, I am guessing that he does not work even a regular 8 hour day. No wonder this country is in such a mess. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Disgusted I saw Condi Rice on the Commission yesterday, and I was disgusted at her performance. I have two observations to share with you. 1. Condoleezza Rice was obviously coached by Karl Rove, who told her to smile at everything she says, so us dumb-shi**s sitting at home can say "I forget what she said, but she smiled a lot, so I like her!" It was totally inappropriate. 2. Nobody takes initiative at the White House, because there is no reason to. The mindset in Bush's White House is that there are only two people in charge: President Cheney, and Karl Rove. Cheney is the executive, and Rove is the policy advisor. (Bush is there to wave and smirk.) So, when (former) Treasury Secretary O'Neill briefs Bush on the state of the economy, and what his analysis and insights are, Bush looks at him and says nothing. Powell does exactly what he is told, like a good little General. Richard Clarke gets ignored, because Cheney never asked for him. Rice was just there to take orders, like everybody else. Because nobody told her to prepare for Al-Qaeda, she did not. It wasn't on Cheney's task list, and it wasn't on Rove's policy plate. Therefore, it did not get done. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Box Cutters 1, Missile Defense 0 The worst national security failure in US history was caused not by intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles but with a handful of box cutters. We have spent a fortune on Star Wars Missile Defense, which protects America from nothing. Even if they ever have a successful test of the missile shield, the counter measures will always be easier and less expensive to produce. We spend $440 billion a year on our military, while China and the entire Axis of Evil: Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Cuba, Libya and Syria combined, spend less than $58 billion on military and paramilitary activities. We have unmanned predator drones, armed with laser guided smart bombs while terrorists kill us with donkey carts and bombs of fertilizer. Despite the most sophisticated, spy satellites and hi-tech communications equipment, al-Qaeda operates hundreds of cells worldwide, almost completely undetected, while our own government fails to communicate within shouting distance. As we confiscate thousands of nail clippers, more than 20 million cargo containers come into our country without inspection each year. Our last line of defense, the National Guard and reserves are over extended and stretched thin overseas, while our enemies grow in reaction to every arrogant move we make. I think something is very, very wrong. Todd Smyth Subj: The No-Fault Government It is truly amazing to watch members of this administration squirm and they try to explain away why they are responsible for absolutely nothing. Not a single member of BushCo has lost their job as a result of the 9/11 tragedies, but anyone who has come out against them has been ruthlessly attacked. Look at the list:
And that is a short list. Sometime truth is best found by stepping back. And so this morning, as Condi Rice exhales a continuous stream of lies through that large gap between her teeth, we step back with Greg Palast. Warmest regards, Top Dog **********
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Subj: Concerns about Democracy Hello Buzz, Perhaps you would like to include this article as one of your headlines: http://www.americanviewsabroad.org/monsters.html Now the background. Your editorials in the last days http://www.BuzzFlash.com/editorial/04/04/edi04027.html http://www.BuzzFlash.com/farrell/04/04/far04011.html are chilling, especially because they ring so true. The country was hijacked in 2000. Bush is not the president. He and his cronies are traitors to anything American. And of course they have no intention of ever giving up their power. Maybe it's already all over, but if not, our last hope lies in awareness, that every person who has been deluded by Bush and co. wake up and see things as they really are, without the spin. In the past you included a satire I submitted: http://www.BuzzFlash.com/contributors/03/09/19_presidents.html At the moment I am assisting with a Website for "American Views Abroad" (www.americanviewsabroad.org), the Hamburg sister organization of "American Voices Abroad" (http://www.avaworld.org). We hope to increase awareness of current events and encourage people to register to vote. We will also start blogging soon, with the slant of seeing America more objectively from the outside with an intact pre-9/11 perspective, as well as describing how America is perceived overseas. The one thing the Website does which is somewhat new is to call to voices from the past to show - by contrast - how wrong things are now under Bush. This is what we have so far: http://www.americanviewsabroad.org/past.html A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Macho Never Says Sorry BuzzFlash, http://www.suntimes.com/output/pickett/cst-nws-pickett09.html The essence of the Bush campaign is that Bush is more Macho than Kerry, or any other Democrat for that matter. That is it. He has nothing else but this myth to offer. Macho means never say your sorry or admit mistakes. After Clarke apologized, the Bush gang realized it would be politically suicide to also apologize and let the air of invincibility burst. They might gain more support from the victims of 9-11 but they would lose their core supporters. Rice's testimony was no surprise. Larry,
Subj: Update on Hate Sites Dear BuzzFlash, I checked with several IT managers in my office today, and they had never heard of a web filter that screened on hate sites. They did say though that some libraries have filters so that children don't access certain sites. But they had never heard of one that filtered hate speech. In any case, my government computer did not allow me to buy anything from your website. That has happened to me before on other sites, where I get the "this page cannot be displayed" screen. Anyways, I hope my little bit of research helps. Thanks BuzzFlash, Eileen Subject: Circumventing the point. What did Condoleeza actually say to the 9/l11 Commission? What I heard her say over and over again was that the administration did nothing wrong. She even received praise form Bush and the party faithful on how well she stood up to the questioning. Why does she have to 'stand up' to a little tough questioning? Isn't this investigation about what went wrong? Is there anyone anywhere who believes that something didn't go wrong that day? Is Rice telling us that our country, our defense that day was as good as it gets? That there just isn't any 'silver bullet' nor will there ever be, because that's the best we can hope for? It makes sense that if nothing went wrong with their actions on 9/11, then there's nothing that can be done to make us safer in our country. This point bears repeating. Does that mean that on September 11, 2001 we were as safe as we will ever be? The Bush administration has gotten so good at avoiding the truth and at circumventing the point of all the questioning or issues they are faced with that the media hardly notices. Not once, for example did they actually rebut Richard Clarke's statements. Instead they tried to trash him. That it didn't work is a credit to him, to his unwavering stand, refusing to back down the way so many before him have. He did what so few are doing now. He stuck to the point. He refused to be sidetracked by their polished evasive tactics. Again and again he brought all discussions back to the point. I know of no one who doesn't want our government to get to the point and to do something about it. And the point isn't all that hard to figure out. It's as simple as the question, "What went wrong that day?" So, Condoleeza, when will you and that gang of evaders you work with ever get to the point? Judith Foster, Subj: About the "insurgents" Dear Buzz, The mainstream press keeps calling opposing forces “insurgents,”as do a number of liberal rags. In reality, the forces fighting us are predominantly honest-to-Allah Iraqis who are simply defending the sovereignty of their nation, with some “insurgents”who have enjoined their battle. Sure, Iraqi “troops”represent three different major religious sects, but they are all IRAQIS, not opportunist terrorist “radical insurgents.” The press is ignorantly or just unwittingly following the script of the White House in using this term, but it a critically damaging spin device, and it is being used to lend legitimacy to our criminal behavior. Calling the enemy we created “insurgents”plants the illusion that while the majority of Iraqi’s support our actions, it is those damned hooligans from other countries who are throwing up all the speed bumps in the road to democratization. The word ‘insurgent’is the biggest falsehood the administration has laid on us. Even John Kerry, our savior in waiting, refers to the enemy we have ourselves created as “insurgents.” Hey folks, we need to let the world (which happens to include Iraq) know that we know who exactly who we are fighting, and that it is wrong to be fighting them. We cannot allow the “insurgency”label to stick another day. Many months ago, before the blood began to flow, Saddam took time out from writing romance novels to warn the US that if we proceeded along our foolish course, we would be ensnared in “the mother of all battles.”This battle is just now beginning. We were thinking too small back then, and we chalked up Saddam’s statement to no more than provocative braggadocio. It turns out the old man was giving us pretty accurate heads-up, for our own good. We haven’t been fighting “insurgents”yet, but if Saddam is correct, we soon will be. Iraq will simply serve as the host country for the major theater of war. Richard Mann Subj: Old Condi In 1993, after Rice left the White House, where she worked for the current President's father, to join the Stanford faculty, she told the San Francisco Chronicle the advice she'd give to President Bill Clinton about Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein: "He is an outlaw, but I would be careful about trying to do anything to act to overthrow him." A BuzzFlash Reader Dear Buzz, As an unemployed worker struggling to find a (maybe) $10 an hour job, I have to appear at interview after interview, to answer more and tougher questions than this administration ever has. But, there's nothing unusual about me: any worker in this country has greater accountability every day than this administration has ever had. "We were only in office 233 days," says Condoleezza Rice. In that amount of time in the normal work world, an employee would have had a probationary period to pass or fail. By a 6-month period, an ordinary new hire would be subject to a performance review, and would have to agree to improve whatever the boss had found fault with. Rice just doesn't know what more the administration could have done to protect citizens. For ordinary workers required to work under management practices like "Total Quality Improvement," more effort is always demanded, for even the most mundane tasks. In short, ordinary workers have accountability every minute of the day. Heading our government is an unaccountable administration whose entire policy is to reward allies, punish enemies, and manage public perception through relentless PR. As for anyone who works for a living yet thinks that politics aren't worth paying attention to: people are capable of understanding how office politics in their own company affects them. Can more people possibly catch on to the nature of this administration? After all, it's only in the astounding scale of the damage done that the Bush administration's actions are different from office politics in any mismanaged organization: the wrong people are in charge, they destroy everything they touch, then they lie about what they've done while looking for someone else to blame. An Unemployed Reader To the Editor: Re: Your Editorial, "Forget About Condi's Show "Testimony" of Lies Today: That's All White House "Made for Television" Theater. If You Want the Truth, Let's Move on to Plan "B": Impeachment." Bravo! Keep it up. You're right on the money. The Bush Cabal is nothing other than a criminal mafia. They appear willing to stop at nothing to hold on to power. I'm glad to see you spell it out so boldly. You are quite right that should they lose in November, they should all be locked up for life. That is why they are so scary. A cornered dog... Sincerely, J Subj: Simply Amazing Bush claims to be so busy he only has one hour to give to the 911 Commission yet he sits down in Texas and watches Condi Rice questioned for three hours on television. If he can find the time to watch it on TV why is it sop hard to find the time to participate in the process himself? This is about national security, right? Oh yeah, on the same day, W. found time to give personal tours of his property to the NRA and other hunting associations. Busy man, busy man. TV and entertaining....... Bob Shannon Subj: McCain and Vietnam Buzzers, After showing a snippet of Senator Byrd's speech regarding how Iraq = Vietnam, McCain responded with something to the effect that he didn't agree with that comparison and that Vietnam is history and needs to be forgotten. Sorry John, but you of all people should know that we need to remember Vietnam and never forget what happened, and those of us that lived through those times will always be there to remind you. Shame on you! Travis in Collinsville Subj: Condi's Filibuster What a show!! Double deep Ca Ca.....Extreme Bull Hockey! Roll up your pant legs!!!! This woman has been grilled by her boss like no other....a woman who is experienced at Double Speak. It is truly disgusting. I expected, and got no less than a practiced speech....she has much time on her hands.....how many days do any of you think it took, to allow her to learn this speech....and evade every question put to her? I am amazed........I wonder if she took some kind of drug to calm her! I think Kerry got very disgusted...I can see the teaching now.....When they ask a question....evade...talk over them....do not let them get a word in edgewise!! I cannot wait to hear what comes out of the Puppet and Puppet Master!!! Wish we could see it!!! Shirley...........St.Louis Subj: The Morning of 9/11 Bush, sitting in the classroom, planes hijacked, the second one has struck a building, and he's basically just sitting there, reading kid's stories to kids. Yet, if you were trying to protect our country, and you had a job like, say, head of the Department of Homeland Security, and knowing what you know about GW Bush, why would you bother him about it? In an emergency, wouldn't you consider him a bit extraneous? Is there some wisdom he would bring, some cool-headed, broad-minded thoughts to add? If you didn't tell him about it, though, I think that would be bad. I'm glad our intelligence community made the President generally aware of the terrorist actions of the last(?) four American hijackings, very close to "as they were happening." However, like you, I do wish we had a President who was the kind of person we'd want around in an emergency. I'm quite confident that the position is too important for a useless person, like myself, or GW Bush. Bon Jour, |
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