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April 12, 2004 |
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THIS IS PART 2 OF THE APRIL 12, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG. CLICK HERE FOR PART 1. Re: FAC in 4/9/04 Mailbag
Dear FAC (and BuzzFlash), I laughed when I read this, because you are right. Republicans love to give weapons of all sorts, nuclear included, to any rogue villain on the planet (or at least look the other way when Russia, or Pakistan, or someone else does it). No, the GOP would not impeach Bush for giving bin Laden nukes. But if he gave him a blow job in the oval office, now that would be impeachable!!! Luv and Peace, David McCarthy April 9, 2004 Subj: Chatty Condi, Pull Her String and She Repeats the Same Things, Over and Over. I still haven't read the transcript for Condi's testimony, but I caught a rather interesting piece on Nightline last night. There she was trying to get all the wrinkles ironed out of the Bush reasoning for ignoring streams of traffic coming out of al Qaeda in the summer of 2001. I believe it was Bob Kerrey who asked why they didn't take what appeared to be some new warnings included in a PDB on August 6, 2001. I don't have the exact quote, but she said it was old intelligence with no detailed or imminent threat. I just saw the video "Uncovered: the Road to War in Iraq" last night and was reminded that the intelligence the Bushes used to justify attacking Iraq was a hell of a lot older than the intelligence in what I have heard of the August 6, 2001 PDB and Saddam didn't attack the Cole, bin Ladin did. Her use of the term "no imminent threat" was so stinking funny I nearly fell out of my chair. As if the Bushes would know an imminent threat if it were wrapped in yellow, with a big orange bow and a very large red card that said, "To Dubya, Condi, Rummy, Wolfie; From Usama bin Ladin; Please take this as a threat and make it imminent." I have no idea how the entire commission could keep from screaming with laughter. They took the oldest, of the old, intelligence and managed to convince congress and a public more naive than Pollyanna, that Saddam, with no Navy, no drones and no nuclear missiles could create a mushroom cloud over Manhattan in 45 minutes, with virtually everyone in the intelligence establishment telling them the evidence didn't back up what they were saying. Karen Webb, Moore, Ok. Subj: You ask... "Why Is She Still Advising the Pres. on Nat'l Security?" Because otherwise Bush would not know that Brazil "has blacks." A BuzzFlash Reader “Only 233 Days”in Office Ms. Rice has excused herself and pResident Bush for not being able to put together an adequate national security scheme because they had been in office for “only 233 days”. The Manchester Guardian a while back calculated that Mr. Bush, in his first seven months of office spent 42 percent of his time on holiday, "a whopping 54 days at his Texas ranch, 38 days at the presidential retreat at Camp David and four more at his parents' place in Kennebunkport, Maine." Even if you don’t count Camp David, that’s still 25 percent. He was on vacation when the August 6th memo was given to him and, appropriately enough, he is on vacation again in Crawford now that the war is heating up again and 50 more soldiers are dead, 344 days since Mission was Accomplished. [A nice date calculator: http://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html calculates that they were actually in office for 234 days by 9-11.] There are only 206 days until November 2, 2004 so we have no time for vacation before we can say Mission Accomplished. Sigrid Smith,
North Haven, CT Subj: There was a map In the Al Gore 2000 Report on Air Safety, chapter 3: in the introduction it mentioned airliners and the World Trade Center. In every thing I've read about terrorism since 1993, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the C.I.A. was mentioned. An idiot actually tried to crash into the White House because he hated Clinton. This is just stupid. There is no excuse. Rick Francis Subj: More proof that Bill O'Reilly is a complete moron Buzz: On a recent edition of "Talking Points," Bill seeks to reassure his viewers that, despite what the elite media claims, "there is no uprising in Iraq." In case you're not enough of a masochist to subject yourself to The O'Reilly Factor, the "Talking Points" segment is that portion of the show where Bill just kind of rambles to his audience, with no one else in the studio to question or object to his thoughts. Regarding the uprising, Bill claims... "One problem, it's not an uprising. The Berlin Wall deal was an uprising. The regular folks rebelling against an entrenched authority is an uprising. Militant attacks in Iraq are an insurgency, not an uprising." (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,102632,00.html) For a brief (and quite scary) moment, I though I actually learned something from O'Reilly! Insurgency? Uprising? I must be an idiot, because I always thought they were roughly the same things. Thanks, Bill! But unlike the drones that comprise Bill's "very educated audience" (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,116331,00.html), I did a bit of research. Here's what I found... uprising
- A sometimes limited popular revolt against a constituted government
or its policies; a rebellion. uprising
- An insurrection; a popular revolt. insurgency
- A state of insurrection; an uprising; an insurrection. insurgency
- an organized rebellion aimed at overthrowing a constituted government
through the use of subversion and armed conflict. In other words, Bill... uprising = revolt = rebellion = insurrection = insurgency. You know, I really hate it when he spins information to make editorial points! Bill rants on to blast the elite media for purposefully misleading America... "This kind of stuff makes me angry. The elite media often spins information to make editorial points. And that's really wrong." Oh, Bill... you make it so hard to love you! Chris Q. G.Bush should be impeached for lying about Iraq, and the amount of debt this is costing us , plus the number of lives being lost everyday. I agree he should go immediately. As much as the Republicans despised President Clinton they really impeached him for nothing and this clown is allowed to remain in office and run again for president. It's shameful. G.Bush should have been thrown out the door long ago. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Maybe Not So Disgusting? Dear Buzz, Your headline referred to the amount of vacation time taken by our glorious leader as disgusting; this is one of the few times I'll disagree with you. Imagine what could have happened if he spent all of his time trying to "run" our country. By now, the Second Amendment be the sole remaining vestige of the Constitution. We probably would have invaded Canada by now. There would be a government agent in every bedroom of every non-republican. Church attendance of an approved religion would be mandatory. If you were to ask me, I'd say that the little cad has been looking a bit tired lately. He should probably stay on vacation until January 1st of '05. Then he should go home until he is arrested. keep keepin' Michael J Fowler Subj: 233 Days Buzz, The following two entries are posted on talkingpointsmemo.com. Goober "has spent all or part of 233 days on his Texas ranch since taking office>" [Washington Post] - and - Condisleezy "repeatedly suggested the administration was hampered because it had been in office for only 233 days before the attacks.." [Chicago Tribune] An unfortunate pattern has developed here. T Quigly Subj: It's the occupation, stupid. Dear BuzzFlash, If I recall correctly GW Bush said upon commencement of his preemptive attack on Iraq that this attack was not against the Iraqi people but against their ruthless dictator Saddam. He also stated upon commencement of his so-called “War on Terror”that this war was not against the Muslim people. Aren’t Sunni and Shia Iraqis and Muslims??? Why are we killing them???? Moreover, why are the Sunni and Shia killing us…their so-called “liberators”and friends??? There is something deeply wrong with this picture. Nancy Lynn Nagy BuzzFlash- love your website! Why wasn't Condi Rice asked about the four airplanes that we allowed to fly right after 9/11 and pick up all the important Saudi Arabians? What a rotten shame! \ Art Gossman Subj: War President? Please! Dear Buzz: George Bush recently proclaimed himself a "war president." The linchpin of his campaign for reelection is the allegation that in response to the 9/11 terror attack he has demonstrated courageous and decisive leadership. That's why I was startled at the deal Bush recently struck with the 9/11 Commission to allow Vice President Cheney to sit next to him as he testified. Every major figure involved in this investigation has stood on their own two feet before this commission and given testimony, except the "war president." Upon further reflection though, I realize that to expect backbone from Bush is asking too much. When a young man, like those now fighting and dying under his command in Iraq, Bush was called to service in Vietnam. He found shelter in a "champagne unit' of the Texas Air National Guard. When bin Laden's thugs struck this country on the morning of 9/11 Bush dropped the book he was reading to 3rd graders in Tampa Florida and made his way from Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport and flew immediately to Louisiana. After a brief stop in Louisiana he then made a bee line for Offutt Air Base in Nebraska where he remained until it was clear there was absolutely no danger to the "war president." Our great leader finally arrived back in Washington that evening. In light of the record, I understand why Bush needs Cheney to hold his hand before the 9/11 Commission. Sincerely, Paul A. Moore Subj: Why We're At War I picked up a new book at the base library this past week, "Rumsfeld's War" by Rowan Scarborough. I never heard of the author, but I thought I'd thumb through the thing and see if there's anything I might pick up that would give me some insight as to what these people are doing to our nation. Did I ever. On the last page of the book, page 169, we find: Of his accomplishments, this might be the most important: He has shown the militant Islamic world that George W. Bush's United States is not Clinton's. When Rumsfeld sends troops on an operation, they will not run when events turn sour. Geez, that about sums it up, doesn't it? Sounds like we're doing all of this, everything from Afghanistan, to Iraq, to increased defense spending, ad nauseum, because this is "George W. Bush's United States". We're doing all of this because we need to show the world that this country doesn't belong to Clinton anymore. Now it's really making sense. Scares me, but it's making sense. Roma Subj: Sean Hannity is Killing His Fans Buzz: Funny story... Just the other day, I thought I'd check out Sean Hannity's radio show. He was supposed to talk to John W. Dean about Dean's latest book, "Worse Than Watergate," but in the 15-minutes that I could stand, all Hannity wanted to do was question Dean's credibility regarding "Blind Ambition," a book he wrote over 25-years ago! Needless to say, Dean was completely unprepared for Hannity's ambush. Ignore the message and crucify the messenger, right, Sean? Anyway, the funny part is that during the commercial break, I heard advertisements for the following products: - A mattress designed to help you sleep better, - A special mouthpiece that you wear while sleeping that keeps you from grinding your teeth together, - An herbal alternative to the prescription penile-dysfunction products, and - A prescription drug that eases anxiety. Attention Hannity fans... STOP LISTENING TO HANNITY!! You'll be much less anxious during the day, and not grind your teeth while you blissfully sleep through the night. As a result, you'll be ready to rock when the mood hits you to climb in the sack with a loved one!! Best of all... tuning out Hannity won't cost you a dime! This public service announcement brought to you by, Chris Q. Subj: Ahead of the Game Is it me or has BuzzFlash been consistently ahead of the mainstream news when it comes to serious questions about President Bush's behavior right before and after September 11? You guys should gloat about this more........;-) A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: The August 6th Memo Posted at Kautilyan Here's what Rice had to say about the August 6th PDB (from the transcript):
later....
Am I missing something or didn't Rice just lie. Why would "steps be taken" if this was a "historical document" with no new information? A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Rhetorical Question? My son will leave for the armed forces in June; originally he enlisted into the Navy, but apparently he can be placed where he is needed the most. The Army needs more "bullet magnets" because the ones that they have now keep getting broken. And so my son will likely be sent to "liberate" Iraqis unless I can talk him into a Canadian vacation. So I want him to be prepared. I want him to have decent body armor such as certain mercenaries wear; unfortunately our government can't afford such luxuries. They are busily funding missile defense systems and nuclear attack submarines to combat the Soviets and allowing corporations to sack the treasury - not to mention those tax breaks for the millionaires who are creating all of those great jobs for Americans. I don't know where to purchase body armor, so I called my Arizona senator's office to see if I could find some answers. "Hello, this is Senator ---- office", answered the staffer. "Good morning, I am a resident here in Arizona, and my only child will be leaving for the armed forces soon. I've been reading that our troops continue to be poorly equipped, and I was wondering where I can buy him some of that body armor." "Body armor?" asked the staffer. "Yes, the good stuff. I can understand that our leaders must prioritize allocations of funds; at this time it seems that the tax cut for millionaires is much more important than supporting our troops," I said. "Oh! I see; this is a rhetorical question - let me connect you to the staff member responsible for that area--" At which point I began to go ballistic, "RHETORICAL QUESTION!? I DON'T WANT MY ONLY CHILD TO BE KILLED AND YOU THINK THAT I'M ASKING RHETORICAL QUESTIONS? JUST TELL ME WHERE TO PURCHASE THAT BODY ARMOR--" but I had been transferred to some staffer's voice mail. I hung up the phone. I don't think that it is possible for me to convey the hatred that I feel for this administration and my Republican senators. They blithely send our children off to be killed in an illegal war over oil for Halliburton and Cheney; and they can't even fathom that we might want to help their odds at survival. Somehow the mere act of voting against all Republicans in the coming election doesn't seem like enough when I feel a rage of this intensity. Michael J. Fowler Subj: Fwd: BuzzFlash Editorial: "Forget About Condi's Lies....etc" I will go there! And here's why: In 1967 & 1968 I worked in the Command Post at Cheyenne Mountain, Ent Air Force base, Colorado Springs, Colorado, North American Air Defense Command....that's right, the people most responsible for alerting the country that an "imminent airplane hijacking" was happening on September 11, 2001!!! I operated a piece of equipment known as a: Camera Projection Processing Unit or CPPU. If you have ever seen the movie "Fail Safe" that is the piece of equipment which projects the map of the entire world, with particular emphasis on the western hemisphere, on the screen!!! It is basically a hybrid multitasking supercomputer which collates and constantly receives information from satellites and ground signal points from all over the world!!!! THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THAT ANY AIRPLANE OR FLYING ANYTHING COULD HAVE ELUDED THE CPPU IN NORAD, JUST AIN'T NO WAY THAT COULDA HAPPENED UNLESS...SOMEONE TOLD THE COMMAND POST TO DELAY THE THREAT!!!! Ron Gordon Subj: Kerry Quote The Associated Press got the "family values" quote all wrong -- (I was at Kerry's Milwaukee rally) What he said was, "I'm tired of the Republicans talking about 'Family values' instead of valuing families." The AP quote makes no sense at all. I don't know what you are going to do about it, but I thought I would bring it up anyway. David Heckenlively Subj: Our Worst Nightmare! Our worst nightmare will be in 6 or 7 years when the boys between 10 and 18 who watched their parents and other family members die at the hands of American soldiers reach adulthood. The fury against this country will be the real shock and awe! bush created a monster that will haunt this country for many generations to come! Their is no doubt George Bush has not only been devastating to this country, he has been devastating to the world. I'm not sure if it is sheer arrogance or stupidity....perhaps it is both. how sad for the world. diane anderson Subj: Condi's Star Wars Denial Many observers have expressed varying degrees of frustration with Dr. Rice's continued simplistic representation that if those in positions of responsibility in the Bush Administration had known that" Al Qaeda was planning to hijack American airplanes and use them as missiles", everything possible would have been done to prevent that tragic occurrence. This same observation has been repeated by the major figures within the administration ad nauseum, most notably by the President himself. It is obvious that, to mix Bush-like metaphors, this straw dog won't hunt. Apparently this entire Administration expected Osama bin Laden to call the White House Travel Office and make 19 reservations on four flights using a personal credit card before they could initiate their anti-terrorist plans. This expectation is much more understandable when one considers the reverence that these "principals" shared for the shining jewel in their anti-terror arsenal -- a Missile Defense Shield. It is ironic that on Sept. 11, 2001, Dr. Rice was reportedly preparing to deliver a speech that would tout the Missile Defense Shield as the primary tool to prevent massive terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Unfortunately for Dr. Rice and the others, reality interceded. A closer examination of this twenty year boondoggle reveals some disturbing facts. Hundreds of billions of dollars have flowed to agencies and institutions that have been attempting for two decades to achieve a single successful real-world test result for Edward Teller's brainchild. The only conditions under which any positive results have been achieved are these: First, the operators of the "defense missile" have to know the origin and the eventual target of the "offensive missile". Second, the offensive missile must fly at a greatly reduced speed. Third, there can only be a single missile fired. Fourth, the offensive missile cannot use any shielding or scatter technology to mislead the defensive missile And, finally and most incredibly, it really helps a lot if the offensive missile emits a tracking beacon that can be detected by the defensive missile Consider the mind-set that is required to regard a program like Missile Defense as a primary protective agent for the security of the United States. It's not very difficult, once you've walked through this looking glass, to expect all your adversaries to alter themselves in whatever manner is necessary to fit neatly into the box that you have so carefully constructed. Since Osama bin Laden's educational background is in Engineering and not Physics, he apparently didn't understand his role in this deadly charade. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: PDB The Republican response to the PDB is that it contained, in the words of former Governor James R. Thompson, no "call for anything to be done." The picture that emerges is of a President who might have acted if Osama Bin Laden had appeared on tape pointing to the Twin Towers saying, in English ,"I plan to attack here on Sept 11," but not otherwise. I say he "might have acted," because his subsequent behavior suggests that even this would likely not have been enough. What we know first hand is that after the second plane had struck the World Trade Center and he was told by Andrew Card that " America is under attack" the President did nothing, he did not issue a single order, but instead read "The Pet Goat" to second graders. This lack of response by the Commander in Chief to the attack itself suggests that there is, in fact, literally nothing that would have prompted the "Great Vacationer" to act prior to 9/11. Albert Clark, NY Subj: George Tenant: "We Warned of Bin Ladin Desire to Strike Inside US" Dear BuzzFlash, Rice’s recent claims that the August 6 PDB, prepared by the CIA, was “not a warning”directly contradict George Tenant’s congressional testimony given to the Joint Congressional Inquiry on the September 11 attacks. Specifically, in June 2002, George Tenant’s written testimony to Congress stated that in the period leading up to the September 11 attacks:
Tenant’s testimony to Congress contradicts and disproves Rice’s ridiculous claim that the August 6 PDB “was not a warning”. The August 6 PDB was prepared by the CIA and presented to Bush by Tenant. Tenant’s testimony references facts identical to those of the August 6 PDB, if not the PDB itself, when he states, “we knew—and warned”. Rice is fond of charging that her critics are presenting “revisionist history”. In this case the actual history can be found on the web site of the United States Senate (http://intelligence.senate.gov/0210hrg/021017/tenetunclass.pdf), and the actual history states that the CIA believed it was warning of Bin Ladin’s deadly intentions. It is the epitome of “revisionist history”for Rice to claim that the CIA’s timely warning was merely a “historical memo prepared by the agency”. Rice’s mischaracterization is also an injustice undercutting the work of the CIA. Steve Bodenheimer Subj: A Granddaughter Returning from Iraq God smiled down on her, and blessed her with a medical problem that got her out of the Sunni triangle. She will never be the same! We saw her for two hours tonight, on her way to Ft. Leonard Wood. After 12 days, they got her home, by way of Texas, then St. Louis, then the Fort! She looks fine, except out of her eyes....she told her other grandmother, that she is not the same person who left here!! She will have to have the surgical problem attended to, then will go into therapy and the separation, whatever they do with people who have been to war, ....but, I doubt that the 20 yr. old will ever be the same!! I had no idea where she was, except the the hotel that blew up was one block away from their camp. I was not with them, when they went to dinner....but the other grandma told me she threatened the waitress, because the waitress questioned something she ordered. Kara has gotten used to so much fat, that she just naturally ordered fatty things, and the waitress mentioned it....they feed those kids so horribly...Kara copped an attitude with her. If any of you have someone coming home, from Iraq....you might find such a change because I have an idea that after they got there and saw the human slaughter, then wondered what the hell it was for.....they all started to look at it differently! She may not relate to anyone but Military for a long time, although she hugged me forever...as I am sure she did her other grandparents. She was different with me..... there will always be the wonder, if (and I know she knew this) she remembered how much I hated the fact that she had to go to that place! Everyone else, screamed at me, "Well what do you want, another 911?" That was a pat answer I got. I went though it by myself, and not easily. I have relatives to this day who will not speak to me....it is hard, that an Idiot could do that to a family, Bush being the Idiot!!! At the time of departure....Her dad was into the patriotic glory...and they never told me anything about her ...and I got to the point where I did not ask! Her uncle, my son is still into it...and he is the kind of person, who cannot admit that he might have been wrong about his president! Although, he was not one to criticize Prez. Clinton, at least overtly! He said he already had that reputation, so he should have known it was wrong. Then along comes this 'mammoth liar.'..handing us a tragedy in New York, and a war in Iraq! He really did, folks, tie Iraq to Binladin....he always did it, even though he admitted that Binladin had nothing to do with the bombings.....he knew how gullible republicans were, and especially after a dashing, smart, extremely knowing president, like Clinton. They detested him for what he did, and most of the ones I know who detested him, had done the same thing....only worse! But, the idea that the President of the United States did it, especially, a good looking, brilliant man like Bill Clinton...made them seethe, boil, want to hit something...the hatred was amazing!! My husband hated Clinton, too...but, he did not believe that we went to iraq because of the bombings....he tried to say it was to prevent another incident like that! But, he did, and I will always remember this....he tried to tell people that I had a right to my beliefs just like everyone else!! And, they wonder why we hate Bush so much...a Liar is much worse, and for his own profit! Please be on the lookout....we are in for some very angry people coming home from this war....those who make it home! They are dying by the dozens now....on the same road that Kara drove every day..having to make decisions of whether to drive over dead bodies, or go around, or how in the hell to dodge an RPG! (at the age of 20) Get Ready! They are coming....if they do not all die! We must get rid of this Maniac!! Shirley........St.Louis From the April 2004 (print) issue of Police Magazine (www.policemag.com) web poll of cops: Q: How much funding has your agency received to meet new requirements instituted following 9/11? Poll results:
So, by my bad math, that makes 93% of police agencies responding had half or less of the funding they need to meet the requirements set up for Homeland Security after 9/11. No Cop Left Behind. NM Cop Wife Dear BuzzFlash The August 6th Presidential Security briefing president Bush received has been released and is available on the internet. Yee haw! This document the president read 5 days before 9/11 was titled 'Bin Laden determined to attack inside United Sates'. This security briefing clearly states that Al Qaeda terrorists cells where in the U.S. and that intelligence agencies felt hijacking preparations were being made. According to the presidents daily log, on the afternoon of August 6th president Bush went fishing, and the next day took a month long vacation. Bob Woodwards book, Bush At War, contains quotes that president Bush made during that month long vacation where the president states He didn't have a sense of urgency about al Qaeda or terrorism. The U.S. Cole was attacked in October 2000 by Bin Laden. This attack was a suicide attack. Would it not be reasonable to assume that Al Qaeda hijacked airplanes would be used in suicide attacks? Al Qaeda had already bombed the World Trade Center before, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that the WTC was a possible target? The January 31st 2001 bipartisan Hart-Rudman Commission Report on National Security had warned all the members of congress and the Bush Administration that an attack on American soil was imminent. At that time, some members of congress tried to get a Department of Homeland Security created, an action the Bush Administration fought strongly against. It wasn't until after 9/11 that president Bush endorsed this new department and tried to spin it as his own. If president Roosevelt had received a memo prior to Pearl Harbor stating " Japanese determined to attack U.S. in pacific' don't you think at least someone in his administration would have lost their job? So far not one person has lost their job over 9/11 (except Valerie Plame a CIA weapons of mass destruction expert and covert agent exposed by the Bush Administration in retaliation for Joe Wilson's expose of the incorrect assertions the president made about Iraq's WMD's). Democracy is about accountability. Where's the accountability from the Bush administration? They are great at character assassination, revenge, media spin, and fund raising, but dreadful at fessing up, accepting responsibility or even attending one funeral, of one soldier. Iraq is spiraling towards outright civil war and our response is to wrap villages in razor wire and attack with the awesome firepower of Apache attack helicopters and cancer causing depleted uranium ammunitions. Is this winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people who we were told would welcome us with flowers? Deficits at record shattering levels and the first time in world history that tax cuts have been given out while a country is at war. The environment is being slaughtered and handed to the corporations on a silver platter by the White House. A Bush administration stated claim was to restore accountability, honor and dignity to the government. I guess we will have to do this ourselves next November, we can't stand another 4 years of this hypocrisy and ineptitude. Learning lessons, freewill, and not repeating mistakes is what the human brain is all about. Crede Haskins
Calhoun It is my hope that tomorrow morning when I turn on the news the headline reads G.Bush is not seeking reelection. I am sick of this stupid man. What is he thinking about being on the ranch fishing while our young men and women are being slaughtered by the Iraqis. G.Bush doesn't have a clue how to get us out of this mess. All that dummy can say Saddam was a bad man. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: What the Pentagon Knew
A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Hannity should be nominated GOP hypocrite of the year How weird that Sean Hannity would have a book entitled " Deliver us from evil" I guess Hannity supports Bush. Do you know that "Deliver us from evil" means "recuse us from the one who puts a false face on what his true intentions are" in the original Greek. The Bush administration put a false face on what its true intentions were with this war in Iraq. Just read Richard Clarke's "Against All Enemies" and Wes Clark's "Winning Modern Wars" A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Justice Scalia Recently Justice Scalia spoke in Hattiesburg Ms and had his goon squad take tape recorders away from reporters working for the Hattiesburg American newspaper and erase them. He did this without due process and no order from a court. He should be impeached for the acts typical of Saddam. Cal A. Subj: Bush has spent more than 40 percent of his presidency at one of his three retreats!! Hi BuzzFlash, First of all, thanks for providing a great service!!! Please see the 7th paragraph of this article from the Washington Post:
Here is the the 7th paragraph:
Regards, Rob Englund Subj: More Info on Aug. 6 PDB Following up on a citation you posted today, ( "The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning." ), I located documents from the 2002 Joint Congressional Hearings on the September 11 attacks. One of these documents contains a summary of an August 2001, “closely held intelligence report for senior government officials”. This report is almost certainly the August 6 PDB. Here’s the information:
The document, Joint Inquiry Staff Statement, Part I; Eleanor Hill, Staff Director, Joint Inquiry Staff; September 18, 2002, can be found on the web here: http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/091802hill.html The reference to “.. information acquired in May 2001 that indicated a group of Bin Ladin supporters was planning attacks in the United States with explosives,”cannot be squared with Rice’s argument that the document was historical and did not contain warnings. Steve Bodenheimer Subj: The "D" Word I'm amazed at why the opinions of those who at first supported the Iraq war haven't been turned around when confronted with the Bush follies consisting of: "bring 'em on", "mission accomplished", non-existent WMD, misrepresented tales of Iraqis greeting our troops with bouquets of flowers, no Iraq connection to 9/11, jokes about missing WMD, the phony notion that Iraqi oil would pay for the war, and the ugly deteriorating conditions in Iraq? How could anyone still believe in this war? Who can't see that we just lashed out at Iraq because it was an easy target for a concocted and trumped up rationale for a war that could be sold to the American public? Is there any price that war supporters aren't willing to pay just because Saddam was an evil tyrant and despot? Where's the outrage? Where are the non-stop protests and torrents of public anger that called for policy change during the Viet Nam War? Relentless protesting and lobbying by opponents of that unjust war were effective enough to convince Lyndon Johnson that it was futile to run for another term, and pressured Nixon into bringing an end to the war. Where's the national indignation now? Why is this ill-conceived war different? I ask my questions in the rhetorical sense, of course, because I think I know the answer. The answer is simple: No "D" word. There is no military draft. Unlike the Viet Nam War, the war in Iraq is being fought by a volunteer military. As a consequence, a sort of "not in my backyard" mentality sets in, whether or not anyone is inclined to admit to it. As long as millions of American families are not asked to sacrifice, and are not subject to the prospect of having to face the possibility of losing sons & daughters, husbands & wives, brothers & sisters, and mother & fathers, there will be no overwhelming pressure brought to heavily tip the scale against support of this war, and the idea of pre-emptive wars to come. True, the brave and courageous men and women who volunteered to serve in the armed forces did so with the knowledge that they might be called on to engage in combat to defend our country. I assume that for most of them, however, having America striking out first with a pre-emptive war policy was not part of the enlistment package that attracted them to serve. But now the burden and cost is strictly on their shoulders alone. It's frightening to think that as long as most American families aren't at risk to pay for and share in the deadly costs of this war, or other pre-emptive wars, the Bush Pre-emption Doctrine could just keep rolling merrily along, unchecked. Richard
Ross Subj: Eureka Hey Buzz It's been some week. So much death on all sides. I was watching the Rumsfeld/General Myers briefing on Tuesday about the uprisings in Iraq. As always, I was stumped trying to find the much vaunted Rummy wit. Here are a few things he said: "It is what it is." "Things are going the way they are going." Myers, on Sadr: "He is what he is." I asked myself, "Where did they learn to speak such drivel?" and then I remembered: POPEYE the Sailor Man, whose motto was: "I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam." Pass these guys some spinach. I was trying to explain to a colleague why the Iraqis are so furious at the American occupation. I used this analogy: Cheney and his neocon pals decide they don't like the government in Italy and the fanatical Catholics who run it. They've heard that the country is awash in oil (olive) and extra virgins so they ask God to tell Bush to invade. They bomb the hell out of the country, including all the ancient Roman monuments and vineyards and allow rampant looting of the art treasures. Next, they depose the leaders and put their faces on Most Wanted bounty game cards, then take over their palatial residences (after mocking them for their extravagance) while what's left of the population sweats in the dark because the entire infrastructure is in smithereens. They install an expatriate Mafioso who hasn't been in Italy since he was 12 as head of an interim government, (overseen by Proconsul Tom DeLay) and tell the Italian population they have to vote for him. One more humiliation: they blast their way into the Vatican and replace the Pope with a right-wing American fundamentalist Christian like Falwell or Robertson. Finally the New Italy is "democratic." Just in time for the American elections. Keep the faith Buzz. Patty Coombs Subj: Operation Northwoods and 2004 Elections Maureen, Your April 6th BuzzFlash article is all the more frightening when viewed in the context of Operation Northwoods:
The article's main point is taken from James Bramford's book "Body of Secrets." The article goes on to state that ALL FIVE joint chiefs signed off and approved this plan, but Kennedy nixed it. I'd like to hear an official explanation & denunciation of this, but I won't hold my breath. Keep up the good work. Larry LeSueur To the Editor: Poor Condi! She didn't receive an invitation to the terrorist attacks on 9/11. In her testimony before the 9/11 panel, Condoleezza Rice complained that the warnings about possible al Qaeda activity within the United States were "too vague" and did not contain information about the "date, time, or place" that an attack would occur. Terrorists rarely send out an announcement that they are about to attack. Instead, they go to great lengths to keep their plans secret. For months prior to the 9/11 attack, intelligence officials were picking up " increased chatter" about possible terrorist activity. In fact, the President's August 6, 2001 PDB (Presidential Daily Brief) entitled, "bin Laden Determined to Strike In U.S" contained information about possible hijackings. Was the administration's response to these warnings sufficiently vigorous? One need only compare the administration's actions in the all-out effort to uncover information about Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction and connections to al Qaeda to see that they were not. In preparation for war in Iraq, the departments of Defense and State, the CIA and other agencies doggedly attempted to verify intelligence information. The administration sent Ambassador Wilson to Niger to determine whether reports that Iraq tried to purchase quantities of yellow-cake were true. The administration also put a great deal of effort into verifying whether a supposed meeting between a high-ranking al Qaeda official and an Iraqi government official ever took place in Prague. In stark contrast, this administration directed no one to act to attempt to verify the pre-9/11 warnings. In her testimony, Condi claimed that the CSG (Counterterrorism Security Group) was working on the issue and in any event, "no one asked her to do anything." Although she testified that she alerted the FBI and that field officers were working the information, none of the nearly 1,000 agents thus far interviewed by the panel recall any request to investigate the warnings, nor does then Acting Director Pickard recall such a request from the White House. Furthermore, neither the Secretary of Transportation nor the head of the FAA were made aware of the warnings. We will never know what information might have been uncovered about the al Qaeda plot had the administration taken even these minimal steps to try to verify the intelligence it was receiving. We will never know whether the 9/11 attacks could have been thwarted. These are not the issues. In Richard Clarke's opinion, the Bush administration did not take seriously enough the threat from al Qaeda or terrorism in general. What Rice's testimony makes absolutely clear is that he was correct. The President and his National Security Advisor failed the country by not taking appropriate measures to investigate "hair-raising" intelligence reports. It was Condi's job to try to determine the "date, time and place" an attack might occur. She waited for an invitation to the party when what she should have done was try to crash it! Linda Wiener Subj: In light of the memo to Bush If he could not have prevented the attack why is it the case that he did not have the air force bases in our country on ALERT. The August 6th memo makes it abundantly clear a major attack involving planes was coming. With over an hour lead time the terrorists were still able to successfully attack the Pentagon the headquarters of the largest most technologically advanced military machine in history. My understanding is it was law at the time of 911 for fighter planes to be scrambled automatically when ever a highjacking took place. It requires no presidential order and is supposed to be standard procedure. This did not happen until the attack on the Pentagon had been completed. There was plenty of time to get this done. It was clear early on that the government knew they were dealing with terrorists. So where were the jets that are supposed to protect us? Was a stand down order given? And if so by whom? A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Two Sentences Earlier today I wrote you about how strikingly similar something Dr. Rice said today was to a sentence from "Rebuilding America's Defenses - Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century" A report of the Project for the New American Century September 2000. Here is the exact wording of the two sentences: "Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event –like a new Pearl Harbor." - Rebuilding America's Defenses, September 2000 "Bold and comprehensive changes are sometimes only possible in the wake of catastrophic events -- events which create a new consensus that allows us to transcend old ways of thinking and acting." - Dr. C. Rice 4/8/2004 The similarity of wording is striking, suggesting that a catalyzing, catastrophic event might have been on the minds of the neocons in the White House for quite a while. Sincerely Robert Fischer Subj: Jobs Czar From the January 2001 Orange County Weekly (article here):
Who's Derderian? The business partner of Al Frink, the just appointed job Czar (remember the old one?) The factory in question is the factory that made Frink a player, and worthy of the position. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Intel if a Parent found a "NOTE" of their kids'... Talking about TAKING DRUGS and HAVING SEX at a UPCOMING PARTY.... Would the Parent say... well the NOTE doesn't say WHAT PARTY so OH WELL bush is obviously a very bad parent. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: WHY DIDN'T BUSH ACT ON MEMO RECEIVED ONE MONTH PRIOR TO 9/11?
Dear BuzzFlash So George Bush gets a PDB that says "Bin Laden is determined to attack inside the USA", and that is just a historical document? What planet is Condi living in? Shouldn't this memo have set off alarm bells, and something drastic done somewhere down the line? I wish the 9/11 commission had asked Condi, why, if they were warned about traditional hijackings, didn't they take precautions about that? Because if they did, the fact that groups of middle eastern men, with one way tickets, should have given out a very high security alert, and if they tried to stop a traditional hijacking, 9/11 would not have happened. So they definitely failed in that respect. I wonder what they were waiting for? Do they, for a moment think that Bin Laden would send them a memo giving the time, date and place for such an attack. Why were they so focused on missile defense and Iraq, and why did they not have any meetings about Al Qaeda and terrorism? A new administration is supposed to hit the ground running, and it looks like George Bush's lack of knowledge in foreign affairs, was a liability to the country. After nearly 3 1/2 years of a (stolen) presidency, he still stinks at it. Having the vulcans around him, to spoonfeed him, has not helped our nation at all. We have an incompetent, clueless, bullheaded, person in the white house, and unless he is kicked out of office this November, we will have to expect more "make Halliburton rich" wars, deficits as high as the moon, and more countries alienated by us. We have lost respect and credibility around the world, and we have this arrogant Bush/Cheney administration to thank for that. I Can't wait to vote in November! A BuzzFlash Reader |
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