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May 5, 2004 |
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Subject: Four Star to take a fall -- you watch Now this, from Yahoo News...
Now I know Myers has a lot on his mind, but to say that he hasn't read the report yet that details acts of abuse and criminal behavior is bordering on incompetence or a coverup (you make the call). Doesn't this guy have a staff that reads this stuff first and then sends it to him for his attention? Incompetent boobs -- look for a replacement in the near future. Someone has to take the fall and it looks like it's gonna be a four-star. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: geedubya's turning fallujah over...to the republican guard CUTTING AND RUNNING!!!! He gets that little smirky grin on his face and says, "See they hate freedom, and they think we will cut and run! Well, we are not going to cut and run.!" But, hey folks, they know now that they cannot take Fallujah, nor Najaf, likely....so, they are starting this big brouhaha over turning the place over to the Iraqi guard....!! Well, one of them is, physically, the twin of Saddam, and most likely, that place will be much worse off than when we went in there to begin with (no doubt at all). We did nothing but what Bush wanted to do...stir up some shit and get Saddam....for Daddy! What a father's day present! (I could not tell you what I think will happen to Saddam between now and the election.) This psuedo-president will never,ever pay for his sins, until he meets his maker! Shirley..............St.Louis
Subject: President Bush is counting on you!!! He's counting on you to be too busy to research the details of his policies. He's counting on you to think that "Clear Skies" really means clear skies when in reality The Clear Skies Initiative is a ROLL BACK of clean air regulations; that "Healthy Forests" is actually a license for our forests to be ravaged by private interests; that "No Child Left Behind" sounds good but is not funded. He's counting on you to not fully understand how laws are made. He's counting on you not to know that body armor cannot be voted on as a separate issue but is voted on in a whole big package that is also filled with waste and kickbacks to his corporate friends. He's counting on your not understanding that if that package did not pass, there would be a good chance for a better package to be passed in its place. He's counting on you to be too busy to research and understand that never before in our history has there been a time when Americans, no matter how guilty they seem, haven't had the right to a lawyer. He's counting on you to be too busy on Saturday morning to read the paper and see what he does on Fridays: Rollbacks on environmental protections, recess appointments of extreme right-wing judges; cuts to overtime pay and benefits for our veterans. President Bush is counting on you believing that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9-11 when in reality there is absolutely no evidence that Iraq had anything to do with 9-11 and he's even said so himself. But someone else is counting on you as well....your fellow Americans and our democracy are counting on you to be informed. Don't let President Bush play you for a sucker. The facts are out there. Find them and then decide for yourself if President Bush really deserves four more years. (This is something I wrote on an idea I had. I would love to have others help me flesh this out and use it as a handout at rallies, in newsletters, etc. I would like to add that President Bush would like you to believe that Fox News is really news...and so on....Don't you think your readers could help me out with this?) V Cribbs
Subject: quotes Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything. -- Josef Stalin Loyalty to the country always, loyalty to the government when it deserves it. -- Mark Twain Randy K.
Subject: Your editorial BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!! Excellent piece!! I hope you sent it to Kerry. Message to John Kerry: In Today's Television-Dominated World, Form and Image are Content Steve Gottschalk
Subject: re: convention for Buzz To Andrea Barol.....what a great idea...I am not that far from Chicago....we could all take turns holding banners, extolling the virtues of BuzzFlash...."Want to read the truth.....go to Buzzflash.com." Super idea...maybe someday it will happen! Shirley.........St.Louis
Subject: "Disaster Accomplished" BuzzFlashers, Two turning point events last weekend underscore the reality that this war is over--America has lost it. The Marines "have been repositioned" out of Fallujah, and the world has seen the graphic photos from Abu Ghraib prison. It is ironic that Friday, May 7th, marks the 50th Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu--the victory of Ho Chi Minh's forces over the French in Vietnam in 1954. As we try to make sense of the Iraq debacle, all Vietnam parallels come to mind. Dien Bien Phu is an important one to remember this week as we watch the most powerful nation in the world in 2004 brought down by its arrogant recklessness and foolhardy bravado. I noticed a Catch-22 regarding the prison photos. When Saddam Hussein controlled the prison, he was blamed for torture, atrocities, and inhumane treatment, which served as a belated & convenient excuse to start a war to remove him from power. Now that George Bush's government controls the prison, he gets away with saying he is "disgusted," and he "doesn't like it at all" to see the photos. Where is the responsibility? We know that Bush's callous reference to assassination of terrorists and thugs set the tone for the despicable behavior by our own troops. When will Bush be held responsible for his "Disaster Accomplished?" I like the idea of a BuzzFlash weekend--a gathering to share ideas, energy, outrage, and plans. Sign me up. Judy Munro-Leighton
Subject: Nominations for Evil GOP Bastards Dear BuzzFlash Readers: I hope you have had a chance to checkout the weblog "EvilGOPBastards.com" (http://evilgopbastards.com/). If you have, then you know that such "honorees" (who have also made BuzzFlash's GOPHOTW) as Zell Miller, Tom DeLay, and even Antonin "Tony the Fixer" Scalia have been "feted" by the blog. Even Condosleezza Rice made that cut. Now I'm writing to feature the reasons why other "luminaries" such as The Sinclair Broadcasting Group, any "anchor" at Faux Network News and most of the rest of the GOP (which also stands for God-Hating Ovarian Police) should be so honored by being named an "Evil GOP Bastard."
Like BuzzFlash says, "So many hypocrites, so little time." I thought I would help out, LOL. Leutisha Loyal BuzzFlash Reader, Proud Christian Liberal and Exposing GOP Hypocrisy by any means necessary!
Subject: What human rights...? It is horrendous, the pretense of "outrage" and "disgust," exhibited by the military brass and politicians over the "isolated" American abuses of the Iraqis. As if they didn't know. Their true shock comes from being exposed by one (hopefully not the last remaining) soldier with a conscience, who obviously didn't need special training in Geneva Convention rules to know that beatings, rapes and other forms of physical and emotional torture are inhumane and should not be tolerated. A shock, indeed. If Americans truly cared about respecting human rights, they would make major and radical changes in their domestic and international policies. As it is, human rights serve as a convenient cover-up for policies and practices that are light years away from any actual respect for human life and dignity (especially when that human life has a different sex or skin color, or inhabits some distant location). If American politicians and military leaders cared about upholding human rights during this difficult time in Iraq, they would not hire criminals--er, private defense contractors--to police the country. DynCorp, one such private defense firm (and a front for CIA), which has been in charge of this task in Iraq for over a year now, has a horrendous record of human rights abuses that includes, among other crimes, sex slave trafficking during their peacekeeping(!) mission in Bosnia: http://www.monabaker.com/pMachine/more.php?... http://www.newsmine.org/archive/cabal-elite/co... DynCorp was hired in 2003 to police Iraq even after their criminal practices in Bosnia and elsewhere had been exposed to the whole world. Is this how we wanted to promote human rights in a country which we claim to 'liberate'? While there is no evidence (yet?) that DynCorp's employees have been involved in the latest instances of abuses in Iraq, two other large firms with similar profiles (CIA fronts) have been implicated so far: CACI and Titan Corp. Watch out, fellow Iraqis, American democracy is coming to a town near you. A Sickened Buzzer
Subject: Earth to Kerry and the DLC . . . BuzzFlash, This is what has always bothered me about any candidate or member of the "DLC." They do not pay attention . . . they do not know what they don't know and are not interested in finding out what they don't know!!! They have always over- or under-estimated Americans. Mr. Kerry appeared irritated and insisted the Republican attacks were not so effective. "Americans aren't listening to all that junk," he said. Where have they been? If Americans were well- informed, Congress would be forced to impeach Bush, just to satisfy Americans . . . but, as we all know, most Americans don't know or believe that Bush lied us into war . . . most Americans don't know or believe that Saddam had nothing to do with 911 and Osama bin Laden. Most Americans get their news from TV or Faux News . . . we are the most uninformed, ignorant country on this planet. Would someone
please tell Kerry and those in the DLC . . . Americans do pay attention
to the lies and propaganda presented on TV or in print daily by the
Bush Regime. To me, this seems pretty obvious by now.
Subject: getting attacked for questioning Bush Dear Buzz, Maybe you recall my letter in the BuzzFlash mailbag of April 9? http://www.buzzflash.com/mailbag/04/04/mai04097.html All h*ll broke loose after the local paper printed it: "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? Well, I'm getting hammered, ad hominem (feminam?) by some locals. Notice that instead of responding to my questions, this writer attacks me personally, (naive, biased, ill-informed, and lacking a scintilla of intelligence). Ouch. This seems to be a standard GOP tactic. I feel honored to join the prestigious company of those fine folks who are getting smeared: Paul O'Neill, Joseph Wilson, Richard Clarke, et.al. Since I read BuzzFlash, The Daily Mislead, The Daily Reality Check, The Nation, Tom Dispatch, Greg Palast, and From the Wilderness every day (and even Newsmax, for fun...) I consider myself to be pretty well informed... The writer ends with another GOP ploy: blame Clinton for everything... Here's a sample, entitled "Witch Hunt" (our rethuglican-friendly editor does the titles):
kathleen
Subject: Geneva Convention Training Dear Buzz, I have never been in the military, nor have I had Geneva Convention training. However, I already know I am not supposed to torture people. Also, I have no desire to do so. Leslie in Boston
Subject: Treatment of other humans Hi BuzzFlash, Since when do we have to be taught how to treat other humans? I guess watching the bush crew treat others, some of ours thought it right to kick a person when they are down, and out! Is this what we have come to? Well according to the bush crew *Two wrongs DO make a right.* No one can fault bush for knowing math either! We were able to see Ted Koppel showing the dead of the Iraq lie. Sad as it was, this is how it should be. Never to forget that these were someone's loved ones. Mr. Bush, did you watch and see the faces of someone's child that died for your war??? Why don't they have the honor to be greeted at Dover, when they come home in boxes?? Can't find the time?? A shame! Angela
Subject: yikes! wow! that thomas himmil said his captors fed him, gave him medical treatment and treated him well. he even turned down food from the military he found saying he had already eaten................isn't it a good thing he got away before his captors saw what we were doing to their people!!!!!! A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: abu ghraib For the daily headlines, in light of the abuses at Abu Ghraib, can you rerun the article from a month ago about British soldiers being disgusted with American soldiers' attitudes toward Iraqis? There was reference to the British belief that Americans considered the Iraqis sub-human. I think it would be appropriate. Thanks. Geo [BuzzFlash Note: We can't identify it but will be happy to post the story again if someone else locates it.]
Subject: In case you didn't notice In case you didn't notice, we just lost the war in Iraq. Like the rest of the world, I am shocked and appalled by the horror of tales of torture and pictures of abuse committed by US troops at the at Abu Ghraib prison. We went into Iraq to stop, among other things, human rights abuses that were being directed by the Hussein regime. Many of those abuses took place at Abu Ghraib prison, the same building at the center of this report. Iraqi guards regularly beat, humiliated, and tortured their detainees, and they reveled in their cruelty. Now, we have American soldiers doing many of the same things, allegedly at the direction of American intelligence officers and mercenary civilian contractors who wanted these MPs to set the conditions for productive interrogation sessions. This is truly reprehensible behavior. The inhuman torture of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of our troops puts to lie every reason we were given for this increasingly ugly war of choice. It gives every person in the Arab world a reason to commit similar atrocities against Coalition personnel. Reciprocity is a very real thing where the laws of war are concerned. These actions by our troops at Abu Ghraib are arguably worse that those in Fallujah who burnt the bodies of four Blackwater mercenaries and strung their corpses up on a bridge. No amount of apologies or military justice for those accused will make this black mark go away. We've been defeated by our own actions. The idea of 3D asymmetrical urban combat in Fallujah and Najaf makes very real the possibility of further war atrocities. Women and children massacred in our pursuit of insurgents through their streets and homes. And soldier of fortune civilian contractors who operate outside the US military chain of command and rules of engagement can only exacerbate this problem. Our only hope now is to put an international face on our largely US forces in Iraq. We have condemned Iraq to decades of chaos unless we can convince the rest of the world to join us there. The Bush administration's black and white "you're either with us or against us" attitude makes diplomacy difficult and compromise impossible. This war can only end with regime change. Regime change here in America ... Mark Salditch
how about raising questions about how long Bush and his military people and neo-cons have know about the abuse of prisoners and have done nothing about it? I think it is intolerable that heads haven't rolled yet. A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: BuzzFlash in Print Your headlines are tabloid style and, if printed and placed in supermarket checkout aisles, you would have a marvelous political forum all to yourself. Most people read the headlines waiting in line; cannot some of these dollars being thrown around to defeat the current administration be used to this advantage? Even if one page with headlines and links to stories instead of entire newspaper would still put the headlines in full view and draw attention. Sincerely, Alton Jones Subject: Deja Vu? - Andersonville During the 15 months during which Andersonville (prison) was operated, almost 13,000 Union prisoners died there of malnutrition, exposure, and disease; Andersonville became synonymous with the atrocities which both North and South soldiers experienced as prisoners of war. http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/histback.htm Been there, done that.... A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: Setting the Tone Dear BuzzFlash, Thank you for your great work. I just want to say that it comes as no surprise that our soldiers, intelligence community, and even our civil contractors are abusing prisoners and others around the world. In my opinion, that is exactly the tone that G.W. and his nasty neo-con bunch has set for an example as to how we should view the rest of humanity. This nasty sick group is a collection of sick thugs and hate-filled Christians who, much like the Brown-Shirts of old, view themselves as superior mighty warriors who will transform humanity into their likeness, even if they have to kill every last man, woman, and child to do it. This is the real evidence that trickle down isn't just an economic myth, but instead a true and horrific societal phenomenon. Thank you for taking time to read this and I hope you will publish it. Sincerely, Hal Pettigrew
Dear Buzz, You are right on target. Kerry needs to realize that Americans do listen to all that stuff. They voted for Bush and now they feel threatened. So they look for anything they can use to justify their vote in 2000 and their support of Bush after 9-11. They find it. Bush tells them. They believe it. And they use it to campaign to their friends. I know. I hear it all the time. Guess what, John Kerry. They vote. Keep the issues up front, Buzz. Margaret Waid
Subject: I Am An American! A few weeks ago In an E-mail to a friend in Brisbane, Australia, I was expressing my concern over the upcoming election with the polls indicating a dead heat and Nader taking votes away from Kerry. I commented that Bush & Co. spent close to 50 mil last month, and still made no headway, and no matter how bad his press conference was, the inanities of his speech to the Editors and Publishers Convention, no solutions, no plans, etc., the Republicans still hang on with all their might. I told him of a bumper sticker I had recently seen which stated VOTE REPUBLICAN - IT'S EASIER THAN THINKING! I guess it takes someone outside the family to really see, and have the courage, to point out the warts within the family. His reply was I should have a sticker printed up stating 'I AM AN AMERICAN -- DUMBER THAN SHIT AND PROUD OF IT.' Bill Sybert
Subject: Anyone but Bush 2004! "We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something." Our military is about honor courage and integrity, and the sexual perverts who amuse themselves by forcing men to have sex and filming it are not representative of our military. They are an embarrassment to our country. The men and women of our military stand up for our country, and they deserve better than to be associated with this kind of crap. We can not let an administration that breeds an environment like this continue to lead our nation. Rumsfeld and Cheney put the contractors who encouraged this in charge and have protected them while they try to degrade our military. Get these perverts out of control of our military. Anyone but Bush 2004! Matt R.
Subject: WHAT ABOUT TORTURE AT GITMO???? Detainees released from Guantanamo Bay two months ago made similar accusations about being subjected to sexual sadism similar to what has come to light in Iraq. Is anyone looking into this? "The abuse of the Empire has a limit and that is the patience of the people." Scott Bard
Subject: SBC want "Christian Madrassas" WorldNetDaily: "Baptist activists: Pull kids out of school" well the fanatics just may help America have smaller classrooms if they DO pull out MILLIONS of children being indoctrinated by their fanatical religious leaders. Now they consider public education to be an admonishment of god. Pretty soon these psychos are gonna start lobbing BOMBS at "non-believers"..... Sound familiar? Monica, a BuzzFlash fan
Subject: notable tid-bits Dear Buzz,I was startled by an article appearing on Asia Times, by the well known "Spengler" about a recent article appearing in the neo-con house organ, "Commentary" magazine, by Professor Alain Besançon. Buzz, this is damning as far as I am concerned. The neo-cons are morphing the war whooping into what many of us feared was the underlying reason for 'Iraq Attack II' in the first place. Anti Islam sentiments. These sentiments are something of a rehash of Besançon's previous work, but appear again right on the May cover page of commentary. And with things neo-con, double clicking the article entitled "What Kind Of Religion Is Islam" you are directed to the archive subscriber log in box, and not the article. However, Spengler's recent column, "Has Islam Become The Issue," is a good overview and analysis. If Bush's murderous adventure in Iraq is a "Civilisational War," I think we will find that history is not on our side as war does not spread civilization. Further, the abuse of Iraqis in general becomes more understandable, as the neo-con and thus Bush objectives are betrayed by Father Besançon. Buzz, this war is descending into madness! Stark raving, bonkers, lunatic madness! After reading Spengler, and also Chris Floyd's most recent in the Moscow Times, "Horse Sense," I fear America is being driven into insanity! And there are people who want more of this blood soaked madness?! Oh Buzz, we are in trouble in America! Good luck....... Steve in Syracuse
Subject: Sy Hersh Says There's Much Worse To Come..... war crimes by US Sy Hersh reports that there are Videos, more photos, and it's gonna get really grim, really really grim.....Hersh says the exposure of the US war atrocities has barely started -- sh*t hasn't even started hitting the fan Bush/Rumsfeld won't be able to contain this to a few low level reservists... The Bush administration pushed the approval of torture. The February report was the third on the same problem. Sy Hersh says there are too many good people at CIA that are completely disgusted and appalled at Rumsfeld/Bush's "Murder inc" tactics. Sy Hersh even used "murder inc" to describe Rumsfeld and Bush on NPR this morning - Diane Rehm Show. Hersch on Charlie Rose. The sh*t hasn't even begun to hit the fan, Hersh strongly hinted. His hints: The prison also has a women's wing, and a wing for adolescents. Along with the intelligence people and private contractors running the torture brigade, were also agents of a Middle Eastern country, "you know - one of our friends in the region". (another guest on the Charlie Rose show, a ME academic from NYU, I think, said that the insurgent bombing of the prison about 10 days ago was done because they heard that women were being raped and tortured and they knew they would prefer to be dead - i.e. mercy killing). There is talk that the Iraqi's killing of US "private security" mercenaries at Fullujah, which the bodies were hung from a bridge, was in retaliation for what US had and was doing to Iraqi prisoners Iraqis believed to include the rape of Iraqi women by US forces. It's going to get real ugly - The world will be demanding action against the Bush administration. My Lai massacre type reaction. A BuzzFlash Reader ++Great idea for a bumper sticker There’s a bumper sticker out there that says: "Bring Them Home" with a yellow ribbon. Too weak. Here’s a better one and why: "Support our troops" has been Bush’s mantra to support the war in Iraq, and we need to take it back. We need bumper stickers in red, white, and blue, with an American flag on it that says: SUPPORT
OUR TROOPS. Everyone needs to put them on their car, their shirts, their front doors, everywhere, to remind George Bush that this country still belongs to us. Someone out there make them, please, and make them available on Buzzflash’s website so we can order them. AK ++'Get a clue! Bush and Rummy knew!' This is my suggestion for a new bumper sticker and protest sign. The order to abuse and mistreat prisoners from the war on terra came from the top. That is exactly why it was announced early on that these prisoners were not prisoners of war, but enemy combatants and exempt from Geneva Convention rules. They knew up front exactly how they were going to treat these prisoners. It happened at GITMO and all over Iraq. It was "predetermined." Niki It’s NOT the Troops!!! With words expressing “deep disgust “, Bush projects judgment at the bottom of the chain of command while defocusing away from any insight that his administration may have in setting the tone for the troop’s actions. The statement “that is not the way we do things in America”is not validated by the actions of those at the very top. This is especially true with respect to the lack of due diligence and objectivity in the run up to the Iraq war. Also true is the lack of any real insight as to what ramifications in going to war will bring. It’s the marketed goal that defined the action. Justification and rationalization reign with introspection relegated to the back of the bus. The troops on the ground, mirror those very attitudes and actions. If at the top of the chain of command they are not scrupulous in pursuit of truth then what chance have the lower echelons. What they see they learn and what they learn they put into practice. One can only imagine the enormous pressure for intelligence at all command levels. In part this intelligence is meant to validate a war already done! It is the latest, yet doubtfully not the last, example of a list of symptoms stemming from a misled and misguided policy. The next symptom just may be in getting some “irrelevant”entity or coalition to take over. Then with someone else to blame, we can, with the usual dash of truth and continuing lack of honesty state “that is not the way we do things in America”. C. J. Dowdell CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE MAY 5, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG. |
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