May 11, 2004

MAILBAG ARCHIVES  
The BuzzFlash Mailbag

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THIS IS PART 2 OF THE MAY 11, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG. CLICK HERE FOR PART 1.


Subject: Vice President Clark

Kerry should appoint General Clark as his running mate. General Clark will assure the American people that he and Kerry will do a better job in protecting them against terrorists than Bush and Cheney.

Besides, Clark is someone who the public can have confidence in should something happen to Kerry. He has very few negatives, and is extremely sharp. This combination cannot only win the election but help to take over the Senate, and maybe even the House.

Bob


Subject: Army Times gets it! Rumsfeld, Myers should resign, but will have to be forced out!

Many U.S. newspapers have demanded Rumsfeld's resignation, including The New York Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, New York Newsday, Boston Globe, Minneapolis Star Tribune and Detroit Free Press. Write your paper and demand an editorial stating their position, they know which side they should take, but will they, HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE!

TODAYS RANT! Arrest these men now, this country's 'rule of law' is revealed as a sham, and when they say, This is NOT America, I am sorry, but it is America REVEALED! Sorry to bust anyone's bubble, but Rumsfeld ordered these tortures, and our preznit stands by him, do we need any more proof or evidence? We, as Americans, deserved to have our 'evil' agenda revealed, as our true goal is to intimidate the world into submission, just like the American people have 'submitted' to this Hitlerian Regime. We either speak out now, or tuck our cowardly tails between our legs and say, 'Congress will take care of this, we elected these guys to defend the Constitution, I'm sure they'll rise to the occasion.' Don't mislead yourselves folks, The Dems let it get to this point, and are still refusing to demand Rumys resignation.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type...

Rex E.


Subject: Get Off of Rumsfeld's Case

Hello BuzzFlash and all BuzzFlash readers,

Dick Cheney, the Vice-Occupant of the White House, thinks that all of Donald Rumsfeld's critics should simply "get off his case." Rumsfeld is clueless as to the extent of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, not even bothering to brief the Occupant of the White House, read a 53 page executive summary, or to view the photos of the abuse, yet Cheney thinks he shouldn't be subject to criticism. Rumsfeld accepts full responsibility, and now Cheney thinks he is beyond reproach.

Excuse me? Is this how leaders in a Democracy are supposed to act?

I have a suggestion for Mr. Cheney and Mr. Rumsfeld that those who are similarly inclined ideologically are so fond of suggesting: This isn't Iraq, this is The United States of America. You are supposed to answer to us, not the other way around.

If you cannot handle the leadership responsibilities of our open, Democratic society, then you are welcome to leave.

Warmest Regards,
GK, a Fervently Loyal, Devoted and Proud Liberal BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: I can't bear to look . . .

Dear BuzzFlash,

ABCNEWS.COM currently features an interesting article about First Lady Laura Bush's reaction to the prisoner abuse images coming out of Iraq. Paraphrasing her appearance on on Good Morning America (GMA) today, their website said:

"To be perfectly frank, I can't bear to look at the ones [pictures] that have been in the newspaper," [First Lady Bush] said. "It is a picture we don't want the rest of the world to have of us. They don't represent our troops and they don't represent the way people in the United States of America think or act."

<http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/US/Iraq_Laura_Bush__040510-1.html>

Kind of brings to mind a similar comment uttered by Mrs. Bush's mother-in-law who opined to GMA on 3/18/03, "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths. Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"

<http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0429-11.htm>

This beyond-Orwellian doublespeak would be dumbfounding if not so patently obvious. Seems as if the Bushes don't mind waging a little war, as long as no one has a clear picture of why we're going, how long we plan to be there, and what effect it will have on the world and our place in it. Now if she can only explain how soldiers fighting for our armed forces can commit what appear to be war crimes and NOT "represent our troops" or "the way people in the United States of America think or act." If they're not fighting for or representing us, then who?

Jack K.


jesus christ! how must it look to the world to see our president praising rumsfeld? just a few years ago the world had such great admiration and respect for our country. bush has done irreparable harm to this country.

matt


Subject: Wisconsin paper seeks pro-bush letters

Dear Buzzers:

I sent the following Email to the Wisconsin newspaper that was asking its readers to send them more pro-Bush letters:

I'm not sure whether your editorial requesting pro-Bush letters was more laughable or pathetic. Did it ever occur to you that perhaps you're getting more anti- than pro-Bush letters because more people are opposed to his arrogant, self-righteous bumbling than favor it? That maybe the letters you are receiving accurately reflects the balance of your readers' opinions?

It's way past time for all Americans - and the news media - to wake up to the ghastly mess this administration made of the war on terror and our country's standing in the eyes of the world. Instead of soliciting letters from Bush supporters to achieve some sort of imaginary 'balance,' why not use your editorial page to demand answers instead of excuses out of an administration that has refused to level with the American people since the day it took office?

Joe S.


Subject: just a frat boy prank!

Shame on you BuzzFlash readers for not recognizing that Rush was right! In the grotesquely depraved world of radical right republicanism, abusing and degrading "the enemy" (i.e. people of color) IS FUN! Just good ole boy joshing and amusing each other. ..shucks.

In their world, Rummy is a superb Defense Secretary.... he of the worst loused up war we ever participated in....one that he called wrong on every account, and one that is creating more enemies for us every day.

In their world, Bush's stupidity is considered a charming asset, and his lies are evidence of his moral stature.

Go figure.

Dorothy Schreyer
Kingston NY


Subject: Higher Father

Was God, the higher-father, wrong in advising Bush to attack Iraq? And how about Bush's decision to undermine our economy via trillion(s) in tax cuts, originally budgeted for infrastructure repairs and construction?

And, how about the 13.5-million children reported to be in need of adequate nutrition?

And, how about the millions who are without health insurance? Is George Bush a flip-flopper, a hypocrite, or what?

Don Lanquist
Pascagoula, MS


Subject: I sent a letter to the Appleton-Post Crescent

Hi BuzzFlash:

I am a very loyal BuzzFlash reader, and I sent a letter to the Appleton Post Crescent about their "needing" more pro-bu$h letters. I'm not much of a letter-writer, so it was short and sweet. Thanks for posting that article. I am a Wisconsinite, and I let them have it!

L.M.

P.S. ("Dinger" on Dems.com & DU)


well which is it? first we hear bush's aids telling us bush has taken rumsfeld to the wood shed.................then we hear cheney telling us rumsfeld is the best secretary of defense this country has ever had. then bush says rumsfeld is a superb secretary of defense in which this country owes a debt of gratitude. why would someone like that have to be taken to the wood shed by the president?

katie johnson
tampa fl


Subject: war crimes?!

Hello,

War Crimes? How can you accuse the shruB of such a heinous deed? Did he not say: "we make the rules, but hey do not apply to us"? Does he not need information to insure he gets the oil from Iraq? The problem is the Iraqis "do not understand" (shruB's favorite idiom) their new liberty, i.e. to agree with shruB's goals and objectives. And why should they object? Americans don't object to he and his cronies plundering the US Treasury and bankrupting the future of their children and grandchildren. He just has to freedomize them a little more, some in prison cells, other in their homes with tanks and attack helicopters. As to those photos, it is a real public relations problem, as far as the shruB sees it. And he'll get those enlisted types for embarrassing him. Mind you, not for carrying out his orders, but for making it public.

Unless America tries this war criminal and his cohorts, even God's blessing will not save us all.

Frank A. Lojewski
Sointula, BC


Subject: Air America Radio Website Freeped

I can't listen to Air America Radio via their website because it's being Freeped. Check out this link, where the Freepers conspire with their DOS packets. The Republicans can't deal with the issues, so they resort to dirty tricks.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1125153/posts

JK


Subject: Trying to Understand

Dear BuzzFlash,

The public outcry over the Abu Ghraib torture is all well and good, but that small chapter in the war doesn't even begin to put the horror we've inflicted there into perspective.

Some of us are sincerely trying to understand such things as what happens when a laser-guided bomb explodes a building in the middle of a city into tons of shrapnel flying for half a mile in every direction.

Others are eager to believe that 10,000 Iraqi deaths is just an exaggeration, or diminish that horror in some other way. It isn't real to them, not like 3,000 dead Americans is real.

Besides, today's military doesn't bomb haphazardly; it's all precision and technology these days, right?

If you think that to be the case, Mina Hamilton would like some words with you. http://www.dissidentvoice.org/May2004/Hamilton0509.htm

But it strikes me that it all goes hand in hand, the torture and the bombing. The troops on the ground have to know that the civilian casualties are real and are either ignored or classified as enemy kills on the official tally sheet -- after all, those 'precision laser-guided bombs' are given 'pinpoint' coordinates by these same ground troops. If they mistake a teacher running into a school for an 'insurgent' running into a snipers' nest, chances are it will be counted as a sniper's nest regardless.

The U.S. military does not keep track of civilian casualties, and that arrogance alone invites disregard for more such casualties.

When you hear your superiors describe a bombing run as being 'applied' in an 'antiseptic' strike in which only a few hundred women and children are killed; when 'precision' bombs obliterating imprecise targets with arms and legs becomes a heroic news story by the time your family reads about it back home; when you stumble across a baby a half mile from any target impaled by a shard of glass; when the bushwhacker your buddy shoots from corner-of-the eye reflex turns out to have been a kid unable to keep his head down -- when you wade through all this officially non-existent gore that means nothing in the big picture, how much of a step is it to "soften up" a prisoner?

These kids didn't become beasts overnight. Their indifference to life and human dignity is the last faint mocking echo of the arrogant indifference which sent them there ready to kill.

They are, those soldiers, whether already dead or still semi-living, our greatest casualty from this war.

-Bear

(originally posted at http://neologic.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2004/5/10/55152.html and free to reprint)


Subject: Laura is a MORON, too!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1506...

How many times can this dame say "SAD?" Sad, sad, sad!!!! And to top it off, she thinks the punishment of the junior personnel involved in the prison atrocity is a "silver lining!" What a mega-nitwit!

Mika S.


Subject: Letter to the Post-Crescent

You asked for more good leters about Presedint Bush. Here is mine. Presedint Bush combs his hair real good. I also red that Presedint Bush is not a kannibal. Anymor. That is very, very good.

Thankyou.

Dean G.


Subject: Impeachment

I love BuzzFlash and agree with you about everything BUT I think it's time to stop calling for impeachment of various Bush folks and just devote ourselves to beating the hell out of them in the election. The impeachment thing realistically isn't going to happen this close to an election but the election will, hopefully, have the same result. Instead of, "Impeach them!" being the punchline, I think it's time for, "Vote them out!"

We can't fall asleep on this and not pound away on the fact that the election is coming up, because it's our best chance. While impeachment is A chance, it's not our BEST hope. I think we should put our effort behind the thing that might actually work. Thanks.

Patricia Ponder


Subject: My letter to the Wisconsin paper

Dear Buzz...

I was so incensed after reading that request for pro-Bush letters that I couldn't stop myself from responding. I dashed off the following letter to the editor and sent it via their web page. You're welcome to post it, or just delight in my coherence at 4am and hit the delete key :-)

Steve from CT

MY LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

One has to wonder about the true motivation behind the recent request by this newspaper to receive more letters to the editor from its readers who support President Bush. Would this paper have written the same appeal for letters that were CRITICAL of President Bush if the situation were reversed? Based on the current climate in the US mainstream news media, in which there is great pressure from the government and from GOP friendly, FCC favor seeking upper management, to paint a picture favorable to the Bush team, my hunch is, no, you would NOT be making the same appeal.

Certainly your claimed desire to present a balanced view is a noble one when taken at face value. However, gauging where one's neighbors stand on an issue is determined not only by the content of letters to the editor, but also by the relative imbalance of pro vs. con.

Your attempt to artificially inflate the number of submissions supporting President Bush is tantamount to an attempt to distort the true level of anti-Bush sentiment amongst your readers. It will, like "free speech zones", dilute the value of dissent. I find that disturbing.


Subject: Re: Editorial: We need more letters to achieve a balance

Dear editor,

I read your recent commentary / article asking for more pro-Bush articles because you've "been getting more letters critical of President Bush than those that support him".

I can't help you with that problem but I thought I would contact you and ask for some advice because I am experiencing a similar type of problem in my business.

You see, I am an intake coordinator at a large hospital in the twin cities. My job is to greet patients when they arrive for treatment at the Chemo-unit and when they are arriving for surgery.

Lately, it seems like there have been a lot of sick people coming through the hospital. It's all, "I have cancer...", I don't feel well...", I'm Dying..." Blah Blah Blah... We would like to have a better balance of sick AND healthy people but we have not been able to come up with any solutions.

Maybe the geniuses at the Post-Cresent might be able to come up with some clever ideas for us.

Thanks,

Dan Dillon
Scandia MN


Subject: Please stop referring to the four dead as "the four civilian workers"...

Your headline:

"By now we all know the grisly toll of April: 136 Americans dead, including the four civilian workers gruesomely beaten and dismembered by exultant Iraqi youths, 900 U.S. troops wounded, and 1,361 Iraqis killed, many in Fallujah 5/10 "

Is completely misleading. THEY WERE NOT CIVILIANS. See:

Iraq victim was top-secret apartheid killer
http://www.suntimes.co.za/2004/04/18/news/news03.asp
" A security contractor killed in Iraq last week was once one of South Africa's most secret covert agents, his identity guarded so closely that even the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not discover the extent of his involvement in apartheid's silent wars.

Gray Branfield, 55, admitted to being part of a death squad which gunned down Joe Gqabi, the ANC's chief representative and Umkhonto weSizwe operational head in Zimbabwe on July 31 1981. Gqabi was shot 19 times when three assassins ambushed him as he reversed down the driveway of his Harare home. "

After Fallujah: The Truth About the Blackwater Mercenaries
http://rwor.org/a/1236/blackwater.htm
" Soon after the four U.S. "civilian contractors" died in Fallujah, it became obvious they weren't "civilians" at all. All four were trained commandos--at least three had years of experience in elite U.S. military units. They were working for the private mercenary army called "Blackwater USA." All were heavily armed. One carried a Department of Defense ID card."

A BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: This is not good

To the Post Crescent:

Re: Your editorial re letters for balance (below)

Honest for God! This is not good. This takes the cake. Begging for letters to pump up Bush! And no doubt you got up this morning, proud to call yourself a newspaper! Honest for God.

So it goes. But I must vent in reply to your self satisfaction. The answer is no. Which is to say you're right: "You CAN'T run letters that you don't have" - and that's the point - as well as the story.

And when newspaper folks - you folks who are protected by and pledged to our first and most precious amendment, well, when you folks don't get it - well then, the world IS in big big trouble.

Which it is. Thanks in large part to you. Some say (and there are times when I agree) that the press in this nation (press - as in major media) should be tried for treason for preponderance of prejudice and/or dereliction of democratic duty to the people, for taking care of no business but corporate business, wrapped in flag loving patriotism, in time of war. It wasn't bad enough that you shut out the people before this war started (giving bare bones, if any, coverage to the masses of people, worldwide, who protested and resisted this president and his war, and affording them no genuine voice in the matter) but now that the madness of war is in full bloom and no doubt, here to stay; now that the people are finally taking a good, long, hard honest for God look at the world we've made in our image, you have the unmitigated gall to solicit pro-Bush letters - in the name of what . . . ?

Oh yeah, balanced journalism ("fair and balanced" balance, no doubt.)

What a farce.

Honest for God, did you even turn your brain on before you published this atrocious request? In another time and war, for balance sake, would you have sent out a call for pro-Lincoln, pro-Roosevelt, pro-Nixon, and pro-Johnson letters? If the man who actually won the 2000 election was right now sitting in the oval office stewing in a mess such as Bush and his junta have made (which NEVER would have happened) would you be calling for pro-Gore letters? If Kerry comes in need of equal image boosting, will you be calling for letters on his behalf? And for that matter, why aren't you calling for (and printing) pro Kucinich, pro Nader, pro John Buchanan letters?

What next? A call for letters extolling the virtues of torture? Torture's been having a tough time of late, seems nobody's got a good thing to say about it. But Torture has many (if silent) supporters, as recent photographs and films attest. In fact, down through the ages, torture has maintained its loyal following - even in America - among our very own "best and the brightest" are those (in positions of power no less) who continue to claim torture is necessary to our safety - as the best means to get the info we need (though I can't imagine how we can trust anything said under such terrible duress.) Yeah. You might solicit pro-torture letters, but then again - you probably won't.

And rightly so. As you shouldn't solicit pro-letters for anyone or anything. To inspire your readers to submit their opinions - on anyone or anything - is one thing, but to put out a call for pro-letters in the guise of reader opinion is cheap marketing and sheer propaganda. In which case, why bother with the public at all? Why not invent your own pro-Bush letters? You're in control, and in this case, your editorial amounts to the same. In effect, Bush is to the American Press as Stalin was to Pravda? But that's unfair - to Pravda for THEY had no choice but to pump up the Big Guy, and now your editorial makes me wonder, do we? have a choice anymore? And it begs another question: which is worse - no free press or the pretense of a free press?

Your editorial certainly contains the real story - as you no doubt knew even as you set out to distort that reality. While the shortage of pro-Bush letters IS worthy of comment (as in, the people have spoken by not speaking?) it does NOT deserve promotion - or resolution - for written praises under the false banner of "balance," which on an op-ed page is a ridiculous notion in any case.

What next? A call for letters in favor of torture? Torture is getting mighty short-shrift of late but surely, it too, has (silent) supporters, as recent photographs attest. In fact, down through the ages, torture's kept a devoted following - even today, many of our so-called "best and the brightest" righteously claim it's the absolute only way to get the info we need in order to insure our safety(though I can't imagine how we can trust anything said under such terrible duress.)

No. You can't run letters you don't have and you should run as fast and as far away as you can from the one you wrote. A better effort - and one you might well consider - is why the matter of "balance" (which too often dissolves into a mere shouting match and contributes greatly to the general dumbing down of the population) is become so fundamentally necessary to media's corporate image - so critical, in fact, that a newspaper such as your's, a seasoned 150 year old newspaper, would stoop so low as to solicit pro-Bush letters - in an election year, in time of war - and torture.

Honest for God.

Please give it up and do what every good newspaper should always be doing: "Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."

Pro-Bush letters, indeed!

Lynn Carol
Owatonna, Minnesota

* * *

Posted May 04, 2004 (Appleton, Wisconsin)

Editorial: We need more letters to achieve a balance

Letters to the editor, a staple of The Post-Crescent’s Views pages, are a way to take the political and social temperature of the Valley. A well-written letter allows readers to ponder different points of view, perhaps made more poignant because the author is someone you might know. At best, they should offer a full spectrum of beliefs and topics.

Recently, though, as the race for president heats up, we’ve been dealing with this quandary: How can we balance the perspectives and topics of our letters when many of our submissions have been coming only from one side?

We’ve been getting more letters critical of President Bush than those that support him. We’re not sure why, nor do we want to guess. But in today’s increasingly polarized political environment, we would prefer our offering to put forward a better sense of balance.

Since we depend upon you, our readers, to supply our letters, that goal can be difficult. We can’t run letters that we don’t have.

Finally, a myth to dispel: We don’t give our letters any sort of political litmus test to determine if they make it into print. If that were so, we wouldn’t run letters that take swings at who we are and what we print.

If you would like to help us “balance”things out, send us a letter, make a call or punch out an e-mail. Read the handy box at the bottom of the page for more information. We’d love to hear from you.

Company Links

Gannett Co., Inc.
USAToday.com
USAWeekend.com
Gannett Foundation


You're right, it IS a parallel universe, but they figure it will get them through the election, and they don't CARE.... this is a president who believes in bad and good. Period. And bad has to be defeated by good. At all costs. It's simple minded, and half, half, of America seems to like this simple minded approach. It doesn't take brain power, it's easy, and you either win or lose. Simple. This is the problem with idealists, the end is justified by any means.

A BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: Group Identification

Dear Fellow BuzzFlashers,

I too want to say how much it means to me to be a part of this wonderful group of intelligent, thoughtful and caring people. When I am nearing the depths of despair, I head to BuzzFlash -- first for the truth, which is very hard to find these days (thanks Buzz for all you do to keep us informed!!) -- and secondly, for the companionship found in the daily mailbag selections.

I want so much to believe in the American dream......, that truth and justice always prevail over lies and trickery. But having been in Florida during the 2000 election debacle, I know that the good guys don't always win. You all help me retain a sense of the possible, while at the same time sharing that you also are tempted to despair over the current situation. I can't help but feel that there is strength in numbers, and since the BuzzFlash numbers continue to grow, it gives me hope.

I'm heading off to my beloved mountains in North Carolina, so I will be without BuzzFlash while in transit, and will have to make do with a dial-up connection once I arrive. Even if I had to travel each day to the nearest library, I couldn't get by without my BuzzFlash family. Thank you, one and all!

Sue in Florida, soon to be in North Carolina


Subject: Outa the loop! Outa the loop!

Like his daddy before him, every time a dirty scandal rears its ugly head, the deserter in chief falls back on...I didn't know about any of this until yesterday or, in other words, I was outa the loop. Well, he may not have known but it only signifies one of two things: either he's lying AGAIN or he's so disinterested in the conduct of this "war" and so ethically challenged that he doesn't pay attention to what he is told. It amounts to the same thing - either way, george bush and most of his cabinet should have articles of impeachment drawn up against them. No 21-year old from the stix came up with the idea of this kind of abuse. It was geared to be what it was. A humiliation so terrible that it would break their spirits. You don't have to be a student of religion to understand the machismo of the Muslim male. Which leads me to another point - it sure has the hallmarks of the evilgelicals who are totally obsessed with all things psycho-sexual. Another four years of this and we will all be embroiled in a religious world war and, as a mother whose children are being threatened by this useless, dangerous bunch of draft dodging war mongers, I say a pox on all their houses. Get rid of them! Enough already!

SOS


Subject: "Editorial: We need more letters to achieve a balance."

Buzz,

I sent the e-mail pasted below to a certain editor of a Wisconsin newspaper.

Phil Rockstroh

* * *

Attn: Larry Gallup,
editorial page editor,
Post Crescent

"Editorial: We need more letters to achieve a balance."

This is satire -- right?

The yuk-yuk fest continues: "We¹ve been getting more letters critical of President Bush than those that support him."

If you weren't trying to funny, I'd be tempted to answer that the reason for this is: Perhaps, it is an accurate reflection of the opinions held in the community... But, of course, in doing so, I'd risk revealing myself to be a humor-impaired heckler intent upon stepping on the punchlines of your brilliant shtick.

This is the truly inspired bit: "We¹re not sure why, nor do we want to guess." This is pure genius: Why trifle with the option of going out and doing some reporting to find out why this is the case.... That would be so pedestrian -- and a good joke is never about the obvious.

Brilliant work. Remember journalism is easy -- comedy is hard.

Phil Rockstroh


Subject: Not in US media yet.... some civilian contractors from Kellog Brown "missing"

BBC reports that a convoy belonging to Kellog Brown and Root was ambushed as it entered Iraq from Jordan this morning, and some of the contractors are "missing". No number was mentioned.

There was also a report that 2 Russian contractors have been kidnapped.

If this is true, then be looking for some revenge photos...

Doesn't look like the Iraqis are going to wait around for Bush's "justice".

A BuzzFlash Reader


Hi Buzz,

Tonight I was just surfing tv channels and came upon a program where three men and one woman were discussing the Iraqi prison abuse...The one man said ....and I quote...."Bush stood up and said this abuse is a stain on OUR HONOR"........4 years ago it was a STAIN ON A BLUE DRESS!!!!!.........so pick your president"....I did get this man's name ...It is Harry Shearer....I have never heard of the man before, but I think he got it right....The lady was a very intelligent woman but I didn't think much of the host and the other man and what they had to say ...sooooooooo I flicked to another channel.....If Clinton was impeached ...why aren't BUSH, CHENEY, RUMMY, AND WOLFIE being impeached for this terrible "STAIN ON OUR HONOR"????? I can't understand how these men talk to each other and brief each other every day and yet NOT ONE knew this was happening.......awwwwwwwww come on fellas......give us a break!!!!!! Just wondering all the time these days........

Genie


Subject: Climate of Casual Violence

with all the uproar over the photos of torture and abuse at the prisons in Iraq has anyone considered what will happen (if it ever gets wide press) of the sniping that was going on in Fallujah. I remember reading stories from reporters who were driving ambulances and being shot at, at ordinary Iraqis being shot while in their backyards. I was in Vietnam and I remember how ordinary guys were committing the most atrocious acts. There was no excuse then and there is no excuse now.

A BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: My nightmare but while awake

It was early Saturday morning when I had the an awful, premonition. If Bush wins, he'll be in office 8 years. I'm sure Jeb will be next and will have the next 8==16 years of the BFEE. (My brother-in-law thinks GW will just stay on and become a dictator) either way 16 years under the Bush regime and the children now living will be full grown.

They will not realize they no longer have the freedoms we all once enjoyed, because they'll know no difference. Baby Boomers, like myself, will be too old to fight back(or euthanasia? My husband's thinking) Meanwhile, the draft will be back with its 2 years mandatory service for male and female & at age 18-20 an impressionable age when everyone thinks they are invincible---giving our country their brownshirts like 1930's Germany.

And our country will no longer be the democracy it now is. It's a scary to think about it, because it's possible. How can they lose? The media does not speak up , they are too afraid of the Bush team and how much ,longer do you think they'll allow sites like this one to stay running? This is why people who read sites like this should become active in spreading the truth and make sure they do all they can to get people to vote fore a change come fall.

Kay

Also remember, when the October surprise comes, remember the Wizard of Oz--that the truth, no matter how much the Wizard denied it, the truth was behind the curtain, and not in all the flash and hype on the throne.


Subject: 5-10-04 Meeting Agenda at the Pentagon

Hello again to BuzzFlash and all BuzzFlash readers,

I was wondering what the agenda was for the meeting scheduled long ago between GeeDubya and Rumsfeld at the Pentagon.

Do you suppose the topic of the chain of command ever came up? Clearly Rummy and General Myers were not aware of the chain of command, and I suspect that with his management style, Geedubya wasn't either. Were Rummy or Myers able to produce that ever-elusive Org Chart? Oh my. Judging from their fruitless WMD hunt, not likely.

Perhaps they were contemplating a 'Top-to-Bottom' review of the digital camera and fraternization policies for MP's in Iraqi detention centers.

How about allocating funds for the Halliburton budget to ensure adequate supplies of: -black hoods
-black robes
-dog chains
-dog collars
-leashes
-cables / car batteries
-bibles for the conversion of detainees
-bibles for the MP's
-latex condoms
-latex gloves
-photocopies of the Provisions of the Geneva Convention

Just a thought.

Warmest Regards,

GK, a Fervently Loyal, Devoted and Proud Liberal BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: Busheviks planning pre-election attack on U.S.?

Threat of 'Dirty Bomb' Growing, Officials Say

A BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: Remember: He has no king but Jesus.

If this administration really were about "accountability," every one of its top members would be under criminal investigation.

MCM

* * *

John Ashcroft Chose Abusive Consultant to Re-Open Saddam's Torture Prison

NYT: "[T]he man who directed the reopening of the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq last year and trained the guards there resigned under pressure as director of the Utah Department of Corrections in 1997 after an inmate died while shackled to a restraining chair for 16 hours. The inmate, who suffered from schizophrenia, was kept naked the whole time. [That] official, Lane McCotter, later became an executive of a private prison company, one of whose jails was under investigation by the Justice Department when he was sent to Iraq as part of a team...picked by Attorney General John Ashcroft to rebuild the country's criminal justice system."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/08/national/08PRIS.html


Subject: Subject I haven't seen

Dear BuzzFlash,

One subject area I have NOT yet read a comment on is: "The Project for the New American Century". The website is: www.newamericancentury.org.

Briefly, prominent members are E. Abrams, W. Bennett, D.Cheney, J. Bush, D. Rumsfeld, P. Wolfowitz, et.al. An old fashion Reaganite policy that advocates that the U.S. rule the world through intimidation via military power. Scary for me and NOT the direction I want this country to go....

Thanks for listening...

Bob Schenkenberg 5/11/04


Subject: "You cannot help but be outrage"

"We saw the pictures," said the President.

"It is the photographs that gives one the vivid realization of what actually took place," said his secretary of defense.

"Words don't do it. The words that there were abuses, that it was cruel, that it was inhumane, all of which is true, that it was blatant, you read that and it's one thing. You see the photographs and you get a sense of it, and you cannot help but be outraged."

Gee, Dubya - Gee, Rummy, I think the same would hold true for those pictures of the hundreds of flag-draped coffins returning to Dover AFB, wouldn't you?

CITIZENS OF AMERICA, WHERE IS YOUR OUTRAGE? - THEY ARE EXPECTING IT!

IF THERE IS NO OUTRAGE, THEY ASSUME THAT YOU AGREE!

BUSH > OUT THE DOOR IN 2004!

nerdeaux in Idyho


Subject: Message to Ralph Nader

Dear Sir or Madam:

I was disappointed to see BuzzFlash join the "Anyone but Bush" crowd in blaming Nader for the Democratic loss in 2000.

"Message to Ralph Nader: The Only People You are Helping are Bush and Your Own Ego. May You Not Qualify for Many More State Ballots, Especially in Contested States. You are Helping to Condemn the People of the World to Bush. That's Evil, Ralph. 5/11"
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...

If you want to assign blame for condemning "the people of the world to Bush," you could start by looking at the failures of the Democratic party or the failures of the corporate media. Why blame Nader? In Florida, more Democrats voted for Bush than voted for Nader. It's much easier to find a scapegoat than to address one's own shortcomings.

In what it is supposed to be a democratic society is particularly offensive to see liberals such as those at BuzzFlash calling the exercise of a citizen's right to run for elected office as "evil." Please remember that many Nader supporters are not Democrats. I have never voted for a Democrat for President (although I frequently vote for them in Congressional and local races), and I am not a registered Democrat. Would you deny me the opportunity to vote for a candidate that expresses my views, one of the few opportunities I may have in my lifetime to actually do so?

Wouldn't your efforts be better spent trying to get the Kerry campaign to adopt a more progressive platform instead of bashing the one true progressive who will remain in the race through November? I think we can agree that this is not a time to be further dividing the left; attacks on Nader can only be viewed as divisive. Snap out of it, and let's focus on the real evil this election, Bush!

Sincerely,

Russell Conway
Jersey City, NJ

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