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May 17, 2004 |
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Dear BuzzFlash, To Barbara in NYC, I am absolutely green with envy. It's great that you actually got to see and hear President Clinton. I know what you mean about the happy feeling you get when he speaks. He was and is the very best. Too bad we can't elect him all over again! pissed off patricia
Subject: Timing is the ONLY thing First of all, as my highly attuned husband asks, what is the FBI doing in Iraq? Aren't they strictly domestic? Thanks to Brian F. for the link to a story about that. Second, as hubby also says, that timing isn't everything... it's the only thing. The pics and reports and public awareness had to be strategically censored until after the oral arguments with the Supremes regarding who can be classified an "enemy combatant." We didn't want to sully the perfect little case Scalia had constructed with any of the "untidiness" of torture to make the human point that you can't classify people that way, war or not. Can't go mucking up those Bush L.L.C. Orwellian definitions with the embarrassing facts on the ground. It never ceases to amaze me that nothing, I mean NOTHING, this junta says is ever 100% true. I said the first time I heard the story about Berg's death that it would turn out to be something entirely different in 2 days, and sure enough, it looks like another "technically" true Duh-bya definition. The truth changes the story line completely, but they can run on the technically true part for weeks before the press will print the truth on page 16 at 5:00 on a Saturday. Sue Bailey
Subject: The Sad Case of Mr. Berg My husband and I both agree with your writer, Rob Johnson. We also were suspicious of the horrible death of young Berg. We find it hard to believe that the "insurgents" would murder an American when all the sympathy was with them in the prisoner abuse case. It is indeed suspicious that this young man was in Iraq's captivity and even questioned by our FBI. This whole thing is a red herring to take heat off the Bush cabal! Thank you Mr. Berg for speaking out on ABC news last evening. If you had been a military father, you would never have been allowed to speak at all. As parents we weep with you. When will the families of the young soldiers being sacrificed speak out? A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: RE: GOP Hypocrite of the week.... I just read your Excellent commentary on this subject. BRAVO! For the last several days, I've been saying to others that I feel the exact same way: These AVID supporters of Bush ARE AS GUILTY as Bush is!! I've suggested to one of my local liberal radio talk show hosts that he start getting much more forceful in his commentary; get "in-your-face" tough with any far right listeners. We've been too passive on too many issues. Things in Iraq and at home have gotten completely out of hand and NEED to be addressed with a LOUD VOICE. Tell the truth, provide the evidence, and don't let the truth go down the memory hole. Shout back at his supporters and don't stop raising hell about Bushco until he and his criminal rat pack ARE GONE! A fed up
BuzzFlash reader
Subject: UNDER REPORTED Paul Bremer, Bush Man in Iraq, Slammed the Administration on Terrorism The ever shrinking number of Bush administration officials who thought the Bush administration took terrorism seriously just shrank some more: Paul Bremmer in Feb. 2001:
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: Nicholas Berg I agree with all of you who have doubts about the untimely death of Nick Berg. It is just too convenient....too near the other abuses. I, too, think he was dead before the head came off...I did not see it...the video. But it was a little phoney and a whole lot suspicious.' I do hope that the family has an autopsy done...there might be some kind of rule that the administration has dreamed up that would keep them from doing that, but I would fight tooth and nail. And, another thing that is bothersome....He was so good...he wanted to help so much in Iraq...he loved his country so much...but, his Dad blames Bush and Cheney totally for his son's death. (They know something, that we do not.) The father has such hate in his eyes... And folks, it has taken its toll. The numbers have plummeted all day...Bush, for the first time, even with the Nader factor, is down below Kerry...this is a first!! I am wondering, even if he pulls the troops out in June, and does all kinds of dumb things like he is want to do...his numbers may never come back up!! Oh...gee...gosh..what will we do???? We will have to put up with the likes of John Kerry....and his cabinet...John Edwards, Wesley Clark, Howard Dean.....And, perhaps Ambassador Clinton(Bill)...he's much too young to retire. Hopefully, not Liebermann...he is way to much like a Republican. But I will get through it, if you all can! (Carole Moseley Braun...a good ambassador.)Oh, the hopes and prayers of the dems....The Republicans will be back up and running, lying about the Democrats again...bashing Prez . Kerry and his VietNam record. (At least he has one.) I can just hear Hannity...Limbaugh...O'Reilly....they will be spinning so fast it will make the head swim! We'll live with it, right??? Still a little disgusted, but hopeful now..... Shirley in St.Louis
Subject: The Abu Ghraib Blame Game I may be singing only to the choir, but a critical observation concerning the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal was unmentioned by the media or by congressmen on the oversight committees. Shocking as the photographs were, they depicted behavior within the parameters of the official interrogation guidelines published by the Pentagon and shared this week with Congress. The behavior of MPs may have pushed the envelope at the behest of unnamed superior officers, but they were in no way out of bounds. Under official Pentagon policy, it was permissible to force prisoners to maintain awkward and uncomfortable positions for up to forty-five minutes. Recall the man handcuffed and naked to prison bars, hooded. Or the man arched backwards over a bunk, head covered with a pair of underwear and naked. Two examples to make my point, but others bear out the observation as well. Official policy approved of sensory deprivation. This accounts for the hoods and undergarments. Policy approved of exposure to heat and cold. This accounts for the nakedness. I can understand why the MPs didn't protest too loudly. The guidelines were posted on the premises, and persuasive Intelligence Operatives could easily have deflected any prurient concerns. It's a small step from awkward single positionings to awkward mass positionings, which explains the piles of naked men. Rumsfeld should not only resign for drafting and defending these policies that were "consistent with the Geneva Conventions" (in his view), he should be tried for war crimes as defined by those same Conventions. Rumsfeld should not be singled out, however. I'm sure a great many of his subordinates are complicit in conspiracy. The list of those to be prosecuted should not include those enlisted personnel who are currently facing charges. They might deserve a slap on the wrist for obeying unlawful orders, but the blame falls considerably up the chain of command. Bob Finton Subject: Joe Lieberman's statement on Iraqi prisoner abuse. Check out the name of the contact on Lieberman's statement, "Matt GOBUSH"! http://lieberman.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=221172 This is no shit. Bob Rossi
Subject: OK. Never mind about the torture convention How about introducing Articles of Impeachment against Bush for violating CHAPTER 113C of the U.S. Code? http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/pIch113C.html Hesiod
Subject: John Ashcroft, the Insensitive Dear BuzzFlash Editors: At just about the same time as Nicholas Berg was being buried by his grieving family and friends, the astonishingly egregious John Ashcroft, Attorney General of the U.S., appeared at a news conference to say that young Mr. Berg was never held by U.S. authorities in Iraq, thereby making liars out of the Iraqi police (who say they almost immediately handed Berg over to Americans after his arrest) and the dead young man himself, who claimed that he had been held by his fellow Americans. Could not Ashcroft have waited until at least a day after Berg's parents laid him to rest before he made such self-serving, self-protective claims? Talk about insult added to injury: The boy is arrested, held without due process, released only after his father sues the unspeakable Donald Rumsfeld and George Bush, let go into a deadly situation of murder, kidnapping and chaos, and finally is beheaded under very murky circumstances, and now Ashcroft has effectively branded him a liar. The playwright Edward Albee in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, has one character say of another who is totally self-involved and self-serving, seeing the world only in terms of his own interests: "It takes a swine to show you where the truffles are!" I nominate John Ashcroft for American Swine-of-the-Year for his singularly insensitive performance today. My God, America, what have you come to! John Lucas
Subject: A very good point Bush's Numbers for Handling Terrorism Drop Below 50%... http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap... How About His Numbers for CREATING Terrorism by His Inept, Prevaricating, Bumbling Actions, As Uncles Dick and Rummy Pull the Stings? This is an EXCELLENT point. We need a meter for his CREATION OF TERRORISTs. This was actually very obvious early on after 9/11. If you looked at Clinton's record, he had one, and it was lengthy. If you looked at bush's record, it was a blank page. But if you looked at the ledger to the list of things he did that actually FACILITATED the attackers, it is considerable. THAT's what needs to get out to the world. If you have a poll that starts off with even only 25% of such-and-such readers think bush's record on CREATING terrorists is considerable, you get the concept OUT there of rating him that way. You know that the neocons accuse the dems of aiding and abetting terrorists. It is time we get the concept out there of how bush's cup runneth over in specific actions and statements (bring em on) that CREATED terrorists. There is no point in arguing logic with the bush supporters. So you bury them with bad news. You crank up your own squeaky wheel. It's like Limbaugh and his analysis of military prisons as frat houses. Does anyone think to ask, what the hell would HE know about a military prison in an invasion zone? He's still thinking with his hemorrhoids. If he can't impress people with a Vietnam war record, at least he can distract his accusers with his audacity. Don't take the bait. Just ask the logical question: What would HE know about a military prison? He avoided the military with his anal problems. And he obviously hasn't stopped thinking with his butt since. Bevin
Subject: Re: My Take I lived through World War II. I was 13 when it ended. The war in Europe was started by Adolph Hitler. He used the "Big Lie" technique very effectively. He told the German people that they were the superior race. He made fraudulent excuses to invade and take over other countries. He told lie after lie, after lie. I find the present situation in this country to be very similar to Nazi Germany. The polls say that the country is divided almost 50-50. I wonder how many of the German people were opposed to Hitler's lies. I think the number was less than the number opposed to Bush and his henchmen in this country. The big lie involves playing up to and inflating egos. That is what Bush has done in this country. He wraps himself in the flag and religion. People who do not have a very good perception of themselves jump on this bandwagon. They have very little superego in their personalities, which is a concern for others. A person who does not have a concern for others is not a mature person. Television and the media in general have not contributed much in the way of assisting people in becoming more mature. They have reduced a large percentage of the people to being like children.George W. Bush is a spoiled, immature child. He has no concern for others. I only wish there was some way to get the message to the masses that being so self-centered is not the right road to a civilized society. Nathan O. White
Subject: Let's be prepared To Buzz Readers and John Kerry, Let's be prepared. But first, one major problem in America is that America has been almost completely dumbed down by less than average TV fare, right-wing fanatical TV talking heads, and of course right-wing extremist talk radio. This means that about half of the population will believe anything told to them by right-wing ranters and ravers on TV and radio. Anything. Perhaps it's pleasant to be that stupid. This realization brings to mind the following scenario: Regardless of how unstable we have made the situation in Iraq by late June, 2004, we are outta there. "Big time," to revisit a phrase. Invading Iraq without good cause and for a lie destabilized a whole region, generated a level of hatred and rage in the middle east toward America that is beyond measurement, probably created another haven for terrorist training, and likely swelled the ranks of al-Qaeda. I'm sorry to conclude that the damage to our grandchildren is enormous and has been done. It doesn't take much brain power to understand that Iraq will be politically unstable on June 30, 2004, our date to turn over that country to the Iraqis. It won't matter to this administration. They are trying desperately for an out of the quagmire and chaos they created, and they are going to leave, probably with some sort of public ceremony to turn over Iraq to somebody, or some group, over there. Everyone will be relieved including all who were opposed from the beginning, those who came to see the lies, arrogance, and distortions, those who are appalled over the recent events, and especially those who still support this mob and see our continued presence and activities in Iraq as the most serious threat to a Bush/ Cheney re-(s)election. But, let's be prepared. Once out, this administration will claim "victory," that Iraq and the world are better off for deposing Saddam, that Bush's invasion, "unpopular as it may have been" and that we "stayed the course against world criticism," resulted in the seeds of democracy in Iraq, made Iraq a freer nation, made the middle east more stable than it has ever been, made the world safer from acts of terrorism, and severely crippled al-Qaeda. The WMDs idea won't be mentioned by anyone; their lack of discovery will become a non-issue. The prisoner abuse scandal may very well be minimized to political background noise. Worst of all, our fallen and wounded military will be used openly and crassly by the Bush/ Cheney re-(s)election team. After June 30, 2004, it will be "Mission Accomplished" again, and the Bush/ Cheney ticket, senate and house republicans, right-wing TV and radio pundits will then have at least $100 million, and three frenzied months to push these ideas across, as well as the one that the president received his guidance from God. Because of the above first paragraph, we will get George and Dick again if we don't anticipate what these people are capable of stooping to. So, let's not be surprised. Let's be prepared. An avid BuzzFlasher in South Dakota
Subject: Ashcroft on Berg Ashcroft said Berg was not a terrorism suspect. He said "that's all I know or can say" about Berg. I wonder if there is anything he "knows but can't say" about the matter. Possibly Berg was recruited to do something along the lines of counterterrorism? Rosamond
Subject: The issues... Let me see if I have this right. In February, America was quite polarized over the gay marriage issue. Now in May we get the 2-for-1 deal of Iraqi prisoner abuse and the retaliatory beheading of an American civilian. According to the "letters to the editor" in my local newspaper, sodomy has changed from "an abomination" to "an indignity" in this short time. Wait a second. Now I get it. Consensual sodomy is an abomination. Forced sodomy is an indignity.Matt
Subject: Differing Reasons for not releasing pictures House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California agreed Thursday that for now, the photographs should remain private, saying legal concerns, in addition to considerations relating to the Geneva Conventions, may outweigh the need for transparency. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, also said the images should remain private, saying that showing them to the world could "inspire the enemy." How strange that a democrat, like Pelosi, would be concerned about the legal aspect of giving the soldiers a fair trial and protecting the dignity of the detainees and Warner is concerned about "inspiring the enemy"? For months the Bush administration hasn't been interested in protecting anyone or they wouldn't have covered it all up. How do they think normal Iraqis felt when they knew this stuff was happening, but no one even acknowledged it was going on? I have a female relative who is in intelligence in Iraq and the idea that gang rape is a tolerated, if not accepted or legal practice is very disturbing. Supposedly consensual gang rape has always been used as an excuse for barbaric fraternity-like behavior. No training and no supervision is inexcusable. I am aware that right wing lunatics use this as an excuse for denying rights to women, but refuse to do anything about the male domination that they preach constantly. It's okay, it's the good old boy mentality. Speak up or they assume you agree!!! Karen
Webb,
Subject: Mailbags...and etc. Hey, all of you guys out there are starting to sound like I did at first....there was a time after the trade center bombings, when I was crying all the time...I had great respect (bite my tongue) for even Bush....it was a sad time...then I started to feel not too sure! I even wrote of it...the iffy things about the Saudis not being on the list of passengers, of any of the planes...and I started to be suspicious as the administration started to lean to the right, even further...toward Iraq. That was a dead giveaway for me....now so many who were in that administration, Paul O'Neill got fired, and Richard Clarke left....it just smells! If there is anyone out there who does not believe that this thing was planned from the first night Bush bought the election....I've still got some oceanfront property in St.Louis I will sell you! Both, O'Neill and Clarke have written books, I have them, and I fear reading them. They all play right into my feelings...and that, folks, is scary!! Thanks, Michael Fowler, for giving me a little laugh...I like your description of a barf bag....we must make ourselves keep laughing...with the hope that he will not be in the White House after Nov.!!! And Grace Cooper, I have been noticing the same thing about Berg....why does he look like an Arab in the picture....and a big burly light haired truck driver in the pictures his family has?? Does anyone in this mailroom know why the difference in appearance?? It is like two different people. And, it would not surprise me one bit, if this was a stunt by this administration. It surely makes it convenient for them to say the Saudis are evil...and the story about the one who cut the head off??? I don't for a minute believe that man is a member of Al Qaeda.....what a trick they tried to pull....is this their way of tying Saddam and Bin Laden together? What lame brains!!! Shirley....."A member of the stained blue dress club" and a John Kerry backer!!!! ADDDRULEHERE Subject: Berg & Brig. Gen. Ham The deepening Nicholas Berg mystery has yet to be fully addressed by the mainstream media. But I am having trouble finding even in the alternative, online press reference to a startling quote reported by AFP: In Mosul, Brigadier General Carter Ham said that Berg WAS in military custody from March 24 to April 8 -- days after "U.S. authorities" claim he was released by IRAQI authorities (FBI told police to hold Berg) . Has anybody followed up on this? I haven't even seen any reference by the family to this wild discrepancy with the official story. Mike
Black
Subject: Republican relatives To Shirley from St. Louis..... My naive son-in-law became a Republican through his father who blamed unwed mothers for our high taxes (instead of the Corporate loopholes). I asked my son-in-law recently if he will be content after the election this year if George Bush wins and goes with the draft that he pretends is not needed. My three grandchildren are 23, 18 and 14 -- all ripe for the draft within the next 4 years! I have also told him about this deficit of ours on which the Saudis hold NOTES...am sure they are holding Bush's feet to the fire with the threat of calling in those notes! Lately, I've been hearing some nice rumblings from my son-in-law......... Wiley
Woman,
Subject: King Abdullah of Jordan King Abdullah, whose command of the English language Bush could only dream of, tells the West to back off... "While we do not need outside leadership on the issue of reform, we do hope for international support..." ...Admonishes international community for...
...Asks...
(This is not the entire speech, what I heard was a bit tougher on interference in their countries, etc. ) A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: Right-Wing Talk Shows I sit here in amazement that the Right-Wing talk show hosts get away with murder (if in word only) every day and the press does not call them on it. They tell every possible lie under the sun, over and over and are never censured, although Stern gets his come-uppance. I don't like Howard Stern's rhetoric, but if and O'Reilly and Liddy and Limbaugh can say anything they like to inflame the American people, I defend Stern's right to do the same. When will people wake up to the never-ending lies of these people and look for the truth? My hope for the future diminishes a little bit more each day. J.
Lee
Subject: Catholic Bishops I just have one question for a few Catholic Bishops and their strangely-timed concern for the immortal souls of pro-choice parishioners. Were priests and bishops who were actively covering up child abuse taking this sin to the confessional and abstaining from giving and receiving communion? Seems like someone is being mighty stingy with that sauce for the goose. Eldon
Leuning
Subject: Rumsfeld is toast! Long live Democracy!
Ok
folks. If there is a democracy left, Rumsfeld is
toast!
Subject: gas prices Buzzers,It's too bad moveon.org or one of the other good guys couldn't get a copy of one of the talk shows when Woodward was showcasing his book. A commercial could be shot just showing that guy from Saudi taking about how they conspired to fix oil prices high until just before the election when they will conveniently drop. Nothing else would have to be said. A crawl across the bottom could read something like "Bush jawbones with the Saudis." I think that would get everybody's attention in light of the high gas prices right now. Travis in Collinsville
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