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May 19, 2004 |
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Subject: My dumb question for today Premise 1: A little while back, there was much press devoted to the seemingly endless supply of Stinger type missiles (Russian made) that literally littered the Iraqi landscape. The threat these missiles posed to the aircraft "in theater" was a cause of great concern as was the threat these missiles posed to the aircraft flying into and out of Baghdad airport. The threat was further extended to domestic airliners, perhaps on our own soil. Premise 2: Fallujah was a Sunni stronghold and much resistance was encountered there. The insurgents were essentially in control of the city and were well-armed. Premise 3: The U.S. attacked Fallujah with helicopter and AC-130 gunships, leveling buildings and killing an "uncounted" number of insurgents and innocents. Dumb Question: Why didn't the insurgents fire any of these missiles at the aircraft that were attacking their city? Were the reports about the missiles yet one more "scare tactic" to keep us in a personal state of "code orange?" Okay, that's two dumb questions. J. Dale
Subject: President Clinton About President Clinton....When he came to Philly for his first run against poppy bush, I was fortunate to get his autograph. He came to Gino's and Pat's steak sandwich house. He looked so tired, but did not leave till he satisfied all who wanted to get close to him. My son took an up front picture of him, that I cherish. Another time, he came to center city. I got close enough, a little hard to do, but I'm small and I wiggled through, to shake his hand, not only once but twice.... Something this Grandmother will never forget. It was so nice to see Rendell and President Clinton clown around like good friends. Little did I know we would have this horrid person who stole the White House after President Clinton! By the way, does anyone notice that John Kerry is looking presidential? I can. I don't think it's my old eyes playing tricks on me. Vote straight Democrat. So proud I am a liberal. Forever thankful to BuzzFlash for saving my sanity after 2000. Angela...Philly
Subject: Pre-Election Terrorist Attack For some time now, rumors have been circulating that Bush may replace Cheney before the Republican convention. The reasons for this do not need to be spelled out to BuzzFlash readers, who also know that the state of Cheney's health will be the "reason" for the replacement. BuzzFlash has also printed various articles discussing the very strong possibility of another terrorist attack before the November elections, and the possible political impact. Last night on "Hardball" both Chris Matthews and Howard Fineman said that they had heard rumors that Tom Ridge was a likely candidate to replace Cheney. With all the potential candidates for VP available to the Republican party, why would Bush choose the Director of Homeland Security? If the choice for Cheney's replacement were being made simply for political reasons, surely someone with more charisma, excitement, etc. would be more logical. If, on the other hand, a pre-election terrorist attack was "expected," who better than the Director of Homeland Security to have on the ticket? If Cheney is replaced by Tom Ridge before the election, we should all be very, very worried. Diane O.
Subject: Mending the torn garment of the Iraq Occupation Although it may be possible to mend the torn garment of the Iraq occupation, the old expression "a stitch in time saves nine" comes to mind. A few basics (not necessarily in any order) seem obvious. These are the most obvious actions to take, which are hardly rocket science. A number of other steps contain nuances where legitimate debate might occur (e.g., whether an international force on the ground, under UN control, should replace the U.S. Occupying Power status, or whether the existing "coalition" should provide manpower until an adequate Iraqi force for peacekeeping and defense can be revitalized). This problem could have been avoided, and the fix is clearly an uphill and uncertain struggle. A true patriot (or a number of true patriots) in the Administration could move these events forward with some prospect of success, but it would require an admission of so many errors of judgment that a reelection of the current Bush administration would (in their view) be put in jeopardy. Balancing the desire for infallibility and reelection against the needs of the people of the U.S. and of Iraq, it seems reasonably easy to predict what the choice will be. If I had any Iraq stock, I would sell.
Subject: OIL AN OMEN FOR UPCOMING WORLD WAR? Bush's
Handling of Gas Costs Criticized With oil prices still climbing, President Bush is coming under increasing criticism for his handling of the burgeoning political issue of gasoline costs, not only from Democrats but also from administration allies in the oil-refining and chemical industries. Half a dozen Senate Democrats plan to call on Bush today to begin releasing as many as 60 million barrels of oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Such a move would inject much-needed supplies into a market choked by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and pulled tight by rising world demand, they say. A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: Hypocrites in the Catholic Church Greetings, Fellow BuzzFlash Readers: 'Tis me, your proud Christian Liberal, again. I've been noticing all the hoo-hah about the "sudden" discovery of Sarin nerve gas, more on the torture of the Iraqi prisoners; everything GeeShrubya and Crew can throw at us, the American people, to distract from the fact that this Administration is a "Miserable Failure" and that everything they touch is the opposite of the Midas Touch (in other words, it turns crappy). But, I want to point something else out that the presumed Democratic Nominee, Sen. John Kerry, may get distracted by if he doesn't put it to rest, now. Anyone seen on tv that there's a Bishop (ArchBishop) that has decreed that anyone supporting candidates who are pro-choice; if they vote for that candidate then they're going to be refused/denied taking communion in their church? I saw this on "20/20" last night. Is it me, or have the Rabid Right Wingers managed to infiltrate the Catholic Church? How would priests know who voted for John Kerry vs. Gee Dubya in terms of giving a parishioner communion, through confession? Am I becoming paranoid here? First of all, the Catholic Church doesn't have the right to spout off about "moral ground" when they allowed the sexual abuse of altar boys and girls in their church for decades. When the offending pedophile priest was discovered, all those in charge did was to ship him off to another parish, where he could continue to wreak havoc and molestation. They should clean up this mess first, before telling Catholic politicians who are pro-choice and the people who vote for them that they are going to be denied communion based on this "moral principle" {sarcasm}. I'm not going to say this is as bad as it gets, because it could probably get much worse. We need to take back our country, by ANY MEANS NECESSARY as Malcolm X would say. Can I hear from those of you who feel this is equally hypocritical? Leutisha,
Loyal BuzzFlash Reader and Proud Christian Liberal
Subject: Re: Your Afternoon Buzz Have u seen this as a signature to e-mails?? We owe it to our fellow Americans to go on a no CARB diet. No: Sydney P.
Subject: Sibel Edmonds Update Friends,According to David Corn [author of the forthcoming book, The Lies of George W. Bush (Crown)], #6 of Dubya's greatest lies is the following:
The lies continue.
On May 14, John Ashcroft again invoked the State Secrets Act to muzzle
FBI translator, Sibel Edmonds. * * * STATE SECRETS AND THE SIBEL EDMONDS CASE Attorney General
John Ashcroft invoked the "state secrets privilege" again last week to
prevent former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds from providing a deposition
in a pending lawsuit related "Edmonds's
story has been almost uniformly ignored in the U.S. daily press," wrote
Jefferson Morley in the Washington Post, at the same time that
it has been widely reported in foreign news
Subject: Rush, the Coward Hey, Buzz! It was about six years ago that I saw a Rush Limbaugh biography on TV. It may have been on A&E "Biography." At any rate, they ran a clip of Rush substituting on a talk show as host. He was ranting against equality for women, as usual. He then walked into the audience to solicit comments as per the program format. At this point a woman proceeded to rip Rush a new...orifice. Rush proceeded to sputter, stammer and appeared to start sobbing as a commercial break rescued him. It was after this incident that fatboy carefully screened all guests; he is unable to face anyone in a debate. He can only badmouth people behind their backs. Anyway, does anybody know where I might be able to find this clip? It would make a wonderful addition to somebody's website or a mighty fine BuzzFlash headline! Buzzers rock my World! Michael J. Fowler
Subject: Debunk false Bush leadership claim Is Bush a strong leader? Hell no. Any definition of a leader must include the ability to learn, listen with intelligence, adjust to changing conditions and then lead. President Bush has shown me he lacks depth in all these areas. I'm sorry to say that our president is an a.s.s. His leadership consists of ARROGANCE, STUBBORNESS and STUPIDITY. The president of A.S.S. We must end this phony strong leadership claim that this gang of incredibly inept thugs is foisting on us. Hank Pritchard
Subject: Rummy Dear BuzzFlash:According to news reports, poor Donnie Rummy's tired of spending so much time answering questions about the prisoner abuse issue in Iraq. After all, he's got a war to run and is busy! I say to Rummy: You are employed by the citizens of the United States of America and you serve at OUR pleasure. You work for us! You've made numerous mistakes in the run up to, the execution of, and the aftermath of the war on Iraq. Us pesky citizens (your employers) not only have questions about the prisoner abuse issue but we have questions about the pre-war planning, about the state of the troops right now, about how the rightful "owners" of Iraq (its citizens) are being treated, about the potential use of the IRS to weed out National Guard members who haven't yet reported for duty, about the "exit strategy." We have A LOT OF QUESTIONS and you just need to sit down and answer them. Again, you work for US! Melanie Killinger-Vowell
Subject: I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Bush... ...and Mr. Rumsfeld that the torture of Iraqis does not reflect the true values of the American people -- it's abhorrent and aberrant behavior of a few bad apples. What's more, I second their calls to punish those bad apples -- and so Bush, Rumsfeld, Cambone, Miller, Sanchez, and Wolfowitz should all go to prison for a long, long time. A Buzzer
Please do not refer to conservative Republicans as "pit bulls." The Times pets a Republican "pit bull";Why is the so-called liberal media fawning over Republican lobbyist and politico Ed Gillespie while they savage John Kerry? 5/19 Pit bulls are greatly maligned and misunderstood dogs. They are supposed to be bred to be very friendly to humans. And they are traditionally a working class dog. They do not deserve this additional slur. Sincerely,
Gonzales needs to be disbarred for suggesting exempting the Bush administration from charges by exempting them from the law or changing the law to fit their own purposes. They should all, including Bush and Gonzales, plead guilty by reason of depraved indifference regarding the lives of children other than their own. Memos Reveal War Crimes Warnings Click
here to Read the White House Council Memo Forwarded by a BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: I was on the Laura Ingraham radio show I called up the Laura Ingraham show last night to refute one of her odd claims. She was talking about how people say "dissent is patriotic" and said that they were railing against a non-existent pressure. She said that dissent is all over the media and people who complain are whining. I called to refute her, when I finally got through the producer asked my name and where I was calling from (I am in Massachusetts) and asked me to sum up my point in one sentence. I was unprepared for this so I quickly said "the American mass media is decidedly pro-Bush." I waited through a commercial and some sound bytes, then she said "I want to get to this caller, he has a really interesting theory..." and came to me. She asked why I said that. I explained that it was the best way I could sum up my point in a single sentence. I began to talk about how dissent is shown on the news, and she asked if I was a native American, or immigrant ( I suppose my wording "the American media"...) I said no, I was born in Rhode Island and go to school in Massachusetts. She said, "Aww ! You ruined my surprise!" I said, "Sorry, I'm not a crazy liberal New Englander," and she made some comment about Massachusetts and Kerry. She asked where dissent is being squashed? I said, "Are you familiar with Clear Channel and Sinclair broadcasting?" When I started my next sentence a sound byte played, I couldn't understand what it was, and when it ended she was in the middle of a sentence. I tried to interject several times, but I was muted. When my line was open again she talked over me and demanded an explanation, and after my first word she said "thanks for the call" and I was hung up on. Honestly, I expected to get a sentence or two out before I got kicked off the line. She considers herself "independent" and she does have some gripes with Bush, although she always follows up with "Kerry would be worse." Oh well, as much as I love this country, I sure don't love some of its people. Brendan
Subject: FULL At the front... I heard the grand announcement today from the US military command in Iraq. You know these guys are good. I mean really good. The announcement goes something like this: "We are having our first court martial today of Mr. Jeremy Sivits for abuse of Iraqi prisoners. It is an open trial to the public and the press. This is unique because all the world can see American justice." Of course, I thought, this is going to be interesting especially when Mr Sivits' lawyers want access to the prisoners involved. Like, who else has been beating them? And then came the the unique American way of being full of shit! I just heard that Mr. Sivits has just pleaded guilty! So what trial, and what justice is now going to be handed out? ...because there has obviously been some deal-making going on. Would the deal look something like this? You plead guilty so we don't have an open, fair and public trial and you can have 2 free tickets to Disneyland in Florida. We will announce a jail sentence but WE all know it will be different once you get to Disneyland. This has Bush, Cheney, Rummy and Wolfy mits all over it. Say one thing do another. Tell 'em it is fair and open and then close it up and hide it..............................................AMEN Jeff B.
Subject: Washington Whispers prediction, deconstructed Oh dear. It's become so easy to read between the lines nowadays that BushCo. needs to refine its propaganda tactics. Washington Whispers From the White House, a nightmare scenario (Read: From the WH, the sure bet re-election strategy) White House officials say they've got a "working premise" about terrorism and the presidential election: It's going to happen. (working premise = a worked out plan, with only minor details remaining to refine. Yes, it's going to happen because we've got it planned even better than we did 9/11.) "We assume," says a top administration official, "an attack will happen leading up to the election." And, he added, "it will happen here." (We assume = you bet your ass it'll happen and I'm telling you this so afterwards I can brag about my "predictive" powers. And yes, it'll happen here = Washington and vicinity, because here we can control the development of events to a large degree, without risking too much interference from some stupid and overeager police force and such.) There are two worst-case scenarios, the official says. The first posits an attack on Washington, possibly the Capitol, which was believed to be the target of the 9/11 jet that crashed in Pennsylvania. (Drats, the last time it did not quite work out the way we planned, so this time we are not leaving anything to chance. And the Capitol has had it coming, don't you think?) Theory 2: smaller but more frequent attacks in Washington and other major cities leading up to the election. (And if that's the scenario Karl and Dick choose, we are going to start soon -- not much time left till November, and with all kinds of crap hitting the fan recently, we'll have to hurry up to reverse the political damage.) To prepare, the administration has been holding secret antiterrorism drills to make sure top officials know what to do. (To prepare, the administration has been holding secret meetings to make sure the top officials know what to say and stick to the same version of the story.) "There was a sense," says one official involved in the drills, "of mass confusion on 9/11. Now we have a sense of order." (Now we know how to avoid the unpleasant mistakes of 9/11 that almost led the public to discover that we are responsible for this.) Unclear is the political impact, though most Bushies think the nation would rally around the president. (In fact, we desperately count on this, as this is the only chance Dubya has at staying in the White House.) "I can tell you one thing," adds the official sternly, "we won't be like Spain," which tossed its government days after the Madrid train bombings. (No way. We'll make sure that the upcoming "terrorist" attack is so spectacular that the public will be shocked and awed into submission. Hell, we've worked so hard all these years to eliminate the 9/11 mistakes that this time nothing will be left to chance. The Spain fiasco -- consider it a rehearsal before our election -- reinforced our resolve to work even harder at creating the most favorable conditions for the "terrorist" attack. Believe me, there is so much money riding on Bush's re-election that we cannot afford to lose. Luckily, we've been learning from the best examples in the history of politics. Dr. Goebbels would be proud. We hope Karl will be too.) A Buzzer
Hi everyone, This morning I was listening to the Today Show. I'm not even sure who was giving this news report because I was listening from the other room, but he was talking about the high gasoline prices. But he really wasn't talking about the prices as if that was the problem. The gist of his report, it seems, is that Kerry and the Democrats are using this as a political weapon. He just went on and on about how the Democrats are making an issue of this in an election year - and is it right for them to be doing so. Then he came up with this gem: that people really aren't that concerned with prices at the pump (or something to that effect). Well, he should check with a few people on that one. We plan on going out to Long Island for a long weekend IF WE CAN AFFORD THE FREAKIN' GAS! Oh, but those damn Democrats. Imagine making an issue out of gas being up to $3.00 a gallon in some places. I'm sure the repugs would never do that if a Democrat was in office. No matter how bad Bush screws up, the media's going to go after Kerry. Never once do they even hint at the fact that Bushco has been using 9/11 as a political weapon ever since it happened. But gas prices? No, that's off limits. Shirley - you're a strong woman to put up with all those republicans in the family. I have the opposite experience. There isn't a republican to be found in my family tree - liberals, all of them. But the problem was that when I grew up and went out into the world, I realized there were all these conservative people running around. Eeeeewwwwww. So to this day I have a very hard time dealing with those who don't see things my way politically. I guess in a way it was a sheltered life. I know so many Democrats who grew up in repug families and vice versa. In my case I couldn't even rebel because they were on the same side. Well have a good weekend Buzz and all - I'm off to L.I. for a rest. We'll just take out a second mortgage to pay for the gas. Oh, I forgot, we're not supposed to be upset about the gas prices. Those damn Democrats! Barbara in NYC Subject: NYTimes.com Article: Officialdom and the Press: Too Clubby in Japan? Hey -- Is the NY Times really in a place where they can toss stones at others? From their glass house:
- Jake [BuzzFlash Note: There are some working girls in Vegas who might learn a few things from watching the White House Press Corps. Obviously, that list does not include Helen Thomas nor the one or two other reporters who actually tell the world the truth about our Presidents.] Subject: SEIZE THE DAY The world is watching to see how the American people are reacting to the revelations about Iraqi prison abuse. Let us show our repentance to the Iraqis and the rest of the world by assigning blame where it is due, and bringing the true perpetrators to justice. If we the people do not utterly repudiate this entire administration, we will all be harshly judged. The president MUST BE IMPEACHED, or judgment will be visited upon us all. We cannot wait for the election. Judging the president for high crimes and misdemeanors does NOT take place via the electoral process. It takes place in Congress. The House brings impeachment proceedings against the president, and the Senate then holds a trial to determine whether he is guilty as charged. Proceedings were brought against Nixon, who resigned rather than face an impeachment trial. Clinton actually was impeached, meaning formally accused of a crime by the House, but the Senate acquitted him. So far, no impeachment proceedings have been brought against Bush, whose crimes surely outweigh either Nixon's or Clinton's. But now, with the graphic pornography from Abu Ghraib, and the gathering evidence that Bush was warned by White House lawyers two years ago that he risked being charged with war crimes and still allowed the abuses to proceed, and that he was informed in January of abuses and did nothing, with all this and more, the buck is hovering over the desk of the president at last. Click here to cast your vote in the referendum to Impeach Bush Now! The time is ripe for impeachment. Everyone says that the House leadership would never allow it, but some House Republicans are very unhappy with Bush. Once a grassroots movement for impeachment gets going, they will find it hard to ignore. An impeachment movement would greatly hinder the Bush campaign, and make it far less likely that he could steal the presidency again. It would also show the world that the American people will not tolerate this behavior on the part of its government. Nothing less than impeachment will do. Click here to cast your vote in the referendum to Impeach Bush Now! Call your representative and demand impeachment. Let us seize the day! In the name of the God of justice, Carol Wolman Subject: Outsourcing is Good! So proclaimed a report by Mr. Bush's council of economic advisers which he signed off on! Now we see why! Apparently his campaign made extensive use of fundraising handled by offshore Indian call centers. Nothing like cravenly supporting ones own self interest at the expense of American workers. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FE19Df04.html Dan DeLisio Subject: invite GOP moderate politicians to switch parties It's time for a political realignment like 1964. The outspokenness of the moderate republicans in the senate on the torture scandal and relative quiet (except to dutifully recite Karl Rove's talking points) of the far right religious kleptocrats could show a historic opening for good of the kind the republicans used infamously to harvest racists from the democratic party in 1964. Moderate republicans have been so abused by this rabble, and the majority of their party has moved so far to the right, that they have more in common with, and get more respect from the democratic party. An invitation that was accepted by even a handful of senators and representatives could break the back of the Southern strategy, and give the moderates a chance to list their grievances against the radicals and repudiate the covert racism that is becoming more overt with people like Haley Barbour, Trent Lott, and Jeb Bush. Even if no one came, the invitation would shine the light into divisions in their camp, frame the debate as a reasonable few against the radical many, and force them to air their dirty laundry in public. I don't think John McCain would take much coaxing. Mike D. Subject: Senate Committee just kicked the press out and closed the doors. Dear Buzz, The Senate Committee investigating the Iraqi torture scandal after hard to answer questioning from the heroic patriot, Senator Robert Byrd, kicked the press out and closed the doors. Nancy Lynn Nagy (TN) Subject: Now they pit our soldiers against each other. These kids are all going down and now they will torture them with threats of jail time to go against each other. And the Administration will close ranks. This makes me sick. I may have to stop to throw up. These kids were ordered. There is no way this could go on without it being okayed. This administration is such a crowd of craven cowards. They are using kids who should be home in college as colorful little blocks in a huge game of sadistic reality "Risk". Make their kids go. Send the twins to the front, today, and see how their daddy reacts. Speak up or they assume you agree!!! ABB Karen Webb, Moore, Ok. I thought up a good one. A bumper sticker that says "Kerry - Intelligence for a change" Richard M. Subject: Thanks to BuzzFlash and Jimmy Lohman Dear BuzzFlash: I'd like to say "bravo" to Jimmy Lohman for his letter to his brother-in-law titled "An Open Letter to My Pro-Bush Brother-in-Law." I was personally touched by Jimmy's letter because it speaks to so many of us who are trying desperately to reach our loved ones who refuse to take the blinders off concerning the outrageous behavior of George W. Bush and his minions. I live in the bible belt, where conservatism is treated more like a religion than a political ideology. Everyday I see first hand the zealous determination to hold onto George W. Bush irrespective of the facts concerning his crimes against our nation. If I was a religious person I would be asking God to open the eyes of those blinded by this evil, but I understand that God will not interfere in the affairs of man. I understand that it will take people like Jimmy Lohman, appealing to peoples sense of decency and justice, to bring America out of this darkness. I appreciate Jimmy Lohman sharing his letter with BuzzFlash and I will forward his letter to as many people as possible hoping they will use it as inspiration to stand up for the truth. So, thank you BuzzFlash for bringing us Jimmy Lohman and thank you Mr. Lohman for giving us your special brand of inspiration. Sincerely, Carolyn
Subject: 9-11 Commission/ Mr. Lehman's remarks Dear BuzzFlash Readers: How interesting that the first responders' "lack of coordination" is called a scandal by Mr. Lehman, and yet the lack of action by this administration all summer (blowing off warnings, PDBs), is obviously considered nothing more than an 'ooooops'.....Disgusting. Mary in Indiana |
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