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Subject: Holy George!

Check out Dubya with a halo. The scary part is that this photo has been very hot on Right-wing websites, where it is actually taken as a sign of Bush's Godliness!!

http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/modules.php...

WWGD?

Subject: The gun in the oval office

With all of the commotion about the "war trophy" that the Shrub has, I have one question. Is the gun registered? Or is the President exempt from the laws that we have to obey? (Or do I have to ask?)

In peace,
Tony Mitchell

Subject: A message for our exalted leader, President George W. Bush, from a mere peasant in Tennessee:

Mr. President:

Do you know the difference between the Medicare Prescription Drug Card, that you pawned off on our poor old senior citizens, and a roll of Charmin? Charmin won't chap their ass Mr. President.

And is it true that you found terrorust on Saddam's pistol? Did you call John Ashcroft and Tom Ridge so that they could go on nationwide TV and issue a terrorust alert?

One final question for you sir; Sometimes late at night I wonder: How does it feel to hold the power of life and death over the entire world, while you're choking on a pretzel or doing a nose dive off a dirt bike? Is it a rush? Pardon the pun Mr. President, if you don't get it ask Karl, he'll explain it to you.

That's all I have to say to you George except for, thank you for the tax cut, now I can afford one gallon of gas.

Your Subject in Tennessee,
Carolyn

November 2, 2004 is Election Day. BRING IT ON!!!

Subject: What Special Counsel?

More stonewalling?

Whatever happened to the request for a Special Counsel to investigate Bush and other "high ranking Administration as well as Justice Department officials" about their actions with respect to whether or not they violated the War Crimes Act and the Geneva Conventions, that was called for on May 20, 2004, in a letter that was sent to Attorney General John Ashcroft, which was signed by 14 members of Congress?

I have neither seen nor heard anything more about it, even though I forwarded the info to Tom Brokaw ( Nightly@NBC.com ), Dan Rather ( evening@cbsnews.com ), Tim Russert (MTP@NBC.com ), NBC's "Today Show" ( Today@NBC.com ) and others, over a week ago, and asked them to report on it:

Dear Mr. Brokaw:   Could you please report on the letter sent to Attorney General John Ashcroft on May 20, 2004, by several (fourteen) members of Congress, requesting that he appoint a Special Counsel to investigate "whether high ranking officials within the Bush administration violated the War Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. 2441, by approving the use of torture techniques banned by international law"?   You can obtain the four page letter (in PDF format) here: http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/agiraqspeccounselltr52004.pdf   I shall be anxiously awaiting your broadcast.   Thank you, [signature]

Subject: I Didn't Know W Was a Musician

Dear BuzzFlash,

Every time I see an image of George W. Bush I am immediately reminded of that banjo-playing kid on the front porch in "Deliverance."

Is it just me, or have others seen the resemblance?

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Re: Chalabi Told Iran U.S. Had Codes

The larger, and more important question is WHO in the administration was giving Chalabi classified information that he would not have had a "need to know"?

Whoever is the leaker is, IMHO, guilty of treason.

Lisa

Subject: conservative on bushie

Maybe there is hope that Kerry can defeat Bush...if enough conservative Republicans see the light this way.  People who think of themselves as conservatives will really display their stupidity, as I did in the last election, by voting for Bush. Bush is as far from being a conservative as you can get. Well, he fooled me once, but he won't fool me twice.

Vote For A Man, Not A Puppet -- Conservative Columnist Charley Reese

Americans should realize that if they vote for President Bush's re-election, they are really voting for the architects of war - Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and the rest of that cabal of neoconservative ideologues and their corporate backers.

I have sadly come to the conclusion that President Bush is merely a frontman, an empty suit, who is manipulated by the people in his administration. Bush has the most dangerously simplistic view of the world of any president in my memory.

It's no wonder the president avoids press conferences like the plague. Take away his cue cards and he can barely talk. Americans should be embarrassed that an Arab king (Abdullah of Jordan) spoke more fluently and articulately in English than our own president at their joint press conference recently.

Subject: Maureen Farrell

BuzzFlash Readers,

I just read Maureen Farrell's report on the 2000 (year, not the number of them) GOP inconsistencies. If there are any of you out there that think an actual presidential debate (at least involving dubya without Dick) will happen, I've got some tax deductible land in Florida to sell you. How can dubya possibly and in front of the entire American People answer any question put by Kerry or anyone semi intelligent concerning any of the statements made by the Republicans in 2000? I fully expect that Ass-crapft's "attack" should take place just before the first debate so that events of "national security" can take precedence. We certainly can't have dubya wasting his time on meaningless rhetoric. Hell, he may even convince Congress and/or the Supremacist Court to postpone the election until it's safe. The sad part of that is that the flock of Republicans (and there is a reason they're called a flock) will agree to that. Be advised. For one reason or another, there will be no public debates. Take it to the savings and loan (one of Neil's -- guess you forgot about that side of the family).

lensman

Subject: Orwell Rolls in his Grave

I have purchased a copy of "Orwell Rolls in his Grave" and viewed it.  I recommend it highly as it presents clearly and authoritatively the case about the ways in which corporate monopoly of the media combined with close relations between media giants and oligarchic government have all the effects Orwell attributed to government control of media and archival memory.  The story is told through well-edited interviews with authoritative sources such as Robert McChesney, Mark Crispin Miller, Greg Palast, etc, along with some of Michael Moore's pointed comments.

The DVD can be purchased at http://www.buzzflash.com/orwell/default.htm for $30.  See also http://www.orwellrollsinhisgrave.com/.  

It will be presented this Thursday and Sunday at the Seattle International Film Festival and premieres theatrically Friday, June 25th, 2004:

AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
8633 Colesville Road
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301.495.6720
301.495.6777 Fax
http://silver.afi.com/afi_web/SearchResults.asp

This will be a good film to be used in conjunction with teaching the text, organizing community discussion, or creating events around 1984 (maybe combined with the 1984 movie, and then the special episode of Democracy Now which looks at current war propaganda through 1984 lenses).

Professor Charles Bazerman   

Subject: Ralph Nader

Dear Buzz,

I read the article (which I can't seem to find) and I believe the title was "Nader the Mad Bomber." I think that was the name ....when I was young I used to respect and admire Ralph Nader on how he stood up to big corporations, and trying to 'right' what was 'wrong.' When I read the article I lost all respect for that nincompoop! I never knew he had a vendetta against the Democrats! Now don't get me wrong, I'd never vote for him to begin with, but when I read that he's trying to get back at the Democrats for hurting his feelings for being rebuffed in the prior administration I thought to myself, "Nader's really acting just like a Repuglican!" Why in the world would someone want to vote for a person who acts like that? And why would a person vote for Nader who doesn't have a chance to even hold the office of President, while eating away at the votes from the person who could make a difference compared to the Slimy, pencil neck, beady eyed, smirk faced retard that's in office now?? Jesus! Wake up people! Your vote is just going to help the shrub campaign and we'll have four more years of the tyrant!...Is that what you want? No wonder the Bushies are smiling when they hear the name 'Nader.' They know! It's too bad the others can't see it. What a shame. I guess the Naders out there are just a bunch of Bush-loving people. Sick. ...... No? THEN VOTE FOR KERRY !

Ralph Nader, Suicide Bomber (The Village Voice)

A Loyal BuzzFan Forever!! Kerry for President!
Sharon Carlton
Bellevue, Nebraska    

Subject: Happy Votering!

Dear Buzz,

In response to the article, "Happy Votering," I laughed my ass off! Question: Do you think you could get those as bumper stickers, or just as stickers period? I have an old 'webtv' and I'm not able to copy this item. If it were available for me to order them, I plan to order a boat load of them, and stick them all over town in this damn Repuglican state! I don't know who made these up but Kudos from me, and I know a lot of other people would like to have them too. Since I have a pilot's license, I could drop them over the city too....aw heck, any city for that matter!! Sorry, I'm rattling on again.....this is what's happened to me since that Slimy, pencil neck, beady eyed, smirk faced retard took office! Whew! This has got to stop! :)

Anyway, could this request be possible? All my friends don't even own a computer, otherwise I would ask them to make me copies. So, How about it?

A Loyal Buzz Fan Forever!!!!!!
Sharon Carlton
Bellevue, Nebraska

Subject: coincidence?

Hey Buzz:

Something has been nagging at me ever since the Abu Ghraib atrocities came to light. Remember when Bush started congratulating himself on eliminating Hussein's "rape rooms"? I remember thinking, "Huh? That's something he hasn't said before...gee, he sure seems to like saying it...." Maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems like his sudden repeated reference of "rape rooms," always accompanied with a smirk, roughly coincides with when those photos were being taken and the first reports were coming in from Amnesty International, etc., sans pics. I think he knew all along the U.S. had its own "rape rooms" going. Sick, sick, sick.

A troubled BuzzFlash reader

Subject: A Fate Worse Than Prison: Deportation to Syria

Dear BuzzFlash:

I wanted to be among the first 10,000 to pass along an intriguing AP story that asserts our steadfast Justice Department paused from their intense efforts to hassle antiwar protesters and bust small time drug users to instruct certain prosecutors to let a suspected terrorist walk.  They then quietly bought him a plane ticket to Syria.

The ostensible reason is that to fully prosecute what appears to be a very unsavory creature, intelligence gathering methods could have been compromised.  In an America where the Attorney General can indefinitely detain citizens with no annoying visa issues, he cannot somehow hold onto a man who informers have said described plans to blow up fuel trucks and who bought a fake passport?  It's enough to make someone curious.

Incidentally, a possibly rich journalistic area of examination may be why there have been no successful prosecutions of possible terrorists domestically since September 11th.  The first prosecution featuring a suspect linked to the attacks occurred in Germany and resulted in an acquittal.  This was after a witness stated under oath that he had grown concerned after hearing in June of 2001 that Al Qaeda was plotting attacks and took steps to alert the CIA and the White House as reported in the Chicago Tribune.

Below is the link.

AP: Administration Freed Terror Suspect

Faithful reader,
Marlon St. John

Subject: Could the Momentum Be Building?

It's easy to be a pessimist when you're a liberal and see how many Americans do not care or seem oblivious to the behavior of the Bush administration. But I am starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, the country is waking up.

South Dakota now has two Democratic Senators and a Democratic House Representative after yesterday's victory by Stephanie Herseth in a special election. You know -- South Dakota. One of those supposedly "instant red" states that goes to the Republican candidate five minutes after the polls close. That South Dakota.

Recent polls have shown Kerry taking the lead in Ohio, a state no Republican has ever managed to lose while winning the White House. Recent polls show him competitive in the likes of Arkansas, Tennessee, and Colorado -- states the Republicans figured they wouldn't even have to work to keep. Kerry's even making a run at Virginia by starting to air advertisements there. Virginia -- the American Taliban's home state; home to both Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson!

I strongly believe that if the Democrats come up with a unified agenda that can relate to the "Regular Joe" that they will waltz not just into the White House, but possibly take back at least one of the houses of Congress. As easy as it may be to do, don't just run against George W. Bush.

It's long past time to run against the past 25 years of Republican policy...25 years of:

• Globalization that has destroyed the middle-class dream
• Privatization that has done nothing but enrich the wealthy
• Reducing taxes on the rich while reducing services to the poor
• Union-busting and destruction of the right to collectively bargain
• Wasteful defense spending that allows billions for a Star Wars plan that can't work while failing to provide decent body armor for our soldiers
• The pernicious influence of religious fundamentalism on science, foreign policy, and constitutional rights

A quarter-century is long enough. It is time to again place the general welfare above corporate welfare. To place the needs of the people above the desires of the wealthy. To restore America's place as a moral leader of the world that leads by example. To restore America's middle class by leaving it plainly clear that capital WILL be subjugate to labor, just as Abraham Lincoln stated some 140 years ago. This is our country, dammit, and it's time for us to take it back.

Bruce
Orange, Texas
liberalbruce.blogspot.com

Subject: the tangled webs we...

if george bush had wanted anyone to know who outed that cia agent, all he had to do was call his staff in and say he wanted to know who did it and put their resignation on his desk! bush did not want anyone to know! bush would also not employ a personal lawyer during his campaign knowing how it would look unless he knew he really needed one! you know they considered the cost of bad pr he would get from it.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: WWJD...About Iraq?

Many Christians use keychains or wear bracelets labeled with "WWJD," which means "What Would Jesus Do"? It is a handy and effective reminder to apply the teachings of Christ to personal behavior on a daily basis. So what would Jesus do about the War in Iraq ??

War has always been a difficult issue for Christians. Its total evil stands in direct contrast to the teachings of Christ, and in fact the early church was avowedly pacifist. But wars seem to be an ongoing part of human history, and many times were even fought "in the name of Christ." Christians, like everyone else, have frequently been swept up into war throughout human history.

Over hundreds of years, Christian theologians, struggling with this issue, developed the "Just War Doctrine," ... a series of criteria, all of which need to be met, in order to sanction a Christian's participation. The criteria include: "Just Cause" (Was it a grave enough evil to justify war?), "Legitimate Authority" (Was it sanctioned and approved by the right authority?), Proportionality (Is it enough to accomplish the task without being excessive?) and most importantly "Last Resort" (Were all other avenues of solution exhausted before turning to war?).

The issue is complicated, but generally our war in Afghanistan scores pretty well measured against the "Just War Doctrine." We were attacked by Osama Bin Laden, and we responded by pursuing him into Afghanistan with the support of the countries of the world. We fought against his forces, and by and large avoided innocent civilians. There really was no other way short of war to accomplish the task of subduing him and the rest of Al-Qaeda (and we certainly haven't finished that job).

Conversely, Iraq doesn't score well with the "Just War Doctrine." We were not attacked by Saddam Hussein, nor was he found to be involved in 9-11. The U.N., NATO, and the vast majority of the countries of the world disagreed with this war. We are now quite alone and caught in a nasty urban conflict with huge civilian casualties. Finally, in a hasty jump into this war, we certainly did not exhaust all opportunities to avoid it.

For the Christian, the Iraq war poses another and much larger problem. The Iraq War was begun based on lies told to the American people by George Bush and his administration. We were told there were "weapons of mass destruction," "nuclear weapons programs," and "biological weapons programs" ready to use against us. In addition, Saddam Hussein's  Iraq was consistently linked to 9-11. Though all of this was said to stiffen the American people for war, upon final analysis none of it was true.  Can a war whose foundation is based on lies be supported by a Christian?

Only a few years ago Evangelical Christians were outraged by Clinton and his "Monica lies."  Are they similarly outraged by President Bush's "Iraq lies"? Or will they give him a "pass" because he is "one of them"? (If they do, it is hypocrisy.)

Christians believe that George Bush will be held accountable before God for his actions (both good and bad). As Americans they have the added responsibility to hold him accountable in November as we choose our next president.  

So WWJD?

Randy Natalino
Princeton Fl

Subject: Re: Voting Machine Paper Trail is a Paper Tiger

What I read around the web lately is that a lot of folks seem to think that a paper trail/paper ballots are the key to making computer voting machines a workable solution.  The logic goes like this: if we have a paper trail created from voter-verified paper ballots, then if the computers mess up, we can have a recount, and that'll ensure that we have an honest election.  But there's one big assumption that all this is based on, and after what we've all been through the last 3 years, I don't see how anyone can possibly be making it: that if George W. Bush is declared the winner on election night, but the paper trail says otherwise, he and his administration will just roll over and admit defeat, case closed.  "Oh, well, they might fight it, but they'll have to go along with it.  It's the law!"  Right.  Obey the law. Like they always do. And who's going to enforce that law?  Republican-dominated Congress? The Republican-dominated Judiciary? The Republican-controlled Justice Department?  The Corporate-owned Media?  When in the last 3 years has the law (or anything else) stopped this administration from achieving any of its ends?

I don't have to tell anyone reading this what this administration has gotten away with. And gotten away with. And gotten away with. Including, of course, having already worked out all the kinks in How-To-Steal-An-Election (and this when a Democrat was President, let alone now, when Bush is the entrenched incumbent!). But somehow, a paper trail's going to stop all that. Somehow, an administration that holds all the cards and has stopped at nothing to get its way again and again, will be stopped by a paper trail.

We're only going to get one shot at this, folks. If Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and the rest of the gang aren't telling us, sometime in the wee hours of November 3rd, that John Kerry's our next president, it's done. And done. We better get it right the first time, or all the good intentions -- and recounts -- in the world won't make a bit of difference, and it'll be 4 more years for the neocons to consolidate their power and put the final nails in the coffin of democracy.

Computers must not be allowed to tally votes. Not once, not ever. It's just that simple. 

Subject: Iran Code

Hey Buzzers, Senators, and Congress People,

If we (the U.S. intelligence community) had the Iranian secret code for all of their operatives throughout the world, exactly how long have we had it? If we've had it for a few years do you mean to tell me that no information was transmitted to any Iranian or other terrorist group about 9/11 or any other attacks? The Bush Administration says that Al-Qaeda is one of the terrorist organizations supported by Iran.

All I can surmise is:

1. All the Iranian terrorists didn't know anything about 9/11 and never mentioned it to other terrorists. (probably unlikely)
2. The U.S. Intelligence Community knew about 9/11 but for whatever reason, did nothing. The info was being acted on like the prison debacle. (possible)
3. The U.S. Intelligence Community knew about 9/11 and told the Bush Administration. Possibilities here are endless. (probable)

Having been involved in computer security and some forms of cryptography for over 3 decades, I know that this code probably wasn't cracked in one week. However, I also know what the capabilities are of the new (1999+) computer systems for security and decryption methods and I'm sure the public would really be amazed to know what you guys watch and listen to.

You can find a 13- year-old hacker, a 12-year-old little girl that downloaded a couple songs from the internet, pedophiles, voyeurs, and basically sex-criminals of all kind. But you can't find murderers, corporate embezzlers, terrorists, or especially big drug dealers with all of the power that the "Patriot Act" gives you. Of course this presupposes that you are actually looking for these kinds; but I guess it's easier and safer for your people to crack down on those kids. By the way, have you checked for any of your NRA members that have illegal guns? I have. They brag all over the net.

Anyway, it's certainly possible that the code was cracked within the recent few months. If that's the case, why didn't we know about the big push that happened in April? Or did we? If it was earlier.....?

So Donny dear, if you guys set up Chalabi with fake info as you said, you had to have recent access to the Iranian terrorist (by your own admission) information. You are fond of telling us that all these "other" foreign organizations are helping the terrorists in Iraq, so why haven't you used this information to possibly save American lives?

To reiterate, when did you crack the Iranian code -- don't give me any of that National Security nonsense. You trusted a man that was judged not trustworthy by a great many former officials?

Maybe some senators should ask that question.

lensman

Subject: Puking over Roy Moore

Dear BuzzFlash,

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE JUNE 3, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG.