June 7, 2004
The opinions expressed in the Mailbag are not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. Read the BuzzFlash FAQ for info on submitting to the Mailbag.
THIS IS PART 2 OF THE JUNE 7, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG. CLICK HERE FOR PART 1.
Subject: What shrub was really thinking when talking to the pope
Hi Buzz –
I couldn’t help but notice the strange look on shrubbie’s face and where he was staring when the camera took the picture.
It just *screamed out* for a caption of some sort!! J
This is my take on it …just more visual proof how “in touch”our pResident is!!
Debbi
Subject: Reagan- great American Con Man
Buzz,
Reagan got elected by cutting a secret deal with the Iranians, practiced his Voodoo Economics that Bush 41 identified and Bush 43 has revived, again sold arms to Iran in 1986 to fund his illegal war in Central America, and left us a bunch of crooks who are now taking this country down.
How about putting up some links to the real story behind the "October Surprise" that Casey and Bush 41 were so worried about?
Reagan was a bad actor whose true legacy is one of huge deficits, greater wealth for the rich, less for all other Americans, and a dismantling of our democratic government.
Reagan was a bad president, it is only since Bush 43 has come along that he and anyone else looks good by comparison. Reagan continued the legacy of lying started by Nixon and has now passed the mantle to the deluded maniac, Bush 43.
Roger Fitzgerald
Subject: Summer of Terror? We're losing the war on terror? What?
What is with this new "Summer of Terror" nonsense?
Our George PROMISED to save us from terror. And we have the receipts to prove it too! "Give me two trillion dollars," Bush told us, "and I will make you safe."
Then that foo' announces that us and our family and our dog are all about to get bombed and biodegraded in our beds? On the incompetence meter, that's 10 on a scale of 10. I want my money back!
Appoint ME President. Give ME two trillion dollars and I will give you so much peace that you will think you are in Heaven! And cheaper gas prices too.
By Jane
Stillwater
http://jpstillwater.blogspot.com/
Subject: Cooked Employment Numbers
Back in January I sent you the following information about Bush's employment numbers that you posted on your site. Does it look like it is beginning to occur?
Previous message is below;
* * *
Bush plans on increasing the employment numbers by cooking the books of the Labor Dept. over the next few months according to the New York Times. See article
"To Understand U.S. Jobs Picture, Connect the Dots, and Find the Dots"
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/12/business/12jobs.htmlAbout half way through the article is the following statement:
"The assumption of a shortfall in the payroll survey is based on the view that the labor statistics bureau has not yet updated its formula for using net job changes at the 400,000 representative companies in its survey to project job changes at the 8.5 million corporations across America.
The expectation is that the recovery, particularly the strong economic growth in the third quarter, has stepped up job creation at existing companies while also creating jobs at new companies not yet counted by the government. As the bureau gradually updates its survey early this year, the 30,000 to 60,000 not-yet-detected jobs presumably will show up in the monthly employment reports."
It appears that our jobless recovery will suddenly, just before the election, find a lot more jobs. Pretty convenient!
Vern Stevens
It appears they are finding a lot more than 60,000 jobs
Subject: interesting coincidence of timing
Yesterday, the pathetic Wolf Blister on CoNN stumbled around for almost a minute trying to tie Reagan into the DDay ceremonies he was in France to cover.
He said "Once again Ronald Reagan's timing has been nearly perfect as it was in his political life - he has now nearly perfectly timed his death to the anniversary of DDay a day on which he made one of his greatest speeches, 20 years ago at the 40th... blah blah blah" - like I said, he was stumbling toward a stupid conclusion.
He forgot that unlike lots of better actors Reagan never served during the war except maybe by passing out cookies at the Hollywood canteen.
What occurred to me last night as a much more interesting coincidence of timing is that it was the anniversary of Bobby Kennedy's assassination.
Bobby Kennedy would have been to the Democrats what Reagan in fact became to the GOP. The one to restore hope and respect and power to a discredited party (one discredited by Johnson's conduct of the Viet Nam war, the other discredited by most of Nixon's power mad and paranoid presidency, including Viet Nam).
What Wolf and everyone else on the tube who was grasping for significance missed was that similarity in the historic missions of the two men and that Bobby Kennedy was shot on June 5, 1968 in California and that the Governor of the state was Ronald Reagan.
Nearly perfect timing indeed!
KC Jones and Ann Richards
Subject: WAIT A SEC?? WASN'T THIS WAR SUPPOSED TO MAKE THINGS BETTER??
Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld admitted that the U.S. may be losing the war on terror. In fact Rummy stated that:
''It's quite clear to me that we do not have a coherent approach to this,''
And these are the slapnuts who are supposed to protect us from "Evil doers"??
First Ashcroft cant get on the phone and coordinate with Homeland Security.
Then the incompetent head of the CIA resigns (3 years too late if you ask me)
And now the Secretary of Defense admits they have NO CLUE about what they are doing.
Now I ask you all once again:
What has Bush done to deserve another 4 years????
Chuck Monsanto
http://lowrentrat.blogdrive.com/
Sent to CNN, cnn@cnn.com:
Subject: Reagan Popularity
You would think that being a "news" organization CNN would have some fact checkers. I have heard numerous times over the last 24 hours that Reagan left office as the most popular president of the modern era. Candy Crowley and others have said this in their reports. Well the fact is that Clinton actually had a higher approval rating when he left and so did Eisenhower, although he may not be considered to be in the modern era.
Please stop them before they mislead again. What happened to honesty in reporting. It seems that your pro-GOP reporters in an effort to deify Reagan are promulgating propaganda as truth. The GOP may believe that Reagan was the most popular president, but Gallup disagrees. Check it out for yourself, why believe me. I know that I can't believe you.
thank you,
stevie
gardiner
somerdale,nj
Subject: Reaganausea
Dear Buzz,
A tip to those inclined to watch the media saturation/glorification of Ronald Reagan for the next seemingly endless days:remember how you felt when he was president, and remember what he did to harm the nation's economic, political, and cultural progress. Then turn off the TV and go do something meaningful for yourself or your community.
A Loyal Reader
Subject: "Trees Cause Pollution."
"Trees cause pollution." That's what former Ronald Reagan said. He also declared that catsup was a school lunch vegetable. So why is everyone forgetting these nuggets of information and the fact that Reagan fired the air controllers, ran up the federal deficit, cut social programs that we've never recovered? Is it because one is not supposed to speak ill of the dead?
The man was a fake, using his acting skills throughout his presidency. Meese, Dever, Baker, et al. were the real presidents just as Rove, Cheney, & Rice run the country now. Why can't Americans be truthful? However, Reagan was probably being truthful when he said he didn't know anything about the Iran-Contra scandal. The three musketeers didn't tell him. Reagan's presidency was a terrible time. His successor had to raise taxes to offset the huge deficit and perhaps lost his own re-election by promising not to do so. Give me a break. The man was funny, but Reaganomics ruined the country from which we only recovered from during the Clinton years.
Things were so bad during the Reagan presidency that my brother had to cut his own salary as director of a youth guidance center in Cincinnati, Ohio, because Reagan cut federal funds to the center. All these accolades would be ok if the truth was somewhere in between.
Ruth R.
Subject: Bush in Normandy
Dear Buzz,
While surfing the networks for D-Day coverage, I saw a split second of Bush chewing gum surrounded by WW11 dignitaries at the Normandy ceremony. How classless can the representative of America be? ( I will not call him president)
Moneecat
Subject: Paper Trail for Voting
There was only one interesting article in the WPB Post yesterday. A man who has been a computer programmer for 35 years says there is no computer that can not be tampered with to get the desired results. He gave a good analogy in saying,"Would you give your credit card to someone without getting a receipt?"
Pisces
Subject: hmmmmm :):)
IT'S AMAZING HOW REAGAN BECAME SUCH A GREAT PRESIDENT AFTER HE DIED. :):) NOT AT ALL LIKE WHEN HE WAS ACTUALLY THE PRESIDENT. :):) OUR MEDIA SEEMS TO HAVE SHORT MEMORIES. :):)
DIANE
Before everyone gets too choked up about Ronald Reagan, let's not forget:
1. He presided over the largest redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor, ever before encountered in this country (our current president is shattering this record), and they called it Reaganomics until everyone realized that it wrecked the economy. W is pursuing even more dramatic policies along the same lines, but his political advisors aren't stupid enough to call it Reaganomics, or else everyone will recall what happened the last time the fox watched the hen house.
2. He traded arms for hostages and approved of right wing death squads in Honduras and Nicaragua as well as El Salvador and other corrupt regimes around the world.
3. He interfered with legislation that would have undertaken rigorous research and treatment policies concerning HIV/ AIDS for over six years after the nature of the virus and the science was understood. He shamelessly stood by while the scourge of the 20th century became the epidemic now killing millions around the globe.
chris mcfarland
boca raton fl
Subject: Crass Commercial Announcements
Dear Buzz,
Hello, Buzzers.
I rarely miss the BuzzFlash Mailbag. When I read the mailbag, I know that I am not alone in my revulsion at this corporate oligarchy. There's Shirley from St. Louis, the Liberal Christian and numerous others who seem like old friends - though I've never met any of them. I second the notion of a BuzzFlash Convention; hopefully in a place of our own choosing rather than in the prisons that the pResident is undoubtedly preparing for us now. If he steals a second election, Patriot II will enable the Oligarchy to classify dissenters as terrorists. That's us. We will join the good company of the Teacher's Union, the International Association of Fire Fighters and others who have been denounced as "terrorists" by this cowardly and bloodthirsty administration.
I suggest my home state of Arizona for our convention, perhaps in February when the snow has given those in the north a case of raging cabin fever. Take in the huge Renaissance Festival of which I am a part - it is great fun. The climate is paradise!
And now to the business of crass commercial announcements; first let it be known that I hate advertising to the point where I no longer watch television at all.
Do you enjoy a good horror flick? I'm not talking about gory slasher flicks, but rather the subtle atmospheric menace of a cunningly crafted creepshow. Mix it up with a political suspense blockbuster and look no further than two of BuzzFlash's premiums: "Orwell Rolls in his Grave" and "The Trial of Henry Kissinger" are incredible - no, make that "credible" commentaries and accurate histories of the challenges that we now face in our society.
My brother, a Baptist minister, and I sat mesmerized by "Orwell Rolls". Reverend Baby Brother states that this movie should be required viewing in every high school civics class. It is all the more chilling because it is a true account of how the government sold us to the corporations and how the corporations have sold us back to the government - all neatly pacified and packaged for the politicians to consume at their leisure.
"The Trial of Henry Kissinger" will make you feel ashamed to call yourself an American and yet offers hope that we can again make "American" a name of which we can again be proud - if we act now to force our government to do the right things, for a change. In "Kissinger", Reverend Baby Brother has found yet another assignment for the high school civics class in his mind.
I do not know the folk who operate BuzzFlash except for their product - that of news that I can use. I don't get a share of the gate.
I know that money is tight for all of us. I've cancelled the local excuse for a newspaper; it is a publication that only sells "crap", not the least of which is our current right-wing, corporate oligarchy. These funds I then use in support of BuzzFlash and others.
I have served the idiot-box in a similar manner. We no longer have any "deluxe cable" packages. The television is cold and dark other than those times we use it to watch flicks such as those previously mentioned. Then it is bright and frightening.
Give to the corporate media exactly that which it deserves - your boycott. Then take those funds and give them to those who tell you the stark and ominous truth. Buzz is at the top of my list.
Keep Keepin'
Michael J. Fowler
Subject: Reagan and bringing down a superpower
Dear Buzz,
Reagan was partly responsible for the downfall of the Soviet Union because he threw money, arms and support to the Afghans' who were fighting the Soviets. The huge military expenditures by the Soviets bankrupted the country.
How ironic that now Iran is trying to bring down the only other superpower by luring us into Iraq (via Chalabi lies), and bankrupting our economy with the astronomical costs of war and nation building (something GW said he was against!).
Thanks for all you do,
Sue from
FL
(summering in NC)