July 20, 2004

MAILBAG ARCHIVES  
The BuzzFlash Mailbag

The opinions expressed in the Mailbag are not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. Read the BuzzFlash FAQ for info on submitting to the Mailbag.


Subject: Say it LOUD!

Republicans have all they need to win any argument. The only thing they have to do is say it loud enough and get enough people to complain. With Whoopi, people that never heard her skit were complaining about it's content. The Dixie Chicks were labeled anti-american for stating they were ashamed to be from Texas. The response, clear channel was bulldozing their CD's. Now, Aladdin has said they will not have Linda Ronstadt because she praised Michael Moore. When the Florida votes were to be re-counted and military votes scrutinized, Bush charged Al Gore was doing something WRONG by obeying the rules and the laws.

This same tactic would have guaranteed Bush the white house regardless. The general feeling was that Al Gore would win on electoral votes and Bush would get the popular vote. Their campaign was to take the matter to the people and complain that Al Gore was defying the wishes of the people that voted for Bush in the majority. However, they lost the popular vote and their rhetoric changed to: The constitution says this is the only way to win.

The fact of the matter is with this bunch you cannot win. They have the stupidity of everyone on their side.

P Jones
Mesquite


Subject: The sex trade

If Bush really wants to make a dent in the sex trade, he can send Neil to NY just before the convention to pick em out.

Kerry/Edwards

The battle for America has begun.

Michael H.


Subject: worth highlighting

the item on today's BuzzFlash entitled The Man Behind the Curtain of the Iraq War 7/20 may be worth highlighting as it points out that the NIE -- which is supposed to be the bad intelligence that is to be blamed for bush's war, was produced *after* bush asked congress to be allowed to go to war. So his war plans cannot be blamed on bad intelligence. He asked to go before he had *any* intelligence, more or less.

Mark Bracewell


Subject: The Gropinator

Regarding the Democratic lawmakers response to Arnold Schwarzenegger's calling them "girlie men" over the weekend, I think the proper response should have been: "I'm sure Gov. Schwarzenegger is 'groping' for a way to embarrass political opponents who do not agree with him, but in this instance, he once again embarrasses only himself." Just a thought.

Schwarzenegger Faces Criticism Over 'Girlie-Men' Insult

A BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: Hostile Environments

Buzz,

Ruth R [mailbag 7/19] asked how Duhhbya could fly to hostile Iraq but could not speak to hostile NAACP convention. Well, he didn't fly to "hostile" Iraq -- he appeared with his plastic turkey before a staged audience of Rove-nit-picked-gung-ho soldiers on an American base within Iraq. However, Rove couldn't demand the NAACP exclude all anti-Duhhbya delegates from his speech [that would sure clear the room!]. He couldn't manufacture the event, so Duhhbya didn't show. Simple.

T Quigly


Subject: mailbag 7/19

Well, I must start off by saying to Roseanne and Dee Turner....thanks for your kind words....now, you know why I am a constant reader of this site...and have been since I first heard about it on c-span's Washington Journal.  It has saved me at times.

I learned long ago....that I did not have freedom of speech in certain circles....and have known when I can discuss it and when I cannot.

I am taking the one and only democrat I know to see Fahrenheit 9/11, next week. She is a widow, a democrat, with two sons who feel exactly like she does, and she is alone.  I wanted to see it again, anyway, so I can do that.

I also have ordered a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker...and have every intention of putting it on my car...to hell with anyone who disagrees!  Geez. I am getting wise!!

I will tell you, that the last time I was at my son's house, he blatantly had one on his refrigerator...but, of course, it said Bush/Cheney. The sad thing about the other son...the one whose daughter just got back from Iraq, is that they are not political...but, even though one of the daughters-in-law got very irate because her husband (my son) voted for Bush, she would never, ever agree with me, so, you see, I just do not have an audience, except for you all...so thank God for you...all of you.

I think I wrote that letter, answering a man from Canada, who could not understand any of us for not fighting back more....and I really wanted him to understand that even though you are right....it is not always possible.  When it starts to make you physically sick....you just have to keep your mouth shut.  I will never, ever give up the fight, though.

I will do whatever I can, always, to get the bad guys out of the White House....I don't think I will have to convince anyone with a good mind. Maybe the Schwarzenegger takover was even worse...I never doubted that it was to get that state firmed up for Bush....hope he does not have that kind of pull!!

Shorty...Jerk fits that man perfectly...thanks!

I have had so many people write...and on very fair shows...wonder where in the world is the outrage?  I hope enough of us feel it on Nov.2nd to make a difference!!!

Tim, it warms my heart, that after 20 years, you are registering to vote just to get Bush and Co. removed from the White House.  Thank you very much!!!!

To Sharon Andrews who wrote about  F 9/11  doing so well...it will run for a good long time...and just think, girl, it is running in one half the theatres that all the other movies are running in.   In Entertainment Weekly, they show how much a movie is making, and the number of theatres it runs in...F 9/11...is doing great. And more...Michael Moore had 12 lawyers fact-checking the movie before its release, and has a $10 thousand reward for anyone who can prove a lie in that movie...pretty good, and no wonder no one has been able to find a lie!!!

To Vicki Walker...Missouri State Rep...I do not know how long you have been there, but you may have known my cousin...Rep. Jim Montgomery...a democrat for a number of terms...was voted out about the time the republican regime took over...but is running again this year...he represents the district that includes Ft. Leonard Wood, a large district in Missouri....and thank you for setting us straight on the way to address the rightwingnuts.....they are wrongwingnuts...oh, well, you know what I mean.

To any of you who read this site...you will get nothing but the truth...and  much sanity...let me tell you....it has kept me going much of the time...and I do not donate as much as I should....they really are life savers.

I love the people at BuzzFlash and all the writers....

Shirley...........St.Louis


can you imagine the outrage and fury that would have been by the media and republicans had a democratic governor called republicans girlie men? good god, the guy would have been burned at the stake by night fall!

A BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: Ronstadt, Moore, Vegas and Bush

a bunch of thugs throws fit, vandalizes casino because singer spoke her mind... Casino owner fires singer, apologizes to thugs.   Just what are we all waiting for to boycott the Aladdin? yeah that's right... we're liberal... we turn the other cheek.

Aladdin expels Ronstadt after political remarks (Las Vegas Sun)

Roger B.


Subject: Was it worth it?

Quote:

We watched two episodes of "Band of Brothers," and when I rose to go Debbie told me how the Army had prepared her for Carl's return. "When he was coming home, the Army gave us little cards that said things like 'Watch for psychotic episodes' and 'Is he drinking too much?'" she said. "A lot of wives said it was a joke. They had a lady come from the psych ward, who said -- and I'm serious -- 'Don't call us unless your husband is waking you up in the middle of the night with a knife at your throat.' Or, 'Don't call us unless he actually chokes you, unless you pass out. He'll have flashbacks. It's normal.'"

The Price of Valor  by Dan Baum

We train our soldiers to kill for us. Afterward, they're on their own. (The New Yorker)

The Iraq war has cost 894 US lives, 120 allied lives, and uncounted Iraqi civilian deaths. Countless wounded return to the US not only maimed in body but in mind. All this pain and suffering is in vain. Bush Co. pulled troops off the search for al qaeda so they could instead get their dirty hands on Iraq oil and multibillion-dollar military contracts. Our children are blood sacrifices upon the alter of their greed. How, in the name of all that is Holy, can anyone call any member of Bush Co. Good Christians? God might forgive these men and those who failed to oppose their war mongering but I can't. I can't.

A BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: Too little, too late

I'm writing to point out the fact that the belated and wimpy call by House and Senate democratic leaders for a 2004 pre-election investigation is too little and too late. These are the same people who hid in their ivory Washington towers when Bush was stealing the 2000 election in Florida and did nothing to stop him. Because of their failure to act when they had the chance to stop the Bush coup, our votes weren't counted in 2000 and democracy is now dead. Because of the death of democracy in 2000, our country is now in the worst mess it's ever been in. What a different place our country and the world would be in now had the Congressional democratic leadership stood up for democracy in 2000. Do they really think the Bush election stealers are going to do anything more than have a good laugh at their request?

Nancy Kuhn


Subject: MERYL STREEP

According to Al Franken, on AirAmerica, this morning: He spoke to Ms. Streep and said, of her role, that her gestures and voice, reminded him of someone...

Streep said it was "that lady on MSNBC, Peggy Noonan." ...more opposite than Hillary Clinton, one couldn't be!

Paul


Subject: Whoopi Goldberg's comments

Hi, Buzz:   I printed some bumperstickers back in '92 and again in 2000, and they sold really well. In light of the flack over Whoopi Goldberg's comments at the Kerry fundraiser, I think I'll print some more.
LICK BUSH '04
The lesbian community out here bought them by the dozen...think I'll send one to Mary Cheney to see if it triggers a conflict of conscience...I'll send you some when I get them done, and maybe you'll want to give as a mini-premium....   Yours in the struggle,  

Donna Wade

Loyal reader, progressive activist, out-and-proud lesbian in a long-term committed relationship (and, if the AmBush administration has its way, a soon-to-be second-class citizen).


Subject: Reactivating 'The Greatest Generation'

No, this is not an ad for any libido-enhancing drug. When I read the headline, "Ala. Doctor Reactivated for Iraq War at 68" (Yahoo/AP), for a moment I wondered if Rumsfailed and Co. might reactivate my father, 78, who, with his friends, enlisted by misstating their ages -- he and his friends were a few months short of 17 -- and fought during WWII. Would they consider the brilliant plan of bringing back 'The Greatest Generation' to bail the Bush administration out of Iraq? I think it could be a strategic victory both on the battlefield and the campaign trail. Win-win. Imagine being able to associate Bush with the veterans who defeated Hitler no longer just by analogy, but directly. How much greater would Bush be? I mean, he already has G_d talking through him -- though the Washington Post is now reporting a denial from the White House ("The Misquotable Bush").

That must have polled badly, uh karl?

A BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: A washingtonpost.com article

Disgusting. More evidence that this party has no scruples. Also shows why they have no problems with Ashcroft and the "Patriot" Act -- they are in love with KGB tactics. The party of values, MY FOOT.

Minn. GOP Asks Activists to Report on Neighbors' Politics, By Brian Faler (washingtonpost.com)

"All politics is local. But this year, it is getting downright neighborly..." (more)

Forwarded by Cassandra G.


Subject: "Kerry is bin Laden's Man--President Bush is Mine"

BuzzFlash has posted several stories about the controversial bumper sticker that was taped to the window of GOP Headquarters in Louisville -- "Kerry is bin Laden's Man, President Bush is Mine."  Republicans in Louisville are scrambling to distance themselves from this controversy.  At the same time, the GOP Chairman is trying to locate more bumper stickers "for people who want them."  Every person who displays this bumper sticker will proclaim the libelous assertion that John Kerry, a decorated U.S. war hero, is a traitor to this country.  Please contact your local GOP Headquarters and ask if they have these bumper stickers.  So far, no one has claimed responsibility for their printing or distribution.  Thanks.

Judy Munro-Leighton


Subject: a message for Governor Gropinator

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

It's a shame that you are getting such a hard time from liberals who found your "girlie men" comments offensive.  I certainly didn't, it's quite normal for strong men to question the power of others who stand up for what they believe in despite their subordinate positions.

  Mr. Governor, with all due respect, you have yet to properly address the  hush-hush meeting you had with Kenneth Lay and Michael Milken on May 17, 2001.  Nor have you acknowledged your scuttling of the lawsuit filed under Civil Code provision 17200, the "Unfair Business Practices Act," which would have required Enron and other energy companies to pay back up to $9 billion to the state of California, a suit which coincidentally needed only the support of whomever held the office of Governor in order to go forward.  Shall I continue to assume that these two events are connected, or is there another side to the story?   I hope you understand that, until you have the courage to answer questions regarding these odd circumstances, I shall have no choice but to refer to you as Governor Girlie Man.   Your constituent,

Fred Maske
Glendale, CA


Subject: bush/blair duet

Hey Buzz,

For those who are tired of idiots like Dennis Miller making gay jokes about Kerry and Edwards because they are secure enough to hug each other (who would want a hug from Miller?), I remembered this brilliant clip of Bush and Blair. It may take a while to download, but it's worth the wait.

http://www.atmo.se/components/download.aspx?file=bushblair.mov

P. Coombs
Surrey BC

[BuzzFlash Note: Thanks!  You made us all laugh out loud.]


Subject: Signs of the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy?

Just for the heck of it I did a google news search to compare the hullabaloo over Whoopi's and Dennis Miller's political humor. When I searched "Whoopi Goldberg Bush" I got 1,170 results.

http://news.google.com/news?num...

When I searched for "Dennis Miller Kerry Edwards" I got 20 results, some of which are from before he told them to "get a room."

http://news.google.com/news?num=30&...

Yep those poor Republicans have to cope with such an obvious media prejudice against them. Poor helpless neocons, how will they ever have a fair shake against such a conspiracy?

A BuzzFlash Reader


Subject: Singer Linda Ronstadt

This is an outrage, "Timmins said he didn't allow Ronstadt back in her luxury suite and she was escorted off the propert," and it's time our side stopped taking it! I think we should flood the Aladdin with protests and cancellations. If they are going to treat us like this we certainly should NOT SUPPORT them financially.

"Audience unhappy with Ronstadt's Moore support" (American-Statesman)

Singer Linda Ronstadt not only got booed, she got the boot after lauding filmmaker Michael Moore and his new movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" during a performance at the Aladdin hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

Before singing "Desperado" for an encore Saturday night, the 58-year-old rocker called Moore a "great American patriot" and "someone who is spreading the truth." She also encouraged everybody to see the documentary about President Bush.

Ronstadt's comments drew loud boos, and some of the 4,500 people in attendance stormed out.

" It was a very ugly scene," Aladdin President Bill Timmins said. "She praised him, and all of a sudden all bedlam broke loose."

Timmins decided Ronstadt had to go -- for good. Timmins said he didn't allow Ronstadt back in her luxury suite and she was escorted off the property.

Cary Dilloway


Subject: Pastor's election-year crusade: 60,000 new voters in state (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

... In addition, through a statewide evangelical Christian lobbying group he leads, Fuiten is heading a voter-registration drive focused largely on evangelical churches. At his own church on the Fourth of July, Fuiten had ushers pass out forms to people in the pews who said they had not registered to vote.

...He recalls someone coming up to him after one of his sermons, saying: "You know, not everyone here is a Republican."

"I said: 'We can work on that,' " Fuiten says with a laugh. "'We can cast out demons.' "

Geoffrey S.


Subject: Yahoo! News - Ala. Doctor Reactivated for Iraq War at 68 (yahoo news)

My God, they are drafting retirees!

T.W.


Subject: Sandy stuffs his socks

Bill Hemmer glibly repeats the wholly unsubstantiated claim by an "unnamed eyewitness" that Sandy Berger stuffed secret documents in his socks to spirit them out of the National Archives (I wonder why that eyewitness did nothing about it??) He scoffs at the idea that there could be a political motivation for a "high ranking government official" to leak the story of a 7-month-old investigation on the day the 9/11 Commission's report is released. He bristled as his guest suggested a story with not one single named source was to be taken with a grain of salt, and actually offered up Kelli Arena's character as collaboration for the sock-stuffing claim she obligingly passed along, as if a lie could become the truth if she is a swell person.

Hemmer has long ago established beyond question his utter cluelessness about the function of a reporter. His conviction that CNN reporters can't be used and lied to is both astonishingly naive and wholly inappropriate in anyone pretending to be an objective journalist. This sorry bit Fox News "repeating" should be, but sadly hasn't been for some time, beneath CNN.

http://search.cnn.com/...

Albert Clark
NY


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