October 19, 2004

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.

THIS IS PART 2 OF THE OCTOBER 19, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG. CLICK HERE FOR PART 1.

Subject: Some Things Never Change

On Friday October 15, 2004 I received a phone call from my son who is attending Indiana University of PA. He had just received a new voter registration card for Indiana County and was now registered as a republican. This was very disturbing to him in that he was registered as a democrat and had never completed a new registration. After discussing the problem with his friends at school, he found several others had also been reregistered as republicans without their knowledge. They came to the conclusion that they all had signed a petition for a liberal cause. (This would assure most, if not all, of the signers would be registered as democrats.) The people circulating the petition told them that they needed their names, addresses and social security numbers.

What was done to these citizens of the United States was at best a detestable trick and at worst voter fraud. They all, of course, can still vote for whomever they desire. However, as first time voters in a presidential election, they very easily could become disheartened by the whole process of voting. This may be what the perpetrators had planned. It seems that the republican party has never stopped coming up with new dirty tricks. Is it any wonder that when Richard Nixon died they attempted to venerate him? Although he and his cronies were thought to be the masters of underhanded deeds, it seems there is a whole new generation that was just waiting in the wings.

Alfred R. Risaliti
Mechanicsburg, PA

Subject: CNN's slanted coverage of newspaper endorsements

As to be expected, the toadies at CNN have put an offensively partisan spin on their story relating to Newspaper endorsements of the candidates. Besides giving the impression that the numbers are even, the whole tenor of their article is ludicrously pro-W. Their coverage can be found here: Bush, Kerry win newspaper endorsements (CNN)

For whatever good it may do, (and we all know that the chances of changing the behavior of these hacks are miniscule, at best,) I sent them a complaint:

Shame. Your coverage of the newspaper endorsements of the presidential candidates is shockingly, and mistakenly, biased towards Bush. You give the
impression that the number of newspapers is evenly spit (and the tone of your article slants towards Bush in its flavor). The truth, as you WELL know, is that
Kerry gained the editorial backing of at least 30 papers, with Bush winning the support of 17, giving Kerry the overall lead by 45-30. Kerry has more large papers on his side, maintaining his "circulation edge" at nearly 3-1: approximately 8.7 million to 3.3 million. Does your article state this fact? No.

You should be ashamed of your obvious partisan slant, but the fact that you so
openly pursue it, leads one to realize that you are beyond the disciplines of truth and honor, as well as the emotion of shame. Hopefully, if Kerry wins, there will be actions taken to curb the recent trashing of the long-honored responsibilities of the media. You had better misuse your powers now, because, with any luck, the "people" will persuade a new government to break the corrupting influences of oversized media monopolies. Until that hoped-for time, sleep well with your inner-liar.

If we can install Kerry in the White House, and deliver him at least one of the congressional houses, we MUST pressure him to begin the dismantling of these media monopolies, brick by corrupt brick.

Thanks for your brilliant work.

Paul

Subject: Florida

Hey Buzz,

Oh, compadre. I sure hope we're on top of the situation there in Florida this time around. What's up with these voting machines, anyway? If, as some computer experts are asserting, this system is highly susceptible to hacking hanky panky and high jinks, and, given the fact that there is no paper trail, should not the Democratic Party be raising holy Hell? Is somebody on this? Should we have taken the State of Florida to court over these machines? Somebody talk to us, please! We need some reassurance from on high, and in the worst way.

So, why would Jeb Bush choose, out of all possible systems, a system with no paper trail? Yes. That's right. I said Jeb Bush. If there are problems again this time around in Florida, Jeb will no doubt try, once again, to pawn it all off on somebody else. His Secretary of State, or some other convenient subordinate scapegoat. (Not that I think Katherine Harris is as pure as the driven snow, you understand.) But, you see, that's just the way that spineless Jeb operates. It's his modus operandi. He will want us to believe that he had no hand in the decision process that went into selecting these voting machines. Hey, Jeb. You're the governor. Step up to the plate, Bud.

Yes, Jeb decided to give his stamp of approval to a system with no paper trail. There are systems available and in use in other parts of the country which provide a paper trail. He could have avoided this point of contention and controversy very easily by choosing one of these. But, instead, he chose this controversial system. Why? This leaves the unmistakable impression that for some reason he doesn't want a paper trail. You'd think that after the 2000 fiasco, he'd be bending over backwards to avoid controversy for the State of Florida. Where's the leadership, Jeb?

Meanwhile, the people of Florida are told not to worry, it's just like using an ATM machine. Yet, in the first trial run of the system, if I'm not mistaken, it crashed. Even if there are no apparent, overt "glitches" on Election Day, given the troubling questions that have arisen around issues related to "hackability" and the absence of a paper trail, confidence in the reliability of the results will be unacceptably low. Could it be that our headlong rush to the Promised Land of computer voting needs a sober second look?

I don't know, Buzz. Maybe I'm just a Nervous Nellie. But I could sure use some feedback from our people down there in Florida. And I don't think I'm alone on this either, compadre. Now, I know it's late in the campaign, but if there is a problem here, and we need to take this thing to Court, then so be it. The most important thing is that we get it right this time, and that the result passes the "credibility" test. I don't think the country can afford a repeat of the 2000 imbroglio. Do you?

Best regards,

G. Will Hunter

Subject: "W" and the GOP Rock to Pedophile's Music...

Folks:

The collapse of the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign could not be more evident than as revealed by the fact that they have been using convicted British pop rocker Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2" as theme music for their campaign stops. AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME. The Bush campaign used Glitter's music during the 2000 campaign until it was called to their attention that he had recently been convicted of possessing child pornography.

Glitter bug at Bush rally (Lloyd Grove/NY Daily News)

Gary Glitter (aka Paul Francis Gadd) was convicted of possessing vast amounts of child pornography in 1999. The British prosecutor described Glitter's appetite for child porn as "bluntly voracious," accusing him of possessing more than 4,000 images -- "Some were as young as two years old. Some images showed children being tortured." (stopabuse.org)

Just remember, the campaign officials who make this kind of "mistake" often go on to holding high-powered positions in government. Should Bush win, we run the risk these will be the guys responsible for checking terrorists' criminal backgrounds...

Rob Olson
Bellingham, WA

Subject: Chicago Tribune endorsement

Dear BuzzFlash,

I depend on your site daily to give me a condensed view of the nation's newspapers. Thank you for all your great work. It's good to know that there are journalists still able to objectively report the news, and investigate the many crimes of the Bush administration despite the pressure to do otherwise.

However, as of yesterday, The Chicago Tribune has confirmed itself as cowardly as the president that they have endorsed. As a fellow Chicago area resident, I feel embarrassed and angered by the Tribune's endorsement, even though it was fully expected. I felt compelled to send the following letter this morning and would like to share it with you:

An Endorsement of Cowardice and Survival

The Tribune endorsement of George W. Bush confirms the disregard it has for the community it serves, and exemplifies a deep fear of reprisal from the Bush administration. It seems contradictory to its community interests that a newspaper with as wide a circulation in a predominantly Democratic city should endorse the disastrous Republican presidency of George W. Bush. It is equally absurd that a newspaper that has followed and closely documented the full extent of our national nightmare of the last four years is seemingly blind to it. However, there is no difficulty in understanding this endorsement when fear is seen as the Tribune's motivator. If the Tribune truly was the voice for the community it serves, the threats to its financial survival, and access to information would no doubt be severe under a renewed Bush administration. The Tribune knows that this administration values loyalty above responsibility, and wealth over the common good through intimidation. Accordingly, The Chicago Tribune made the only decision that the fearful can make, they chose survival. A Kerry administration would pose no such threat and would certainly forgive the paper's current position, leaving the paper safe once again.

Who says you can't have it both ways?

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: DETERMINED!

I can't believe the Democrats aren't running an ad with this! Bush likes to talk about Kerry's record...Let's talk about Bush's record on terrorism!

It was under George Bush's watch that this country had the most devastating terror attack in history! This just 30 days after he received a Presidential Daily Briefing titled "Osama Bin Laden Determined To Hit United States"!!

That is Bush's record on terrorism.

Diane in FL

Subject: Letter to BuzzFlash

Dear Buzz,

John Stewart for President in 2008! If you guys don't want him, I'll start a movement to draft him for Canada's next prime minister. Tucker Carlson was outmatched, outwitted and outdone by Stewart who held the mainstream media's feet to the fire, demanded accountability and laid part of the blame for voters ignorance to the putrid job done by most journalists. Carlson had a nerve to suggest that The Daily Show be held to a higher journalistic standard than CNN. Carlson (and Begala) were expecting a stand-up comedy routine but ended up getting knocked off their feet.

Polunatic
A reader from Canada

Subject: Did Jeb say 43 doesn't take his Bible swearing seriously?

Don't the pod people get in a huff when they think our military is being ordered around by feriners?

A minister in Blair's Cabinet played down concerns about British troops coming under U.S. command but declined to comment directly on the media reports....

"There have been occasions in Iraq when the Americans have operated under British control," Health Minister John Reid told the BBC. "There will be occasions when you're fighting in a coalition where at a given tactical level you operate under your ally's control, and the Americans have already been there."

British asked to ship troops near Baghdad (Seattle Times)

Check this out....isn't the Jebster saying he takes his Bible swearing more seriously than his death-loving brother? Didn't Bush 43 "dodge" the last couple years of his governorship? He sure didn't finish his job as Texas governor "strong" - hell he ran out on them.

This is from ABC's 'This Week' when he was asked if he was running for president in '08.

The governor, who is President Bush's younger brother, said on ABC's "This Week" that he would return to Miami when his second term ended in 2006. Mr. Bush was a real estate developer here before he entered politics.

"I'm not going to run for president in 2008," Mr. Bush, who rarely grants interviews to the national news media, told George Stephanopoulos, the host of "This Week." "That's not my interest. I'm governor of this state. It's the best job in the world I have."

...The governor's friends say that unlike President Bush, he dislikes grip-and-grin politics and prefers creating and analyzing policy. He told Mr. Stephanopoulos that he did not know what his future held, adding: "I'm not going to think about what I'm going to do, either, until I finish. I put my hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the laws, and in my mind that also meant that I would finish as strong as I started."

Bush's Brother Rules Out Bid for Presidency (NY Times)

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Bush speech goof-up (September 4th 2001)

Am I hearing things or did Bush say during his speech today (October 18th) that he stood on/by/near the WTC rubble on September 4th, 2001? If I heard correctly, I'm gonna start buying into the talk that our Chimp-in-Chief is cracking up.

Ryan Cooper

Subject: Cardinals and Astros

There is a funny piece in the St. Louis Post Dispatch today. It reads "With a Bush on the mound....we lose"! I had forgotten, but the President pitched out the first ball of the first Cardinal game.....we lost!

Last night, his Mother...Barbara...pitched out the first ball...............yeah, we lost!!

Shirley......St. Louis

Subject: Interesting Quote

I just watched the new documentary on HBO by Alexandra Pelosi called "Diary of a Political Tourist." For those who don't know, she is the daughter of Nancy Pelosi - the Minority Leader in Congress - who did the documentary "Journey's With George." That film recorded GW's long journey thru the snows of Iowa in 1999 to his coronation by the Supreme Court in 2000.

The new film details the democratic primary season from its beginnings in 2003 thru the convention in 2004. It is pretty entertaining and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a behind the scenes and fair and balanced look at what goes on during the run for the White House. While most of the film deals with the democrats, there are a number of scary scenes of stiff republicans boogying to a faux soul band at the White House christmas party.

But by far the scariest scenes occurred at the White House barbeque celebrating July 4, 2003. Besides coming face to face with the legendary heroes of the dark side, Karl Rove & Tom DeLay, there is a quote from Peter King, a republican congressman from NY. He is boasting that the 2004 election is over already and Bush has won. As he claims, "It's all over but the counting, and we'll take care of the counting." Pretty scary stuff.

Pelosi: Politicians pay price for honesty (NYU News)

Mark Podhorzer
Decatur, GA

Subject: thanks, Buzz

Dear BuzzFlash,

Thanks for the article "Wasn't Jesus a Liberal." I am also a Christian and I want to thank the author, Gary Vance, and also BuzzFlash. If Conservative Christians read that, they will know that the scriptures in the Bible Vance points to are the ones they have ignored.

Martisa Vignali

Subject: Chicago Tribune endorsement of Bush

A lot of people are canceling their subscription as a result of the Tribune's endorsement (Sunday) of Bush. The person at the Tribune taking the call indicated that they have had a lot of people calling to cancel for this reason. Maybe you can suggest on your website that others do this?

Greg G.

Subject: Time for another visit

It's been almost year since Dubya flew to Iraq in secret and under cover of night to pose with a plastic turkey. If things in Iraq are going as well as he says they are, then why hasn't he been back for a visit? Why, he could take the whole family along and bask in the adulation of a grateful nation.

Just asking!!

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Canadian medicine

Dear Buzz,

I think Sen Kerry dropped the ball on a chance to get back at Bush's flip flopping. During the second debate on the question of drugs being imported from Canada,the pResident said something like he wanted to protect us from drugs that might be unsafe, yet during the third debate when answering the question of the shortage of flu vaccines, pResident shrub said that he may look to Canada for help.....

WHAT?? Well, which is it?? Is is safe, or not safe? What a flip flop!! I only wish Kerry had caught shrub on this! Also what I don't think most Americans know is that Canada gets most of their drugs from US pharmaceutical companies!! pResident shrub only wants us to buy expensive drugs from the US pharmaceutical co's so he (bush) can continue to get his kickbacks! How about that?!

A Loyal Buzz Fan Forever!

Sharon Carlton
Bellevue, Nebraska

Subject: Another Republican stunt ... or ...Voting early in Milwaukee, WI

Dear Buzz;

I am responding to the message from Dan Kroeger from Milwaukee, WI:

I am from the northern suburbs of Chicago. I have been going up to Wisconsin to work for Kerry/Edwards for the past 6-7 weekends. Last weekend, we went to Milwaukee. We were encouraging folks to Vote Early In Person in Milwaukee. We distributed slips of paper with a phone number to call if a person wanted to vote early at the city hall. (I do not have that number. There may also be a way to obtain a ride to the city hall, but I am uncertain of this. The hours for voting in person in Milwaukee are Mon - Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Milwaukee city hall until Nov. 1st.

The Kerry headquarters phone number in Milwaukee is (414) 344-1586, for the number to check out the city hall requirements to vote early. Headquarters may also be able to assist with absentee voting or providing rides to the city hall.

Leslie
Evanston