November 9, 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.

Subject: Slogan --  11/2 is the new 9/11

This is because terrorists hijacked our democracy using unauditable voting machines run by major GOP partisan players.

Imagine if it were reversed and Dem contributors who controlled secret balloting machines delivered states for Kerry. The GOP and GOP media would be screaming 24/7.

Our Dem "leaders" are not worthy of leading. They do not fight on the people's behalf. They're ignoring this issue, which is the only issue.

Jeff N.

Subject: Fired Up

BuzzFlash,

When I read the Nov 3 mailbag I noticed there was a mixture of depression, apathy and fear of impending doom. Some said they were moving to Canada. Some said they would willingly become uninformed citizens.

Now is not the time to give up. Now is not the time to get moody and depressed. Now, more than ever, we need people out there saying, “55,949,409 voters told George W. Bush that his vision of America is not their vision of America.” Obviously the republicans are going to declare Bush has a mandate. We, the 55,949,409 voters, have to show the republicans that they are wrong.

If I can watch Fox news the day Kerry conceded the election (as painful as that was), then you can stomach fighting another day. Let me tell you one thing I heard on Fox news that day, and don’t let it discourage you. This should make your blood boil.

One idiotic talking head was interviewing a hatchet man for the GOP. The talking head asked, “Wouldn’t you agree that now is the time for Republicans to reach across the aisle to Democrats to heal the nation?” The hatchet man’s reply, “I think we should reach across the aisle and slap the Democrats around.”

Look into your children’s eyes, your grandchildren’s eyes and ask yourself if you can give up on them and their future because you are too depressed.

This is your country, too, don't give up on it.

A BuzzFlash Reader

P.S. I tried to find out the hatchet man’s name but was unable to find it.

Subject: The election aftermath

The Bushies are pumped up, as evidenced by the normally-affable Alan Simpson's "mandate"-inspired and adrenaline-fueled Zell Miller impression on "Real Time with Bill Maher" on Friday. In the few days since the election Mr. Bush is already spending his "capital" with a vengeance.

Mr. Bush's "reform the tax code" initiative will, no doubt, not include higher taxes on his friends who so resolutely supported the Iraq invasion. So it looks like spending without taxing will continue and the deficit will keep on growing.

Speaking of the war, the bloodbath in Fallujah is underway as the "liberators" (or is it, occupying army) seek to crush the "insurgents" (the formerly "liberated" Iraqis). Are the insurgents in Fallujah Saddam loyalists or are they the very people who suffered under Saddam's tyranny? The Bush administration, free of concerns about bad press affecting their re-election bid, has begun their Nixon-like offensive. As more of the "liberated" become "insurgents" one can envision the situation worsening and more and more people will die.

There is little cause for optimism, looking ahead to the next four years, as Justices Thomas and Scalia become the moderate voices on the Supreme Court, unless, thanks to stem cell research, we can find a way to regenerate the spinal chords of Democrats.

George Farago
Wayne, NJ

Again, he violated the one-question rule right off the bat. Obviously, you didn't listen to the will of the people.

Subject: He nearly beats her to death

Are we the only ones to notice? Per capita, the red states have the highest number of high school drop outs, the highest number of teen pregnancy, the highest number of people being on some form of welfare, the lowest wages, and the most people living in poverty. These are the very people Bush hurts the most. These people are like abused women who continue to go back to the abuser saying they love him. Clearly the most trusting people, willing to accept without question. A snake oil salesman's paradise!

Randi, LIz,and Renee
Madison WI

Subject: A Solution to the Whole Mess-O-Votomania

Dear Buzz,

I have come up with a solution to the whole problem of votergate and a way to democratize Iraq at the same time. Bush should love it and Bush’s brain may fall for it. Tony Blair will surely support it since he thinks now something else should be done besides just use force to democratize Iraq.

I propose that we get John Kerry, as a gesture of good will, to agree to allow a no-bid contract to Diebold to conduct the voting in Iraq, WITH ONE STIPULATION. The machines that are used must be the same machines that were used in Ohio and Florida and they have to use ALL of the machines that were used in Ohio and Florida. Also, the voting must go on, no matter what! Kerry can insist that Halliburton deliver the machines to the voting places, under their no-bid contract of course.

When Bush and Cheney win in Iraq using those machines, we will have our proof. Bush and Cheney can then both be impeached and they can go to Iraq and fulfill their term of office. Bush can even be a dictator if he wants and he can extend his term as long as he wishes.

If they refuse this generous offer, we will know the election was fixed, and we can proceed with impeachment. If they accept the offer, and call off the war or the elections in Iraq, we will know the election was fixed, and we can proceed to impeach them. In either case, they can go live in their red states, and Cheney can decide earlier than 2008 if he is a resident of Texas or Wyoming.

Do you see anything wrong with this logic?

Margaret Waid

The numbers are off in Jackson County, FL. which is largely populated by African Americans.

71.5% of the voters are registered Democrats.

On November 2, Bush won two-thirds of the votes cast.

Remember that Optical Scan machines have Ballot Definition Files that are programs that can be manipulated, just like touch screen machines.

I'm told that the FL Sec'y of State has mandated that none of the Optical Scan Cards, which are paper ballots can be released.  Moreover, the Sec'y will not reveal the manufacturer of those cards. Please go to this web site and subscribe if interested.

http://ustogether.org/Florida_Election.htm

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Their hypocrisy is nauseating

Hello Buzzers,

Must begin by commending my fellow Buzz readers on the quality, insight and intelligence of their letters. I can't believe what I saw occur right before my very eyes on Tuesday night. CNN announcing the Bush motorcade warming up the engines to take the Victory ride before all the votes came in. Democracy is a myth in America!

Did the Dems fight the Diebold voting machines when it was first known they were going to be used in this election? If they didn't, I sure hope they will start fighting IMMEDIATELY to prevent another stolen election in 08'. I am sick inside and still in shock. I can't stand another ten minutes of the Bush cartel, let alone another four years. Every American that voted for Bush, from the minute they voted for him, now has blood on their hands too.

On Wednesday, the day after the coup d'etat, channel surfing all the news stations, CNN's talking puppets were implying that the left just doesn't have the moral values of the right and that is why Bush won. I was beside myself with fury at this ultimate hypocrisy! These holier-than-thou *&%$#@ cheerleaders for an unjust, illegal and immoral war, promoting the theft of ANOTHER election without batting an eye, the aiders and abettors to an evil, and corrupt administration.

These pro-lifers make me sick--did they for one minute think about all the 100,000 innocent Iraqi citizens killed, most of whom were killed by U.S. bombs and weapons!

Osama bin recruiting big time thanks to Bush&Co's warmongers pouring gasoline on the fire of their rage against U.S. foreign policy. I feel very sad for the Anti-Bush Americans that have to live under his dictatorship for another four years. It was a dark day for the whole world on Tuesday! I have never been so grateful to be a Canadian citizen! When the next terrorist attack happens under Bushies' watch, who will they blame then?

Thanks for your time, and, BuzzFlash, keep up the great work.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: values?

Talk about the dumbing down of America. The vast, vast majority of Americans voted against their own best interest. They voted to keep shoveling huge amounts of their own tax dollars to the pockets of corporations and the very wealthy.

The dismantling of the middle class and the rich/poor gap should just about be complete by 2008. At that point, an angrier and poorer electorate will struggle to get to the voting booth and once again will vote for the person that talks about God, gives a firm handshake and looks you in the eye. The issues be damned. The struggles and hardships in your family be damned. The sleazy campaign, the lies, the misrepresentations, the rape of the treasury and the cheating be damned. The true morals and values of this administration be damned. Just let the flock know God speaks to you. That is the only morality and value you need.

Bob Lambert
Northridge, CA

This has been two weeks of hell for me. After returning from St. Louis where I buried my mother, I got back to Ohio in time to vote. Granted, I'm at a low point now and my kids (two of whom were poll watchers protecting voters from poll challengers) keep telling me to buck up-there's nothing I can do about it. But there is - I can think and try to figure out what is wrong with this country and the Democratic Party. I've spent all week listening to advisers, pundits, and pollsters telling me and everyone else that the Democrats have lost touch with real people, that we have to do it like the Rethuglicans and relate to people on their moral values. But my moral values seem to be different from theirs. I don't think an extramarital affair is as shameful as lying about a reason for war that gets our youth killed in a foreign land (today I learned that the death toll for our largest coalition partners, the Brits, has reached 73 since the war began!) I don't think that either losing money or making money on stock deals 20 years ago is as sinful as allowing oil companies to set our energy policy and keeping it secret or giving the whole ball of wax to my old company from which I still earn largesse. And, I think deserting your country in time of war because you know you can get away with it or exploiting a group of minorities and harming them for political gain is perhaps the biggest sin of all. So, to me extramarital sex means little (although I wouldn't have appreciated it if my late husband had felt the same way.)

I'm frightened because of the decline in the decency and compassion of the American people and the ease with which they are misled. I'm scared because I can envision my country turning into a sex-obsessed, fundamentalist theocracy creating generations of narrow-minded, ignorant bigots. And I'm mostly scared because everyone seems to be telling me to bridge the gap and make peace with the right wing. But I'm not right wing, I consider them immoral, unethical, vicious and compassionless so what the hell am I supposed to do? I'm going to do the only thing I can and stay true to myself. I'm a Democrat who is disgusted with the Democratic Party that doesn't have the courage to be what we were created to be. For the people - whatever the polls and the pundits and the dirty politicians say. When we turn left unapologetically and stand up for ourselves, we won't have to endure the mocking of the likes of Bush and Cheney. Remember, the old Dixiecrat segregationists (the Republicans) didn't do too well until they turned right and appealed to the lesser angels of the American people. And now they rule the world.

SOS

Subject: A diatribe - By Me

If I had my way I would take everyone who supports this criminal war and pry their eyes open. Sit them in front of a large movie screen and fill it with images of the assaults on Iraq.

Show them their soldier friends and relatives sending Iraqi civilians to their bloody end.

Show them their soldier friends and relatives being sent to their own bloody end by a nation of civilians defending itself from what it perceives as nothing more or less than imperialism.

I would force them to sit there and watch it all, for months on end. I would burn it into their brains, what we are doing. And they would never ever return to the world of the sane.

Our kids, our soldiers, will have no glorious homecoming. The ones who are dismembered, disemboweled, torn apart. The ones who see this happen to their friends. The ones who do it to Iraqi civilians. Dead or alive, they will never ever come back.

They will be the homeless vietnam veteran, talking nonsense to himself under a blanket of truth so heavy it can not be lifted.

And only they will understand.

If I had my way all of the Uber Patriots all of the jingo vomiting "God Guns and War" fools
all of those who do not believe Iraqis should have the right to defend their country all of those who would choose death for others to bring a false sense of security to their own indoctrinated minds all of those with their eyes pried wide open would understand too.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: About your latest article

Hi there,

I just read your article, dated november 7th and I just want to say to you that I feel you're absolutely right. I'm Dutch, I have my own views on the U.S. and the possible causes for this insanity over and over again. The U.S. has an image-problem, I think. Bush represents the archetypical "America the greatest-feeling" that too many Americans still have. John Kerry, in my view, also lost because he tended to be more of a cooperator with Europe... He was more modest, not the Bruce Willis-Die Hard American Hero-Bullshit, the "World leader"-machoism... He had to fight this imperialistic identity, one more reason for his loss.

But I'm a drop in the ocean, it doesn't matter.

Bushie is doing what Hitler did to Germany, leading you to the biggest trauma and greatest lesson in its history. But in America's case there are so many people that already have learned, who don't want this...

Besides that, I strongly agree with you, the pathetic "we will accept," and "next time"... No doubt in my mind that these elections again were settled by the Republicans. I agree with you not to give up your protest, that's exactly what they want.

I wish you strength, best regards,

Marcel Wijnen
the Netherlands

Subject: On your repost of Bush was wired.

Hi Buzz,

Bush was wired and so was the election.

Margaret

Subject: Didn't vote for Bush

Hey guys,

Don't know whether you have seen it anywhere else, but people who didn't vote for Bush here in Virginia have started wearing Resistors. They cost about a dollar, and can be found at almost any electronic supply store, like Radio Shack. Seems to be a visual way of saying, "Don't blame me, I didn't vote for him."

Virginian

Subject: Re: Nations do go crazy sometimes

Wow! The best commentary I've seen among numerous good ones at BuzzFlash. Kudos to Ruth Lopez. We all need to stay off our butts.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Ruth Lopez' Article

WOW!

I love what she said - very powerful. But why stop there ... with her motivation and access through BuzzFlash to hundreds of thousands of people ... why don't we start bombarding our elected officials with demands to clean up this fraudulent election process NOW? Let's not give them a moment's peace until this is done.

Why waste the passion of Ruth's letter and file it away. Let's do something!

Natalie Roth
San Mateo, CA

Subject: (Forward)

This is a report from an attorney who went to Ohio to monitor the election. What he describes shows how widespread and organized the Republicans' deception was:

I worked for 3 days, including Election Day, on the statewide voter protection hotline run by the Ohio Democratic Party in Columbus, Ohio. I am writing this because the media is inexplicably whitewashing what happened in Ohio, and Kerry's concession was likewise inexplicable.

Hundreds of thousands of people were disenfranchised in Ohio. People waited on line for as long as 10 hours. It appears to have only happened in Democratic-leaning precincts, principally (a) precincts where many African Americans lived, and (b) precincts near colleges. I spoke to a young man who got on line at 11:30 am and voted at 7 p.m. When he left at 7 p.m., the line was about 150 voters longer than when he'd arrived, which meant those people were going to wait even longer. In fact they waited for as much as 10 hours, and their voting was concluded at about 3 a.m. The reason this occurred was that they had 1 voting station per 1000 voters, while the adjacent precinct had 1 voting station per 184. Both precincts were within the same county, and managed by the same county board of elections. The difference between them is that the privileged polling place was in a rural, solidly republican, area, while the one with long lines was in the college town of Gambier, OH. Lines of 4 and 5 hours were the order of the day in many African-American neighborhoods.

Touch screen voting machines in Youngstown OH were registering "George W. Bush" when people pressed "John F. Kerry" ALL DAY LONG. This was reported immediately after the polls opened, and reported over and over again throughout the day, and yet the bogus machines were inexplicably kept in use THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

Countless other frauds occurred, such as postcards advising people of incorrect polling places, registered Democrats not receiving absentee ballots, duly registered young voters being forced to file provisional ballots even though their names and signatures appeared in the voting rolls, longtime active voting registered voters being told they weren't registered, bad faith challenges by Republican "challengers" in Democratic precincts, and on and on and on.

I was very proud of the way so many Ohioans fought so valiantly for their right to vote, and would not be turned away. Many, however, could not spend the entire day and were afraid of losing their jobs, due to the severe economic depression hitting Ohio.

I do not understand why Kerry conceded and did not fight to ensure that all Ohioans would have a chance to vote, and for their vote to be counted.

MY NOTE: There are many, many similar reports of fraud committed by Republicans throughout the country. The exit polls showing a Kerry victory were RIGHT! The election WAS stolen AGAIN! The question is: What are we going to do about it this time? For one, we have to keep seeking the truth on this election and exposing the Republicans' dirty deeds. We can't continue to let them get away with this. The only way this will stop is if we expose their dirty deeds to the light of day. Even though these machines leave no paper trail it may be possible that the votes would still be on the hard drives or other storage devices.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: America, Two State Solution

Dear Family and Friends,

The biggest divider of the U.S. since slavery has again used dubious elections to retain power. And I'm being told to get over it and move on. Get over what? The Bill of Rights? A record deficit? Lies that lead to wanton war with more violence to come?

Who do you think I am? I have no allegiance to war profiteers, fear mongers and the global elite. I pledge my allegiance to America, the home of the brave and bitterly disappointed who will continue to demand liberty and justice for all the global wretches because I wish the same for me and my own.

But what's your story? Where are you coming from? After 9-11 the whole wide world stood still for us. It was the most moving sight I'd ever seen. Cameras showed traffic coming to a halt, people standing outside their cars, outside cafes, gathered in parks and at our embassies, tears streaming down their faces, in Britain, Saudi Arabia, Russia, France, in Germany, in Spain. All over the globe a worldwide moment of silence for a grieving America.

Didn't you see this? Didn't it matter? Am I just a sap?

I am intractably baffled. I see no bridge building here.

The only solution I see for this cross eyed vision of America is a Two State Solution. Why fool ourselves? Those Americans who believe in peace, a clean environment, the Bill of Rights, corporate accountability, good ol' basic human rights and the like, should not be at the mercy of schizophrenic Bush followers who believe in war with no reason, killing with no end and a bankrupted future for generations to come. I have no desire to join in
"heeling" to family and friends who voted for Bush because they weren't gonna vote for no damn liberal, because Teresa Heinz Kerry came off like a snob, because abortion is killing innocent life but 100,000 dead Iraqis don't matter and the lifetime of terror inflicted on orphaned children and widows carries no moral weight. Who IS your god?

Just where are you coming from? Oh never mind. I am wasting my time and yours. Back to the Two State Solution. It's a state of mind, mind you.

I can't physically leave. I am too attached. To our house and our home and our yard big and tree-filled enough to house a hawk and a screech owl and many a squirrel. But emotionally and spiritually I am gone from you. I have no energy to spend tip toeing around or playing nice. I am doing you a favor. I am protecting you from my self righteous rage against anyone, anyone who voted to maintain Bush and his criminal agenda.

So have a nice Thanksgiving. I never remember birthdays anyway. Don't consider visiting. I won't leave you alone. And I don't see myself crossing State lines anytime soon.

Sincerely,

Theresa
Houston, TX

Subject: Family Values Statistics

Being an oxymoron myself (that is to say I have strong moral values while being a gasp! DEMOCRAT), I decided to do a little research on family and divorce. Remember that slam against Kerry by Republicans that he is a liberal Democrat from Ma.? Well guess what? Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate of 2.4 per 100,000; and the great state of Idaho (mostly all Republican) has a rate of 5.6 and ranks 44th among all the states. So I ask just who is liberal? Is it the red state of Idaho or the blue state of Massachusetts? No, I am not condemning those who need a divorce in cases of abuse or alcoholism but we Democrats do not usually hold ourselves up as paragons of virtue, either, as do most Republicans. I am just fed up with all this hypocrisy.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Ohioans for Vote Recount?

Hello,

I am a concerned Ohio citizen, outraged by widespread reports of vote counting errors. Have you heard if there are any action groups coming together to demand a recount of all Ohio's votes? Or are we at the mercy of Secretary Ken Blackwell? Any information would be helpful.

Thank You,

S. Miller
Columbus, Ohio

[BuzzFlash Note: Another reader sent us the following: "...Stay in touch with CASE_OH@yahoogroups.com and http://www.caseohio.org/CaseOhio/. CASE Ohio is helping organize a public hearing this week regarding this year's election. It will be in Columbus, Ohio at a time a place TBD. Please consider attending. More information later."]

Subject: While you whine about election, Bushies horrifyingly moving ahead...

The State of Emergency in Iraq, declared by their government, which is the Bush government, means that they are now able to keep the press out, to keep information at a bare minimum, to kill everything that moves and do whatever they want without any accountability.

Thousands will die, nobody will ever find out, they will bulldoze their election through like they did in Afghanistan and will have another puppet government set up within 3 months.

Nobody, not even you, in the US paid any attention to how the election was prepped in Afghanistan. Karzai HAD to win, nobody even knew about the other candidates, the press belongs to the US. You may have many readers, but you - and they - are extremely naive and ignorant.

Don't you see what is happening? The Bush Administration could care less about your whining, they are screaming ahead as if you and your readers, 55 million voters and the rest of the world simply don't exist. They have a "MANDATE" a word which they will use like a bulldozer to mow down protest, criticism, civil rights, hospitals, houses, and human beings if they have to.

You have many readers and thus the power to give information that the mainstream media withholds. Don't lose sight of where you are going.

Rob

Subject: 40,000 more evangelicals voted for Kerry than for Clinton.

If 26% of Evangelical Christians voted for Kerry, that is a full percentage point more than voted for Clinton. If there are 4,000,000 Evangelical voters, and that number remained constant, then that is quite a chunk. That would mean 1,000,000 ( one million) Evangelicals voted for Clinton, and 1,040,000 voted for Kerry. So, 40,000 more Evangelicals voted for Kerry than they did Clinton. Why does Bush think he owns the Evangelical vote? Why do people believe the media spin? What has Bush done to turn repel 40,0000 MORE Evangelicals? That is the question I would ask of anyone thinking Bush has the "Christian vote."

Clarkie 4 Kerry

Subject: 8 more years?

Have you thought that this Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage might have another unforeseen consequence?

If the Bush Administration can pass this, why couldn't they also revoke the one banning the President from serving more than two terms?

Mike Curtis
Greenbrier, Ark

[BuzzFlash Note: Scary, if this is just a practice run for the rest of their wish list.]

Subject: Photo of Joe McGinnis selling touch screen system in Ohio

He's the ES&S "former" employee who was manning the tabulation computer on election night in Ohio, against protocol. This photo is from August 2003. When and why did Joe become a "former" employee. By the way, a Dan McGinnis was the VP of Business Records Corporation before it merged into ES&S. Any relation I wonder?

http://www.photoj.com/archive2/080703a.html

Regards,
BC

Subject: From today, resolve to be a constant thorn in their sides every hour of the day

Dear Buzz,

Whatever Karl Rove and Grover Norquist and all the other right-wing Christian and Straussian fascists have been doing, they have done it brilliantly. Call me slow, but I just figured out something.

These so-called people now control the following:

the means of communication (the media)

all branches of government

the entrenched political process

the voting process, quite literally. (They have worked it out so that exit polls will be permanently inaccurate.)

The various critiques of the loss of this election all have important elements of truth in them. We need to communicate more clearly, we need to reclaim the language of moral and political discourse, we need to field more candidates, we need to keep organizing, speaking, yelling, pointing out the dangerous criminality of these people.

But, because THEY control everything, including the production of meaning, we will ultimately be forced to engage in massive, persistent, long-term civil disobedience. We have to withdraw our money, inasmuch as we can, from the corporations that fund the Bush junta. This will be hard, because the mission of the military-industrial complex and the so-called U.S. government are identical, and their infrastructures are intertwined.

There are two things that will help us all. Even though I am extremely angry at the Christian right, I do distinguish the followers from the leaders. The followers are participating in screwing themselves on the pretext of religion. They will continue to listen to their leaders until objective reality comes crashing down on them. By objective reality, I mean the systematic deterioration of their lives and the descent into crushing poverty (because that is what the Bush economic policies will do). We have to try very hard to reach out to them and let them know that we have no intention of interfering with their moral and religious lives, but want to talk to them about structural economic issues.

I don't mean to be over dramatic, but in four years we are not going to succeed if we believe that the other side will play fairly. They have been assaulting our political system and our whole way of life, guerilla-style, for 25 years. They are now in power. Now we have to become the dissenters and protestors, just as we did in the sixties.

Leslie in Boston

Subject: My answers to the DNC feedback form: If they don't want the truth, they shouldn't ask the questions

1. How did you participate in this election?

Mostly by writing or protesting because I don't have any money.

2. Is this the first time you participated in election activism?

No, I was on the way back from Miami, with the Houston NAACP, when they gave the election to Bush. I have picketed in various places, including DC, Crawford, OKC, Houston and had an Austin police officer spit at me from his horse in April, 2001. I was active in some before that.

3. How would you like to continue to stay involved? (Volunteering, phone banking, fundraising, local organizing, etc.)

I won't do a damn thing for the DNC or any organization that gives up before the votes are counted and when thousands were disenfranchised again. Not one thing was improved since 2000, except Michael Moore had cameras in some places. You guys did the same thing you did in 2000, you just did it before any of us could do anything. This time there will be more people upset. A lot of people thought Bush was a uniter and now they know he isn't and doesn't plan to be.

4. Did you feel the actions you took were effective?

I think I may have increased the number advocating for change. I don't feel guilty because I think I did all I could and was sold down the river by the DLC. I don't care if it is Hillary Clinton, I will have difficulty backing a DLC member.

5. Was it a good experience for you?

It was 104 in Crawford and that wasn't a good experience. There was sleet and snow protesting the first inaugural in OKC and that wasn't pleasant. Being spat at was no picnic. Protesting the war with people calling me unpatriotic was not good. Being proved correct on WMD's and the reasons for the war hasn't brought one apology for being called a traitor. Having 1100 guys and 100,000 Iraqis killed hasn't been edifying. Any more stupid questions? Was it good for you being raped by the Neo-cons?

6. How would you make it better?

I would tell the undecided voters who are just attention-starved junkies to take a long walk off a short pier. I would fire every TV news anchor on the planet for being the lapdogs instead of watchdogs of society. I would actually put the lives of our kids ahead of the blessed corporate buck. Or maybe I will just stay quiet and claim to be un-decided and get into as many Bush campaign events as I can just to call him the butcher of his kid's generation and the bankrupter of his grandkid's generation. He isn't a fiscal conservative, he is a fiscal disaster.

7. Please share other thoughts and comments you have about the 2004 election and what Democrats and the Democratic Party should do going forward.

Stop expecting the GOP to follow the golden rule. They never have and never will. You can treat them the way you want to be treated, with respect, and they will continue to think you are as naive as a newborn babe.

If you ask me for one thin dime so you can screw me again, forget it.

Karen Webb
Moore, Ok

Subject: Something to Think About...

At the end of October, I was flying high with optimism. Kerry would win, and the last 4 years would simply be an awful, horrible nightmare that we finally woke up from. Since Tuesday, I've had the feeling we were all in a Twilight Zone episode where we wake up from the horrible nightmare only to find reality is much more horrific.

And so, my depression began. And the progression through the stages of grief. I've read about possible voting fraud, laughed maniacally at Bush and his people's claim of a "wide victory" and a mandate. And I've come to accept it, finally. He's President. He won. No court stepped in, if there were voting irregularities, there wasn't enough to make the tide turn to Kerry.

But here's the thing: He won, his party won, because of one simple fact: we scared the HOLY HELL outta them. They saw how organized we got, they saw the tide turning. They knew they would lose. They got so scared, they scrambled and organized (in that brutally efficient way they've got) and convinced (frightened) enough people to get out there and vote for them. And he eked out a win. Barely.

And that's what we have to take from this election: We SCARED these guys. We were never more organized, more tenacious, more serious, more determined in our lives. They saw it. They recognized it and were THREATENED by it. Take heart in this! Continue with this! Take what we learned, and what we did (and nearly everything we did, WORKED--don't forget that--a record number of voters voted AGAINST Bush--we did something right!) and build on it! We have two years to take control back in the Legislative Branch of our Government. Let's stand on the shoulders of those who worked so hard these past 4 years and continue the work, take it to the next levels. If we do that, we will win in 2006, we will win in 2008, and we will continue to win every election!

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Latino Votescam carries Bush to "Victory"

At around 6pm Election Nigh t,CNN released Exit polls showing that Mr. Kerry had made inroads against Gang Bush in the Cuban Latino Community in Florida, a key voting bloc in the Sunshine state. He was was also outperforming Mr. Gore's showing among non-Cuban Latinos in Florida. (The story was posted on Raw Story.com.) This accounted for much of the Kerry lead in Florida, as measured by the Consortium Exit Pollsters. One polling wave would place Kerry at 53%, another at 50% and then back back to 53% and so forth.

Kerry's final result: a paltry 47%. We are now being told that a silent, very silent, "Morality Renaissance" suddenly leaped into the breasts of the the heavily Catholic Hispanic Community in Florida and elsewhere. Well, the despicable Bush league Media would have you believe that. Before the election no such "Morality Renaissance" was discernable: Witness this Washington Post Poll of Latino Voters.

Note:The Post/ABC tracking poll was not Kerry-friendly in the slightest:

Kerry Has Strong Advantage Among Latino Voters: Majority of Hispanics Surveyed Disapprove of Bush's Handling of Economy and Iraq War (Washington Post, Thursday, July 22, 2004)

Well those same Kerry friendly Latino Exits were "adjusted" at 6 am EDT, the following morning. The consortium faced a dilemma: 1) either change their numbers to accommodate massive vote fraud or 2) stand by them and, in effect, accuse the President of the United States of stealing yet another election.

They chose the easy road and bowed to the powers that be. So what happened to the Exit polls showing Kerry doing better than Gore among Hispanics? They were "adjusted." Nationwide, Gang Bush gained 9% over his 2000 showing, with Bush "poll vaulting" from 35% to 44% while Kerry plummeted to a bare majority among Hispanics, 53% down 10% from the vote totals garnered by that King of Charisma, Al Gore.

Did anyone in Florida see a lot of old Hispanic ladies marching to the polls chanting "Hail Mary, full of Bush," clutching rosary beads in hand and crucifix on chest? Must be very shy folks.

Brad F.

Subject: Exit Polls

Aloha and thank you for your excellent site.

I am wondering why the exit polls were deemed accurate in reflecting voter issues such as moral values but could not be trusted to forecast for whom folks were voting. How can both be accurate? Please explain this to me. I fear the election was stolen via the black boxes...

Aloha and thanks again!

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Re: Another Piece of the GOP Ohio Election Theft Puzzle?

Greetings,

Jonathan Swift also said, "You do not reason a man out of an opinion that he was not reasoned into." And Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, "Every man is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts."

Dirty tricks? Actions beneath contempt? We need a whole new lexicon to plumb the depths to which some Republicans will go to achieve their ends. And these are the "moral, God-fearing, patriots" we should welcome?

When things get bad enough that Joe Sixpack realizes he's been had in a big way, we might see some changes. When the squeeze on states, counties, townships and school districts becomes unendurable we may see a popular uprising against the saltimbanques now running our government. I'll hold my fire and keep my powder dry until the day arrives that calls me into the streets to protest the hijacking of my great country.

Meantime, I will continue to support the organizations like this one that bring the truth to the American people.

Jack Eilar in Michigan

Subject: (as sent to major media outlets) lots of tape:):):):)

BUSH CONSIDERS CLARENCE THOMAS FOR CHIEF JUSTICE

great for comedy shows and pubic hair jokes......lots of tape!:):):):):)

does he hang with o'reilly? :):):)

A BuzzFlash Reader

[BuzzFlash Note: The Drudge Report is circulating this awful rumor...hope it's not true.]

Subject: The Switcheroo Has Begun

As per the Republican strategy laid out in Thomas Frank's mandatory "What's The Matter With Kansas?" the Bush administration has already begun the shift from its "values" sales pitch to giving the economic shaft to middle America. Take the following line from an AP story covering Rove's views on the election outcome:

"Rove played down the importance to the campaign of "moral values," which exit polls last Tuesday unexpectedly identified as a major consideration of many voters, especially those who voted for Bush."

Kerry's Votes Key to Bush Win, Rove Says (AP/Yahoo)

I expect to see some window-dressing cultural issue action out of the white house, but they'll waste no time with deregulation, outsourcing, centralization, and the shifting of the tax burden from wealth to work. You can see it happening before your very eyes.

Matt J.

Subject: clarence thomas for chief-ugh

drudge is reporting that bush's favorite pick for rehnquist job is clarence thomas. is this a bad joke on the democrats or what. that should unify all the democrats-even more against bush. I cannot believe anyone could possible think this guy has done a good job. he sits there like a stone and it is oblivious he has his mind made up before he hears the arguments. egad it just gets worse fast!!!

Henry

Subject: Rove's "deft" strategy?

That's how Rove's "dissembling" strategy is described here:

Kerry's Votes Key to Bush Win, Rove Says (AP/Yahoo)

The article goes on to quote Rove as saying Bush's 51-49 victory--I repeat, FIFTY-ONE TO FORTY-NINE--is proof of the country's Republican drift! This is more face-saving drivel from the operative who's made a career of electing candidates with razor-thin margins, on the belief that a win by 1 point is still a win.

The problem is there is no clear mandate to govern, just fractiousness, hostility, and embittered feeling. Oh well, on to the next election!

There's a side note at the end wherein Rove indicates his heart just aches for the poor tailor whose reputation and sense of self-worth have been damaged by rumors surrounding the bulge on Bush's back. "The poor tailor ... he's an awfully nice fellow, he's a rather flamboyant dude," Rove said. "I'm not going to use his name, but he's just — he's horrified. And, you know, it's — there was nothing there."

Gee, Karl, you feel these unfair attacks against fellow travelers so deeply, how you must writhe when
you recall circulating the lies in push-polling about McCain's illegitimate black child and his wife's
drug-addiction, to say nothing of trashing the record of decorated war heroes like Kerry!

Cory Hinman
Ann Arbor, MI

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE NOVEMBER 9, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG.