November 30, 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: Senator Reid . . .

BuzzFlash,

Well, the Republicans "Daschled Daschle," that is why they keep throwing this up to the Democrats. I myself sent many BuzzFlash cards to Democrats asking them to "fire" Daschle a long time ago. If Daschle had separated himself from the Republicans, he would have stood out of the crowd, but he followed the Republicans around trying to please them. How many time does this have to happen before these people in the DC bubble get it?

The threat of being "Daschled" should be coming from the grassroots, because from what I've read, Reid is a carbon copy of Daschle and we don't need anyone else kissing Bush's ass and bringing him coffee in the mornings.

This is so damn maddening and frustrating. If these Democrats would only behave like Democrats, and if they can't, then join the goddamn Republican Party and work their ass for them instead of crippling the Democratic Party. I can hear Bush laughing, snorting, and sneering every time a Democrat sucks up to him. Anyone who doesn't understand what this administration has done already to this nation should get the hell out of the Democratic Party.

We cannot aid and abet any Party who lied this nation into a war and is responsible for over 100,000 deaths . . . and that is just the beginning of what this criminal administration has done. If these Democrats can't stand the heat, then they should lay down and quit.

Just an opinion,

Thanks BuzzFlash,

Shirley Smith

Subject: Re: Farrell's Election Angst Update: Clark Kent Vs the Media Wimps

Another breath of fresh air and honesty in reporting about the media's dismissive response to the voting anomalies/fraud stories.

Thanks to Maureen Farrell for highlighting Olbermann's simple, humble reporting of the election anomalies, as well as Chris Matthews', Peter Jennings' and others' arrogant refusal to learn of it. I once read righteous indignation was a necessary component of a good reporter's personality. Must have been the old days.

Wish BuzzFlash.com arrived in my email daily, as it once did, to easily catch Farrell's articles regularly, but have been deprived of this pleasure after trying many times and ways. This article arrived via MediaChannel.org's Media Savvy. Could be the new Spyware I'm using?

Sincerely,
Toni Marshall

Subject: voting

In the event that the balls in America are only good to decorate Christmas trees, there is a two year span for the next election...we should all let those seeking a political office that there is no way in hell we would bother to go to the booth UNLESS we get a numbered receipt. That we will not even contribute Monopoly money for their campaign...maybe that will work.

America please, please, please WAKE UP before it's too late.

Jocelyn
Miami, Florida

Subject: Bush's Open Fly

In the photo of pResident Dufus and world leaders...Bush's fly is clearly opened...with white shorts on display. His fundamentalist followers will see this as the mark of god's purity, a stigmata of the Virgin, a sign of the Rapture, or some other such nonsense rather than the fact that their monkey doesn't have the brains to check his zipper before an important photo op. Par for the "coarse" from the family that, literally, throws up on world leaders.

Suzanne
San Francisco

Subject: No Subject

let us learn from the Ukrainian people.... amass people to protest our recent election...get the word out for apathetic americans to assemble outside the whitehouse, and refuse to leave until the election is properly verified. until people like Bev Harris can tell us that Kerry flat out lost- because the exit polls - the very thing that the Ukrainian people use as evidence- did not have Bush winning Ohio.

Devin Meyers

Subject: election fraud

Sen Richard Lugar denounced "a concerted and forceful program of election-day fraud and abuse" and called on leaders "to review all of this and take decisive action in the best interests of the country." Right on, Senator! Oh wait, he was talking about the Ukraine. Sure sounds like the US to me.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Ohio article

Hi, BuzzFlash,

I just read the article from your site where an election official said challengers might be subject to prosecution for making frivolous claims.

The dispute was in Lake County. Isn't that the county where bogus letters went out to registered voters telling them that if ACT, Kerry and other Democratic groups registered them, then their registrations were illegal? You had the letter linked on your site.

If so, maybe you should do a repost next to the article? Here's the link to the article I'm referring to: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsidnews...

Sincerely,
Cathy Vance

Subject: Compare Bush to Clinton!

How can Bush be a "statesman" or a "dignitary" when he chickens out of city tours, out of state dinners and out of addressing Parliaments? What a stark difference JUST IN THIS, between Clinton and the
CHICKENHAWK-in-chief.

Some leader! Holed up in a colonial stronghold guarded by 15,000 troops, and battleships and submarines and warplanes! Searching a poor ice cream vendor three times and then STILL cowering inside, afraid to tour the town! Skipping a state dinner, why? Afraid some knife-thrower would disguise himself as a waiter? Be sure to ask ALL your Republican friends if they are proud of being "represented" this way.

Colombia Deploys 15,000 Troops for Bush (AP/Yahoo)

R.M.

Subject: Shane Kielion

Dear Buzz,

What a sad day today, the day before Thanksgiving, Cpl Shane Kielion was buried after losing his life in Iraq, where he died Nov. 15th.  The day he died, his son Shane Kielion Jr was born.

I think to myself what a waste. People that lined the route from the church to the cemetery commented on what a nice person he was, and that he died for our freedom. ..... Our Freedom??? I don't get it. Yes, he paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life, but he died in a war not for OUR freedom, but a war based on lies! Sure, we can stand and wave our flags, but that doesn't change the fact that this pResident and all who
voted for Bush now have the blood on their hands of all who have died in this horrible war.

I sympathize with all who have lost a son, daughter, father, mother, friend in Iraq, and even though I will never know the pain that they suffer, my heart is heavy in wondering how many more will lose their lives not based on OUR freedom, but on the whims of a moron who never had to fight for anything!

They say 'what goes around, comes around.' One day, he might suffer, too. I only hope God will keep those who are still in Iraq in HIS care, and guide them safely home to their families.

A Loyal Buzz Fan Forever!

Sharon Carlton
Bellevue, Nebraska

Subject: Some important facts about the 2004 election

1. Based on the full set of the 4 p.m. election day exit poll data, Dr. Stephen F. Freeman from the University of Pennsylvania calculated that "the odds of just three of the major swing states, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania all swinging as far as they did against their respective exit polls were 250 million to one."

2. The University of California's Berkeley Quantitative Methods Research Team released a statistical study - the sole method available to monitor the accuracy of e-voting -reporting irregularities associated with
electronic voting machines may have awarded 130,000 to 260,000 or more excess votes to President Bush in Florida. The official tally shows Bush with 380,978 more votes than Kerry. The three counties where the voting anomalies were most prevalent were also the most heavily Democratic: Broward, Palm Beach
and Miami-Dade, respectively. The study shows an unexplained discrepancy between votes for President Bush in counties where electronic voting machines were used versus counties using traditional voting methods, what the team says can be deemed a "smoke alarm." The probability of this arising by
chance, they say, is less than 0.1 percent.

3. Pursuant to a request by independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader, votes in some New Hampshire towns are being recounted. An analysis showed wide differences in voting trends between the 2000 and 2004 elections: about three quarters of precincts with severe changes used Diebold optical scanning machines.

4. John Zogby, president of the polling firm Zogby International, is concerned about the difference between some of the exit polls and the official vote counts. "We're talking about the Free World here," he
told the Inter Press Service News Agency. "Something is definitely wrong."

5. All the electronic voting errors benefited Bush. None benefited Kerry. And all the exit poll data shifted in Bush’s favor, none to Kerry’s:

New Hampshire: Exit polls: Kerry by 10, Result: Kerry by 1. Bush gains 9 points

Iowa: Exit polls: Kerry by 1-2, Result: Bush by 2. Bush gains 3-4 points

Wisconsin: Exit polls: Kerry by 5, Result: Kerry by 1. Bush gains 4 points

New Mexico: Exit polls: Kerry by 1-2, Result: Bush by 1. Bush gains 2-3 points

Michigan: Exit polls: Kerry by 4-6, Result: Kerry by 1. Bush gains 3-5 points

Minnesota: Exit polls: Kerry by 6-8, Result: Kerry by 3. Bush gains 3-6 points

West Virginia: Exit polls: Bush by 9, Result: Bush by 13. Bush gains 4 points

Nevada: Exit polls: Kerry by 1, Result: Bush by 3. Bush gains 4 points

Pennsylvania: Exit polls: Kerry by 7 Result: Kerry by 2. Bush gains 5 points

Ohio: Exit polls: Kerry by 4, Result: Bush by 2. Bush gains 6 points

North Carolina: Exit polls: Bush by 4 Result: Bush by 8. Bush gains 4 points

Florida: Exit polls: Kerry by 2, Result: Bush by 5. Bush gains 7 points

This is not conspiracy; this is fact. By ignoring these problems, by casting aside the deeper nature of our election in favor of gross inadequacies and half-truths, you have decided to turn your back on democracy. I’m afraid history will not remember you well.

Sincerely,

Roger Thomas
Basking Ridge, NJ

Subject: A Stolen Election; and 50,000 more troops to Iraq

Buzzflash, 11/23

Three weeks after the election and the news gets more devastating by the hour. Good thing we have BuzzFlash. The 11/23 Mailbag is full of great ideas to demand media coverage of the stolen election 2004. We should make this issue our collective priority in the twenty days until the Electoral College votes on Monday, December 13. We should follow the advice of R. Levin from St. Louis who asks us all to contact our local newspapers & the NY Times and tell them we will immediately cancel our subscriptions if they continue to ignore the election fraud issue.

This is a brilliant idea. We can force the media to cover this story. If we don't, we can kiss our democracy goodbye. Tell everyone you know, and then cancel your paper.

We must also take immediate action to stop Bush's War. McCain says we need 50,000 more troops in Iraq. Who among us does not think this is part of Bush's master plan? We must stop the Bush Cartel from
escalating this disastrous war with more American troops. Think of ways to make this happen and spread the word through the BuzzFlash Mailbag.

Best wishes to all.

Judy Munro-Leighton

Subject: my religion has also been hi-jacked

It always seems to me that the right-wingers (republicans) in the US are very ironic....

They are religious (Christians, supposedly). But they are also Darwinists because they believe the poor
deserve their fate since they are lazy. Even though it is clearly written in the Bible that Jesus explicitly rejected power and riches of this world to suffer the life of a poor and weak person (Luke
chapter4).

In many ways, these right-wingers have created a new religion in their own heads where Jesus is American,
owns a gun, invariably a republican, and drives a SUV (probably has a million dollar mansion in Texas with a
baseball team too).

The unholy alliance of US power (economic + military) with this new brand of religion is actually what Christ rejected. Jesus wasn't interested in these material worldly things, He was/is here on earth to save people...people's souls.

I think the right-wingers are just plain scared: While on earth, they become very greedy because of their Darwinist views, hoarding money or use whatever means (including wars) to sustain their lifestyle of
consumptionism.

At the same time, they are afraid the fires of hell and want to be in Heaven when they pass from this
world--but their sin is for not being merciful to the poor and the less fortunate.

If Jesus were on earth today and says what He says in the Bible, the republicans would nail Him to the
cross....

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Tim 6:10)

"For all who draw the sword shall die by the sword" (Matt 26:52)

"Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 7:21)

"it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God" (Matt 19:24)

"Blessed are the peacemakers for for they shall be called sons of God" (Matt 5:9)

"Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt 5:5)

Jim K.

Subject: That a memo is forged does not necessarily prove that its contents is false

As computer programmers we spend a fair amount of time “debugging” code, i.e. stepping through the fine points of a process in order to get it to actually work. Logical analysis requires testing assumptions and teasing out the fine differences between what you think might happen or should happen from what actually happens. This view point of “set theory,” or “proven math” sometimes enables me to spot glaring flaws where others seem able to blithely sail past unconcerned. Sometimes it even helps me spot and appreciate quite masterful deceptions.

That a memo is forged does not necessarily prove that its contents is false. Complicated, obscure, but ultimately true, and an example of the kind of assumption that can get you in trouble while stepping through programming logic. Obviously, it seems to make sense that if a memo is forged its contents should be false. Why else would someone bother to forge a memo? Why would someone forge a memo the contents of which is true?

Perhaps the answer to why someone would forge a memo whose content is true lies in the statement that it is natural to assume that if a memo is forged its contents must be false. If you wanted to discredit a true fact, print it in a memo which can be shown to be forged. Technically speaking, the corollary, or equally true inverse of the statement, “If a memo is forged one naturally would assume its contents is false” is: “therefore if you want to discredit a true statement place it in a forged memo.”

The vast majority of the viewing public can be expected to fall for such a ploy at face value and not carry the chain of reasoning required to uncover any possible layers of complication any further. The only telltale clue that something might be amiss is the pesky detail that the contents of the forged memo does happen to be true. That minor little exception forces a very few to carry this to the next level.

Here it gets even more convoluted. An explanation is required for the paradox of a forged memo whose content appears to be true. This is where one’s a priori pre-determined political views can lead people to opposite conclusions. Some will assume that whoever forged the memo had to be so desperate to obtain physical documentation of what they suspected to be true but were otherwise unable to prove that they would create a false memo in order to obtain tangible although fake evidence. Others will see this explanation as a bit of a reach and site the argument noted above and suspect that someone was attempting to take advantage of the logical assumption that a memo shown to be forged should therefore contain false information and thus was attempting to discredit the truth.

One of the laws of logical analysis is called Oscam’s Razor, which states that the more convoluted the explanation, the less likely that it is correct. It may seem intuitive that whoever forged the memo, if the contents of the memo are damaging to someone, must be trying to discredit that person. But a quick count of the number of flips of logic required for that intuition begins to reveal how cumbersome it really is. It’s intuitive to assume that planets all circle around the earth, but graphing out a Ptolemaic sky chart requires numerous wheels within wheels. For those who can see it, the simple explanation shines through like when one of those hidden pattern pictures comes into focus. And there is a certain elegant beauty in such a deception. One almost has to have an Oceans Eleven kind of respect for its suave cat burglar quality. Admittedly, the ability to ferret out such a devious plot is almost embarrassing in itself because it implies the capacity to imagine such diabolical intent. But figuring out the con and actually committing the crime are still two separate acts. Who would be so devious to actually create such a memo?

Who could be so ruthless to stoop so low? Perpetrating such a deceit would be like exposing an undercover CIA operator just to extract revenge on her husband. It would be like announcing you discovered a listening device in your office and not mentioning that it was later found not to be leading anywhere. It would be like suggesting that someone who adopted a child from India had fathered a negro baby out of wedlock. It would be like starting a whispering campaign that a grandmother is a lesbian… And creating the counterfeit memo is just a small part of the beauty of this scam. Think how artfully it was marketed, so that if one media outlet didn’t rush it out quickly enough they feared another would scoop them, and then in the same news cycle to have all the other media outlets reporting anonymous blog websites questioning the authenticity. You’ve got to admire on a purely technical level the execution. Dan Rather had survived many a mighty storm, but this time he’s met his match.

Curtis R.

Subject: republican congressman peter king(NY) on election day

Republican congressman peter king(NY) on election day

King: "It's already over. The election's over. We won."

off-camera Reporter: "How do you know that?"

King: "It's all over but the counting. And we'll take care of the counting."

Here's that video:Watch this footage of Republican Congressman Peter King Predicting the Outcome!

King's website: http://www.house.gov/king/

J.B.G.

Subject: exit polls funded in the Ukraine by the United States

"The Yanukovych campaign said the exit polls, which were funded in the Ukraine by the United States and other Western countries, and the demonstration were a calculated effort to preempt the official result 11/25"

Partial Vote Results Show a Tight Race In Ukraine Runoff (Washington Post)

That may very well be true. The US also funded the wildly inaccurate exit polls in Venezuela that showed Chaves losing 2-1 as well. The money usually is funneled by congress to the Republican Institute... which also had a hand in the mischief in Haiti.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: to the un and the media

since our government won't recognize the winner in the ukrainian election because they say there was fraud...................
then why do other countries have to recognize ours as legitimate? we know there was rampant fraud here and no paper trail in many places!

diane anderson
miami fl

Subject: right wing "don't hire a Democrat" spiel

A good friend told me that he had heard on some ultra-conservative talk show - he didn't leave it on very long and didn't identify the host, although it would undoubtedly be a prominent mouth, since the air time was around 12:30 CST - that in the host's opinion, businesses shouldn't even consider hiring Democrats, period. It was so banal he understandably turned it off.

Now, I'm the last person who would say that this host shouldn't be allowed to say such insane things - the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and therefore gives any lunatic the right to rant as he or she pleases. Never mind that this person and his listeners would probably love to censor anything the left said and think they were being
fair and God sanctioned. However, thanks to that same amendment, I can respond, at least for now, without fear of some CIA agent hauling me in for questioning.

First, to even think that it's okay to discriminate against a person based on their politics in a hiring situation is more proof of the hate and intolerance the far right possesses, regardless of their denials of such emotions and their claim to want to "unite" the country.
Unite, my ass. Good luck finding work yourself if almost half the workers in the country were fired because they didn't vote for Generalissimo Bush. And shame on anybody so brainwashed and gullible that they would agree with such an obvious mental case. I feel there is a number of Bush voters out there who didn't subscribe to the ultra-far right ideologies, but were not impressed with Kerry who will not allow themselves to be party to this extreme wing of the Republicans. Let's hope that the more sensible Republicans out
there know when enough is enough, and I see some GOP lawmakers already bucking up to the Bush cartel. Good for them.

In addition, the readers should also check out the superb novel from Margaret Atwood "A Handmaid's Tale," which describes in frightening detail what a nation totally immersed in religious fervor could be like. It ain't pretty.

Scott
Fayetteville AR

Subject: Ohio Recount Timeline

To win the 2004 election, the only hope for John Kerry is to win the Ohio recount. The following 9 bulleted points spell out the web of Catch 22's that prevent the recount from taking place in a timely way. The final point is the silver bullet -- trying to get Kerry himself to join the effort.

* The recount needs to be completed before the Electoral College votes on Monday, December 13 to have an effect on the outcome.

* The slate of Democratic or Republican electors will be selected on Monday, December 6. Even if Kerry wins the recount and it's completed before December 13, if Republican electors are selected on December 6, they are not required to vote for him on December 13.

* The recount request cannot be received until the first round of voting is certified. That will probably occur on Wednesday, December 1. (This appears to be a delay tactic by the Republican Secretary of State. It could be completed sooner, but probably will not.)

* After the recount request is officially received, it takes 5 days for the recount to begin. That brings us to December 6. (This could be expedited, but probably will not.)

* The recount then takes (up to) 10 days. That can take until December 16, three days after the Electoral College has already voted.

* The Green and Libertarian Party candidates have requested a recount. They understand that the recount must begin by Thursday, December 2 for it to be completed before the electoral college votes, and it [would have had to] begin by Sunday November 26 for it to be completed before the slate of electors is chosen. So they took legal action requesting that the recount begin asap.

* U.S. District Judge James Carr on Tuesday (11/23) denied their request, saying that since these twp candidates do not have "even a remote chance" of winning the recount, the parties will not be harmed irreparably if the recount is not completed before the state's 20 electoral votes are formally handed to President Bush on Dec. 13 when the Ohio Electoral College meets.

* The only way to turn this around is if the spoiled (uncounted) and provisional ballots swing the election to Kerry and if the recount occurs in a timely way. For that to happen, it appears that Sen. John Kerry needs to join the Green/Libertarian legal action, so that the courts cannot deny "irreparable harm" if the recount is not completed on time.

* Kerry is obviously thinking about his 2008 Presidential candidacy and doesn't want to look stupid in the eyes of his centrist base. How can he be convinced in the coming hours and days to sign on to this legal action without feeling like he's joined the marginalized progressives?

Arnold

Subject: One Gulp

I read on APJ that Bush said "one gulp and we are gone." That was at the Clinton Library ceremony. Question - is a gulp the same thing as a Chug-a-lug?

Bill D.

Subject: Billy Graham denies "turnaround" meeting with Bush took place

Thank's kinda hoa I'm reading it--what do you think?

Friday night at the Rose Bowl, more than 2,000 people came forward to
accept Rev. Graham's invitation to turn over their lives to Jesus
Christ.

That's something the current president says he did during a now-famous
talk with Billy Graham, at a time when drinking and carousing
threatened to lead George W. Bush astray. It’s an encounter that gets
an interesting reaction when Rev. Graham is asked about it now.

"I've heard others say that, and people have written it, but I cannot
say that," he says. "I was with him and I used to teach the Bible at
Kennebunkport to the Bush family when he was a younger man, but I never
feel that I in any way turned his life around."

Rev. Billy Graham, still crusading at 86 (msnbc)

 Cheryl G.

[BuzzFlash Note: Yep, it sounds like "myth-making" spin to us.]

Subject: Hypocrite of the week

Dear BuzzFlash,

I would like to nominate Laura Bush as the BUZZFLASH HYPOCRITE OF THE WEEK for her quote in the USA news(sic)paper on Wednesday the 24th. She wrote,

I am especially thankful for the brave men and women of the United States armed forces who, throughout our country's history, have sacrificed so much to safeguard our freedoms and share them with others.

To Laura I say, "Don't forget to say thanks to your husband who dodged service by getting into the easiest unit of the national Guard and then went AWOL (or deserted depending how you look at it)." She added,

I hope that, however you mark the holiday, you will stop to celebrate the gift of life and give thanks for living in America.

Go over to Iraq and try to celebrate the gift of life there. Thanks to your deserting husband, over an estimated 100,000 Iraqis will not be able to celebrate life.

CWC (Concerned World Citizen)

Subject: woman journalists

This note is to thank you for trying to keep us informed and sane during this trying times, and at the same time congratulate and honor all the woman journalists that appear to have more courage and dignity than their male counterparts.

I salute Helen Thomas, Katrina van den Heuvel, Molly Ivins, Amy Goodman, Maureen Dowd, Maureen Farrell, Norma Sherry...and of course, how can we not mention our own, Barbara, in her daily minutes.

Women do ask the real hardball questions and are not afraid of the consequences...they are a few that understand the importance of reporting the truth regardless of how painful it could be and how to demand some accountability. God bless them all.

Jocelyn
Miami, Florida

Subject: Yale and Bush and Me

I'm sitting here on Thanksgiving, still wondering how things have gone so horrendously wrong in this country that I love. I mean, I went to school with these assholes -- the John Ashcrofts, the Dick Cheneys, the George W. Bushes. They were Bozos then and they're bozos now, but incredibly, these bozos are in power.

I went to Yale on scholarship (my father sold tools in Pittsburgh) and I was the first in the family to go to college. I don't know about Ashcroft and Cheney, but they may have been the beneficiaries of scholarships, as well. Cheney certainly didn't do much with his, as he managed to flunk out not once, but twice. A difficult stunt, even then.

Ashcroft did manage to graduate, but I don't recall, with much distinction. Most of us thought that he was destined to lead an evangelical youth camp, not lose to a dead man in a senatorial race. Or, needless to say, become an attorney general bent on destroying our patriotic or constitutional rights.

As for George W. Bush, the absolute only way that he ever got into Yale was because his father and his grandfather before him graduated from Yale. They may have deserved it. He certainly did not. This was a true, verifiable case of affirmative action (which I know he is against), as is, improbably, the also notably mediocre Clarence Thomas.

George W. Bush, unfortunately, will always be a mediocre mind. What is truly tragic is that he is a terrible and stupid president.

Best wishes for our country,

David Wyles
Venice, CA

Subject: Step aside, recuse yourself

Mr. Blackwell,

If we are ever to have closure on the voter tabulation corruption in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina (to name but a few of the troubled spots), it is imperative that fair and impartial recounts and investigations take place. I don't believe that's possible with persons such as yourself calling the shots. You bring partisanship to a new
high (low?).

Please do the right thing and step aside lest you're forced to find "the paper to be too thin" once again.

Respectfully,

C. Robert Holloway, Senior, Veteran
New Orleans, LA, West Hollywood, CA

Subject: The Elections in the Ukraine

Dear BuzzFlash,

I'm a reader of your news on your web site and thanks for your reports that are often very informative and help to understand the real stories going on around the world and in the USA where I am from. But I have to write you to say, I think you are getting the wrong idea about the Ukraine. I am living in Sevastopol and I have been watching first hand the beginning of these political events here. The western media in my eyes, is trying to paint one picture - the picture that the white house wants to promote and will promote at any cost - and it would be laughable if it were not really happening - that while the white house cries foul play in elections here in Ukraine, they won't let anyone investigate the elections of 2004 in the US - now doesn't that tip you off to the real intentions of the Madison avenue PR Campaign election am*Bush* that's going on here?

The real story is that this is a very well programmed assault on the elections here to interrupt and interfere and get the western backed man (with fascist connections according to humanitarian groups from Helsinki) Mr Yushenko into the office even if they have to resort to any sort of "terrorist" intimidation tactics to do so...or did we already forget who the real fox dressed up as the rooster sitting in the hen house really is?

There is 8 trillion dollars in Caspian sea oil here and the long range intention is to disrupt and usurp democracy in its infancy here in Ukraine in order to divide the people of Ukraine against each other and most importantly...from Russia. United we stand, divided we fall...and even though the Russian backed Yunakovych is not great...the more important issue is served -- to not allow the division of the eastern block countries to be divided so that they can be dominated...not given democracy because it is a pot of gold offered at the end of a rainbow that will never happen by the people who promise it...never.

There are excellent journalistic reports here: Centre for Research on Globalization.

I hope you will start getting better sources for your information before it's once again too late.

J.

Subject: Scalia is wrong on history as well
 
Your link to the Scalia story didn’t work for me, but I read it before. Here’s a refutation of Scalia’s false claims that the “Founding Fathers” had ANYTIHING to do with “in god we trust” or “under God” in the pledge. Both came in times of war (civil war, and cold war respectively). Justice Scalia's criticism of church/state separation is reported at:  

Scalia says religion infuses U.S. government and history (Newsday)

where he is said to suggest and argued generally that a “religion-neutral government does not fit with an America that reflects belief in God in everything from its money to its military.”  Scalia went on to cite authority from the “Founding Fathers” including that “in God we trust” is on our coins and money, and “Under God”  in our pledge of allegiance as evidence of Founder's intent.

Scalia is as wrong on history as he is on law. Somebody should please tell this idiot of history named Scalia that  “In God we Trust” did not come along on our money at all until the Civil War, and wasn't on all of it until the 50s.  Check out the official website of the US Mint if you have any further questions.  See question 39 at http://www.usmint.gov/faqs/index.cfm?action=FAQSearchResult   (not on all money until the 1950s).   See the Bureau of engraving to confirm http://www.moneyfactory.com/document.cfm/18/107   that it only started in force in the 1950s.    The first use of “In God we trust” was the civil war, not the revolutionary war of the founding fathers.  The letter referencing the first request for this is reprinted in part at http://www.treas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.shtml .  

In addition, most people know by now that “under God” wasn't added to the pledge of allegiance until the 1950s either.   A utopian socialist and Baptist preacher by the name of Francis Bellamy drafted the original pledge of allegiance, and his granddaughter says Mr. Bellamy “would have resented” the addition of “under God” made to his pledge of allegiance that was made during the midst of the Red scare 1950s if Bellamy had been around at that time, even though Francis Bellamy himself was a Christian and a minister.

http://history.vineyard.net/pledge.htm

But there are urban legend emails circulating among conservative circles arguing that “in God We trust” was part of the founding fathers' work.   Perhaps Scalia is now on email?

Paul R. Lehto, Attorney at Law
Everett, WA

Subject: Ukrainian coverage

Dear BuzzFlash,

Thanks so much for all you do, but I want to offer an alternative perspective on the Ukrainian election. Bad as the present Ukrainian government is, a pro-Western government would be worse. As Colin Powell's interference indicates, Bush & Co. prefer the side that will let them extend their imperialist domain. It seems to me that the large demonstrations there are not that different from those that occurred after Hugo Chavez was re-elected in Venezuela, to Bush's chagrin.

Best wishes,

Robert Lapides

Subject: um...

i just saw bush on tv in reference to his feelings on the ukraine election being fraudulent, bush said THE ONLY GOOD DEAL IS A VERIFIABLE DEAL. um....does he know about our own fraudulent election and our machines with no verifiable paper trail? or is that just for other countries?

mark johnson
tampa fl

Subject: Something that they say

One has to wonder with all the amazing statements coming from the Bush administration about election fraud in the Ukraine just what is keeping the democrats silent about our election fraud problem? I never thought I would witness such a pathetic display of leadership from a group of politicians claiming to care about our votes. Is Kerry really so concerned about being hung with a sore loser label he will not state the obvious about our election? Isn't there even ONE retiring lame duck politician in Congress with the balls to say anything?

Do they not get it that they are rapidly losing their base for good? After all, what use is a democratic party that will not stand up for democracy? Those of us who grew up actually believing the stuff we learned in school about truth and justice in our country are quickly learning the sad lesson of despair and hopelessness as we see those ideals trampled yet again...

Yes we are out here alone, people, hung out to dry by the very same leaders we worked
so hard to elect a few short weeks ago. I see now that our country is in desperate need of the kind of change that cannot come from either political party. They are truly a double edged sword intent upon slashing our liberties one by one for the sake of corporate profit. With freedom comes the duty to defend it. It is no less than what we have expected from our soldiers fighting in foreign lands. Yet we sit by and watch another election stolen under our watch while those new to democracy in the Ukraine put us to shame defending what they have as if it were a precious gift.

So when our leaders make speeches about freedom full of the catchy phrases of a Madison avenue ad man. Remember it's not something that they mean. It's just
something that they say.

A BuzzFlash Reader

[BuzzFlash Note: As our readers educate us, it's beginning to seem that this U.S. administration is manipulating the elections on both sides of the Atlantic, to suit their own purposes. Where does megalomania end, and world domination begin?]

Subject: Look at what's going on on Dailykos!

Dear BuzzFlash,

My name is Art Pronin and I have the upmost respect for you and your brave fight against the wrongs committed in this nation. I'm grateful for your service to our nation. I am a 25 year old democratic party activist. For the record, I'm also white and Jewish.

I was taught with certain "values." one was to stand up, no matter how impossible the situation may be, and fight for against major wrongs committed in our society. In conversation with African-American political activists online and elsewhere, I have become quite angry over the open intimidation and suppression of the black vote in Ohio and
elsewhere.

No, internet madmen didn't make this up up. It's on full public record in the state of Ohio and is in hundreds of affidavits. Jesse Jackson has now decided to act and call for a full accounting of the vote in Ohio etc. He will hold a rally with other black leaders. But--all of us democrats must now fight this wrong. That means with a full recount of Ohio's votes
and separate litigation on voter suppression/intimidation which is against the 14th amendment of the US Constitution. This requires your immediate attention.

One of my online posts is now the front page of a major democratic blog site--dailykos.com. The guy in charge has put my words on the front for ALL democrats to debate. It's about the black vote and how so many were suppressed and intimidated in the election in Ohio and elsewhere. We need major financial help from the party to fight for our African-American brothers and sisters who were deeply wronged on election day.

My name on the site is pronin2. Here is my post on how I and others strongly feel. I hope everyone will urge the party to now take an open public stand on this.

This post below has been submitted to other party figures, incl. Jesse Jackson's camp. What is read below may not be pretty, but it is how I and many other minorities feel about election 2000 and 2004. I shall hope that this fight grows very quickly. Time is of the essence. I hope this email is distributed to other members of congress so they know how A LOT of us democrats feel.

Will one senator stand up this Jan 6 and challenge the election in Ohio? I pray so. I pray this injustice will be rectified.

Thanks.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/26/17117/615#132

Art Pronin

Subject: Pell grants Cut=Need to Join Military for College aid

The importance of your existing link on pell grants being cut (85,000 dropped, over a million reduced) is that it is the second form of the backdoor draft: If you want to get any college aid from Uncle Sam, sign up to go to Iraq!

Paul R. Lehto
Everett, WA

Subject: Did Bush actually lose this election? Learned Professors & authentic exit polls suggest that...

...yup, damn RIGHT he lost... The whole world is waiting for someone with unimpeachable credentials to point out that there's an Elephant In The Living Room, and it's enormous, and it's been stinking up the joint for too long. OUT! OUT! Damned DUMBO!

In the Ukraine, election watchers, American politicians and even The Sock Puppet hizzownself have suggested that exit polls don't jibe with the results, ergo the Ukrainian election results should be (and ARE being) challenged & investigated before the current "official" results are confirmed... The Ukraine's legitimate newspeople and even the government-controlled media have revolted, the latter stating they can no longer be complicit in the dissemination of their *employer's lies. (*read government)

In other words? Journalists in the Ukraine are now reporting THE TRUTH about the rigged Ukrainian election. They are refusing to pump out politburo spin like the good little minions they were for the past few days. Albeit arriving late to the dance, these brave folks have chosen to come clean with the people who DEPEND ON THEM to provide "FAIR AND BALANCED" news to chew along with their nightly meal. (*are you reading this PBS, WASHINGTON TIMES, ABC, NEW YORK TIMES, CBS, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, NBC, CNN, FOX (oh puhhlleeease, Murdock's minions actually reading anything but his memos??? What was I THINKING...! That's about as far-fetched as BUSH reading, oh, except for that one story he read that time, something about a kid's pet goat...)

But I digress. How about demanding that this accepted international standard for tracking election results, and which safeguards against vote diddling, be applied to the US election as well, so that the TRUE MAJORITY of patriotic voters who flocked to the polls in unprecedented numbers to do their damndest for America (*and the rest of the planet) can revive their dying constitution and free a once strong democracy which has been held hostage for 4 long years? It was hijacked by Bush & Co in 2000 and has taken a daily beating ever since, but what doesn't kill makes one stronger...

"It's not the people who vote that count, it's the people who count the votes..." (*Attributed to Josef Stalin but recently debunked at urbanlegend.com. I take NOTHING at face value, and nor should YOU. Corroborate it...)

MP in Vancouver

I just read at BuzzFlash your following column:

We have not begun to fight
If you can get past the despondent Democrats talking about moving to Canada, the fight was on regardless.

I will like to suggest that Democrats stop saying "we lost the election"...there is a big difference between losing an election because of lack of votes in favor of your candidate than to lose an election by irregularities in the process. I am an Independent, which hopes for a strong third party, since the Democrats in power appear to be as corrupt as the Republicans, I no longer feel that they do represent the people but the corporate few. It is time that people start calling the election fiasco, as another "stolen election," maybe then your party will be able to obtain the support of the Independents. There were many of us that were simply ABB and even tried our hardest to work for Kerry's election...for what? so he could concede without checking all the irregularities that were known the same night? Democrats should take a hard look of why people are registering in great numbers as Independents...that should really give them a hint that people are not happy with the party, or at least, the current representation in Capitol Hill.

I just wish that Democrats could have the same courage the Ukrainian people have. Where is the dignity and courage of the Democrats? This is not my America the land of the free and the home of the brave.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Re Scalia says religion infuses US government and history (AP/Newsday)