Subject: Air America Radio

Hi BuzzFlash:

Why is Randi Rhodes the only host talking about the election day voter stuff?

Why aren't Al Franken & Mark Marion & Reily talking about the voter fraud etc.?

Jon

Subject: Reds and blues states

I feel kind of like Rosanne Rosannadanna - "What's all this I hear about reds and blues states? Oh, never mind..."

It turns out we're split equally between puppy uppers and doggie downers. How to get off this roller coaster? Go ask Alice. Anyway, after last election, I'm surprised that only 44% of us are medicated - I'd think it was at least 51%.

Report: 44% of Americans medicated

Bill

Subject: As Dead Serious as Any Serial Killer . . .

BuzzFlash,

The below quote while Bush was in Canada from BartCop:

Not surprising . . . seeing all of the RATS jumping ship, not because they have had an attack of conscience . . . if that happened, there were better times to quit, such as before Bush invaded Iraq, no, these rats are making room for Super Rats . . . Appointees to be worse than those who held the jobs for the last four years. Also, not surprising . . . to hear that Bush wants to go to war with Iran. Don't be surprised when we have a draft. Maybe Bush will decide instead of privatizing Social Security, that it would be a hell of a lot cheaper if he just drafted all of the Senior Citizens instead.

Why is Bush so predictable? Because he is a "serial offender." They don't change. He has no intention of ever, ever doing anything positive for the American people or the human race. People will not want to think of Bush as a serial killer because he doesn't kill with his own hands . . . but the fact that he doesn't, makes him all the more dangerous and the more willing to repeat his crimes because he has been given the power to keep killing until our Congress decides to try and stop him. I wonder how many people have to be killed before they have an attack of conscience? Or maybe people really do believe in the Bush morality that we have seen during the last four years.

Serial criminals repeat until they are caught. They don't stop. Ever. Hard to swallow? So was hearing Bush making fun and joking about hunting for WMD after he had killed thousands of men, women and children.

Just a thought,

Thanks BuzzFlash,

Shirley Smith

Subject: Democracy

With some 30,000 reported cases of voter irregularities reported in a recent William Rivers Pitt article, The Washington Post ran a December 3rd front page story titled "Fellowship of the Ring: Customized Cell Tones" about how Delvon Murray "Jazzed up" his cell phone ring tones.

Voting Errors Tallied Nationwide (Boston Globe/Truthout)

Subject: Karl Rove's "Guerilla Marketing Techniques," disinformation, and the systematic destruction of our institutions

Dear Buzz,

In this morning's New York Times, JUDITH MILLER writes that "Kofi Annan has lost the trust of the Bush Administration." You would think that Kofi and George were bosom friends at one point, so much so that Condi was jealous.

What a bunch of nonsense. This is the continuation of the plan to undermine the U.N. permanently. Next week we will hear that Kofi is a child molester.

I also read that someone posed as a Union Carbide executive and duped a BBC journalist by telling him that Union Carbide would be taking full responsibility for the Bophul disaster. (Admittedly, to believe a claim like that would be somewhat naive.) But it certainly brings the famous "fake" documents on Bush's National Guard service to mind. I wish someone like Greg Palast would investigate this. If he found ties between Karl Rove and the fake CEO, I wouldn't be surprised.

The Bush Administration is attacking the credibility of all institutions that would thwart it--the media in general and CBS in particular, the UN, Kofi Annan, and prior to that Hans Blix, the weapons inspection process, international treaties, NATO arrangements, and on and on. Karl Rove functions as Bugs Bunny, confusing all the journalists and Democrats into shooting each other. Journalists and Democrats play the roles of Elmer Fudd and Porky Pig. The only problem is that it's not funny to anyone in the world except Republicans.

Leslie
Winchester, MA

Subject: Organized Crime

Hi Buzz:

Many thanks for your excellent news service - I always start my day at BuzzFlash. I love a good conspiracy story, and thought you might enjoy visiting the Mad Cow Morning News at www.madcowprod.com. He has posted a good article about Sequoia and ES&S voting services - "The Big Fix 2004." His video is interesting too - thought you guys might like to link.

The Big Fix 2004 Part I: Convicted Felons, ‘Shadowy Financiers' Own Companies Counting Votes (Mad Cow)

The Big Fix 2004 Part II: Election Company Has Long Criminal History (Mad Cow)

Stella

Subject: Outrageous fax

Hi:

I'm a Marketing Director for an aluminum case manufacturer in California, and one of our sales divisions is for sports cases and gun cases. A gun magazine publisher in Florida faxed our office yesterday, soliciting advertising in his gun magazine-a special "ShotShow" edition, to be distributed throughout the Feb. show in Las Vegas.

What struck me dumb was the introduction to the fax: a several paragraph lecture on how much better we all are with George W. and how wonderful that the "Communists" Tom Brocaw and Dan Rather were no longer on the air! This is supposed to be a BUSINESS communication, not an opportunity to spout GOP hatred and propaganda...

Kit Wilson
La Verne, CA

Subject: Barriers of Secrecy

Kafka Would Have Recognized This America (posted at The American Street)

Kafka was famous for his stories about people being caught up in nightmarish situations. The worst were the stories of people targeted by faceless and inhuman bureaucracies. His propagandists were not told why they had been chosen or what they could do to stop the horrors they experienced under the maws of the system. When I first read Kafka, the
vivid and frightening images he evoked were ones that we associated with the soulless and hateful Soviet Union - a government that perfected the system illustrated by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn in his masterful book: Gulag Archipelago.

So what is one to think of a government that callously decides that a person – an immigrant – who had once, years ago, been arrested with $5 worth of drugs, and thus deemed unworthy of ever being allowed a place in the US, and so must be deported? That by itself would certainly be a harsh punishment for such a minor crime, but add to this story, the fact that the government decided that before they deported the miscreant, they would lock him up for two years and subject him to torment and abuse including using dogs to terrorize him.

Were you aware that until this week dogs have been used to intimidate detainees on US soil? When you saw the pictures of the terrified prisoners in Abu Ghraib being threatened by vicious dogs, did you know that rather than being the idea of some "bad eggs" in a nasty spot, this had actually become common practice in US prisons?

Have we really come to this? Are we such a harsh and vindictive society that we are not simply showing "zero tolerance" for any immigrant that breaks a law, but we must find ways to torment and torture them before they are sent on their way? What could possibly be gained by this meanness? And why has it taken so long for Americans to know what a cruel and awful place this country has become? Certainly our government is not proud of their actions, otherwise they would not be so careful to hide their actions. Or is this just another one of those things that we are supposed to leave to those in charge -- don’t
worry your little head, the adults are in control?

Kudos to NPR’s Daniel Zwerdling who broke this story. As he says, it was not easy to break through the barriers of secrecy.

I am so ashamed of my government. I never thought I would see it become an acolyte of the Soviet gulag. And where is the rest of the media on reporting this story?

Mary R.

Subject: Your coverage of Election Theft '04--US edition

BuzzFlash-

You're one of the two or three premier indy media news outlets on the Web.

That said, I'm wondering why your Homepage hasn't become a clearinghouse for any and all things related to the ongoing story on widespread election fraud HERE on Nov. 2.

We need to keep "kicking" this story or it will die, much like a shark that needs to keep swimming. It's clear that it was stolen, and quite frankly, reading about election fraud in Ukraine makes me absolutely indignant when worse happened here.

In no way am I saying you shouldn't be covering Iraq, Ukraine, domestic affairs, etc. What I'm hoping is that you might simply provide a link to these other "hot" topics at the bottom of the page until the whole truth is unearthed. Yes, I know I can go to a myriad of other sites devoted to the cause. The problem is that your site is the hub, the vortex, that gets readers to look at these other sites. Common Dreams has dropped the ball a bit. David Corn at The Nation has myopically poo-pooed us tin-foil hatters. TomPaine isn't saying much. You--like Olbermann with the CM--can be a real trailblazer here.

A coordinated effort amongst all indy media outlets would ensure that this story doesn't die. Thank you for considering my suggestion, and thanks for all that you do.

Best,

Ryan Anderson
Monroe, MI

[BuzzFlash Note: We post every non-speculative vote fraud/irregularity story we know about. Also, we try not to duplicate efforts already underway and some of the organizations on our Vote Fraud page, like Voters Unite, are doing a great job of cataloguing them.]

Subject: Steroid Diversion Scandal

As the myriad voting problems and statistical anomalies in all the "swing states" continue to be ignored by the right-wing controlled media, it’s comforting to know that steroid use among top athletes will get the same over-the-top coverage as Scott Peterson, Kobi Bryant, Michael Jackson and Robert Blake.

The news showed a clip of GWB’s SOTU speech were he discussed the role of steroids among professional athletes and the need to set a good example.

Shortcuts to accomplishment? Please, if anyone ever benefited more based on less merit, I would like to know who it is!

For example:

Despite shitty grades at Andover Preparatory School, gets into Yale.

Despite shitty grades at Yale, gets into Harvard Business School MBA program even after being rejected for admission to law school.

Despite long waiting list to get into Texas Air National Guard (TANG), gets in on the day application submitted.

Despite lowest possible acceptable score on pilot aptitude test, gets into training program to fly jet fighters.

Despite having never been in combat, nor having gone to Officer Candidate School, gets a rare promotion to 2nd Lieutenant usually given to medical doctors.

Despite not showing up for duty as required by his commitment to the TANG, and no one has claimed the $50,000 reward for proving he showed up in Alabama, gets an early Honorable Discharge and no repercussions for being AWOL or desertion.

Despite a classic case of insider trading and/or short-swing profits while a member of the board of Harken Energy, gets to keep his ill-gotten gains and suffers no criminal or civil liability thanks to little friendly help from the SEC and delaying production of documents, a tactic destined to become classic Bush.

Despite having Harken Energy forgive the loans given to him for the initial purchase of Harken stock, purportedly gets this tax free as he will not provide his tax return to show that the debt forgiveness was claimed as income.

Despite making a profoundly untrue denial about what he had said about Osama Bin Laden during a presidential debate, gets to escape any media scrutiny about the apparent inconsistency.

Despite losing the election in 2000, gets to be president thanks to a little help from the forever tainted Supreme Court.

Despite all the mounting evidence that the 2004 election was rife with fraud, gets to claim he has some sort of mandate to pursue his course of action with renewed "political capital."

By all means, let’s set an example for the children that accomplishment and reward should be based on merit. Especially, we should avoid cronyism and nepotism in our endeavors. If there is a hypocrisy index or quotient floating around somewhere, I would like to see it applied to GWB.

And by all means, "To help children make right choices, they need good examples." Unfortunately, the lesson is you often can get what you want by lying. It is who you know, not what you know. A lie told often enough becomes fact in the minds of the people. Loyalty trumps competence. If you’re a rich and powerful republican, you may be able to commit crimes with impunity. The public can be sold anything, even the Corvair of Presidents.

Turk Meister

Subject: Bush in Canada

President' Bush's speech writer probably thought he was being very clever when he dug up some quotes from Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenize King during his Halifax speech. Unfortunately this illustrates the principle that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

I have never heard a Canadian politician quote Mackenzie King except in derision. King, who was Canada's longest serving Prime Minister was a brilliant politician but also a master equivocator and a bit of a flake.

He believed in spiritualism and consulted mediums to communicate with the spirit of his mother.

There is only one quotation from King which is in common circulation in Canada and, by coincidence, it is one that has some relevance to present day America. During World War II Canada's volunteer armed forces were stretched to the limit. There was a growing demand for conscription but the country was deeply divided on the issue. King's statement of his position was "Conscription if necessary, but not necessarily conscription."

Peter Sim
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Subject: Thanks for your efforts & work

BuzzFlash -

Just want to commend you for your web site. And the article about the Stolen Election 2004 - Action Alerts. Just wanted you to know because of your web site that I've done all I can to participate. The article was so good and concise. I've sent emails to many friends, Democratic Meetup groups, congressmen, etc. I've called Ohio Democrat groups, sent emails to the Ohio important people, sent emails to Congress people, and made contributions to the Ohio recount efforts and so forth. That article was so good and took you to all of the opportunities to express your concerns about the 2004 election. Just hope this last ditch effort will go "our way." You do a wonderful job. I will buy one of your "premiums" as soon as I can.

BTW, check out Jack Blood's article (by Wayne Madsen) about the Saudis and Enron manipulating the 2004 election. It's an article worth posting.

Saudis, Enron money helped pay for US rigged election (Online Journal)

Carol Purner
Austin, TX
An avid reader of your web site

Subject: The Fear of Living

I'm rather enjoying this particular era in American history. Having lived 57 years and lived
through and participated in the "Howdy Doody '50s, the "dynamic" 60's, the "Me" '70s, the
sleep walking '80s, the "let's get it together '90s, I now find myself enjoying the "fear of
living" '00s.

The herd mentality has taken over and people search for safety in numbers. It had been
predicted in the early 20th century that the God is Dead movement would drive religion to be practiced by a small percentage of the population. They were wrong. Their primary theorem was based on the belief that an educated populace would use reason and
logic when pondering questions about the unknown. They did not foresee the dumbing down of the populace that began in the thirties and has accelerated at an increasing rate each decade (the 60s and early 70s did try to decelerate dumbing down to no avail). Dumbing down helps to create a void in the minds by killing independent thought processing. This void leads to a fear of anything and everything different. To fill this void religion is offered as the solution to fill the void.

I have no problem with religion in the hands of a congregation with a spiritual guide who
acts as a facilitator, if one so desires. I do however, have to take umbrage with religion as
a business dedicated to control through the creation of dependency by preaching the "fear of living."

To put it bluntly, "The trouble with born-again Christians is that they are an even bigger
pain the second time around." -- Herb Caen, 1981

If one's life is riddled with fears and insecurities and the belief that the next life will bring eternal bliss, then so be it. However when this sanctimonious way of living is forced on
me I just ask two questions of the practitioner:

1 Is god omnipotent?

2. Since the answer is always in the affirmative, I then ask, Can he create a world he couldn't lift?

It may appear childish, but believe me it get the desired results (i.e. if you can't dazzle
them with brilliance, then baffle them with bullshit).


The reason I rather enjoy this era is that I can say whatever I want and I'm just looked on as the village idiot and am left alone. But I'm still checking out the shortest route to Canada for the time that heretics start getting crucified.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Why is MoveOn silent? From a House Party Host (as sent to moveon.org)

Dear Friends at MoveOn:

A major focus of the discussion at our recent house party was the lack of accountability of the Ohio vote. Discussion on election reform was explicitly stated in the MoveOn agenda that day, and all participants at our home (25) agreed on the need for a national push for paper trails for voting machines.

Yet we would be missing the forest for the trees if MoveOn did not push for an immediate Ohio recount. Something is going on in Ohio because the evidence is not being examined. They are running out the clock just like they did in Florida. We need to have transparency and accountability in Ohio, and we need it now.

Why is there nothing on the MoveOn website urging a timely recount in Ohio, and why is MoveOn not helping to subsidize what will be a very expensive undertaking?

There is even a movement for a revote in Ohio, using Ukraine as our model. Whether this will prevail is not at issue. What is essential is for MoveOn to join the rest of the progressive movement in standing up for the premise that our democracy is not
negotiable.

I have been listening to the Pacifica.org broadcast of the Ohio rally. Cliff Arenbeck is a legal hero. MoveOn should at least post the latest information on the Ohio recount for its members.

As Arenbeck states, we want the process to proceed. We need the process to proceed because the evidence is there.

The voter disenfranchisement issue is equally important. Now we know that Kerry's tally has grown in Ohio. The recount needs to begin immediately, as that is the only way the 95,000 undervotes will ever be considered.

The problems in Ohio began as you know when the man charged with the election chose to be the campaign chair for the candidate. And he has stalled in certifying the results, deliberately running out the clock. This happened in 2000, and we cannot allow it again.

MoveOn should also publicize Representative Conyer's meeting in Congress next week, and you should send an alert urging people to contact their congressional members to attend and to have CSPAN put it on the air. John Zogby will be speaking on exit polls. If exit polls are good enough in Ukraine, why were they not good enough for the USA?

The Rainbow-Push coalition is joining as a plaintiff in the legal action that Cliff Arenbeck is filing. These are all major developments that need to be brought to the attention to the MoveOn community. We are being totally shut out by the media, and we need our progressive allies now more than ever. MoveOn has the reach to do a national mobilization in a short time. Even if it is only to request CSPAN to broadcast the Conyer meeting, MoveOn needs to follow the issue of the moment.

I'd like to also refer you to two recent articles by Ian Solomon, Associate Dean at Yale Law School:

"Confessions of an Unwitting Accessory"--A Commentary by Assoc. Dean Ian Solomon (Hartford Courant/Yale Law School)

Validate the vote (Baltimore Sun)

As a Kerry volunteer in Florida, I can attest to voter disenfranchisement and misallocation of voting machines.

This really IS the next level and the next issue. We cannot pretend to move on if votes are still being counted and we cannot attest to the integrity of the process.

If a recount ensues immediately and Kerry pulls ahead, and/or if a case for fraud can be proved due to either voter disenfranchisement or anomalous results from voting machines, then Ohio's electoral votes need to be challenged. But there's little time, and we need you to help.

The process is more important than the outcome, and this will be a long struggle, as we ultimately don't have the votes in Congress. Yet it is essential that the questionable Ohio electoral votes be challenged in Congress on January 6. We cannot have the Senate again be silent.

This will be a long struggle, as Jesse Jackson said by phone today. Yet the freedom marchers in 1957 began with a small group of determined souls in Selma that marched to Congress. And those few determined souls marched enough and stood enough to make a difference.

The voters that have been disenfranchised are minority voters, and the corporations owning the voting technology are partisan, quoted on record as intending to deliver the Ohio vote for Bush. As is the elections referee in Ohio.

This IS the civil rights issue of the moment, and we cannot MoveOn without paying attention to what is going on this moment. To not pay attention now compromises our very democracy.

As MLK reminded us, injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. If we are to move on, we have to do so with the certainty that there was an honest election.

I welcome a response - better yet - I welcome seeing something on MoveOn that addresses the issue of the moment. Hopefully by tomorrow!

Thank you.

Karin Gill
Honolulu

Subject: Talking points - we need them

NO way is it right for the head of the Re-elect Bush Campaign Kenneth Blackwell to Preside over the Very Election in the single State Deciding his Election- can we say Conflict of interest????

Talking points - we need them- The Bush Advocates have them!

The Unusual Suspects:

1. Grover Norquist- the Coordinator - (disseminates/coordinates the message to all outlets) he has a weekly prayer breakfast, well attended by media in DC where they hand out the talking points to spread to all media everywhere)

2. Rupert Murdoch - the Sponsor (pays the tab) Owns Media Everywhere! (If you say the wrong thing your FIRED!)

3. Karl Rove - the architect/Chief character assassin .. (can we say Valerie Plame?) Strategy.

4. Kenneth Blackwell - the Executioner ... aka hatchet man ... how long will he be able to delay the OHIO recount??? (2008?)

The Right/AKA the Bush Administration have unified messengers - They repeat their lies until they seem like the truth. Who questions? (can you spell Swift Boat? RIP Rather...)

They manipulate the media - the television news/talk radio/cable so that any positive portrayal of their opponents is speedily neutralized. What happened to Equal Time? What happened to Fairness doctrine - repealed in the Reagan Era - right under our noses...this mess has been a long time coming Kiddies!

They rigged this election - the Help America vote Act - ensured the fix was in. Republican Companies supplied the machines. There is evidence of access. There is Zero security on the tabulation files. It was hacked.

More votes were cast for John Kerry in Ohio...Kerry Won Friends!

Disenfranchisement: 77% of provisional ballots were counted vs 90% in previous Ohio elections, Why?

*Voters were deceived into going to the wrong polling places....(in all previous Ohio elections, voters were allowed to cast provisional ballots at any polling place in their county, but the Republican Secretary of State changed the rules for this election to confuse voters, and slant the result for Republicans, so you had to be in your correct precinct for the first time - result? - your vote was thrown out.)

*There was a shortage of machines in Democratic precincts (but not in Republican ones) so Democrats were hampered & discouraged from voting by many hours long lines.

*Elimination of many polling places, (when you show up to vote, your polling place has moved - but it is difficult to find out where - so you try to vote provisional, but you are not in your precinct result? - your vote is thrown out).

*There was Failure to process new registrations in time to get names on the rolls - so you had to vote provisional, deliberate misinformation about where they could cast their provisional ballots resulting in a much higher number than usual being disqualified (by Kenneth Blackwell the aforementioned Bush campaign officer/Election supervisor. IE your vote is thrown out!

Fraud:

*Many Voters saw the computers switch their votes from Kerry to Bush, and many thousands of Bush votes were simply fabricated.

*More John Kerry votes were wasted/discarded/switched

Why is it OK for so may votes to be thrown out? Hundreds of thousands of Kerry votes in Ohio were thrown out! Unknown thousands of Fabricated Bush Votes were added in.

Why is it OK for the Reelect Bush campaign manager to get to decide whose vote does or does not count? How is this even possible. This is simply insane, and must be illegal!

This is not brain surgery. We are being distracted and confused. The Bush Administration are using War to get and keep power.

Thousands of innocent people have died. Countless thousands more maimed and tortured.

Focus! Count ALL the votes! Speak the Truth!

LL Townsend-Austin
Patriotic American

Subject:One Month -- (as sent to TV news outlets) No TV!!! And I'm a news junkie!!!

Your obvious news bias during the election:
- Purposely hyping the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ad to discredit John Kerry
- Carrying only a few hours of the convention and thousands of hours of Scott Peterson
- Refusing to expose the HORRORS of the Bush administration--excusing his every move.
- Ignoring the VERY SERIOUS potential problem of paperless voting and fraud capabilities
- Bowing to pressure from Republican-Corporate bosses and not covering (or covering up) TRUTHS

The list goes on and on and on:
- Michael Jackson MORE IMPORTANT than potential voter fraud
- Kobe Bryant MORE IMPORTANT than Abu Ghraib rapes "ok'd" by new AG Gonzales
- Allowing the People of the USA to believe Saddam Hussein was part of 9-11
- Minimizing the impact of the record-breaking deficit and tax-breaks for the wealthy

I can't wait for a Real, Honest, Fair TV Station NOT influenced by corporate pressure, NOT bullied by the political party in power, and NOT afraid of investigating and reporting the truth!!

Until then, consider me a FORMER TV viewer and NEW progressive talk radio listener.

Donna Jones

PS--What's this about ABC & CBS not airing a commercial for a Church who welcomes everyone??? Too controversial??? Yet Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson's brand of exclusivity is OK???? How low can you go? My heart goes out to Jesus who must be shedding untold tears over our promotion of intolerance disguised as love.

Subject: Take All The Time In The World . . .

BuzzFlash,

The below article says a lot about priorities in America. We have laws that state that murder never has a time limit on it. Any time a murder is committed, it can always be tried. We have elections with fraud, they put time limits on them. Just as in Florida in 2000, no one went to jail, that's how important our elections are, according to our laws. But, since the year 2000, Bush and his administration have killed over 100,000 people . . . do Americans not understand what those deaths mean? Is it that hard for Americans to picture the genocide that has been committed in our name? All because we put time limits on elections steeped in fraud. There is not doubt in my mind that if Gore had been president, over 100,000 people would still be alive and thousands more would still have their homes intact. And, Americans would not be suffering from the loss of loved ones this coming holiday or the fact that their loved ones came home in pieces.

People wouldn't think of having Charles Manson run for office in the White House and he didn't kill 100,000 people. We have fraud with our elections that effects our whole Country and our position in the world and they put time limits on it. This is wrong and it is Murder with a capital M. Murder. Killing our Democracy and our members in Congress are the pallbearers.

These are laws that should be changed when it is fraud with our election, but who cares, if we have a president who has lied us into a war and killed over 100,000 people, whose administration outed a CIA operative who was working against terrorism . . . an administration who is in bed with every major corporation in this Country and we don't even punish the fraud in our own elections. We have time limits. It is way past the time to bring those responsible for fraud in our elections and in our government to justice, instead of seeing them rewarded with a 2 million dollar yacht and act as if nothing is happening. Do not ask how much oil does it take to sail a 2 million dollar yacht . . . ask how many American and Iraqi people's blood does it take to sail that 2 million dollar yacht for Bush.

Just askin . . .

Thanks BuzzFlash,

Shirley Smith

Subject: Ukraine and Kerry

I think we all ought to look good and hard at what is happening in Ukraine. This may be the last time we see groups of citizens actually being allowed to challenge the official line.

I think it is shameful that given the same set of circumstances in both places, the US simply blinked and went on about its business, where the Ukrainians fought for their democratic process, even in the cold Ukrainian winter.

But I also don't believe for one second that US citizens would have been allowed to congregate in the same manner, keeping warm by fires in oil drums, tents, refusing to budge. How ironic that "the freest country in the world" showed how it handles dissent during the Republican Convention, by police actively tricking the demonstrators into traps so they could be arrested, mishandled, locked up, made to pay for their effrontery. Police now have much more sophisticated crowd "control" equipment which effectively would be used to break up any large demonstration.

Yet in Ukraine, where you could imagine jackbooted police cracking heads, etc., they are so far able to remain determined and standing in place to demand democracy.

They have more civil rights than US citizens. They are able to exercise those rights. It is a sad day for us when we have to watch others participate in a democracy we no longer have.

James A.

Subject: Depressing but informative

Your site is both depressing and informative. And I can't help but wonder after reading all the stories about the despicable Bu$h policies, where is your outrage at the silent Democrats?

..after all his policies are *not* being opposed by the vast majority of the Congressional Democrats, are they?

They helped him get the Patriot Act passed.

They helped him get his wars on...

They have helped him get the majority of judicial nominations through.

They helped put Ashcroft in as AG - and Leahy indicates he will help torture-lover Gonzales take his place.

They complained about Rumsfeld and then immediately went silent again.

They have not stood up to the u.s. media whores...

In short, BuzzFlash should be equally outraged at the Bu$h enablers: The Democrats in Congress.

Carolyn

P.S. Even if most of his policies would have passed even if all Democrats voted against them, at least they could actually claim to be the "loyal opposition."

Subject: Bush not pressuring GOP

Bush Pressuring G.O.P. to Approve Intelligence Bill (NY Times)

That's B.S. Bush hasn't even bothered to send a letter to Congress urging them to pass the bill.

This is a big FU to the Dems and the 9/11 Committee - sure, they're just going to stall it out.

Rosamond

Subject: Shades of Nixon... more Bush talking points issuing from puppets' mouths

On Meet the Press, I just heard "Interim" President Al-Yawar say that Iraq's "silent majority" supports the Bush style democracy.

Transcript: NBC's 'Meet the Press'

Rosamond

Subject: Fe, fie, fo, fum

Although use of steroids by athletes needs to stop, I cannot help but wonder why John McCain has gotten so sternly involved. Surely, congress needs to be looking at urgent problems nagging the US such as the economy, jobs, border security, etc.

Suspicions run deep when John McCain begins beating the drum on the steroid problem. Could it be that he is being groomed for the next republican president? It makes sense to me. I wondered why John McCain prostituted himself for Bush during campaign. You would have thought that they were the best of friends. Prior to the campaign, McCain disagreed with much of what Bush stood for, then all of a sudden he did a Jekyll and Hyde. Not only that, McCain should have had deep resentment after the 2000 primaries when the Bushites slimed him and his family so severely. When I saw McCain sacrificing his principles and ethics by campaigning for Bush 2004, I suspected that promises were made by the Bushites and GOP. If my suspicions are founded, we will witness more public grooming and development of John McCain, morphing him into Captain America.

Such a prostituted candidate would never get my vote.

Cathy

Subject: (as sent to The Boston Globe)

In response to a letter, published online, Mr. Mitofsky called the people "morons" who released and accepted the original results of his exit polling, before they were "revised" to match the results of voting machines that have, in more than one state, produced more votes than voters. Yet now NBC, according to a Yahoo report released Friday, has
made a "giant step" toward integrity by stepping *away* from the doctored results Mitofsky provided. (link provided below)

I called Mr. Mitofsky on this. I asked whether he would now brand NBC "morons" for correcting his seriously flawed results to accurately show the astounding turnaround in support for Kerry by Latinos. A 20 point turnaround in Texas alone!

Likewise, I wrote an imperative letter to the Globe a few days ago, desiring to know the unnamed academics and analysts Brian C. Mooney claimed had debunked the "conspiracy theories" (as he termed them) of compelling statistics being provided by professors and their teams in accredited universities from California to Pennsylvania.

Neither the Globe nor Mooney saw fit to respond to my inquiry. The Globe has not provided any academic or analyst, outside of Mooney himself, to debunk the findings of Professor Hout and others. That is, if one could call Mooney's lazy musings "analysis."

And now that NBC has been cornered into rejecting the wildly skewed exit poll results of Mitofsky, I ask again. Are Mooney and the Globe prepared to call NBC, Yahoo News, and the Velasquez Institute "conspiracy theorists?" Or is the paper going to take a giant step
toward integrity by informing the public of the ever-increasing evidence that the exit polls were falsely adjusted, and in every case, skewed in the favor of Bush?

Do we have to look to Ukraine to find a spotlight on the glaring irregularities that reveal fraud? Those of us in the United States who care enough to follow the story ourselves are weary of being called morons and conspiracy theorists. You need to better serve this country and demand the raw data of all of Mitofsky's results, for all to see. He deserves no more time to doctor them.

Robyn Su Miller...

Dear Mr. Mitofsky:

According to a Yahoo business report, linked below, NBC made a "giant step" toward integrity by revising the skewed exit poll results obtained from you. The Velasquez Institute praised this move and called on other networks to follow suit.

There was a stunning 20 point turnaround in Texas alone! Are you going to name-call NBC and Yahoo and the Velasquez Institute and brand them "morons" the way you branded the people "morons" who released your unrevised exit poll results on election day, and those who correctly accepted the original results? Save your invective and your spin, please. We know there were not enough samples gathered later to swing the original results to the extent they were reweighted. Astronomical turnarounds in exit polls? How did this happen?

Just how do you explain these skewed results, Mr. Mitofsky? In every single case, skewed in Bush's favor. If only to prove you made honest mistakes instead of deliberately doctoring the results to match the questionable outcome of voting machines with glitches that produce more votes than voters, you need to release the raw data for all to see. When may we expect to see the full data, Mr. Mitofsky? Sooner is better than later. Are the people of Ukraine to be better served than the people of the United States in the unadulterated evidence of how we the people voted?

Subject: The Republicans' Constitutional Amendment Scam!

For many elections now I have watched the Republicans' tactic of using constitutional amendments to further their agenda and get across subtle and not so subtle messages to their base. I now see this has been one of their most effective tools for communicating to the voter groups they wish to appeal to. Constitutional amendments are extremely hard to go all the way with, needing to pass in Congress and two thirds of the statehouses to succeed. But that is also one of their great advantages as a propaganda tool. You can propose things without worrying about them actually becoming the law of the land. And you can keep proposing them every election cycle and make the same cultural point because they never pass.

They also give the impression you are for something and have ideas, a problem for the democrats recently. Take the flag burning amendment. For a long time it has been trotted out every four years to try and show how patriotic republicans are and how unpatriotic democrats are.  Until democrats stopped taking the bait that is. Ever time a democrat would give a thoughtful answer about preserving our freedom of speech to a question asked about the flag burning amendment, he was vilified as unpatriotic. Eventually democrats just started going along with it, surrendering the moral high ground in our ever onward move to the right.

Free speech arguments were made to seem somehow unamerican, and those against this amendment were called liberal scum. Of course, when was the last time you saw anyone on the news from this country burning a flag? But the issue isn't important, it's what the issue can make your opponent look like.

This election it was the Gay Marriage Amendment. As far as the republicans were concerned it was a jackpot. They were looking for something to get the evangelical christians motivated to come out to vote and they knew abortion wouldn't be enough to get the job done. After al,all, republicans had a Supreme Court majority and a majority in congress and what had they accomplished? But gays getting married was the perfect answer. Democrats, being suckers for equality, would have to be for it and as such would be godless heathens in the eyes of every homophobic evangelical everywhere.

This issue became known as the morals issue. We are now told the election was decided on this issue. So when are the democrats going to get back in the constitutional amendment game? The last one they had was the equal rights amendment. Remember back when they stood for something? How about a ban on displaying the confederate flag on all federal and state governmental property? Can you imagine the uncomfortable answer Bush would have given to a question in the presidential debates about this amendment? This kind of lose, lose situation for your opponent is what this game is all about.

Democrats do you want to get back your advantage among women? How about an amendment making it unconstitutional to pay men more than women for the same work? Or how about one making it unconstitutional to get a tax refund if you paid NO TAXES that year? See, it's fun. Come up with your own and send them to the DNC. Remember they don't have to pass to be effective. They just need to put your republican friends on the defensive explaining their sexist racist homophobic policies to the rest of the country.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: a terrible thought

I just had a terrible thought: If Bush was SELECTED and not ELECTED the first time in 2000, can he run for a 3rd term??????? YIKES

Deb Frueh

Subject: Canada's "Greatest Canadian Contest"

Hi BuzzFlash,

I thought that you'd like to know that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recently had a contest to name the greatest Canadian, and the winner was not Wayne Gretzky,
not Pierre Trudeau, not Shania Twain, but the winner was...Tommy Douglas. The winner was announced on November 29, 2004 and the website is at www.cbc.ca/greatest.

Tommy Douglas was leader of the social-democratic party in Canada and a member of Parliament in Canada, and he fought for the creation of universal healthcare in Canada. In Canada, he is still considered the father of universal healthcare. I thought you
would like to post this info on your website. So we are lucky that we still remember important progressive values like universal healthcare and a social safety net, etc.

Best wishes.

Peter Chin
Toronto, Canada

I believe the Republicans plan to stay in power for a very long time and the only way they can do is to control the ballot box. I also think 2004 election was rigged from the start. Not just in Florida and Ohio but some of these other states too. They couldn't do it in Pennsylvania because they have a Democratic governor. In 2000 G. Bush and with the help of Katherine Harris and his brother stole the election. I believe those exit polls in 2004 were right. But the challenge now is to prove it. Which we have no way of doing. This is the reason Jeb Bush didn't want his state to have a ballot receipt and we allowed him to get away with it. The Dems will not get back in power unless they can figure out a way to stop all this injustice at the ballot box.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Late Night Humor

The Bush administration furnishes late night television with enough material to produce a laugh a minute for the next 50 years!

"Last night over at NBC our good friend Tom Brokaw stepped down. Out of habit President Bush accepted his resignation." --David Letterman

"Earlier tonight they had the national lighting of the Christmas tree. They threw the switch and the tree came to life. And apparently it worked so well they are going to try the same thing with Dick Cheney." --David Letterman

"Elsewhere overseas, the invasion of and continued presence in Iraq still evokes passionate response. Witness this demonstration Tuesday, an angry mob shouting anti-U.S. slogans and toppling a statue of President Bush in a public square in the rouge nation of -- Canada. ... The angriest thing to come out of Canada in the last 20 years was Bare Naked Ladies." --Jon Stewart

"Tom Ridge told friends he is resigning so he can go into the public sector to make more money. Finally a Republican acting like a Republican. That is an honest man. None of this crap about spending more time with my family. Forget red and orange, I want to see some green." --Jay Leno

"NAACP president Kweisi Mfume announced that he is stepping down as head of the NAACP. President Bush issued a statement about it today saying that this shows what a great country this is, when a black man can rise to the head of the NAACP." --Jay Leno

"Bush is visiting Canada today. It is the first time he has visited since he took office in 2001. He said he was sorry it took so long but this would complete his goal of visiting all 50 states. Actually Bush was going to go to Canada in '68 but then his dad got him into the National Guard." --Jay Leno

"President Bush is up in Canada to mend U.S./Canadian relations and pick up some discount Lipitor for Cheney." --David Letterman

"When President Bush's parents heard he was going to Canada they asked if he could pick up some cheap prescription drugs." --Jay Leno

"Down in Washington, Christmas is exciting because it's our nation's capitol and the White House. They have it all decorated. Beautiful! Quite a sight. A big huge 20-foot tree, 200 glass balls, 75 tinsel garlands and 50 resignations." --David Letterman

"Here's a late breaking bulletin from the Bush White House -- the White House Christmas tree has submitted its resignation." --David Letterman

"Earlier today the president has called on all Americans to do volunteer work. For example -- National Guard service" --David Letterman

RB

Subject: "Anger over new Bush/Rumsfeld/Gonzales torture photos"

I found the CBS article most interesting in that its title was "Arab anger over photos" as if that were the point. As I wrote CBS, "Arab Anger over Photos" 1) the "anger" is not over the photos, it is over the actions 2) Arabs may be angry, Americans should be ashamed 3) I congratulate you on your creatively prevaricative language - "appears to show," "seemingly showed," "apparently showed" etc. You can't be much more limp than that in your language. The photos do not "seemingly" show, they quite clearly show. CBS "apparently" has no balls.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: HelpAmericaRecount.org

Please find somewhere to post this website. I emailed www.ballotintegrity.org to tell them that a lot of people don't know about the movement. They emailed me this site (www.helpamericarecount.org) which frustrates me because I am looking for ways to get these websites, rallies, and events to new people that would be interested if they only knew. There has to be a better way than people just stumbling on to sites or hearing from a friend. There must be someway, the organizations that support this site haven't publicized it. Any ideas?

Jane

Subject: Election 2004 Fraud? Mainstream Media is Losing its Credibility!

First, if you are one of the rare mainstream media venues that are truly covering the 2004 Presidential election irregularities in a fair and adequate manner, I wish to thank you!

Secondly, I would ask that you let your audience know that there is site they can use to quickly let the rest of the national media know that they expect them to do their job too! Thanks again.

http://www.independentmediasource.com/voteintegrity.htm

As you know, the national news media are rapidly losing credibility and audiences. Many people simply don't trust the media any more, because the media have failed to fulfill their responsibility to investigate and report genuine hard news. The 2004 election provides you with an unprecedented opportunity to get the scoop on your competition, with a story of national, even global importance. If you choose to ignore this story, you do so at your peril, because your audience will be judging you on this, and will seek out information from other outlets if it's not available on yours.

Here are just a few of the hard facts that indicate serious problems with the 2004 election:

(1) Bev Harris of http://www.blackboxvoting.org has obtained 'official copies' of polling place vote count receipts from Volusia County officials. She has also obtained the original receipts signed by poll workers, by rescuing them from bags marked 'shredder' outside Volusia County offices. The counts shown on the two sets do not match.

(2) The Government Accountability Office (GAO, formerly General Accounting Office) has decided to investigate the election, based on over 57,000 complaints received from voters.

(3) The Wyoming Secretary Of State's official web site is reporting 106% voter turnout:

http://soswy.state.wy.us/election/profile.htm

It's your choice. Investigate now or lose credibility and audience share when the story comes out on your competitors' later.

Thank you,

Michelle Goodwyn
Houston, Texas

Subject: Psy-ops and CNN's "Outrage"

Dear Buzz,

I find the uproar by the media about "using" CNN to "fool the enemy" prior to the election kind of ridiculous (and, by the way, who IS "the enemy" in this case?). Did these idiots really think that Rumsfeld closed the Office of Special Plans when he said he did? (Well, to be fair, perhaps he closed its door or something, so he could say he "closed it" technically and not be lying, but the function continued.)

I think every single communication and non-communication to the media is part of the Bush administration's manipulation of the American public. I ask myself the purpose of every piece of information they put out there. My husband and I look at each other pretty much every day and say, "That was like learning nothing at all." Actually, the more interesting problem is figuring out what they are really trying to accomplish. I can't tell if they are fiendishly clever master planners or total idiots who don't understand the destruction they've wrought.

Leslie in Winchester, MA

Subject: My Comments

The news article reads, "For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply because it is so easy to do," Thompson said. "We are importing a lot of food from the Middle East, and it would be easy to tamper with that.

The food has not been tampered as yet even after importing a lot of food from the Middle East is because the real culprit is Bush. Where is Bin Laden and his attacks? If at all we have another attack, it is for sure, just to prove that Bush is right, then it is his doing and not any terrorists. They could be his hirelings.

No wonder, Thompson, left. I am sure he couldn't stand the mad man and his lies.

Bravo, Thompson!

Elizabeth

Subject: "From The Mouths Of Babes" and "The Anti-Ford"

Dear BuzzFlash,

It's amazing the things kids say sometimes. Tonight I was talking to my teenaged daughter about oxymorons. So I told her the standard ones like "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence." She started laughing and said, "Like President Bush?" I thought that was pretty quick. So remember, any time you use an example of oxymorons, be sure to say, "You know, like 'jumbo shrimp' or 'President Bush'."

Also, I was talking with a friend tonight and we were discussing why we don't shop at Wal-Mart and why we do shop at Costco. Suddenly, it struck me. Wal-Mart is the Anti-Ford. When Henry Ford started producing his automobiles, he started paying his employees the unheard of sum of $5.00 a day so they could afford to buy his products. Wal-Mart picked up on that theme with a little twist; they pay them only $5.15 an hour so they can
only afford to buy their products.

Gary in Phoenix

Subject: Harry Reid and Other Dems are in the Twilight Zone. Really.

I just saw on CNN that Harry Reid already said he would support ("support," mind you) the nomination of Antonin Scalia as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. (Note the word "support," how strong that is).

And of course CNN (Conservative News Network, Corporation News Network) pounced on that statement. Reid agreeing that Scalia, the man who thinks the Constitution doesn’t really guarantee free speech, and there is no separation of church and state, among other things, is simply without debate whatsoever. Scalia is ok to be the Chief Justice for life, for life, for life! And announced it ahead of time!!! What?

When I grew up I watched the Twilight Zone on TV. Now I am living in it…I can hear the music in the background as I write this.

Is Harry another Zell Miller, John Breaux, or even worse, a Joe Lieberman Republican being a Mole and infiltrating the Democrat party? I liked Reid when he got Jeffords to cross over, and do the Jeffords Jump. Where is Jeffords now? Where has he been all these years? I haven’t heard a word. However, that whole thing was useless because what did they all do with their majority, finally majority power (their "capital")? Nothing. No more Jeffords jumps for us down here. And we all did many of them in joy because we had a Head Start on Bush before the rest of the U.S. from back from the 90’s when he was just the Gov.

But Senator Kerry back then with the Jeffords majority, what outcry did he do? I never heard a thing. The Democrats even had subpoena power and didn’t do a damn thing. Bush was going crazy during all those first months with all his executive orders and mischief, together with Cheney who had his secret energy commission.

What a joke during all that time! Where was Reid then? Kerry then? It was probably the last time for many years Dems were able to subpoena anything. I blame Tom Daschle for that. He was an appeasement wimp, in my opinion. I wasn’t sorry to see him go because he sold out from the day (about Dec.17, 2000?) when Bush made his first appearance on the Hill after seizing power and the presidency to right there announce standing right there in between Daschle and Gephardt that he’d like to be a Dictator. I mean he just got to be President of the United States and he stands between Daschle and Gephardt and says he wants to be a Dictator? Where was Kerry then? Where Was Edwards? How about Harry Reid?

I saw it live on CNN when it happened. Both gained nothing by their milk-toast appeasement because they lost anyway, but so did our country.

Now Harry just essentially gave Bush the nod, the permission, yea, verily (as they say in religious right zealot circles) the green light (oops, sorry, green is a bad word) to appoint ultra-extremist Scalia to the head of the highest court in America, and, more significantly, at the same time, put a damper onto those few Democrats who wanted to fight against these two before the fight even started!

Way to go, Harry. (And I don’t mean Truman.)

I am sick.

And they wonder about democrat voter fatigue, like here in what has always been progressive Texas, which began after Ann Richards, with her astounding 68% popularity and a booming state economy under her leadership who didn’t get re-elected?? Shock. Humm..the fix was in, even back then. Just a trial run for the national fixes, that’s all.

How about then Florida and now Ohio? And Kerry already abdicating before I even woke up since I stayed up so late. I was in shock. Oh yeah, what a "fighter" that guy is…. Barf. What "mole" told him to cave in? Edwards didn’t, and told him he wanted to fight on.

Many people with their whole heart and soul worked on his campaign for weeks and months.

Go retire, snow board in Idaho. Or whatever a 60 something does in Nantucket.

Hang it up, Kerry, along with Gore ‘cause both of you seem to be clueless in your dependence on Bob Shrum, Terry, and Donna B. inside the Washington bubble ("bubbleheads") who all seem to love their money and power more than their integrity. Very self-serving. Clueless about how the ultra right, the religious right took over our country.

I couldn’t stand it. I was still in shock and depression when only a week after he abdicated Kerry comes out all happy, energetic, and seemingly so out of touch with the nation, saying that he says he’s going to run again? Excuse me, you just ran a week ago and lost!

So many of us are still recovering from your run for president, still in grief, shock, and emotional exhaustion. By the way, did you still have on that yellow bracelet or was that just a prop? Excuse me, but you just spent 2 years running spending lots of other people’s time and money, and you kept that 15 million? Are you also going to "agree" and be "bipartisan" like all our other leaders who are now gone, and left the party in sheer ruins?

The only people who were fighting were all us other Americans who had a clue, not the long-time Senators like Gore who chose Lieberman, wore funny clothes, rejected Clinton, and had many closet republicans working on his staff or Kerry who was snow boarding as C-Span showed the Ohio Kerry headquarters with only one young woman there while the Republican headquarters had banks with at least 25 already making enthusiastic, organized phone calls. Hope you had a happy time snow boarding while she was working for you.

Oh well, what’s the use? Thanks, Harry Reid, for nothing. Go join the Republicans… Quit smiling… What a wimp. I don’t have any energy anymore. Sorry….

I’ll still read BuzzFlash, my lifeline. Well, maybe tomorrow will be another day, but I don’t think so anymore. Nope. The Bush cartel understood political, financial, supportive and built-up for years American people capital; yet, more than anyone I’ve ever seen, Kerry squandered all of his in such an arrogant, careless, out of touch manner (but he appears so deceptively nice). Harry Reid’s endorsement of Scalia as the Chief Justice just another pathetic example of our out of touch, inside the beltway-reared Democrats.

Finally, I just took off my Kerry/Edwards and Martin Frost bumper stickers.

The Dems don’t have a goal. We don’t even have a team. We don’t have a leader. We don’t have direction. Oh, "its too early to decide on who will be the nominee," they say. Nope, it isn’t. That’s why we had all those people who never had a chance of being President looking silly, wasting time on national TV. We had no leader then we have no leader now…

…and Harry Reid just said it was O.K. for Antonin Scalia to be the Chief Justice for Life.

Betsy