Subject: QUOTE

A BuzzFlash Reader

[BuzzFlash Note: Truman's entire speech, delivered to Congress 8/8/50, is interesting...For instance: "It would be tragic in the highest degree if we were to frighten ourselves into destroying those very liberties which are the basis of our moral leadership in the struggle for peace." He vetoed the anti-communist internal security bill, later overriden by Congress.]

Subject: How Many Have Actually Died???

Buzz --

We all know that the Bushiveks are liars of the worst sort. They lied us into this Iraq War and I suspect they are lying to us about the actual number of American casualties.

In 'Nam, we had the "Five O'Clock Follies" where the military Public Affairs personnel would brief reporters each night -- none of them "embeds" by the way -- regarding the latest casualties. They lied to us then and we all knew it. We're not even getting a "Follies" from Iraq. We also received press releases on the medals awarded for certain battle actions. It set me to wondering how many medals have been awarded for the Operation Iraqi Freedom and how many GIs have actually died?

According to the Department of Defense (DoD) approximately 250,000 GIs have served or are serving in Iraq. D0D says 1,297 (probably more as I write this) are KIAs. Another 9,000 are wounded (WIAs) although that number is in dispute and it could be as high as 25,000. These numbers posed two questions: how many GIs actually have died during this conflict -- not only the 1,300 reported -- but how many wounded later died from their wounds who have not been officially counted? If a GI is KIA in Iraq, then it's counted but not if the GI dies in Germany or Walter Reed or any other military hospital after being airlifted out of the zone.

I suggest that DoD well knows that the KIA number is closer to 3,500 if one can speculate that 10 percent of the wounded later died from their wounds. And 10 percent is a realistic if not low percentage.

Secondly, I wondered how many medals for gallantry have been awarded during this conflict since the Liar in Chief proclaimed "Mission Accomplished"? Well, it turns out that among the 250,000 GIs who have served in the combat zone, the following awards for gallantry have been awarded according to www.homeofheroes.com:

Air Force Cross -- 2

Distinguished Service Cross -- 1

The Navy Cross -- 7

Bronze Stars -- 16,000

Am I the only one who sees something fishy here? The awarding of 16,000 Bronze Stars indicates to this old GI that there's been a hellava lot of action over there that we Americans are not hearing about. This number means that one in 15 soldiers was involved in some serious combat action that merited the Bronze Star. ONE IN FIFTEEN!!!

I also queried DoD about how many Purple Hearts have been awarded...so far I have received no answer. Based on experience from Viet Nam, we can expect a 10 percent or higher rate for the Wounded in Action category. That would mean more than 25,000 Purple Hearts. Given another 10 percent of that number will die from their wounds...that provides another 2,500 KIAs.

If we truly had a "Free Press" someone would be inquiring into this. But we know that will never happen so we need to uncover this travesty ourselves... If the Fourth Estate had been doing its job, this information would have been made known to the American electorate and these criminals would be headed to where they belong -- the military prison at Fort Leavenworth.

Get moving, get motivated..."You can't take the Hill sitting on your ass..."

Tony Mack

Subject: Conyers Deserves a Medal!!

Buzz,

I was appalled by Colette Miller's slam of Congressman Conyers [mailbag 12/13]. She uses him as an example as to why "the Dem. party is in such tatters." If only the Democratic party had many many more like Mr. Conyers -- ones with courage and determination to ensure that voting is fair and democracy exists. If it were not for Mr. Conyers, the voting fraud would have passed without Anyone to contest it. Who else is speaking out about what occurred? Who else is holding forums on this issue? No One. No Democrat [not even Kerry]. No Rethuglican [not even FuriousGeorge]. And No Media.

Buzzers should be emailing Mr. Conyers and thanking him for standing up for us when no one else would. Certainly he is getting a great amount of hate mail about this -- we need to let him know we're behind him 110%. He's getting no cooperation from Blackwell so surely he's not having a lot of giggles over this as Ms. Miller seems to think he should be. This is not entertainment and not a "party" -- this is an investigation of felony fraud, an investigation he carries with little support. Many people wish to speak, so he has to keep a tight limit on each speaker, otherwise the forums would turn to chaos. Speakers at the first forum were very passionate and very informative -- they each could have gone on for hours.

Mr. Conyers is NOT "pathetic" -- he's a hero amongst cowards. Again, Buzzers must let him know we appreciate and support his courageous efforts on our behalf.

T. Quigly

Subject: "Religious Right"

Hi, Buzz -

I really have to object to Jane Hawes' suggestion that the religious right be called "Pharisees." Even with all the interfaith education going on, it's surprising how little many Christians know about Judaism.

The Pharisees were NOT the "religious right of Jesus' time." They were the liberal wing, who believed that holiness belonged to all of the people, not just the priests, and should be brought into all areas of life, and their creativity and FLEXIBILITY were responsible for the survival of Judaism after the destruction of the Temple.

There certainly were Pharisees like those Jesus complained about (as did other Pharisees), but the over-scrupulous, publicly pious ones were no more representative of the group than Jerry Falwell and George Bush are representative of Christians. In fact, outdated, long-discredited views such as those of Ms. Hawes are a slap in the face to today's Jews, virtually ALL of whom are spiritual descendants of the Pharisees.

I don't really have a suggestion as to what to call the so-called religious right, since the real analogue in Jesus' day would have been the Sadducees, and I'm afraid that they haven't gotten enough name recognition.

Keep up the good work!

Leslie

Subject: The Idea Hits The Mainstream

Hi Gang!

About a month ago, I proposed an organized "Turn Your Back on Bush" effort during the inaugural parade.

I also sent out mass emailings to every progressive and protestive website I could locate out on the web and I seem to have started something.

First, there was this: http://www.turnyourbackonbush.org/

Now, MSNBC has caught onto the effort: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6715130/

If this really works and the media sees it happening...I'm going to cry for joy.

As I asked of everyone I sent the email to: Bring nothing but yourself, speak to no one except those you go with, and refuse to acknowledge Shrubya sympathizers who harass you. Large crowds of screaming voices and negative signs detract from the message. Turning your back on the man who simply does not represent the America you love in any way - shape, form, or fashion - will speak volumes that no conservative pundit can hope to scream down.

If you can, go to Washington. Show the bastard how much you really care about him.

Jerry Peurala
Westfield, IN

Subject: Stolen Election: Don't Fix What Isn't Broken

What is going on with the Democratic Party's leadership? Why are they talking about restructuring the Party? When will they realize the Democrats won the last two Presidential elections? Then both were stolen. The number of voting irregularities across the country is in the thousands. Even states that John Kerry won had their problems. Multiply the thousand of irregularities by any reasonable, not so imposing number and three million votes suddenly can and most certainly would disappear. Almost 100% of the voting irregularities favored Bush. John Kerry probably won by more than Al Gore, but the level of deceit and fraud has risen to new unmitigated heights. The election was stolen, pure and simple.

The Democrats will never win another Presidential election, until they put an end to the fraud and deceit. First and foremost, the unverifiable electronic voting machines. Machines that are owned and operated by Bush supporters. How disgusting and un-American. Yes, the elections were stolen. They can listen to all the Conservative hype, the religious angle, Kerry wasn't likable enough, the AWOL Bush is more of a hero than the proven hero, John Kerry. All that Rove, Hannity, and Limbaugh drivel; it doesn't matter. Bush lost the election, in spite of all the Republican smear tactics. It is not the voters who are at fault. They made their choices clear in the last two elections. The election was lost through lies, fraud and most of all electronic votes that cannot be checked.

Except for a few brave souls, such as John Conyers, Robert Wexler, Sheila Jackson Lee and very few others, the rest of the Democratic leaders have to get their heads out of the sand. They have to start demanding recounts, confiscation of all electronic voting machines and bring to justice once and for all the perpetrators of these treasonous acts against the majority of the American voters. The Democratic Party doesn't need to be restructured. They won the elections. The current Administration is being run by the most fraudulent and lying pack of thieves in the history of our country. They have to be stopped.

Mel Spiegel
Jupiter, Florida

Subject: Beating the Bushes

Dear Buzz,

Thanks to BuzzFlash and other valuable internet resources (many linked via the Buzz), I've read a lot of intelligent, well reasoned commentary on what we democrats must do to shed our loser image and win back the presidency and the majority in the houses of congress. I am particularly excited by the prospect of having Howard Dean take over the leadership at the DNC. Yes, it would be a sacrifice for democrats who want to see him run in '08, but if he's willing to take over the chairmanship of the party then that's where I believe he could be most effective in the near term.

Think about it: If we take back the majority in '06, especially in the House of Representatives, then we'll empower tigers like Nancy Pelosi, John Conyers and other good democrats (perhaps even a few good republicans) who are ready and willing to tear into Bush and that sorry lot of head bobbins surrounding him. Without the congressional connivance now supporting him, Bush would be exposed for the shallow, posturing nabob that he actually is. We need the chairmanships of the committees that have the power to investigate and the power to appoint independent prosecutors. Only then can the invisibility cloak that has allowed this "man in miniature" to wreak such havoc on our government, our economy and the good name of our country be removed.

Who knows, we might even uncover Dick "W" Cheney in his secret hidey-hole.

Yes, I readily admit that there's an element of revenge in this vision. Monica, the blue dress, Whitewater -- all of it. But this time there's plenty of material, not just little sexual indiscretions, but weighty crimes, just begging for the bright light of day. Enough to ensure that this little freak of political mutation gets the ignominious fate that he deserves: impeachment, trial and removal from office. After all if we don't interrupt this particular line of political genetics, then we could all wind up looking like monkeys.

Americans deserve better than the kind of political devolution that we have been subject to over the last four years.

A fundamental difference between republicans and democrats is that democrats believe that God lives within us, that we control, and are responsible for our own fate. That the study of science is the study of how God/"the universe" works. That truth actually matters. The "karma runs over dogma" philosophy of life.

Republicans believe in an external god and are ready to drop to their knees in front of the first golden calf (or monkey) that happens along. They see images of Jesus in their dental x-rays, instead of realizing that their dentist simply needs to clean his film processing equipment. They're still bitter that Y2K passed w/o incident and this time they're determined that the world is going to go up in flames even if they have to give it a little nukular assist. Trash the planet to your heart's content, that's their version of "tending the garden." Torture the animals, destroy their habitats, whatever. All you have to do is profess Jesus to be your saviour and you're in like flint. Misery is their most important product. Theirs is a vision of missionaries in humvees. Everyone must look like them, speak like them and believe like them or else be left in the dust to die. Only they (and unborn children) are pure enough to be worthy of life.

They're certain that Jesus is going to appear on a cloud and "lift them up" even as they toss fast food trash from windows on either side of their SUV's. Jesus will lift them up leaving the rest of us to burn.

If they're correct and this does happen, then I only pray that Jesus lifts up each and every one of them. Don't miss a single right wing ahole. I don't really care what he does with them. Take them to heaven or send them to hell. Better yet promise them heaven, and -- then -- cast them straight into hell. In other words: give them the bush treatment.

Tim Mooring

[BuzzFlash Note: We were cheered by your vision of a W. impeachment...but expect many will dispute your generalizations about the religion of republicans.]

I knew the exit polling was right the night of the election. John Kerry not only won Ohio, he won Florida as well.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Medal of Freedom "Honorees"

Honest to God truth here! I heard about Dub’s awarding the Medals of Freedom yesterday 12/14/04 around 11 AM on NPR and checked this site to find out more about it: http://www.medaloffreedom.com/, and there it was, speaking historically in past tense at around 11.30 AM:

Talk about shock and awe! I tried hard to find out if the historical reference here actually preceded the ceremony, but I wasn’t successful. I guess these guys really do "create history" and move on while we squabble about it! My take is the Commander in Chimp was simply handing out awards to "See no Evil" ("[George Tenet]…was one of the first to recognize and address the threat to America from radical networks." -- George Bush.), "Hear no Evil" (Bush praised Franks for leading a campaign on Baghdad that used "a force half the size of the force that won the Gulf War," while not acknowledging the controversial lack of adequate forces to maintain the "peace."), and "Speak no Evil" ("Did Paul Bremer clinch this honor for speaking out against the administration's bungled war planning only after he'd left the job?" asked David Wade, a spokesman for Sen. John Kerry.)!

A Loyal BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: President Awards Himself 3 Freedom Medals

BuzzFlash,

Some of your readers may have missed this:

President Bush today presented three Freedom Medals to Himself. Asked whether there was a conflict of interest Bush said, "Let me talk slowly and make this issue clear. No, there is no conflictation of any kind." Don Rumsfeld said, "Would it have been better if someone else gave the president the medals? Of course. Could someone else have given the president the medals? No. Does the President deserve the medals? Of course!" Condoleezza Rice said, "There are secret documents that explain this matter very clearly to be appropriate, just, and in the best interests of the country. I wish I could share these documents but until then just trust everyone in this administration."

Your BuzzFlash Underground Reporter

Subject: Island in the sun

In reference to the US building a new prison in Guantanamo, it might be interesting to look at this article from the encyclopedia:

Hmm yes, it does sound like the republicans want to have their own Devils Island.

Cathy

Subject: Bernie Kerik!!!

Why isn't this "alleged" mobster and scoundrel being investigated by the proper authorities??? From all evidence presented, he should be in JAIL.

Betty DeHart
Chambersburg, PA

Subject: dear jon stewart!

Dear Jon Stewart:

i just saw something on msnbc, a little after 9:30 am wednesday. i was stunned! you should use it on your show! :):)

Don Evans was on and some blond bimbo was doing the interview. evans was saying stuff like Bush is very fiscally disciplined, does not want to leave problems to the next generation, on and on! the blond acted as if she bought it all! it was like being in the twilight zone! :):):)

DA

Subject: Check out this article

A Democratic write-in candidate won over a Republican incumbent but the courts wouldn't allow the votes to count because people failed to fill in the oval next to the write-in box. The Times and other news organizations paid for the recount.

Ballot Review Favors Frye (LA Times)

Wonder what would happen if they really counted all the votes in Ohio?

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Trying a dead man

Proof we should have turned off the television a LONG TIME AGO concerning this wa r...

April 7, 2003, the headlines read, "Body of 'Chemical Ali' found." CNN tells us:

The Kurds breathe a sigh of relief.

British military: Body of 'Chemical Ali' found (CNN 4/7/03)

'Chemical Ali' to Be First Saddam Aide Tried (Reuters 12/15/04)

P. Jones
Mesquite

Subject:UN oversight board found irregularities in Iraq's oil export sales

U.N. Criticizes Iraq Occupation Oil Sales (NY Times)

UN watchdog finds irregularities in US-administered Iraqi oil sales (AFP/Turkish Press)

UN watchdog finds irregularities in US-administered Iraqi oil sales (AFP/Sierra Times)

Watchdog: Irregularities in Iraq oil sales (al Jazeera)

(is THAT why Paul Bremer and the others received the medals?)

A BuzzFlash Reader