BuzzFlash > Mailbag > January 3, 2005


January 3, 2005		MAILBAG ARCHIVES
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. My name is Robert W. Gordon. I am a BuzzFlash fan. I am submitting an observation. If the following statistics are correct, how did Bush win the election? The newspapers reported that Bush's current approval rating is 48%. This statistic is very interesting. It is the same as the pre-election forecast nationwide and in the battleground states. It is the same statistic as the exit polls During the election -- 48%. It probably [would] be the same as the recount of the "recountable" votes. The unrecountable votes are the Touch Screen votes, which have no possible tracking data. These votes were counted by employees of Triad Systems (a republican owned company), then the totals were changed to show that Bush had won in Ohio. The same scenario was played out in Florida and New Mexico and others. Since these totals can not be verified, they also can not be proven as true. Expert statisticians from several colleges have stated unequivocally that this is a statistical impossibility that the exit polls were so different from the final results in all of the battleground states. It would be a tragedy for America and Democracy if Bush were inaugurated as the next president. If you want further proof of voter fraud, look up the following: http://www.solarbus.org/stealyourelection/#exit http://www.chuckherrin.com/hackthevote.htm http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2004/1044 Robert W. Gordon Subject: Best Wishes Just a little note to wish you and yours a Happy New Year. Hoping that our wishes be granted bringing our troops home and then we see either an impeachment or a new election. Thanks for keeping us truly informed and hopeful that we can unite and get back our country from the corruption and that PEACE will finally be achieved. Buzzers we did not lose the election...it was stolen....don't you ever forget it. Jocelyn Miami, Florida Subject: Thank you You all made me laugh, made me cry, and amazed me with your clever, sometimes amusing, titles to the articles listed on BuzzFlash.com. But, most important of all, you gave me a place to "run to" for the truth. Knowledge is power, and you have given your readers power to turn the Bush legacy around, if each of us puts some "oomph!" in our activism. You are very much appreciated. Sherrill Durbin Mounds, OK Subject: George/Jeb and 'Fact-Finding' trip.... Dear BuzzFlash readers: I would imagine the reason Jeb is going instead of George, is that George is much too busy planning his parties...... Mary in Indiana Subject: So, what's really going on with Constitutional Abuse? Hello, All. I've been writing letters for close to three years now on the abuse of the Constitution and of human rights, as exemplified by the prison at Guantanamo Bay. Violations of the Geneva Convention of 1949, ratified by the U.S. Senate, and thus Supreme Law under the U.S. Constitution, continue. News on torture by Americans of Iraqi prisoners, the story of the day several months ago, has largely faded in the public consciousness. While a few grunts are prosecuted under provisions of military code, upper levels of leadership subject to punishment up to and including death for war crimes are apparently escaping investigation under the provisions of the War Crimes Act of 1996. The Justice Department has revisited and broadened the definition of torture, as discussed in a recent news item: U.S. Memo Backs Off Torture Arguments (NY Times) I wrote a letter a few days ago on the torture revisions by Justice, with the hope it signaled a return to due process and lawful behavior by the U.S. At the same time, I suspected this is a cosmetic exercise to help Alberto Gonzales survive scrutiny to become our next Attorney General. (This activity appears to follow the premise it is impossible to underestimate the intelligence of the American people, so you can get away with anything.) The torture story doesn't fit together with other continuing actions by the U.S. administration. Nearly a thousand prisoners have been held at Guantanamo without charge or representation, and only 15 so far have actually been charged with anything. This matter was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court almost a year ago, with the result that the Court ruled these prisoners are entitled to due process and the protection of the American judicial process. A BBC discussion of the Supreme Court ruling by a strong majority may be found at: Q&A: US Supreme Court Guantanamo ruling (BBC) We enter a new year, rolling toward the start of a fourth year of illegal confinement of people snatched from their own country, several of whom have been driven to madness or death, still awaiting consideration under the time-honored Common Law principle of habeas corpus. The only people who appear to find this reprehensible and remarkable are OP-ED writers in the left-wing press, as exemplified by an article from The Nation: A Devil's Island for Our Times (The Nation) Where is the mainstream attention and indignation on this issue, anyway? Recent stories (e.g., release of FBI files to the ACLU) document torture in Guantanamo, which apparently formed the pattern of "interrogation" exported from Cuba to Iraq, but the story is lost in the fog of larger and bloodier events. We need to begin linking stories to test the sincerity of isolated actions such as the torture redefinition exercise. If and when the prisoners at Guantanamo are freed or charged, we can begin to believe the administration is moving toward the preservation of the Constitution, and away from outlaw status. In the meantime, as we move to enter a fourth year of the abuse of law and human rights, we need to remind ourselves of another principle of American law, which is that time is of the essence, and those accused are entitled to timely trial. Under this principle, after the long, illegal detention, the appropriate action would be prompt release of all prisoners held without charge or representation in Guantanamo. John F. Williford Richland, WA Subject: Bush shamed into increasing the pledge Now that Bush has finally increased the US pledge for South Asia relief to $350m, I can't help but think he was shamed into it by the huge outpouring of financial support from the American (and Canadian) people. Those of us who have donated are motivated by compassion, but the Bushies see everything in political terms, so it was surely not lost on them that the millions in private donations are a sign that we care about helping those devastated by this disaster, and, perhaps, they ought to get on board, since they, after all, are our "leaders." The belated initial pledges of $15m, then $35m, were embarrassing, given that they'll spend more than that on inauguration parties. But, then, we're used to being embarrassed on the international stage by this President. By the way, those wishing to contribute would do well to research the agencies soliciting funds. Lutheran World Relief (www.lwr.org), for example, has an A+ rating from Charitywatch.org, and is already on the ground in the affected areas working with trusted and proven local organizations. And you can designate your donation to go directly to South Asia tsunami relief. There are many other worthy and effective organizations, but donors might want to be careful that their money goes to where it is intended. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Bush House Cut NOAA Budget 6 Months Before Tsunami CNN has an article which puts NOAA [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] on the hot seat concerning warnings issued for the tsunami. Since NOAA is "crying poor" I decided to see why they felt underfunded. Lo and behold I find the House voted in July to cut NOAA by 11%. I don't know how much this particular move affects NOAA in Dec. but the coincidence is, at least, intriguing. Perhaps you have contacts that could clarify the significance, if there is any there. I've included an excerpt from the CNN article and the salient bit from the NOAA information along with the respective links. Agency answers critics over no tsunami warning: NOAA's lack of staff, funding hobbled alerts WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. weather agency didn't have the phone numbers nor staff to alert all Indian Ocean coastal countries when it saw the first signs that tsunamis could be heading their way, its top official said Thursday. He cautioned that the Caribbean and Atlantic also lack an early warning system. In the face of stern questioning by some in Congress over whether enough was done, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said his agency did all it was responsible for doing in warning 26 countries in the Pacific. "We cannot watch tsunamis in the Indian Ocean," said Conrad C. Lautenbacher, the Commerce Department's undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere and a retired Navy vice admiral, noting that no warning system exists for all 11 countries where the death toll has now topped 117,000... [See also...] The House would also cut NOAA R&D by a steep $72 million or 11.7 percent, for a total of $545 million.... In Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the R&D portfolio would fall 14.7 percent down to $278 million, mostly because of the elimination of FY 2004 congressional earmarks but also from House cuts below the requested funding levels. NOAA’s climate research program would stay even at $170 million. Weather and air quality research would fall steeply from $55 million to $34 million because of deleted earmarks and the elimination of the US Weather Research Program. Funding for the National Sea Grant College Program would decline from $62 million down to $60 million. Begun in 1966, Sea Grant provides research grants to more than 200 universities to gain better understanding of marine life and marine resources through education, outreach, and technology transfer. R&D in NOAA’s other divisions would also decline, such as the National Ocean Service (NOS), whose portfolio of oceanographic research would fall 22.5 percent to $33 million. There would be across-the-board cuts in the fisheries and resources management research programs of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), resulting in a 15.4 percent cut in NMFS R&D activities down to $103 million... http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/doc05h.htm A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: make no mistake! While I agree it is a good thing bush was shamed into raising our share to 350 million..... I feel the bush's and their people see this as free campaign money from the tax payers to start promoting Jeb Bush. make no mistake about it, the presidential campaign has begun for Jeb Bush and us tax payers are footing the bill! Katie Johnson Tampa FL Subject: Inauguration Dear Friends: Call on the White House to cancel the lavish and terribly expensive inauguration events. It would be blasphemy in light of the daily killing of our soldiers as well as the Iraqi people and the terrible disaster in Asia! The money the rich people want to spend would be better spent to help the people who lost everything! Gus Pohlig Subject: Jeb Bush I believe the Bush family is raising Jeb's profile to the American public. First he gets appointed to survey the tsunami damage and then he writes an article in the Washington Post touting his educational policy in Florida. Sounds like a run in 2008. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: We Need to Cut the Fat in DC . . . A New Years Diet BuzzFlash, The following quote from your mailbag today . . . My town is gone. There are probably 2% of the original buildings in a recognizable form. I am very lucky to even be making my way home. The U.S. government offered me a phone call, a toothbrush, a paperback book and a temporary passport. No hotel, no food, no flight home. I was told that I could take out a loan if I could list three people who would vouch for me at home. Where does our money go? Americans need to understand where our money is going. It is being burned up on a daily basis, along with the deaths of people who are no different from us. Has the US lost all decency since the Bush regime took over? Someone operating with a tic tac for a brain would know that what this person received was no help at all. We can afford to spend all kinds of money for Bush and his "protection," but we can't fly our own people home when they need it. Even the military in Bush's invasion have had to spend their own money. Why do we have such a debt and where is our money? This is said in hindsight, but I did worry about it when Bush was put into the White House years ago. Now, we've had another fraudulent election that Congress wants no part of. We really need to clean house. If we had Charlie McCarthy in the White House, instead of Bush, who would know? Maybe then people could understand that we are a Country that needs leaders who are equipped to lead and not those who bleed this Country of every single good thing we have had going for us in the past . . . including our surplus. Now, that surplus is the wealthy in DC. Have people not realized that with the debt that the Bush regime has dropped on this Country in just four years . . . that we can't afford anything? Disaster of any kind? The interest alone is mind boggling. I'd like to know the total amount we spend on Bush's protection a year. I'd like it stopped. I want to see our members of Congress make this Bush administration account for every single dollar they have spent and then cut their fat. All perks, all DC fat. At least some of those so-called real Republicans in Congress should be able to vote for that. The word conservative to a Bush Republican only means one thing, "I got mine, I'm keeping it . . . try like hell to get yours." We had 911 . . . it pales in comparison to Bush's war and it pales in comparison to this horrible disaster brought about by this tsunami. And, yet, we are only as strong as our weakest link . . . and guess who that is? Actually, I should say weakest "links." If we had a leak in DC for every weak link . . . it, too, would be under water. Just a thought. Thanks BuzzFlash, Shirley Smith Subject: brother's luck Would little brother Jeb be as lucky as brother Neil in Thailand? Will free prostitutes be knocking at his hotel room and perform their "duties" free of charge? Just asking... Jocelyn Miami, Florida [BuzzFlash Note: Related links...http://www.independent-media.tv/item... and http://www.laweekly.com/ink/05/05/the-corn.php.] Subject: Tsunami Aid You’re way bigger than I am, so I’m coming to you with an idea. I was about to contribute $100 to Oxfam for the tsunami victims when I realized that the wife and I have about $200 tied up with the Discover Card cash back bonus program. Unfortunately the Discover Card program does not offer an option for using their bonus dollars for charity. Then I thought that there must be like billions tied up in cash back bonus programs in all of the various award cards. How can I go about popularizing the idea that these banks create a direct link to charities like Oxfam? What if they even kicked in a few bucks for every $100 dollars in bonus money that a card holder spends on a charity? That would be some good advertising for them as well. Am I just another dreamer? Bill Selznick Subject: Just goes to show.. Just how stingy Bush's initial 15 Mil was. The citizens of Briton coughed up more than the entire US Govt. initially committed to until the heat got turned up high enough on the stingy Bush administration Britons donate millions (Reuters/msn.co.uk) LONDON (Reuters) - The devastation wrought by the Asian tsunami has prompted Britons to give 45 million pounds in aid, nearly matching the 50 million pounds set aside by the government. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: unmasking the liars happy new year! too bad the world is such a mess. anyway, I hope that you know someone who can track if all those evangelical right wingers are donating anything to help the muslim people of the asian countries suffering from the tsunami horror. it will be interesting to see if they put their money where their mouths are. also, when is someone going to get down and out and dirty--and list all of bush's secrets and lies in one article. like all the torture stuff-all the lies he told in the last 5 years. all the propaganda and what he has done to shut the media down. someone has to come out swinging. really. the world's eyes are open but not the americans'. we need to unmask this butthole now. karin dicker los angeles Wow! Quite an editorial today. Would that it could be published in mainstream media. It's right on target. Sadly, those "illiterati" who, apparently, make up the mainstream of our society today (read: "The Dumbing Down of America), have no clue. I've recently purchased "Confessions of An Economic Hit Man" and Chalmers Johnson's "The Sorrows of Empire," and recently re-read "The Prince." I'm astounded and dismayed at the efficiency with which "the knowing ones" have promulgated their agenda. What the hell can we do to stop this rising river of venom? GOP Hypocrite of the Year: George W. Bush: A BUZZFLASH EDITORIAL Barbara Bullas Subject: Jan 6th --CAN WE GET MASSIVE PROTEST IN WASH D.C.!!! Dear BuzzFlash, Thanks for posting Eric Seibel's obituary back in July. You've made such a difference in my life and his. Many thanks BuzzFlash for all of your many hours of hard work. TELL ME IF THIS COULD MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO THE U.S.? I read a small blurb that JESSE JACKSON is going to have a protest in WASHINGTON, D.C. on Jan 6th, where they will be counting the electoral votes. I know it's short notice, but can we get 1,000,000 people to go? It would make a HUGE DIFFERENCE if it looked like the electorate cares, wouldn't it?? Note: ANTI-INAUGURATION, 2000 FIASCO...I went to the anti-inauguration in 2000 and that was a waste of time because the Gestapo was fully prepared to stop democracy. If they could run the war in Iraq as successfully as they run the war against anti-free speech protests in the U.S. -- they would be doing a lot better. Back in 2000 the storm troopers were posted everywhere to prevent demonstrators from getting anywhere near the inauguration. AND YOU NEEDED TICKETS!!!! Which, of course, only republicans and evangelicals could get. It was very clear to anyone who went to the anti-inauguration in 2000 -- where Bush & Co intended to take this country. Laura Fogel-Seibel [BuzzFlash Note: Related news.... Liberal Group Seeks Support for Challenge of Bush Electors (Cybercast News Service); Group Plans Rally to Protest Election Results (WTOL-TV).] Subject: some figures When our compassionate president finally awoke from his long winter's nap and noticed there was an international catastrophe, he pledged $15 million in relief. I did some math. $15 million was half the cost of the inaugural balls (not counting the high security), and got him a lot of criticism. So he stopped cutting brush long enough to go to $35 million, topping the inauguration! But alas, after (according to www.whitehouse.gov) bestowing $12,368,100,000 on Florida for disaster relief even that seemed puny to some of us. Now he's up to -- gasp -- $350 million for tsunami relief. Multiply that by 35 and you get ... Florida relief. Multiply Florida relief by 15 and you get ... the (financial) cost of the war in Iraq to date. The casualties from the tsunami are roughly equal to the Iraqi casualties from our invasion and occupation. Our priorities are madly, badly messed up. The war against Iraq is as disastrous as it is unnecessary; perhaps in terms of its wisdom, purpose and motives, the worst war in American history…. Our military men and women…were not called to defend America but rather to attack Iraq. They were not called to die for, but rather to kill for, their country. What more unpatriotic thing could we have asked of our sons and daughters…? -- William Sloane Coffin For more than forty years, William Sloane Coffin has spoken with prophetic zeal on matters of war and peace, social justice and religious faith. Judy Subject: new year Buzzfolks, Having recently read about the Bush Cartel plan to remove Alice Walker's and Tennessee Williams' books from school libraries due to "positive" portrayals of homosexuality which would be "dangerous" messages to our youth, I am feeling fear and despair for the very existence of the America that we knew and loved. Throw in the re-writing of environmental laws to favor deforestation and drilling for oil in Alaska, greater freedom of government officials to pry into our private lives and homes, and the support of this administration in the ever more right leaning media, and you have the frightening beginnings of a new Nazism in our beloved United States of America. There is a sickness...a cloud of ignorance born of religious fervor...that allows the diabolical ideology of the Bush Cartel to shape the future of our country into what will become a Dictatorship by family inheritance. The Bush designed and controlled USA. Are you ready for that People?? It's happening and half of us voted for it!! Happy New Year!! Richard..........Michigan Subject: can you help? do you have enough guts and integrity to start a nationwide call for the united states to leave iraq and let the u.n. and the eu and its neighbors take over? we are the reason for the deaths and destruction. bush doesn't want to give up any of the lucrative contracts for his chums--so he will let our boys and girls and the innocent iraqis die for his greed. it is time to get out of there. karin dicker los angeles Subject: James Dobson I think all BuzzFlash readers should join together and file a class action lawsuit against this weasel for mixing church and state, along with Jerry Falwell and the rest that they try to run our country and shove their twisted values down our throats. Another thing is, all this money that is being raised for the Big Inaugural party should be going to the people in Southeast Asia, or they should be taxed to the hilt. I am sick of the GOP, and the so- called (Christian) Coalition. Their 501C status should be removed or investigated. Thank you. Evangelical Leader Threatens to Use His Political Muscle Against Some Democrats (NY Times) Gregory A. Reece Subject: Clearing brush? Oh pleeezzze Buzz, The official excuse for FuriousGeroge's blatant silence after the earthquake/tsunami consisted of that old, worn-out and tiresome 'he's really really busy clearing brush' down on the pig farm. How many times have we heard this? It's now delivered with as little verve as Duhhbya now delivers for the 10,000th time, that 'we're safer after slaughtering thousands of innocent Iraqis' line. The lack of conviction in the clearing-brush story leads one to believe something's seriously wrong down there -- is he on a binge? seriously ill? or somehow just not presentable [as in, they had to sober him up first before presenting him to the world]. T. Quigly Subject: 1984 is today Congrats to Dubya for winning your "Hypocrite of the Year" award. It is certainly richly deserved. You note, in explaining the award, "In this Orwellian world of 1984 -- and in Bush's world of 2004 -- war is peace and ignorance is strength." Indeed. I document the Bush administration's fidelity to the slogans of the Ministry of Truth in "1984" (War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength) at: http://home.earthlink.net/~fsrhine/2004.12.01_arch.html#1102787921433 Frederick S. Rhine Park Ridge, Illinois Subject: Political suicide or the death of our democracy? I have heard this week many dire predictions from pundits who say any Senator who challenges the obviously fraudulent election of last November will be committing political Hare Kerry (sorry I couldn't resist). Perhaps this term is more than just a bad pun if the many vows I have heard never to vote for Kerry again, because of his early concession, stick if he runs again in 2008. I don't envy our senators this week with another embarrassing election challenge confrontation coming up. They didn't come off looking too good in the last one after all. And now here comes those pesky Black congressional people with their entirely unreasonable demands for elections that are fair and untainted with the stench of corruption and fraud. Imagine the uproar if a senator had the nerve to challenge with them and force a debate in which facts that had until now been suppressed might leak out to the general public. What if they found out about the exit poll data being kept secret by our 'liberal media' that would clear up once and for all some of the mysteries of election night? What if they heard about the Ohio Secretary of State's many attempts to hide information and obstruct the recount? Or the withheld polling machines in Democratic districts that created extremely long lines? Or the tampering with voting machines, and the counties that had more votes than registered voters? I mean the list is rather endless and would just make people even more cynical than before about our election process. They might just say "what's the point in voting?" We can't have people not turn out for our rigged elections can we? That would be bad for democracy. After all, what fun is it to suppress the vote if no one shows up to suppress? And there would be no living with those republicans across the aisle, would there? It seems they take challenges to their absolute power way too seriously. Remember the last time they stole the election and called us bad losers? Plus how would the senators' constituents take it if they found out all that crap they said during the campaign about democratic ideals and voting rights for minorities was stuff they actually meant? The political fallout would be enormous and they might never win a rigged election again! So have some sympathy for the Feingolds, Boxers, Kerrys, Kennedys and Byrds, next week. After all, it's not easy mouthing empty platitudes about democracy day after day year after year, and pretending you mean it. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Half Mast or Half Assed . . . A Reflection of the Past BuzzFlash, A few minutes earlier, I saw a scrawl on CNN that said that Bush has issued flags lowered to half mast in memory and honor of those who died in the tsunami (paraphrasing). This caught my attention because earlier, I read today that Bush's first donation in the name of the US to the victims of these countries, was $400,000 in relief, which would only have amounted to pennies per person. Then we read that he upped it to 15 million dollars, which happened to be a paltry sum even to those who hadn't heard of the $400,000 sum. Then Bush tossed out the 35 million dollar offer, which also looked bad because he was spending $40 million on his Big Balls celebration in January. Then, today, I see that he has thrown out another figure, a whopping $350 million, which some could say that he hopes that people will think they got it wrong when they heard of the 35 million dollar figure. But that isn't what interested me because we have heard these things before. Bush has thrown out figures to many of his programs that never got funded, so if they get the money, I'll believe it when I see it. No, what I found interesting about this was that some influence was able to change Bush's mind . . . every day . . . regarding his support to those victims of this tsunami. Who or Whom? I know that it couldn't have been world opinion, because the world was against his invasion of Iraq and it made no difference to Bush and he changed nothing. I know that it was not the people of the US because even with months of the many emails, mails, and marches against his attack in Iraq . . . they changed nothing . . . not even the minds of our own members of Congress, who were also duped into giving the authority for Bush to act on his own, which if it is given because of a lie . . . it seems that the right thing to do would be to take back any authority that has been given and punish the liar . . . especially when those lies caused over 100,000 deaths. Bush has refused to recognize the deaths that were caused due to the lies by him and his administration and he has refused to recognize those young and old heroes who came home in coffins . . . he failed to recognize those who died because they were trained as National Guard and not warriors. He failed to recognize the deaths caused by the lack of equipment or the lack of good equipment in Iraq. He failed to recognize the thousands that have been injured in Iraq and he has failed to recognize the abuse that some magic memo coming from his office that actually gave the authority for the abuse in Abu Ghraib and many other places . . . he has failed to recognize the abuse in Guantanamo. We have seen no changes made anywhere for the better in the respect for human life by this administration. We have seen every New Year brought in by more tragedy and until this year, it all was caused by the Bush administration. And, that administration has never changed anything. The only changes we have seen during the last four years have been that crime does pay and has been elevated to government policy. Honesty and ethics have been almost wiped off the slate . . . aren't allowed to be questioned. The changes that Bush has dramatically voiced in the last few days have been because of only one thing that I could see and that one thing is called the "Media." -- The Big Mass Media! The tsunami story has been mass media for days and on such a thoroughly reported grand scale, that I think the media should take a good look at themselves and do some reflection of their own . . . about their responsibility and influence in what has happened during these last four horrible years in US history. It's not that Bush cares what the media think . . . it is that the stories (the truth) are exposed over and over again and the more repetition, the more exposure . . . then, the curtain in front of this administration becomes transparent, even for the most confused of this society. Bush's biggest fear is probably that the day might come when he will no longer be able to be protected by our media . . . except for Faux, but then, they are just for entertainment . . . aren't they? No one could ever call them just half assed . . . could they? Just a thought, Thanks BuzzFlash, Shirley Smith Subject: what Happy New Year? Dear BuzzFlash: I didn't celebrate the New Year this time around. After all, there is so much to cheer about that we'll be facing. a) George Bush in for another term b) George not giving a rat's ass about the tsunami victims until it became a political liability. Not to mention implications by some far right nuts that the disaster was justified because the majority of the victims weren't Christian. c) The war will drag on, a thousand more soldiers will probably die, and in all likelihood, the U.S. will invade Syria or Iran for a much needed poll boost. And yes, there will be a draft, maybe even me, although I'm 44 and have a myriad of health problems. The last days of Nazi Germany saw children and very old men drafted. George is no less fanatical. d) Our civil rights will be up for grabs every single day because too many of us are too damn lazy to exert any energy to protect them. e) The terror threat will be constant, and if too many Americans get wise to the ruse and the fact that no major terror attack has occurred on U.S. soil since 9-11-01, and more implications arise that Bush knew far more about the threat and probably had a hand in the attacks, the Bush White House will not hesitate to fabricate another assault on its own citizens. f) Even if the vote fiasco in Ohio becomes more prominent, Americans will not rise to the challenge and raise hell about the stolen election like the Ukrainians did. We simply don't care about anything but ourselves anymore. Our lack of action and deliberate ignorance of the truth will be our downfall if enough people don't wake up and do it real damn fast. g) The far right evangelical crowd will be more emboldened, oppressive and tyrannical with their Golden Calf in the White House. Every attempt will be made to erase separation of church and state, force Christianity on "non-believers," forge a stronger political lobby and further divide the country. Fortunately, my home life is great, I have a wonderful and loving wife, a nice home and a good job. For that, I'm thankful. As far as the country's health and well-being, I have a very dim outlook for all of us in 2005. Please, somebody - make me wrong. Scott Fayetteville, AR Subject: Intimidations and Donations . . . Bush Tax Free Dollars at Work BuzzFlash, Regarding your New York Times article: Evangelical Leader Threatens to Use His Political Muscle Against Some Democrats It's always great to hear threats coming from Bush's Christian Right Wing of the Republican Party. Should these be called Bush's Bully Pulpits? It shows how interested they are in the US government and they can see their taxless dollars at work. And, from Bush's other base . . . you know, the wealthy . . . we also have heard of the large donations that have been made and stated over and over again that they are "private donations" funding the Bush Ball in January. So, between the Right Wing saber-rattling and the big ball celebration, everyone in Bush's base must be peachy-creamed and the devil-may-care happy. I'm not too impressed by the constant mentioning of the "private donations" for the Bush Ball, because aren't those the same people who got their tax money back that wiped out the US surplus when Bush was given the White House by the fake five Supremes? And, in that same Bush spirit of giving, we Americans have been given the largest debt in American history and yet, it is the Bush base that makes demands and threats to those in our government . . . none of whom pay their way from the wealthy corporations to the wealthy evangelical organizations . . . they all kinda, sort of, look and act alike to me. Hmmmm . . . the word Bushrangers comes to mind. Just a thought, Thanks BuzzFlash, Shirley Smith Subject: media blunder of 2004 (as sent to CNN) The biggest blunder of ALL the media was their lack of reporting of all the voting irregularities that occurred in these last elections all over our beloved country. The media was more interested in utilizing OUR public airwaves reporting the Ukraine election and not reporting our OWN voting irregularities. I applaud the courage of the Ukrainians not accepting the fraudulent results of their election. I feel that my America is no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave...but the land of corruption and the home of the cowards. It is very sad when you can't trust your government or the media...it is simply a death sentence for our democracy. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Denial of free speech (as sent to Clear Channel) I'm a Republican Christian in Texas - "W" Country. This concerns your decision not to run Robert Millman's issue ads. I have read these ads just as you have. While I may not agree with some of these ads, there is NO WAY to justify not running them. This is AMERICA, not Russia or N. Korea. For you not to run these ads is inexcusable and if these ads are not run I will make it my business to have your station sanctioned by Clear Channel. If Clear Channel doesn't want to sanction you, then it will be my business to get Clear Channel and WGY sanctioned. Mr. Foster, You need to show that your station supports Christian American values and run these ads ASAP!!! Sincerely, Robert Truesdell Ore City, TX Subject: Social Security When we discuss "social security," what society are we talking about really. I guess Bush likes the idea of being secure in social circles by privatizing this huge government "entitlement." If we are talking about high society types then Bush's social security reform makes perfect sense. Employers don't like having to pay into social security and social security is almost meaningless to the rich and upwardly mobile. They don't need it for security. I say almost meaningless because privatizing social security is quite alluring. With help from the Federal Government to the tune of trillions in borrowed money from God knows where, corporations will have money oozing into their greedy hands. What a gravy train. First came Iraq, then medicare and now Social Security. The government spending is at an all time high. Thanks to compassionate conservatives. And the rich get richer, while the "baby tax" goes into overdrive. You know, the taxes that we saddle on the unborn. No wonder Bush frowns on abortion. The unborn are a goldmine! Oh how Devine! A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: the letter Time won't print To Whom it May Concern: I thought BuzzFlash might be interested in the letter I wrote Time concerning the 2004 'man' of the year. They won't print it. Maybe BuzzFlash will? The American Heritage dictionary defines MAN as a member of the genus Homo, family Hominidae, order Primates, class Mammalia, characterized by erect posture and an opposable thumb, especially a member of the only extant species, Homo sapiens, distinguished by a highly developed brain, the capacity for abstract reasoning, and the ability to communicate by means of organized speech. I question the logic behind Time Magazine naming George W. Bush "man/person" of the year when arguably the only human traits George W. possesses are opposable thumbs and erect posture. Maybe Time should consider a more appropriate title for our commander in chief, Time's "MANiac" of the year. A maniac acts in a wildly irresponsible way, has excessive enthusiasm or desire for something, or is insane. Clearly, a more accurate description of the truth. John Guinotte Seattle, WA Subject: Superfunds for inauguration; None for toxic waste cleanup Oh if only the generosity of the donors to Bush's coronation party could manage to toss a few million where it's really needed. (Dream on, citizen. It'll never happen.) "Facing an increasing backlog of sites with the same meager budget, the Superfund program administrator thinks he’s found a new way to tackle the country’s most severe hazardous waste problems: Stop addressing them." (Superfund Lacks Funds to Cleanup Toxic Waste Sites, Dec. 14, 2004 (ombwatch.com) A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: A second beautiful day in our neighborhood The TV alarm just came on and there was Tara Blume on Channel 4 (NBC) saying a new law goes into effect that will put more money in married couple’s pockets. She used the magic discriminatory word, "marriage." Interpretation: This will be something else that no matter how many children you have or how long you have been together, you will not get in the state of Oklahoma or as it turns out in the USA. If you are a same sex couple it is another law guaranteeing you and yours the right to higher taxes, forever. If you can actually get married you will no longer be penalized. Tara just had a Dubya moment where she started a sentence with "the marriage initiative" only to dismount in mid-stream and say, "no they are twins one born in 2004 and one in 2005." I was afraid it was a break that only applied to married couples who had twins born in different years. They are sending the largest deployment of Guard troops out of Texas (3000) since WWII, but Tara says they are going with a 3 1/2% raise. Social Security is getting a 2.7% raise and congress is getting a 4.1% raise, but Tara didn’t consider that worth reporting. It is completely not worth mentioning that sending kids off to die at near starvation pay needs to be well compensated. Since January, 1998 congress has increased its pay by $30,000 and I think that puts their pay at $165,600. On Jan. 1, 2005, they get a raise of about $6,500. On Jan. 1, 2004, they took a raise of $3,400. On Jan. 1, 2003, they took a raise of $4,700. On Jan. 1, 2002, they took a raise of $4,900. On Jan. 1, 2001, they took a raise of $3,800. On Jan. 1, 2000, they took a raise of $4,600. On Jan. 1, 1998, they took a raise of $3,100. As I understand it they think they are underpaid because they are paid less than a lot of people in the private sector. Getting shot at is not worth much these days, but they support the troops. By the way, military pay isn't linked to private sector income. Karen Webb Moore, OK Even I am stupefied by the outright perfidy, the naked lying, of this demonic non-entity who wears a halloween costume of "Christian Virtue." I would enjoy watching an ethical commentator confront the deliberately lying apologists for this poison and observing them squirm. But then, to squirm, a person has to have some sense of decent shame. The entire bush administration and its cadre of panting apologists remind me of the visitors who came to pay their homage to the baby in the cradle scene of Rosemary's Baby. This must be put into a context that will finally make plain to deluded Americans that this is about nothing other than completely up-ending the fundamental assumptions that Four Generations of Americans have held about the relationship of American citizens to their country. With the obedient assistance of a mostly flaccid press, the Capital Cult, die., the Ownership Interest in our country will get away with it until "the peasants" hit the wall. But it shouldn't have had to come that far. It was the JOB of the press to see it coming, put it into context, and alert the public. They failed. It was also the job of the supposed opposition party to put this into a coherent and appropriately frightening context for the purpose of buttressing the political strength necessary to ward off the coming deluge. Incredibly, the official Democrats, too, failed abysmally in the critical task of focusing the lens on Norquist's "starve the beast" Tsunami so that unwary Americans would have seen it coming. Because of all these dismal and avoidable failures, we are all now lying on the beach and killing time. In Plan to Reduce Deficit, White House Turns to Old Projections (NY Times) A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Fresh Details Emerge on Harsh Methods at Guantanamo Despite the many reports of torture at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, the Bush administration's determination that prisoners were not entitled to the provisions of the Geneva Convention, it continues to be covered up. Chief White House counsel Alberto Gonzales was nominated by President Bush to replace John Ashcroft as attorney general. Gonzales and other administration lawyers wrote memos that said the president's wartime powers superseded anti-torture laws and treaties. Human rights advocates say those memos effectively condoned abuse and set the stage for the mistreatment of inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay. Will the Senate investigation that was supposed to take place after the election ever take place??? Fresh Details Emerge on Harsh Methods at Guantanamo (NY Times) RB Subject: Bigger Republican Majority Plans to Push Bush Agenda (NY Times) You know, it strikes me hard in the gut the quote from Tom DeLay in this article I just linked to on your Godsend of a site. The Demos always cut and run. I recall reading the Da Vinci Code and something about the left hand being associated with the feminine and the right hand being associated with the masculine. I also recall reading that a country's GNP and standard of living is always higher in societies where women are allowed to have a voice and become educated. "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." Another thing that keeps popping into my head, that. Which brings me to a new epiphany: This is a war on femininity. It is a war on the divine. I am an American woman who moved to Denmark when I fell in love with a Danish Fulbright scholar in 1999 who had NO CLUE what personal transformation culture shock would bring upon my thoroughly American public-educated self. The Nordic countries have the highest GNP in the world. The women in these societies rule supreme in so many ways I cannot begin to describe. Hmmm...Yet I am ready to fight, fight, fight. Not to cut and run. I watched in gasping tears the linked video you have on the failures of Congress as African Americans, mostly women, stood up in protest as Al Gore presided over the inauguration bullshit. And gasped in horror at the panned shot of the chuckling white men in the Senate at our friend Al's pathetic and hopefully wry remark on having faith in the "rules" set in. Something is more than off kilter here. It appears to me that an age-old conspiracy of evil and greed of epic proportions is continuously playing out, now before our very eyes. The DaVinci Code rings in my head. That hand that rocks that cradle is the most important thing in the world. And if you leave it uneducated and abused...it produces offspring that kill. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: January 2 Editorial I call the element that is lacking the "connect-the-dots factor." In order to put current events in context, a person has to keep lists of the history of the players and the places. For example, you would have to know the story behind Ahmed Chalabi to even understand why there was a 15-second item about a raid on his house carried out by Iraqi officials. In order to understand the news, I need to follow it up with time on the Web! Without the links provided in BuzzFlash, I would not have the information to "connect-the-dots." Also, I don't understand why Bush's opponents do not do more dot connecting to explain how we got into the Iraq mess in the first place. (Perhaps a starting point would be that we aided and supported Saddam and Bin Laden when we thought it was in our best interests.) In addition, the country desperately needs an alternative to Rush. Someone as entertaining (but perhaps not so arrogant) who is on at least one AM channel in every market. I love your stuff. Keep it coming. Cynthia Subject: 2 Jan 05 Editorial Dear Buzz: I've been with you for over 2 years now, and I've bought as many premiums as I can afford. I'll continue to do so. Keep going. In today's editorial, you refer to Marshall McLuhan: A few years back, we recall a couple of studies that indicated voters couldn't distinguish between information that they received from campaign attack ads and what they received from television news and the newspapers. It's all a wash, because the medium, as Marshall McLuhan astutely observed, is the message. We have reached the age of one big infotainment media machine that relies heavily on official Bush administration public relations spin as its national political news source. The correct phrase is "the medium is the mAssage" with an "A." Correctly quoted, it actually makes more sense. The medium soothes one to sleep! This phrase has been misquoted since the book, "The Medium is the Massage, An Inventory of Effects," came out. Thanks, Robert Campbell
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