BuzFlash Mailbag 4/12/05


April 12, 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. Subject: The Spirit of Dr. Mengele Is Alive and Well in America The spirit of Dr. Mengele seems to be alive and well, and is living in America. The New York Times reported on April 9, 2005, that Stephen L. Johnson, the current acting administrator of the EPA, has been nominated by Bush to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Johnson has come under some fire recently for a study planned by the EPA called the Children’s Environmental Exposure Research Study, or CHEERS. The study would offer 60 families in Duval County, Florida, each $970.00, a camcorder, a bib and a t-shirt emblazoned with a logo for CHEERS, if the parents participated in a two-year “scientific study” by using common household pesticides in their homes, around their infants. Two U.S. Senators, Barbara Boxer, D-California and Bill Nelson, D-Florida, demanded that Johnson cancel the study, or they would attempt to block his confirmation. Johnson announced that he had canceled the study and was quoted by an AP Press article in the Arizona Daily Star on April 9, 2005 as saying, “I have concluded that the study cannot go forward, regardless of the outcome of the independent review ….” The $9 million study was partially funded, to the tune of $2 million, by the American Chemistry Council, which represents the American Chemical industry. The EPA certainly sank into the bottomless pit of unethical behaviour with this intended study. In the November 2004 American Journal of Public Health, Dr. Alan H. Lockwood, stated that, "I have reviewed ethical and scientific aspects of 6 human pesticide-dosing studies submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for consideration during the pesticide reregistration process. All had serious ethical or scientific deficiencies – or both – including unacceptable informed consent procedures, unmanaged financial conflicts of interest, inadequate statistical power, inappropriate test methods and endpoints, and distorted results." Should we be surprised that the EPA would condone, much less plan, such a heinous example of preying on the poor, as to offer adults money, not to have pesticides tested on consenting adults, but on their infants? What is it in the leadership of governmental agency that has “Protection” in its name that makes them believe that this type of testing on children is alright? Is an Okay thing to do, and would be accepted with anything short of outrage? Are we so complacent in America that we would accept the Spirit of Doctor Mengele who, between 1932 and 1972, would inject syphilis into African-American men in Tuskegee Alabama without their knowledge or consent, and without treatment, all under the rubric of providing government-sponsored medical care, and leaving them untreated so as to measure the already well-known effects of the progress of disease when left untreated? Or, what about the Spirit of Dr. Mengele who performed illicit radiation testing on American citizens. Or how about the more recent Spirit of Dr. Mengele that chose Incarnation Children’s Center, a halfway house in New York for children removed from their homes by social services, in which to conduct illicit drug trials for AIDS drugs, sponsored by a division of the National Institutes of Health, and performed in conjunction with large drug companies such as Pfizer? The very fact that CHEERS ever made it onto the drawing board at the EPA should give us all reason for deep concern. This type of “study,” to be conducted in a "low income minority neighborhood," should be seen as a fundamental lack of ethics and morality on the part of the EPA. The EPA is supposed to protect American citizens from environmental hazards, not subject the portion of America’s citizenry least able to defend itself to the whims of governmental immorality and government-sponsored and initiated class warfare. Johnson is definitely not the right man for the job, if it takes a political threat to cause him to cancel a study as heinously unethical as CHEERS. As acting administrator of the EPA, to allow such a study to exist in the first place proves that this man has no moral compass whatsoever. It also shows that Bush, who nominated this Spirit of Dr. Mengele to head the EPA, also has no moral compass whatsoever. Tammy Day Richmond, VA [BuzzFlash Note: To clarify, the unethical American research on syphilis, radiation and AIDS described was not conducted by the Nazis' Mengele, but by our homegrown "researchers."] Subject: Mo. Lawmakers Pass Bill Cutting Medicaid (Kansas City Star) Hint hint! Democrats [could] start making some of these people -- so hurt, even deaths -- start putting their families on all the talk shows! Forget news! Have the single mother of two whose child's teeth are rotting our of her head and in constant pain, but, thanks to the Republicans, too bad, just suffer, kid! There are hundreds of thousands! Forget news programs! Hit the shows like Oprah! A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: The Young Lady Arrested in Pennsylvania The fed snoop cowards arrested this young lady because they have nothing else to do. These cowards have to justify budget glut, and what better way to do this than arresting a 16 year old young lady? These cowards are too afraid to go after adults who know their rights. The Ashcroft/Gonzalez idiots lost so many cases against peaceful religious groups and peaceful dissidents that they must now attack teenage girls. Had these cowards been just as vigilant prior to 9/11/2001, there would be no need for all this nonsense. I hope enough Americans have not lost all their self respect that they tell these cowardly snoops to go to hell and ignore their official stupidity. We are safer in that the fed snoops are cowards and are so damn stupid. Teachers and Classmates Express Outrage at Arrest of Girl, 16, as a Terrorist Threat (NY Times) A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: What's being hidden? Let's face it. Throughout the Bush administration, the policy has been "LOOK AT THOSE TERRORISTS while we carry out our plans." Bush is going hither and yon, pushing Social Security while gas prices are climbing ladders, and the war has no end or even a plan to end it. Bush and Social Security are being a distraction. But for what? Iran war? Fiscal disaster? Or something we haven't a clue about yet? Mike Curtis Greenbrier, Ark. Subject: ah, the irony Buzz, A Very Big SUV in our little town sports two ribbon decals on its rear-end: 'All life is precious' and 'Support our troops' The oxymoronic irony of this combo seems lost on the owner. T. Quigly Subject: The US Constitution After reading Ann Davidow's Reader Contribution and with The Republicans trying each day to convert The United States into a Hitler/Gestapo Type Dictatorship, I STRONGLY SUGGEST that You ADD this website of The Constitution in a fixed spot in the upper corner of your website. It is a document that many people do not know the contents of, and they need, now, more than ever, to review it on a constant basis. With Bush, his Attorney General and The Repugs in Congress, who knows how many rights they will be taking away from us - SOON?? In today's Hitler/Gestapo Manifestation going on in the United States, it's time for Every American to KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THEIR CONSTITUTION!! http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html Tom Wieliczka Windsor Locks, CT A suggestion for your readers' consideration. Why not find a sponsor who will begin the education process of our citizens regarding our constitution - i.e. see that every school child who can read gets a copy of the entire document, that every member of AARP and NRA gets a copy. Apparently it would also be a good idea to send a copy to each elected official as well. It is essentially the "owners guide" for being "we the people." A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Heading Over Sierra Club Immigration Issue - Use Of "Minutemen" Word Why is it that so many on the "left" or "liberal" (to employ these much abused and misused terms) side of the political spectrum are so quick to denigrate anyone who dares to oppose immigration on environmental grounds? I would think that it is self-evident that increasing human population numbers, in whatever country, almost inevitably impact negatively upon the environment. In many cases, the prime cause of population growth is immigration. This is the situation in countries like the U.S. or Canada (my country), for example. If one is to confront the very serious problems (and they run the gamut from growing pollution problems, to farmland and wildlife habitat destruction, to mounting garbage disposal problems, etc., etc.) created and/or exacerbated by population pressures, one has to come to grips with immigration numbers. Why is this such a taboo subject? Incidentally, I say all this as an immigrant to Canada myself, who, among other activities, has devoted time to ESL teaching to new immigrants whose English is deficient. So spare me the "racist" or "xenophobic" (more misused and abused terms) epithets please. Rod. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Subject: Interesting possibility ... Wouldn't it be ironic if the Republicans vote to eliminate the filibuster rule and then lose the majority in the Senate elections next year? It is a possibility. Talk about poetic justice. Democrats Criticize Republican Moves to Ban Filibuster (NY Times) A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: HOLY COW! holy cow! i just saw a senator on tv, i think his name was schumer, i missed the first name. anyway, he said these are things some of bush's nominees for judges have said in the past. 1. women are supposed to be subservient to men. 2. slavery was a gift to the white man. 3. we should go back to the time when we had no zoning laws. 4. companies should be able to do as they want without having to worry about labor laws, pollution laws and other laws that inhibit them. jesus god! why in the world aren't the democrats airing commercials to let us know these things! tracy anderson in miami, age 16.....I CAN'T VOTE BUT I CAN MAKE SURE MY MOM AND DAD DO! [BuzzFlash Note: Sen. Charles Schumer was on "Fox News Sunday," where he said: "Here let me just tell you now about some of the people (judicial nominees) we've blocked. One nominee said slavery was God's gift to white people. Another said the purpose of a woman is to be subjugated to a man. One nominee said that there should be no zoning laws. If you have a nice house in a suburban community and somebody bought the house next to you and put in a factory with a smokestack that was polluting, that's not (ph) taking of property. And my favorite, one of their nominees said that the whole New Deal was a Socialist revolution, and we ought to go back to the 1890s. No labor laws, no wages and hours laws... ] Subject: Marriage Hey Buzz, Just a short note to let you know what's happening in the gay marriage debate north of the border. Hundreds attend religious rallies for same-sex marriage (mytelus.com) Patty Coombs Surrey, BC Subject: Re "Disreputable Immigration Loathers"/Sierra Club (AP) I really resent having you term those people in the Sierra Club who are interesting in limiting immigration called "disreputable." There are many of us who believe that continued population growth will be disastrous for this country, that our crowded coastal areas will become more crowded, expensive and polluted; that already scarce water resources in the West will be under that much more pressure; that what's left of our wild places will succumb to more and more subdivisions; and so on. That does not make us (a) opposed to any and all immigration or (b) racists. Limiting the number of immigrants is wholly unrelated to where those immigrants may come from. It is demagogic to suggest you cannot be left-of-center, compassionate, and in favor of immigration limits all at the same time. Many people, myself included, are exactly that. I could not care less if all our immigrants come from Mexico; from India; from Nigeria; or from wherever. Like many, I am concerned only about the overall number. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: BuzzFlash's Sexism I am a BuzzFlash fan and supporter; I appreciate your energetic counterattacks on the neocons. But when those counterattacks repeat the errors of the right, I am disappointed. I am referring to your ongoing habit of referring to Schwarzenegger, Bush, and others as "girlymen." Perhaps you intend the term ironically, but using it at all reinforces the false assumption that women are less courageous than men. Consider, if you will, whether BuzzFlash would choose to perpetuate a similar stereotype about African-Americans, Jews, Arabs, or any other group of people. I hope you will stop. A BuzzFlash Reader P.S. The same goes for using "balls" to mean courage. Subject: Play it again, John Kerry Alleges Voter Intimidation in 2004 (AP/Washington Post) Hmmm, this kind of tells us that John is going to make another run at it in 2008. It says Kerry wants all voting obstructions out of the way ... this time. In Ohio, the obstructions were blatant and, of course, Ohio was the state that put the Dictator over the top. The Democrats and Independents need to understand, in the absence of paper trails, republicans will pick off key states where plenty of improprieties are noted ... AGAIN. In other words, you can’t win a fixed election. And John K. says there was voter intimidation in 2004. I agree, but the looming intimidation may be the absence of voters at the 2008 elections, feeling their votes are not counted AND NO WAY TO PROVE IT. Result? Another republican president and congress ... eight more years of a republican-controlled presidency and congress ... more ringers like DeLay, Frist, Coleman and Hatch. Cathy L. Wonder if this is the real reason Maria Shriver was on Oprah yesterday (3-8-05) -- trying to regain "people support?" She does seem to have gone over to the other side -- Oprah, that is. About that Social Security plan... -- Mark Follman (Salon.com) There've been a number of reasons in recent weeks to think that President Bush's plan for recasting Social Security is in serious trouble. (Desperate times call for... Tommy Lasorda?) If it's true that as California goes, so goes the nation, then Bush's privatization plan has taken yet another hit today. The Associated Press reports: Under pressure from firefighters and police officers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday backed off, for now, his plan to privatize California's public employee pension system. Over the past few weeks, Schwarzenegger has waged a campaign to put privatization on the ballot during a special election next fall. But on Thursday, he said he would wait until the June 2006 election if lawmakers did not craft a compromise measure in the coming months. "Let's pull it back and do it better," said Schwarzenegger, flanked by more than a dozen police, fire and local government leaders. The move followed days of meetings with police and fire chiefs and survivors of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty, all of whom expressed concerns that the ballot language opened the possibility that the employees would lose death and disability payments. The Governator and the Prez share something else in common now, too. According to the AP, a poll released Thursday by San Jose State University showed Schwarzenegger's job approval rating dipping below 50 percent for the first time since he took office. Joyce Zborower Tempe, AZ Subject: E to my Senators Re the 'nuclear option' RE: Filibuster Not – The Nuclear Option: 04-09-05 To all the alleged "conservatives" in the august United States Senate: If you do this because YOU CAN, then you are simply going to load the bullets of bitterness into the firearms of your opposition to be emptied into you as soon as THEY CAN. "Might" NEVER makes right. It just temporarily saves having to defend one's argument on the merits. It also remains a myopic, shortsighted way to live one's life. Too, paybacks really are hell. Remember that the 1,000-year Reich lasted but 49 seasons. I know you think you're RIGHT (no pun), but that's only because you have forgotten how to truly use your critical faculties objectively (I might suggest both "sides" think about that one – seems to be an occupational hazard). If you folks truly believe you are the only ones safeguarding the "truth" (as in, say, plumping for antediluvian lifetime appointments), I suggest you stop screwing around with the democratic niceties, declare martial law (move the damn gauge to RED – you’ll think of something), place the Bill of Rights on "hold," and get on with the business of Fascism sans all those annoying little time-consuming inconveniences such as open and vigorous debate, Robert's Rules, compromise - you know, all the things that purport to make us a "civil" society? Who needs a nation of laws anyhow? At least then, the mostly distracted and misdirected American people might get a clue as to your true proclivities and bounce your sorry, crypto-totalitarian butts out of office (just as soon as you dare lift that old martial law thingy, eh?). Why, even ES & S, Diebold, and Sequoia might have trouble keeping up. Just curious guys, is there any length to which you WOULD NOT go to attain your ends? From my end of the telescope (unbelievably little power over anyone – even my cat gives me sass), if you folks were thinking straight, you wouldn’t even be considering this crazy move. Put another way: If you think you’re unhappy not getting all the things you want, think how much unhappier you would be if you got all the things you DIDN’T want. Hope you can work all this out without blood on the floor…. Take care. Nigel J. Watson St. Pete, FL P.S. You guys are great! Subject: Jefferson Vs the Theocrats Hi, Buzz!! Thanks to Michelle in Florida for the letter from Thomas Jefferson (and a hard read it was, but worth it). Anybody who knows American history knows that Jefferson was a deist. Deism was an Enlightenment sort of religion holding that God created the world rather like a mechanic builds a machine, got it running, and then backed off. The deists' God does not intervene in the universe except to wind the machine back up from time to time. Deists denied that miracles happen - in fact, Jefferson himself published a bowdlerized version of the Bible with all the miracles removed. How Christian is that? I'm sure I've grossly oversimplified deist belief, and I think there were other deists among the founding fathers, but the point is that this country was not conceived of as a Christian one. Indeed, we would all do well to remember what Jesus said to Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world." Jane Hawes Emporia, KS (red-state Democrat) Subject: Tired of Delay Once a public servant is well defined as a ruthless, self-seving, lying and corrupt thug, why does it take so long to remove such an unwanted presence? What and who are the forces that permit such delay? Or, is my naivete in early Spring bloom? Again. peeteekay Subject: Re: It Will Be Karl Rove Who Brings Down Tom Delay, Not The Democrats Good Editorial! I can't wait to watch this play out! Jon Barnes Basalt, CO Subject: The Bolton Nomination Hi-- Here's the Washington Post editorial on Bolton today, 4/11. The last sentence says--there is no compelling evidence to deny Bush his choice of Bolton. Please check this article. We should all boycott the Washington Post. I sure hope we can stop this dreadful nomination. The Bolton Nomination (Washington Post editorial) Thanks. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Stroke the rich Some day, in the far distant future, Americans may learn again what people learned 75 years ago -- Republicans only listen and respond to the rich and powerful. It may be too late now to counteract their aim to play monopoly at the expense of the average citizen. Stroke the rich: IRS has become a subsidy system for super-wealthy Americans. IRS winks at rich deadbeats (David Cay Johnston, San Francisco Chronicle) The federal tax system that millions of Americans are forced to deal with before April 15 is not at all what you think it is. Congress has changed it in recent decades from a progressive system in which the more one earns the more one pays in income taxes. It has become a subsidy system for the super rich. Through explicit policies, as well as tax laws never reported in the news, Congress now literally takes money from those making $30,000 to $500,000 per year and funnels it in subtle ways to the super rich -- the top 1/100th of 1 percent of Americans. People making $60,000 paid a larger share of their 2001 income in federal income, Social Security and Medicare taxes than a family making $25 million, the latest Internal Revenue Service data show. And in income taxes alone, people making $400,000 paid a larger share of their incomes than the 7,000 households who made $10 million or more. While millions of Americans in the last quarter-century debated about who shot J.R. and scurried for news about who would be Jennifer Lopez's next lover, Congress quietly passed tax laws that shift the tax burden from the 28,000 Americans in households with incomes of $8 million per year or more. One 1985 law, promoted in the Senate as relieving middle class Americans, gave a huge tax break to corporate executives who make personal use of company jets. CEOs may now fly to vacations or Saturday golf outings in luxury for a penny a mile. Congress shifted the real cost of about $6 per mile to shareholders, who pay two-thirds, and to taxpayers who suffer the rest of the cost lost as a result of reduced corporate income taxes. Since 1988, Congress has also cut in half the Internal Revenue Service's capacity to enforce tax laws, replacing it with extra effort to reduce audits of corporations and the rich. (skip) All of this is having a devastating impact on America, which the preamble to our Constitution says was created to "promote the general welfare." Until Americans decide to take back their democracy and become actively engaged in politics, the super rich will continue to rig the tax system for their benefit only. RB CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE APRIL 12, 2005 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG.
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