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| September 29, 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. THIS IS PART 2 OF THE SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 BuzzFlash MAILBAG. CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 Subject: Last Great Passion of the Dems This editorial is magnificent. Thank you so much for thinking and writing the words. I phrase my gratitude in such a way because with each reminder, with each urging to our better selves, we inch toward reclaiming and healing our national soul. We are beginning to realize, much to our shock and awe, that democracy is not a spectator sport. It is often messy, exhausting, confusing, and rife with the constant responsibility of clear and critical thinking. To live in and support a nation that believes that its constitution and those who serve and promote those ideals and laws must answer to the citizenry is a sober yet joyful responsibility. I humbly commend each and every voice that speaks out--yours, mine, the thousands of those/us who marched in DC on 9/24, the bloggers, the big guys, the little guys, all of us who care about the Rule of Law and the rights, prosperity and freedom of the least of us. Again, thank you! Sally Lambert Subject: A New American Citizenry? I believe that some citizens of this country are beginning to change in a way that may mean trouble for both parties. Democrats who smile behind their hands at the problems of the Republican Party don’t seem to realize that while the Republicans may be going down the Democrats aren’t going up. There are a lot of people out here who never paid much attention to politics. The faces of Katrina showed many of these people that politicians make an enormous difference in their lives. Nothing anyone says can take away the images we all saw. Those were fellow Americans calling for help. The media was able to get there, where the hell was FEMA? What we saw told us that the government that taxes us isn’t doing much of a job of protecting us. What are we getting for our money? I believe the bigger a thing becomes the less it serves those who are far from the seats of power. I am down here at the bottom of the barrel and I damn sure don’t think that any elected official cares about what happens to me. What they do want is the votes of all the ordinary working people they ignore at their peril. I am an Independent and I usually vote democratic. I am not going to do that for Senators Feingold and Kohl here in my home state of Wisconsin. They showed their contempt for the people they pretend to represent when they voted for John Roberts. I had long decided that Kohl would no longer get my vote but now Feingold enters my very long list of Faux Democrats. Grassroots needs to be heard and it needs to be heard loud and clear. You want our vote? Then you vote for what benefits the country, not your rich and influential friends. That can-do and vigorous citizenry that made this proud and powerful nation what we are today now has such low expectations it’s a wonder we bother to vote at all. Good government? What’s the punch line? Politics bores you? Not interested? Not involved? Then when disaster strikes your little corner of the world sit down and shut up. Back in the day when I was a young protester we used to say if you ain’t part of the solution then you are part of the problem. Shoe fit? Marjorie L. Swanson Subject: Bush Jingoism, i.e., Chauvinistic Patriotism and Fascism "The Last Passion of the Democratic Party" articulates the actions and soul of Jefferson's Democratic Party in the 20th Century. Sadly, in the thick of party conflict in 1800, Thomas Jefferson wrote in a private letter, "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." Today's Federalists, including John Roberts, carry the mantle of Jefferson's arch enemy Federalists of his time. They, too, were chauvinistic patriots. They passed The Sedition Act of 1798 which was the grand daddy to the USA Patriot Act. Federalists control the mass media. They control the voting machines and therefore counting the votes without a public audit trail. With that combined control they successfully established control of the House, Senate, Presidency of the United States and US Supreme Court. Most of us fail to understand and appreciate that a form of fascism was alive and well in America before World War II. [The grandfathers of] Edward Kennedy, George W Bush, and William Ford, Jr all supported Adolph Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany following the successful rise of Benito Mussolini's rule in Italy. American fascism didn't die in America during and after World War II, it simply went underground. As "The Last Passion of the Democratic Party" so astutely stated, [Remember the code word of "States Rights"? After all, it was in Philadelphia, Mississippi, that Ronald Reagan launched his 1980 presidential campaign -- and he wasn't there to memorialize the civil rights workers.] Ronald Reagan and his fellow American fascists/chauvinistic patriots believed that 35 years after the fall of the Third Reich was long enough to wait to keep American fascism underground. And now we have George W Bush. The most blatantly corrupt president ever to serve in the oval office. Every day more and more Jeffersonian Americans are able to articulate more clearly how and why George W Bush does not represent their values. What is missing is true Democratic leadership. As BuzzFlash's author so clearly stated, "Maybe the Democrats are like the Jews who wandered for 40 years in the desert with Moses before arriving at the Promised Land. Maybe, someday, the Democratic leadership will re-find their passion and their conviction." I say we go back and re-examine our heritage and regroup to fight another day. America is counting on us. The world is counting on us. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: It's Time to Occupy D.C. Dear BuzzFlash, Now that we, the American people, have invaded D.C. to oust the dictator and demand that the rule of law be enforced, we need to establish permanent bases in that region to monitor and quickly respond to further extremist assaults on our freedoms. Camp Casey America could be such a place. It could be a rallying point for protest and peaceful actions that could draw people to D.C. on a continuing basis. It's time for the "inside the beltway" reality to include real American citizens willing to represent ourselves, given that Congress has been sold, and willing to expose and confront those in power. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Frist/SEC Hmmmmmmmm...... let's see........ already there are those who are 'bemoaning' the fact that the SEC checking out Frist might 'hurt his chances at running for president....' pardon me, but, questions about Harken didn't seem to hurt Bush's chances any....... just a thought. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Impeach Bush "Tattoo" Project Takes off In Washington D.C. Sept. 24! All you need is a Sharpie Marker, some EPIDERMIS (aka, SKIN), and a bit of MOXIE aka ELAN aka CHUTZPA! Check out this website. We have LOTS of new tattoo-ers, many from Sept. 24 in D.C. With an Impeach Bush “Tattoo” you can take the Impeach Bush message into the office, the classroom, the grocery store, the park, the sidewalk, the meeting, the soccer game, the construction site, the dog-walk, the dentist’s office, the boardroom, on the bus/train/subway----wherever YOU go, your SKIN goes!!! GET ON IT, EVERYONE!! Make an IMPEACH BUSH “TATTOO” the new MUST-HAVE political fashion statement. Start the conversation and KEEP IT GOING! It takes 30 seconds a day to RENEW YOUR TATTOO! Sheila Leavitt Subject: Re "The Last Passion of the Democratic Party" An Eloquent editorial. It reminds me how much we have lost...It is possible that some day the Democratic party leadership will find their way back home. Only we can't wait. Criminal wars, destruction of the planet, torture, the destruction (manmade) of a beautiful city, its culture and its people, dying children, starvation, crushing poverty, racism and open calls for martial law. By our waiting, we have become a part of the problem. We need to step around the dying carcass that was our leadership, in the past, and become our own leaders. Today. As the ancient Hopi prophecy reminds us We are the people we have been waiting for." The river of time is flowing ever faster, even as we mourn. The time is now. Let us begin. Sharon O'Hara-Bruce Subject: "The Last Passion of the Democratic Party" This was a great article, and your heart is in the right place. But if I remember correctly even back then, the DC Democratic Party weren't thrilled, or proud, to have to deal with civil rights. Kennedy bi***ed about having to deal with it and kept putting off MLK's calls for action, while Bobby let Hoover tape King. Most of the national party wasn't happy about Johnson's work in this regard either. The party moved eventually because events demanded it do so. But in today's Media, events are made to disappear! (like the hundreds of thousands of anti war protesters!) Today leading Dems are solidly, vigorously pro war, and sound just like Bush & Co about it. There is seemingly no getting around that. You want them to protest the war? They wouldn't even send a message to the march! I, as a member of the anti war, Democrat base, embarrass the national Democrats. Deeply. Which I guess is fair since they embarrass the hell out of me. Best, A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Karen Hughes' PR visit to Turkey I just read your CBS post on the Karen Hughes visit to Turkey. I found some more thorough articles on the subject. The CBS story had little detail of the actual Criticism Hughes faced. The links are below.
Tony Romano Subject: The Katrina Memo The testimonies are starting to come in on that site that recommended BuzzFlash... Here's mine: BuzzFlash has been a comfort since the first harrowing days when our Presidency was taken over in the 2000 Coup. I'll never forget the reply I got in the wee hours of the morning when I sent a plaintive email to them during those early days of horror when the Busheviks immediately starting dismantling our democracy to next to no outcry. "We're here," it simply said. Thank all that's holy. BuzzFlash was there and is here still. They have been a rock in this storm. BuzzFlash is my hero. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Bush Weapons of Mass Deception; Propaganda and Censorship! Votes, 300000+ demonstrators, documents, dissenting opinions and investigations all disappear with the urging of the Bush Administration and a complicit media! Truth disappears and was the first casualty of the Iraq war. Bush/Republicans have kept a complicit media mostly on their message. However, Katrina and “Mr. Ethics” DeLay have given some a new backbone! The Karl Rove Production Company, that has recently brought you the “blue lights” Cathedral, tries hard not to let their supporters voice doubts that could play into the hands of the opposition. Rove makes sure to keep Republicans in line by curtailing dissenting opinions and criticisms. He sets the boundaries by allowing only acceptable deviation from the message discipline, but has no tolerance for a serious challenge of Bush fundamental beliefs. The same rules apply to the corporate media and Bush military spin doctors. Misleading of Americans by the corporate media by propaganda makes the headlines every day, but censorship also is a daily occurrence. Especially when it comes to the war in Iraq:
This situation should be investigated, yet the U.S. military refuses to look into a matter that is “spiraling out of control!” Dahr Jamail, an independent journalist, has published dispatches from Iraq.
Actions such as censorship, diversion, repetition, are the tools of a corrupt Bush Administration. We will not capitulate! Letters written to the president, letters written to Congressmen have not been effective. On September 24 we took it to the streets! Dick Cheney called us invisible, but our resolve has not diminished and our numbers are growing! We shall put the Bush Administration and the Republicans on notice, we know where we are going and we are determined to get there! Susan Carr Subject: A Byte of Droll John Roberts Satire It's all in the eyes. He is an alien. Probably an android, to boot! As Plain John Roberts (generic name cobbled from NYC phone book; continuing the conspicuous series of Johns in the Bush Administration...), he can assume his lofty position with mechanical grace. Think of all the servo/pizo motors and mother boards inside that guy! He was assembled in the same factory as Condi. The corporation that owns it got the coveted All-Andromeda Galaxy Award for “producing utterly believable androids to pull the wool over dumbo American Earthlings’ eyes.” A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: The Last Passion of the Democratic Party You certainly didn't oversell the editorial. Fine writing and moving. Thank you. Chas. Hansen Subject: BuzzFlash Editorial 9/29/2005 I'm 59 years old. A veteran of segregated schools in Alexandria, Va, seven miles from the nation's capital. I was 18 years old when the movie theaters in Washington, DC, our capital city, were integrated. Your editorial is the most eloquent summary of my feelings about the Democratic Party of today. The Johnson Goldwater election was when I got involved in politics. I mean stuff like taking an 80-year-old friend of my grandmother to register for the first time to vote. The Democratic Party of 1964 wasn't afraid to have a conscience. Pity. It's interesting that people who fly the confederate flag, the flag of treason against this nation, consider themselves the real America. Kanye West had it right, and it saddens me to write that. Perry Winslow Subject: Re: The Last Passion of the Democratic Party Your stirring editorial was a sad reminder of how far the Democratic Party has fallen, at least at the national level, and of how far our nation has yet to come in terms of accepting our fellows as people, no matter gender, race, ethnicity, etc. But the Republicans have fled from their original ideals also. This was the party that brought us national parks--and look where they are now! It's too bad that national politics seems to have become a free-for-all trough for money-grubbing and corporate welfare. I'm ashamed to say that I am from Alaska, where our Congressional delegation brags in public about bringing home the bacon (even at the expense of places like the Gulf states--actually all of us, when you look at the deficit). But passion for justice and a better world is not lost in American politics, and the ideals which once brought the Democrats to greatness are still alive and well in the rank-and-file--and in the Green Party. I am a Green, and proud of it, and have been for 10 years. The Green Party of Alaska has called for the money Don Young got for the two bridges, "Don Young's Way" and the Ketchikan-Gravina Bridge, to be returned, and sent to the Gulf States. They need it way more than Alaska does. Republicans and Democrats both passed this astonishingly obnoxious waste of money, along with approving John Roberts, voting to give Bush war powers, and a host of other foolishness. Voters should throw the bums out, as they say, and get some different parties into Congress: some Libertarians and Greens in Congress would help balance out the pork fixation of the current two-headed party in power. And maybe bring the Republicans and Democrats both back to their original ideals. Deirdre Helfferich Subject: Volunteerism Remember since 2001 that Americans have been encouraged to volunteer their time to charitable causes, and faith-based charities be encourged? This was tooted by Bush to all the people. Actually, I started before this was ever tooted as I have been disabled and cannot enter the workforce. (I needed some focus even though it would be physically exhausting for me and I would be in excruciating pain just to go 1 to 2 hours.) Today I read a web site in which a person said their wife has been volunteering at a local church and the church wanted her to go to the local police station to give them her fingerprints if she was going to volunteer. I, for one find this very dehumanizing. This particular church says it is because it covers them if there are any crimes of a sexual nature. They also must do a background check (federal and state etc.) Now I had to sign something too when I had to volunteer, also, I accepted the background check. However, after considering volunteering this year (but for reasons such as our second vehicle has some problems, gas is expensive and this second Bush administation/Iraq thing is taking its toll on me, I decided no, as I consider I have to take better care of myself for my husband and my family's sake. I decided definitely no way am I going to volunteer this year. This takes the cake and I will not submit to having fingerprints taken of me. They do this to people who are arrested who go to jail or are criminals. I will not be treated in this way. I think Mr. Bush will find others will not volunteer for charitable causes for this same reason. Once again this administration has GONE TOO FAR! IT IS A CRYING SHAME... A BuzzFlash Reader
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