 |
|||
| September 30, 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: Indict Rove?? I think a follow up would be interesting on this article by Lori Montgomery on Karl Rove claiming two homestead exemptions. What is interesting is that Rove votes in Texas, but according to Texas Law you must live in your residence to vote in Texas. Rove has two cabins in Kerrville County, the largest is 814 square foot. Purchased in 1997, no one in town has seen him or heard rumors of his being there. In other words he bought the cabins to vote in Texas but NEVER lives there. How come the rest of us have to abide by state laws and Rove does not??? Hey, if DeLay can be indicted isn't vote fraud just as illegal?
Linda W. Subject: Business as usual Today Bu$h got away with another of his little projects - Roberts was sworn in with the blessing of 23 [sic] Democrats - almost half of those that are "supposed" to represent us, we, the people....do you really believe that this is a two party system?...not me, I have been convinced now for quite a while that there is a single party - "The Corrupt and Greedy Party." The media, as usual, following Rove's orders, gave extra minimal attention to the great march of September 24 in Washington, DC. Not to mention the under-reporting of the Downing Street Memo; the serious matter of the outing of a CIA agent by Rove; elections stolen; illegal invasion of a country that was not a threat to our beloved country; troops sent to die or be maimed due to lack of proper safety equipment; the secrecy on all matters; the fleecing of America by Halliburton in Iraq and now it will continue in the Gulf; no-bid contracts for cronies; the Jeff Gannon matter; outrageous corporate welfare; the torture chambers; the use of depleted uranium; genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan; tax breaks for the rich; chosen audiences for the pResident; the windfall to corporations with the Medicare and Energy bills; incompetence; re-districting; vote fraud; widespread corruption, regardless of party affiliation; outsourcing; immigration; unsecured borders; flip-flops; unaccountability; whitewash investigations; excessive vacations; and above all....the lies and lies. If there is still an American as naive as to believe that the Whores of Capitol Hill represent us...I have a good deal for you. Wake up, America, unless, we, the people, take immediate action and make citizens' arrests and deliver those criminals to an international court for their crimes against humanity, our beloved country is doomed into a fascist theocracy. Jocelyn [BuzzFlash Note: Twenty-two (half) of the Democratic senators voted to confirm. Actually, all 100 Senators are supposed to represent their constituents. (We're upset, too.)] Subject: The evolution of the "revolution" Dear BuzzFlash... In the wake of the disastrous effects of Katrina and Rita, Americans have a clearer understanding of the Republican agenda that systemically benefits the privileged at the expense of the people. Even in the wake of these disastrous storms -- where thousands of our fellow citizens were left behind -- Republicans continue to push an agenda that doles out billions in handouts to companies like Halliburton and Bechtel. Although the negligence of this administration is very clear today, Republican misplaced priorities did not begin or end with the Bush Administration or these disasters. Eleven years ago this week, Congressional Republicans signed the so-called “Contract with America” -- pledging to “restore accountability to Congress” and “to end its cycle of scandal and disgrace.” But, instead of reforming government, these so-called Republican “revolutionaries” created a disgraceful power grab-- a lobbyist feeding frenzy that’s showered billions on corporations and left the American people behind. More than one hundred Republicans who signed the Contract still serve today, and are nothing more than accomplices to the scandals and misguided priorities of people like Majority Leader Tom DeLay. They’ve crafted law after law -- from the pharmaceutical company’s prescription drug bill, to the creditors’ bankruptcy bill, to the big oil energy bill -- designed to benefit the bottom lines of their big campaign contributors. The conservative juggernaut runs rampant over the good of the American society in order to benefit the few, the wealthy and the well connected. As we’ve all watched the destruction and suffering along the Gulf Coast -- the under-funded levee system, the utter lack of disaster preparedness, the crushing poverty, and now reconstruction efforts that strip wage protections for reconstruction workers (less than minimum wage for all the slaves who sweat and toil in the debris and contamination) and provide no-bid contracts to Halliburton -- we’ve seen the real face of the Republican revolution. It’s not pretty, and, it’s not what most people want our great country to look like. While the so-called "Republican revolution" may have been a success for elite corporate interests, it has been a failure for the American people. Sincerely, Dick Wagner Subject: Chief Justice Democrats who voted for John Roberts: Max Baucus (D - MT) Jeff Bingaman (D - NM) Robert Byrd (D - WV) Thomas Carper (D - DE) Kent Conrad (D - ND) Christopher Dodd (D - CT) Byron Dorgan (D - ND) Russell Feingold (D - WI) Tim Johnson (D - SD) Herb Kohl (D - WI) Mary Landrieu (D - LA) Patrick Leahy (D - VT) Carl Levin (D - MI) Joseph Lieberman (D - CT) Blanche Lincoln (D - AR) Patty Murray (D - WA) Bill Nelson (D - FL) Ben Nelson (D - NE) Mark Pryor (D - AR) Jay Rockefeller (D - WV) Ken Salazar (D - CO) Ron Wyden (D - OR) Lemmie see now ... uh ... these democrats voted for a man who refused to answer their questions? Nice work if you can get it! Cathy L. Subject: Today's Editorial I really love today's Editorial, "The Lost Passion...." I experienced a very similar (and worse) treatment when I took my young son to see Dealey Plaza in Dallas Texas... to teach him about the assassination of President Kennedy. It was my absolute last visit to Texas, and I make SURE I don't do business with ANYONE located in Texas. I write about your closing thought: " Maybe, someday, the Democratic leadership will re-find their passion and their conviction. In the meantime, we wait -- and it's terribly, terribly painful." I suggest that maybe it's time to shake a few Dems out of their seats. Like the 22 who voted FOR Roberts. I think the blood is in the water and Dems can win a lot of seats. NEW DEMS I mean. Not the old guard who don't know what being a liberal means any more. If you decide to chew on this idea and get some information out there via Buzz.... please let anyone know that if they decide to run and they win, there is plenty of help to learn how to run the office. After all nobody is born a senator, it is the ultimate ON THE JOB trained position. I think Cindy Sheehan should run against her local Dem Senator Dianne Feinstein. I know she can win. That is just one example. I am sure there are grassroots dems all over America who CAN'T BE BOUGHT. Cindy Subject: Tell Fox the truth Perhaps you will share this simple idea of sending a message to FOX News. To: Special@foxnews.com; hannity@foxnews.com; Ontherecord@foxnews.com; Heartland@foxnews.com; Oreilly@foxnews.com; Myword@foxnews.com; Cavuto@foxnews.com; Foxreport@foxnews.com; Atlarge@foxnews.com; Feedback@foxnews.com; Friends@foxnews.com R. Millman Subject: America You Don't Know Me, But I Know You America, you don't know me, but l know you. You see, for over seventy looong years I have been watching you. Laboring and languishing inside your bowels, I am seeing the results of all of your thoughts, words and misdeeds that are festering inside your belly and about to explode. Poor, black and living under wretched conditions in a most affluent part of America, I saw that nobody cared about us. You knew that I was hungry because you saw me picking through your trash cans - at four years of age. You looked out of your elegantly draped windows and watched me piling up newspapers and dirty rags inside a broken down baby carriage. You watched me and my sister struggle up the hill to the redemption center to exchange our haul for money. You saw us when we gleefully ran to the market for bread and cheese and run all the way home to my starving mother and siblings. You knew we were thirsty because sometimes I had to borrow buckets of water from you. You knew my father couldn't find work and my sweet, sweet, beautiful mother was having mental breakdowns and babies every year. Sometimes there was no heat nor electricity or gas. I could tell from a very young age that nobody cared about us because nobody came to see about us or to help us. I was able to go to classes with the children from a society that was closed to me. Because I was black, dirty and smelling unwashed, nobody wanted to sit next to me or play with me. However, when it became apparent that I was always the top student, the rich guys would bribe those who were forced to sit near me so that they could be in a position to steal my answers at test time. I got no money but I didn't care. It made me feel like a big deal. Imagine how I felt when I learned that these same guys became pillars of your society while I became a high-school dropout. I was hurt and angry. I felt used and taken advantage of. I decided to do something about it. I earned my high school diploma and went to college. After graduating magna cum laude, I went on to continue serving in the development of your Head Start program. I have had many startling revelations in my life, but none so startling as my discovery that our children are incredibly brilliant. For years, I watched you as you intentionally and systematically dumbed them down in your attempts to turn them into toys for your use in your shenanigans - like warfare for instance. Before the advent of the Columbine era, I exposed your system very publicly in 1991. At that time I warned you that no attempts to save it would be successful. It must be totally dismantled. Our children are bright enough to be able to go directly into their particular chosen fields of endeavor upon graduation from high school. As is customary, they are still being conditioned to fail. I warned the world that "Like one tediously and tenderly examining the innards of an oyster, we must be searching for the many pearls that are lodged in the bowel of our civilization. At that time, I told you that, "It is my educated opinion that they will either lead us to our total destruction or to a magnificent renaissance. It all depends upon how they are treated." I also warned you that "...the storms are raging and the flood waters are rising," and that "If anyone loses, all will lose." My last words to you were that time is of the essence and that the clock is ticking. As is usual, nobody listens to me and so here we are today. I must go now, but there is so much, much more I need to say. Peace, Sage Garland Subject: Letter to my Representative Maurice Hinchey: Energy Mr. Hinchey, Pending legislation: A hastily written Republican bill that would boost refining capacity and roll back some air pollution rules is soon to be approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The plan would weaken part of the Clean Air Act called New Source Review that requires new equipment to cut emissions of acid rain and smog when refineries and coal-fired power plants are upgraded. This is very important protection to the health of every New Yorker. It would loosen bedrock Clean Air Act protections and hand incentives to U.S. oil companies to build the first new plant since 1976. Oil companies are basking in record profits, profits I might add, which have been boosted by tight supplies. These oil giants have also actively sought to manipulate oil prices, by tightening refined supplies as is shown by recently leaked corporate emails and memos from 1996 to the present. U.S. refiners are loath to build new plants, as pointed out by even the Saudis. By reducing their own output by schemes similar to the Enron "down for maintenance" scams practiced on the West Coast during 1990's energy deregulation, by using the excuse of too high a cost for pollution control upgrades to close plants, and lobbying against allowing smaller refiners to open, actually reducing refinery capacity, they have successfully manipulated us into a security crisis. A percentage of their record profits should be required to expand refining capacity on their dime, by law. The Barton bill would give the Energy Department the final say to approve new refinery permits and trump any local and state objections. This further erodes home rule, as we know it, as did a previous eminent domain law yielded to business interests. The answer is more regulation with output requirements to be met, not free rein to drill for more crude. The bottleneck is in the refineries and has been manipulated by this industry, which has now become a national security and economic concern. Now they want to be rewarded for their malfeasance. Block it, filibuster it and tie it to ENRON by analogy. Get a hold of these memos and emails that show the suppression of production and get them into the record. This point needs to be made. It really is not a far reach to call their actions the cause, not the natural disasters. This issue contains all the elements to illustrate why Republican policy is bad and has gotten us to this crisis point. Weakening preparedness by calling up the National Guard for overseas duty. Weakening our national security and economy by allowing corporate freedom to control markets. Too bad achieving unified opposition is like herding cats. Appeal to Dem. leadership to unify in solidarity behind the concept that bad policy has led to this point. Bad decisions made from a bad policy of the majority party. To not use this opportunity of Republican weakness to illustrate this will hurt our country in such a way, as we may never recover. Kick them while they're down, and don’t let them drag the country further down! Allen M. Abrahams Subject: Dalai Lama's New Book Buzz, What a pleasant surprise to see you are offering the Dalai Lama's new book, 'The Universe in a Single Atom'. We just had the wonderful opportunity of attending his Tucson teaching and public talk. What a mind! And what a tremendous, spiritual human being! Can we elect him as leader of our country? Thank you for offering this premium. Tess Subject: Porn for War Pics I have difficulty understanding the position many in the liberal community have taken in regards to the porn for gore web site. Throughout the war, the administration has gone to great lengths to ensure that the American public does not see the direct consequences of our decision to invade Iraq. While the photos may be posted for gratuitous shock value, they are very shocking realities of war. It is important for people to see these images, albeit unfortunate that we must resort to seeing them on a pornographic web site due to our lack of access to truthful information. It is newsworthy, of great current and historical consequence. We must promote the distribution and access to information, not eliminate it simply because we do not like the forum. Tim G. Subject: Bennett's criminal remarks Dear Buzz, I'm speechless. This remark on the (hypothetical) aborting of all black babies as a (hypothetical) measure to reduce crime comes from a man who's been fashioned by the right-wing as the expert on moral behavior... Bennett reminds us again that republicans are THE reason the world hates America. (As if we could forget.) Elizabeth [BuzzFlash Note: Bennett has expanded on his remarks: "In an interview with ABC News, Bennett said that anyone who knows him knows he isn't racist. He said he was merely extrapolating from the best-selling book Freakonomics, which posits the hypothesis that falling crime rates are related to increased abortion rates decades ago. 'It would have worked for, you know, single-parent moms; it would have worked for male babies, black babies,' Bennett said. ... The blunt-spoken Bennett has ruffled feathers before, most recently in 2003 for revelations that despite his best-selling books about virtue and values, he is a high-rolling preferred customer at Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos."] Subject: He's Right A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: T-shirts I want to buy at least one of your T-Shirts to give you guys advertising and let everyone know how incredibly cool I am (because I frequent your site), but they're only available in small and medium. What's up with that? Since Bush got in I've been drinking heavily and I've gained 50 pounds (no lie) and a small or medium shirt just ain't gunna cut it. Why can't I buy a BuzzFlash shirt in a XL size? C'mon guys! Mark McKelvey Subject: The Last Passion of the Democratic Party Great article...I have printed it out..I always get more out of it the second and third time. It is very true....and a great article. We once were coming through Jackson, Ms..and went through Philadelphia....and at the time....never remembered this incident...I just did not tie the two of them together..but I remember very well the trial...and the conviction last year of the man who did it! I will read it tonight again...in the quiet... Thanks! To the person on here...I cannot remember if he or she was just a Buzz reader or used a name...the one who wrote of ....Thomas Jefferson's letter..."I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man"! This line was used in the DVD..."Hijacking Catastrophe"...by one of the experts speaking in that documentary. He said, it is a radical thought to these men (the ones in Washington now) and they will try to change it......"'But they will fail...I guarantee you, they will fail!" It made me feel better about what lies ahead....he was so sure of himself! If you go inside the monument and look up....it is etched in the marble of the monument at the top...it is very chilling, especially after them using it in context in that documentary. Of those of you out there who do not have it....It is the one I keep going back to, and I don't know why...because it is like the final one in a series of documentaries. And it is for sure the most frightening. It starts with the Project for A New American Century...and all makes such sense. And the way this "Expert" uses the words of Jefferson, almost makes you feel like, eventually , it will be okay...it will change! There have been many times when I wondered! Shirley.................St. Louis Subject: Christian Right...right? I see Bill Bennett’s white robe is showing. His racial remarks on Salem Radio Network were unbelievable so I looked up the radio network. This is what I found on the SRN web site which you can link to if you would like further information. http://www.srnonline.com/index-aboutus.shtml I found the following sentence in which they describe themselves and it is the 14K of hypocrisy:
Christian? Oh that’s right, there is a Christian Right... you know them... church on Sunday morning... KKK meetings Sunday night. Cathy L. Subject: It's getting personal Dear Buzz, Two months ago I logged onto www.AnySoldier.com/WhereToSend/ and began sending small packages to some of our troops in Afghanistan (mostly winter clothing for their humanitarian missions to Afghani orphans), as well as letters to some army national guard troops in Iraq. It seemed more real somehow than simply sporting a decal on a bumper sticker, which merely advertises a personal feeling that either resonates with or antagonizes casual onlookers. No one in my family is in Iraq, but what if one of these almost daily casualties were my son? What would it be like for him to be there, I wondered, and for me not to know what's happening? Today I received a reply postmarked a month ago from a national guardsman in Iraq, which came just after I saw from a newspaper on-line that two of his unit had been killed just a few days ago. Which has now got me clicking on http://www.arng.army.mil/news/memorial/default.asp to check the latest National Guard casualties--maybe something's happened to him since he wrote that letter. Before it was all just statistics: "6 killed, 20 injured..."; "2 soldiers die in ambush....." Now I'm checking to see if this guy's name comes up on the list--and he's a complete stranger to me! Suddenly he's not just an anonymous national guardsman. He's somebody's son, brother, husband or father. So you Send some cookies, write words of comfort, march on Washington, email your Senator, rage at the TV that keeps repeating "we're makin' progress" and "there's a POSSIBILITY we MIGHT be able to withdraw in the FUTURE--IF certain unspecified) conditions prevail, but in the meantime...we're gonna stay the course," blah blah blah. What happens when we run out of troops (and money!!).... and patience!! What's the plan, really, for the permanent (as in Forever) military bases there? Why won't they ever answer that question? A Buzzflash Reader Subject: If You Read One BuzzFlash Editorial I thank you for a speedy reply. I recently learned that this community was where my grandfather grew up and it shocked me to the core, knowing what kind of place he came from before he came to TX. Since I am the family researcher places of birth and surrounding communities become areas of interest. My grandfather was said to be a member of the KKK though I can't confirm it. Either way, it is not something I am proud of. To this day, getting anyone my relatives to talk about anything political is next to impossible. It appears that this town of Philadelphia is a pretty tight lipped place. I hope you will continue to write about such subjects in the future to keep it in the public eye for our countries sake. The more the better. Where can you get a copy of that pamphlet? Please and thank you for all you do. Regards, Kathleen [BuzzFlash Note: The Neshoba County web site has the brochure, titled, "Neshoba County African-American Heritage Driving Tour, Philadelphia, MS."] Subject: Bill Bennett I know that you, like all right-thinking Americans, have long been inspired and instructed by the moral nostrums of Bill Bennett. Thus I thought you might like to sip from the cup of his latest offering of virtuous wisdom -- i.e., ethnic cleansing on a genocidal scale. It's the kind of uplifting vision we've come to expect from this four-star general in the culture wars. Miraculous Organ: The Revelations of Saint William Yours, Chris Subject: The Defeat of George McGovern Dear Editor, I was generally moved by your remarks about visiting Philadelphia (Mississippi) and the lost passion of the Democratic Party. Then suddenly I read your comments about George McGovern losing the presidency largely because he was a peace candidate. This is a prime example of one of the many right wing lies that is used to distort history and cripple progressives. It is important to them that progressives believe a "peace" candidate can't win. This helps silence opposition to the military industrial complex. I am never surprised to see this in the MSM, but am saddened to see progressives taken in by it! In examining the McGovern loss, one event should be cited as the turning point of his campaign. The event was a death blow from which his campaign never recovered. It had nothing to do with peace, civil rights, feminism or any other progressive or "hippie" issue. The discovery that Vice Presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton had been treated for mental problems and the subsequent fumbling reaction to this information by McGovern and his camp ended his chance to be president. I am not trying to hand out blame, merely stating what should be clear to any student of political history. Could McGovern have won if this didn't happen? We don't know. We will never know. But what is clear is that this one event, more than any other, defined his campaign at the time. Not peace. Not any of his other positions. The right has worked hard to distort this history and progressives should resist this attempt, just as we must resist their attempts to portray the attacks on civil rights as part of some mythic ode to "states rights.", Thanks for all the great work you do! Sincerely, A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: THANK YOU for naming Roberts as "Hypocrite of the Week"!!! You confirmed what I wrote in two letters (that actually showed up in the mailbag): John Roberts is a looming DANGER -- and the next one will be even worse. Of course he was chosen for exactly the qualities -- faulty memory (couldn't remember what groups he belonged to less than 10 years ago? Hell, I'm several years older than he is, and I can remember being a Brownie when I was 7! Also, shouldn't one suspect a Chief Justice who can't remember clear facts???) I'm especially grateful for the confirmation of what I've been saying all along: i.e., this is a "Stepford judge" -- with, in addition, very little judicial EXPERIENCE to qualify him to be confirmed -- or to act -- as CHIEF Justice. That he was confirmed in the first place -- and so easily -- disgusts me. But even MORE disgusting: the roll-over by Democrats, including several that I once respected. WHAT IS GOING ON?? WHY are the Democrats so complacent?? (I nearly lost my lunch the last time I heard Kerry speak (though I haven't checked his vote on Roberts yet; I'm referring to earlier remarks. Plus, I suspect he's gearing up for another run for President. Earth to John Kerry: Chances are slim and none. Don't waste Teresa's money: you let us progressives down -- badly -- when you defended the Iraqi war in spite of the lies that got us into it. I've also lost my respect for Pat Leahy. I haven't checked to see how Kerry or Hillary (another potential 2008 candidate) voted on Edwards. I was too busy trying not to throw up at the news of his easy confirmation. Oh -- and ... stay tuned for the next nomination. What are the choices? Priscilla Owen? Janice Rogers Brown? Alberto Gonzales? Want to bet that the Democrats will roll over again?? ("What? vote against a woman? Vote against an African-American woman?? Vote against a Hispanic, whose credentials, incidentally, include re-defining "torture" as "organ failure or death"? As in, "OK, guys, it's OK to starve, freeze, dehydrate, beat, break limbs, pull out fingernails...but that isn't technically torture.") Buzz -- and fellow mailbag writers -- keep up the great work. It really helps an exile in a Red state to know that I'm not just howling into the wilderness. Barb in Athens, GA Subject: With god on our side I do not believe evangelicals believe in what they are doing as a matter of faith. I believe they are ambitious, greedy men who want power, money, and acclaim. I think many of the things they have devised are to win votes so they can take over, and it has almost come to that. I think their drive for solidarity with Catholics in the nineties was a devious attempt to garner more votes for Republicans. In their treatise they admit that there are grievous differences between Catholics and evangelicals, but they still want a dialogue with people they believe in their hearts to be infidels and not true followers of Christ. These machinations were organized by Watergate felon Charles Colson, Pat Robertson, and others on the evangelical side and some Catholic bigwigs who apparently were truly interested for the right reason but with the wrong people and under very suspect conditions. I think it is the intent of the evangelicals to intrude into other denominations and change them to their ways. What an insult to Protestant denominations! I believe power and money are also strong motivators for the evangelicals. They are merciless, vituperative, and not at all like the gentle Jesus whom they claim to serve. I thank BuzzFlash for keeping these far-right wrong people in the eyes of the public and I pray that the public will revert to the Bible and find out the real truth, which is not espoused by the evangelical positions that I have seen being propounded by Dr. Dobson and so many others who are dictatorial and unforgiving. And they lie when they say that liberals are for abortion and same-sex marriage. As for abortion, most liberals believe that a woman has a right to decide for herself the best medical treatment when she has a problem with pregnancy. Why should women allow men such as Dr. Dobson to tell them what is the best medical procedure for them to follow? That is for the woman, her doctors, and her spiritual advisor to determine. As for same-sex marriages, nobody can answer that, but according to Christ, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves and love our enemies. Wouldn't it be great if these things could be practiced? Because it presents some basic truths that people should realize, and many don't. They follow blindly these charlatans who lead them astray. Mildred Subject: Miller Time Isn't it obvious to everyone that Judy Miller of the NYT was pulling a drama queen publicity stunt claiming how noble she was to not reveal her source, the source whose lawyers had contacted her lawyers and released her, who had assured her lawyers that the release was *not* coerced as she claimed, and on top of that the judge told her she had been released by her source. This was nothing but a grandstanding publicity stunt by Miller and the Times. Shame on them. The prosecutor should charge her and the Times with whatever he can for DeLaying the case--obstruction of justice?--and BuzzFlash should make her and Times hypocrites of the YEAR!! A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Tale of Two Bayous..... Has anyone noted the irony of Bayou hedge funds going under at the same time as the geographical Gulf Coast version? By the way, why are American taxpayers PAYING such folks as Frist and DeLay for what they're doing? They should be paying us, with dividends as virtual involuntary shareholders in their skullduggery... Why even noted (conservative) columnists like Jeff Jacoby are beginning to connect the dots on the machinations of our overzealous government "leaders"...let's hope that the half (actually, less than half in '00 AND '04, the latter because of the chicanery at the "box office") of the American people who put them there wake up by fall '06 in time to take action to save OUR democracy... Randy Subject: Abu Ghraib Ruling May Further Tarnish U.S. (AP/NY Times) 1. I don't think it's the ruling that will tarnish the US! 2. Is "torment" the new euphemism for torture???
A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: The Last Passion of the Democratic Party You said in your Editorial that you are waiting for the democratic party to find the right path??!! you cannot wait for a dead entity. The democratic party as a defender of the common man and the working people is dead and burried a long time ago. What we have now is a party who is beholden to and controlled by the corporate class. And please stop talking about the "hope" that AL Gore might come back!!. AL Gore, like Bill and Hillary Clinton, are the favored offspring of the DLC, which is nothing but corporate servant. It is time for a new populist party. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Hypocrite of the Week Roberts, the reason he was chosen by Bush Do you think they have a hidden recording of Roberts saying certain things that place him in a position of being a complete puppet. With the next appointment they will have the 5 votes they need to suspend elections won't they? Your days may be numbered. I wonder what closed down? military base we will be in for our activism against them. I hope I am so wrong with this scenario. Karen Subject: Santorum--Blue Collar or White? Or Did the Laundry Colors Run? You headlined a link to Philadelphia City Paper's article on Rick Santorum: The Path of the Righteous Man, by Mike Newall) The author interviewed lots of people from Santorum's past, and turned up the following two quotes (pretty close together in the article): 1. "They were good people, a well-principled, blue-collar family"--A childhood friend, describing Rick Santorum. 2. "Rick's father was the chief of psychology and his mother was the chief of nurses"--the former head of personnel at the VA hospital where the Santorums worked in Butler, PA. Excuse me? The head of psychology and the head of nursing in a VA hospital are "blue collar"? In what universe? How rich would the town of Butler have to be for both those quotes to be true? I can't tell much about the childhood friend's motivations, or his intelligence, but I don't think you have to be too brilliant to know that the chief of psychology at a hospital IS NOT a blue collar job. Could this be yet another part of the endless attempt by right wing idealogues from pretty cushy backgrounds to paint themselves as good old down-to-earth, salt-of-the-earth types? You know, Rush Limbaugh (daddy's a judge), Ann Coulter (daddy's a big time business lawyer), Bill O'Reilly (daddy's an accountant)...... Boy, you gotta watch those damn elites every minute of every day. Lee Russ Subject: I Suggest the 22 Democrats Who Voted for Roberts as Hypocrites of the Week The democratic party has consistently failed to even chastise those members who vote against all that the party says it stands for. Perhaps the party itself should be selected. Or perhaps only the party "leaders." Clark Donley Subject: Culture of Spin The conservatives like to bill themselves as the “Culture of Life” which is good press and has a nice catchy little ring to it. Unfortunately it’s more of a “Culture of Corruption” which is not so good. I really do like to nit pick so I have a few questions that I wish someone would answer. Why do the cable flunkies spend so much time trying to portray the district attorney in the DeLay indictment as a partisan hack? Shouldn’t they mention that this is not the first, second, third, oh forget it, time DeLay has been suspected of operating outside the ethical if not the legal rules he should follow? Why does Chris Matthews say let’s play hardball when he has no intention of playing hardball with anyone but liberals? Why is Keith Olbermann the only cable newsman to ask difficult questions? You know, like they are supposed to do in order to keep us informed? Why are most Americans more interested in the fate of one missing teenager in Aruba than they are in a man who was just elevated to the Supreme Court and will have a great deal to say about how their lives play out for as much as thirty years? Why do we resist facts that don’t jibe with our preconceived ideas? I would just love to Believe that all crooks are republicans, all military personnel are honorable and all liberals the soul of integrity. I would like to believe it but I know it isn’t true. Lying to oneself is the worst lie of all. We live in a culture of spin and we must fight diligently when it comes to the truth. Truth isn’t liberal or conservative, democrat or republican. Truth just is. Unless and until all Americans respect that they might as well all stick their fingers in their ears and sing loudly whenever something they don’t like or believe is presented as fact. I remember a relative back in the sixties who used to proclaim that she always told it like it was. No, what she did was tell it like she thought it was and told it loud enough that few cared to debate. Sounds like a good idea for a cable news show. Marjorie L. Swanson Subject: The Silence of the Sheep! Our government is in crisis in more ways than one. Our government sits in the midst of an illegal war that’s failing, torture and abuse, high deficits and a one-party majority imploding with acts of corruption. As a loyal Democrat I ask, where is my Party?? Are they worried speaking out or taking drastic action will be costly to their careers? I can assure them inaction will cost them much more. Maybe they think great speeches but doing nothing is the answer. Like George W. Bush, are they reluctant to admit their mistakes? As a Democrat (and I will tell them bluntly), talking about principles but acting on your own interests or the interests of big money will not get my vote, support or contribution this time around. Neither will anyone supporting Bush’s War policy! Last weekend saw 300,000+++ or more U.S. citizens speaking out against a war that has cost almost 2000 lives, maimed over 14000 and has seen billions spent that could have been used for healthcare and other services for our country. Polls indicate this was just a small representation of most Americans’ viewpoint. I didn’t see or hear “BAAAA” from most of the silent sheep Congressmen, even those pretenders who claim to be the heads of our Party and so-called frontrunners for candidate for the Presidency of our nation. What I’m looking for is not another messenger boy for the Bush Administration, urging us to “stay the course” but perhaps a candidate in the mold of a Paul Hackett, who has the cojones to stand against the Bush policies. Who needs more sheep in wolves' clothing? The Republican Party is a runaway disaster right now with little checks and balances. Bush and his cronies were visibly incompetent during Katrina. Katrina exposed the plight of poor Americans. It also made people question the Bush’s non-existent policy on Global Warming! We keep borrowing on a deficit that was sky-high to begin with, and now is about one-half trillion to pass onto our children and grandchildren. The revengeful act of a corrupt government in the outing of a CIA agent is finally being investigated after stonewalling information for over two years. We have witnessed cronyism taken to the extent that no previous Administration has taken it. We have seen major profits for the oil companies while the average American is paying out high gas prices and trying to make ends meet. Companies like Halliburton are still given continuous no-bid contracts, even though they were fined for cheating and misrepresenting costs to the government. Our environment is not protected and more regulations have been gutted. Our government, our Democracy is in big trouble; we don’t need or want sheep or fence-sitters. We need election protection to insure all votes and voters will be counted! Letting the Republicans burn in their own ineptness without an aggressive policy of our own won’t help us, so Hillary, Joe, Bill and John, put up or shut up! Back us in our vital issues or back down! We do not want skillful propagandists; we’ve had enough of that with Bush and his cronies! Government is a trust and we need to trust the ones we elect to lead with competence, we have had too much artful evasion and downright lies from this Administration! Russell Baker stated in “Could Be a Long Season,” Americans need a trustworthy leader, “Who came to do good, and stayed to do well!” How about starting now, let’s see what you are made of! Susan Carr Subject: Quick Trip to an Alternative Universe I arose yesterday morning and while rubbing the cobwebs from my eyes turned on the morning news to see what had transpired while I slept. Then I heard it. Tom DeLay was being indicted for conspiracy to launder corporate contributions used for Texas Republican campaigns. I couldn’t believe it, Tom DeLay indicted! I must confess, I never thought it would happen. But I was in for more revelations. I watched as the Tom spoke to newsmen. He stated that the Texas District Attorney who filed the indictment was a “fanatic,” that this indictment was nothing more than a partisan campaign to get him and without legal merit. I watched the man as he flashed a cold smile and looked out with dead eyes. Yes, I had heard it. Or at least I thought I heard it. The man who came to the halls of Congress inspired by his former calling as an exterminator establishing new levels of callousness and distinguishing himself as the master of the politics of coercion and intimidation had just called a Texas District Attorney a “fanatic” and his indictment nothing but a “partisan action.” The deliberative body where the techniques of debate, negotiation and compromise were the standard of a practice had a Majority Leader whose approach to politics is that it is war; that your opponents are the enemy and that taking no prisoners is the rule of this war. Tyrannosaurus Tom had brought madness to his methods and was respected as one would respect a Rottweiler on amphetamines. This was the man describing a Texas District Attorney as a fanatic. Did he also include all the members of the Grand Jury who voted for the indictment in this surreal remark? I began to think perhaps I was dreaming. Or maybe, last night as I slept I had somehow been swept off to an alternative universe, an inverse world where “UP” was “DOWN,” “Right“ was “Left” and Evil had transformed itself into Saintliness. I checked the television again to watch The Tom, half suspecting words to flow forth in backwards order from his mouth. Perhaps he would begin speaking in a new language he invented on the spot following his own rules of grammar, logic and meaning. I anxiously checked my watch to see if the second hand was sweeping backwards around the watch dial. It was not! I looked outside to see if cars on the street were rocketing into the air in repeal of the law of gravity. They were not! Relieved, I was convinced I was still in my old familiar world where Right remained right and Wrong was still unconscionable. So what was going on? How could Tom Terrific be saying with such smooth equanimity that “he had done nothing wrong”? Then I thought, was it possible that Mr. DeLay really did NOT realize that what he had done was wrong? Was it possible he truly did not believe he had done anything wrong? It became clear to me then that what we have in Mr. DeLay is the classic sociopath. The Sociopath does not regard anything he does as wrong. He is incapable of recognizing Wrong. Wrong just does not exist in the mind if a sociopath. If this is indeed the case, and I suspect it is, we have a real problem in The Tom. Because a sociopath is capable of doing anything without any sense of guilt. Guilt is an unknown sentiment to the sociopath. “Wrong” as a concept does not exist to the sociopath. This is not a good thing. Tyrranosaurus Tom is one of the most powerful people in the U.S., after Dick Cheney (but before Ken Lay). Then I laughed at myself. I had to be dreaming. I mean, Tom DeLay, the Master of Menace, would make sure he was never even indicted. He wouldn’t let himself be indicted any more than Jeb Bush would let his state go to Al Gore (no matter what the vote was!). No more than Katherine Harris would let a real vote count be taken. HE-he-he. Silly me. I was still asleep, still dreaming. So I shut off my dream tv and just went back to sleep. I know I’ll wake up in Bushland tomorrow. Where all is well with the rich and powerful and control remains with THE PARTY. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Hughes delivers gift to Bin Laden
Oh, and Karen? I'd like to see where in our Constitution it says "one nation under God". http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/30/12169/1332 Kos highlights the real nugget in Syd Blumenthal's piece (which you already link to): that Karen Hughes claims "under God" is in our constitution. How do these people get elevated to the highest levels of government? I verified her quote here: http://www.state.gov/r/us/2005/54062.htm A BuzzFlash Reader
|
|||
| back to top | |||