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| October 20, 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: Re: Your 10/19 "Cannon Fodder" Story On Oct. 17, my local newspaper, The "Times Herald Record" of Orange County, NY, ran a front-page story that was a duplicate of that week's Warwick, NY, high school newspaper's front page. It featured a panoramic photo of Arlington National Cemetery, with the caption, "You can't be all that you can be if you're dead." I instantly thought, "God, how astute for a high school kid!" Isn't it comforting to know that even citizens too young to vote are too sharp to mistake a crock of..uh..."disassembling" for anything else, when it clearly reeks of American values gone rotten. Student ad triggers debate (Times Herald-Record) Ellie Remore Subject: Speculation on who may be cooperating with the special prosecutor What do you think? Could it be Mary Matalin who is cooperating with the special prosecutor? She may have had a long talk with her husband ... It's one thing if Judy goes to jail for a few months, but Mary? I think not. Ari Fleischer may be cooperating as well. I'll buy their new book before I buy Judy's. I'm sure Judy was promised her book would sell out anyway. Back to the point. I think BuzzFlash should poll their viewers as to who may be cooperating with the special prosecutor. What do you think? BuzzFlash readers want play! Bernie Subject: White House Watch: Cheney Resignation Rumors Fly (US News & World Report) As charges of abuse of power and criminal acts once again threaten the White House itself, the possibility of the vice-president stepping down are rumored. That may be the only way to prevent charges being made against both him and Bush. It remains to be seen if the buck actually stops at the oval office or not. Everyone in the administration appears at least guilty of abuse of power and being incompetent. The 9/11 Commission is reportedly preparing to attack the administration for taking no action on their recommendations to protect the US. RB Subject: Green lighting Saddam You have mentioned in one of your headlines that the US "greenlighted" Saddam to invade Kuwait. This is a little known fact that the public should be informed about. I have wondered for years why there has been no discussion of this horrible blunder. It seems clear that had we warned Saddam off, he probably would not have invaded. His relationship with us was too important to jeopardize. Yet our government gave Saddam signals on more than one occasion that we didn't care if he invaded Kuwait. I have read that the State Department spokesperson went so far as to say that we had no obligation to defend Kuwait if it was attacked by Iraq. This is one of the biggest political blunders any American leader has made, yet it is never examined. I urge you to inform your readers about this issue. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Another conservative hates Bush. This one worked for daddy Bush and Reagan, and now loathes Chimpy. Idiots. You get what you vote for. 10/20 Don't know if this is the place to make this comment but here goes anyhow. The above headline to one of your articles really galls me! "You get what you vote for." Some of us are convinced Bush stole another election in 2004. It didn't matter who any of us voted for. We in fact did not get what we voted for! The Chimp stole another election. It hurts to read the statement 'you get what you vote for' - it's blaming the voters instead of the crooks who messed with the voting machines and the counting of votes. Julie Subject: Frontline: The Question of Torture This was on most PBS stations last night. But, I have found no mention of it. When it ended my disgust with this administration and other Republicans had increased tenfold. It should be all over the news outlets. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/torture/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion Sincerely, Bonnie M. Matheson Subject: Tom DeLay Indicted Arrested and Booked -- Legal Definitions I wanted to share this with you and your readers. I intend to use it in any conversation/correspondence I have regarding him. It is another way of letting the "Independents" and "sort of interested" individuals "get" the seriousness of the crimes committed by him and his new found place in society. Arrest: To take into custody by legal authority. Booking: The process of photographing, fingerprinting, and recording/identifying data of a suspect. This process follows the arrest. Warrant: Most commonly, a court order authorizing law enforcement officers to make an arrest or conduct a search. An application seeking a warrant must be accompanied by an affidavit, which establishes probable cause by detailing the facts upon which the request is based. Felony: A serious criminal offense. Under federal law any offense punishable by death or imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. From http://brandonlclark.com/glossary.html?letter=W So one can now say of Tom DeLay that he has been indicted for a felony crime and that a felony warrant for his arrest and booking has been served and that at the time he turns himself in he will be arrested for a felony crime and he will then be booked. Afterwards he will be a Felon awaiting trial. So when describing him until the end of his trial he can be said to be “Tom DeLay the felon awaiting trial…” or “…the felon Tom DeLay’s trial dragged on today.” So for the time being his name is “Tom Delay the felon…” or “…the felon Tom Delay …” A variation could be “Republican Tom Delay the felon…” or “…the felon Tom Delay, Republican Representative from SugarLand Texas…” I am patient. John Ferrero Subject: Anti-choice Harry Miers In 1989, Bulldog Harry was running for political office and came down squarely in the anti-choice camp, promising to support a constitutional amendment overruling Roe v Wade and banning abortions. According to Scotty McClellan, the position she took then as a politician doesn't mean anything now because she really doesn't have a personal opinion about Roe v Wade as a judicial nominee. I guess she was pandering for votes in 1989, which is dishonest and raises questions about her moral character and fitness to be a Supreme Court justice. Oops, I forgot. It's OK if you're a Republican. Miers Backed Ban on Most Abortions in '89 (AP/Yahoo) John M. Barth Subject: Reality Shows Traitorgate and Saddam Hussein's trial. The powers that be will see to it that our minds are so chuck-full of courtroom antics and all their other staged events, such that there'll be no room left for any thoughts about how come we've sunk so low, let alone thoughts about changing the world. A neat trick, easy to pull off, too, is when folks suddenly realize - "Hey, this here nonsense has nothing to do with me!" A BuzzFlash Reader [BuzzFlash Note: But we hope Traitorgate will be a lot more significant than the Michael Jackson and OJ infotainments were.] Subject: Plame/Wilson Falsehoods I can't take it anymore! If I hear one more Republican shill say that Joseph Wilson lied about Cheney asking him to go to Niger I'll scream!!! The man NEVER said that. He said he didn't even think Cheney or his staff knew he was going. He couldn't have made it any plainer in his book. He say's the CIA asked him to go based on Cheney wanting more info about the yellowcake deal. Then they say it was his wife who arranged the whole thing and he went on her authority as if he was a nobody who could have only been given the assignment if wifey poo helped him. But she did not have the authority to send him. Because of his extensive background in dealing with the Niger authorities (he was an ambassador to several countries in the region) and the fact that other CIA authorities had sent him there (Niger) on other business in 1999 he seemed the logical choice. This is the new talking point. The plan is to demonize Wilson and make the whole thing seem petty. Night after night Chris Matthews allows his right-wing guests to repeat this lie and he agrees with them. Andrea Mitchell in her zeal to continue to carry water for this sick administration made a point of actually saying Cheney's people got upset when they found out this "Wilson" person was going around saying he was sent to Niger by them and they wanted to find out who he was. Forget that this is the man Bush 41 hailed as a hero for facing down Saddam when he was ambassador to Iraq. But no one knew who he was or what qualifications he had? That's how the whole thing started, quite innocently. According to Matthews, it's only fair that they (Cheney) would want to retaliate. Every single Democratic pundit never says a word except they're not quite sure of the circumstances but the big picture is so much more important. Do any of these people read? Do they not prepare before they go on these sleazy shows? Why do they continue to let these jerks discredit this man and his service to this country? It's soooo frustrating. Well let's hope that all will become clear when their butts are on trial. Yes! Barbara Illes Subject: Bolton Visits Judy Remember when everyone was wondering why John Bolton visited Judy Miller in jail? Thanks to The Raw Story, who are reporting that TWO of Cheney's aides are talking to Fitzgerald, we may have the answer. Both John Hannah and David Wurmser are from the offices of then-Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, John Bolton. If you were Cheney, and you were looking for someone besides Karl and Scooter to gleefully stick it to Joe Wilson (or anyone) would you need to look any further than Bolton? The white-moustached intimidator (he only charges 5 cents for a ride) is probably the source that Judy has "forgotten." Imagine being more scary than Libby, Rove and Cheney. Patty Coombs Subject: "American Girl" What dolls those ultra righties are, huh? First Tinky WInky, then Spongebob SquarePants, now the American Girl doll collection because of Girls, Inc., whose mission is only to promote strength and awareness in girls. "Jeepers Creepers!" they cry, "These organizations will promote abortion-on-demand and lesbianism in our girls! They won't be trained to be good wives and mothers and helpmeets!" Please, Mattel Corp. Do not cave in to these people! Stick to your guns and align yourselves with Girls, Inc. PLEASE!!! Good grief! What an article to read at the break of dawn! Editorial: An attack on American Girl (Capital Times) Lisa Subject: Maureen Dowd on Miers
Except when the judge is running for election, and then you can say whatever you need for votes, which is what she is doing now. Karen W. Subject: Is Anyone In Government On Our Side? Does any government department actually represent the people of this country?
These Washington Weasels will soon come slithering back to their individual states to convince us how they have improved our lives. If the American voters have one brain in their collective heads they will vote out the entire inept, corrupt, and self-serving bunch of nincompoops that think they run this country. It’s time to hold them accountable. Marjorie L. Swanson Subject: Once more, the compassionate conservatives strike again Acting in unison they blocked a long overdue, but very meager, proposal by Senate Democrats to raise the minimum wage from its paltry impoverishing level where it has sat for the last eight years by a mere dollar an hour. Though this would have helped the over 40 percent of those people who work multiple minimum wage jobs as their primary source of income cope a little bit better with the gouging they are receiving at the gas pump and in their heating and food bills, the Republicans stood almost uniformly together to block it. Once more they show clearly that the needs and wants of their big corporate funders like Wal-Mart outweigh the needs of the people they are supposed to represent. Interestingly, though, some who are facing very dim reelection prospects, like Rick Santorum, seemed to sense the need to pretend to care about the ordinary person and switched their votes for it, hoping perhaps to offset some of their constituents' ire at their plutocratic arrogance. However, in the end, greed prevailed, and those who work hard for a living, and who are the greatest victims of this maladministration's policies of enabling corporate plunder, once more got the royal shafting from Republican "compassionate conservatism." Senate Again Fails to Raise Minimum Wage (AP/SF Gate) Dan D. Subject: Immigration I am growing increasingly tired of the attempt by the Right to refocus the public’s anger at the perverse agenda of the Republicans in power onto illegal immigrants. It is racially motivated in its true form, and is inherently based upon fears of the impending shift in population majorities and minorities specifically where an increase in Hispanics are concerned. Do most of us Americans not all have ancestors who at one time or another came to this country to flee persecution or deplorable circumstances? Would we have had our own ancestors shipped back to their country if they came here illegally? I would like to think that intellectually honest people would answer, “No, of course not.” When radio hosts Jay Severin and Michael Graham rant and rave that illegal aliens are criminals, they are both stating the obvious, that illegal aliens have broken the law, as well as scapegoating them for being the root of larger societal problems. I submit that these larger societal problems are the result of our society’s choice to keep Republicans in power as long as they have. The illegal immigrants may have broken immigration laws, but there could be more of a moral tolerance for each person’s situation. Of course we are not morally obligated to act this way as Severin and Graham love to point out, but it has been the moments in our nation’s history when we have chosen to be morally tolerant that we as Americans love to reference in declaring our greatness. If we still deserve to call ourselves the land of liberty, we would cease the scapegoating, lay blame where it belongs, and consider that our ancestors, too, were once immigrants. Harris Bierhoff Subject: A plea: Give us hope, and we will win My message to Democrats is simple and from my heart. Please give us some hope. We are scared. If you inspire us and ask us for courage, we will win. Tell us help is on the way and say it like you mean it. And we will win. Tell us what you will do in the first 100 days after you control both houses of Congress. And we will win. Understand that we are literally dying and pleading for leadership. Demonstrate leadership. And we will win. Give us ALL heath care. And we will win. Inspire us to build fuel efficient cars. And we will win. Explain to us why cheap energy is not an American birthright. And we will win. Pledge to make our educational systems the best in the world. And we will win. Pledge universal access to higher education. This is a right of all Americans. Do this, and we will win. Protect the safety net for the most vulnerable among us. And we will win. Level the playing field. And we will win. Recognize the middle class is in dire straits. Speak to the middle class who can't hold on much longer. And we will win. Roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest 1%. And we will win. Pledge to save and strengthen social security. And we will win. Give us a REAL and UNDERSTANDABLE Medicare prescription drug coverage. And we will win. Give us authentic homeland security, and a strong military. And we will win. Give our active duty soldiers the equipment they need. And we will win. Give veterans the health and retirement benefits they deserve and have earned. And we will win. Tell us the truth-ALWAYS. You are our servants. Say that loud, say it every day. You are serving us, WE THE PEOPLE. And we will win. When you are wrong, when you make a mistake, say so. And we will win. Tell us the unvarnished truth about Iraq. And we will win. If you voted to authorize an illegal war, that is okay, but acknowledge this, a mistake is forgiven; to evade and stonewall is not. Do this. And we will win. Take a leaf from Howard Dean's book. When asked a question, answer it. Answer it with a direct and straightforward answer. Start your response with a simple, "yes" or "no." If you do this, we will win. Please, heed our pleas. Failure is no longer an option. Give us hope and we will win. Eve Subject: "Fitzgerald Axed" Pool During the failed Republican coup of Watergate, Richard Nixon fired the special prosecutor, Archibald Cox. This confirmed speculation that Nixon was a dirty Cox Sacker. Perhaps Buzz should start a pool - the person who predicts closest to the exact date and time Bush fires Fitzgerald splits the kitty with Buzz! Michael J Fowler Subject: Your article about Wilkerson's remarks Would have loved to have heard that talk...especially since it was given at a right-wing think tank..New America Foundation! The Col. wouldn't have been talking about ... Project For A New American Century ... would he? Nahhhh....that's just 'conspiracy theorist' thinking.......... A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: The Horrible Truth About Rove I predict that there will be a major terror attack on the day that they hand down indictments. Or at least a major scare of some sort. Something. Something big and bad will change the subject on that day. SE Subject: Hold everything! Don't praise Hemenway The chancellor of the University of Kansas is far from being a brave Kansan. If you paid any attention to the civil rights struggles of Americans or the corporatization and militarization of higher ed, you wouldn't be praising him on your web site. This guy has presided over starting up the "Roberts Scholars," a CIA training program for college students named after toadie Senator Pat Roberts. Did you know that? This guy has turned the University of Kansas into a private lab for pharmaceutical companies so that he can rake in the dough. This guy has presided over the establishment of the University of Kansas as one of the most staunchly anti-affirmative action/civil rights defendants in the country. They're the "anti-Michigan" when it comes to these issues. It would seem that your haste to jump on the intelligent design issue has clouded your judgment about at least some people. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Powell
Q: Loyal to the Administration but traitor of his country? Donna Bailey-Thompson This is the link of the speech given -- Col. Lawrence Wilkerson "Bush Administration’s National Security Decision Making Process" http://www.newamerica.net/index.cfm?pg=event&EveID=520 Please download the speech before playing for better speed and future reference and review the 47 min speech. There is far more information than what is listed in the Financial Times. The Financial Times gives only a small picture of how corrupt things really are in this Administration and the Pentagon. The speech made me sick to my stomach about the state of this nation in ways that I didn't think possible. I know it will do the same for anyone that can see it. Review it and you will understand. Please download the speech before playing for better speed and future reference (I used Windows Media Player on my Mac). Jim R. Subject: ? Why do people have bumper stickers that say "God Bless America," while the rich Americans invest in Communist China? Carl Marchi Subject: Comments on the Cheney rumors (More Grist for the TreasonGate Rumor Mill) My own thoughts on the previous post, re rumors about Cheney’s role in Plamegate and the legal fallout: 1. “and--very surprisingly--national security adviser steve Hadley.” Nothing surprising about this at all. In the insinuations that Richard Clarke was miffed at being “demoted” to a deputy, few seemed to notice that the Bush White House security reshuffle actually promoted a group of deputies – including Hadley, who was deputy under Condoleezza Rice. The position of National Security Adviser itself was effectively empty with Rice in it. Hadley, in contrast, was heavily invested in “homeland security” before coming to the WH; along with other ties incl ties to Cheney, he was formerly on the board of ANSER, Inc, which founded a “Homeland Security Institute” back in 1999. Like Rice, Hadley was promoted in the aftermath of 9/11 (which in a normal administration wd not have been a resume-brightener for a natl security advisor’s office). Needless to say, he was key in boosting the Iraq invasion. 2. The ongoing legal ramifications certainly explain why so little has been seen of Cheney lately. 3. However, I wd think the WH wd go to literally any lengths to prevent Cheney’s resignation. McCain disappointed a nation by joining with Bush in the 2004 election, when he cd have made a real difference. Even so, he is supporting putting official limits on torture by the military (though he has not opposed holding prisoners without telling them the charges against them, a practice that cd not possibly enhance natl security). Even the tiniest such sign of independence, or popularity, is sufficient to threaten this WH. If GOP congress members are lobbying for him, that wd be another strike against him. Undoubtedly the WH wd prefer to replace Cheney w/ Condoleezza Rice, if it had to replace him at all. But it’s hard to imagine Republicans in general going along with that. Either way, it’s a no-win for the Bush team. 4. Speaking of which, if any significant portion of this information is valid, it strongly suggests that the Bush team has been diminished to its irreducible core: Bush, his WH Chief of Staff Andrew Card, Karen Hughes, Harriet Miers, and a few of his relatives. Where is their constituency? (Answer: exactly where and what it should have been from the first, back when this quintessentially unqualified man started making little noises about running for the WH back in the late 1990s. Too bad they in effect bought off the MSM.) 5. With Congress, parts of the GOP, and PNAC peeled away from him, Bush has one buffer. No, not “the Christian right.” Genuine fundamentalists have never effectively been in the picture with Bush, except in being successfully manipulated by the Bush team – and in being used as a bogeyman to scare writers, editors and publishers/producers among others. Bush’s last buffer is the aforementioned MSM, which have created a widespread public unawareness about much of what’s been going on. The current fall-out will be a race against time, with Washington insiders trying to hold together some version of the story that will pass muster with the public, against Truth, the Daughter of Time. Margie Burns Subject: Cheney Cabal Hijacked US Foreign Policy Just a thought. If the Cheney cabal hijacked foreign policy, shouldn't the secret energy policy meetings be brought back to the forefront? Our energy policies sure have been hijacked but the American public hasn't been allowed to know who did it. It doesn't take a genius to see that an administration filled with oil company people has been in charge while gas prices have skyrocketed. I hope BuzzFlash will use its news sources to bring this back to light. Thanks for a great site! Mark Hagen Subject: What Did Bush Know? I think, dear Buzz, that one of your headlines was a misprint. It said, "What did the president know, and when did he know it?" But we are dealing with Republicans here! It should have read," What did the president know, and when did he stop knowing it?" Hey - when Cheney does that perp walk, can we send him to the World Court? Huh? Can we, can we? Or, how about let's turn him over to an Iraqi court! Michael J Fowler Subject: The Last Refuge of the Incompetent! Boies Penrose called, “Public office - the last refuge of the incompetent!” George W. Bush, the Republicans, and his Administration’s pursuit of power, using dominance, obsession, media control, cronyism and corruption, have induced chaos in our nation and their ineptness has come home to roost! This morning the news articles included, the Administration eating its own as "Rove Told Jury Libby May Have Been His Source in Leak Case "; ... Rice claims we may be in Iraq 10 more years, the Harriet Miers debacle, What Bush knew and when he knew it {another LIE revealed?} Spain issues arrest warrant for soldiers, Warrant for DeLay issued, United States soldiers burning two dead Taliban fighters as they faced Mecca and using the charred and smoking corpses in a propaganda campaign in southern Afghanistan and questions asking are we going to war with Iran? With Syria? That’s a few reports out of many! One of the often-repeated tales about Saint Patrick is the story about driving the snakes from Ireland. In the United States, we are left to wonder whether Patrick Fitzgerald will drive at least a few snakes out of our government! An aide to Colin Powell comes clean and reveals problems and deception in the Bush Administration in an article “Cheney Cabal Hijacked U.S. Foreign Policy.”
The Iraq War, the DOWNING STREET MEMO, the questionable election, all the lies and scandals that have been a part of this Administration and their culture of corruption, leads us all to wonder, as William Graham Sumner did about the “Inquisition,” “HAS the BUSH ADMINISTRATION and the one-party rule destroyed honest thinkers and sincere churchmen and cultivated a class of smooth hypocrites and submissive cowards?” With all that has gone before, will there ever be “A LAST REFUGE FOR THE INCOMPETENT”? Probably NOT, until we finally kick them out of office! Susan Carr |
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