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| October 28, 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: Great Ideas Hi, Buzz!! What a Mailbag you had Thursday (it was Friday here in Australia, but what's a little international date line among friends?)!! Guy McPherson had a GREAT IDEA. I'm passing it along to everyone on my email list: The Red Friday!! If enough of us wear red on Fridays, people will ask us why. You go, Guy! Lisa J's suggestion that we fly our flags at half-staff is also terrific. I would add one suggestion of my own: Fly them at half-staff and upside down, because this country is in distress. Buzz readers are patriots! Jane Hawes [BuzzFlash Note: You are referring to Wednesday's Mailbag, actually.] Subject: A Misled Malicious Dunce BuzzFlash asks "will he get away with it, what are the odds?" He'll get away with it until we the people change the world and right now a dime would turn into a big load of gold bricks if someone were to bet it on us actually changing the world. Such a gambling proposition wouldn't be taken seriously, anyway. Might get a laugh or two, but not much else. But, say, out of nowhere there's this listing on an Internet gambling site. "Ten cents gets you umpty-ump bucks if within one year the world changes, umpty bucks if the world changes within ten years and so forth and so on." And say it turns out that there's no shortage of risk-takers - "What the hell, it's only a dime." - and then that the world actually is changed. What'll happen to the misled dunce? That'll be up to we the people. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Fox News -- The Inadvertent Spoof Channel We have a satirical American news station, according to my college-student daughter. My daughter isn’t familiar with American TV, as we lived in Canada when our children were growing up, and she went directly to college in Canada, instead of moving back here with us. Having just arrived home, she was flipping through channels, when I heard her astonished shout, “Hey, Mom! You’ve got a fake news station here that just does political satire!” After a longish pause: “I can’t believe what they’re saying about Cindy Sheehan. There’s this lady with long blonde hair practically spitting out the most vicious things about her…She’s mean and nasty. This isn’t funny. I don’t like this.” Me: “What station are you watching?” (As if I didn’t know.) “Fox News. We don’t have that one.” Me: “You’re not going to believe it, but that is a regular cable news station. It’s not fake.” “You’re kidding! What they’re doing isn’t news. They’re shouting at each other, cutting each other off, and talking over each other. They’re rude and disrespectful. On a real news station, they calmly tell you what happened. Worse, they’re insulting some poor woman they never met who lost her son in Iraq. I bet none of them lost a child in Iraq or served there or they’d know how she feels. They should be ashamed of themselves. It’s disgusting to attack a grieving mother. Why does anyone watch this?” I couldn’t answer that. But the insight of an outsider – that Fox News is fake – is right on. It is pure political theater, not news. And its latest efforts to defend Bush’s quagmire in Iraq by sliming the mother of a dead soldier are beneath contempt. Fox News is aptly named, as anyone knows who’s actually smelled a fox. [Point of Information: Fox has been available since Dec. '04 on digital cable in Canada, which my daughter does not get -- too expensive.] Susan Mayer Subject: Cut and Run Hi, Buzz!! Politicians' talk about Iraq is getting predictable and - excuse me - dull (not that it wasn't always). I am particularly tired of hearing one Republican or another say, "We will not cut and run." Why not? Why don't we cut our losses and just get out? What are our so-called leaders afraid of? Afraid of looking "weak"? Osama bin Laden might think withdrawing from Iraq would be a sign of "weakness." But he's a terrorist - a criminal! What do we care what he thinks? Come to think of it, we already know what he thinks of us. I say again, WHO CARES? This desire not to appear "weak" is hypocritical at best; the right-wingers now in power weren't worried about looking weak when it was time to get a draft deferment during VietNam. If the U.S. is really interested in promoting democracy in Iraq, let us suggest a referendum: Let the Iraqis say whether we stay or go. I have an idea what the answer would be. And then let's prove our love of self-determination by doing what they ask us to do. I know, I'm living in Cloud-Cuckoo Land. But a person can dream.... Jane Hawes Subject: DeLay's Lawyer Says Judge Is Partisan Tom DeLay and his lawyer have been complaining that the judge assigned to their case, Bob Perkins, is incapable of being impartial because he once gave a couple hundred bucks to MoveOn.Org and has given money here and there to Democratic candidates for office. I wonder if DeLay ever made any public comments over calls for Antonin Scalia to recuse himself from hearing the Secret Energy Task Force case brought before the Supreme Court last year, since Scalia had gone on a hunting trip with the defendant, Dick Cheney? Seems like Scalia would have been considerably more biased in favor of Cheney than Perkins might be biased against DeLay. Lance Collins Subject: Suggestion for a headline Hi! I have a suggestion for your headline if (WHEN) rove gets indicted: BUSH'S BRAIN LOBOTOMIZED! What do you think? the bushites are dropping like flies. bush's stealing 1600 for a second time sucked, but payback is a bitch. Liz P.S. Hey, congrats to Chicago on a long-awaited World Series championship. Last year the Red Sox, this year the White Sox, next year...the last curse falls and it's the Cubbies? Anything is possible... Subject: White Sox and Astros I've been a faithful reader for a long time, but it's hitting below the belt when you criticise the Astros and praise the White Sox because they have an African American general manager Jewish owner, etc and the Astros are all white. The facts are that there are less and less African Americans in the majors these days, and the Astros have many hispanic players of color. As an Astro fan I'm deeply offended by your headline. The White Sox probably are a better team, fine, but it wasn't because the Astros management is racist. Further, each game was so close it could have gone the other way. Don't create a controversy where there isn't. And just because the team is from Texas doesn't mean they're pro Bush. There are plenty of Texans who feel as you do about W especially in Houston which normally votes Democratic. Ron Morgan Subject: Miers and the GOP All the attacks on Harriet Miers came from the right wing of Bush's own party and forced her to withdraw (or was forced by Bush to withdraw) her nomination. I hope the spineless democrats understand that this means the GOP does not believe in giving the president's nominee an automatic "Up or Down" vote, so why should the democrats? I wonder if the TV ads saying the president's choice deserves an up or down vote will keep running. Bob Lambert Subject: Barbara at the game! I had been watching the Bushe's behind the home plate...for much too long. Through the Cardinal playoffs and right through the White Sox. Thank God....the Sox did it in 4 games. They did a couple of close-ups on Barbie during that last game....and I could not help but wonder.....if it messed up her beautiful mind? You think? Congrats again...Chicagoans.! You have a right to Party! Shirley......St. Louis Subject: You've got it RIGHT!!! Dear BuzzFlash friends: My source in Washington, DC tells me that something big is afoot down there. The "speculation" is that Lewis "Scooter" Libby should be highly concerned, but, and here's the more important item, so should every one of those involved in the so-called "White House Iraq Group" or WHIG. Fitzgerald knew from day one of the investigation that something was wrong with the answers he was seeking and not getting from all of those surrounding and including Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Libby, et al. But now if my source is correct a much larger problem is looming on the horizon for this misadministration and I think Fitzgerald is aiming to ferret out the Real Truth of the Matter which could "only" mean that he is not satisfied with how this investigation has turned out because there are too many loose ends and out and out lies that have been told to him over and over again. Stay tuned and batten down the hatches it's gonna be a rough ride I believe from here on out. Peace. Ron Subject: Houston Has Liberals Too, Damn It... That's bull**it of you guys to make political hay with the Astros' loss to Chicago. It's hard enough to be a liberal down here in Houston without you going after my 'stros. You think it's cool that they lost, fine. But their loss, in spite of the presence of the Bush prunes, really had nothing to do with politics or some greater "virtue" (in the blue state sense) on the part of the White Sox any more than race had anything to with the management's effectiveness (or lack thereof). The fact is that when the team you've watched your whole life makes it to the World Series, you're proud. When they lose you're disappointed. Babs Bush is a royal bi**h as far as I'm concerned and 41 is the father of satan (literally!). Say that as often as you want. So I'm a little thin skinned maybe, but this kind of headline is low and unnecessary: I've been reading BuzzFlash for years now. I'm a liberal surrounded by fundie ass kissers and dumb ass rednecks. But that headline is just like something one of them would say. It's low and it's mean. The Astros lost. It sucks for us Astros fans. But if you ask me, BuzzFlash has done with this headline exactly what John Stewart said to O'Reilly...you (BuzzFlash) added injury. Now stop it. Doug Alexander [BuzzFlash Note: Really, this headline is about politics, not baseball, okay? Here in Chicago we love baseball ... but that doesn't stop Cubs and Sox fans from dissing each other. It's just another aspect of the game for us. And believe it, we know, from personal experience, that being a liberal down there in Houston is a hard row to hoe.] Subject: W. -- A Wounded President...? I think not, Buzz. This phrase implies that one would have been whole, intact and/or healthy before -- and none of it can be said about W. The phrase also evokes sympathy -- but W. does not deserve our sympathy, only contempt. Calling W. "an unmasked (p)resident [evil]" would be more accurate. Because what David O'Brien calls "wounds," is really W.'s true nature -- that of psychopathic arrogance, incompetence and greed -- exposed. It's too bad it has taken so long and cost us so much. And what's worse is that even this exposure, or "wound," will not be enough to put him away for good, as he deserves. It is not the end of the Teflon-coated W., by any means. This is simply another day in the workings of the well-oiled (no pun) American political machine. An unexpected grind, a bump here and there, but the old gears keep turning. The same game goes on, even as some of the players change. And, remember, the Bushes and their ilk stay in the game, no matter what. Elizabeth Subject: T's for Two The President of the United States and the Vice President of The United States are pressing Congress to enact torture as a lawful act in the United States. There is no room for lapel pin politics here, it is plain and simple, the Bush Administration wants to legalize torture. They want the violent acts that we all saw through photographs at Abu Ghraib to look like a tea party compared to what they have planned. Those that have been punished thus far in the Abu Ghraib debacle are the scapegoats. The torture was too widespread to not have come from the highest levels of government. The Senate overwhelmingly voted against the legalization of torture. But Dick Cheney and George Bush will not be denied. If you think that the outing of a CIA agent and committing treason for political gain was a stretch, you haven't seen nothing yet, they have their eyes on the big prize. They have stepped up pressure on Congress, actually threatening that the President would veto legislation for military spending if they could not continue to torture people. If George Bush (aptly named) and Dick (ditto) Cheney have their way with Congress, they will renew their efforts to literally twist arms in the Senate for the right to torture human beings at their discretion regardless of legal status. Ronald Reagan, that icon of the Republican Party, signed onto international treaties that banned the use of torture. The United States has in recent history taken a dim view of countries that committed human rights abuses. These are not your Daddy's Republicans, no they lean more towards the Hitlertarian sect, thus the rise of the James Dobsons and the concern over the sexual orientation of cartoon characters who appear to have no genitals. The complete lack of respect for human life by the Bush administration and the now loss of 2,000 American heroes, sending them off to war without body armor, armored vehicles, and under the shenanigans of lies and manipulations. And the pictures that seared through our television screens as American citizens waited for their government to respond while they died of thirst in the streets of New Orleans. It is entirely possible that the reason this administration is applying the sorts of pressure they are for the legalization of torture is simply because they have already committed such a crime. The legalization of torture would make such an act trivial, as it then becomes a matter of timing. I would ask that Mr. Fitzgerald, when he has completed his work on those that have committed treason, move on to to those that have ordered torture. Please call your elected officials and tell them to NOT succumb to the sins of the Bush Administration and ask that Mr. Fitzgerald add torture to treason. Jim Ridout Subject: Your readers Buzz, you have one of the best (if not the best) web audiences, judging by the responses of your readers who are well-informed, passionate and eloquent (and often funny). I'm not surprised, really. I continue to appreciate it, especially after visiting other places during my web-surfing trips. Speaking of your readers, Edmund de Bie wrote, "It is ironic, but capitalism is facilitating a system not unlike Communism." Yes, I agree -- it looks a lot like communism, minus workers' and women's rights, free health care and free (and good) education for all. Other than that, things are hardly different. Elizabeth [BuzzFlash Note: We totally agree with you -- Our readers are GREAT!] Subject: Advertising America I was reading this morning about the obscene profits big oil companies are raking in and that they perceive some anger among the suckers, uh, citizens, who are contributing to that profit. Now you might think that the right thing to do would be to lower prices and lessen those profits and help out the American consumer. No I don’t believe in the tooth fairy and I don’t believe that that big companies, oil or any others give a damn about the American consumer. What is going to happen is a new ad campaign aimed at convincing the public that we are all in this together. If even one, just one, idiot American citizen buys this crap, we are truly doomed. This country has become one big ad campaign and a population so foolish, that they think anything they see on television has to be true. An acquaintance recently told me some totally inaccurate tidbit and when I told her it wasn’t true she informed me that it had to be true because she saw it on television. “They can’t lie to us you know,” she said earnestly. “That would be false advertising.” Just contemplate that this moron gets one vote just like you do. I don’t know what we can do to educate people like my pointy-headed acquaintance, but I do know that it must be done. They get to vote. No matter how ill informed they are, these people get to vote just like people who do have a brain and do have a fair idea of what is going on in this country. Case in point; I read this morning that some polls show that 50% of the public know nothing about Karl Rove. I don’t fear evil nearly as much as I fear the power of the fool. There are not all that many truly evil people. But there seem to be lots of dimwits. Marjorie L. Swanson Subject: Red State.....Blue Blood I've been a loyal reader of BuzzFlash for several years now. I've recommended your site to numerous friends and associates. I believe what you do is of great public service. Your political savvy, to me, is unmatched. I look forward daily to your incites [insights?] and commentary. However, your sports expertise is questionable at best. Your commentary about the Houston Astros seemed a little misplaced in a political agenda. I couldn't understand why you would slam a team that has been nothing but respect in the sports community. The Houston Astros have always been a class act and a shining example of what sports stars should be. They are a group of men that have gained the respect of every team in the league for their fair play and integrity. I doubt you'll find many of their peers that won't agree with that. What they've done for the Houston community is amazing. Craig Biggio and the Sunshine Kids is one example. I've been a Texan all my life. Make no mistake about it...the Bushes are NOT Texans and they do not represent the Astros. You said our all white Astros lost the world series to a multi-racial Chicago White Sox. Excuse me but I think you may need to explain that statement to Willie Taveras, Ezequiel Astacio and Jose Vizcaino. They probably don't know they are all white. Your commentary seemed out of place until I seen your mailing address: BuzzFlash P.O. Box 618354 Chicago, IL 60661 You would make Fox proud of the term "Fair and Balanced." Let me guess....you're probably really a Cubs fan and just jumped the bandwagon. Right? A BuzzFlash Reader [BuzzFlash Note: Hey, we're Astros fans, too. Did you know Roger Clemens went to Spring Woods High School?] Subject: "Alert" now named yellow... Well, yesterday all they said was "America on Alert" --- today that alert has been named "yellow" for elevated. That's because Libby only is getting indicted...had Rove been getting one, why, the alert would've been at least "orange." A BuzzFlash Reader [BuzzFlash Note: It looks like we've been on "yellow" for "elevated" for a while ... but your point is well taken.] Subject: Budget I just heard a little about the budget cuts the Repubs want to make. They include helping out college students, going after dead beat dads and I believe Med-i-cal etc. Please put these cuts on your website and bring attention to them so they may get better coverage in the news. Looks to me like as usual all the cuts are going to affect the poor and disabled and college kids etc. Please give it wide coverage. Young people have to get out there and take some interest in voting etc. Thanks. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Protest sign Best protest sign seen at a recent anti-war demonstration in Washington, DC. "WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE HIM A BLOW JOB SO WE CAN HAVE HIM IMPEACHED!" BUSH, A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER A BuzzFlash ReaderSubject: Libby Resigns Amid Perjury and Obstruction Charges Reportedly, a deal was struck to indict only Libby, but Rove remains under investigation. According to Novak, two White House officials released the CIA agent's name to him. Also, Cheney and several other officials were mentioned in the 22-page indictment but were not indicted. This may just be the tip of the iceberg over the question of justification for the Iraq war. Regardless of what happens, the Bush White House has suffered severe damage and the end of the scandal is a long, long way from being concluded. Cheney Adviser Resigns After Indictment (AP/ABC) RB Subject: Cheney Libby's lie is a real whopper. But the real question is why he would tell such a brazen and flimsy lie. When someone in such an important position lies, especially so brazenly and flimsily, he's probably covering for someone bigger, and in the pecking order, only Cheney and Bush are bigger. By any reasonable standard, the indictment is sufficient cause for Congress to investigate. But that depends on Congressional Democrats, a byword in timidity. To encourage them, I would like to see BuzzFlash mount it's biggest ever outcry to demand an inquiry into the Vice President's role, not only in Plame, but everything leading up to it, esp everything concerning Iraq and the bomb. The real prize is an inquiry and BuzzFlash mustn't take its eyes off of it, and it must begin without delay. A BuzzFlash Reader
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