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| October 31, 2005 |
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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: Libby and Bush This goes right to our dry-drunk, trust-fund president.
A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: More Misfortune for Bush President bush got more unfortunate news today as Lewis (Scooter) Libby was indicted on 5 felony counts that follows a string of other unfortunate events. He lost his nominee to the supreme court. The price of gas hovers at 3 dollars a gallon and Exxon posted record profits. The death toll in Iraq crossed 2000 and mothers like Cindy Sheehan are following him around questioning if he lied to start the war. Then there was the hurricane Katrina debacle where hundreds died because the FEMA director was inexperienced and clueless. This all is on top of the growing deficit and higher inflation, with more and more people no longer able to afford health care costs. New bankruptcy laws prevent people from starting over in favor of credit card companies. His program to change Social Security is going nowhere and congress is working on cutting Medicare and Medicaid to raise money to give permanent tax cuts to the super rich. The right wing is turning on him as well as the Republicans in Congress who fear the 2006 elections will no longer favor them, even with rigged voting machines. Teen pregnancies are up and high school graduation is down. Taxes are up and services are down. The stock market has been flat hovering 2000 points below where it was 6 years ago. Then there's Halliburton kickbacks, Bin Laden is still free, the insurgents are winning, no weapons of mass destruction, Abu Ghraib torture scandal, questions about the 9-11 attack, a gay hooker posing as Whitehouse press reporter, reporters going to jail, questions about stolen elections, global warming causing more hurricanes, bird flu, anthrax attacks, huge increases in heating oil, natural gas, and electricity costs, arctic oil drilling, mission not quite accomplished, Tom DeLay was indicted, Bill Frist is under SEC investigation, and with the Republicans in power there's no one else to blame. Poor Mr. Bush. Being president is hard work. I'm Marc Perkel - And I approved this message! Marc Perkel Subject: Libby Indictment In reaction to the Libby indictment, both Bush and Cheney have made statements that in the US, a person is innocent until proven guilty. Perhaps someone should take them at their word, and demand that the Gitmo detainees be freed immediately. Laurin Davis Subject: Supreme Court nominee How about Patrick Fitzgerald for Justice on the Supreme Court? Mary Daniel city-st: Subject: Leak investigation
Merry Fitzmas All. I'm dancing on my desk. My money's on Fitzgerald - the new American Hero. Everyone have a GREAT WEEKEND. Kick back. Smile (for a change). Drink champagne. Let's enjoy this. We've earned it. It ain't over yet, but let's just enjoy this day!!! BuzzFlash you're the best. I'll be toasting you all weekend. Got my family visiting and what a reunion it will be! Barbara in NYC Subject: Merry Fitzmas Everyone .... From this day, October 28, 2005 through the end of times it will be known that the Irish Lepricorn (let's call him Pat) has descended upon the "people of lost faith" to announce a new time of revelation. It has been common knowledge that Pat was not the kind of guy that played around, he was some serious dude. So when the other guy (let's call him Ash) was sinking in his own sh** and was about to take a mouthful, Pat was assigned to rescue the sinking Ash. Pat was not about to be thrown back in the pool of sh** by the Ash as he rescued him, so he sought to be firmly tied to a big three that was sitting at the end of the land of one of those "people of lost faith." With Ash rescued and leaving by the back door, Pat found himself burdoned with the faith of those "people of lost faith." So after considering what his own faith would be should he decide to take a deep breath and plunge into the abyss and get to the bottom of the sh**. "This sh** really stinks," was his first thought. All sorts of characters were emerging from this pool of sh**. The most notorious were known as VEEP, LIBB, MILL, KARL, BOB (there's always a Bob) and some obscure behind the scenes guy known as POTUS. Having been confronted in the past with smokescreens Pat thought it best to make all those characters talk as much as he could in order to have an idea of where this endeavor would lead him. Little that he knew, they are all a bunch of mouthblabbers about everything and anything. From what he was told, he concluded that some sort of cover-up was going on. How to get to the core of the thing? What does Pat know? He knows that: VEEP has been talking to LIBB. LIBB has been talking to KARL. KARL has been talking to BOB. LIBB (again) has been talking to MILL. Has KARL been talking to POTUS? (at this stage POTUS is numb, he doesn't know). So for now Pat is thinking ... Who is the best target? LIBB of course ... He can't keep his mouth shut! And the best thing of this indictment is that VEEP will be forced to take the stand. LIBB has implicated VEEP, the next step for Pat is to force KARL to implicate POTUS. There is no doubt that KARL was caught in the same kind of web that LIBB was. Will he take the fall or do the unthinkable and announce to all of us that POTUS knew all along. Don't bet on it. But Pat, obviously has a good hand to play! Stay tuned. The story is not over ! Shawn Subject: Lever and Fulcrum So this is what some of us on the correct side of the aisle do in our spare time: compose and send letters like this to editors around the country.... I'm betting the WSJ won't print it, and I'm wondering why my poetry doesn't sell; oh well, my letter follows
Bill Darbyshire Subject: The Indictment What do you know? The system's holding. Who would have thought? There's a catch to it, though. The powers that be are untrustworthy which means that we the people ourselves have to see to it that justice is done. Otherwise, the chains stay on. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Mailbag 10/27/05 Hey you all......correct, the Red Sox and the White Sox have won the last two world series....and this does not apply to the White Sox...but, everyone has trampled the Cardinals in the post season....the best team in the majors...check the figures! I think we are trying to figure out how we can beat everyone in the nationals, all season, then play like the little league in the Post Season. It was terribly disappointing....actually the Astros have brought us down the last two years....so, we have gotta find out..why we are losing out after the post season, it was very rewarding to see someone bring them down! How does the best team...with the best numbers all season....fall flat on their face in the post season?? Anyone know? (tell Tony LaRussa) Cardinal fan... Shirley............St. Louis Subject: Re WSJ: All About Iraq What Patrick Fitzgerald is really investigating is a policy dispute"??? And you hope he understands that the job of a prosecutor is not to settle what at bottom is a political and policy fight over the war in Iraq??? This sounds like a repeat of bill kristol's "criminalizing conservatives" in his Weekly Standard last week. It convinces me that the WSJ is all about being apologists for organized crime. And the White House was truly well organized. And obviously criminal. Yup, the view from the Mid-West is very clear, and much clearer than it apparently is in NY or DC. In fact it's so clear, we can see right through you all! Did anyone ever tell you that Patrick Fitzgerald IS the Prosecutor in this case? I'm positive he understands much more than you all at the WSJ will ever understand about his job. Positive. Yup, as apologists for nixon and reagan's lies and crimes, it follows a pattern there at the WSJ.... Bill Darbyshire Subject: Wanted ... ... for mass-murder and other crimes against humanity. It's the same liar who tricked us into supporting his war in Iraq and for that he's sure to be impeached. Perhaps both his impending impeachment and his forthcoming trial at the International Court of Criminal Justice (for his crimes against humanity) can be held simultaneously. In a single swoop, then, we the people will be able to get all our old business out of the way and, at the same time, hand in hand, we change the world. A BuzzFlash Reader [BuzzFlash Note: Of course, we like your dream. You do know that the US didn't sign on to the Int'l Criminal Court, right?] Subject: $595 for the Truth It's a bargain at twice the price. But who has that kind of cash laying around these days? Isn't it just a little weird that they won't let recording devices in? DOES HE HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE? Does Fitzgerald have an extra $600? Perhaps he can ask Cheny for it. I heard he's really well to do. Hear Novak Tell All! (Alternet) SE Subject: Rove or President Cheney? A thought worth contemplating, Scooter & Cheney are obviously soul mates, If I were Cheney and could feel the walls closing in around me with a special prosecutor coming to take me down I might try to out-Rove, Rove! Scooter is now in the hot seat and as special advisor to the president as well as advisor to Cheney, he certainly might be able to reveal under oath enough to cause his resignation. Who then would be President? I originally and still may believe this could be Rove's clearing the VP position to fill with their next candidate for 2008. Andrew Eckert Subject: Bob Woodward on Larry King Just disgusting. Before the prosecutor put out his indictments, they had to round up all the government paid journalists to put out the government information on the government paid networks (and on Larry King no less) so that we, their minions, could receive their decree. Listening to Woodward talk about whether the government truly has cases against Rove and Libby made me think of just one question, I wonder when he took his first government check? But I was disappointed when Larry failed to ask that question. I'd like to think the trial will really be a trial and that they could get at something that is increasingly a rare commodity, namely the truth, but I'm skeptical. To me it looks like a big back-slapping session that Libby gets a slap on the wrist and a vacation at "camp cupcake," eventually he'll get pardoned, and in another four years he'll come back as another recycled public servent in the next corrupt administration. Nobody is guilty of anything, except there are still over two thousand dead kids, Iraqis too numerous to count even if they wanted to, and a war that we don't have a clue as to why it started. Once again you got Woodward, who you remember the White House allowed to be in the same room as Bush as long as he kept his mouth shut when he started his war, carrying the water for the administration. He's content to search through the smallest detail to see whether crimes were committed as long as he avoids the massive cover-ups going on right under his nose. I bet the Washington Post pays pretty well. Again seeing that both Rumsfeld and Cheney were kicking around Washington since Watergate, all's I can say is I'm glad the Washington Post managed to work out its differences with the Watergate Cabal and they're all working so much better together. I can't decide whether the paper of record should be The New York Times or the Washington Post. Maybe if Woodward is really good, and writes some more White House fluff, they will even allow him to interview Libby, just no questions too hard. Gary P.S. American people except nothing but the truth do not let these purveyors of stenography get away with anything. They are not reporting on the problem. They are the problem. Subject: Bill Maher, Realtime 10/28, Lies Spread Buzz, Can you folks call Bill Maher to task for letting Fox New's Tony Snow spread the talking point lies of the Bush Administration on the Plame/Wilson matter? On Friday 10/28's show, Maher sat mouth agap as Snow ran off the littany of lies, including; Plame sent Wilson to Niger (false), on Wilson's findings disproved by Pentagon study (false), on Wilson being a tea sipping panty waste diplomat and more. Snow effectively stole the floor from Maher and the other guests during this crucial exchange. No one refuted the bogus information. Please exert your prodigious clout to get Maher better prepared. Stephen Wessells PS do you have a contact for him? [BuzzFlash Note: The show's contact link is http://www.hbo.com/corpinfo/faq/realtimefaq.shtml.] Subject: Oedipus Rex OK Junior, let’s see if you can top this!! I know you got Saddam and you have a bigger war. And now you're thinking of pardoning a few of your allies. You've still got a high hill to climb to beat me. But it was MY appointees that gave you your presidential election. And I actually played baseball (cheerleader?). I actually was in business (not just a PR shill for the Texas Rangers). I flew in combat (ok I did ditch the crew). I ran the CIA which you can't seem to deal with. And I pardoned a whole bunch of war criminals so they could continue to affect our nation's history. I got away with it, and I’m a rich man selling armaments worldwide for Carlyle. Caspar W. Weinberger Pardon (See Proclamation No. 6518; 57 Fed. Reg. 62,145 (1992)) Elliott Abrams Pardon (See Proclamation No. 6518; 57 Fed. Reg. 62,145 (1992)) Duane R. Clarridge Pardon (See Proclamation No. 6518; 57 Fed. Reg. 62,145 (1992)) Alan Fiers Pardon (See Proclamation No. 6518; 57 Fed. Reg. 62,145 (1992)) Clair George Pardon (See Proclamation No. 6518; 57 Fed. Reg. 62,145 (1992)) Robert C. McFarlane Pardon (See Proclamation No. 6518; 57 Fed. Reg. 62,145 (1992)) http://www.usdoj.gov/ pardon/ bushgrants.htm#august1989 I even pardoned on one of the soviets' most notorious American allies, a man who helped Stalin kill millions. Armand Hammer Pardon 1976 Making campaign contribution in name of another (misdemeanor), 2 U.S.C. § 440 PARDONS AND COMMUTATIONS GRANTED BY PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH (Department of Justice) Give it up. George H.W. ‘Pappy’ Bush Subject: Empathy - Not Your Strong Suit Plamegate, the national scandal, must be an embarassment for poor poor George but it seems oh so much more when you try to put yourself in the shoes of an average Iraqi. I know that empathy isn't exactly an American trait, but just for a moment try to imagine how people of other countries feel ... knowing how easy it is to convince the American public to launch an unprovoked attack based on forged documents and political spin. Wake up Americans. There is a whole world judging your actions. This HAS to go beyond Scooter. A Canadian Subject: shocked in fort myers! we stayed in fort myers florida last night and were shocked at a story we saw on the local nbc channel 2 station. they showed people lined up for blocks waiting for water, but the people (a church group) who had volunteered to hand out water refused to do so because the water had been donated by miller beer! this country is headed down a very dangerous road! it is getting scary! karen massey Subject: Fitzmas at last! Hey Buzzers, Well, I got my Fitzmas wish, a Scooter, although I wanted a Rove too. Even so, I was so proud of Patrick Fitzgerald as we watched how carefully he laid out the indictment and then answered questions. The silly press kept asking question after question of Fitzgerald and having been weaned at the tit of the leaking Ken Starr investigation they didn't get that Fitzgerald just wasn't going to play. "I know you can't answer this, but if you could, how would you? Fitzgerald was steadfast and unshakeable. He wasn't going to go outside of the "four corners of the indictment" and watching how impeccable and disciplined he was was a great lesson in civics for many citizens out there who don't have a clue about how our judicial system is supposed to work. It also showed how even with a huge corrupt gang of villains like this administration, it has only taken two men of courage and conviction, Ambassador Joseph Wilson and Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, to blow a hole in the whole rotten ship. It gives me hope and makes me very proud. While we toasted Fitzmas Friday night, we laughed about Bush and Harriet Miers going together to Camp David for the weekend where they can both go on big giant benders and crying jags. Camp David, where no one can hear you scream. Look for Bush to look REALLY hung over Monday morning. Keep Buzzin' Leslie and Jake Crabtree Subject: Ellsberg 1972, Wilson 2005 Dear Buzz, Paragraph 2 of Joe Wilson's 10/28/05 statement that you posted and his reference to speaking the truth reminded me of the letter I received from Daniel Ellsberg in 1972. As a teenager just starting to figure things out, I'd written to him and thanked him for his courage and patriotism. He took the time to write back. Here's the text of his letter; feel free to share with your readers. You can call me at ... and I'll fax the actual doc with his signature if you'd like. The parallels between Iraq and Vietnam and truth-tellers like Ellsberg and Wilson are most interesting. Ellsberg's words on Vietnam 33 years ago still ring true today about Iraq. Thanks for your fine work.
Joe Weber Subject: Mr. Rove's "Warning" Okay, so Mr. Rove has slipped the grip of the legal justice system. But does that mean he will succeed in fooling anybody possessed of even a shred of common sense to not see the simple, obvious fact that he did inform Matt Cooper that Joe Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA? Mr. Rove says he was “warning” the writer not to mention that Joe Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA. (Does Mr. Rove really expect us to not see his “warning” was really INFORMING (as in “blowing her cover”)? Mr. Rove, your gall is truly inspiring.) Now, Mr. Rove would have us believe that he, the top politico in Washington, didn’t know Ms. Plame was a CIA undercover operative. He would have us believe that he, the man referred to as Bush’s Brain, knew that Plame worked for the CIA but ALSO did NOT know she was an undercover agent of the CIA. He would further have us believe that he, Bush’s Brain, didn’t think to check to see if this person working at the CIA was not an undercover agent, before he spoke of her to several reporters. (Question: IF he knew she worked for the CIA but did NOT know she was a covert agent, why would he feel the necessity to “warn” the columnist about mentioning Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA, huh? Note also, the wording of Rove's statement. He said he told Cooper that Wilson's wife worked "AT the CIA." This shows this statement is an artifact. People don't say someone works "at" the CIA, FBI, etc. They say works 'FOR.' Why did he change this "for" to "at"? ... to make it sound less informative, to make it SOUND AS IF he had no appreciation of her level of responsibility within the CIA and therefore he is less culpable of outing her. As if she was a window washer, or clerk as far as he knew. This is an obvious massaging of the wording for public consumption which implies craft and artifice was involved in his statement.) Now, let’s see, he DOES know the CIA is involved in covert intelligence gathering all over the globe, right? And he therfore could be expected to know that many people at the CIA ARE involved in covert activity and are therefore protected by the law against revealing the identity of a covert agent, right? Apparently not! Mr. Rove would have us believe he knew she worked for the CIA but didn’t know she was a covert agent AND that he didn’t even think to check to make sure her assignment to the CIA was NOT classified information before informing several reporters of this fact. Mr. Rove, your nerve is surpassed only by the vindictiveness which lead you, and others, on your campaign to GET Joe Wilson by “outing” his wife. Now, I have heard some conversations regarding what damage has been done by Mr Rove's actions (and those of Libby, Dick Cheney’s right hand man). Well, I can tell you about the damage that has been done. Our national security has been compromised. If we are ever going to win a war on terrorism (should we ever start a real one) WE MUST GET BETTER INTELLIGENCE FROM PEOPLE LIVING IN THE COUNTRIES WHERE THE TERRORISTS ARE ACTIVE. NOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK POTENTIAL SOURCES OF VALUABLE INFORMATION ARE GOING TO THINK ABOUT THIS OUTING OF A CIA COVERT AGENT? Mr. Rove, you may have “foxed” the legal system, but this doesn’t change the reality of what you and others in this administration have done. FUTURE POSSIBLE SOURCES OF VALUABLE INTELLIGENCE WILL SIMPLY NOT TAKE A CHANCE OF POSSIBLY RISKING THEIR LIVES BY TALKING TO ANY AMERICAN WHO MIGHT LATER BE OUTED BY SOME OTHER REPUBLICAN ‘POLICAL HIT-MAN’ EXACTING REVENGE UPON A CRITIC OR NON ‘TRUE BELIEVER.’ The loss of the intelligence will be impossible to gauge or quantify BUT IT WILL BE NONETHELESS REAL AND SIGNIFICANT. OUR NATIONAL SECURITY HAS BEEN COMPROMISED, NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. And what will this lead to? We will never know the exact number, but there will be many who will pay for Mr. Rove's treason (remember the agent was outed in a time of war – the war on Terrorism). Many will be counted among the number of unwilling draftees to Rove’s Regiments of the Dead, those soldiers and citizens on the front lines of the war on terror (terrorist attacks can occur anywhere), who will die because of intelligence we didn’t get; because somebody was afraid to talk to an American for fear his contact would later be outed by a Republican politico exacting revenge for someone’s lack of blind faith or for doing the right thing and revealing the truth to the American people. Again, the group who claims to be the party of a strong national defense has compromised our national security and put our soldiers and citizens in greater jeopardy. Our national security sacrificed for political payback. This administration which promised to restore honor and dignity to the White House has set new lows in morality in politics. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: We Have to Rectify the Pentagon's Misleading Iraq War Casualty Description I remember when I served in the Army during World War II, casualty reports included all aspects of pesonnel defects which were the result of military activities which were related to combat. These included deaths from armed fire, drownings, vehicular and aircraft accidents, drownings, sinkings and boobytrap and mine explosions, among other causes. And furthermore, a service man or women who survived the same kind of incidents and were, as a result, withdrawn from the theatre of operation, temporarily or permanently, were also regarded as a casualty. All wounded service people and those with battle fatigue or psychological disorientation were casualties. Prisoners-of-war were casualties. Whoever suffered a death or trauma that lessened the battle effectiveness of a fighting unit was a casualty. Last week I read that the Pentagon reported the 2000th (deceased) casualty of the Iraq war. Why, I ask, aren't the 18,000 wounded sailors, soldiers, airmen and marines, also included as casualties? Why aren't the service men and service women who are discharged or still on active duty, but with service-connected psychological disorders, included as casualties? I believe a concerted and deliberate lack of respect for the armed forces has been perpetrated by the Bush administration so it can sanitize the true statistics regarding total war casualties. Eugene M. Levine Subject: The Mysterious Unamed Official(s): Was the CIA Fitzgerald's Deep Throat? The Associated Press wrote an article naming the officials who knew the identity of Valerie Plame as listed in the Libby indictment. According to the article, there were seven officials: Libby, Vice President Cheney, Karl Rove, Ari Fleischer (White House Press Secretary), Marc Grossman (Undersecretary of State), Cathie Miers (Assistant to the Vice President for Public Affairs) and a "secret" seventh government official. Now, the seventh person could be the "unnamed" senior official with the Central Intelligence Agency. Or perhaps the CIA briefer of June 14, 2003. Oh, oh, that makes eight, right...? Be that as it may, given how chummy everyone from the vice president's office was, my money for "Deep Throat" honors is on the spooks. As you may recall, the CIA was the first to refer the matter to the Justice Department; and dollars to a donut, the Agency put pressure on Ashcroft to eventually recuse himself. Who else would have that kind of clout? Let us not forget the "senior administration official" who told the Washington Post in late September 2003 that White House officials were going around calling "at least six journalists" and disclosing Plame's identity. No direct mention of him or her in the indictment, unless he's also Ari Fleischer. Granted Fleischer left the White House in July, more than four months before the WaPo article, but...if Libby can be referred to as "a former Hill staffer," Ari can surely be "a senior administration official." After seeing the unimpressive "Goodnight and Good Luck" recently, I am reminded of the old maxim, "Never mess with the 'man.'" That is, the police, military, FBI or CIA. You will smolder; and as miserable as the White House cabal made it for the CIA during their early glory days, hell hath no fury as an intelligence agency scorned. Mimi Schaeffer Subject: BuzzFlash Support Come on, Buzzers. You're best source is asking for more financial support. As the most decadent administration the US has ever seen begins to topple, our hopes are within reach. Let up, however, and watch them come back. If each of you gives a modest amount monthly, this valuable resource can probably continue with comfort. I know it is tough; so many progressive causes and so little $. Select your priorities carefully. Mine are BuzzFlash and Democracy for America. Please take some time to consider what yours shall be and support them faithfully. Pam Clifford [BuzzFlash Note: We appreciate your eloquent plug for us!] Subject: Could case against Libby be dismissed? Following the indictment, Libby's case has now been assigned to U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, who was nominated by Bush in 2001. This is the same judge that dismissed a lawsuit in July 2004 by former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds because the information needed to prove the case was classified and protected by the "state secrets privilege."
White House shenanigans threatened to be exposed--and the latest scandal has just been "assigned" to another Bush crony? Who did the assigning? A BuzzFlash Reader
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