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| November 3, 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. BuzzFlash Note: BuzzFlash is happy to announce that in response to a reader's suggestion, BuzzFlash is now segmenting BuzzFlash Reviews by category (i.e., Books/DVDs/CDs/Other): http://www.BuzzFlash.com/reviews/. Subject: My BuzzFlash Hat I'm a retired sailor (vietnam vet) and professional driver, but am still active at age 66. My political awareness began at age 60 when watching a speech by geo. w bush (lower case letters intentional), I said to myself: "There's a tinhorn if I ever saw one. I can just imagine him as president of the USA. It'd be like a monkey (sic) making love to a football." I drive railroad crews to distant and barely accessible sidings in rural Ore. & Cal., even though I'm retired and really don't have to work. My job makes my motorcycle payments. One day when driving a crew to a siding, I was asked, "What is BuzzFlash.com"? (It was on my hat). I said, "It's a news service." "Oh, I'll bet it's biased, right?" I said "Of course; can you name one that isn't? The difference is that BuzzFlash tells the truth and doesn't ask the reader to take their word as gospel, as they tell the reader where to look for confirmation, the way newspapers USED to." He then said "What was that again? BuzzFlash.com? I replied "yes." He wrote it down. Another seeker of TRUTH? I hope so. Bill Mac Bean Subject: The Time Has Come for the Widespread Use of the I-word This article posted at BuzzFlash, Is Impeachment the Answer? by Bob Parry, really hits the nail on the head and not only for the reason he so clearly elucidates. It is time for all of us to work to re-introduce the word "impeachment" into the American lexicon. If there has ever been a cause for impeachment of a U.S. president, we have several doozies now. As Parry points out, getting there will be an uphill struggle, legally. But the topic needs to be out there; not only in e-mails, faxes and phone calls to Congress, but to newspapers all over the country and TV news. Leaving Bob's reasons aside for a moment; let us re-examine the latest known BuCheney excuse for committing a war of aggression, against people who could not have harmed us had they wanted to; Liberation and Democracy. (Oh, happy day!) Just forget Liberation for a moment. How the hell can we claim we have liberated anyone, unless we mean the liberation of death? Iraqis have been tortured at our hands; not just combatants, though that would be bad enough, but children and women as well as men who have done nothing but be born in Iraq. Moving right along to the "Democracy-at-the-point-of-a-gun" argument." Everyone knows that while Bush preaches "liberal Democracy," he is doing all he can to curb just that at home. Anyone with an ounce of common sense, knows that Democracy cannot be forced from without. It can be aided and it can be modeled. That is the best way to spread Democracy, if that is what we want to do. In a Democracy, the people who are at liberty are responsible for the actions of their government. After all, we vote and pay for whatever our government is doing. (Yeah, yeah, I know, the taxes are not a choice for most people and the elections show disturbing signs of being manipulated with technology. There is such a thing as civil disobedience, in the form of war tax resistance as a conscientious objector and there are good people working on the election chicanery and we give them all the support we can.) Most of us have lived free all of our lives. That comes with responsibility; the responsibility to hold our government accountable to the fullest extent of the law for crimes committed against our country, of course, but also crimes against others. We need to grow up and realize that we cannot expect to be saved from ourselves by a special prosecutor, no matter how shining a knight, nor the Democrats in Congress, though they are now showing signs of the ability to be our allies. We, the people, have a pivotal role to play. Seems to us that it is time to really kick this whole god-awful mess into high gear. We invite BuzzFlashers to join us in the following two-part first step 1) Insist on accountability; demand, threaten with political oblivion and loss of money, all elected officials. We are not talking about perjury about adultery here, we are talking about treason and other high crimes. Disinformation campaigns, directed at the public in a Democracy, strike at the heart of what a Democracy is all about. Hit them heavy in the next couple of weeks with e-mails, faxes (better) and phone calls (even better). Use the word impeachment. 2) Write to local newspapers and, at least, one national news media outlet once a day, if possible, using the word impeachment. Remind them all, if true, that they participated, wittingly or unwittingly, with the WHIG, in a disinformation campaign which led to pubic support for a war of aggression which has cost us plenty; our blood, treasure and any credibility we might have had as a nation. We all have the blood of innocents splattered all over us and the only way we can begin to cleanse ourselves is through the accountability process. We hope we can keep it civil, but that is no longer our number one priority. We have allowed our nation to run-amok in the world for too long. It is time to put an end to it. If we want to model Democracy for the world, we had better begin by re-claiming our own. Dot Dear Folks, I sure hope that the politicians here on Long Island do fight this Bush tax plan since it will hurt many within the Middle class. Next Tuesday being Election Day where local races are decided, I sure hope that the voters after reading these articles take action by voting in the Democrats and defeating the Republican candidates as their answer back.
Mary Subject: Very Important - The Rightwingers are Trying to Wellstone Rosa Parks There is a move afoot for the rightwingers to try and copy their propaganda campaign waged against Democrats after the Paul Wellstone Memorial. Only this time they are trying to use the Rosa Parks memorial and funeral services. Specifically, they are claiming that Mrs. Parks' family were treated badly and prevented from saying good-bye to her by all of the dignitaries and politicians. [All of whom, of course, are Democrats they love to hate like Jesse Jackson and Bill and Hillary Clinton]. I don't have any specific links to this stuff yet. But some conservative Michigan radio stations are pumping this angle. So, be on the alert for it and be ready to smack it down the instant you hear or see anything. Expect to see it raised by Limbaugh, Hannity and on some of the more conservative blogs first. ... Thanks again, and be vigilant! A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: I Lewis Libby ... anybody but me remember that I. Lewis Libby is one of the signatories to the Project For A New American Century doctrine....? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Plamegate Will Patrick Fitzgerald get any more indictments on this case? Why or why not? Bernadette Bay O'Shaughnessey Subject: Ms. Smith Goes To Washington Shirley. My name is Robert D. Daily, Small Town Southern Illinois. My Dear Lady, let me tell you you have "Nards." I love you to pieces. I wish there were Politicians with as much Moxie as you have. I have posted for years under Greybeard62896 on all kinds of sites. Being near 70 years old I have seen my share. Needless to say the Treasonous Corrupt Gang we have in office from The Supreme Court right on down to the Dunce in Office is sickening. The Enemy is Within No Doubt About It. There is no way that any foreign enemy could bring as much damage down upon our great country as the administrations of Reagan, Bush, Bush. What has happened did not happen overnight. O'Reilly wanting to give out names and numbers for people (Other than his Coward Assed Self) to take care of, like Bu$h. Bring it to my house you sorry Bastard, Just have the Balls to be FIRST in line. Democrats? I have been one all my voting life, and I am ashamed to call myself a Democrat. But I would eat s**t and die before I would be a Republican. Kucinich is a Democrat. Dean is a Democrat, Kerry's running mate is a Democrat, most of the women such as McKinney are Democrats. The rest of the Democrats are no more than Republican Lites. If I am wrong, prove it. We have a "Liberal Media" RIGHT! Spouting Coulter. O'Reilly, Limbaugh and a dozen others. Novak, Bow Tie Kid and his Ilk. Enough to make you heave up a Bush or Rumsfeld or two. Bush going to bring everything good to office, we are going to have Jesus to dinner every night, thanks to Falwell and Robertson and the rest of the Hypocrites that sucker the people into contributing so they can live like real Repugnicans. Let's not forget those dim wits with the old pickups with the fender wired on and the Big Bush/Cheney Stickers in the window parking next to the SUVs with the same stickers thinking it will rub off on them. Sorry Folks, all they want is Cannon Fodder so their kids won't have to go. Keep kicking them out and they will happily keep killing them for you. Truth, Justice and the American Way? Bull-S**t...Pardon my French...Damn, I cursed again. Well wash my mouth out with soap. We cannot speak French. How about Accountability, Responsibility, and all the other 'abilities' that this complete corrupt administration knows Zip about, from the Supreme Court right on down the line? Dear Lady, I have read reams of what you have written and what ladies such as Cindy Sheehan have written and I wonder just where it will end. I have seen people speak out and they have been smeared and slimed in the most unspeakable manner. Just how do we get rid of this Cancer that is devouring this once great country? We have to get the Vote out, one vote, one person, and every vote counted. If they do not want to do it then tear the polling place down, if the media does not report it as it is, then tear the media down. Make them Accountable, hold their feet to the fire until they are telling the truth and they are accountable for what they do. Just let me say in closing, I know I have been Preaching to the Choir. I am not a writer but I do know how I feel, and all my friends. Fed Up is not the word for it. Keep doing what you are doing, you do have support, more than you would ever know. Needless to say, I could go on and on but to do so would get to be boring in a hurry. Sincerely, Robert D. Daily Subject: My hands are tied... The next time a Republican mouthpiece says they would like nothing better than to "dive into the details" about the administration's leaking of classified information but are, alas, constrained from doing so, would someone please ask: "By what?" The secrecy that silences the special prosecutor has no claim on the witnesses, potential witnesses, and, more to the point, the never-going-to-be-witnesses that now tirelessly claim that their hands are legally tied. Won't someone ask: "WHAT specific law prevents you from talking?" "HOW, exactly, are factual statements in response to reporters' questions 'prejudicial'?" And if they have been "instructed not to comment," ... "by whom, on what basis, and for what reason?" Albert Clark [BuzzFlash Note: This from Fitzgerald's press conference: "It does not bind witnesses. Witnesses can decide to tell their testimony or not. So if this were a bank robbery and we put a witness in the grand jury about the bank robbery, I would go to jail, he would go to jail, and the grand jurors would go to jail if they walked out and told you about it. But the person who went into the grand jury could walk out and hold a press conference on the front steps. So they're not breaking the law by discussing their grand jury information. I would prefer for the integrity of the investigation it not be discussed. But I just think people may not understand that certain people are not restricted in talking about grand jury information and certain are."] Subject: Alito We know that Alito wants women to ask their husbands' approval with respect to how to use their bodies. That means, Rosa Parks, whose memorial service he was audacious enough to attend, would have had to ask her husband's approval to remain seated on that Montgomery City bus. Just imagine Alito's judgment should this case ever have been held in his Court? Peggy Sapphire Subject: How Many More? How Many More? How many more Americans must die in Iraq before the righties and the neo cons and those that blindly support G W Bush and his den of liars wake up? How many more? Is 2100 enough? How about 2500? Maybe 3,000 or more? Maybe you want to wait till it reaches 4,000 or 5,000. Then, will that be enough dead Americans for you to realize that you have been lied to, that you have been misled, that you have been duped into believing that this is a just war, that there really is a noble cause? Go ahead, tell me, how many more? What will it take for you to stop being blinded by the lies and the deceit? How many more DEAD AMERICANS will satisfy you? How many more dead Innocent Iraqis, women and children, will it take? What about the 15,000 or so that have been injured, thousands of them will be maimed for life. Is another 10,000 or so enough? With all the documented proof, with all the dates, the names, the places of all the administration people that concocted the reason for this invasion of Iraq (not to be confused with the real War On Terror, BTW. We are talking about Iraq here, nothing else) ... With all the proof that is now on the table that the Bush administration concocted the evidence, embellished it, and sold it to the congress and the American people, knowing all of this NOW, how many more American Deaths will it take before you see the truth and say ... ENOUGH? HOW MANY MORE? Or is it that you really don't care how many more it takes, as long as you prove your point, if it can be proven (which I doubt) that there really is a justifiable reason for all of this? HOW MANY MORE? Tell me, I can't wait to hear. Oh yeah, I was in one of these situations, but no one asked HOW MANY MORE until it was far too late...so I am asking now........HOW MANY MORE AMERICAN DEAD BODIES WILL SATISFY YOUR HUNGER ? HOW MANY MORE??????? Mike Allen Subject: Don't Waste Praise on Fitz ... The prosecutor can't quite bring himself to indict for espionage or IILP violations, because sand is in his eyes and those laws are difficult to prosecute. oh..? Any jury in the country can understand that the bush regime leaked classified secrets, not to reporters, but to our ENEMIES!!!! Al Qaida reads the papers, as does N. Korea, Iran, Russian mafia---everyone in the WMD business who now know that Plame and her company were not legit. No, fitz deserves no honors. He took the same oath bush took--to uphold and defend the Constitution from all enemies, domestic and foreign. Both men are law enforcement officers, both have failed their country. bush, of course, deserves jail, if not for conspiracy, then simply for the fact that he knew 2 yrs ago that rove leaked the info a federal GJ was investigating---and said nothing [except lies about getting to the bottom of it]. fitz deserves to be whacked on the knuckles for failing to enforce the obvious. Zac Garripoli Subject: Headline Re: Mormon Judge To whom it may concern: I am an ex-Mormon, so it feels rather ridiculous that I am writing to defend them. However, your headline for the November 3rd article which states, Funny, those Mormons love to preach how gays marrying will destroy the family, but one guy can marry sisters (oh yeah) and no one will lift a finger. Yes, they love the family so much they have three! 11/3 is not an accurate representation of most members of the Mormon church. Yes, the Mormon church practiced polygamy in its early days. However, it is frowned on by church leaders today, and can lead to ex-communication from the church. Should this judge be prosecuted? Yes. But disparaging the entire church in one swoop is unfair and inaccurate. Kind regards from a dedicated BuzzFlash reader, Brent Barnes Subject: Scalito ... Samuel Alito: Born on April Fools’ Day and nominated on Halloween. Is that some kind of omen? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Positivity Hey, I read your articles all the time, I'm a confirmed and long time lefty, and share the same perverse pleasure in the collapse of the Bush Administration. But it occurs to me: all your articles are negative and reactionary! Every last one! Let's say Bush collapses and we have a progressive Democratic President and Congress in 2008. What's America going to do then? I don't think any prominent American politician is saying anything that's going to bail America out of its downward course. It's time to educate them, and ourselves. Without a positive agenda--think Franklin Roosevelt--America will drift and decline, and fall into the hands of the next Bush. I suggest BuzzFlash begin an alternative webpage. Feature the things we must do, and who's doing them. If we don't develop alternative energy sources in a hurry, establish universal health care (and get off our national death diet of carbs and no exercise), reinvent the way we do agriculture, get off oil, clean up our air and water, halt hydrocarbon production, limit earth's population, stop the shift of wealth upwards, etc. etc. etc.--it won't matter if the entire Bush crew is in jail. America's still going down. I would be glad to suggest whom to feature, the forward looking people with answers to the dire predicament this country and this world are in, regardless of who's in office. Here's an example of a forward thinker: Lester Brown http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/PlanB_contents.htm Thanks, keep up the great work! Paul Lacques Subject: Acquiring the Perception of Being Powerful (re BuzzFlash Editorial) So that' it. Sure fits how it was in Rome, too, based upon the HBO series of that name. Now as then it's do whatever it takes, the end justifies the means and hail to the Chief. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Shirley Smith on Republican Presidents Thank you, Shirley, for the splendid overview of the history of the Republican contribution to our recent troubles. But why exclude Eisenhower? Surely, his overthrow of governments in Iran and Guatemala started the cycle that led to Nicaragua and Iraq. And then, of course, we have the legacy of Hoover, Harding, and Hayes. Jo Ann McNamara Subject: Tax Proposal Why is no one writing about the latest attack on the middle class - the newly-unveiled tax proposal that essentially makes investment income nearly tax-free and, by capping health care tax breaks, will only endanger more people's access to health insurance??? Bush's panel urges huge tax changes (Chicago Sun-Times) Popular Tax Breaks Put on Chopping Block (LA Times) D Grace Subject: Shirley, on Questions, 11/2 The answer is that Rumsfeld was CEO of the company making Tamiflu. There is also a DOD press release from two or three weeks ago stating that the DOD is stockpiling Tamiflu. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: If we find him Within months, I bet the meaning of "escaped" morphs into "died in custody."
jj Subject: Re: Top al-Qaida Operative Escaped Pentagon: Top al-Qaida Operative Escaped. Omar al-Farouq was supposed to testify in a prison abuse trial, but he and two other prisoners "escaped" in July. This is just odd. Did they "escape" or did someone look the other way so the abuse trials would end in mistrials? Subject: DeLay I am really irked that DeLay actually got rid of the Judge....If they move the trial out of Austin....we may as well accept the fact that the idiot smarta++ will get out of it all the way. I always hoped, he above all else, would get sent up the river without a paddle...he was such a smart aleck when Clinton was under the gun. For the entire time he was in office, DeLay did everything he could to make him miserable...and the jerky grin on his face after Mr. Clinton was impeached......he said, with that horrid grin...the evil DeLay grin, someone had just told him, that Clinton had not been convicted of anything...and he replied," Yes, but every time you look at his name, it will be followed by, "Impeached" ... that was just glorious to Tommie. Surely Goodness and Mercy will follow this piece of human flotsam......and convict....we must hope! In the same vein...if you watched the Rosa Parks service from Washington, DC yesterday, I was brought to tears when one of her friends was speaking and in dawdling too long...said when Rosa got her Gold Congressional medal....she said, "You know, that was when we had Mr. Clinton." ... and the house stood and applauded for a good minute...it was heart warming. I have not seen the entire one in Detroit...but it will be on in re-runs tonight...I am looking forward to it. It is heart warming...that he...with the impeachment on his record....never had his poll ratings fall below 58...and they are much higher now. It is a shame for republicans, that they could not have had more influence!! What a bunch of crooked Putzes! Maybe....Mr. Reid's (or Dingy Harry) as Rush calls him...flying off the handle and finally getting his fill of the rightwingers shuffling aside once again the hearings on the dirty evidence leading up to the war, will start the ball rolling. I was crucified by my family...the right wingers.....because I doubted that evidence and knew about the PNAC. Well, now they are seeing...and skirt the subject so much it is funny....and I am in the driver's seat now....I can keep it to myself...because...hopefully it is all coming out! And, I smile underneath....the feeling was right! Thank you BuzzFlash, for all you do...time for a donation....everyone!!!! Shirley.............St. Louis Subject: Real Christians I concur with the sentiments expressed by Rev. Thorson in a November 3rd commentary posted on BuzzFlash. For an expanded and deeper analysis please take a look at either of these two books just published, especially the chapter on Christian Fascism: TWO NEW BOOKS IN THE SOCIAL GOSPEL TRADITION by Rev. Dr. Werner Lange Christianity at the Crossroads: The Big Lie vs. The Gospel Truth Social Spirituality: A Sociology of The Spirit Each book is now available ... from Xlibris Publishing Corporation. Chapter excerpts and a description of each are accessible by visiting www.xlibris.com/.html Werner Lange Subject: Re: Thursday Morning's Top 5 BuzzFlash Headlines Dear BuzzFlash- I read all my alerts and I greatly appreciate all you do, but I must make a point... And that is this: to believe that all the bungling "missteps" and incompetence of the Bush Regime is really incompetence is to play into their hands. Look, if they don't care enough to even try and come up with good lies and cover-ups, it might mean something other than incompetence Perhaps they just don't worry about getting "caught" at their shenanigans! Perhaps they just use that as an excuse? Perhaps that IS their cover-up? If they really are that incompetent, how did they steal all those elections? How did they get all those countries to play (and pay) along? ARE WE ALL JUST A BUNCH OF STUPID HEADS???? Maybe - and this is a strong maybe - the goal is to do exactly what they are doing! Break the economy, sell us to the highest bidder, and stay in charge... corporate raiding at it's most devastating. What is fascism? Gotta get rid of all those government services, now don't cha?- if you want the people to be completely beholden to the corporations. He is an aristocrat! ARISTOCRAT! Walks like one, talks like one, intends to rule like one... get it? And America is his kingdom! Believes GOD has chosen him! And, as he said - "I do have a degree in economics from Harvard, you know!" Right. Maybe - a strong maybe - it is foolish to believe that having a good knowledge of economics means he would like to have a strong economy. MAYBE he just sees some way to get it all for himself! "By the time it is ALL SAID AND DONE, I will have made more money than I could ever possibly imagine!" He said that during a debate with Al Gore. He is not stupid ... irredeemably arrogant, for certain, but not stupid. I do think he is illiterate ... but I think that is because he believes he is rich enough to pay others to read for him ... now, THAT is arrogant! Love, C..... Subject: We CAN'T afford to become overconfident! Dear Buzzers -- Although I (like the rest of you) can't help rejoicing every time I see the A**h*le-in-Chief's poll numbers drop, I repeat my mantra: these people will stop at NOTHING. The more pressure they feel as the 2006 elections draw closer, the more dangerous they'll become. Although certain publications have praised recent signs of "backbone" growth, at least in embryonic form, among the Democrats, recent experiences have left me skeptical, to put it mildly. And if the neocons feel SERIOUSLY threatened, they'll pull dirty tricks that Nixon and his cronies never even DREAMED of. Yes, I was delighted to read (in today's Buzz Morning Headlines) that the A**h*le's poll numbers are dropping consistently. However -- the more these thugs feel threatened, the harder they'll work to keep themselves in power. And -- although I realize that Halloween has come and gone -- that is very, VERY scary!! We need to do something. Fast. But WHAT?? I don't have the answers. Neither do the Dems in the Senate and the House. And Howard Dean seems awfully quiet these days. Where do we go from here?? How do we save our country??? Where are Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln when we really NEED them????? Barbara Lee (Barb) Blazyk Subject: The Secret Addiction of Unprincipled Capitalists It’s risky to criticize either of America’s two main religions—Christianity and Capitalism—but some leeway is allowed in examining their sinners. Capitalism would be okay, it has been said, if it weren’t for greedy capitalists. Assuming that’s not an oxymoron, does capitalism make them greedy, the way power corrupts? Or are they profiteers from birth, little teat-biters to begin with? Such doubts are surely misplaced. Aren’t capitalists simply adventurous privateers going with the (capital) flow, magnificent men in their flying yachts, racing the tides of destiny and electronic money transfers from one world banking crisis to the next international currency collapse, saving the world from depression and the litter of idle money? Isn’t that what we all aspire to? If we look a little deeper, the story line favors farce and tragedy. Unprincipled capitalists have an addiction. It’s not to money but to something deeper. Before we consider the nature of this addiction, we first explore a few ideas. One of the deeper sources of out-of-control behavior is orality. That strange term, which makes MS Word see red, often produces an oral effect, namely a big yawn. If we can stifle that yawn for a moment of study, we learn that orality refers to the manner in which we experience much of early infancy—through the mucous membranes of the mouth. As adults, we continue in our emotional cosmos to experience life’s circumstances around getting, or not getting, oral satisfaction. With unresolved oral issues, we become fat by overeating, develop lung cancer from smoking, go into debt from over consumption, dream about lottery jackpots, drool over advertising, and become stalkers out to make a killing. Through unresolved orality, we get into emotional mischief and indulge in the feeling of being deprived, not getting enough, feeling refused, and missing out on something or other. We regress and choke down a sour taste that churns in our stomach as emotional emptiness and bittersweet longing. The rambunctious capitalist, however, covers up his indulgence in deprivation by becoming ravenous in his appetite for materialism. The greater his appetite, the more he represses the knowledge of his dark side, which is his willingness to experience life and himself as a wasteland. Not by coincidence does he create environmental wastelands as masterpieces of his hidden dark nonbeing. Surely another $1 million or $10 million or $100 million will fill the void. The money works wonders of self-delusion, causing this capitalist, the master of collecting dividends, to feel superior to the rest of us. His grandiosity, however, covers up a nagging self-doubt—unless he has stashed away at least $100 billion. While orality seems a strange graft to the branch of economics, so too is anality, which is so weird it’s barely a word. In the context of capitalism we can quite factually, though not with much etiquette, speak of anal issues. Along with dirty jokes, these issues produce behavioral, emotional, and physical dysfunction in the form of stubbornness, miserliness, a desire for dominance and control, self-centeredness, fear, and flatulence. Because of anal issues, what we got we don’t let go of. The gargantuan appetite for wealth is matched by an urge, call it the bum’s retainer, to keep it all. Sure, that causes a stink, leaving as it does huge mounds of accumulated capital that aren’t dispersed to fertilize the commons. Orality and anality are disgusting enough, but the sinners in capitalism’s congregation are also addicted to pride. Pride’s falsification decrees that money plus success equal proof of one’s superiority. Obviously, the CEO who has shipped 10,000 of our best jobs to China is displaying a superiority of intellect that merits his macroscopic salary. This is a handy fact for him to know when the remains of his conscience is gagging and wondering where that inner stink is coming from. Know thyself! If only Socrates had written it down scripturally as an economic law so that the pirates of capitalism could find their bearings. Peter Michaelson Subject: Bush Is Not a Failure Dear BuzzFlash: The ever-present references in your headlines to GW Bush as a "failure" as a president could not be further from the truth. In terms of propelling his own agenda and that of his closest allies, he is the most successful president of modern times. His only apparent "failure" is in recent opinion polls which, one would assume, have little or no meaning for him as a second-term president. The staged failures of his presidency, such as the Social Security debate and Harriet Miers, were just that: staged, red herrings, never intended to succeed. Dubya's successes are too numerous to list; without checking the files a few outstanding achievements spring to mind: 1. Covered up the Enron debacle via 9/11 2. Lined the pockets of Halliburton stockholders, including the vice-president 3. Lined the pockets of the Bechtel family 4. Gutted the Bill of Rights (the Patriot Act) 5. Hijacked the nation's electoral system (electronic voting machines) 6. Stacked the Supreme Court 7. Waged all-out war on cannabis (at the behest of pharmaceutical companies) 8. Militarized local police forces 9. Converted the National Guard to a combat, instead of peace-keeping, operation 10. Placed foreign troops on US soil for the first time in 150 years (the Mexican army in Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina) 11. Hyped a nonexistent bird flu epidemic so his secretary of defense would make millions off the vaccine 12. Arrested Saddam Hussein, who, in W's words, "tried to kill my Dad" 13. Signed a draconian bankruptcy law that will enslave generations of Americans, especially the young 14. Killed hundreds of thousands of innocent non-white people of all ages for reasons that defy comprehension This is just a short list, his mid-term report card. Hats of to George W. Bush, the most successful president in my lifetime! And shame on BuzzFlash and other "liberal" news outlets that seek to make points with their base by characterizing Bush as a "failure." The real "failures" in this eight-year horror show are liberal opinion makers such as BuzzFlash, who have failed miserably to even slow the president's forward march in any meaningful way. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Rosa Parks AFTER WATCHING BOTH MEMORIALS, D.C. AND DETROIT, MY QUESTION IS, "WHERE WERE CONDI AND POWELL?" DID ANYONE ELSE NOTICE THEIR ABSENCE? Boomer [BuzzFlash Note: Condi made her remarks at the Montgomery event (see Rosa Parks Remembered - AP); Colin Powell posted a tribute at Free Press blog: Remembering Mrs. Parks.] Subject: "Pro-life"
For Sister Joan, Pro-Birth Pro-life is just another Orwellian name Every fertilized egg has a right to thrive They take cash from Headstart and Medicare They should be called the Pro-BIRTH crowd Well, I am Pro-life, NOT the Orwellian kind. Paula Subject: "What Me Worry???" Our Democracy can survive many obstacles, but the ones that are most harmful are neglect, and indifference. Every private citizen should have a public responsibility, but in these days of self-indulgence and self-interest, that responsibility gets overlooked. Many freely express opinions, but have little knowledge of the workings of government, the public figures, or what is really going on politically to back up their opinions. They take just a passing glance at the news, and memorize ad campaigns quickly, before they run off to the mall or to the gym! How high does the bar have to be to qualify as an “OUTRAGE” that demands action? This can be classified as #1, an uninformed or indifferent public, ready to accept the media’s parroting the Bush Administration’s talking points without scrutiny! This post can be miles long, without even trying, from voter issues, to the unjust and failing war in Iraq, to high deficits, and to the obvious culture of corruption in today’s Bush Administration and Republican Party. We have concerns they will get a free pass on way too many vital issues, and the secrecy about their wrongdoings will be impeded by one-party rule blocking investigations, and security or executive privilege excuses! Public Information has been curtailed more then ever with Bush and his cronies covering their butt! There is little oversight and very few checks and balances, which make it appear that “clean gloves cover too many dirty hands!" Worry #2 could be “Accountability” or more to the point, the absence of it in this Administration! The Iraq War has claimed loss of life, loss of money, and destruction of a country we had no reason to invade. How many more deaths will be required to fill the Bush legacy? Did God commission George to be the world’s policeman? I think not! How long will services for the elderly, and the poor take a back seat to the 6 billion dollar monthly expense in Iraq? Our International Relations policies have suffered under what foreigners see as the U.S.'s most unpopular President. Our policies on torture, rendition, and abuse have led to loss of world respect and confidence. Our national prestige has taken a hit with the Muslim world! Our Iraq policy has caused many allies to question the actions and motives of the Bush Administration. Moral wrongs do not make us politically right. The TreasonGate debacle may have led many to believe we are powerless to prevent injustice, yet others, thankfully, have realized this is the time for all citizens to protest and demand answers and accountability! We will not let this Administration and its supporters deflect us from learning the truth, no matter how many times it tries to take our attention away with their now well-known diversionary or terror-scare tactics. How true it is today, as James Reston once commented, “A government is the only vessel known to LEAK from the top!” Minority opinion must be respected. The great majority of us applauded Harry Reid {rule 21} and the too often silent Democrats finding their spine in an issue that the Bush Administration has stonewalled for far too long. Their shortcomings should be finally exposed, it’s about time we had a FACT-FACING COMMITTEE! Another worry is the “GANG OF 14” moderates who could end up promoting more Bush nominees and policies! Bush’s judgment has proved faulty in this area more than once. Cronyism and loyalty are more important then the decisions of his nominee being able to change the future of this and the next generation. DeWine and Graham - WITHOUT even the hearing - have already concluded Alito is the right man for the Supreme Court. Ralph W. Sockman reminds us: “The test of courage comes when we are in the Minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the Majority!” Susan Carr |
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