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| November 8, 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: If there was any doubt at all ... ... about the cravenness of this maladministration and their willingness to use all the tools of government to suppress dissent, then this doubt should be dispelled by this Nixonian action of using the IRS to intimidate a church which dared have the temerity to speak out against the immorality of the current wasteful illegal war into which this maladministration has plunged us. Of course it is telling that this same IRS which has gone after a church for a single antiwar sermon has remained stonily silent as the likes of Falwell and Robertson have preached the gospel of W week after week after week and distribute "voter's guides" to instruct the faithful in how they should be voting. Also they have taken no action against the churches which told their parishioners repeatedly in 2004 that voting for a candidate that respected the right of a woman to choose was a mortal sin. Such selective enforcement speaks volumes about the true motivation of this nakedly political action. This underscores the fact that this group of Mayberry Machiavellis that have hijacked our government will seize any opportunity that they can to punish their political enemies and suppress criticism of their foul deeds. This rabid intolerance and willingness to use the tools of the state to suppress all those who disagree with them is precisely why they are so dangerous to the preservation of our nation's fundamental values and bedrock principles and why they are a menace to the prospect of our nation remaining a representative pluralistic democracy tolerant of a variety of viewpoints and creeds. Though they stridently and loudly profess to be committed to the ideal of "advancing democracy," things like this demonstrate they are, in reality, committed to creating a right-wing theocracy in which churches function as political organs of the state. Dan D. Subject: Cheney Hi, I think Fitzgerald's strategy of treating the administration as if they were the Mafia is working. Your article has Cheney being isolated, which is exactly what the prosecutor wants to happen next. An opinion article a few days ago in the Palm Beach Post (PB, FL) concluded by saying that prosecutors go after the Second-in-Command in the Mafia (the Mafia equivalent of Scooter Libby) and then after he's been indicted, he turns on the man they really want, the Mafia Don, the equivalent of Cheney. But the prosecutor must keep the pressure on after the indictment of the #2 man. Partly, this is done by not dropping the other shoe. Nobody knows how solid the case is against anyone but Libby right now. And the story has to be kept in the news for it to work. The hope is that others will start getting in touch with Fitzgerald, filling in the gaps with details: what the Don knew, did, told them to do. He needs a really solid case against the Don. Anyhow, I love the Mafia analogy, and the fact that questions are still coming at Press Conferences about Rove. It's been so hard to keep the media to stay focused on the scandals! During Watergate, it was first necessary to get Spiro Agnew to resign, otherwise he would have succeeded Nixon after the impeachment. Cheney is definitely the person for the prosecutor to get first. Let's not take a chance he'll end up being sworn in as #44. Kathleen Subject: It's time for Republicans to read the Resolution Many of Sunday's political talk shows were chocked full of the next propaganda slogan we’ll hear from the Bush Administration and its spinners: “Democrats voted for the war.” Well it’s true that Democrats gave President Bush the authority to go into Iraq, but the point isn’t whether or not Democrats gave Bush the authority, it’s what exactly did they give him the authority to do. If you read the resolution at http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/house_resolution.pdf and specifically study this paragraph ...
... you’ll see that the overwhelming justification for going to war in Iraq was to enforce what was described then as violations of UN Security Council resolutions. Violations of these resolutions are cited over and over again in the document signed by our legislators. So when members of both parties gave their approval for a “Joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq” it is obvious they did so believing that we would be acting in support of UN Resolutions and with the cooperation and support of most member nations. As it turned out, we went into Iraq without the support of and in defiance of the expressed concerns of the body whose resolutions we used as a premise for war. From the perspective of battle we invaded almost unilaterally, with the support of so few of our allies that we effectively went into battle alone. Even today we fight virtually alone except for a handful of British troops and a few questionably committed Iraqis. We must remember in this debate that, after the attacks of 911, we had the overwhelming support of the international community. So the question becomes; why didn’t the United Nations and more specifically the UN Security Council support George W. Bush’s plan to attack Iraq? The answer for anyone with a memory is simple; because the United Nations had won concessions with Saddam Hussein. UN weapons inspectors were given unlimited access to the country and Saddam’s Iraqi Army had ceased firing upon planes entering the no-fly zone. All avenues of diplomacy and international solution were being explored and those avenues had not been exhausted. But lastly and more importantly any serious threat posed by Saddam Hussein had been effectively neutralized by his pariah status in the international community. The member countries of the United Nations knew something we as ordinary American citizens did not know and could not know. They knew that Saddam Hussein in 2002 was not the Saddam of 1992. He was for all intents and purposes an impotent leader, deprived of access to real weapons, and no real constituency. He had no links to Al Qaeda or any other terrorist group. He had no WMD and no effective way to build WMD. In essence, Saddam Hussein was a man whose only real asset or threat was that he had dominion over the 2nd largest reserve of crude oil in the world. And that is why we attacked. So when George W. Bush’s talking heads begin their propaganda push in a desperate attempt to reframe the argument in a way that accuses Democratic legislators of being complicit in Bush’s rush to war, just refer them to the “Joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.” Then calmly ask them how anyone signing that document would know that Bush was going to defy the very organization whose resolutions he claimed to be defending. GEORGE BUSH LIED, OUR CHILDREN DIED. BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW! Carolyn K. Ball Subject: fyi: that nyt piece on dia report/al-libi on sunday was on pg 8!!! ... significant new info on fabricated evidence and it goes on page eight!? once we put the bush crime family in jail we need to go after the news editor at the nyt.
A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Simons: Roberts rises above partisanship on Intelligence Committee You're on the right track about Senator Pat Roberts. You can't imagine how frustrating it is to have to live here with these morons. Here's the Journal-World publisher's disingenuous take on Pat Roberts. It's amazing how strongly protective of Roberts/Bush he is. BTW, here in Lawrence, we're living with an example of the dangers of media monopoly. The publishers of the local newspaper (the Journal-World) are a privately-held company that also owns the cable television company and now a local telephone company. Simons: Roberts rises above partisanship on Intelligence Committee (Lawrence Journal-World) Mike Subject: Red State Lament Red State Lament Don’t confuse me with the facts today Don’t try to make me delve too deep Don’t expect of me some loving thoughts Should my beliefs be somewhat wrong Marge Swanson Subject: Corruption by Degrees! The corrupt character of the Bush government has long been known to those who dared to look, and it is obvious there can be no vindication for this affront to our government and our justice system. Despite the secrecy, the blocked investigations, the one party rule, and the loyalty of this culture of corruption, the truth is coming out! We have gone past the point where justice should no longer be denied: removing the scourge of Bush, his Administration, and Republicans like Frist and DeLay is essential to the preservation of our political system. Though denials of the validity of the Downing Street Memo were either hyped, or it was ignored as an “old story” it provided proof of a conspiracy and collaboration of the Bush Administration with Tony Blair to lead us into an illegal war. Since then, Treasongate, and a Phase Two of the 9/11 investigation has and will cause more Americans to doubt the word of the Bush Government. We, along with the rest of the world have been heard, and we can no longer tolerate their ineptness, their abuse of authority, their corruption and their recklessness. Roberta de Matto seems to describe our present government. He tells us ...
Now that description fits George W. Bush, his cronies and the majority of the Republican Party! Susan Carr Subject: Ethics Refresher Training? The Bushistas never fail to catch me off-guard with their low level of stupidity. Now, in light of the CIA leak debacle, we are expected to believe that these clowns are going to have refresher training in ethics? They will need to begin with how to spell it and then define it. We can rest assured that they still won't "get it" at the completion of their training. Who will be "teaching" it to them? Karl Rove? They would be better advised to give them refresher training on what classified information is, what their responsibilities are to safeguard it, and, most importantly, that you DO NOT DISCUSS any sensitive information, whether classified or not, with anyone who: 1. Does not have a security clearance, and, 2. Does not have a "need-to-know." The excuse that was put forth that "they didn't think it was classified" to put it bluntly, doesn't hold water. With as long as all of these clowns -- specifically, Cheney, Libby, and Rove -- have been around the federal government, they should have already been aware of the basics of classified information. IF (and that's a big IF) they didn't know those basics, they have no business having any security clearance -- plain and simple. What is very clear is that their agenda was more important to them than the security of our national intelligence agents -- covert or not -- their cover operations, and the security of our country. Send in the clowns -- don't bother -- they're at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Lisa J. Subject: Judge Alito Re. Joe Biden and his crack that Alito should have an up or down vote: I just snail mailed the following letter to 51 Senators - Republican and Democratic (including Biden): Dear Senator, Fifteen years ago, as a nominee for the appellate court, Samuel Alito appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee and promised in writing to disqualify himself from "any cases involving the Vanguard companies," a stock and mutual-fund firm in which he had a substantial personal investment. Yet in 2002 he broke that promise and ruled in Vanguard’s favor, in an appellate case. There are at least two appalling points of character in this incident: First, this judge whose probity has been widely praised, broke his written promise to The Senate (and by extension, to the American People) when he failed to recuse himself. What is worse, when confronted with this breach of ethics, Judge Alito dismissed it, saying that though he held investments worth $390,000 to $930,000 in 11 Vanguard funds, he didn’t need to recuse himself because the case was so small that it wouldn’t affect Vanguard: “They have $600 billion invested with them,” the judge said, “The idea that a case like this would affect [their investments] is just ludicrous.” I submit that someone who breaks a written promise to the Senate, then compounds that ethical breach with moral blindness, disqualifies himself from consideration for a seat on The Supreme Court, and if a filibuster is the only way to stop his nomination from being approved, then let us have a filibuster. Sincerely yours, Kevin O'Morrison Subject: For the Dedicated Activist! Hello again BuzzFlash and Buzzers. This is for all you activists out there who are so outraged at the Bush administration, that you can hardly see straight half of the time. Please see and read in its entirety Project Perfect Storm at http://the7thfire.com/treason/Project_Perfect_Storm.htm I believe this individual is on to something and I've never seen an article exactly like it anywhere else in addressing the Bush Administration's crimes and holding power accountable. Thanks again BuzzFlash for being there for all of us and especially thank you for Thom Hartmann's article on "They Thought They Were Free." I have not been able to find work for the past year but when I do, you can most definitely count on contributions from me. More people need to know about this insightful, informative, powerful info. Ever sincerely, Dominie K. Robinson Subject: Re Azerbaijan Votes, Amid Accusations of Fraud and Abuse To the (Times) Editor: The Times writes of fraud accusations against public officials in connection with Sunday's election in Azerbaijan. The insert headline read judgmentally, "The reputation of the nation and of its president are at stake." When 57,000 direct complaints of electoral misconduct were lodged in the first 48 hours after the 2004 election in the United States, the Times never mentioned it. As allegations of fraud mounted, especially in the pivotal state of Ohio, they were dismissed as "conspiracy theories" in a front-page article by Tom Zeller, Jr. Since then, alleged fraud in the former Soviet Union has attracted considerable space in the Times; alleged fraud in the United States, none at all. Apparently our own reputation surpasses editorial scrutiny. Azerbaijan Votes, Amid Accusations of Fraud and Abuse (NY Times) Robert Lockwood Mills Subject: VP I just heard on the Ed Schultz Show that Air Force Two is in Nebraska or North/South Dakota to go pheasant hunting. Is this true? How does he get time to do this? The world is falling apart and he is shooting birds.... Cheney hunting birds in S.D. (Rapid City, SD, Journal) Marilyn Subject: Investigate Now! Reading BuzzFlash headlines last week, an important question came to mind. For five extremely stressful years in America, the mass media refused to function as designed; Questioning the obvious, investigating and reporting the truth about the Bush administration. Moving into 2006 with this administration along with horrendous damage done, the media is (just now) exposing some of the Bush administration's law-breaking and cronyism. Why now? Why did they give Bush 5 years to slice, rice and dice up our country, divide our people and manipulate the US constitution? Investigations are beginning in D.C. on the provocation for war, Libby and possibly Rove. Just as important, another investigation should be called for. Americans should demand a full investigation of the US mass media in order to get answers to many, many unanswered, yet very legitimate questions. Cathy L. Subject: We do not Torture President Bush today declared loudly, "We do not torture!" But this statement is just coded "Bush Speak." You have to understand what he really means. Of course we don't torture. That's why Bush has secret foreign prisons so that someone else can torture for us. That makes it look like "we" aren't doing it. It's just like Bush said about the CIA leak, "If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of." What does "taken care of" mean to Bush? It means that they will get a pardon. It's now clear his entire staff knew about the leak and they are all being taken care of. Now that you know how Bush speak works, here's a quiz. Ask yourself what these phrases mean in Bush speak: "Strengthen Social Security" "Simplifying the Tax Code" "Brownie is doing a heck of a job!" "Mission Accomplished" "I won't raise your taxes." "War is a last resort." "Social Security Lock Box" and "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." Think about it and have fun figuring it out. I'm Marc Perkel - And I approved this message! Marc Perkel Subject: OBVIOUS TRUTHS!!! Does no one really understand that the difference between Democrats and Republicans is a simple and obvious one: * Democrats want to do right, and therefore don't focus on doing well. * Republicans want to do well, and don't care if that means they can't do right. Democrats aren't as good at playing the political game because they keep thinking they should act on their principles -- inclusion, truth, peaceful means to consensus, etc. They understand governing, but not power (possible exceptions for Bill and Hillary Clinton, and strategists like James Carville). Republicans want to win at all costs -- they understand power. Unfortunately, in the process they are willing to forego principles, and really don't think about the impact their plans will have on real people's lives. They focus on getting into positions of influence, not on what they need to do once they get there (possible exceptions for Jack Kemp, Newt Gingrich, and Chuck Hagel). What would it take to get someone in a position of enough prominence to have an understanding of how to effectively get and use power, but with an agenda that would truly make people's lives better? If only... The Lovable Liberal Subject: Which Dress? After flipping channels today you would think that the most important news in the world was which one of the 50 dresses Camilla was wearing today. I think all of these newscasters should lay off the Botox-I think it is affecting their brains. Dale Beal Sr. Subject: Tuesday's Virginia Elections Provide First Opportunity To Repudiate Bush The lines are clearly drawn in the Virginia statewide elections to be held Tuesday, November 8, to select a Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. President Bush has put his slipping prestige on the line by speaking for and campaigning with candidate Jerry Kilgore for Governor and the Republican team. And a rapidly-growing number of anti-Bush independents have joined with the regular Democrats to support candidate Tim Kaine for Governor and the Democratic team. Kilgore's double-digit early lead has vanished, and the race is now viewed as a dead heat, with Kaine pulling away down the homestretch. As expected, Virginia strongly supported Bush during the 2004 election. Therefore a Democratic victory over the Republican team, supported personally by Bush, would be a serious repudiation of Bush and his policies. Democrats expect that some Republicans will also vote Democratic in this election, to show their extreme disappointment with Bush and his failed administration, and that other Republicans will simply stay home and not vote. William McGinnis Subject: The Military Machine My nephew began his new stint in Iraq today. He had a few days of leave before he had to go back to report so we had a family get-together. He is young, does not totally know what he is getting into. He has his backpack all ready to go, feeling like the "Mighty Military Machine" has well-prepared him for this day, anticipating that he is to experience all the new things of a foreign people, country, and culture. The rest of us talk about the regular, ordinary things or joke among us. We are afraid to say what we really feel, especially if we would do anything to his morale. It could make him lose his focus when he is there. Later on he took out his lap-top, showing us pictures. At first the pictures exploded with military action, kind of a "shock and awe" effect. Then he showed us pictures of basic training. I must say I got a real education of the military machine that night, even though he did not reveal any secret information which was also contained in the laptop. I could not help but play a little bit of devil's advocate because I wanted to find out what exactly the military was teaching them, such as the handling of someone they captured, and what they did to them afterwards. He would not say anything about the afterwards. Later we talked about the way things have changed since 9-11 and it distorting people's thinking and how it has confused them (9-11) about what is right and wrong all over the world. I wanted to get some sense from him about how he would act as a human being and a soldier when he begins his tour in Iraq. I hope that we have brought him up right in the world. He is terribly good to his grandmother, who has Alzheimer's and cannot see real well, also to me, struggling with my own health problems, so I think he will treat the Iraqi people with respect. I pray he will not go the way of hate. A couple of days or so later, after the get-together, BuzzFlash released an article about the connections of the government, the corporations, and the military machine. It was very powerful, it showed me so much how they try to control our very lives. I think this ought to be presented at every true free-thinking educational institution or other place that it can be shown. I hope and pray all our soldiers can come home soon, that we can take our country back, and young and old can truly get along in peace with one another, sharing our resources equally and treating each other with justice. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Andrew Card & Harriet Miers To Give Ethics Lessons Dear BuzzFlash, As Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) said this evening on the house floor "It just keeps getting worse." How can you teach these people ethics when the teachers are unethical? Just wondering? As usual this devious administration cannot appoint an independent, outside source to conduct these educational programs. Maybe, every person who is running for office should be subjected to rigorous independent ethics testing, along with several lie detector tests and a gamut of testing of their mental capabilities. Big surprise! Bush appoints Andrew Card & Harriet Miers to be in charge of teaching ethics!
Just a few sources that give classes in ethical behavior: But then again: A day late and a dollar short. http://www.bauerethicsseminars.com/pages/1/index.htm http://www.elt-inc.com/ethics_code_of_conduct/ethics_code_of_conduct.html
Thanks BuzzFlash and all of the people of the BuzzFlash community who help keep me sane in these insane times. Peace to All. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Use of chemical weapons in Iraq It may surprise you but use of phosphorus was reported on national TV. One or more of CBS, ABC, and NBC. In fact there was video of the white phosphorus falling from the skies and it was accurately reported as a weapon. This was during the attacks on Fallujah. There were also stories related to our denial of the use of Napalm that pointed out that it was a "technical denial" in that the formula for Napalm had been changed, but it was basically the same compound and had been used. In the Arabic media, charges of the use of Napalm and phosphorus have been routinely reported. There have been suggestions that other compounds have been used including neurological agents, but that is yet to be confirmed. The question isn't whether we have committed war crimes, but of which ones. A BuzzFlash Reader Why can't Bush's doctor declare Bush unfit and mentally off and take him out in a straight jacket????? Why can't any doctor come in and take him out? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Re Tax exempt status being taken away from California Church We called the number you gave regarding contacting the IRS--and we were given the royal run around--sent to several different places--and strange (ahem) no one seemed to know about it. The final person talked to was a lawyer there--and we were given the stock answer--because of a law passed several years ago--we cannot discuss this. We asked if the Catholic and Baptist Churches as well as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson would be losing theirs too--or if they are only targeting Progressive Churches. Again--no answer--I hope many people call them--it's the only way we are going to get rid of this fascist administration. I love your site!!! George R. Subject: EEEEKK!! Now I'm reading the headline STORIES I'll paste this paragraph if my dying computer lets me.
"UNDER the law??" This so-called "administration" is so FAR UNDER THE LAW that it's deep-sixed itself!! Unfortunately, it's taken most of the Democrats down to the bottom as well. Keep up the great work. Don't know what I'd do WITHOUT you to get my "news" from. Barbara Lee (Barb) Blazyk Subject: Bush Position on Torture It comes as little surprise to me that our Mr. Bush does not support (but does support) torture. The man has been torturing the English language for years so one would expect his position on torturing people to be somewhat 'tortured'. If you think about it (which Mr. Bush hopes you won't) it all makes perfect sense while being totally illogical. Tim Sheehy Subject: All The Democrats' Fault It didn’t take long did it? Within days of Scooter Libby being indicted and the media actually talking about some of the lies and distortions that led us to war we find out that it was all the democrats' fault. No surprise there. After all, everything from dandruff to sunspots has been blamed on Bill Clinton and the Democratic Party. Now it seems that war was caused by the democrats not stopping the majority republicans doing what they damn well intended to do. The big question is just how dumb are the American people? We know that some of the faithful will believe anything that comes out as republican talking points. They will sagely nod their heads, and then repeat the talking points as absolute proof that the demonic liberals are coming to rape and mutilate your children. Never expect intelligence from these folks. They’re rapture bound and all else matters little to them, No, the people who will make or break this new republican strategy are the moderate republicans and the independents. They will make up the numbers who decide if the thugs in Washington get away with their whining excuses. It is nothing new that the republicans take no blame for anything. It would be astounding if a majority of the country actually realized that there needs to be some accountability. Time will, as they say, tell. To most democrats, the Republican Party is lower than a poop scoop and is believed about absolutely nothing. These folks know exactly where they stand and are not about to move. Now they need to insist that their party bring forth a leader who, A. voted against the war and B. has the guts to refute every stinking lie the republicans tell. And no more damn pussyfooting people; if they lie, call it a lie. Who needs to be polite to a bunch of thugs? Spin this, you lying reprobate! That leaves us to the tender mercies of jerks like Chris Matthews. Oh, I know, Matthews is doing a fine job of setting up the distortions and tricks that took us to war. He has also already started blaming the democrats for not standing up to the Republican Battering Ram. According to him, Democrats have no credibility if they voted for the war. Republicans who voted for the war? Oh well, to expect fairness from Matthews or Russert or the rest of their ilk is to think Santa Claus is going to bring wondrous toys to all good children not just the children of the rich. Marjorie L. Swanson Subject: Re Bushevism: The Dirty Little Secrets That Everybody Knows (A BuzzFlash News Analysis) You don't need to reference Wikipedia:
A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Jonathan P. Levin You do yourself, and your credibility, no favors with the first part of your lead-in to the Kristol article: "Bill "I Will Suck Bush Off If It Keeps Me King of the NeoCon Brain Trust" Kristol Gets Hoisted on His Own Petard. "Last Tuesday, Harry Reid took to the floor of the Senate and asserted that the Bush administration had "manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions." This is a serious charge; if it were true, it might well be an indictable offense." Well, Billy, It Turns Out to Be True. Get Down on Your Knees. 11/8 " Your attitude is fun, but this kind of stuff is really unnecessary and off-putting and undermines your efforts. Please, if you want to keep readers like me, resist the temptation to indulge in this sort of stupid vulgarity. Jonathan P. Levin Subject: Wonderful Irony? Dear BuzzFlash, A wonderfully ironic thought has begun rattling around this ol' gourd o' mine. President Bush's third (or was it fourth?) reason for illegally invading Iraq was to spread democracy. What if he is successful in this, yet in a way he never imagined? The Republicans currently control the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the Presidency. As of the moment: *Republican House Leader Tom DeLay has been indicted for money laundering and breaking campaign finance laws. *Senate Republican Leader Frist is being investigated for insider trading. *For the first time in 130 years a White House official has been indicted. In addition, increasing speculation is being focused on what did V.P. Cheney know and when did he know it. *More and more Senators and Representative, from both parties, are asking for independent investigations into possible twisting of intelligence and outright lies during the run-up to the Iraq War. What do we see here if not an abuse of power pervasive throughout the ruling Republican Party? My point is this, what if the people of a free democracy should clean up corruption and illegality, no matter where it lies? Would not this be a powerful example to the world of a free people making what's wrong, right again? Spreading democracy is a fine goal, but we must make our democracy something the world sees as worthy of emulation. Looking at the version in Washington, I see this right now as a tough sell. Daniel Patrick Schamle Subject: Taxpayer Fundraiser? Last week, a friend and myself walked to our cars in a suburban parking lot. Over head, a huge military jet filled the sky, descending toward the Greater Cincinnati Airport. My friend and I thought it was odd to see such a huge military jet about to land at our airport. I jokingly told my friend that the jet looked like a transporter for Bush's vehicles, but that he had already left for So. America. On the evening news, I saw where Cheney was in town and left with $400,000 from a [private] fund-raiser at the Queen City Club. How many taxpayer dollars did it take to transport Cheney and his vehicles into Cincinnati reaping $400,000 for the GOP, then moving on to Detroit to gather in more? Dick Cheney In Cincy For Fundraiser (WCPO.com) Cathy L. [BuzzFlash Note: The Cincinnati Post reported that RNC Chair Mehlman was along for the ride. We hope that means the RNC paid the bills ... although they did refuse to pay for extra security and police costs when campaigning in Illinois last year.] Subject: But You Kinda Left Out the Reason for the Smoking Gun ... It's now pretty much a given that the so-called intelligence used by the Bushies to start wars for fun and profit largely emerged from Dick Cheney's murderously creative brain. Yet amidst the cacophony of horse-got-loose accusations by the Dems and desperate, exculpatory lies by the administration, I am still amazed that one basic question remains conspicuously unaddressed. Back when the Bush mob was intent on terrifying us with scenarios of horrific mass death which were all but certain to be perpetrated by the Iraqi Despot Of Doom, they never once mentioned exactly why Hussein the Horrible might want to wipe us out in the first place. What would have been in it for him? He was no wild-eyed religious zealot who'd have made a likely martyr for Allah. On the contrary, he was a secular dictator who had everything to live for; he already had his 72 virgins. And then some. Was it probable that he thought he could attack the US or our allies with impunity? Saddam is many things, but he is not stupid. It's also highly unlikely that he believed he could have passed a nuke to an Islamist terrorist group (with whom he had an adversarial relationship) without attracting the attention of some Western intelligence agency, and bringing down the mother of all retaliations upon his head. As I see it, this was the obvious gaping hole in the neo-con-dream-come-true, Iraqi-nukes-over-Cleveland argument that rendered the entire thing specious. And I think it's well past time that somebody posed this question to the war-mongering thugs in the administration. Ellie Remore Subject: "Harry Reid, Is That All We Get?" Sorry, but the answer is yes, until we change the world. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Let's put all the war criminals on trial Any leader who used banned weapons should be put on trial for international war crimes. It doesn't matter what country the leader is from. If he did the crime he should face the penalties. This includes the generals and the men who carried out the mass slaughters. If Saddam Hussein used poison gas he should be imprisoned or executed. Similarly, if George Bush used illegal banned weapons in Iraq, then, he, too, along with the generals that executed his orders, should be put on trial along with Saddam and imprisoned or executed. It is becoming clear that America used phosphorus shells last November in its attack on the city of Fallujah. Phosphorus burns bodies. It melts the flesh all the way down to the bone. It is a hideous weapon that only a cruel tyrant would use. If the reports are true that Bush used phosphorus, an outlawed chemical weapon, then Bush should be removed from office immediately and taken into custody for trial. Shock and awe is the experience of watching America degenerate into doing what the Nazis did. Secret prisons, torture, and now massacre. It's a crime that we allow it. I'm Marc Perkel - And I approved this message! US forces 'used chemical weapons' during assault on city of Fallujah (The Independent) Marc Perkel Subject: Wal-Mart Let us boycott wal-mart forever. They are using RFID tags to help spy on people. Bush and his nuts are using electronics to spy. And Wal-Mart volunteered its services. DO NOT shop at this damned store anymore. To get out of the new draft, say U are a CO, or suicidal, and U fail that physical. Joe File [BuzzFlash Note: Some background, from Information Week, on radio frequency identification tags: Avery Tempts Customers With Free RFID Tags. An article by Shaukat H. Mohammed explains that a book called Spychips: How Major Corporations And Government Plan To Track Your Every Move With RFID has raised the alarm.] Subject: Weighed; Found Unbalanced! “When they come downstairs from their Ivory Towers, Bush and his cronies walk straight into the gutter!” Logan Pearsall Smith wrote about idealists in his comment, which I have fractured to describe our present day governmental debacle! The Bush government’s “culture of corruption” is a badly disguised abomination! Their unchallenged, unchecked, absolute authority has led this nation in the wrong direction and lost us world respect. They have claimed a mandate they never had to do as they pleased! They have lied to our faces with the collaboration of the media and took us into an unjustified war on a false premise, making us unwilling partners in the NeoCon obsession with dominance. Torture and abuse are used as practical methods of interrogation with the Administration’s blessing. Little has been done to hold these power brokers accountable for their action. By blocking amendments, investigations and withholding documentation, their tyranny goes on and on. They claimed the Presidency twice by having more "irregularities" than any in our history. Today, elections may point the way to a different future depending on whether we will defend our political well being by voting in more Democrat candidates or betray it by indifference or voting with the opposition to “stay the course” in more ways then just the Iraq War. The Bush Administration has forgotten “Everyone lives downstream from someone else!” They have NOT supported the Kyoto Protocol. Cronyism and “Pioneer” corporations have been removing all protections and safeguards, protecting their profits rather then supporting the life system of our planet. Global Warming, a huge crisis in the making, has been virtually ignored by the Bush Administration. They even refuse the majority of scientific evidence of Global warming and tout only the minority backing their opinion. The rest of the world disagrees with the Bush position. The Iraq War has cost us 2056 soldiers their lives and we are still counting! Most of Iraq is in chaos and its cities and villages destroyed, as Iraqi women, children, as well as “insurgents” die daily! Reconstruction is plagued by corruption with little being done. Companies awarded with no-bid contracts have little oversight. Security remains the number one problem and has deteriorated, not improved. In a recent Iraq Dispatch, Dahr Jamail was asked 10 questions, one of which was:
Mr. Jamail also quotes a recent poll that concludes:
Herbert Hoover was one of those who said, “You can’t be just a little crooked!” TreasonGate, Bush, Cheney, Libby, Rumsfeld, Rice, DeLay, Frist, Pat Roberts, are just a few, but more besides those mentioned in this corrupt Administration, have given {as the media likes to say} “appearances of impropriety”! As Boies Penrose remarked, “Public Office is the last refuge of the incompetent!” America needs balance, honesty, integrity, and cool judgment, and with George W. Bush and the Republicans in power we have never been further away from that ideal! Susan Carr CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE NOVEMBER 8, 2005 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG
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