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| November 21, 2005 |
MAILBAG ARCHIVES | ||
The BuzzFlash Mailbag The opinions expressed in the Mailbag are not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. Read the BuzzFlash FAQ for info on submitting to the Mailbag. THIS IS PART 2 OF THE NOVEMBER 21, 2005 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG. CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 Subject: Letter to the Sun Sentinel Concerning Medicare Dear Folks, I think the key in writing any letter to the media is to state this: “Not that this letter will change anything” and “the people’s voice is no longer being heard in Washington, D.C.” I think the more the media hears our plight the better. It is the us versus them (the politicians) scenario that may be our greatest tool.
Mary MacElveen Subject: WSJ article (11/17/05) from 11/20/05 Alert Subject: Question In the text (first) portion of the article on Bush's job approval rating it says that Bush's positive rating is higher than Nixon's was at this point in his presidency (34% to 23% positive). But if you scroll down to look at the chart with the comparisons of approval ratings of two-term presidents at the same relative point in their presidencies, doesn't it show Nixon at 37% in November of 1973? That would give Tricky Dick a higher approval rating than Bush. Also, the text of the article says that Reagan had a 66% positive rating at this point, but the included chart actually shows 57%, which would put him below Clinton at 58%. The text of the article is misleading and paints Republicans as having higher ratings in general; many people would not stop to look at the charts. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB11321634... Sheila Paul [BuzzFlash Note: It looks to us like you're right. But the numbers in the article came from Harris Polls on PR Newswire. You need to ask them to explain this, if they can.] Subject: It's a hoot! Oh, Buzz, Schmidt attacked by a July 4th napkin set -- hilarious! The image is a hoot. Or, more precisely, a scream. Munch's "The Scream," that is -- the famous painting stolen last year from an Oslo museum and apparently found yesterday on the floor of the House in Washington, D.C. See for yourself: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/munch.scream.jpg http://thinkprogress.org/2005/11/18/schmidt-shame/ Screaming shame, indeed. Warmly, Elizabeth [BuzzFlash Note: Finally, a scream to replace Dean's?] Subject: Red-baiting 101 In spite of myself, I love this site. Even the hyperbolic headlines. I'd love it more if you guys would stop making stupid comparisons between Bushies and "commies". There are two reasons for this: one, it's fine to be a DNC front organ, but remember, reds in the US should at this time be your pals (last time I checked, we're largely working for the same things). Trying to induce revulsion in your readers by comparing obvious fascists to communists is, well, red baiting, which is a pretty reactionary thing to do, yes? Oh, and two: not all tyrants are communists, and not all communists are tyrants, and if you can't figure this out, you're no smarter than those knuckle-draggers over at freep, k? To reiterate, comparisons with Soviet power are fair game (although comparisons to fascist states would be more accurate), but try to not lump all of us reds into one basket, since most of us are far more progressive than you guys. Tom Subject: Bush and the Polls - Why doesn't Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, GA, Wake Up? Even as a non-citizen of Pennsylvania, I am honored to publicly congratulate all Pennsylvanians for electing a person of such great courage as Ex-Marine John Murtha. God Bless you John Murtha! What a contrast between GOOD and EVIL: Rep. John Murtha, PA and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, GA., my representative in the House. One is a true AMERICAN HERO and the other is a puny little CHICKEN HAWK tied so tightly to the coattails of Bush, Cheney and DeLay that he is not allowed to do the 'Right Thing'. The Chicken Hawk wants to send our soldiers into harm's way for all the wrong reasons including those of a lying President. I rate Lynn Westmoreland's ability to make logical decisions for the good of all Americans at less than zero. I will do everything in my power to make sure he is not reelected when his term in the house expires. Mike Post Subject: New Bipartisan Resolution Is a Ploy To Put Off an Angry Public Buzz, The bipartisan resolution to require the President to report to Congress about progress in Iraq is nothing but an attempt to put off an angry public as long as possible and put them into an endless "wait-and-see" mindset. The republicans are terrified that they're going to lose control of Congress in the 2006 elections because of public anger, so they're just trying to buy time and placate their constituents until after the elections. "If we can just make it through election night" is certainly what they are telling each other. With this paper tiger resolution, the republicans in Congress can appear to be acting tough while actually requiring very little from the president other than a "report". This is probably a scheme right out of the White House designed to keep the republican-controlled Congress from being forced by an angry public into actually acting to rein in the president. It certainly lets the White House off easy, and even gives the administration a public podium from which to spout their hyper-exaggerated rhetoric about how peachy-lovely everything is going and progressing in Iraq. The talking heads are all talking about how things are going to change now that the moderate republicans are siding with the democrats against Bush's Iraq quagmire. But, nothing will change. The republican tough-talk - and talk is all that it is - will just get louder as election time grows closer, rising to a peak on election night, and then afterwards the republicans will go back to their same old tired rhetoric in support of Bush's disastrous policies, or lack thereof. The American public shouldn't be fooled. This is nothing more than an attempt to keep from losing voter support, and once the voters have spent their influence at the voting booth, their opinion will count for little with the republicans in Congress. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Bush Photograph Bush can't get through locked doors. This appeared on the BBC News. Will it appear on Fox? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4454738.stm Brian Cloughley Subject: "Cut and Run, Please!" There is another term that we can use instead of "cut and run" when referring to Iraq and it's called leaving. We can and should leave Iraq and the people that are saying that we shouldn't are the same people that said that Iraq possessed WMD prior to the start of the war. They were wrong then and they're wrong now. In order to understand the argument for leaving Iraq you need to understand the breakdown of the players that are involved in the fighting there. On the one hand there are the Iraqis who are made up of both the Shia and the Sunnis and on the other hand there is a numerically insignificant but highly motivated and violent group from outside Iraq. The primary issue to understand is that the people that are fighting U.S. forces in Iraq are doing so because we remain there. The common sense of this statement is lost on politicians of both the Democratic and Republican persuasion. The greatest fear is that because Democrats continue to regurgitate the fallacy that if we "cut and run" all hell will break loose the potential change of Congressional makeup in the 2006 elections will mean no change in our policy of our illegal occupation of Iraq which would result in the most dire of consequences. The most important aspect of this fact is that the Shia and the Sunnis who are presently fighting U.S. forces do so because they want revenge for our continued unjustified occupation and killing of their friends and family and the destruction of their communities. Both the Shia and the Sunnis recognize that without the U.S. presence in Iraq they have nothing to gain by a civil war. The majority of the other group presently fighting U.S. forces were recently radicalized by the U.S. occupation. They have become battle hardened on the streets of Iraq, ensuring that they'll be capable of teaching further generations of newly radicalized Middle Easterners better ways of killing Americans and westerners. This group is the most dangerous to American interests around the world and only grows in size when American imperialism and hypocrisy becomes U.S. foreign policy. This group would be left utterly powerless and without cause if the U.S. were to immediately leave Iraq. This group is also well aware that without the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq nothing is gained through provoking a civil war. Without U.S. forces as an antagonist this group is powerless in using the situation in Iraq as an impetus for radicalizing more moderate Muslims around the globe. Our continued presence in Iraq is strengthening this worldwide radicalization of moderate Muslims into violent anti-American and anti-westerner forces and more importantly is the direct cause of the anarchy that is presently reigning there. If we do not leave Iraq things will only get worse. U.S. forces leaving Iraq is the only logical course of action for anyone who desires a stable Iraq. Furthermore, removal of our occupying forces from Iraq would result not only in advancing U.S. interests but also in reducing the numbers of radicalized Muslims both in Iraq and around the world. The Indy Voice Subject: The House That Roared! Iraq/John Murtha There's something smarmy about Republicans who say they support the troops in Iraq on one hand, but then slander veterans at home like Max Cleland, John Kerry, John Murtha, and even John McCain (when he was vying for the Republican presidential nomination which George W. Bush ultimately won). It is no wonder military recruitment is down. First the Administration manipulates the rules to allow torture, but doesn't take responsibility for it, thereby letting the enlisted man take the fall, and then the Bush team, too many of whom did not serve their country, attacks respected veterans who served with honor and distinction. What a world. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: THE QUESTION YOU NEED TO ASK EACH and EVERY POLITICIAN INTERVIEWED TO BE FAIR ... in addition ... to the questions asked, would you vote now for the war knowing what you know now//ask this question to every politician and panelist and every guest you have now until the war is over. 1. did you ever serve in the military? 2. did you ever see any combat? 3. do you have children over 18 and under 39? (or grandchildren) 4. are any of them enlisted in the military and serving in a combat zone? THE PUBLIC WANTS TO KNOW - DO THE POLITICIANS PAY THE SAME PRICE AS US CITIZENS DURING THIS WAR? THANK YOU. karin dicker Subject: It'd Be Nice If Someone Asked Me What I Thought Dear BuzzFlash: Thanks to the storm that Rep. Murtha started, and hooray for him for doing it, suddenly the neo-cons and their junior league asskissers in the House of Representatives became self-righteous and indignant at the very thought of being criticized for their supporting the Halliburton war (also called Iraq). Not that being self-righteous is new territory for a neocon, but it still takes gall to back up a genocidal president and vice-president. Then I hear soundbites from several "outraged" Republicans that the American people don't want a pullout of troops, that they want this, they want that, etc. I hate to belabor an obvious point, but you war mongers didn't ask ME what I wanted, nor did you ask my family, friends or co-workers. I didn't receive any communicado from my state's legislators, or receive a phone call from a pollster. I can't overestimate how sick I am of hearing you megalomaniacs in DC telling me what I think. If it isn't that, you play the "intelligence" card, saying that I'm too smart to not support your position. Pro-war Republicans are complicit in the lying and deceit that gave us this war in the first place as long as they continue to support it. To keep a senseless slaughter going in the name of party unity or political expediency depending on the party majority in your district reveals a person of no conscience and no consideration for the harm he or she causes by giving carte blanche support to the most evil, corrupt regime in U.S. history. Your selfishness and greed will be your undoing. Americans are too smart to let you war criminals (which is what you are for supporting Bush and his terror campaign) march along for much longer without making you regret it. You can tell your buddies on the floor of the House that's what this American wants. Scott how long can we continue to put out 6 BILLION a month on this war? how long can we keep going into debt to foreign countries while cutting medicare, food stamps, medicaid, student loans and more? how long can we do this before people start saying "hey what about the american people? what about us? randi, liz and renee Hi Buzz, I am formerly from Illinois....from a city very near Denny's home town....... and I remember when......I remember when Dennis Hastert was thought of as a very nice "wrestling coach" Well that man is no more....... Now let's hear this!!!!! ...Oh Toad That Speaks...... He says they are going to have an up or down vote about ending the Iraq war,and then see how the Dems will vote............ He just doesn't get it does he?........It isn't the Dems in Wash DC that have the say so..... about ending the war.....It is the American people......It is WE who pay the salaries of these people..... that want this war to end ......and bring home our service people immediately........We get "THE VOTE"....and "WE THE PEOPLE have let our intentions be known FOR SURE........Mr Murtha put it into words for us.....A very wise man to be sure....... Mr Hastert has REALLY grown since he has gone to DC .....but only in SIZE ...not in STATURE.......... He certainly hasn't missed any meals.......like so many of the POOR that have had their food stamps cut.....and he certainly doesn't have a child in this war ....and I'm not sure...but has he ever served in a war ?...........Who is this man to ask for a vote of our elected reps...WE are the ones that he should be asking to vote..........and if any one of them....THAT WE DID ELECT doesn't vote to end it.....remember their names when it comes time to vote again.......... Thanks Buzz for printing all of the names of those who voted against this war....I have them copied and have decided Im going to thank every one of them.....and I was also really very surprised to see how many Republicans in the house voted against this war too......... One more thing........It NEVER does me one bit of good to write my congress people about issues that I care about.......because.......I now live in TEXAS............ Genie Subject: Of course you did! BuzzFlash Headline: The Old Media is Dying the Death of a Thousand Cuts: Five Tribune Newspapers to Seek Job Cuts 11/17 Excerpt: LOS ANGELES - Five newspapers owned by Tribune Co., including the company's two flagship papers in Chicago and Los Angeles, said Wednesday they will cut jobs amid declining circulation and revenue. The operative words in the above excerpt are DECLINING CIRCULATION AND REVENUE. That's another way to say (fewer people are buying our papers.) Solid questions for the print media, their controlling corporate heads and editors: What else could you expect after shilling for Bush and his cronies? Didn't you know that newspapers are to be objective in their reporting, regardless of who reports are about? Of course you did! Do you realize that you shirked the time-honored responsibilities of the press by glossing the Bush image, omitting truth, and expecting American citizens to swallow all of it? Of course you did! When your final editions end up rolling off the presses, tell it to a Compassionate Conservative. Cathy L. Subject: Is this a new trend? CNN has a new anchor--she's Delia Gallagher, the "Faith and Values Correspondent." Say what? She reported today on a new movie in which Jon Voight plays the Pope. Are we to assume that news about abortion, right to die, and gay marriage issues now fall onto the "Faith and Values" news desk, helping viewers to perceive them as 'religious' issues? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Bush Trapped by Locked Door In the series of pictures of Bush encountering a locked door, posted to BuzzFlash on Nov. 20, it seems to me that the odd expression on his face is caused not by his "horrifying psyche," as the BuzzFlash headline described it, but by right-brain damage of some kind. Bush often shows evidence of this, and his encounter with the door only served to exaggerate what was already there. What this possible brain damage was caused by, and exactly how it effects the commander-in-thief would be extremely interesting things to know. John Lovejoy
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