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| December 22, 2005 |
MAILBAG ARCHIVES | ||
The BuzzFlash Mailbag The opinions expressed in the Mailbag are not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. More reader opinion is at "Contributors." You can write to Mailbag at http://www.buzzflash.com/contact/mail.html. Guidelines for submissions are at BuzzFlash FAQ #18. Subject: Others in the Mailbag 12/21/05 Thanks to the Buzz reader for the "Oil Factor" reminder...I will do my best to get a copy....and Merry Christmas to you, too! Thanks BuzzFlash to you for your wise words about the ACLU, that is another thing about small town Missouri.....they really know nothing...it is hard to carry on a conversation with any of them. Regarding the Strike in NY....when you start to lose benefits....so the company can make more money....it will only multiply....I have come to realize that the little working man is the one who gets nothing...at the cost of the CEO or the owner! Nancy Kuhn...I was not aware of the thing about Russ Feingold in 2000...I really liked him, too. Many people think a lot of Joe Biden...but, when Clinton was down for the count in 2000....he stood in the well of the senate, talking about Clinton's pardons....and said that he must have been 'braindead" Like Lieberman, I have detested that, ever since! And, "Evil Michael Fowler"... I had a horrid day today...everything that could go wrong, did....thank you for the sermon....it made me laugh so hard! It is not hard to understand why we are all a family. BuzzFlash Family! .....Happy Holidays...Merry Christmas...Happy Hannukah...etc. Shirley..............St. Louis Subject: We've been taken over by a band of thugs and criminals. What do criminals do? They lie, cheat and steal. Because the republicans control all the power right now, they get away with breaking all the rules. Not just laws and stuff, but also simple things like common courtesy between human beings. Honesty and moral integrity don't matter to these guys because they are getting exactly what they want, which is to rob us blind. I swear to God, this is the biggest heist of all time. We've been taken over by a highly organized criminal operation. People have to wake up to what is happening. Next thing we know, these thugs bankrupt the USA. They bankrupt us in precisely the right way: they transfer all the money to rich people. Virtually all of Bush tax cuts went to millionaires. So pretty soon the rest of the USA could turn into a Potterville, with a small ruling class, and the rest of us, barely making it paycheck to paycheck. This is a dream scenario, that is, if you are one of the rich people. This is an exclusive good-old-boys club. Bush is one of these guys. Cheney too. DeLay is another. You can go right down the line. If this were a caper movie, Karl Rove would be the safe cracker. I swear to God, this is a real life "Oceans 11" on a truly grand scale. And every single criminal in this bunch has the absolute best trump card in the world; Bush can pardon any of these guys anytime he wants. It is the world’s best get-out-of-jail-free card. How can they lose? They beat the house. Now for some depressing stuff: This is how they screw the middle class. Up till now middle class people have drawn comfort in the ever escalating value of their home. However if the real-estate bubble ever does pop, with houses mortgaged to the max, this will be false comfort as the value of what you owe will be more than the value of your home. If this market collapses, rich people and corporations will be more than happy to pick up the pieces, at pennies on the dollar. This is one big reason they setup the tough new bankruptcy laws. They are trying to make it so anyone who gets in serious debt (which is going to happen in a depression), will not be able to clear their books (and life) with bankruptcy court. No, your debts will be passed from father to son, on down the line, forever into the future. As Mr. Potter said: It “encourages a thrifty working class.” Like in a poker game, rich people are the only ones who will be able to double-down if the market collapses. This is the final step in the money transfer of their heist. I don't think it is too late to stop them, but it is getting close to the point of no return. Mike in Seattle Subject: Wiretaps Threaten National Security The illegal wiretaps authorized by the Bush Administration unnecessarily undermined American security by not following the legal requirements of court approval. The special law regulating national security wiretaps of potential foreign intelligence agents (and other potential enemies) permits wiretaps authorized by a special, highly secret court even after the wiretaps are in place. The law gives the Executive Branch amazingly extensive powers and flexibility concerning national security wiretaps. There was simply no reasonable excuse for the Bush Administration for not following the lax guidelines established by this law. Not following the legal guidelines severely undermined the entire wiretapping operation by the National Security Agency. The Bush Administration demonstrated severe incompetence in the national security field with their obvious contempt for American law. It is clear that the Bush White House does not respect the rule of law. The tendency of George W. Bush to claim supreme power and authority on almost all issues regardless of American law or American political tradition is a serious threat to our form of government. This writer has been writing about these tendencies since at least our March 2002 column, The Constitution or King George? The difference between a monarchy or a dictatorship and American Democracy is that we are governed by laws in a democracy instead of the personal whims of an authority figure. Bush does not seem to understand that he is not above the law! Failing to comply with the law concerning the NSA wiretaps eventually made the headlines since the actions were clearly illegal. Illegal actions by the government are a threat to our very form of government. The Bush White House had made a major step toward laying the groundwork for turning the nation into a police state. The extensive police state powers granted by the falsely-named Patriot Act had already brought the nation to the brink of becoming a police state even before the illegal actions of the Bush Administration had become public. The New York Times should have revealed these illegal wiretaps before the 2004 Presidential Election. American voters had the right to know that Bush was not respecting the rule of law before they voted. Keeping this essential information from the voters did a great injustice to our citizens and American Democracy. It is obvious that George W. Bush should now be impeached along with Vice President Dick Cheney. They should both be removed from office after impeachment. They cannot be trusted with the powers of federal government. They are a threat to American freedom and security greater than terrorism. Any Senator or member of Congress that defends these illegal actions by the Bush White House is equally a threat to our Constitution and American Democracy. They should be removed from office by the American voters. The rule of law must be defended over personal rule by leaders. American citizens should be represented by officeholders and not ruled over by the whims of authority figures. Politicians and officeholders should not be permitted to lie to American citizens on Constitutional issues. Stephen Crockett Subject: Dick Cheney Has Put It on the Table Dear Author, You make a very sharp analysis of your present situation. This differentiates you from many others of your compatriots. Now I wonder whether when you look into the reasons, which led you where you are now, you are not falling again for the smokescreen official story: "The terrorists have an ally in Dick Cheney and George W. Bush." Read the very good article about terrorism at Who Did It? (electroniciraq.net) The question seems not whether the terrorists are helping Bush/Cheney, but who the real terrorists are. The answer by EI is there is terrorism on both sides, it is directed at others and against the own people. "...the Busheviks are totally inept at making the right strategic moves in actually confronting the threat of terrorism" On the contrary, isn't it that they are creating if not inventing foreign terrorist, they desperately need them for their agenda? Now what is their agenda? The clearest aim I can see in the actions of the USA administration is to divert money - in the billions, through a war where expenditures can not be controlled, where military expenses (with up to 40 % corruption money) can be raised without opposition, where contracts can be handed out to cronies. And more money obviously means more power. I would be very much interested in knowing your opinion. Kind regards, A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Blaming Communications Dear Buzzflash; I have a question, which your Mailbag community may be able to help me with. Why is the GOP blaming 'communications' as the underlying problem behind the 9/11 attacks AND Hurricane Katrina? And why is their solution 'communications technologies?' And how much will Halliburton be awarded in government contracts to 'solve' this 'problem?' As I see it, poor leadership caused much of the problems in both those disasters, not communications technologies. Will the GOP now start a war on communication? Technology? And another thing, anyone notice how everything in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 is now headline news? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Growing Concern and Fear Amid Americans Dear BuzzFlash: With just days away from the holidays, many Americans are doing their part in keeping with helping US Companies move into the black. People everywhere are either feverishly looking for items to buy each other or making plans to shop until they drop. Something has recently changed, however. Everywhere I go people are talking about President Bush and the state of our government. They are sounding increasingly fearful and afraid of his terrible, horrible, very bad administration. You can hear it in people's voices. There is a marked concern and with it there is confusion. I'm not used to talking intelligently to people about my liberal point of view without getting the republican talking points thrown back at me. So imagine my surprise when at the supermarket, a cashier and I had the most amazing political discussion about the CIA leak investigation. At the hair salon people were openly discussing George Bush's speech from the night before. "Did you hear the President's speech last night?" "Yea, I watched for a few minutes." "What did he say?" "I don't know." Then I chimed in with, "He used to be really annoying to listen to, now he's just super annoying." Then today at a drug store an elderly lady suddenly exclaimed, "Saddam Hussein says he's being beaten!!!" to the cashier behind the register. Let's hope for the new year that this is a growing trend and more and more people have the veil removed from their eyes to see for themselves what has become of our nation. Andrea B. Subject: Dear Mr. President (or King) Whichever You Prefer It doesn't matter WHY you broke the law, the point is you broke the law. You have absolutely no right to make laws up as you go along. If you needed to spy, why not go through the courts? Lawyers have said that you could have gotten a warrant within two hours. You need to release the names of all of the people that you spied on to Congress and to the Senate. You have ruled this country by fear for far too long. The American people shouldn't fear terrorists, they should fear the power hungry, corrupt Bush administration that doesn't have any respect for laws and the Constitution. Kimberly D. Subject: New Congress for Impeachment Dear BuzzFlash; Impeaching these criminals is a wonderful idea. One thing stands in our way, however: the old congress will have to get voted out first, and not replaced by more GOP. A few questions: 1. How many seats are up for grabs, 2. in which states, 3. a. what is the political affiliation of the secretary of state in each of these states, b. if republican, when did he/she quit their job as head of the state's GOP party, 4. what kind of voting machines are used, 5. a. can the supreme court of these states overturn or interfere with an election, b. what is the political make-up of the state's supreme court, 6. and finally, if we win every office, would that be enough to remove republicans in power? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Dubya Brought Them On Does anyone remember Dubya's Famous "Bring them On" taunt? I was just thinking about how THEY REALLY did Rev it UP almost as a Response to the bellicose drunken taunt. We the People need to watch the "stands" of our representatives and not forget. Remember the representatives who move now to uncover illegalities and start impeachment of the LYING MURDERER. No More spineless Kerrys (who caved to a free/stolen 4-year ride to Bush) and unload deadwood Lieberman. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: ANWR voted down Dear Buzz: The senate voted down two bills this morning. The first bill would have provided funding for the military and for our troops fighting the war in Iraq. They also voted down a bill that would have provided much needed funding for the rebuilding efforts of the Katrina-affected areas. The reason that these two very important proposals were voted down was because of a dirty political tactic used by Senator Ted Stevens. After Senator Stevens' bill allowing for oil drilling in ANWR was voted down by the senate, Senator Stevens attached his legislation to the bills that would have provided funding for the troops and aid for the Katrina-affected areas. I would like to commend the members of the U.S. Senate for standing up to Senator Stevens and refusing to be bullied by his miserable tactics. I hope the senate can find a way to revive these bills without Senator Stevens holding them hostage again. These were good bills that would have provided for the security of our soldiers and the rebuilding of our Gulf Coast. These are bills that, because of Senator Stevens, may never be able to provide the assistance that is needed to win the war, protect our troops, and bring aid to Americans who have lost everything. Senator Stevens put the senate in the position of choosing whether to help our troops at the cost of the Alaskan environment and wildlife or desert the troops and preserve their commitment to our nation's last frontier. It put the senate in the position of having to choose between offering aid to the victims of one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the United States and saving the pristine forests of the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. Senator Stevens has, for the time being, caused the loss of funding that would have aided America. He has caused the loss of moneys that the military and the Gulf Coast cannot do without. If the U.S. Senate cannot revive these two bills without interference by Senator Stevens, then America only has Senator Stevens to blame. I hope that Senator Stevens will not bother any efforts that might offer some hope of reviving these two pieces of legislation. They are too important to the security of America and the futures of those devastated by the hurricane. Thank you, A Buzzflash Reader [BuzzFlash Note: As of Wednesday night ... Senate Approves $29B in Hurricane Relief (AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune). The House meets Thursday to vote on the bill, with ANWR drilling removed.] They have it backwards!!! Not GOP But POG= Party Of Greed Syd Subject: Why is it that no major media outlet has the wiretapping scandal front page? Don't believe me? Take a look: http://www.abcnews.go.com: Covering the Judge leaving FISA, but not the why. http://www.cnn.com: Apparently a Letterman story is more important news.... http://www.usatoday.com: Pirro dropping out is more important??? http://www.msnbc.com: I guess Canada allowing group sex to be legal is more important. http://www.cbsnews.com: Again, the FISA court judge quits, but not the why. http://www.foxnews.com: Okay, this wasn't really a surprise. How can the wind have been taken from the sails of this so quickly? People need to make it known that this story is important, even outside the blogosphere. A BuzzFlash Reader [BuzzFlash Note: The above links are to home pages, so the stories have changed since this letter was submitted. Still, nothing on page 1 when we checked today. MSNBC/Newsweek (web only) at least has Where’s the Outrage? And CBS' has an Op Ed: Eavesdropping: Beyond Bad Manner.] Subject: Two Subversives Talking (obtained without approval by a judge, as per his excellency, King George number two) is this the moment? who knows? if it isn't? move on don't dwell on it and if it is? act accordingly A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Christmas Greeting to Bush/Cheney and Sen. Smith President Bush reminds me of a used car salesman, the guy in a funny suit who attempts to get you to come back just one more time. You have been to this car lot many times and have never gotten a good car, they all have some type of problem, but you cannot seem to stay away from this guy. Maybe it is because you want so much for this man to show, just once, that he is honorable, will tell you the truth---he does promise this time will be different. Here is a good time to tell you a story about denial: A woman was cleaning her daughter’s room and found some birth control pills; she confronted her daughter with the evidence. “Tell me!” said the mother, “These are not your pills.” The daughter replied, “Mom, my name is on the pill holder, and they are filled by prescription, they are my pills.” “Tell me that these pills do not belong to you,” said the mother again. The daughter gave up and said, “OK, they are not mine, mom. The mother put down the pills and said, “Make sure you return the pills to their owner and we will not talk about this again.” In this short true story, the mother got what she needed; a way to deny the evidence and continue on her make believe road. She was happy and safe from the reality that her young daughter was having sex. To understand why 40-50% of Americans still support this criminal administration re-read the story. I used to think that we were heading for a cliff, there was great danger if we did not stop and look where this man called Bush was leading us, and now time has run out. We have gone over the cliff, and we have smashed upon the ground, now we are just pieces of what was, we are broken and will never be the same. The Bush family has won, Dick Cheney can die in peace, he has succeeded in destroying the country once called the United States of America. There is nothing left, our great democracy is dead. We are now known for torturing suspects and old men, [we are] the invaders who burn women and children in the tens of thousands. The rest of the world thinks we have gone mad. Once our enemies would surrender to us knowing that they would be treated like human beings. Remember the stories of the Germans, (WW2), who would run to the GIs and away from the Russians because the word was out that Americans would treat you as a POW and not execute you on the spot? Sorry, gone. We now know that BushCo is spying on Americans without any checks and balances, they decide who is a threat and who is not. The DOD is spying on groups including Quakers, who say this action in Iraq is wrong and must be stopped. Rummy is smiling and happy. Our Vets are being shipped home as freight, after dying for something they thought was noble. Freight, no honor guard, in the excess baggage holes of planes, where above first class passengers drink champagne. Over three hundred thousand vets from the first Bush war are now listed on permanent disability, there will be many, many more from the little bush. Our VA system is imploding and you cheer for the bush. There is so much more--China owns our IOUs, the poor will now be cut from food stamps, medical care on any level---Barbara likes this part. Our media has gone from being called the muck rakers to the Main Stream Media to the Corporate Media and having finally succeeded in reaching the height of their hypocrisy, will now be know just as “The State Run News.” “God Bless Us, Every one!” 12/21/05 Joseph Walsh Subject: Another Film To Shirley in St. Louis and others: Here is another film you might want to try to watch: The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream (2004) Directed by Gregory Greene I saw this while on the Nation Magazine cruise in 2004, and it is really eye-opening. I'm not sure if it's available on DVD, but it's definitely worth trying to find. David Schlomer Subject: Patriot Bill - Democrats Prove Me Right Again I can't believe the Democrats revived the Patriot Act. Even after all the threats from the right I still thought the Democrats would hold the line and the Patriot Act was dead for good. Just where do frustrated people like me, who feel deserted by the Democrats, turn? Apparently I am so far out of the mainstream. I still get letters every day asking me for money supporting the DNC. Lawton Watson Subject: A State of War Shall Not Be Invoked as Justification for Torture The current administration seems to think that because he has declared "war" against terrorism, he is not constrained by common moral decency and the law. As President of the United States, he is constitutionally obligated to uphold treaties signed by the United States:
And yet, the US is a signatory to the Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture, which includes the following:
And yet, both the President and the Vice President, despite pleas from Congress, have chosen to condone torture. IMPEACH! A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: The Moron in the White House... Whose Fault... Read On. As Democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. -- Henry Louis Mencken - Journalist. ca. 1920 compliments from yours truly, G. Bowling Subject: Jude Rouslin "NSA" Stamps Props to "Sarasota" Jude for posting the link for the free "WARNING: NSA May Be Monitoring" stamps he has offered to one and all on his website. I will paste them to all my outgoing mail. Starting now! He has also created a wonderful piece entitled "Moments Child" which can be viewed on his website which I am linking here: http://members.tripod.com/inside_out_graphics2/index.html A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: A Nightmare Before Christmas Dear Buzz, Remember Tim Burton’s movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas? Jack Skellington is the skull-headed and thinner- than- bones main character who is not at all like other Grinch-type malcontents out to decimate Christmas; rather, he is a dreamer, a likable character , no longer satisfied with his past successes as the Pumpkin King of Halloween Land. When he literally stumbles into Christmas Land, he is immediately aware that there is a certain “feeling” welling up inside of him. He seeks to capture that feeling, and indeed Christmas itself, by deciding that he and his town of scary creatures, including a mayor with two faces, can bring Christmas to children around the world, and do it better than Santa himself. So ambitious is Jack’s plot, that he dispatches treacherous Trick or Treaters to capture Santa, who is subsequently held in a torture chamber by the Boogeyman. Jack’s loyal helpers, trying to be like the elves, create all of the things they think the children will like, but each and every toy is not only scary, but downright dangerous! This trend continues as Jack and his skeletal reindeer deliver malevolent toys that bite and roar and make children scream and parents call the police. Most terrifying of all is a gigantic stuffed boa constrictor, which proceeds to gulp down a whole Christmas tree with horrifying snake aplomb. Well, another Christmas has rolled around, and we still have our own “likeable” King, so full of ambition and over-confidence that he has decided he can do a better job of running America Land, even better than it was running in those days of adhering to the Constitution! After all, he has that feeling welling up inside him. He claims to protect us and feels divinely inspired as he stubbornly continues to deliver a sack full of dangers to us—the danger of prolonged war, the danger of more, not less, terrorism, the danger to our environment, and the dangers to fairness, equality, even democracy itself. And with the help of his treacherous little Trick or Treaters (with their fingers crossed behind their backs) in Congress, and various Boogeymen here and there in the world, he is trying to steal the spirit of our country; trying to make it something that it is not. Jack Skellington learned his lesson (What are you doing to Santa?!!), let Santa go in the nick of time, and Christmas was saved. Now what about our nightmare? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/ Susan Lynch Subject: You do not have to spend much on campaign ads-just use the republicans in their own words and votes that is more powerful than anything any ad agency could even think of....using the republicans' lack of compassion for the poor and young and needy and sick..using their votes against programs for the same people, using their votes and speeches on the floor against the same, and the vets healthcare bill and all their lying about reducing the budget - yet not one of them will remove tax cut provision and roll it back to when America was richer-to when Clinton was president. Do not spend one dime other than using their own words and deeds and interviews and rationales against them. This will poison their well. They can run but cannot hide. Look what they did with Kerry's words in the last presidential election-and you won't even have to distort the truth, like they did. You have to wake America...all America and its people up now...start now. karin dicker Subject: The demolishing effect of presidential power Well, let's see--they tried to get rid of Social Security, and would love to do away with Medicaid. Is the FISA court next?
A Buzzer [BuzzFlash Note: Either the Post invented an anonymous judge, or they sought one out who is saying that. Oops, we're becoming paranoid. Very likely, a judge called the reporters to freely offer that remark.] Well, how to we depose and dispose of Bush, Cheney, Frist, and Hastert, all at the same time? Can the US hold another Presidential election because of the manipulated, false results in Florida, 2000? Any election lawyers know what options the country has if Baby Doc goes down? Thanks for a fabulous, 'best of' political websites in the world. D. Shatin Subject: "In Imperialism Nothing Fails Like Success!" Meanwhile, back in Iraq ...
Will Democracy ever succeed for the Iraqis under their present situation? Only a change in the values and priorities of an Iraq, that is united, will make a difference, Right now, and maybe forever, we see an Iraq of conflicting ideas and feelings between Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds. Iraq is far away from the goal of Democracy, despite George’s “stay the course” rhetoric, and his public relations strategy for what he calls victory!! Bush has used "Shock and Awe" bombing, the Iraqis have lost their homes, their cities, and their families. Though highly touted by Bush, the election and past benchmarks and “purple fingers” will be short-lived, and not serve as the means to get to the end successfully.
The Bush arse-kissing media seems reluctant to report problems of voting, and the conflict between the factions in Iraq! If you are searching for the truth, two good web-sites are: http://icasualties.org/oif/ and If you look at the incidents of violence, though NOT REPORTED and DOWNPLAYED once again by the media, the insurgencies continue on their path of death and destruction, actively thwarting the security of Iraqis. Meanwhile, our soldiers’ deaths at 2160 are nearing the 2200 mark in a SHORT period of time. The Senate {only by 1 vote from Cheney}, passed the budget bill affecting Medicare and Medicaid and student loans, as we pour money into Iraq at breakneck speed. George will not stray from “His Course, still refuses to look at reality in Iraq, and covers major problems with the help of the media. From the onset of the invasion of Iraq, until today, the anything BUT “WISE” George W. Bush, and his Administration, have misrepresented and lied about the facts. All that has happened since reveals, “Their impaired judgment.” “Logical consequences are the scarecrows of fools and the beacons of wise men!” declared, Thomas Henry Huxley! Susan Carr CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE DECEMBER 22, 2005 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG |
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