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| January 11, 2006 |
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: Bush's Image: The Wal-Mart President (satire) Every time I hear George Bush make a speech or give a press conference I get the feeling that I’ve got a cheap imitation President instead of a real one. I get the feeling that instead of a real, capable, intelligent leader we have a really cheap rip-off. If I’m going to be governed by a ruthless cabal bent on world domination and the destruction of civilization couldn’t they at least get a decent figurehead? I’d like someone who can realistically play the presidential role instead of looking like some third rate actor in a made-for-TV movie. No pretzel bruises or brush cuts should mar the visage of our fearless commander-in-chief. If we can’t have a real democracy can’t we get someone like Val Kilmer to play the president? Any rational human with a pulse now understands that both the 2000 and 2004 elections were a pageant. We weren’t electing a President; we were picking Miss Popularity with faulty voting machines. Why don’t we have a sexier President, a more plausible President? There is a lot of reason to believe that Bill Clinton buried any investigation of drug smuggling by the CIA at Mena, but he did have an engaging smile. He, at least, made lip to the greater good and even enacted some laws so beneficial that the Republicans had to overturn them as soon as they could occupy their offices in Washington. It’s bad enough that we have to live in a military dictatorship with overtones of a repressive theocracy, but on top of all that we have to put up with a bumbling inbred who can’t even fake it? Look, I enjoyed the spectacle of 9/11 just as much as the next guy. It was great TV. Billows of flaming jet fuel, explosive airplane crashes followed by the incredible collapsing buildings. You have to admit, whether it was Muslim fanatics based in Afghani caves or neocon believers bent on world domination, the visuals were terrific. We deserve a better encore. Come’ on Bush, give us a tear-jerking session in a VA hospital where you explain to the maimed 22-year-old why you didn’t fight in Vietnam. Let’s see Dick Cheney’s cell phone records and NSA wiretaps. It’s only fair. They get to see ours. You show me yours and I’ll show you mine. I guess I shouldn’t complain. Whatever the Bush crowd lacks in panache is more than compensated by the sheer outrageousness of the Robertson proclamations. But, once, just once couldn’t we see a mud-wrestling match between Condi and Hugo? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: HOLY SH_T. HOLY SH_T. FEINGOLD ASKED ALITO WHO WAS PRESENT AT HIS PRACTICE SESSIONS Alito: Nobody told me what to say [he responded defensively, ducking the question entirely]. Then Specter interrupts Feingold: Let him answer the question. Feingold: [paraphrase] Anyone from the administration? Alito: Not in regard to substance. Feingold: Only Style? Alito: Yes McManus Subject: Alito must not be confirmed At a time when the President has declared himself to be above the law we must not confirm a justice to the Supreme Court who agrees that the President is above the law. Sam Alito agrees with Bush that he is allowed to break the law. As Americans we The People must take whatever actions necessary to block him or we will no longer be a free nation. Marc Perkel PS: Side note: Have you seen this? Bush Advisor Says President Has Legal Power to Torture Children (informationclearinghouse). Subject: Employment rates....and Dean For those of you who question the employment figures as given to you by the right wingers, when anyone falls off the welfare rolls, they are no longer counted as unemployed ... and the republicans ... love to count them as "finding jobs." As for those of you who want a 'no nonsense' person to run for our prez. candidate 2008, I voted for Howard Dean in the primaries, so, I am sure to be joining you for the draft! Everyone running for president in 2004 ramroded Howard into losing, they all turned into jerk, right wingers at that time ... with the possible exception of Wesley Clark ... and John Edwards ... so either of those are okay for vice prez! But, I, for one, do not even want to see Joe Lieberman or Joe Biden or Kerry, or any responsible for sticking it to Howard! Our candidates, for the most part, did exactly what Bush did to McCain! Count me in!!!!! Shirley...............St. Louis Subject: Is it me? Dear Friends: Is it just me, or have I been noticing an inordinate amount of the Repuglican color RED on CNN, C-Span and at the Alito hearings? Peace & Love ... Frank Subject: Brownie was incompetent as heck but at least he was honest about it Prior to the disaster of New Orleans which he shepherded for the Vacationer in Chief he was sending these letters out to people about flood insurance reminding them that if there is a flood the Federal Government won't do a single thing to help you. You are on your own unless you happen to live in a swing state during a Presidential election year in which you will receive things you didn't even want and aren't entitled to like colored television sets and DVD players. Brownie and Bush the dynamic duo that sank America. This quote and picture came from Consumer Reports by the way. http://members.cox.net/lazarus33/Brownie-warning.jpg Dan D. Subject: Marketplace Efficiency What a crock that is, what with an astounding sixteen percent of our GDP being spent on a marketplace health care system in which a third or so of the population is left-out entirely; for which the official explanation is, "Sorry, but these people have no insurance", which tells us that unless somehow there's a buck to be made out of one's illness, the marketplace being what it is, one best forget about health care. Never mind that the rest of the industrialized world provides health care for all with nobody left-out and pulls this off at little more than half of what our marketplace health care system costs. Which means that when we switch from this here marketplace to a Canadian-style health care system, everybody's going to receive the best possible health care, with easily enough moola left-over to cover the cost of one's medicines, home-care and much more. Why aren't we switching right now? Because the powers that be prefer the marketplace, that's why; with greed always paramount and to hell with human need. How to undo this? We the people change the world, that's how. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Unconscionable Sen. Graham Sen. Lindsey Graham's behavior (below) is dishonest and fraudulent (insert kabuki play cliche here), but will he recuse himself? Or will anyone seek his recusal? Of course, Graham's flouting of principled behavior is as nothing compared to Chief Justice Roberts' blatant conflict of interest in deciding a case in the President's favor, even as the Pres considered nominating him. And he got away with it. One reason Republicans can flaunt their corruption with some impunity is that most Democrats and media are too corrupt to object. But for some career attorneys with integrity in the Justice Dept., would anyone be accountable in Washington?
WMB Subject: Governator Motorcycle Crash Am I safe to assume that if Arnold was driving his motorcycle without a license that he has also been driving as an uninsured motorcyclist all these years? Just curious.
Michael Marcus Subject: Bye Bye Democratic USA Dear Americans Who Used to Be Citizens of a Democracy: The almost sure confirmation of Alito ... http://www.buzzflash.com/editorial/06/01/edi06002.html [very scary to us Canadians too!]) is as bad as the idea of Bush-lite Harper winning the Canadian federal elections this month! Bad taste in the mouth feeling for sure. If we all think really positive thoughts, do you think that all those negative things will go away? Something is going to break soon and it won't be pretty for any who now walk the earth (what is left of it), especially if you are one of the marginalized like 80% of us are (yes, that is the number of humans worldwide the think tanks believe are expendable while still maintaining the rich persons' lifestyles). Marie-France Germain Subject: Re: Bill (watermelon) Darbyshire Some of us who aren't paranoid enough to be constantly armed down here in concealed weapons country where people get killed over minor traffic difficulties are not fond of the idea of being locked in a tent with lots of paranoid armed people. Not all are paranoid, but many are. The day after the largest tornado in history hit Moore, Ok, the city live in, one of the things that came to mind were the thousands of guns that were exposed where children could get them. Karen Webb Subject: On Alito Samuel Alito, in responding to Sen. Biden's question, said the reason discrimination cases reach appellate courts is that they are weak cases. According to Alito, the strong cases settle at the trial level, the questionable cases settle also, but for less money, and the weak cases are dismissed by the trial court, and they are the ones that reach the appellate courts. The reason Alito concludes they are weak? Because they have been dismissed at the trial level, thereby setting the stage for appeal. Conclusion: Because only the "weak" discrimination cases reach the appellate courts, those cases deserve to be dismissed. In other words, it is the job of the appellate court routinely to affirm the trial court's dismissal of discrimination cases. This shabby reasoning speaks for itself. Please contact your legislators and tell them to vote against this intellectually lazy, dishonest poseur. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: NSA Spying Today on the 230th anniversary of the publishing of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense," I am troubled by something that I read today that I want to share with you. Here is what Senator Bill Frist has to say on the subject.
Now I have taken this quote out of context. That is what Frist said on the eve of the impeachment of Bill Clinton. He has been very quiet since the revelation by our President of his secret spying program. Others have spoken out, in fact fourteen legal scholars have deemed that the President has broken the law. They, of course, note the secrecy of the program and say the issue needs further review and oversight. That is exactly what Representative John Conyers and several others are calling for under house resolution 635. Please contact your representative to let them know you support this piece of legislation. It is common sense. Why the NSA Surveillance Program Is Unlawful (Huffington Post) Thank you, Terry Reed Subject: Not Buying It we see now the bush people have decided to push the (IF YOU ARE CRITICIZING THE WAR, YOU ARE AIDING THE ENEMY) tactic on the democrats. :):):):) people are not buying the sales jobs anymore. randi, liz and renee Subject: Illegal domestic spying Hey Buzz, Any bets on whether or not this imperial, dictatorial president is, and has been since before the last presidential election, using the NSA as his own private gadfly to spy on his political opponents and his critics in Congress? They use the national security laws and classification as a club to intimidate would-be whistle blowers in order to keep their dirty deeds secret. Any doubts that they're spying on all the democrats, 24-7, digging up dirt for blackmail purposes? Probably doing it to all the republicans, too, just to keep them toeing the line. An administration which claims the legal authority to crush the testicles of an innocent child of a "terror" suspect http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11488.htm is, in my opinion, capable of anything. No wonder the democrats are so neutered! They've probably known about this for a while. Any doubts that the king has the goods on all of them who have things they want to hide, compliments of his unconstitutional, illegal imperial power grab? Has his power grab been legally challenged? Hell no! You can just imagine how many skeletons are in all of their closets. Democracy has been co-opted by the king and his merry band of power-drunk thugs with nary a peep from the democrats. And where the hell are all of those "Ralph Nader" independents out there? The silence is deafening. The democrats in Congress might as well go home. Seriously! I mean it. They're tainted goods. They're the most useless, incoherent, weak bunch of "opposition party" members to which I've ever been witness. There has to be more to it than that they're just spineless. Now, the king is using his bully pulpit again to brand as "traitors," and try to convince everyone else to brand as "traitors," anyone who criticizes his incompetence and lies. God, how can people be so stupid as to fall for this childish, nationalistic nonsense? Even a child can see through the lies and shameless manipulation. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: What’s the Use? Is there any point in anyone challenging this administration? Why would anyone want to stand up and say that the country is heading in the wrong direction? Republican slimers will begin their attack before the person criticizing their dysfunctional leadership has even finished speaking. They won’t respond to the criticism in an honest way, they will simply attack the messenger. Republican tactics 101. The vast majority of the citizenry just doesn’t care. They will troop off to the elections and vote as they always do. Nothing will change. It’s easier to say all politicians are corrupt than it is to pay attention to what‘s happening. Incidentally, the next reporter who says the electorate is saying “A pox on both their houses” should be drawn and quartered. If you watch cable news programs it all seems hopeless. There is no honest debate. There is no honest discussion about where this country is going. The same old Conservatives making the same tired old excuses for the latest blunder the administration has perpetrated on the United States and its people. They don’t care if what they want hurts the country. They just want to get their way. They just want to win. I heard one Washington Reporter on CNN say several times that the Democrats need to realize that losing elections has consequences. Does that mean that the Democrats we elected should do nothing, just because they are in the minority? There seem to be a lot of Democrats who agree with that position. Those who stand up and say anything are immediately targeted by the right-wing slime machine. Then they are attacked by the left as not doing enough. It’s a can’t win situation. No wonder the rest are so reluctant to stand up. Standing up for anything not part of this administration paints a big target on your back. The President chastises anyone who does not criticize him in the way he thinks he should be criticized. How very Bushlike that he thinks people need his approval for the way they choose to criticize him. He has wrecked everything he has touched since he became president. Fortunately for him the electorate treats his incompetence the same way he treats his incompetent appointees. No accountability. Hell of a way to run a country. What’s the use? Marjorie L. Swanson CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE JANUARY 11, 2006 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG |
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