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| January 18, 2006 |
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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: Al Gore's Speech, Your Editorial Only to say I am so depressed by the mainstream media controlled by the King George and his cohorts.... I was so moved by Al's speech and appreciated your editorial about him and it. He spoke the truth against the treason that infests our executive branch and congress. I am scared, frankly, and am so ashamed of what our country is becoming. I see no recourse down the road except for some kind of revolution against the corporatists-fascists. There seems to be no hope for change otherwise. The evil and the terrorist resides in the White House, and its minions lurk in the halls of congress. Sincerely, Richard Welser Subject: Al Gore gave the speech of his life yesterday ... ... and perhaps one of the most important speeches of our lives yesterday. He is the first politician to truly call a spade a spade in these most troubling of times, when Democrats are silent or at most hushed for fear of fulfilling ridiculous Republican caricatures of liberals. Republicans still dominate the national dialogue with lies and distractions, and the media keeps it that way. Americans are keenly aware that we have lost our way, but most of us do not recall exactly how or why. Al Gore spelled it out to us as no Democratic politician has had the cojones to do. He accurately observed that while previous Presidents have occasionally accumulated excessive power for the Executive branch, America’s other two branches of government always came through to restore equilibrium before the imbalance became permanent. We now live in times when the Republican-controlled Legislative branch has been contributing to the power accumulation of the Republican-controlled Executive branch, and with the confirmation of Samuel Alito, the Judiciary branch will be the final branch of government to be dominated by Republican control. Gore correctly stated that the Republicans are moving towards what the Founding Fathers had broken away from: a government controlled by an all-powerful person (a king) as opposed to a system of three sovereign branches of government where any two branches prevent the third branch from accumulating too much power (a democracy). Al Gore called for Attorney General Gonzales to recuse himself in order that an independent investigation of Bush’s illegal unwarranted wire-tapping begin immediately. While Republican spin meisters will predictably chalk this up to a sour-grapes complex on Gore’s part and the mainstream media has already predictably ignored this speech (in favor of more important news of a tractor trailer overturned on a highway), there are several things that should indicate the speech’s historical importance. First, the speech was introduced by a staunch Republican, former Congressman Barr who supported Gore’s larger vision of America restoring sovereign power to the Legislative branch of government. No other significant Democrat politician was brave enough to support Gore in informing the American people of how and why we have lost our way, and it was quite revealing that the Democrats are not protecting the American people from the tyranny committed by the Republicans with complicity by the mainstream media. Secondly, the speech was given on Martin Luther King Day in direct juxtaposition with King’s speech that the US government was not living up to its standards of preserving life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans. Thirdly, consider the implications: this was a recent former Vice President declaring the current President and those who support him in Congress to be tyrants. Where a crime has been committed by the President of the United States, suggesting accountability is neither partisan (as Republicans will assuredly label it) nor is it irrelevant (as the mainstream media has treated it). For such a crime to stand unpunished suggests that the Democrats consider the American people too stupid to understand that their lives, liberties, and pursuits of happiness are under attack and are therefore not worth defending. For such a crime to stand unpunished suggests that George W. Bush and his fellow Republicans consider the American people too stupid to understand that their lives, liberties, and pursuits of happiness are under attack and are therefore worthy of being servile and manipulated. A true patriot and a great man, Al Gore put his reputation on the line in defending the lives, liberties, and pursuits of happiness of all Americans on Martin Luther King Day. Harris Bierhoff Subject: Al Gore Great article on Al Gore. I wish he would run for President in 08. I am ready to support him. I would like Al Gore and the Junior Senator from Ill. Dorothy Levy Subject: Gore's Speech I just wanted to applaud you for being so passionate about the lack of coverage the media has given Al Gore's speech. I hope you will lobby with some columnists to focus on this journalistic omission as well as what Gore had to say. But having columnists "report" the news is not the same as having it in the news columns. Shame on the Times and Post for not covering the story. I found no mention of it in the Cleveland Plain Dealer or the Lake County (Ohio) News-Herald today either. Shocking! A BuzzFlash contributor asked last week a relevant question--How can we stop preaching to the choir and get our message out to mainstream America? Jackie Evangelista [BuzzFlash Note: We can educate others by sharing Al Gore's speech; discuss it with others, write letters to the editor and to congress; and/or send people these links: Fmr. Vice Pres. Gore Speech on Executive Powers (1/16/2006) (C Span); You Can Find the Video of the Full Al Gore Martin Luther King Day Speech on Our Constitutional Crisis on C-Span 1/17; Check C-Span for Rebroadcast Times: Al Gore Speaks on Pres. Bush, the limits of executive power, the issue of monitoring domestic communications and the authorization of the use of torture in the war against terrorism; "A president who breaks the law is a threat to the very structure of our government. ...it is 'We the people' who must now find once again the ability we once had to play an integral role in saving our Constitution." -- Al Gore in a "Martin Luther King" Day Speech That Must be Read. Gore is the Prophet of Democracy, Who is Marginalized by Career Repubs and Dems Alike Because His Priorities are Our Constitution, Not the Political Status Quo. THE Speech of Recent Memory. Subject: The Speech (your editorial) Your editorial was great! On C-span this morning...they spent 45 minutes with just calls on the "Speech"! There were at least 5 people who called in and said that they stood alone in front of their Television yesterday....and applauded...I did that, too. With tears in my eyes. Yes, he gave up too soon...but, he was forced out by the 'powers that be.' This is what a Tennessean sounds like when he is mad.....and how can anyone make a speech that long without either looking at his notes....or following the teleprompter....Y'all know...like the dimwit does! Incidentally....only 4 calls, that I remember...were anti-Gore...for 45 minutes that is not bad in this frighteningly screwed up country! Shirley.............St. Louis Subject: Carville I'm so perplexed by BuzzFlash, because you have a really clear-eyed analysis of so much of what goes on, e.g., you recognize Feinstein and other Democrats as the corporate flunkies they are. At the same time, you can offer premiums of commentary and analysis by people like James Carville, who is the same twanging talking head who "triangulated" the Democratic Party to defeat in the last several elections. Don't you recognize that he's part of the symptom and the problem...as is Feinstein and others you rightly name? I hope you won't be doing a brain-dead reprise of "ABB" come election time...because Bush is a product not of the Republican right wing, but of the lesser-evil politics of both major parties. He's a symptom...as will be the next one, if we don't start demanding principle and honesty from those who supposedly represent us. Dan Raphael [BuzzFlash Note: From our review: "Just when we were thinking that maybe Carville and Begala were becoming entrenched Washington pundits, they come out with a book (January, 2006) like this and proved us wrong. ... We don't agree with their entire recipe for taking back democracy, but when we read them we are filled with hope again. And that's a mighty powerful force. ... Carville and Begala know that no reader is going to agree with everything they say, but boy they sure do get you fired up and ready to ride off into battle."] Subject: Alito Liberals and most conservatives share common ground on the question of the Alito nomination, although it appears that the people who have been managing the debate have been doing their best to hide that fact. I believe that the abortion question has generated a smokescreen that obscures much more important issues: executive power and privacy rights. If more emphasis is placed on these concerns, then maybe the real conservatives in the Senate (they *are* there, aren't they?) will understand the constitutional threat that the administration poses to this nation. On this and, I suspect, many other issues, those who call themselves liberals and those who call themselves conservatives might find a great deal of common ground and establish a real dialogue. The real battle is between those who use power ethically and those who do not. That is a battle that must be brought into the open. Philip S. Crosby Subject: Good News from the State of NJ NJN News reported yesterday (1/16) that Governor-elect John Corzine had already been busy cutting costs. He eliminated his own inaugural parade, is holding the associated inaugural ball in a gym at Princeton University, and in lieu of the traditional sit down dinner, the meal is buffet-style. No invite needed to watch Corzine (northjersey.com) Pam Clifford Subject: Medals of Heroes Let me tell you all something about this medals flap. My dad who fought in Korea was a bona fide hero and had the medals to prove it, but he stored them away, even while in the service, and never showed them off. I know that real Heroes never do. Murtha talks about the future like a real hero; the ones that criticize him are as false as the Iraq boondoggle. An Army Brat Subject: The Everyman Politician He uses the word "heck" and makes like he's one of us, when all the while he's nothing but a front and cover for our oppressors, the powers that be. How to get rid of said Everyman? We see to it that he's impeached, whereupon, ipso facto and ergo, we the people will have changed the world. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Gore Speech I read the transcript, and it does not capture the passion of the spoken speech. The DNC should buy TV time and run it, or run various parts of it in commercial time slots of 30 seconds or 1 minute. It would help in the Congressional campaigns. A BuzzFlash Reader [BuzzFlash Note: True - but having read the transcript ourselves, we still recommend taking time to print and read it. His logic and facts are indelible in black and white.] Subject: The Earth about to Catch a Morbid Fever So hot from global warming that, by the end of this century, humankind will number several billion fewer than now, says British scientist James Lovelock, who goes on to suggest that we begin educating our children to what lies ahead. "Only a few of you will survive but anyways, for what it's worth, here's a list of what one can do to ready oneself for the impending doom. And, by the way, there's this here war on terror, so don't expect even a dime from yours truly, your very own commander-in-chief." How to make sure that our children don't experience the terrible conditions that Lovelock predicts now awaits them? We the people change the world, that's how. Earth doctor's news is very, very bad (The Independent/int.iol.co.za) A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: O'Reilly Debate Contest Entry Copy (BuzzFlash Mention) Thought you might enjoy my 'debate contest' entry sent to FOX News tonight.
A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: My Phone Call To Europe Was Tapped Hi, I'm only a little Mrs. America here in Florida, but when I phoned my 92 yr old mom in Dublin, Ireland, there were multiple 'clicks' on the line. At one stage I asked her if my brother was there and happened to pick up the extension ph ... but he wasn't. So, I said to my mom, someone is listening in on our call. This happened on more than one occasion in 2005. Why is GORE our only VOICE??? Where are the head honcho DEMS??... As BF put it, trying to hold on to their day job and not rock the already Turbulent Boat. As of tomorrow, I'm becoming an INDEPENDENT... screw the DEMS. They are USELESS-hence our political situation today. I've had it. Anyone who WANTS my vote has to work for it. Margaret Miller Subject: Dianne Feinstein Feinstein along with Lieberman are exactly the reasons why I don't give to the Democratic party any longer. I give to individual candidates only. They are also the reasons why it will be extremely difficult for the Democrats to regain any semblance of power in 2006. When is she up for reelection? Please Democrats put up opposition in some progressive form! Lawton Watson Subject: Al Gore Is a Dear Son of the DLC What is all that fuss about Al Gore? He is a dear son of the DLC which is a big suck up to big business and the super rich and which took the Democratic party downhill and away from serving the true needs of its grassroot constituents. The DLC is nothing but a face on the coin. The other face is the Republican party. We need a new leadership for the Democratic party or a new party altogether. A BuzzFlash Reader [BuzzFlash Note: Neither the DNC nor DLC websites mentions Gore's speech. Does that make Gore an independent?] Subject: Re your editorial about Gore's speech - WHAT ABOUT US? In your editorial about Al Gore's speech - key points below - you blame the media and the Democrats for being administration enablers and being more concerned with protecting their "day jobs" than with protecting the Constitution. Are they not just representing all of us in that enabling and in that protecting of their comforts rather than their freedoms? Is that not what all of us do when we fire off occasional emails to our politicians or post angry blog entries, or occasionally even take to the streets with angry signs on sticks, but never do anything that would actually put a wrench in the Fascist wheel of Imperialism because it might threaten "our lives, our fortune or or sacred honor"? You mention Di-Fi's hubby's defense industry ties, but don't most ALL of us have defense industry ties? Where are our stock market investments and our retirement funds? And are we not sending in our contributions to the war machine with our every paycheck? It's the Wal-Martization of our ideals, our freedoms, our very Democracy. Sure we don't really like sweatshops and slavery and discrimination, but HEY, did you see that deal they have on flat screen TVs or kids clothes or whatever? Same-same with our Constitutional rights and freedom s... yeah, yeah we're all for truth, justice and the American way, but war - even one built on lies - is good for business. So we turn over our life's energy, in the form of the money we make to the defense industry in the form of our tax dollars and our retirement funds and our investment dollars. And we know corporations have too much control over our politicans and our media, but we continue to enable them through our consumer and investment dollars. When the people lead, the leaders will follow. When will WE THE PEOPLE pledge "our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor" to the cause of our Constitution and fight for our rights and freedoms by withdrawing $$upport in all forms from the military-industrial-congressional corporatocracy? When will WE stop paying taxes because we no longer have meaningful representation - even at the risk to our own lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor? When will WE withdraw all investments from any company that profits from war and injustice and environmental destruction? We could bring the whole corporatocracy to a grinding halt, but we would have to do it TOGETHER. When the people lead, the leaders will follow. The corporatocracy feeds on OUR dollars. As long as those flow, our words, our outrage matters not one whit. Is it Tea Party time yet? Linda Wymore Subject: democrats.org does not have Gore's speech I sent this to democrats.org using their contact page.
bob Subject: Filibuster not off or on the table right now Please stop headlining the Alito hearing as if it is a done deal. It is far from it. When you do that, it makes it hard for Progressive individuals to keep fighting and for us to tell others to keep fighting. This fight is CERTAINLY not over. We have a week to build the momentum from a citizen-led fight, and we need help from BuzzFlash and other progressive sites to keep the momentum and calls and letters growing so we can apply enough pressure for a filibuster. The Democrats have nothing to lose right now by engaging in a filibuster. We have everything to lose if they don't. The worst thing we can do now is throw our hands up and say all is lost. That is in fact why the Republicans always win. We don't fight and we need to learn how. Here is an article. Schumer mentions the Filibuster is not off or on the table at this time. Everyone, keep calling. We are making headway.
Connie Shannon Subject: Disbelief When Santorum was patting himself on the back about his accomplishments as a representative and a senator, he forgot to mention that so far in the 2006 election cycle he has received more money from lobbyists than any other candidate. THIS HYPOCRITE shared the stage with Senator McCain today to discuss LOBBYING REFORM! Can you believe it? That old saw " putting the fox in charge of the henhouse" certainly applies in this case. Does anyone recall how Santorum inserted himself into the Schiavo case, flew to Florida, met with her parents, and then went on to a fund-raising event sponsored by Revlon and Outback Steak Houses? At this event he raised $100,000 for his re-election campaign. Not a bad haul for a Senator who lives full-time in Virginia, pretends to represent Pennsylvania, and travels to Florida via a corporate jet. How can anyone believe Slick Rick is really interested in reforming or limiting the influence of lobbyists in our government? My advice to Santorum: Keep showing up for photo-ops. Continue talking. Like Bush, the more we see you and hear you the more we realize what a lightweight you truly are. Lou from PA Subject: Krugman: First Do More Harm Excellent analysis as usual, but I'd like to add one more point. Nearly all the "Health Savings Accounts" I've been offered over the last several years are pre-tax dollars, to be put in the account for withdrawal during the year. However, if you overestimate the amount of money you will spend for yourself and your family, you lose the money in the account at the end of the year - it isn't returned to you or rolled over. Since employers are switching health care carriers on nearly an annual basis already, the average family with children will be hard put to accurately estimate what their co-pays will be for medical, dental or prescription medication. Moreover they can't use those expenditures when itemizing their income tax, of course, because the funds are pre-tax. This may be more of a blow at the state income tax level than the federal. Lastly, who gets the money left in the account? Since it was pre-tax dollars, do they pay income tax on it? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: We'll allow Bush the power to wiretap Americans ... ... after we all get to listen in on all Bush, Cheney, Rove ... Rummy's calls. Just have every call routed to the internet and every one of us can listen to their conversations (corrupt deals). Since they have nothing to hide, I am sure they wouldn't mind giving us access to the calls. After they comply, then I'll be glad to let them wiretap me. But only after I get unfettered access to all of the calls in, thru and from the White House, etc. BuzzFlash Addict Subject: Thank You I want to send my deepest thanks to D. Knowlton of Norco, California for giving me the best laugh I have had in a long time. Every time it seems that the right wing is winning, every time a Democrat stabs another Democrat in the back, every time I fear for my country, I will think about all those little piles of dog crap with a Bush flag sticking out of them and I will hope. Winning, one turd at a time. Whatever it takes. With the help of people who can think of things like that to lighten our load we shall overcome some day. Thank You and the flag inserter! Ya done good and you certainly qualify as fighting the good fight. Marjorie L. Swanson Subject: Paul Krugman, Insurance Companies, Diabetes Paul Krugman uses diabetes to illustrate what is wrong with our health care system. It is an excellent article and I would like to mention another point it raises. High fructose corn syrup was invented in the late 70's and became widely used in the 1980's. (Soft drinks are exclusively sweetened with high fructose corn syrup now. If you want to remember what Coke tasted like when it was still made with cane sugar, buy one at a hispanic mercado) Scientists are unsure of the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, and do not know in what quantity or combination of other compounds makes the ingredient dangerous to our health. We have seen a corresponding rise in the rates of diabetes along with the rise in the rate of high fructose corn syrup. Small government anti-regulation conservatives would tell you it's your choice whether to drink fattening sodas. They have fought and succeeded in getting legislation that prevents an obese person from suing for damages. While there is the truth of personal responsibility in those arguments, what is missing is the insidious presence of high fructose corn syrup in foods you would never dream contain it. Check your pantry shelves. You may find it in soups, breads, crackers and much more. Not only is it a sweetener, but it is a cheap preservative and filler too. My point is, you would find it next to impossible to avoid high fructose corn syrup in your diet. Your children are exposed to cheap foods in their school lunches, which more likely than not, contain large amounts of it. And guess what? High fructose corn syrup has its own lobbyists and trade groups that ensure that mondo crops of genetically modified corn, grown by large corporate farms, are protected from regulation. Since we traded watch dog government groups for the current USGovCo, nobody is going to warn you against those evils. And if your family is harmed, well, that's too bad. Kristi Warriner Subject: Stand Together Al Gore spoke out and, as expected, the Republicans attacked. SOP. A few, far too few, Democrats applauded his message. End of story. Except for the Internet, except for the bloggers, except for people who vote for Democrats. While the majority of Democratic leaders were noticeably absent, the base was backing Gore by an overwhelming majority. Most of the “Brand Name” Democrats are so busy positioning themselves for a run for the presidency that they will not say anything good about another Democrat they might have to face in the primaries. What is amazing to me is that Democrats don’t seem to be listening to their base. The same old gang at the DLC is heading the party in the same old direction that has led to Republicans having control of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. If a football coach had a record like these people, he would be out of a job. What is the democratic slogan, “Nothing Succeeds Like Failure,” or “Let Us Point You In The Wrong Direction One More Time”? George W. Bush is inarguably the worst president in recent memory. He is arrogant and dishonest. Incompetence infects his administration like termites in an abandoned house. Republicans are enmeshed in a gigantic scandal. No matter how often Bush touts what a great economy we have, the people who have to live with it know better. The war is a constant reminder that this president led us into war without any plan to lead us out. Democrats need to make this case every day. Get out there, together, and kick some butt! Why are you making it look so difficult to defeat a party that is in so much trouble? Are you determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory again? Oh, and when Senators like Ben Nelson of Nebraska don’t bother to stand with their party, they need to know that it carries a penalty. Democratic money needs to go to Democrats, not Republican lite. Free speech is fine. Just be prepared for the consequences. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1273801 Marjorie L. Swanson Subject: Faxed Plea To Senator Nelson (D-Nebraska) Please feel free to cut/paste this or write your own! Senator Nelson's Washington Fax is: 202-228-0012.
Gil Childers Subject: Toss a Mini Wrench into Data Collection Easily Data Collection is big business these days. Each time a sales clerk at the checkout asks you for your Zip Code or Telephone # provide the following. White House Switchboard Tel # 202-456-1414 Zip Code:20500 Trust me, no clerk is ever going to question. I've done it many times. Advertising agencies will be out of the loop in terms of consumerism trends in America if we all did this, well except for Pennsylvania Avenue. Plus, your private info will not be logged, shared and sold to the highest bidder of TeleMarketers, Ad Agencies, Gov. etc. Do your part to remain anonymous in the ever growing world of Data Collection. Jude Rouslin Subject: Hardball Alert Interesting blurb for tonight's Hardball: "First it was John McCain, then it was John Kerry. Now it's John Murtha. Who's behind the Swift boat attacks? Find out who's behind them, and what John Murtha is doing to fight back". Hmmm... Rosamond Subject: C-span's daily poll Hi Buzz Family, C-Span's www.capitalnews.org is a great place to voice our opinions as Progressives with their Daily Poll. I like how it is worded, too. It's got lots of other good info and links, as well. Such fun I vote every day. Another reason for us to Filibuster Alito is to just plain "get the microphone" and the "TV press" about what the Republican Party has done to America, and how it affects all Americans (i.e. there are Republicans who get abortions, too). Also a great place to speak about the destruction of the environment, FEMA, defunding the Corps of Engineers resulting in Katrina. The main point is to be passionate, like in the final hours, the final death throes of a once great nation, and not to pontificate and not to say "the Bush White House". Please call the Senators and their "home state offices" as well to leave a brief short plea to filibuster. It might be the last time they will be able to speak. (And please don't let Kerry or Lieberman speak; no one listens to them anyway.) OK, check out that poll! Progressives unite! Take over the Democrat Party, like the Theocrats took over the Republican Party!! Call all the Senators' offices today (especially the so-called moderate women Republican senators, too). Betsy Subject: January 17 Mailbag - A Mind blower Hi, Buzz!! WOW - what a Mailbag on the 17th! I am continually amazed at the wisdom of BuzzFlash readers (although I don't know why I should be, since I've been reading Buzz for some years now, and it's always been like this). I must respond to several posts. On the Swiftboating of Sen. Murtha - of COURSE he downplayed his medals. People who do the brave things under fire always do. I watch the History Channel; they interview decorated war veterans a lot. I have never heard one of those veterans (including holders of the Medal of Honor) brag about their service. They say, "I just did as I was trained to do," or, "I just did what needed to be done," or, "Anyone else in my position would have done the same," and always, "I'm no hero." The chickenhawks don't know this, of course, since they've never been under fire themselves, and apparently don't watch the History Channel either. Many of us are fed up with the pusillanimity of the Democratic so-called leadership. A piece I read on BuzzFlash the other day lamented that the U.S. has no Constitution Party. Maybe that's the answer: Call on all the disaffected members of whatever party and organize them into a Constitution Party, with the platform of TAKING OUR COUNTRY BACK TO ITS FOUNDING PRINCIPLES. I've been a Democrat all my life, but I might well sign up. And the BuzzFlash Reader who wrote of the Reich's use of fear to keep people in line is SO RIGHT!!!! Yes, we're all going to die, so let's live while we have the chance. His thoughts on love reminded me of what Jesus said: "Perfect love casteth out fear." That's a truth for all time, and also an unassailable indictment of the "so very Christian" right-wingers. Bring it on, Buzzers; we will yet take our country back! Jane Hawes Subject: Mad Hatter's Tea Party? What's the point of having "elected representatives if they don't ......... represent? What's the POINT of having a judicial system if it doesn't ...... practice justice? What's the POINT of having a so-called "Leader" of a "Free Country" if he doesn't ... lead and takes AWAY all the freedoms? What's the POINT of having an armed forces if they are used ILLEGALLY in an illegal war to serve corporate interests and put Americans in MORE danger than ever? What's the Point in having a congress if they don't ...... govern? Seems to me, I remember a powerful historical document that says something to the effect of EVERY man having the RIGHT to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and if any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the RIGHT and DUTY of the PEOPLE (Remember, of, by, and for the PEOPLE) to ALTER or ABOLISH that particular form of destructive government. Looks like I'm going to have to brush up on my history of Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., and ALL the other historical figures who struggled, fought for, and sometimes died or were killed for civil rights, genuine freedoms of religion, speech, expression, peaceful assembly, basic human rights, REAL justice, etc. etc. etc. The White House? The Capital?.......THROW THE BUMS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dominie Robinson Subject: Ethics Reform Hi, Buzz!! More and more, I come to the conclusion that there's only one way to deal with the stew of corruption that our government has turned into: Federal elections should be financed ONLY by federal taxpayer funds. NO candidate should be allowed to use private money to get elected. His/her own or anyone else's. Period. Full stop. End of argument. Office-holders who get into office using public money will be beholden to us taxpayers, which is as it should be. This won't end corruption; there will always be corruption. But this would make it a good deal more difficult to sell oneself to the highest bidder, which is what's going on now. Jane Hawes Subject: Colin Powell Questions BuzzFlash, Lately, Colin Powell has been giving interviews saying that the wrong information he vouched for in his UN speech on Iraq was believed by everyone. That therefore being totally wrong is not his fault or bad in any way. He is not accountable. Doesn't have to apologize. Well then a few questions need to be asked. If everyone was in agreement, why did you have to give a speech? If everyone was in agreement, why didn't everyone want to go to war? If everyone was in agreement, why weren't the UN inspectors given time to prove it instead of being threatened with extermination by US bombs (remember that?)? Larry Subject: We All Need To Laugh During one of Theodore Roosevelt's campaigns, a heckler yelled, "I'm a Democrat! Roosevelt asked, "May I ask the gentleman why he is a Democrat?" Heckler replies, "My grandfather was a Democrat, my father was a Democrat and I'm a Democrat." Roosevelt responds with, "If your grandfather was a jackass and your father was a jackass, then what would you be?" Heckler responds instantly, "A Republican." Not much has changed. Pisces Subject: We will stand back up! These are words to a song.....that describe us very well.....I hope! It was performed as a tribute to the Katrina victims....I know....but right now this democratic party is being victimized! Go ahead and take your best shot, I will stand back up! I've been beaten up and bruised, I've weathered all these storms, So go ahead and take your best shot, 'Cause, I'll stand back up! [more] Stand Back Up Lyrics, by Sugarland I hope the moment is 'Now'... and Al Gore is the "Light." Shirley .........St. Louis Subject: Eavesdropping Wait a minute, friends. All these evil precedents can be used by the next democratic administration. Maybe we should support them, take them further, and use them to eliminate the repugs for good. (Just kidding, I think.) Surely it will dawn on republicans with half a brain that the potential for abuse of Americans and the Constitutional right to "unreasonable search" cannot be allowed to stand, since such abuse could easily be turned against them. Patriot in New Mexico Subject: Al Gore's Call! Litmus 2006! Dear Buzz, Best news this year...I ordered the DVD from CSPAN and it will be shown to everyone I can get in my living room. Gore's Call for Justice! This needs to be the Litmus of 2006, an Independent Prosecutor, a Democratic Congress. And Al Gore needs to be elected President in 2008...kind of ironic that the man cheated in 2000 would ultimately be in place to clean up the mess... I like the sound of Gore-Richardson, Gore-Clinton...Wesley, Murtha, Bayh, Spitzer...Red State Demo? Dorgan, Warner, Henry, Kerrey? A Floridian would be nice! If the advice was coming from me, I would run as an Independent and seek both parties' nomination, and ask John McCain to come along. Our nation needs the healing, and men of good will can disagree and still fight for the same ideals, we are all Americans and the Oath of Office for all officials is to the Constitution. Not to your Party, not to your State, but to the principles enshrined in that document. To act in contravention of this Oath is treason. Both John Edwards and John Kerry need to back down, Edwards to be seasoned in coming Demo Administrations and Kerry to the Senate, where he can posture with his "peers"... I came to Howard Dean in early 2003 because he was a Governor and he was not a liberal. Still not a liberal, regardless of the national media hype and smear. No sitting Senator has been elected President since the last Mass Sen with the initials JFK, in 1960. In our entire nation's history the only other sitting Senator elected to the office was Warren Harding, one of the most corrupt Republicans ever to stumble through American politics, elected by a machine, as he looked the part...the Senate produces poor candidates due to the nature of politics, Senators must take positions on issues that in fact they don't always defend very well...Mr. Kerry's example is still fresh...The nuance of moving legislation is lost on the peanut gallery, doesn't play well on the 24-hr news cycle and is a poor substitute for simple declarative sentences. Thank you John Kerry for a one word answer to Wolf Blitzer's question about Gore's call, even if the overseas delay made you look hesitant. The rest of the interview was enough to give me the same stomach ache that Lieberman does... And thank you Hillary for your ringing endorsement, yes even 'ol Warren must take a backseat to these guys when it comes to the power of money to corrupt. The flap about her "plantation" remarks was manufactured at the RNC and dutifully broadcast by CNN and others, along with an outright lie from the White House accusing the Clinton-Gore Administration of breaking the FISA laws in the CIA Spy Case. But we got some ripples, and we have to press it... Litmus 2006...Independent Prosecutor. Impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors. As Bob Barr said, he has dared the American People to do something about it... We must. RG Johnson Subject: Democratic Speeches on Lobby Reform Okay, is it time to leave the country yet? I was absolutely stunned that NONE of the networks carried the Democratic response to lobby reform. They got into the coverage after it was underway and cut out after only a few minutes. MSNBC did better than Fox or CNN, but even they didn't stay with it more than a few minutes. If we had any doubts about an independent and free press, they died today. I kick myself for continually being stunned by the corruption, but it is my nature to try to see the positive. We don't have control of the voting machines, and the Supreme Court has been stacked. Will someone please tell me there is reason to hope for a better future? Sue Subject: King George FREEDOM IS FADING I have searched my heart and mind, tirelessly, to find a reason why a patriotic American could still support George Bush. I find no answers. How is it possible, I ask myself, for nearly 40 percent of the nation to give their approval to the failure in the White House? Can their reason be so simple a thing as their fear? If it is that, then I send forward a plea to my fellow Americans to find their courage. We call ourselves the "land of the free and the home of the brave" and we are right to do it. The blood of the brave through 200 years of history has earned for us that right. The memory of their sacrifice demands that we gratefully embrace our liberty and courageously resist those who would dissect it. But freedom is fading. And these days, there is much to trouble us. The President has insisted that the "war on terror" gives him the right to target American citizens; to search and to spy, abusively interrogate, and to indefinitely imprison. And he says the demands of security give him the right to do these things in secret. And that no one, not the Congress or the Courts, can tell him no, or even watch him to guard against abuse. I have read of his assertion of war power with a growing sense of dread which now borders on despair. I am aware that some people believe the executive branch should become a form of elected quasi dictatorship, for a limited period, during time of all out war. But, even if you think that is true, this is not such a time. We have not mobilized our entire national productive capacity to serve the "war" effort, nor is there any national sense that we need to do so. Even more important to those who hope to preserve freedom, is that there is nothing temporary about terrorism. This "war" will be permanent. Any "war powers" abrogated to the executive now, will rest in the executive for all time. If there are no checks on executive authority to prosecute the "war" on terror, then we will have placed in the hands of every executive the power to arrest and detain without trial anyone he chooses, for all time; to spy on any American he chooses, for all time; to torture anyone he chooses, for all time. Once we accept that the executive can arrest without oversight, can detain without oversight, can conduct warrant-less searches without oversight, can interrogate using any method he chooses without oversight…once we accept these things, then we will have granted to the President the powers of a king. Freedom is fading. After all, what confines the executive's use of these powers? A President might simply insist that only he can protect us from the terrorists…and that his continued occupation of the oval office, even his continued personal prosperity, is, therefore, a vital national security issue. Once he has asserted that he is the indispensable protector of America, is he not justified in using these powers against his political opponents, his financial competitors, or even against his critics? If there is no oversight, can he not do these things to any one he dislikes? If there is no oversight, nothing will stop him. Freedom is fading. We can be arrested without charge. We can be imprisoned without trial. Our papers and effects can be confiscated and our privacy violated at the whim of an executive who is answerable to no one. We can be searched without the consent of those we have entrusted to protect us from abuse. In my name, in our name, men and women are spirited away in the dead of night to be caged and tortured. Yet the President's defenders continue to speak and write and cajole; and try to rationalize the executive's usurpation of power with the weak-kneed argument that these things the President does, he does to protect us! He is only trying to save us from the terrorists, they insist. And they conclude with what they believe to be the argument stopper, "Remember 9/11." If terrorists attack us again I will rage, and mourn, and cry out in righteous anger. But even as I demand justice, I shall try to remember that freedom is never free. I shall try to recall that, even this, may be the price of liberty. General John Stark once said, "Live free or die." If that is true, then a President's first job is to keep us free, his second is to keep us safe. I am convinced that both can be done at once. But if they can't, then where security and liberty conflict, I choose liberty. Benjamin Franklin agrees with me. He warned us that “they that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” It is freedom which is fading. I think I am outraged by the defense of the President even more than I am by the executive’s actions themselves, as outrageous as those are. Our struggle against Islamo-fascist terrorists is justified. But, to me, to sacrifice liberty upon the altar of fear is an act of cowardice. And freedom is fading. Roger Pike Subject: The Trike Campaign Rolls On HEY BUZZ, It's Defchuck again with the most recent signs on my campaign trike. The way things are going in Iraq, I may run out of red paint just changing the # of dead soldiers on my front sign. I'm sure I will be changing most of the signs as it gets closer to election day & I know who will be running for office here in Fl. If this wacko Alito gets confirmed to the SCOTUS, I may not be able to do this much longer. Freedom of speech may be outlawed! I really wish more people in this country would wake up & see what is really going on in this country. If the republicans manage to once again steal the elections in Nov. & keep control of Congress ..... God help us all. Not just us, but the rest of the world should be very fearful of this mad cowboy that sits in the white house, especially if they happen to be a country that has oil. Be back with some new signs in about 6 mos. It seems like many more people are loving the signs now than say Sept. of 04. I also hope the BuzzFlash sign brings you some new readers to enjoy one of the best websites around. Thanks for all you do. http://www.geocities.com/nybagelgirl/KeepOnTriking.html Chuck |
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