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| February 22, 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: Could You Help Me Out? We attacked a nation proven to not have links to terrorists. We lease 6 major seaports to a nation that has. Our nation is being managed by two alcoholics. Should I be worried? Thanks, Mark Subject: Red Herring in the Chess Game The port deal -- a red herring. The republicans are playing the chess game better than the democrats (who are still wandering about, staring up into the rain). Bush and his congressional minions win on this play no matter how it comes down. Bush is intentionally taking the hit, letting Frist and others have a way to claim an independent and 'ethical' stand against Bush in the upcoming elections. (I can't recall if Frist himself is actually running but enough other repuke senators are and all the representatives are.) And the democratic 'pundits' are not even mentioning the possibility of this. What morons. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: He's Finally Done It When Bush became prez he promised to be a Uniter. Well, he's finally done it--united the parties against him, on the Dubai port deal. A Buzzer Subject: Brevity Dear BuzzFlash, Thank you for all your wonderful work in collecting and posting all the useful and interesting progressive-oriented stories over the years. You've become a valued resource to me and many other progressives. I do have one minor gripe, though, that I wish you would consider. Over the last few years, I've noticed that the sheer bulk of stories, as well as the length of the titles, has made the page a bit of a chore to wade through. May I request the following: 1. With the exception of very big stories, please relegate the previous days' stories to an archive page that people could go to to backtrack. 2. Please limit the wordiness of the link titles. Example from today's page - "Key GOP Governors Threaten to Block Port Deal in Which Bush Gives Away Our National Security to Supporters of Al Qaida. Hard to Believe, But True. All Those Busheviks are Aiding and Abetting the Enemy Rather Than Being Disloyal to Their Cult Leader, Except for These Governors Who Value National Security Over Carlyle Group Type Politics in the White House." How about "Key GOP Governors Threaten to Block Bush's traitorous and dangerous Port Deal"? 3. This is related to number two. Please, enough with the over-the-top editorializing. I don't mind a little bit of it, but your readers are progressives, they think for themselves and are capable of getting the implications of an article without being beaten over the head with the obvious. 4. Limit the main page to about 20 stories or so, and relegate stories you deem less significant to a linked subpage titled "More Headlines..." or something like that. I really think that changes of this sort would make the page more pleasant and efficient to read for those of us with busy schedules and little time for wading through this kind of stuff. Seriously, thanks so much and keep up the good work. Yollam of DU Subject: Duck! Sith Cheney's tasted human blood! We're all quail now. Think about hanging up that orange vest for awhile. Walk silent and don't flap your wings, America. Let the eagle soar...now I understand. SSHHH! A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Helloooooo........Anybody There? Hello again BuzzFlash and Buzzers, I read the Mailbag a lot, and one thought that keeps occurring to me is "they still think their voice and vote matters." People, THOSE AT THE TOP DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU! They don't care about your freedom, your rights, your privacy, your children, your elderly aging parents, your benefits, your healthcare, or you. I don't care HOW many eloquent politicians stand up and SAY all the right things. THEIR ACTIONS TELL A DIFFERENT STORY. Ted Bundy, the mass murderer, was KNOWN for his ability to pose as a police officer or fire fighter to get a lot of his victims into his vehicles. He was also known for his ability to manipulate words and befuddle authorities. HELLLOOOOOO..... One of your Mailbag contributors hit the nail on the head in saying they were going to transfer to the EURO. NOW we're talking. LET OUR ACTIONS match their actions. I'm not all that concerned about Osama Bin Laden. I know he's got bigger fish to fry than li'l ole me. I am deeply concerned about a thoroughly corrupt administration that SYSTEMATICALLY destroys EVERY facet of American life as we know it. The Bush criminal cabal is destroying us. Our lives, our livelihoods, our children's future prospects, our opportunities to better ourselves and our lives, our traditional American values, our image and reputation in the rest of the world's eye. EVERY last one of you, ask yourselves, "Is my life or my neighbor's life better off now than five years ago?" For just a sampling of how "compassionate conservative Christian" looks to the rest of the world, please see how a TEN year old child was FINALLY declared innocent after being DETAINED FOR TWO YEARS at Guantanamo (you know, that place where torture supposedly doesn't exist?). 10-year-old boy prisoner of Guantanamo Bay -- found innocent after two years of detainment (bellaciao.org) And for an interesting perspective on just how concerned our wonderful pretender-in-chief is about our rights, liberties, privacy and freedoms, see Surveillance: Obedient Slaves Have Nothing to Fear (kurtnimmo.com) I'm not saying that all politicians are like Ted Bundy. What I'm saying is DON'T believe what is coming out of their mouths. WATCH THEIR ACTIONS, track their votes. I'm still fuming over the 82 Billion (with a B) that congress approved for an ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL war that slaughtered thousands while at the same time GUTTING valuable social programs and safety nets and VOTING THEMSELVES A RAISE. SPEAK LOUD AND SPEAK CLEAR, GO EURO!!! A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Robert Slotnick ... and the following BuzzFlash note I agree with everything you are saying. But, when do we admit that our hands are tied ... and on a situation like the Ports, where the republican leaders are supposedly going to make a move ... somehow, they get bought off. How many times have I read or heard that GOP leaders are really pissed about this one ... just talk! Eventually, they get shut up somehow. I don't know if they disagree with what Bush and Cheney are doing ... really ... or they just want their dissenting constituents back home to think they are. I have done all the things you suggest ... I have sent donations to Moveon.Org ... and to the Kerry campaign. Same with the Gore campaign. I worked at the Kerry headquarters ... thinking that there was no way Bush and Cheney could win again ... that was back when I had money ... in 2004, before I lost my job. I cannot do it anymore. Many of us who would like to throw the bums out ... cannot afford to take the action. I would work for a candidate ... only to have him lose. I have never seen anything like this in my long life on this earth. We need help ... and we need it soon! Shirley ................ St. Louis Subject: Joltin' Joe Strikes Again! Dear Buzz, Did anyone catch Lieberman's latest outrage last night on NBC Nightly News? In the NBC report chronicling the proposed sale of our ports to the U.A.E. various people were quoted opposing the deal. But guess what? Joltin' Joe advises caution. He says the public should not rush to judgment on the sale. I do hope Connecticut Dems were watching. They need to replace this guy with a real Democrat. Lieberman is very publicly undermining everything we stand for at every opportunity. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Giving Ports to Foreign Countries Dear BuzzFlash; So, the GOP wants to give (give? GIVE!?) control of 6 American ports to a foreign country. Bush Shrugs Off Objections to Port Deal (AP) Where are all the FOX-educated screaming their usual, "What is the Democratic plan?" Don't they always complain that liberals "Never" have a plan of their own? I think we haven't heard that talking point yet, because they know what our answer would be: "The Democratic plan for port security is to allow the cities to maintain control of their own ports; keeping money in the communities and providing jobs to those communities and upholding National Security." If ever there was a good reason to use eminent domain, I think this is it. Why are the GOP always so secretive? Why are the GOP always ignoring Democracy? Why are the GOP always weakening America? And how will they spin this to bash all immigrants? (Isn't that going to be this election year's wedge issue?) A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: The Past Is the Future, the Present Is Lost A few thoughts over the cartoon furor - the new bed time prayer. And thou shall chant with me:
Akhil Bhardwaj Subject: Tea Party and the Court So SCOTUS says OK to "happy tea" for the religious. How do they feel about the terminally ill with excruciating pain having a little marijuana break? What the hell are they taking on cases like this for while the country is falling apart? Oh, excuse me, I forgot, intelligence took a walk after 2000. Marilyn Subject: We're All Ignoring the Constitution and Oath Requirement! Citizens All: Please notice that the United States Constitution is our "guidebook" and that it contains basically six articles, the "meat and potatoes" part; for article seven only deals with the ratification of our Constitution. Please note that, despite all the detailed items that could be inserted in the first six articles, Article VI, Clause 3 requires that, before assuming their respective duties, all Federal and state officials must take an oath to God (or affirm under penalty of perjury) to "support the Constitution." Also, please note that Statute 1, First Congress, the very first law passed by the U.S. Congress, dealt with the administering of said oath and its filing...approved on June 1, 1789. I ask, then, the following: If Congress, through its exclusive power under article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution failed to "declare war" and instead passed a resolution to "authorize the use of our armed forces" based on falsehoods and invalid arguments submitted by the executive branch, then why can't Congress yank the string and take back its "exclusive power" to determine when, and if, and by what means this nation will commit its armed forces, and declare "null and void" any previous "authorization" based on said falsehoods and invalid arguments? Would it not cut short the claims of our "wartime president" who assumes powers beyond the Constitution, who shows contempt for the checks and balances that were meant to provide sound reasoning to our path as a nation? A Buzzflash Reader Subject: Wow! Dobbs and Cafferty! our heroes! Wow! We just heard the people who want to sell our ports will not go on Lou Dobbs' show because CNN WON'T MAKE DOBBS AND CAFFERTY SHUT UP! Wow! you go cnn! finally some media with some balls! We promise not to watch any other news as long as you don't allow the government to kick sand in your face and laugh about it! Finally some government watchdogs! LOVE YOU! Randi, Liz, and Renee Subject: What Is National Security to Me? National Security to me is an all-encompasing philosophy. It is not just about having a potent military force that is well-equip ed and well-trained. It is not about having the biggest bombs, the fastest jets, the most powerful land-based weaponry. Having served in the United States military, I once thought that these were all we needed to be safe and secure within our borders. Having been a civilian now for ten years, I have come to know it takes more than soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen when it comes to National Security. Here are what I consider to be key components to a credible and strong National Security strategy. 1. Economy: I have placed the economy first for obvious reasons - without a strong economy, we cannot have everything that follows. First and foremost, every single tax cut that Bush got needs to be rescinded. My philosophy here is that the "it's your money, you should know how to spend it best" is completely hokey. Do you actually have more money on hand than you did before Bush was elected? The answer is NO, you don't. The reason why is now, due to the shortfall of federal funding to the states with the decreased revenues from taxes and the increased federal deficits, the state and local legislatures are being forced to raise taxes at those levels. We are all paying much more on a local and state level than what we once paid at a federal level. All jobs for American products that are now being performed outside our borders need to return to this country. This is covered in the employment section. The minimum wage needs to be increased and must be increased along with the cost of living increases that occur each and every year. Contrary to popular myth, raising minimum wage doesn't hurt companies - it helps them. It helps them in that if you are paying fair wage to your employees, they are more than likely to remain in your employment versus the company losing valuable productivity time and spending more money on training new personnel. In short, it's a cost advantage to the company. 2. Military: We must be all that was mentioned before; however, we must utilize our military abroad when absolutely necessary, not as an elective or cheap option. When deploying abroad, it must be also done in a fashion that brings credit, honor, and distinction to our men and women in uniform. Anything less would be to disgrace them. We must also look at removing our military out of places we are no longer needed or are outright not wanted. Remember, we may think we are in a country to provide some sort of strategic assistance to that country, but for the most part, their citizens view us as occupiers. This applies from the Azores clear across to the Japanese Islands. 3. Employment: Jobs that United States citizens have a right to have should be returned to this country. Companies that have moved overseas to China, Mexico, India, Taiwan, and etc. should be penalized in such a way that they will be forced to reopen operations here. In addition, no American based company should be allowed to have "off-shore" bank accounts to avoid paying taxes. This cannot be made any clearer: Major corporations are truant on doing their share in regards to paying taxes and forcing the burden onto the average citizen. This is simply wrong and should be stopped. 4. Healthcare: While the Clinton Healthcare Initiative was an admirable attempt to get something started, it was simply too much and too fast for even this admitted Liberal to accept. I actually preferred the Dole Alternative - Every citizen who can afford healthcare should pay for it. For those who cannot, the government should provide it for them. I am honestly sick and tired of the "welfare state" argument where it is claimed that if you make it an entitlement, people will find ways to take advantage of it. I do recall that President Clinton did make changes to the Welfare system, specifically in the area of how long people could be in the system itself before being put out of it. That was intended to make them look for work and it did work. To me, it's not about welfare or entitlement. It is about doing what is right for the citizens of your country. Most importantly, however, is the fact that government itself needs to be far more active in bringing healthcare costs down. Too many providers are becoming blatantly filthy rich in specialty fields. Too many health insurance providers are gouging their clients, and, with the specialists becoming blatantly filthy rich, it's not hard to see why. The argument that "frivolous lawsuits" are what drive healthcare costs up is just that - frivolous. Lawsuits account for less than 10% of the reasons for rising healthcare costs. Specialty providers are the number one reason costs have risen so high. That, of course, makes Bill Frist, M.D. a hypocrite. Government also needs to be back in the business of regulating the drug manufacturing business as well as providing logical incentives to companies in the medical research field. 5. Social Security: A few people are able to become so financially self-sufficient that they will never have to worry about retirement. They've got so much money saved and invested that it's a moot point. Many people pay into 401k's (now that no business offers pensions of any sort) and are able to live in a degree of comfort when they retire. But what happens to everyone else who can't afford a 401k on minimum wage, much less pay into health insurance? Some will be able to move in with their children and other relatives to live out the remainder of their days, but even this is not always an option. That is why we need to have and to strengthen Social Security. There are a lot more items I can include in each of those categories, probably more than enough to fill a book. I can only hope that what I consider to be true National Security will start an honest discussion as to what National Security really is and who should really be providing it. J. Peurala Subject: Frontline on the Iraqi Insurrection This one hour PBS documentary last night was very revealing. The members of the Iraqi resistance seemed just as eager to take their country back from its American occupiers as the Vietnamese were to take back theirs forty years ago, and as the Algerians were fifty years ago against the French occupiers, plus there's no question but that our own native people here in America would still be resisting the European takeover of their land except for the fact that they ran out of warriors on account of the genocide. In contrast to the Iraqi insurgents, the American troops (mostly officers) who were interviewed seemed to have bought into the official U.S. government line about "We're here to stop the bloodshed and to bring freedom and democracy to you." Never mind that Iraqis have never known freedom and democracy, didn't ask for it, and that, in the first place, there wouldn't be all this bloodshed had America only stayed out of and not invaded Iraq. Admittedly, these facts might be difficult for the troops to swallow, since we all want to believe that we're doing something that helps and doesn't harm others. And it's just as important for morale back home that the folks there be left with a similarly favorable impression about the troops doing good for the Iraqi people, "Look how our soldiers are giving candy to those poor children. That makes me feel so good." Actually, such wartime propaganda is the rule, rather the exception. When Hitler's legions were mass-murdering civilians in Poland and Russia, back home in Deutschland, the German people were watching newsreels of their best and brightest handing out sweets to smiling Polish and Russian children. Despite those token offerings, the resistance to the Nazi occupation only increased, just like what's happening in Iraq right now. So how do we get out of this quagmire? We the people change the world, that's how. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: State To Put Rapists on Posters From BBC NEWS: The US state of Mississippi plans to put the names and faces of convicted sex offenders on roadside billboards. I remember reading BURMA SHAVE signs along the road in rural Mississippi as a child. I wonder if the sex offenders signs will read like this:
Mike Curtis Subject: Democrats Shy Away from a Fight for Our Democracy Again! Worried About Wiretaps (Tom Paine) The dying scandal that keeps growing (Glenn Greenwald) This article shows yet again why We the People are poorly served by the two parties. Democrats throw their hands up in despair and wail "the people are too dumb to appreciate a nuanced view, they just don't get it!" Republicans rub their hands in glee and chortle "the people are too dumb to appreciate a nuanced view, they just don't get it!" Cory Hinman Subject: Ports/Security Let's face it. Congress, as a whole, is a bunch of whiners and opportunists. For the past five years there has been little, very little, coming from congress about the LACK of securing this country. Oh, we have heard, off and on (especially, like now, around election time) that we 'really need to better secure this country' ... Now, before someone hits me with 'bias,' I agree most, and I said MOST of the Democrats are just as much at fault for the mind-numbing acceptance of this administration's "I'll do what I want, when I want, and IF I want...watch me, or MAKE ME' attitude. We all here know of those few and far between congresspersons who HAVE had the courage to speak up and try to change things. But all this screaming and hollering like a stuck pig from the right is disingenuous, at best. You would think those on the right who are now wailing against the president ever have actually spoken up about the LACK of preparedness of this country to counter another attack....not to mention any of the other severe lack of any actual service to this country by Bush. Personally, I think they, (on the right) are more pissed off that they were not 'let in on' the decision of this sale, rather than the concern of safety for this country. Up to now, they have acted no more worried about how this lack of planning could affect the safety of those ports, or this country. You got to remember what year this is...yup. ELECTION year. I hate being so cynical, but as far as I am concerned, I think they are more concerned as to how this administration 'makes them look'...... Where have they been for the past five years? Um...I don't think I need to tell anyone where. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Proof the pResident doesn't get the ports furor Hi Buzz, Yesterday the President threatened to veto any Congressional bill to block the ports sale to the UAE. He said that the UAE is an ally and that if we don’t do this deal, we will tick off our ally. That’s part of what’s wrong with the deal, silly! If it was an ordinary business deal, then blocking the deal would just be one more business venture that a company didn’t get. And they would just look in another direction for business. If it would tick off a country because the country’s government is part and parcel of the deal, then what else could our Coast Guard or Homeland Security do or avoid doing in “securing” the ports that would tick off the UAE? This would be the U.S. being held hostage by the UAE government. And how and when did China get control of ports in the western half of the country? Was this another sell out while our Congress and the press was asleep at the wheel? And now the big question, do these UAE and China corporations make donations to Bush’s and the Republican Party campaign chests? Bush bought his “coalition of the willing” for going into Iraq. Is this the payoff for the UAE? When will Congress investigate? When will Congress impeach this guy or force his resignation? Throw the Congress out if they don’t get it. Keep up the good work Buzz. Margaret Subject: The Sounds of a Lame Duck Quacking It never seemed to some that the Bush administration was very good at anything except assaulting and destroying their competition. Their arrogance and ineptitude has always been obvious to anyone who bothered to look past the rhetoric. Anyone who believed for one minute that Bush wanted to be a uniter had to be in the words of Antonin Scalia, an idiot. Was there ever anything more obvious than Bush’s strategy to divide and conquer? Karl Rove, who is constantly touted as some kind of a genius is nothing more than a nasty piece of trash who believes that the best strategy is to appeal to the lowest instinct of their base. Hate Gays, Hate Pro-Choice, hate, hate, hate. We good, they bad and out to destroy your way of life. We will protect your values and they will destroy them. Same old putrid story repeated endlessly. With a complacent and lazy media that parroted all the White House talking points the public was left on its own. Seemed like there was no one on our side. Certainly not our elected officials whose only function seemed to be to line the already bulging pockets of the corporations by whom they had been purchased. Some Americans have decided that ALL politicians are rotten to the core and incompetent to boot. They have decided to abandon politics for something worthwhile like the national competition for Hog Calling. But for those of us who have hung on through thick and thin and through truth and lies, the lame duck has finally come home to roost. (Do ducks, lame or otherwise, roost?) Those who are classy enough not to say “I told you so” are certainly admirable. I admire them but have no intention of emulating them. We Told You So. We said this was the most corrupt, the most incompetent and the biggest bunch of buffoons to ever inhabit the nation's capital. From Neo-Con Republicans to Vichy-Democrats we knew that Washington was a morass of morons that had been bought and paid for by Corporate America. Now many of the things that we said are being proved true. And “WE TOLD YOU SO”! We are enjoying saying that a whole lot. At least I am. Lack of class? Oh yeah. Satisfying? Absolutely. And there is a lovely little feeling that the best is yet to come. Marjorie L. Swanson Subject: GHWB's New World Order Think of the sale of our ports to a Dubai company as the Rosetta Stone of the bush criminal syndicate. That and the detention camps. A caller to the Ed Schultz show yesterday said she inspected containers at the port of Long Beach from 1976 until bush came in and suspended inspections. This isn't about rearranging the map just in the middle east. This is about gutting the US treasury, military, and security; destabilizing the population by dividing it against itself and destroying the middle class; sending our manufacturing base overseas so we can't employ Americans or make the equipment to defend ourselves. Two major cities were attacked with prior knowledge and neither was defended--one was allowed to perish. Our system of government is systematically being dismantled. Countries overseas own our economy through astronomic borrowing. GHW Bush learned to do all of these things to smaller, weaker countries as head of the CIA. As Thom Hartmann said yesterday, we are on a knife edge of implosion. I believe the agenda is a controlled demolition of the United States--much like the WTC on 9/11. And I believe there is a global syndicate ready to take over. Why else are they insisting on selling off our ports to Dubai? Why else would they be building detention camps? Rita Weinstein Subject: Alternative Fools The fun just never stops. Mr. Bush touts alternative fuels. The administration cuts funding for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden Colorado. Then Mr. Bush decides to visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden Colorado. A scramble ensues so that the funding is returned in order to rehire the 32 people who lost their jobs when the funding was cut. Is this administration just fumbling around in such obvious ways to keep us in stitches so that we don’t notice all the other blunders that are fast becoming their trademark? Are they just trying to keep us dazed and confused in the hope we won’t notice that they aren’t very good at anything? We’re supposed to believe that this bunch of buffoons is going to keep us safe? Dang, where is Barney Fife when you need him? CNN meets Mayberry RFD. Are we sure they didn’t confuse Superpower with Super-sized? Looks like the Republican Spin machine spun itself so often their little bitty brains have come unstuck. It would all be very funny if it weren’t so pathetic. Meanwhile we are all on board a ship of state that has Mr. Magoo steering. Marjorie L. Swanson Subject: This morning's (2/22) headline on Bush/Cheney and the ports contract I'm sure you remember what you wrote; YOUR take was much more memorable than the Yahoo article that your link led to. (Actually, I said much the same thing in the letter you ran the other day: i.e., that I've actually SEEN the ports in NY and NJ and realize how vulnerable they are.) But the thought of Bush leaving the White House in an orange jumpsuit (PLEASE! Don't let me be put in Gitmo in HIS tin shipping crate! I'd rather share mine with other progressives) or a straight jacket cracked me up! Hey, I just got an idea: why not put the straight jackets on BOTH Bush and Cheney -- underneath their orange jumpsuits -- and stuff them, Condi, and Rummy into the same outfits and the same crate? (As Jean-Paul Sartre once wrote, "Hell is other people." And, hell, THESE -- I use the term loosely -- ARE "other people" -- I also use the word "people" loosely! -- to anyone who still cares about what's left of our democracy.) Oh -- that reminds me: let's stuff all the members of Congress who don't stand up and fight -- and I'm talking about BOTH parties here -- into the same tin crate along with the (above-mentioned ) Big Four. Let's not give them access to showers or toothbrushes. Let them smell the foul odor that we progressives can already smell no matter how far away we live from Washington, DC. Yep, another rant. (And, yes, although I find few things to admire about Joe Kennedy, I DO believe in his mantra, preached often at the family dinner table: "Don't get mad. Get even." (Qualification here: It often takes getting mad -- especially if you're not among the super rich, as Joe K. was -- FIRST, and then figure out HOW to get even. And THEN get even! We're up against big odds -- as in big money, a totally cowed and subservient MSM (with certain notable exceptions, mainly columnists/editorial writers), and the emerging attempt to expel people like us progressives from access to the Internet -- here. I wish we could afford to wait until this assministration hangs itself, but I'm afraid they're moving faster than we can react effectively. Watch carefully and see whether the Congress (big test here) has the guts to FOLLOW THROUGH (for once) on opposing the selling of the ports contract sale. That will tip us Buzzers (and other progressives) off as to what is likely to happen next. When the *ssh*le-chief vetoes any rejection of his evil/greedy plan, watch carefully: see which members of Congress fight back. And which don't. And, of course, vote accordingly if any of them are running in 2006 or 2008. And, most of all, ORGANIZE an effective opposition to the ones who DON'T fight back. My organizational skills are pretty pathetic, but I'll help by adding my (rather strong) opinions! Barbara Lee (Barb) Blazyk Subject: Re: Bush and Bin Laden Link BF... Has it occurred to anyone other than my perhaps convoluted mind....that BUSH is owned and operated by the Bin Ladens 'hold my hand' Arab families (remember the holding hands pic of Bush and the Arab King)? Great fodder for a DEM campaign ad about the guy who said "I'll protect you from terrorists") and then hands over the Keys of the Kingdom to the TERRORISTS. I put my money on this one....BUSH is not his OWN person - controlled by the enemy...a scary thought. Hopefully when the DEM leaders wake up from their sound sleep they will start their attack for the coming elections with that 'holding hands' pic of the Pres. and the Arab guy. David Miller [BuzzFlash Note: http://images.google.com/images?q=bush+sheik&hl=en] Subject: 2006 According to George Will (Backwater Complicity) The conservative NEWSWEEK columnist suggests that the 2006 mid terms will be just more of the status quo in Washington because the Democrats have been complicit in establishing what he calls a "political backwater." Gerrymandering by both sides of the aisle has made it virtually impossible to remove a sitting congressman or congresswoman. Only two percent of incumbents were defeated in past elections and he states congress is not happy with that fact and want one hundred percent returned. He further states however that Democrats will be unhappy if they gain control of congress this fall because they will have such a small majority that they will be virtually impotent. They will then be seen as a do nothing congress and eventually lose their seats. To me this is pure wishing on his part and he hopes to persuade undecided voters to vote for his republicans. Anything to stop the Bush cabal regardless of the final count will be a relief and benefit to America. Congress could rein in the arrogant Cheney-Bush gang and tell them enough is enough. Lawton Watson Subject: UAE Port Issue I read BuzzFlash everyday. It is a great website and your commentaries are very insightful. But I am saddened to see BuzzFlash supporting the attacks on the UAE port deal. The backlash against selling the ports to the UAE company is fundamentally racist. The backlash reveals how Bush's "war on terror" is becoming a war on Muslims and Arabs. Bush is right to veto any legislation preventing the sale. At the same time, his defense of the UAE company is a bit insincere since he has created the anti-muslim environment that is fueling the outrage about the UAE company. The left should be pointing this out instead of joining the chorus of the hate mongers who are pandering to our worst instincts. A BuzzFlash Reader [BuzzFlash Note: Our country forbids campaign contributions coming from foreign citizens and states. That isn't racist. Would it make sense to have a Dubai-government-owned company manage the White House for us? (The Secret Service could still handle security.) You're right, though, to caution against "a war on Muslims and Arabs."] Subject: The Manchurian Candidate, i.e. George Bush This administration wants to privatize Social Security, health care, and turn our ports and the building of concentration camps for our citizens, over to "free????" enterprise to the highest bidder from any country what-so-ever. Have they begun the procedure to "privatize" the FBI? or the CIA? your local police? I'll bet that stock, once it went public, would do well in the countries to which we are so in debt they already own most of our country. I am 70 years old, politically active since I was 18 years old. I have never seen anything even remotely approaching what is happening in America today--the fastest possible track toward a totalitarian dictatorship. Why--Why are our citizens not rioting in the streets--building barricades--defending what was given to us gratis by our founders, by every person who has died for this country, by those who worked and sacrificed to build a society that was concerned for children, old people, the sick--to provide education to build a strong economy, a country whose laws stood for equal rights, a country we were proud of rather than ashamed of? This is the first time in my 70 years I am reluctant to admit to being an American. I will be dead soon, but my beloved grandchilden face a terrible future, and after all my years of struggle for this country I have never felt so helpless. How can we have lost everything so fast? Edith M. Conrad Subject: Orange Jumpsuit or Straight Jacket for Bush Buzz: Loved your scenerio-"Will Bush leave in an orange jumpsuit or a straight jacket?" Actually I feel he needs both and should spend the remainder of his days in lock-up in an Iraq public mental institute for and with the criminally insane. Certainly he'll have no hope of release-but hopefully he'll enjoy a very long life there with Rummy, Dick, and Condi - in spite of the primitive and barbaric conditions. Jean Turley Subject: UAE Port Deal My head is about to explode -- now I read bush just found out about the deal a few days ago. Meanwhile - some talking heads were pointing out that information regarding the deal was released as far back as November 2005 -- and bush is just finding out about it now??? Ahhh - must be nice to live in a bubble.... Dubai firm to be 3rd-largest ports operator (wpherald.com) D. Hippauf Subject: Short But Not Sweet! Democracy allows us, the people and the Congress, to freely voice a viewpoint as a minority or a majority without being shut down, or pressured, or having our character assassinated. It allows formidable opposition to be heard side by side with the Administration’s positions. It does not close the vote early or hold it open till it gains influence, or ignore letters or petitions from all Congressional members or its citizens. It does not as a habit, block meetings from the opposition party by favorable scheduling or have to rely on Fridays or vacation to get its nominees approved or unfavorable bills passed. It doesn’t need a “nuclear option” to defeat rightful action. A government that puts loyalty and secrecy over competence ends up with the Browns and Chertoffs and Katrina disasters, makes bad decisions that it later has to cover-up. An Administration that fears transparency, hides or conveniently loses evidence, eliminates dissenting opinions, and ONLY allows its investigations, and/or data, to be scrutinized by a controlled arm of government with a predictable favored outcome, has much to cover-up! A government prone to writing its own rules, making its own laws, and constantly exceeding its rights, is really a dictatorship that takes away the rights of its citizens! THE BUSH/ NEOCON/ REPUBLICAN TERM OF OFFICE ARE AS PLATO ONCE REMARKED, “A DEMOCRACY THAT HAS PASSED INTO DESPOTISM!” Susan Carr Subject: Port Issue and Bigotry Now people are termed as 'bigots' who do not agree with some of the the ports to be run by the UAE in the possible near future, this just takes the cake! Why are we labeled bigots if we don't agree with everything that the 'dear leader' and his gang of mobsters want us to agree with, because if we don't it will appear to the Arab world that we are not thinking the same things on every issue. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF IT! I as a person will not hate someone of the Islamic faith, and I admit I do not understand all the religious beliefs in the world and I am trying real hard to. I will talk to someone at a public place that ordinarily someone else would not give a second look to because they appear "suspicious," especially after the attacks of 9-11 and those across the world. You bet that I am mad as hell about what happened that horrible day, but am I going to hate all our Moslem brothers and sisters for it, no, because everywhere there are good people and bad people. And no matter what the terrible confusion we live in, in this day and age, I will try to co-exist as peacefully as possibly with those around me. I do, however, grow very wearisome of people who are greedy to the core and prey upon the weak of the world. That, I have a harder time tolerating than all the bombings and such, but perhaps I would think differently if the place I lived in would be destroyed, no electricity, water, warmth, food, or the other basics in life that I am accustomed to, but believe me, I never take them for granted (or I try not to). After what happened on 9-11 and after, we have every right to be concerned about the security of our ports in the U.S. and it has nothing to do with bigotry. If these ports are not run by Americans it is more possible for them to fall into the hands of those who wish to further destroy. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: I couldn't agree more (re today's book review) Dear Buzzers: Premium: "How The Pro-choice Movement Saved America: Freedom Politics and the War on Sex," by Cristina Page. It's Not Just a War on Abortion; It's a War on Sex and Women. Subject: Bush Record Harry Truman (truly a Missourian good enough to be from Kansas) is a hero of mine. Known for not passing the buck, I wonder what Harry would say about the current public servant in the White House. Has anyone in the Bush Administration acknowledged, let alone accepted responsibility for the following accomplishments? Bush record: At the very least asleep before the 9/11 attacks (Clinton briefed them that al Qaeda biggest threat); Downing Street Memo (Bush wanted Iraq war, and was going to get it no matter what); “Scooter” Libby; beginning stated price for Iraq War ($65 billion) now at $300 billion and growing by $6 billion per month; V.P. Cheney’s old company, Halliburton, robbing US taxpayers in Iraq (Truman called war-profiteering treason); the military, according to its own report, is unable to maintain the current effort in Iraq; veteran benefits cut; torture (who believes it was just a "few bad-apples"?); hundreds of billions invested in emergency preparedness and we get the Katrina response; cronyism; $8.2 trillion debt; Afghanistan again run by warlords, Taliban, and al Qaeda; Enron; record profits for big business; no record profits for middle/low income people; Clean Air Act which allows a 300% increase for arsenic released into the air; a proposed $40 billion cut in social programs; Jack Abramoff; near $1 trillion trade imbalance; scientist gagged about global warming; illegal domestic wire-tapping; an 1100-page security investigation of the American Civil Liberties Union (this effort couldn't have been spent more profitably elsewhere?); approving the sale of six American ports to an Arab country (oh, that’s a good idea). And yet again we see Bush speaking to a carefully picked crowd of republicans saying all we have to do is trust him. Oh, the hell Harry would’ve given ‘em. Daniel Patrick Schamle Subject: Enough is Enough President Bush has engaged this country in an unpopular preemptive war, ruined the good will of our allies, has the highest deficit spending in the history of our nation and outsourcing of good jobs. This is the legacy he is leaving our children to bear, war, hatred, never ending debt and lack of high paying jobs. With allowing the management of our major sea ports by the Arab world, a possible high security risk, he is now telling the world we do not have the capability to manage our own sea ports. Enough is enough. When will the Congress have the intestinal fortitude to impeach George W. Bush? Respectfully, Colonel Colin J. N. Chauret, [BuzzFlash Note: The port deal was approved not for the "Arab world," but for Dubai Ports World (DPW), owned by the Dubai government.] |
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