 |
|||
| March 24, 2006 |
GET BuzzFlash ALERTS | 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. The Mailbag editor gets a day off! Look for our next installment on Tuesday, March 28, 2006. Subject: Maureen Farrell Hi, Buzz!! Thanks ever so for Maureen Farrell's post about the rise in apocalyptic fervor around the country. Apocalyptic Times -- Maureen Farrell for BuzzFlash.com No doubt the End-Timers claim to take Scripture literally, just like God intended. But they don't. I refer you to this passage from Matthew, in which Jesus discusses the end times with his disciples:
Jesus is pretty clear here: HE doesn't even know when the end of the world will happen. And if he doesn't know, how is it anything other than blasphemy for the likes of us to claim that we do? Another idea of the End-Timers seems to be that they can influence events - in effect, forcing God's hand and making him bring on the Apocalypse. Farrell discusses this also in her excellent post. I will use the word she doesn't: Blasphemy, and again I say, BLASPHEMY. The Almighty has his own purposes, and his own timetable, and he doesn't take direction from the likes of us. All this speculation (going on in the White House of all places, which is scary in the extreme) is useless at best. We are commanded to "keep awake" and "hold ourselves ready." Anything else is contrary to the known will of God as contained in the Scriptures. This has turned into quite a rant, but I am disgusted with "Christians" who apparently don't even know their own Holy Writ. Jane Hawes Subject: Important Day in History Today in history: March 23, 1933 - The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany. The Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz in German) was passed by Germany's parliament (the Reichstag) on March 23, 1933. It was the second major step after the Reichstag Fire Decree through which the Nazis obtained dictatorial powers using largely legal means. The Act enabled Chancellor Adolf Hitler and his cabinet to enact laws without the participation of the Reichstag. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enabling_Act I guess it's not fair to compare the Bush/Cheney administration with 1930's Germany. Their version of our Congress actually passed a law to give Hitler dictatorial powers. While our Congress just passed out. Now they let Bush/Cheney do whatever the hell they want! Kevin Schmidt Subject: The 'News' in Iraq Dear BuzzFlash; I heard on 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' last night that the GOP is now attacking the media again, claiming that 'they' only report the bad news in Iraq. Then I asked myself... If the 'media' only reported good news in Iraq, people might wonder why the troops need to stay there and DEMAND their immediate return. If the 'media' only reported bad news in Iraq, people could see why the troops MIGHT be needed there, and MIGHT understand having the troops stay a little longer. So, which is it GOP? You can't have it both ways. The way I see it: the troops should return immediately no matter the 'news.' A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Another Anniversary Dear BuzzFlash; I just bought a new book to read, 'The Anatomy of Fascism' by Robert O. Paxton. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/ In it he says: "Officially, Fascism was born in Milan on Sunday, March 23, 1919." A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Can You Hear Me Now???? WE WON’T STOP UNTIL YOU LISTEN! To compensate for major mistakes, the Bush/Rove political Machine thinks they can combat it by excessive propaganda. The media was scolded by Bush for reporting only bad news, they reacted with outrage. BUT have you noticed a sudden effort to appease the complaint and again, push talking points? That, and every time we turn around there is that smirking face of Bush making yet another speech and Rumsfeld is getting a sunburn from the stage lights from all the Pentagon Briefings Susan Carr Subject: Cowardly Dems ...by which I mean, you at BuzzFlash who post letters from other cowardly Dems who only sign themselves "A BuzzFlash Reader," and use the forum to condemn Nader voters for the evils and excesses of the Bush administration, but fail to post a Nader supporter's response. I refer to myself, but only in regard to 2000. I agree Nader's 2004 run was all about ego, and am saddened by this truly great man's fall into folly. I voted for Kerry in 2004, along with other previous Nader supporters like Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and one of your personal favorites, Mark Crispin Miller, but your moral cowardice, and that of "the BuzzFlash Reader," make it hard to come back to the party, because you look everywhere else for blame for Gore's loss, you speak of Nader or Katherine Harris, for instance, but won't seem to allow that MAYBE the party is somewhat at fault for its losses. Your response and the Dems' seems to be that the Dems did nothing wrong, Nader voters were sheep which that dazzling, charismatic cult leader--HAH--led astray. The Dems under the DLC NEVER backed off the party's historical commitment to the working man/woman to attract the corporate dollars which Repugs have beat them to 3 or 4 to 1. I know you don't believe the latter, you've spoken against the Dems' right-ward drift, but it doesn't matter because you've also made clear you'd never think of denying your vote to a Republican-lite Dem, not even Joe Lieberman, whom you regularly urge to give up his Dem pretence and just declare himself a Repug. You do remember Lieberman was YOUR candidate for vice-president in 2000, don't you, with Al Gore leading the ticket, he who while a senator showed his real commitment to a woman's right to choose, the environment, and worker safety and other labor-related issues by voting to confirm Clarence Thomas! Cory Hinman [BuzzFlash Note: You're sure ticked off. Anyone who reads BuzzFlash very much knows that all political figures are fair targets for our criticism. We hope the Mailbag is a place where readers may ponder and debate options--kind of thinking out loud. Attacking each other in the process may not be the best style, though.] Subject: Christine Cegelis vs. Democratic Party Machine To all my friends who supported Christine Cegelis in the Illinois 6th Congressional District primary race -- my heart goes out to you and your candidate. You carried out a great grassroots campaign -- both, locally and nationwide. You brought out our best. Unfortunately, our best was not enough. In a mere three months, the D.C. Dems -- with the full party apparatus -- brought in nearly a million dollars, and all their big names, to beat back what Christine and her supporters had built up over three years: a true grassroots, progressive force. The D.C. Dems’ worst nightmare. Or, more accurately, their second worst nightmare. What do the D.C. Dems fear more than a grassroots progressive primary challenge? A grassroots progressive challenge in the general election. The only thing that can put at risk what they value most -- winning, no matter what. This is the only way progressives will have real power -- when we are willing to go outside the party, no matter what, to carry our issues and choices to the people. Only when the Democratic Party elite can no longer count on us to fall in line behind their handpicked candidates as “the only game in town” (“the lesser of two evils”), will we ever seize real power to move forward the progressive agenda. Progressive Democrats of America was one of the groups that most valiantly supported the Cegelis campaign. PDA professes to have an “inside/outside” strategy. Their support for Christine reflected the “inside” part of this strategy. Now, I ask PDA -- is there really an “outside” part of this strategy -- or, is this just a phrase? Democracy for America also supported Cegelis, to their great credit. Now that the D.C. Dems have showed clearly what they really think of progressives -- eat at the children’s table, kids -- we must decide what to do about it. Will groups like PDA and DFA remain quasi-auxiliaries of the Democratic Party -- running sideshow campaigns in the primary elections? Or, will they become a real force -- holding real chips in the game? It is time for supporters of social progress and peace to eat at the adults’ table. The only way to do this, is to start running progressive candidates in the general elections. Bill Scheurer Subject: Cegelis/Duckworth I am disappointed that you are using your teaser/links to undercut Duckworth. I get it that you wanted Cegelis. You should get it that an open vote was held and Duckworth is the Dem choice to boot the Rethugs. You have some disturbing Stalinist tendencies -- Dem voters are not sheep just because they gave the edge to Duckworth. I heard both speak. Cegelis was not as articulate or as sharp on her feet as I would have liked. Let's not make the classic Dem mistake of being whiny children who can't pull together. I live in DuPage and the demographics are changing here. Don't blow it. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Bush Blames Media. How Ironic. Bush now blames the media for all of his problems, poll numbers and policy failures. The media honeymooned, made excuses for and supported the Bush Administration for five plus years. In their eyes he could do no wrong. They even promoted his evil preemptive attack against Iraq. Now he is going around the nation bashing the hell out of them with the screaming support of his 36%, screaming, radical, superstitious, hate spewing, fascist loving radicals. How Ironic that the worm has turned on the main stream media. Anyone of any intellect could have prophesied this. Apparently the media could not. Lawton Watson Subject: "Will & Grace" At the end of tonight's show: Grace to Karen: "I wish I were a Republican--I wouldn't have to worry about hurting peoples' feelings, only about being indicted." Liz Subject: Charlie Sheen? Dixie Chicks' song?? I just logged on and I was wondering if I just missed the Sheen story or if you hadn't had it on yet. Charlie Sheen Calls for FULLY Independent Investigation of 9/11 3/24 I thought it would be THE headline! What a man! What a father and brother, as well!! And now he's broken the ice for dialogue with other Hollywood types. Plus, even though most of the "mainstream" media made it clear they would NOT be carrying it. Like we need them anymore?? Hell, this was on CNN! And the CNN poll as of this writing is 81% AGREE with Sheen! What an incredibly brave thing he's done! He's starring in one of the most popular sitcoms now plus all of the movies. He knows that in this "McCarthyism" time, he could lose the sit-com and find it VERY difficult to get any parts in decent movies. I mean he is suggesting that Bush, et al., were responsible for 9-11!!! I have a question that I hope you'll take the time to answer. You said that we could download the new and awesome song by The Dixie Chicks. I went to that website and looked all over it as well as the linked pages and I couldn't find a way to download it free or otherwise! PLEASE tell me where I can get it. I love it! A suggestion: In order to help The Chicks' "mad as hell" comeback and help boost their album sales, why not look into the possibility of featuring the album as a BuzzFlash Premium? I bet you'd have a big response - especially if you could get permission to play the song in the background on the page they went to to read about the album. I think it could really help them AND us!! Congratulations on the number of members you have now!! It doesn't seem long ago that y'all were just starting out! YOU are one of my biggest American heroes and you'll be shown that way, in the history books, if we can stop King George and can still print textbooks - only these history books will tell the truth and not the big slant. Thanks for all you do! Betty Subject: So we progressives are anti-gay?? Think again. Dear Buzzers -- I just read Zeke Krahlin's letter (3/23) in the Mailbag. Yes, I concede that some people who CALL themselves "progressive" and (quite likely) DLC-ers riding the fence are willing to indulge in gay-bashing rants. But don't assume that ALL of us progressives can be pigeonholed into that category. In fact, many of us ARE gay. And those of us who aren't are willing and determined to defend the rights of those who are -- just as many of us fought for civil rights even if we weren't black, fought against unjust/lied-into wars from Vietnam to both of the Gulf fiascos even though women weren't drafted into Vietnam and there is (well, so far) no draft -- but don't count on it after we invade Iran. It's as unfair and unjust to categorize progressives as it is to discriminate against gays, African-Americans, women, the poor, etc., etc. (No, this isn't a personal attack on Zeke; I'm simply pointing out that judging entire groups on the basis of some outrageous examples is...well...prejudice. And prejudice is wrong, whether it comes from the left or right, the evangelical Christians or the Catholics or the Jews or the Muslims or us secular humanists. Or, for that matter, from African-Americans who hate whites, and vice versa. Personally, I wanted "Brokeback Mountain" to win as best picture. I, too, smell a whiff of anti-gay bias here. But it's still unfair to condemn whole groups of people for the prejudice of a few of them. (Hell, I'd vote for Republican Olympia Snow or Independent Jim Jeffords -- my favorite, of course, is still Russ Feingold -- long before I'd vote for fence-sitting, wind-sniffing DLC/Republican lites like Hillary, Kerry, et al. (and PLEASE, anyone in CT, get Joe Lieberman out of the Senate! And NOT because he's Jewish -- but because he's sucking up to the Repukes, big time!) Again, no personal attack intended. But I think it's wrong to accuse progressives, as a group, of being anti-gay. We aren't. Barbara Lee (Barb) Blazyk Subject: George W. Bush and Religion It was the brilliant German philosopher, Nietzche, that stipulated the idea that "God is dead!" because he saw no evidence of a living God in the world. This is how I see George W. Bush. I think as far as he is concerned "God is dead." He shows no outward signs of believing in Jesus. All we have is his word, and that is not to be trusted. All of his actions and decisions seem based on evils that Christ hated. Bush seems never to have practiced anything from the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes, or even the Ten Commandments. He ignores the discipline of the church he claims to be a member of, and attends the church, mostly, in which he was raised. His religious lack of acumen gives rise to evangelical efforts to dominate the government and the country at the expense of the citizenry. His religious extremism gives rise to more hatred of the marginalized that Christ told us to love. I believe it is a total misnomer when Bush is called an "evangelical" or even a Christian. Only God knows what is in the human heart, but the good Book says, "Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only," and "By your fruits ye shall be known." Bush's fruits are thousands dead and thousands more to come. That was not the way of Jesus. Mildred Perry Miller Subject: Is this a Victory? Sometimes it's easier to tell what isn't a victory than what is a victory. The current government of Afghanistan has a constitution that says anyone converting from Islam to Christianity is to be put to death. That my friends is NOT a victory. Bush says that he is deeply troubled that Christians can be executed for their faith. I was expecting Bush to be outraged rather than just troubled because after all, he is a Christian, isn't he? I'm Marc Perkel - And I approved this message! Marc Perkel Subject: An "Open" Response to RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman Greetings; You are talking to the wrong Republican on this one. While I strongly disagree with the Feingold proposal to censure President Bush, the US Constitution is explicit regarding malfeasance in elected office. The remedy for high crimes and misdemeanors is impeachment - not censure. I feel that not only should President Bush be impeached, he should be found guilty. Incompetence is too mild a word to use in describing this administration. Unless the Grand Old Party starts being honest with the electorate, they (and the Democrats) deserve to be cast out into the Darkness come November. What a choice we have between Tweedletax (Dems) and Tweedleborrow (Reps). I'm not THAT old, but I remember when being Conservative meant more than opposing Gay marriage, banning abortion, and promoting an UZI/ AK 47 in every garage. The Republicans have gone from "In GOD we trust" to "where is mine!" You only want money... not advice. If you would take the time, I suggest you read my current week's column which is available on-line at the Baltimore Chronicle. The Words of the 'Profits' Are Written in the 'Congress Halls' (Baltimore Chronicle) I am a fourth generation Republican, and all I can say about the Bush administration is what a tragedy/travesty for this beloved country. Shame on him and shame on you. No way do the numbers being released to the public pass the “straight face” test. Re:
Fred Cederholm Subject: Bernie Wiener and Left Antisemitism Bernie Wiener's post 'Anti-Semitism and the New "Jews"' is completely meaningless: full of innuendo, walking up to assertions about left antisemitism and then backing away, then sidling back up, declaring a problem but offering absolutely no proof. he names no names, provides no quotes, offers not even an anecdote. It's all tendentiousness. FrontPage magazine, which he links to, is clearly a right-wing screed machine, a David Horowitz vehicle. The link to the symposium on antisemitism of the left is merely a vehicle for the author's assertion that the left hates Jews. Symposium: Anti-Semitism - the New Call of the Left (FrontPageMagazine) Why are you carrying this nonsense? as a Jew, I object. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: I'm surprised ... after Bush's photo op with the autistic boy who played basketball...............that the democrats didn't pounce on the fact bush just cut the funding for finding causes and cures for both autism and asthma. Diane Anderson Subject: Neil Bush Finally it is out, out, out that Neil has the inside track on many things related to education in the Bush era. The other brother gets to rule all of Florida. Isn't it time for a great big expose of this family, starting with WWI and II (the grandfather) and how they have shaped policy and been enriched by their manipulation and downright robbing of the American system? I know there are books but we need a few pointed and absolutely correct articles on this modern Borgia clan. We need this on the internet - we need this in as many magazines and journals as we can find. We need to raise the level of awareness of the voters. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Hmmm. Another Bush prodigal son is siphoning funds. Anyone surprised?? Dear Buzzers: I just read the piece about Barbara Bush funneling funds meant for Katrina victims to their son Neil -- to his new venture: Ignite!, a "program" designed to "help" dyslexic kids and others with learning disabilities. This is disgraceful. First, the Bushes could buy Neil the MOON if they spent some of their own disgracefully acquired bucks. Second, the Katrina victims can't go home, and don't have the assistance they need to acquire permanent housing (WITH running water and electricity) -- and nobody (at least the Busheviks) sees anything wrong with milking the poor to feed the rich. But what can we expect from a woman who doesn't want her "beautiful mind" disturbed by photos of flag-draped coffins of our troops who died in her oldest son's pointless, disastrous, lied-into war?? And who has future wars (plus probably pre-scheduled terrorist attacks if the polls still look as bad as they do today; stay tuned, folks)? I've worked with dyslexic students. I understand their problems with reading, since I have my own with spatial relationships. Neil Bush's latest financial rip-off is simply another attempt to rip off funds that should be going to the people who really NEED them. These kids -- and I'm not putting them down -- are neither more or less talented/gifted/productive, proportionately, than the rest of the population. More false claims made by Neil Bush -- and I bet most of the siphoned-off funds went into HIS pockets. Someone who has access to him (Neil) should ask him for a detailed curriculum/counseling approach (I'd LOVE to see it in writing!!) The Bush family would rather rob the poor than give up a penny of their own millions. It's time to put a stop to this farce! Barbara Lee (Barb) Blazyk Subject: The Phone Jammer Stories The RNC Paid More Than a Million Dollars Defending a GOP Operative Convicted of Vote Tampering in New Hampshire. Now He is Directly Tied to Making 75 Calls to the Current Head of the RNC During His Phone-Tampering Days. Why Isn't This a Bigger Issue? (Scroll Down) 3/24 How Sweet It Is!! A BuzzFlash Reader |
|||
| back to top | |||