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| April 5, 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: The DeLay Demise Yeeeeeeeehhhhaaaaawwwwwww! For all of us who are going around in circles trying to pat ourselves on the back....He might have been one of the worst. It's almost as good as if Bush and Cheney resigned...and Rummy! I had a feeling right after that second aide gave it up to the prosecution, that his days may be numbered, but I dared not hope...The Hammer was the most arrogant....and I thought he would never give up. I will never forget his grin right after Bush was given the white house, by the Supremes...he had a constant grin on his face, you know the one? Someone asked him about it...and he said he was so happy to have republicans in the WH...he just could not stop grinning.....I wonder if he will stop when they send him up the river!!! After what he did to the democrats in the 90's I hope he feels good about himself now! I also hope they give him no 'Paddle' (as in up the river) Shirley..........St. Louis Subject: Ding, Dong the Witch Is Dead! Dear BuzzFlash - This is what all my friends and I are sending to each other, and we think it should be your afternoon Banner Headline! DING DONG The Witch is Dead! There is joy in Mudville, Munchkinland and Home of the Free, Land of The Brave! I guess you can tell I'm a Happy Camper today!! Sincerely - A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: NAFTA, CAFTA, AFTA, and All the Other 'Free Trade' Agreements Finally, some light is being shone on the problems that these free trade agreements are producing. Hillary Clinton profile becomes zombie-ish free trade worship session (Sirotablog/Working for Change) The regular working stiffs in the countries affected have all suffered the ill-effects of these corporate backed agreements. To those who live outside the United States, it appears that the US is getting all the goodies, and the rest of us outsiders are getting the shaft. After further research, the average American is losing, too. So look at it this way, if the free trade agreements worked the way that our governments say they do, we should all have pretty decent, secure, and well-paying jobs, none outsourced, nor wages dickered down to below livable for our areas. Do we have this golden promise proved? No, some of us in the Americas are immigrating (often 'illegally') to countries that look more promising in terms of income for increasingly poor families. At the rate that the free trade agreements are impoverishing all of us who are not part of the corporate elite, pretty soon we will be immigrating as 'illegals' to those parts of the world that presently produce the goods that we in the wealthier parts of the Americas consume. I have been aware and have advocated locally that NAFTA should be abandoned by Canada because there is nothing good coming out of it for those who do not have capital tied up in stock investments as do the wealthy. I don't know about Americans, but I know that most Canadians are not well educated about stock markets and how to 'grow' money. We are too busy living from paycheque to paycheque. Free trade agreements are not created for the likes of us. Marie-France Germain Subject: Jesse Helms' Dementia So Jesse Helms has dementia: what's new? And his wife says his manners are intact: does that mean he still threatens people who don't share his opinions with violence, as he did with President Clinton? Former Sen. Jesse Helms Has Dementia (ajc.com) Jon Krampner Subject: Armageddon To those who expect Bush to initiate Armageddon: Pencil 06:06:06 06/06/06 on your calendar. Gaia Sighs... Subject: DeLay's Leaving Buzz, Call me a cynic if you want to, but I will not believe that DeLay is leaving solely because of his legal troubles. And since he is leaving possibly as early as May, is it not possible that he is paving the way for his replacement to be the incumbent for next fall's election? With a Republican replacement, maybe he is trying to help insure that his seat remains in Republican hands. Just thinking. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: The Trial of G. W. Bush "Has the jury reached a decision? "Yes, we have, your honor." "On the charge of mass murder, what is the verdict?" "Guilty as charged, your honor." "Will the defendant please rise. Do you have anything to say before being sentenced?" "Yes, your honor. Why me? I was just a puppet on a string." A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Observations After reading recent posts I would like to submit my own observations. If the world ends in 2012 it will happen only by the hand of man, not some god. Only people like Bush will cause the "end of times." Democrats will lose millions of votes because of their stance on open borders and amnesty to illegal aliens who broke our laws. A majority of U. S. citizens believe this is just an attack on the middle class by the far left and corporate America . The Republicans will make hay on this issue. This will be their equalizing issue after all the corruption and malfeasance on their watch. Our hopes of regaining the House and Senate will be dimmed with the Democrats' stance on this issue. Status quo will maintain. There can be no Democracy lacking a middle class. We have no plans to ever totally leave Iraq although most of our citizenry strongly believe we should pull out lock stock and barrel. The neo-cons and their ideals of world dominance still prevail in Washington. The people will not be truly represented in our congress again until we initiate measures like public campaign finance and the taking of the lobbyist bribes out of our government. Lawton Watson Subject: Hurrah! DeLay Is Gone! Dear BuzzFlash; Tom DeLay has decided not to run again in Texas. Hurrah! His trial will pass, and he will be absorbed into the GOP Revolving Door of Office-Holder/Lobbyist/Consultant/King-Maker. Reemerging in a few years, fresh and photo-op remorseful. Hurrah! Abramoff will likely receive the same kind of justice. Hurrah! Come November, 2006, will anyone remember? Or will the GOP WEDGE ISSUE Version 11.06 work as planned? Will the voters (ALL the voters) remember exactly how corrupt the ENTIRE GOP is? Or will they just remember that DeLay and Abramoff were bad? And then will they remember that the bad guys are now gone? Who will remind them? Who will be able to remind ALL the voters over the noise of the GOP WEDGE ISSUE Version 11.06? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Did You Hear? We were viewing CNN on television and what a shock we got when we heard quickly that the Bush administration's United States military Corps of Engineers cannot finish building the 120 health care centers in Iraq because they have run out of American money. The Corps of Engineers claimed that with all the bombings and destroying of the buildings, they just can't keep up with re-re-re-re-building the free health care clinics for the Iraqis. This administration is building all these health clinics in Iraq using our money but this administration can't spare the United States military Corps of Engineers to rebuild our cities that were destroyed by the terrible hurricanes that this country suffered leaving thousands of Americans homeless and hopeless. Somehow there is a discrepancy here! How many hundreds of thousands of Americans have no health care and are too poor to afford to obtain it? But we can afford to build free health care centers in Iraq while Americans are wanting. This president and his administration claim that their only concern is for the United States. REALLY? ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS! YOU TELL ME! A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Extra! Extra! Tom "The Exterminator" DeLay Resigning from Congress! That needs to happen, if DeLay is not going be on the speaking circuit at $100,000-plus talking about how was crushed because of his fervent belief in Jesus Christ and His power and by the "lies of the Democrats, the Liberals, and the Mainstream Media." Best, S. Subject: The Christian Churches and Jewish Congregations on the War in Iraq To Alan Kemler of Pennsylvania: I just want to tell you I do so very much share your outcry on why we do not hear anything from the pulpits or lecterns in our nation. Most priests, preachers or rabbis, I am afraid to say, seem to be afraid of going against the grain because they think they should stay out of politics when it comes to teaching the congregation. These religious leaders think that this will keep them out of trouble with the government or their religious flocks. In some cases this is good policy, but when it comes to the war in Iraq one can only know it was an unjust war from the very beginning. The Catholic Church's pro-life emphasis on the lives of unborn children instead of all human life confused many people, too. This persuaded many Catholics to think that they should vote for political candidates who would, if they were elected in 2004, continue the destruction of human life by the perpetuation of the war and their greed. I want you Alan, and others who share our outcry on these things that there has definitely been one Catholic priest who has spoken against the Big Lie of Iraq and that is Father Andrew Greeley, who lives some of the time in Chicago and some of the time in Arizona when he teaches there at university. His writings have been in the Chicago Tribune and he has his own special website. He is one religious leader to tell what he thinks of the truth and he told the people to follow their moral consciences in this matter. This may have been why many in Cook County Illinois and parts of the Northeast around the New York City area especially did not vote for the Big Lie. Last week, I believe, I checked into a Jewish website listed in BuzzFlash and it was also very inspiring and refreshing to me to read on its outlooks on things, the thoughts are so different from those of the Neo-Conservatives. I realized the Jewish thought on these matters seem to show a true compassion that you do not see in the neo-Conservative thought. Could that be because of what some of them experienced during the time of the Holocaust? It may just be ... Anyway, I just wanted you, Alan, and others, to take comfort in that there are people in some religions who are speaking out. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Breakthrough We the people ride the Internet for an end-run around the mainstream media and we keep on going until we change the world. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Rep. McKinney I am from Ga., and although I don't live in Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's district, I have sent contributions towards her campaigns (as well as to many Democrats here and outside of Ga.). I am totally annoyed with how Republicans are making her incident with a capitol officer a bigger than life event. He wasn't hurt and neither was she. Press charges against her ... a warrant for her arrest? Get real! Would this happen to another member of congress, especially a Republican? Republicans suggest the incident says something negative about the Democrats. A spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said that "a Democratic lawmaker hitting an officer does not support the minority party's claim of a commitment to security." Dick Cheney shot a man and I don't remember any outrage from these people. Was his wounding a man or telling another member of congress to f**K off, an indication of Republican commitment to security issues? I am really pissed about this, and I don't want any other Democrat to solicit my hard-earned money if they don't call this the witch hunt that it is!!! Dee Turner P.S. McKinney lost her seat once before because she told the truth about Bush, Iraq, and Halliburton. She has been paying the price ever since. Perhaps this is why so many Democrats are afraid to speak out against the Bush administration or censure this president ... they are a scared bunch of people. Subject: Amokracy The dictionary defines "amok" as "in a murderously frenzied state or violently uncontrollable manner." What we have here in America is "democracy run amok." Therefore, I think we should now be considered an "amokracy." Tim McGhie Subject: Tom DeLay Is a Wounded Republican Wait for what Tom DeLay is doing for the next 2 months, remember he is a wounded republican and he will try to get back at the media people who helped point fingers at him. Don't forget that he will be meeting with Karl Rove and map out a plan to fight back. Is the liberal media ready to counter any swift boat type of attack??? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: What Representatives and Senators Are Called To Be To Malgoska: You couldn't have said it better-I agree! If we did give our senators and representatives the titles senior public servant and public servant, respectively, they would then be reminded almost every single day that they are called to be servants of their constituency, and not only that, but of the country (because not every state has a Barbara Boxer or someone similar in the Congress who are the very few who will even speak out or advocate for the majority of the American people). A true servant is one who will not look after their own interests but the interests of the whole people. It is so sad that many on Capitol Hill have forgotten what it is to do just that. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Tom DeLay Why the crowing about tom's departure from public office? Where is the justice? He is being allowed to just scurry out of the spotlight into some new dark corner of the corporate jobs for former busheviks program. If he by some strange fluke does get convicted of some small part of his crimes against the people, bush will likely just pardon him in the final days of his term. Send the f-ckers to JAIL! or a shallow grave. Jph Wacheski Well, thank you for putting the child pervert on your top headline---especially since it doesn't seem to be a story elsewhere. Neither google nor yahoo search brought it up. Now they'll have to cover it, at least a little --- reminds me of that CT rethug who had the prostitute's 8-year-old daughter and her niece watch them "perform." Almost no news coverage of that, either. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: "Brokeback Mountain" Good morning: I've finally seen "Brokeback Mountain" after hemming and hawing, figuring the theme of either unrequited or lost love between two people forced to hide their feelings for each other would be too much and make me cry my brains out. To my relief, it didn't make me cry. But, boy, did it make me think. Heath Ledger played the altogether conflicted, reluctant, slightly repressed ranch hand whose feelings were coaxed out of him by a vulnerable-yet-(dare I say it)ballsy Jake Gyllenhaal, whose first scene said it all: he sees Heath through his truck's side-view mirror before taking out a razor and defuzzing one of his own sideburns. So, we already have an idea of Gyllenhaal's character's attraction towards Ledger. That first scene reminded me so much of another movie I'd seen in the last dozen years, "Desert Hearts." In fact, I'd told a co-worker that I felt that "Brokeback Mountain" was, in a way, a male version of "Desert Hearts." Granted, it's a pretty superficial reason, but, here 'tis: Two characters, one blonde, one dark. One repressed, one assured (well, somewhat, given the time period for "Desert Hearts" was 1959 Reno and "Brokeback Mountain" 1963 Wyoming). One, at times using a buffer to repress homoerotic feelings (for Ennis in "Brokeback," it was his daughters, for Vivian in "Desert Hearts," it was the fact that she was a Columbia University scholar), and, the other, more of a daredevil willing to take a chance, even if it meant chasing the object of affection (the characters of Cay in "Desert Hearts" and Jack in "Brokeback Mountain"). I should stop, lest I ramble. But, I cannot praise this film enough. All the principal leads, as well as an awesome performance by the venerable Randy Quaid, worked their collective butts off, and, Ang Lee did a splendid job. Hats off, too, to Larry McMurtry's screenplay. What a wonderful movie! Thank God the wingnuts didn't get their way THIS time!! Lisa Navarro Subject: Official Death of Journalistic Credibility Katie Couric to anchor the CBS Evening News. The last harbinger of the Apocalypse. Albert Clark Subject: Help For Dems I had a thought last night after reading an account of the campaign to send roses to Helen Thomas. Suppose thousands of us from across the country were to send these: http://www.neuticles.com/index1.html ... to the current dems in office with the statement, "these are for you since we knew you lost them some time ago." Thanks, Mike Subject: Would You Still Rather Have a Beer with This Man??? During the campaigns many Americans declared they would prefer to have a beer or a BBQ with Bush than Gore or Kerry! So the Rovian Publicity Machine thought a repeat of old ploys would be a good idea to play up “good ole regular guy” George, but too much water has passed under that bridge! Aesop once said, “Familiarity breeds contempt,” and according to the polls and incompetence of George Bush and his Administration, people are thinking differently about good ole folksy George!! Two different memos emerged that proved despite Bush’s facade of not wanting war that was exactly the plan he and Blair and the NeoCons pushed, as they boldly lied to our faces, hid dissenting opinions, and are still doing it today. All the jokes in the world do not excuse a leader for his mediocrity of failed policies in Iraq, the poor prior planning, and a wrong-headed direction in a country mired in destruction, death, and civil war. The image of a “straight shooter” proves ludicrous in the most secretive Administration in American history. Hiding dissenting opinions, blocking documents revealing Bush mistakes from Congress and the public, using falsified information in a State of the Union address, reviewing scientific data, then altering it to fit your policies in a deliberate deception, blocking a Phase Two investigation into Administrative fault for 9/11 for pre-election and post election damage control, and outing a CIA agent, are only a few of the many actions that are not those of an honest man. The Bush Administration's alliance with Big Corporations is well known, the power they have with Bush acts as an invisible government. Bush’s political relationship with them protects the greedy while ignoring the needy. Big Oil, Big Energy, Big Drug and Health influences have hurt rather then helped Americans, yet Bush and his cohorts {Cheney} make sure these foxes control the hen houses and their respective regulations. Your good buddy Bush may drink a beer with you but considers them his base, and said so. George Bush: “What an impressive crowd: the haves, and the have-mores. Some people call you the elite, I call you my base.” So who is your daddy, your drinking buddy, and what is so funny about good ole George’s incompetence from Iraq to Katrina, to taking away your civil liberties under the guise of terrorism control???? If I want someone with honesty and character, I’d rather drink and share a BBQ rib with my dog! Susan Carr Subject: Healthcare in Massachusetts Is this progress? It's not single payer, which is the most rational, efficient system by all accounts, but challenges too many ideologies and vested interests. Looks like the Mass. bill bows to both ideologies and vested interests. How is it not subsidizing insurance costs? What is this personal-responsibility-at-the-point-of-a-gun about? How is this going to create any less bureaucracy? What are these minor changes the Gov thinks he can make after the legislature has acted? Sounds like Bush-archy is spreading. And what's this reliance on uncertain federal give-backs? Isn't this just another house of cards?
WMB Subject: Re HIV/AIDS: GAO Report Reveals Serious Shortcoming in U.S. Approach to Global AIDS Crisis (Committee on Government Reform Minority Office) This is the understatement of the new millennium. Due to the negligible, and reckless, draconian abstinence only policy, we now have more AIDS infected people, than at any other point in history. Condoms, used with a spermacide like Noxyl 9, which are easily found in bars, some trendy restaurants, drug stores, and community health centers, are still the most effective tool for preventing the spread of HIV, the virus believed to cause AIDS. Condoms have come under attack by this administration, as being ineffective at best, which would seem to enforce their "morally superior farce," and charade. This notion has no scientific basis, or factual reference point, to validate its truthfulness. It must be faith-based sexual education, and healthcare policy. Like father, like son, Dubya has done more to promote the spread of AIDS than any other figure in history. Ignorance is not bliss, nor is it an excuse to remain uninformed. Over twenty years into this disease's history, and with a staggering death toll around the world, there is no excuse to not know something about it. This administration is derelict of duty, in protecting America, and the world. Add to this that disastrous drug benefit card, which is going to cost most AIDS patients, myself included, the ability to obtain the AIDS drugs needed to live. The idea of stopping these drugs abruptly, which will cause the virus to mutate into something new (this is scientific common knowledge), is horrifying. Not just because most of us will die, but because of what will be left behind. With the healthcare system in America at the verge of collapse, and the herding of a new AIDS strain indirectly being brought to life by this clueless administration, the results of the increased burden on taxpayers in our country will be catastrophic. This is plain common sense, and a good reason to keep politicians away from practicing medicine, and churches away from politicians. This mix sucks, big-time. The way to begin teaching safer safe, is easily outlined by this administration's "Bubble Boy" policies. Dubya is kept safe from outside interference, like the news, and truth, as if they were a deadly disease. One could reasonably say he therefore lives in a "condom." View your body as Dubya, the white house as a condom, and the virus as the will of the people, or truth, and presto, safer sex techniques that even a Neo-Con could understand, and should because their lives could very well depend on it. I know this because I live with AIDS every day, which I have had my entire adult life, and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Not even those who would like to see Gays become outlawed, or worse. Odd, given gay hooker Jeff Gannon's close association with this white house, go figure. David R. Anselm, Jr. |
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