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| April 20, 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: Soldiers in Iraq Are Second Fiddle to Duke and Aruba "News" Hi BuzzFlash, I found it ironic that while I was scanning for news about our soldiers, instead of round the clock news about Duke or Aruba, I came across an article from Kuwait about Iraq. In it, they keep making references to the phrase "Bring 'em On," with links to the various killing of our soldiers, and pictures of Iraq people who are not too happy. DAILY WAR NEWS FOR TUESDAY, April 18, 2006 (uruknet) Then I read David Broder's excellent article in today's WaPo titled: "Listen to the Brass." And for those of you old enough to remember the generals during Vietnam with Robert McNamera, read this article. GENERALS' BOLD WORDS MAY SPELL A FUTURE FOR U.S. MILITARY (Georgie Anne Geyer/Yahoo) It got me to wonder if anybody at CNN, MSNBC or FAUX has even ONE of these "new" fangled things called a computer with "The InternetS"? You would think that Bill Gates would purchase at least one computer for MSNBC and teach them how on earth to "search for real news"! It might give their ratings one hell of a jump if they would start reporting the "real news" and drop their love affair with the Duke and Aruba stories. Especially with talk of a war in IRAN now heating up!! After all, how many rapes and murders take place across America every day? Have viewers ever thought of that question? And I'm for neither rape nor murder. I'm simply trying to figure out the media, their priorities and WHY these two cases are "more important" than every other rape / murder case committed every day. And most important, I'm trying to figure out WHY these same networks don't give us, entire hour upon entire hour, to show the bravery of our soldiers that are fighting and losing their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, because of the inept decisions by a group of Chickenhawks! We are already at the 50+ death mark for the month of April in Iraq, as of 4/18. I guess none of the soldiers that died had a last name of "Holloway" for the media to care as much. Yup, so much for your "Mission Accomplished" joke, "W," now that Nukes are being discussed! Tom Wieliczka Subject: Attacking Iran Has Become "Self Defense" (Rice) "& Doesn't Need Security Council Resolution"
(This is toward bottom, the first question from the audience) Is Iran planning to attack the US?? Have Bush and Rice heard something the rest of us haven't?? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: McClellan Stepping Down Scott McClellan stepping down has as much impact on the Bush Junta as Edgar Bergen firing Charlie McCarthy. Mike Curtis Subject: Wouldn't it be cool if McClellan's last days ... Wouldn't it be cool if McClellan's last days were spent like yours are when you have two weeks left of a crummy job? You know, like when you say "What're they gonna do, fire me?" Wouldn't it be cool if Scottie got up there and just started a Bulworthian monologue wherein he spills the beans on how they've been holding him down and noogeying his head, giving him titty twisters and forcing him to say inane crap that he knows makes him look like the weird kid in class that even a Buddhist would wanna pop? Wouldn't it be cool if he admitted that even Cheney had a field day with him over that whole shooting his friend in the face thing, but that, like everyone else, Scottie's a little afraid of the Dark Lord? Wouldn't it be cool if Scottie would give it up on Laura, tell us all about the plastic surgery, the Pall Malls, the Prozac (or whatever prescription keeps her Stepford mask from cracking). And about the twins. Well, forget the twins. After the convention I don't really want to know anything about them. Kristi Warriner Subject: Orwell Summarized It Aptly
A simple look at the approval ratings of Bush, the public being tired of the Iraq war, and the support being drummed for the new war on Iran, one can safely conclude that Orwell was right. My father once told me that the purpose of pursuing college education was simply not to learn subject content, but it was also to sharpen the mind's ability to understand, dissect and analyze information, and give context, regardless of the subject matter. I'd say all college Republicans should read this book, because even their tiny minds should be able to grasp the obvious parallel between the book and America today. You never know, it might just be a start. Akhil Bhardwaj Subject: Global Warming vs. Global Cooling Hey Buzzers, One of the favorite arguments of the global warming deniers is the idea that in the 70's, some climatologists thought the earth might be entering a stage of cooling and if they were wrong then, they could just as easily be wrong now. A way to counter this drivel is to point out that we now have sophisticated GPS satellites and are able to measure snow pack and glacial movement by inches. We can see the Ross ice shelf in Antarctica breaking off from the space shuttle and measure the loss of the snows on Mount Kilimanjaro from space. Thirty years ago the computers interpreting climate data were far less powerful than your average iPod and our ability to understand the chaotic effects of climate change have improved by orders of magnitude. Ask Joe No Brain if he'd like to use the science of the 70's if he needs heart surgery. Tell him to throw away his cell phone and his satellite dish too because they can't possibly work. We are governed by the willfully ignorant and their minions. Keep Buzzin'. Leslie Crabtree Subject: Oil Rises Above $72.00 In reading this story from YAHOO.com, it stated about the "draw-down" of inventory in its weekly reports. But last week they said it was at an 8-year high. Now we are down??? Just who is "jerking" around who? This so-called "draw-down" - isn't it what one might call "regular" use? I think it is just a ploy to raise the price of the stocks for the oil companies. Has anyone done a study on this? A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: New Gasoline Study Shows Profits, Not Crude Oil Prices or Ethanol, Are Driving Pump Price Spike Santa Monica, CA -- The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights released a new study today of rising gasoline prices in California that found corporate markups and profiteering are responsible for spring price spikes, not rising crude costs or the national switchover to higher-cost ethanol, as the oil industry claims. Click here to download and read the study. Independent petroleum consultant Tim Hamilton analyzed gasoline price increases from January to April to find that:
"While oil companies continue to blame crude oil prices and ethanol additives for the recent gasoline price spikes in California, the chief cause is increased profiteering by oil companies that have previously posted world record profits," said Hamilton. "Oil companies are opportunistically using the rising world price for crude oil as an excuse to excessively raise gasoline prices and pump up their profits, even though the spot market price for crude has gone up far more slowly than gasoline prices," said FTCR President Jamie Court. "In addition, the spot price is higher than most oil companies pay, since they either harvest their own crude or pay more stable and often much lower contract prices. "This study should be a wake-up call for California voters who will vote in November on a ballot initiative to tax windfall profits by oil companies so the state can develop alternatives to the petroleum economy." http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/energy/pr/?postId=6133 SW Subject: Iran Bombing If Mr. Bush is so intent on using 'diplomacy' to resolve the tension between his administration and the government of Iran, why then is the U.S. Air Force practicing 'over the shoulder' bombing maneuvers within range of the Iranian radar, a maneuver that is used solely to deliver a nuclear weapon to target and then get the hell out of Dodge? And no, dear dear net critics, there are not only 'antique' aircraft capable of performing such a maneuver. No doubt there are many military buffs out there who could confirm present U.S. aircraft could perform quite admirably. In addition, why have two (2!) strategic B-2 bomber wings recently been re-deployed, one to England (with attendant security clampdowns), and one to Guam? Were these aircraft not SPECIFICALLY designed to evade radar? And to deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons? To wit, which Pacific Ocean nation (facing inundation by rising sea levels due to the Bushco denied 'Global Warming') could possibly be a threat to the mighty United Sates? As for the farcical argument that 'tactical nuclear capability has been removed from surface fleet capability', how many of your U.S. Navy missile frigates can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles? Missiles that were (and ARE!) capable of delivering nuclear warheads? Please keep in mind that even threatening to use nuclear weapons is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, and as such is a WAR CRIME and a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY! Galen Wainwright Subject: Washington Times sales off The Moon's Times sales are off. In 2002, having increased sales by a couple thousand to crack 100,000 in circulation which barely put them on the list of top 100 papers in circulation in the country, in a promo video shown during their 20th Anniversary the announcer stated, "Today, while other newspapers are closing their doors because of reduced readership, the Washington Times is experiencing unprecedented growth." Pruden bragged about how they had made it. He didn't mention the only reason the paper has opened its doors each and EVERY day was thanks to Moon's billions propping up his main propaganda unit. Still has an inordinate amount of influence through the net and having every right wing talk show host in the country quoting it to bolster "their" opinions - not counting the 'face' it brought the Moon and his organization around the world. I'll repeat - Moon could sell it or close it tomorrow, it has ALREADY done what it was intended to do - move the country right by supplying backbone to hard right politics while Moon worked to "revive" the Christian "right" - the theocrats - to control the nation. It made fertile the political landscape for his real vision - a nation which sucks up to the Falwells ... the paper has been wildly successful though few see it.
Some info everyone should know about the Washington Times ... The "Independent" Washington Times? (cellwhitman.blogspot.com) Cell Whitman Subject: Last one out of 1600, turn off the lights ... Hysterical...is Scottie trying to tell us just how dire things are at 1600?
Liz Subject: Mailbag From 4/19, and Tim LaHaye Article Good morning, Scott's 4/19 Mailbag letter got me thinking as to why he isn't surprised that there are people who still support President Bush: These are people so exhausted, so distracted, and so pissed off at what they feel is an injustice to them ("them" being, more than likely, white "Christians"), that they willingly and passively take to heart everything and anything out of the mouths of people such as Tim LaHaye as well as the radio talk show Scott describes in his letter. Call me crazy, but, I find this frighteningly ironic: keep the masses way too busy to sit still and clear their heads so they can realize they're being brainwashed. *shivers up the spine* Lisa Navarro Subject: HEADLINE I would like to see a headline for contributions that reads something like this: BUZZFLASH HEADLINE: Without Your Support, Bushco Doesn't Exist. It's That Simple. Click Here And Make It Happen, Because the Bill He Has Run Up Is Not Delivered To Him. It Is Delivered To You. Every day. And Your Family. And Your Friends. Every day. Michael Subject: The decider (or something has changed) Hi Buzz. It looks to me like something has changed. For the first time, I've seen Bush's grammatical mistake prominently displayed in headlines of major papers and as a leading story on the evening news. Until now, Bush's bumblings were either edited or minimized or hidden somewhere in the barrage of his less inane comments. But this time his "I'm the decider" line was almost everywhere, and in bold print at that. Is it possible that our media are coming out of their hibernation? Elizabeth [BuzzFlash Note: It could be that Bushspeak is now accepted as standard American English. Did anybody else think he should have said, "decision maker"?] Subject: McClellan Resigns - Can No Longer Keep Straight Face Sarcastic Network News Riding a rising wave of departures, Press Secretary Scott McClellan resigned his position as chief spokesman for the Bush Administration. "I was losing my effectiveness as the voice of this administration. It had become virtually impossible to keep a straight face while delivering the continuous stream of 'good news.' I mean, c'mon, the Cheney shooting stuff was bad enough -- but now they want me to chat up the 'great' economy. Like we don't have the biggest deficit in the history of money -- get serious." McClellan's successor has not been named but indications point to the Fox "News" Channel assuming the newly reorganized Press Secretary position. "It's a perfect fit," offered Fox Director of Fabrication Brit Hume. "Like the White House, we're not bogged down trying to prove things or worrying about facts to support our positions. We're ready to deliver the vitally important messages this administration makes up from thin air." McClellan spoke candidly about his future. "Secretary Rumsfeld offered me a position as spokesperson for the upcoming war with Iran but I plan to explore the private sector. With my experience at prevarication, I can easily get a job as spokesperson for the oil or tobacco industries." When asked if rumors of internal strife at the White House had an element of truth, McClellan responded, "Truth? What's that?" Joe Keefe Subject: Gun Laws I am a proud progressive, bordering on Libertarian. You either believe that Americans have a Constitutional right to bear arms, or you don't. I happen to believe that we do. Every time guns laws are made stricter BuzzFlash appears gleeful in response. It may get to the point where our right to bear arms is subsumed by the difficulty in purchasing them. I believe in the Constitutional right of abortion and am disgusted by the chilling of that right by making it so difficult in some locales to find the service. The chilling of the right to bear arms is no different. Even if you don't agree, you should support the right. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: A Continuing List of Anti-Bush Songs # 1...AMERICA FIRST...MERLE HAGGARD # 2...WHERE'S ALL THE FREEDOM?...MERLE HAGGARD # 3...NOT READY TO MAKE NICE...DIXIE CHICKS # 4...POLITICALLY UNCORRECT...GRETCHEN WILSON AND MERLE HAGGARD # 5...IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT...NEIL YOUNG # 6...RICH MAN'S WAR...STEVE EARLE NEXT???????? Shirley ... St. Louis Subject: Details on 11 Priests Missing in '04 Report: Mahony's disclosure on sex abuse claims left out information on clerics who stayed in ministry (LA Times) A frontpage headline in today's LA Times. Wow! Wonder if said holy one will work his way out of this one. Let's see, there was that original sellout of Jesus (in exchange for power and greed), the conquests (in which they teamed-up with the Conquistadores for institutional as well as personal gain. Yes, souls saved and all that, but, at the least, there were and are serious conflicts of interest), not to mention their never yet having apologized for what they did to Galileo. Not surprising, then, the Archbishop's reluctance, obstinacy, desperation (perhaps near panic) at the thought of what might happen to his Church, should the word ever get out that the numbers show that there's something about said Church that serves as a magnet for active pedophiles, with an incidence of 1-5 percent (based upon reports in MSM) in some hotspots. Now if pedophilia were a contagious disease (which it definitely is not), news of such an incidence would cause nothing less than a stampede. So what's the church doing about this terrifying state of affairs? Same as it had always done; deny it, pretend it never happened, isn't happening and "how dare you even mention it"; plus, for the umpty-umpth time, it's found a scapegoat, "Homosexuals are to blame, not the Church; over there, those gays, fry'em!" What'll prevent the powers that be from pulling this off? We the people changing the world, that's what. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Letter Sent to MSNBC Re: War Whore Monica Crowley There was an eye-opener on "Scarborough Country" the other night. Monica Crowley got my attention first by saying that Iran "may already have" nuclear weapons and that Iran may "pass them off to Al Qaeda and allow Al Qaeda then to bring them into the United States and detonate them." These statements are criminally inaccurate. No one in any position of authority or responsibility has made such an allegation. In fact, all relevant experts agree that the Iranian nuclear program is in its infancy, and that five years is the absolute minimum amount of time in which Iran could produce such a weapon - most estimations are closer to 10 years. Crowley is a traitor - clearly engaged in the mass-media promulgation of totally fabricated information in the interests of fomenting yet another unnecessary and self-destructive war. MSNBC should cease immediately any elicitation of her commentary, and cooperate in all ways possible with authorities engaged in her prosecution for treason. Thank you for your consideration. MSNBC's Crowley said Iran "may already have" nukes, despite consensus to the contrary (Media Matters) Ken Duerksen Subject: Waiting, Waiting, Still Waiting!!! How many of us have been waiting and listening and hoping the amoral Bush’s Brain will be caught up in the web of deceit he helped perpetrate. Some say he has been demoted and his wrists slapped, but leaving him in a position of strategy planning is an insult to many Americans who’d rather see him indicted and behind bars! With political ruthlessness he has damaged the opposition. Fair play has never entered into Rove’s manipulation of the facts, and there is a long list of opponents who have felt the sting of his lies and attacks first hand, most memorably Joseph Wilson, John Kerry, John McCain and Max Cleland! Rove operates on the principle that it’s better to be feared than despised. During the campaigns, both before and after, we have seen him wreak havoc on his opponents. His strategy and propaganda, is also based on fear tactics, and he is masterful at operating behind the scenes, covering his tracks and diffusing unfavorable revelations by diversion and wedge issues. For those of us who have been around for awhile, it is Karl Rove who is George W. Bush’s Paul Winchell, the guy who pulled the strings for another blockhead, Jerry Mahoney! Some also speculate, he might have been that “bulge” on Bush’s back during the debates! Rove keeps good ole folksy George, the regular guy, above the fray while he works his machinations. But, alas, the image maker can do little, as he has seen his idol crumble from corruption, bad decisions, poor prior planning, lies revealed and scandal! For those of us who watch and wait for these power worshippers to fall and fall hard, there is a glimmer of hope wrapped up in one Patrick Fitzgerald.
As we sit waiting, waiting, waiting, for justice to be done, perhaps in the near future we will be able to say as Hosea said, “They sowed the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind!” Susan Carr Subject: Two Decks of Cards BuzzFlash, Theguywhocallshimselfpresident is even more duplicitous than you suggest. He has spent his entire life surrounded by wealth and power. He has heard nothing but scorn and derision of our government and its policies. He is the son of a man who believes he is a world-citizen as opposed to us low-lifes who consider themselves American citizens. These people believe that we need a one-world government, with (guess-who?) running it. And yet they spend unlimited amounts of time and money trying to trick us into believing that they are "just like you." Taking off a $1000 jacket and rolling up their sleeves is the closest thing to work any of them has done! In some future memoir we will hear accounts of the derisive dialogue used to describe the rubes outside the inner circle. Just as McNamara actually admitted that he knew the Vietnam war was unwinnable 6 months after it started (for us!..90 YEARS for the Vietnamese). And there were fewer than 1000 dead at that time! But these people do not care about these issues. "Nothing personal, it's just business." George Subject: Just now on Jay Leno I just turned on Leno so I missed all but the last minute of Jay with John McCain, who's out getting his celebrity TV exposure, I guess. I thought they finally went back to work in D.C. this week? Jay asks (paraphrase): This is what I don't get, why can't the federal government just go in after all this time to New Orleans, like the WPA did, and say let's rebuild, put all our resources together, give people of New Orleans jobs, and build this place back? McCain replied, seriously: I'd say, let's just put Wal-Mart, Home Depot and ... in there to do the job and leave the federal government out of it (stressing "the federal government" as if it were evil, shockingly condescending to Leno). This video needs to be replayed and highlighted right now. It also needs to be saved and forwarded everywhere for the 2008 campaign. What a flip reply from McCain. I mean the dems/progressives/liberals could make hay out of McCain on this one response (he's not a maverick, nor an independent, as he claims, and here's the proof; he's a big world corporation, pro-Wal-Mart, pro-Home Depot in deceptive masquerade). This guy has always been all over the map on everything; grounded only in republican patriotism and being a martyr for whatever cause which can shine the spotlight on him. Heck, I'm not even sure whether his "Straight Talk Express" wasn't a ploy to make Bush look strong and "a fighter" and to get McCain to prove his mettle, promising him the presidency if he'd do all these things for him, like even later coordinating the "Gang of 14" to shut down all debate against Bush's appointments to the Supreme Court. Really, the next thing we saw, after Bush's many smears, was his appearance with Bush on the back of a rail car in CA, then their celebrated "mending the fences" photo-op at McCain's place in AZ. Betsy Subject: Now This Is an Accomplishment Buzz, Now this is an accomplishment: "Bush, Hu agree to disagree as Friends " (msnbc) Nancy Lynn Nagy (TN) Subject: Fulan Gong Protester Hauled Off I think that BuzzFlash should spotlight this calamity. Of course, there are security concerns at state visits but, one, this woman protester slipped in, how? And, two, she was hustled away after expressing her protected speech and arrested! Bucks before people ... that's this country's and China's ethos - in entirety - it seems. Heckler disrupts welcoming ceremony for China's Hu (EE Times) Becoming part of the news at White House: NBC cameraman juggles covering the two presidents and the protester (NBC News) Chas. Hansen Subject: Lying About Troop Withdrawl How can Bush be believed on his intention to withdraw troops from Iraq when Halliburton is building 14 permanent bases and the largest embassy in the world? Why isn’t the press reporting this and connecting the dots? Do we have to wait for Jon Stewart to demonstrate this absurdity? I appreciate Jon’s funny observations, but, Bush’s lying to the American people is no joke … it’s a crime. Rudy Nardelli |
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