 |
|||
| April 28, 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. Subject: Let's Get This Neologism Started! Sent by an astute friend: Diebold (verb) Specific Meaning: To alter the outcome of a vote in one's favor. See also "coup d'électronique." General Meaning: To change or alter any information in one's favor, regardless of its accuracy. See also "statistics." Example: "Let's Diebold the Smyth account to year-end expectations." Lori Lippitz Subject: The $100 Bribe In the face of rising gas prices and record profits by the oil companies the Republicans have a brilliant idea as to how to fix the gas price crisis. The solution - give everyone a $100 election year bribe. It's not just that it's a really bad idea, but that the Republicans think the voters are dumb enough to fall for it. Or maybe they understand the voter, which is even worse. I guess they are so used to getting bribes that it never occurs to them that it's wrong. We are a nation in serious trouble. I'm Marc Perkel - And I approved this message! SENATE GOP PLAN CALLS FOR $100 GAS REBATE (Houston Chronicle) Marc Perkel Subject: Americans Are Being Taught a Lesson Bush and his $14 billion dollar subsidized oil industry crooked friends are teaching Americans a lesson in the evils of capitalism and corporatism without regulations and restraints. Think we will learn? I seriously doubt it. Gas prices are now number one and Iran number two in the minds of concerned Americans. Bush can lie us into war, loot the treasury, commit torture and illegally spy on citizens, but they don't really get pissed off until gas prices reach a record high. Priorities my ass! We are getting exactly what we deserve! Lawton Watson Subject: Sneaky Moves, Sneaky People Some believe the one method for estimating the character of a leader is to take a look at the men he has around him. If we take a look at George W. Bush and the cronies he surrounds himself with, we can also gauge honesty as well. Libby, Rove, Cheney, and need we say more??? Throughout the Bush term of office we have encountered, lies, fixed policy, suspect voting results, and the scandal and corruption of many close or linked to Mr. Bush. In fact, every time the truth or the reality is smothered by the Administration or the Republican guards, it seems two more fallacies take their place. Bush could install a Department of Truth and it would be a full time job making excuses and covering the facts from the American people. One section alone would have its time taken up reviewing, then altering, all information fed to the public from government or scientific data. Right now the Administration is finding out the hard way, “Revenge is a dish best served cold,” as Karl Rove volunteered more excuses for his behavior in the Plame Blame Game appearing for the fifth time before a grand jury. Plans for invading Iran are following the same repetitive course as in the Iraq invasion. While news of covert military action is already taking place, Bush repeats efforts of diplomacy, but also gives us an insight with his directive that no option will be taken off the table. Meanwhile back at the House of Representatives: Following through with any cover-up of the “goings on” of the most secretive Administration in our history, the House lent a helping hand!
With full cooperation of the mainstream media and under the heading of “why haven’t we heard more?”
The media under “Pioneer” owner’s orders made the judgment like in the Downing Street Memo, this deserved little attention! Not only was the Enron trial delayed for a ridiculously long time. Arianna Huffington makes a good point. This article deserves a FULL READ!
And while we are asking, what is it about attaching all these cash-blowing pork barrel amendments, or revisiting issues voted down, by attaching them onto important bills in the sneaky efforts to get it by the minority or the American public???!!! An Administration can not claim honesty simply because they hide the facts, won’t talk about the Plame investigation {UNLESS, it suits their purpose} wants to punish leakers while reserving their method of purposeful leaking, and claims anyone that opposes them or are their enemies, are also the evil enemies of God! Martin Luther King Jr. tells us, "Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it polite?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' BUT CONSCIENCE ASKS THE QUESTION, 'IS IT RIGHT?'" Susan Carr Subject: Oil Shortage? Where? BuzzFlash, Will someone please explain to me how our "shortage of gas" is figured? Also, where did the oft-repeated claim of our being 3/4 dependent on OPEC oil originate? At the EIA (Energy Information Administration) website, http://www.eia.doe.gov, you will find more facts and figures about oil than you ever really wanted to know. However,a couple of very interesting facts are revealed. If you go to Crude Reserves & Production you will find that the United States processes 142,035,000 barrels of United States Crude Oil per month (the average for the months of Sep of '05 through Feb of '06). This is all the Districts (PADD's) listed within the US. Extracting 19.6 gallons of gasoline from a 42 gallon barrel of crude will give you 2,783,886,000 of gasoline processed for those same months. Then, if you go to Consumption/Sales, they will tell you that, backing up one month, for the months of Aug of '05 through Jan of '06, United States sales of Motor Gasoline to end users was 59,797,330 gallons per month. You do the math. (The big deal with this website is to really be careful of how the figures are being reported- whether by month, by day, by barrel, by gallons, etc. Convert all figures to the same measurement to see what is happening. BEWARE! Red herrings abound.) Also, I have yet to find, although I may have missed it, where any oil company official has said that we are dependent on OPEC oil for 3/4 of the gasoline that we pump into our automobiles, etc. What I do find, is that, of the gasoline that is pumped daily into our automobiles, 3/4 of it 'comes from OPEC.' BIG DIFFERENCE! Using a typewriter to write a book does not mean that your book being written is dependent on a typewriter. Just some thoughts. John That tells me that you guys are FOR amnesty. Do you realize that your position is in opposition to a great many middle class Americans who are BuzzFlash readers, maybe even the majority of your readers? To me, it smacks of exactly the kind of Political Correctness that drove so many folks AWAY from the Democratic party and into the waiting arms of the Repugs. You can be a liberal without being FOR amnesty. Believe it. There are a great many problems with illegal immigration that amnesty does nothing to address. I think you are really wrong on this, if that is your position. Trilby Subject: On Lowering Gas Prices One thing that would bring this about is a referendum on public ownership of the oil industry. Ridiculous? Not so, based upon how easy it was back during the gasoline crisis of '73 (which, like today's crisis was brought on by a Mideast war) for a handful of concerned citizens to gather signatures on a petition for a state referendum on public ownership of oil. People were that eager to sign. There they were in their cars, lined-up, waiting, waiting for a turn at the pump. "Hey, sign a petition to nationalize oil?" And what do you know? Jackpot! Most were that eager to sign. Yes, that took place over no more than a couple of weekends and included only a dozen or so signature-seekers working five or six gas stations at the most. But said effort was both serious and intense and during this brief period close to a thousand people signed the petition. Until, quick as it had begun , the gas crisis was over and that was the end of the referendum campaign. And the lessons learned? That folks are willing to consider public ownership of oil when the corporate world can't deliver gas fast enough or at a fair price. And that, if there's a short-term crisis, a referendum on public ownership probably ain't worth the time nor the energy. But public ownership at a time when there's a long term or permanent crisis; with gas, say, approaching five bucks a gallon? Hmm, then it might be worth a try. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: FEMA Wasn't Broke Until Bush "Fixed" It Against my better judgment and to the detriment of my health, I'm watching the mainstream media spout its version of the news tonight. Lead story: FEMA must be dismantled and rebuilt, due to the failures before, during and after Katrina. The Senate is calling for some type of national emergency response team whose leader would report directly to the president. I seem to recall that is exactly the way FEMA used to operate, until Bush, "the decider," decided that the Director of FEMA should no longer hold a cabinet level position, and proceeded to bury FEMA within the Department of Homeland Security. Now it seems our legislators want to dig up FEMA's remains to add more nails to the coffin. I'm convinced that most of the news writers for the mainstream media either have selective memory when it comes to recent history or are too entangled with the powers that be in D.C. to point out that FEMA wasn't broke until Bush decided to fix it.
Lauria Subject: Bush's sickening photo-ops Who else thought that it was nauseating to see GeeDubya engaged in a photo-op (by pretending to assist in the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast region) on the same day that the bipartisan report was issued ripping his administration's lack of response to Hurricane Katrina? Did any of the media types mention that he "just happened to visit the region at this time"? It's all too obvious and convenient! To the Bushies it's just a joke and the joke is on the American public ... especially those poor to middle class people who keep voting for neo-cons and believing the lies that they hear on hate/talk radio. At least those of us who subscribe to BuzzFlash and other progressive sites know better. Dee Turner P.S. To Shirley in St. Louis........thanks for letting me know that you agree with my thoughts on another possible John Kerry bid for the White House. No way, Jose! And I know that many others feel the same way. Like Bush said,"Fool me once shame on........who....what....oh what the hell !!!!!" Subject: Hostile Takeover Hmm, is it a coincidence? That right at the moment when we the people are about to change the world, presto, up pops this here House bill that's aimed at a hostile takeover of the Internet, the very instrument that's been so vital to our success in getting the word out? But if it's not a coincidence (this proposed hostile takeover of the Internet at such a crucial point in time), then what's going on here? Well, it so happens that the powers that be have just panicked, and that this House bill is a desperate last ditch attempt on their part to head off what to them, by now, must look to be increasingly inevitable. We the people changing the world, that is. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Ava Rocks!! I've been busy lately, and haven't taken time to write to the Mailbag (even though I read religiously every day), but I had to say that Ava, the 15 year old gal with the PeaceTakesCourage site, simply ROCKS. What guts and intelligence she displays, in the face of such ugly hatred and personal attacks. I watched her WWJD video the other day and was moved to tears...and then to anger, when I saw the ignorant and hateful responses. Today, I cheered out loud when I saw her response to the '32%'. With young people like Ava out there on the front lines, it gives me new hope that we will eventually emerge from the darkness. Ava, don't EVER back down! You speak for me, and the rest of the 60+%, and so eloquently! Please continue to move us to tears, and to shake the foundations of power. I look forward to your next installment! http://peacetakescourage.cf.huffingtonpost.com/ D. Knowlton Subject: Letter Sent to "comments@whitehouse.gov" Please do not send me the $100.00 gas "rebate" that is being discussed. Instead, please donate it to the relief of grievously wounded children in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank you. (In addition, I am reiterating this request by phone as frequently as I think about it - and to anyone I can get through to at the White House.) Ken Duerksen Subject: Fascism on Campus I found this story because of a small blurb in my local paper. One of the things that really disturbs me is this sentence:
What the heck???? They confiscated and destroyed the film??? My God!!! Isn't that what fascists do??? Restrict the free flow of information? Disseminate erroneous information (propaganda)? Can someone PLEEEEEEEASE give georgie a blowjob so we can go ahead and get him impeached??? Then maybe we can get OUR America back... A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Intelligent Design We haven't heard much on the Intelligent Design debate lately, but I think it's an issue they needs to brought up every now and then. We have compiled some hard cold fact that combined scientific theory, meticulous study and Pro Beach Volleyball. Enjoy! http://www.crackpotpress.com/html/intelligent.html Crackpot Press |
|||
| back to top | |||