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| May 2, 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: CNN reports that 11,000 people thanked Stephen Colbert [sent Monday] Well now, that's a surprise. CNN started out the coverage of the two comedians (Bush and his double) by showing Michelle Malkin's web site in which she praised Bush. But they ended with the fact that 11,000 people wrote thank you letters to Stephen Colbert for telling the truth. A Buzzer Subject: Gays in Military - Blame Clinton? In 1993, Chief of Staff General Colin Powell, told President Clinton, "The military leadership is yelling for a Policy on Gays in the Military." President Clinton told him to give him choices. General Powell studied it with his heads of difference branches of the military. He came back and told President Clinton the only choice we can suggest that will pass Congress is a "Don't Ask-Don't Tell" policy. President Clinton told him if that is the only choice I will press for it. Clinton, like the good leader he was, accepted responsibility and took all the blame for gripes. Who tells people this story? No one. Colin Powell reiterated it on a one-hour program. I do not recall the program name. I should have taped it but did not realize it would be a big story. It is fact. I heard it in detail. Tell the people. Clarence Swinney [BuzzFlash Note: Wikipedia confirms that Powell crafted the policy.] Subject: Neil Young Just finished listening to Neil Young's "Living with War" while reading BuzzFlash. What an awesome and moving experience! Linda in North Carolina [BuzzFlash Note: "Living with War" is going to be offered by BuzzFlash starting tomorrow, May 3, 2006.] Subject: CNN says 2400 US soldiers dead in Iraq Over 60 in April. It is really sad, but I am afraid my prediction of 2500 for Dubya on his birthday, July 6, 2006, will be low. I hope not, but it seems very possible. Speak up or they assume you agree!!! ABB Karen Webb Subject: Show Us What Democracy Looks Like Millions of immigrants today (May 1st) showed us pampered, lazy Americans what democracy looks like! Will we get their message before it's too late? Maybe they should just give the country to those who so obviously care more about it than we do and deport the sleeping, hypnotized, white, rich men back to where they came from! Tim Clarke Subject: It Doesn't Help Our Cause oh for pete's sake......the link to ~Video and transcript: Stephen Colbert. "Reality has a well-known liberal bias.” The Washington White House Correspondents Dinner. Part II~ contains questionable content.....like.......IS THAT CHILD PORN?????????? good grief.......come on you guys.......EDIT........EDIT.........EDIT...... Or is it the vast right wing conspiracy linking Colbert's brilliant barrage to the kiddie porn site? I love your site.....but mannnnnnnn.........not a good link to use........y'know? Deanna [BuzzFlash Note: Thanks for alerting us. We messed up and we're sorry. We have changed our link.] Subject: Scare Tactics Again Election year, can't use the WMDs, mission accomplished bottomed out. It's time to bring up Social Security and Medicare finances again. Medicare will be broke in 2012, SS in 2040, that's the latest as of today. The fear tactic never ends. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Same Old Same Old Valerie Plame was monitoring Iran when our president outed her to make sure that the truth about WMD wouldn't get in the way of his going to war against Iraq. That traitorous and illegal act on his part, it's now been revealed, has compromised U.S. intelligence on Iran, the very nation that said president is now so damn dead-set on going to war against. So determined that he's willing to sacrifice however many lives his leakage of Valerie Plame's name is going to cost us. Does he care? Why would he care? He's safe and well-protected. There's a city dug somewhere under the Rockies where, in case of a nuclear holocaust, he, his family and the rest of the powers that be will be safe and sound. It's a different story, though, for the rest of us. Let's see, the Iraq war's cost America twenty-four hundred of our best and brightest and still counting, not to mention Iraq's losses, whatever the actual count may turn out to be. Since Iran is larger and more powerful than Iraq, it follows that our losses there could be many times worse than in Iraq, not to mention the sense of impending doom that such a war is sure to break loose among us. How to prevent our government from going to war against Iran? We the people change the world, that's how. A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Re the valerie plame outing BuzzFlash: I could not understand the entire situation re the outing of valerie plame, but it sure makes sense now that we are sure that bush, inc is going after iran. she and her husband were in the way and undoubtedly would have exposed iran's nuclear capability and if they had none it would be iraq all over again. The bushies have to always wipe out anyone exposing them with the truth. so they had to get the wilsons out of their way so they could not interfere with their iranian plans. the bushies knew exactly what they were doing. the bushies could not tolerate two outings of the lack of WMD's-iraq and iran. they had to get her out of the way it looks like. wonder what the wilsons will say about iran. Henry Subject: Who to Boycott This was submitted by me to the thankyoustephencolbert.org website today.
This comes about because I recently received an e-mail asking me to boycott "ONE" oil company to attempt to make a difference. I was under the impression that Americans (not to be confused with confederates) do not buy Shell gas, environmentalists do not support Exxon (in any of its forms) and Burger King's subsidizing of the deforestation of South America stops us before we get to the drive in window. Support for Mitsubishi products since they dropped the plans for desalinization plant in Baja California is allowed, and encouraged. Some things work, others do not. But being true to your values is what sets Americans apart from the confederates who seemingly follow money. This is today, we'll see about tomorrow. RT Subject: MSNBC's "Countdown" Isn't Laughing (letter sent to MSNBC and Washington Post) Keith Olbermann and Dana Milbank (MSNBC's "Countdown," May 1 2006) didn’t like the performance the other night of their fellow entertainer Stephen Colbert at the Washington Correspondent’s Dinner. Both seemed prudishly miffed by the fact that Colbert had made the President uncomfortable - reenacting the Victorian cluck-fest the two held in the wake of the Coretta Scott King funeral, at which Bush’s panties had gotten similarly bunched. Olbermann incomprehensibly took a proprietary role regarding our president’s delicate sensibilities by worrying whether the dinner was "the right venue" for such talk. Milbank dismissed Colbert's act by saying "I don’t think he crossed a line: I just don’t think he was terribly funny." Wrong on both counts, Dana; Colbert crossed lines that Washington’s timid journalists fear to even approach - the way a dog implicitly avoids its Invisible Electric Fence - and the satire was pristine. It was hilarious and bold because it rang true. The only people who weren’t laughing were those being so exquisitely skewered: the Bush administration and its huge stable of media sycophants - essentially the entire live audience. Out here in the country and blogosphere it's all anyone can talk about - and we loved it! I found one of the funniest aspects of the show to be when the camera would reveal to us at home the stony faces of well-known journalists experiencing the first pangs of cognitive dissonance, and the realization that Colbert was in fact roasting them. Like most frantic defensive reactions, Olbermann’s and Milbank’s objections lack internal logic. The two make no bones about the fact that these events themselves are fatuous, pretentious, and "painful" to attend - and yet they lament the possibility that Colbert had "irrevocably damaged" the Correspondents dinner. Well, that’s what a good iconoclast does - he shatters institutions that damage or strangle society. I hope there never is another "Correspondent’s Dinner," as it has always been an unnatural affair which has served to tame our Fourth Estate to the hand of their masters. I don’t want my journalists enjoying "cucumber martinis" with those who should be treated as their natural enemies; our government. It's not good for the country. Colbert is a patriotic hero, and funny to boot. Ken Duerksen Subject: Is Anyone Listening? Ever feel like you are screaming as loud as you can and no one can hear you? That’s the way that many American citizens are feeling about this whole illegal immigration issue. Notice the words, ”illegal immigration”? That’s the issue and anyone who uses the words anti-immigrant is being dishonest. There are ideologues eager to spew their mindless rhetoric and hate rather than discuss an issue. Republicans are the champs at this but Democrats are fast catching up. Both sides would do well to remember that there is not enough of the party faithful to elect either side. You need the Independents and calling us racist and stupid when we don’t agree with you is a lose/lose situation. I am 100% against illegal immigration. It is against the law, it is harmful to our country and it is a slap in the face to all those who have taken the legal and difficult path to citizenship. Instead of having considered and honest debates about illegal immigration we have rants. We have name calling. We have dishonest and insulting name tags applied to anyone who disagrees with any side of an issue. I live in S.E. Wisconsin and my husband and several co-workers are currently laid off from a small, local factory. Meanwhile a temp service van drops off illegal immigrants to do those jobs. Why? Because these people will work for 3-5 dollars an hour less than those laid off. They are also too frightened to complain about health, safety or other workplace issues. Indeed they complain about nothing and management loves that! People do have very good reasons for being against “illegal immigration.” It has nothing to do with the color of a person's skin. Do you think unemployed or underemployed people would be saying “go ahead and take my job” if the ones taking those jobs were Norwegians? Get serious! The only color most of us care about is the color green. Deport 11-20 million people? No one with the intellect of ringworm thinks that is possible. Hell, this government couldn’t even get 1.5 million people out of New Orleans, and they wanted to go. We need to close those borders, and then go after the real criminals, the employers. Prosecute those criminals, make tougher laws, and prosecute them some more. And if individuals are stopped by law enforcement for other offences and are discovered to be illegals, then they should be deported. After all, it is the law. Marjorie L. Swanson Subject: Re: “Immigration and African Americans” (Mailbag, May 1) While I agree there is much to be debated regarding this subject, and a solution will not be easy, I have to wonder why all the people who are affected by no benefits, no medical coverage, low wages, job loss, and downright unemployment are not coming together to conquer the real culprits, the ones that are really responsible for the current crisis. Big business said we want cheap labor, the politicians said OK, we’ll turn a blind eye to illegal immigration, we won’t fund border protection, we’ll give you cheap labor and in the process we can eliminate that worrisome middle-class who joins unions, we’ll break their backs! If we the people could come together and celebrate our diversity, if we could join together to find solutions to our problems, just think of the very powerful force we could generate. Don’t allow the politicians, these representatives of corporate power and greed to create chaos and confusion, don’t allow them to pit one against the other, don’t lose sight of the real cause and effect. We can come together, we can find a workable solution, and we can create a democracy of the people, by the people, and for the people. Together we are a mighty force and we can overcome! Barbara Subject: King George? I'm afraid that calling GW a King, which I have done, is just too benevolent usage of the word. He is working toward being a Dictator. He has told us many times that is what would be easier for him. And we know he goes for the easiest way. Acting as a President is "Hard work," you know. Most dictators seize the power using the laws. He has done that. It helps that we don't have a Congress which will reign him in. I am afraid that we are truly screwed! 2008: It would not surprise me at all, if we are under Marital Law, and the election will not be held or that Mr. Bush declares, since he was not elected in 2000 (and not in 2004 either), that he can be President for another 8 years. Think they won't try something to keep him in power? The only hope we have is that the American people keep waking up and his numbers go so low, that they could not try to pull another stealing of the Government. We live in interesting times ... and that is a dangerous time for the world. http://www.lastbastionofreason.com/2006/05/01/all-hail-king-george/ Susan Strouss Subject: The Watergate Hotel I can't understand the Republicans' continual attraction and disasters with the Watergate Hotel. It's kind of like Superman and Kryptonite, but he doesn't go looking for it. Prostitution Allegations Surface in a Congressional Bribery Case (NY Times) Mike Curtis Subject: Colbert I was trying to watch this thing in a motel room 250 miles from home in a very Republican town. I was amazed that they did not cut him off, but we had just watched the "Imposter Bush" whom I had seen before ... and the first time without the president there ... he was hilarious. He was at the roast of another comedian and he was funny, he said nothing like he did at this thing. But, Colbert is always like that, and he is so facetious, you never know when he is serious ... or at least they did not. Some of the audience was not sure ... the Bush followers were stunned, I think, and everyone else wondered what they should do in this room ... It was funny! It was all over television last night ... Olbermann ran almost a complete part of it. You have to not care ... one bit ... what he is going to think ... and like the man at that funeral, Colbert did not ... it was worth it to him. I watched John Bolton (Yosemite Sam) this morning and he can lie right along with the best of them. It just never ceases to amaze me. Thanks Buzz ... for the chance to listen to the Neil Young music ... and the Springsteen video at the N.O. Jazz Fest ... I almost wish I could have been there. Thanks again. Shirley ... St. Louis Subject: Talk,talk,talk Come-on, I read people writing articles, editorials about how we should take to the streets in the millions, which is a good ideal, but no one pushes for it. Like it is said, f the immigration people can get that many out at one time, why can't the American people? Someone come up with an idea as to how to do that and I will be there. We need several big, big known people to start this, let's go. Sheila Weaver Subject: Hail We The People Hail, all hail, for the world is now our responsibility, what with King George of 2005 about to be impeached and then put on trial for his crimes against humanity. What perfect timing, too. One moment later and it would have been, "Will the last one out please turn-off the lights?" A BuzzFlash Reader Subject: Paul Hackett and Common Sense I am sitting here listening to Paul Hackett on Air America Radio. I had nearly turned it off because Hackett is sitting in for Jerry Springer and the crap Springer has been spewing about illegal immigration the past few weeks has disgusted me. Springer refuses, as do most Democrats, to call the issue what it is; illegal immigration. That is what most of us are angry about. Quit saying we are anti-immigration. We are not. We are anti-illegal immigration. And God Bless Paul Hackett he is skewering that pro-illegal immigrant arguments. We lost a lot when the Democratic Party decided to Swift Boat Hackett. We lost the chance for an honest politician. He does an unforgivable thing for a politician; he says what he thinks. And even worse, he believes what he says. The Democratic Party will not be able to silence Hackett. And he will continue on this and other issues to show what a bunch of sell-outs and fools they are. Hackett has long been my hero. Every time I hear him speak my respect for him grows. Straight talk and honesty? Paul you should become an Independent. Your qualities don’t fit in either party. Marjorie L. Swanson
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