December 11, 2001

Note: The BuzzFlash Mailbag is updated on an ongoing basis, with the newest material and comments on top. Again, we can only post a small percentage of what is sent to us. Thanks again for your email and your patience.

I just finished reading your post "GOP Wants Big Money for Corporations - CNN Spins Story Against Daschle."

I believe CNN has become an extension of the Republican Party - Really...

I was once again appalled by the biased Enron coverage the other evening. Lou Dobbs, Moneyline....to begin with, if anyone is interested, Lou Dobbs donated $1000.00 to the Bush campaign fund. Yes, I realize it's a mere pittance in comparison to most donations, however I felt it was worth mentioning.

Enron - By now we all know what a terrible mess this is -- we all know how many "regular people" have been devestated by this crooked company which is joined at the hip to the Bush Administration and the domino effect it will create, however the day the story broke, what did Lou Dobbs and his guests talk about?

They talked about how much good Enron had done for the State of Texas, how much money they had donated to local charities, how they were such great philanthropists. How they sincerely hoped they would recover as they had helped the people of Texas over the years and would be missed terribly. I mean they filled approximately fifteen minutes with nothing but praise for those wonderful guys who ran Enron as if they were saints. That was how Lou Dobbs & his guests covered the collapse of this Company. This is journalism?

I know, a lot of us have complained many times about the media and it does seem to be getting worse each day. I just wish we knew what to do about it because a lot of the time it is truly sickening.

Regards,
Marlene W.

Dear BuzzFlash,

While sick in bed for two weeks, I happened across a noxious FoxNews business segment
in which their analysts each picked a stock to recommend. The two stocks of the day were Halliburton and Boeing.

No mention of the oil and defense theme of these picks was made, nor of Cheney's relation
to Halliburton.

In any case, I thought you might enjoy noting FoxNews' recommendation of their stock. The analyst noted their asbestos problem but claimed it was "behind them" and that it was
a good time to buy because the worst news was already out there and a rebound was
coming.

This was November 24th... Link below, scroll down a bit.

--Sam P.
Hudson, NY

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,39425,00.html

Gary B. and Pat stayed put and each picked the one stock he says will be the best performer for the rest of the year.

Gary B. combed over his charts and came up with the world's number one provider of oil field services, Halliburton (HAL). He likes this chart because after a massive sell-off in August and September, there are finally signs of hope. He recommends buying the stock now with a stop under its double-bottom low at about $20. Pat studied the company's fundamentals, and did not come up with the same feeling for the stock. He said Halliburton has big international revenues, but the stock is cheap for a reason -- it has a large asbestos problem.

Dear Buzz,

Re: Mary Frances Berry no saint

I was initially angered with her over that too, but looking at the Pacifica stations today, during this crisis, I do think they are too focused on one issue -- leftists. For instance, there are many reasons for liberals to despise the Taliban, which is why most of them support the war, but you would never know that looking at the alt.press. The alt.press isn't as representative of the left as it pretends to be. I don't like the new demos because the represent people who aren't really demos, but the alt.press is highly elitist in its own way. The only opinions that have appeared in the alt.press lately are cultural relativists that can forgive the Taliban for the treatment of women and people who are dogmatically antiwar. Maybe Marion Francis Berry really was misunderstood.

Jennifer L Brice

Dear BuzzFlash.com.

I sent the attached email to CNN in re: real stories that I find on your site. (For all the good it does to try and educate the likes of CNN et al).

I want to thank you for saving my sanity by zeroing in on the truth (via real stories by real journalists) so that we aren't stuck out here with nothing but Infomercials for Bush (like CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and never mind the broadcast channels).

I can get so depressed watching King George 24/7 that I shut the TV off and turn to sites like yours on the net. Yours is the first one I go to because you guys hang stories faster than the AP.

I really appreciate your work. I haven't had a bunch of money lately but I promise I will be sending you a donation after the first of the year. If I had to, I would pay for a subscription to get BuzzFlash.com.

Keep it up!!
Karen A. Sisco
Spring, Texas

========

ATTN.: CNN and William Schneider: I nearly fell out of my chair today when I heard Bill Schneider touting Dubya and Cheney's ties to "big oil" as an asset. You, CNN (and Schneider), have so become so buried in shallow polls that you have become the latest ignorant 24/7 infomercial for Bush and company. The local papers in Texas have been full of stories about shady deals that Poppy Bush, Dubya, Cheney, James Baker III, have had with the likes of Enron, Halliburton, the Carlysle Group et al. You folks need to get your nose out of the numbers and start doing research on the real links between between Dubya and friends with "big oil."

Somebody's going to scoop you one of these days and you will be shown to be just another version of Fox Fans for Bush. Just read the many recent letters from the suddenly laid off employees of Enron to the Houston Chronicle. They will break your heart if you still have one. These peoples' pensions were stolen by Ken Lay to give $50 million to Enron's upper management just before they went under.

Are you and Bill Schneider so bereft of foresight that you think stories like that about Dubya's buddies will help him in the future? OR, will you do as I suspect and ignore all those nasty little details that might muddy up your world view that Bush is the King and you are going to do your best to keep it that way.

I used to love ya CNN, but you're coming to a bad end.

Sincerely,
Karen A. Sisco
Spring, TX

P.S. Please do NOT refer me to one of your chatty sites. My comments are to YOU, CNN. If you don't want to read what I have to say than reach for the delete key.

Dear Buzz,

I read with great interest your excerpts on the propaganda manifesto of the Free Congress. Seems to dovetail with the most recent Cal Thomas ed (posted on www.Nandotimes.com 12/10/01) about religion & politics; i.e. these knuckleheads seem to be sloughing off some of their old strategies and regrouping for another round in the culture war.

Keep up the good work y'all

rsd

Dear BuzzFlash,

This is a thank-you for guidance to a variety of information which is needed at this time. Because I know there are others who have similar views, it helps me to continue to write letters to the editor concerning the many varied ways our freedoms are being taken away, a stolen election, etc.

Thanks again
Deborah Burns

Dear Buzz,

Isn't it funny how O'Reilly and Rush and the rest of the right-wing pundits won't talk about the Bush administration and its links to Enron? Isn't it funny how no one has called for an impeachment because of the Bush family ties to Osama, Halliburton, Enron and the Bush energy policy? Can anyone imagine what these folks would be saying if Clinton had done anything just smacking of one part of this scandal?

Ever wonder why oil prices are so low at a time when they should be sky high? Could it be because there was no shortage 7 months ago, and that this administration knows that it could never get the kind of public support it has if gasoline prices were high and if the gasoline supply was like it was during Carter's term? Does this tell you who really controls the oil barrels?

The mainstream media--whatever that means--is not doing its job.

Homer Hooker

Dear BuzzFlash,

Subj: Enron quote "This organization believes in creative destruction"

THAT'S RIGHT. Jeffrey Skilling #2 on "Worth" magazine's 50 Best CEO's list said it in the following article dated June 20, 2001.

http://www.worth.com/ceos/66.html

Their employees and stockholders will attest to the effectiveness of Enron's "creative destruction"

The Congress will be very interested in examining Enron's "creative" deals and their "creative" accounting practices.

Diane Tkac

[BuzzFlash Note: We hope Congress looks into it. At the rate Congress has been sucking up to big business, Congress might just throw them a party.]

Dear Buzz,

Excerpt from the California Press, 1997:

At a cost of $500 billion to American taxpayers, the savings and loan debacle of the 1980s was the worst financial crisis of the twentieth century as well as a crime unparalleled in American history. Yet the vast majority of its perpetrators will never be prosecuted, and those who were have received minimal sentences.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The reason I submit the above excerpt is because the Bush boys were involved in the scandal and Bush Sr. did some magic leaving the American taxpayers holding the bag. Would I be too suspicious if I think similar things could happen because of Bush Jr.'s association with Enron? Just wondering... just speculating.

~ Cathy

Dear BuzzFlash,

<< I can only hope that I will be joined by many Ex-Enroners in writing to my to my congressman and my two state senators to express my feelings and to reveal the real Enron.

Anonymous,
former employee >>

Sorry, buddy, one of your Senators is the famous Texas economic Genius Phil Gramm, who loves nothing better than bailing out Texas zillionaires at the expense of Texas and American taxpayers. (and the other is Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Your Rep. might well be either Tom DeLay or Dick Armey, and you can't expect much sympathy or support their, either.)

"Financial Genius" Gramm didn't see the onrushing Mack Truck of the huge Savings and Loan defaults, although to AVOID noticing the corrupt bank balance sheets, the then Bush I administration FIRED the fed's San Francisco district (covering all of CA and several other western states) Bank Examining supervisor, and replaced him with M. Danny Walls.... YOU GUESSED IT, a banking industry Lobbyist and GOP bigwig, with the top Bush admin. phone
numbers on his speed dial.

By successfully devoting oceans of ink to Madison Guarantee and the Clinton administration, GOP leaders, business execs., and media friendly writers helped Americans conveniently forget that they were paying the billions in S&L loan guarantees and bailouts.

By helping Americans "forget" the 1980's S&L debacle, we get a repeat today.

They say, "those who forget history are condemned to repeat it" and here America's 3-year attention span is considerably shorter than the 15 or 20 years of the S&L debacle. And of course, America's Great "Major, Mainstream Media" had Enron on their covers less than a year ago. More "garbage information" than you can shake a stick at, sad to say.

LJBK

********************************************************

Excerpts from:
Dec. 9, 2001, 12:30PM
Enron letters - Part 2
Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle

Part 1
TALK TO US

Saturday, Dec. 8

OK guys. There are many more stories than the few you have put out on the
site so far. Even if you don't include the one I sent a couple of days ago,
I'm sure you have many more.

Thanks for the opportunity to sound off about 'End'ron.

Les Jackson,
former employee

Read more Enron Employee letters here:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/side/1160419

Dear Buzz,

Re: Bin Laden agent, Bath, & GW Bush were Both suspended & grounded same day

You may have missed this important detail - James R. Bath was suspended on the same day as GWBush.

This man, Bath, was the Bin Laden family financial agent that funneled money, $50000. into GWBush's first company - Arbusto company.

Look at that document again where Bush was suspended & grounded

http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/grounded.gif

Dear BuzzFlash:

I've heard nothing for years but conservatives whining about President Clinton's 'lie' about a bj, and how it damaged his Presidency. I never really did quite grasp how President Clinton (and I'm relying on history, here), tarnished the Presidency because of 'sex' in the WH, and I believe the real crime was in the question, not in the answer. I never believed a consensual bj was the business of the citizenry.

That being said, I AM concerned about a recent mischaracterization by pResident Bush. We live in an age of 'wag the flag.' It is intimated that dissenters aid terrorists by our AG. Yet, at a townhall meeting on Dec. 4, in Florida, president Bush said this:

"Well, Jordan (ph), you're not going to believe what state I was in when I heard about the terrorist attack. I was in Florida. And my chief of staff, Andy Card -- actually I was in a classroom talking about a reading program that works. And I was sitting outside the classroom waiting to go in, and I saw an airplane hit the tower -- the TV was obviously on, and I use to fly myself, and I said, 'There's one terrible pilot.' And I said, 'It must have been a horrible accident.'"

"But I was whisked off there -- I didn't have much time to think about it, and I was sitting in the classroom, and Andy Card, my chief who was sitting over here walked in and said, 'A second plane has hit the tower. America's under attack.'"

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0112/04/se.04.html

We are all very well aware that the events happened simultaneously. Bush was reading to school children when the attacks occurred. We also know that the airing of the first plane hitting the first trade tower was not live. It was footage aired hours later, and was taken by an amateur on the street who had to duck under a car parked on the street for his own safety.

How, then, is the citizenry supposed to feel about the lie this president told? It makes a 'lie about a bj look rather trite in comparison. Is Bush 'wagging the flag,' is he flat out lying, or is he just an ignoramus?

I wonder how long it will take for this transcript to be edited for 'national security' reasons.

CR