April 26, 2002

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A hearty and joyous "AMEN!" to everything that Sally McDonald says in her open letter to George Bush (4/25, http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/04/25_Faith.html).
I, too am a Christian who is completely appalled at the audacity of President Bush and other members of the "religious right" who claim that their actions -- to reward greed, increase suffering around the world, stigmatize the poor, etc. -- are somehow based on Christian principles. It really makes me wonder if these people have ever actually read the New Testament...

I've said it countless times before, but the actions of one self-proclaimed & vocal Christian who picks, chooses & distorts pieces of Scripture to justify his or her actions can do more damage to the cause of Christianity than can any number of atheists.

Jesus constantly tangled with the Pharisees of his time and we Christians continue the very same struggle to this day.

Drew Beck

Dear Buzz,

In response to RA in LA there is a website that does exactly what you are interested, information on tight races, Democratic candidates that need support and collect money for those candidates. In fact they make it easy to send small amounts to several candidates and the site is: http://www.moveon.org (MoveOn).

MoveOn also sends emails at times about critical issues that need you to call your representatives.

Hope this helps you.

Roberta
Lockport NY

Here is an email they recently sent.

>Dear MoveOn Supporter,
>
>In the past year we have seen corporate greed and individual corruption
>ruin the lives of thousands of individuals. The Enron
>pyramid scheme collapses as its senior executives pocket hundreds of
>millions of dollars and its auditors look the other way.
>The government "returns" billions of dollars in taxes to the wealthiest
>one percent and then discovers that it no longer has
>enough money to pay its bills. The oil giants write the administration's
>energy policy and bleat about "energy independence"
>while opposing all efforts to advance energy conservation and alternative
>energy technologies.
>
>There are folks in Washington fighting back, but they need your help.
>Senator Carnahan of Missouri is one example. Her opponent, former
>Congressman Jim Talent, plays by "Enron" rules. He clearly knows what his
>corporate friends want. He supported drilling in the Artic National
>Wilderness refuge and voted to weaken the Clean Water and Clean Air
>Acts. He has consistently opposed any increase in the minimum wage or
>other measures intended to support working families. And he co-sponsored
>two bills that would ban a woman's right to choose in ALL cases -
>including cases of rape or incest, and even
>in cases in which the health or life of the mother is at stake.
>
>Senator Carnahan won her Senate seat against Attorney General John
>Ashcroft, a darling of the far right, only two years ago. Now the right
>wing has rallied behind her new opponent. It will be a close race, and
>your help, especially early, will make a huge difference.
>
>To support Senator Carnahan and review other key races, go to:
>
> http://www.moveonpac.org/moveonpac/viewcandidates.phtml
>
>This is a hard year for many of us, but even ten or twenty dollars can
>make a difference if we band together. We raised over $2 million dollars
>two years ago in small contributions. Then, as now, we studied dozens of
>races to bring you a small number where the race is tight, the issues
>clear, and the impact of your contributions significant. Take a look at
>our first five races, including Senator Carnahan's, at:
>
> http://www.moveonpac.org/moveonpac/viewcandidates.phtml
>
>If we just sit around cluck-clucking, it's only the foxes that win.

Buzz,

Thought you might like to see the letter I wrote to the Argus Leader regarding their article about Bush's most recent tasteless fundraising tactic.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = == = = = = = = =

RE: "$2,000 buys 18 minutes; $4,000, a photo" [April 25] at: http://www.argusleader.com/president/Thursdayarticle3.shtml

To the Editor:

How much for Bush to get buck-naked and do a tap dance to the tune of "School Days"?

Waiting breathlessly,

J. Oliander

David Brock was on Crossfire tonight (April 25, 2002).

It replays on CNN at 11:00PM EDT

You don't want to miss this.

I caught just the end of the interview.

Brock was blasting Slappy Thomas and Ted Olson for lying under oath.

Carlson was mumbling incoherently.

James Carville was giggling "what will we tell the children?"

Brock once turned to Carlson and told him he should know who all these scumbags were since they were all his friends.

It was Gold.

The transcript will eventually be available at http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/cf.html

You should remember from past experiences that CNN regularly falsifies transcripts for debates unfavorable to the Reich-Wing.

Jack

*****

[BuzzFlash Note: The transcript is available here: http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0204/25/cf.00.html. We were informed that the repeat of Crossfire did not show the half with Brock. Hmmm, is CNN scared of the truth? In the event they decided to edit the transcript, we saved a version as a PDF document (172k).]

Dear BuzzFlash,

Wow! Did anybody watch Nightline tonight? Ted Koppel just about came right out and said that the reason we are in Afghanistan is for the oil. He also made reference to Bush's former negotiations with the Taliban over oil pipelines through the area. Maybe the truth will come out yet. If it turns out that this whole "war on terrorism" is just a big excuse for us to be in there securing oil rights... Bush should be impeached! It also explains why "they hate us" and why they bombed the twin towers.

Rob Moitoza
Seattle

Dear Buzz,

"The signal has spread through the Pentagon: on to Baghdad to get rid of Saddam Hussein, probably in September when the weather should be fine and the U.S. high-tech arsenal will be replenished."

....and the election would be approaching.

Randy

Dear BuzzFlash:

Your headline article regarding the Bush fundraiser for the Thune campaign against Tim Johnson in South Dakota made me stand up and take notice. While the world burns, we watch as day after day, week after week, the supposed president travels to campaign stops across the nation and raises millions for his handpicked republican candidates. Joe Schmoes travel in their pickups to spend $2,000 of the family nest-egg to eat potato chips with a guy reading from index cards.

It's time to fight back. It's time to put our money where our mouths are. We have been told this South Dakota race is among the most critical in the upcoming elections. We can only counteract the Bush money-raising machine if we pool together our resources and support critical candidates in other states.

Let's all try to send a little something to Tim Johnson's campaign in South Dakota. Thousands of $25 (or $10 or even $5 checks) could make a difference. Let's use our communal presence here to do more than vetch. It would be great if each time Bush shows up at a campaign stop, we counteract with as much support as we can spare to the Democratic candidate in that state.

I've looked up how to send a donation to the Johnson campaign.

Send a contribution by mail to:

Tim Johnson for South Dakota
P.O. Box 1859
Sioux Falls, SD 57101

or via his campaign webpage at:
https://www.timjohnsonforsd.com/contribute.php

P.S. I have never even been to South Dakota! I just want to play a more active role in making sure the Democratic majority in the Senate is increased and that we take back the House. Reading isn't enough. Marching isn't enough. Let's surprise Tim Johnson (and his Republican opponent) with the strength of our commitment to a separation of powers in Washington.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Dear BuzzFlash:

Any BuzzFlash reader who wants a good laugh should read the editorial entitled "Political scumbaggery" in Scaife's Tribune Review. The editor accuses Paul Begala and James Carville of having a conflict of interest. He says they are political hacks masquerading as journalists and are paired with co-hosts, Novak and Carlson, two respected conservative scribes. Furthermore, Begala and Carville have signed on with Democrats and liberal groups to promote the" Progressive Donor Network" to fight "the right wing infrastructure". The editorial calls this political scumbaggery with CNN as a full partner. It advocates that Carville and Begala sever their ties with this smear campaign or if they don't, CNN should fire them.

What makes this editorial so amusing is the fact that it appears in the newspaper of the Master of Political Scumbaggery Himself, Richard Mellon Scaife. Throughout the entire Clinton administration, Scaife's conservative rag railed against and spent much money to thwart Clinton's agenda. At least Carville and Begala are courageous enough to state their views openly. They don't hide behind a column called "Dateline D.C." which is written by an anonymous Washington based British journalist and political observer.

LB Albert

[BuzzFlash Note: Don't forget to check out the Special Crossfire Edition of the Mailbag.]