May 31, 2002

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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. The opinions expressed in the Mailbag are not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. Thanks again for your email and your patience.

Dear BuzzFlash,

Larry Klayman and Judicial Watch just accused Ashcroft of intimidating FBI agents in order to suppress 911 warnings.

DU has a Breaking News thread about it as I write.

(Klayman's still a jerk though)

A BuzzFlash Reader

Hi, BuzzFlash,

Great interview with David Brock on the judiciary. Keep it coming.

Also, thanks for adding Rebecca Knight as a regular columnist. I have been appreciating her "most eloquent," energetic, and inspiring voice and am pleased to see that she will be a regular contributor.

Thanks again for all you do. It sure feels good to know that I'm not alone.

MsKitty

Buzz,

Last night before I fell asleep, that image of Chimp being told of the hijackings in the Florida school room flashed through my mind. Once more, there was the bland, botox, look of no surprise, no curiosity, no urgency. Now, if this had been news to any other human being on the planet, there would have been at least a moment of confusion, followed by indignation, followed by immediate questions. If it is true he had *never* imagined planes being used for such purposes, his ugly, twisted mouth should have been agape! Instead, he kept reading "The Hungry Caterpillar" with a poker face. Something's up.

I cannot believe the Democratic leadership is succumbing to this vile, hollow man, and, as with Enron, giving him virtually a free ride. Which reminds me...those of you who continue to hold Mike Moore, Ralph Nader and the Greens in contempt...why do you think some of us are feeling less-than-loyal to the party?

A BuzzFlash Reader

Dear BuzzFlash,

Re: "Carnivore 'Glitches' Enable FBI Lapses

Not knowing that Carnivore is software, when I read this headline, my first thought was: Does this mean Bush didn't read the August 6 memo because "the dog ate it"?

MsKitty

Dear BuzzFlash,

So we learn that the SEC will investigate Halliburton and the DOJ will investigate civil rights violations in Florida in 2000. We realize that these agencies, controlled by Bush and cronies, will probably give the subjects of inquiry a clean bill of health. How can the corrupt politicians be exposed and expelled when they seem to be holding all the cards? I don't want a government controlled by the Federalist Society.

In trying to give words to what is the greatest flaw of this administration, I have come up with "arrogant cursoriness." That is to say - to do a superficial job at whatever is at hand - to believe that this superficial job is wonderful because those who do it are smarter and more entitled than anyone else - to resent any suggestion that the job isn't wonderful and - to greet all criticism with righteous indignation as opposed to something substantive.

I am contemplating a bumper sticker which says "Arrogant cursoriness may be hazardous to your health."

JA in LA

Hello BuzzFlash,

Bush's comment, shows more than lack of education. It shows that some Americans are uppermost in this little man's tiny mind. Why??? Could it be that he and his crowd deprived these Americans of their right to vote, and maybe thinking of how they will do it again??? (As he stands next to Ms Rice, no less.)

Loyal BuzzFlash Readers

Dear BuzzFlash,

"It's a great move for Florida, but it's essentially a $235 million campaign contribution from the taxpayer's pocket to re-elect Jeb Bush" - Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust.

"I hope so." - Governor Jeb Bush, Asked if his 2002 campaign would benefit from his brother's action.

Joe Weihe

BuzzFlash:

Excerpt 1: [WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department sharply eased restrictions on domestic spying Thursday, handing the FBI broad, new authority to monitor Internet sites, libraries, churches and political organizations for clues to terrorist plots.]

Counterpoints: Does Ashcroft really think that Americans are that ignorant? The FBI/CIA and Administration had lucrative clues that something like 9/11 was coming. Those clues DID NOT come from monitoring the Internet or spying on libraries, churches and political organizations. Abundant clues came to FBI headquarters from the FBI's own observant agents in the field. The clues also came to FBI/CIA headquarters and Administration from foreign nation intelligence and many other sources. Like a clap of thunder, those clues would have warranted any nation's attention. Ashcroft's reasoning for domestic spying is full of holes.

API Excerpt 2: [Ashcroft, claiming FBI agents in the field have been hampered by a range of bureaucratic restrictions, said the new guidelines would help them to do their jobs.]

Counterpoints: Hasn't Ashcroft figured out yet that the agents in the field were NOT hampered? Very adequately, they did their jobs by what he calls the "old hampered range of bureaucratic restrictions." These agents did everything but park the terrorists on the front doorstep of FBI/CIA headquarters! The field agents did their jobs through good, old-fashioned investigations. The failures were on the part of the FBI, CIA and the Administration, and not the result of agents being hampered by a "range of bureaucratic restrictions."

The US Attorney General expects us to swallow irrationality in place of sound reasoning!

~ Cathy

[BuzzFlash Note: Unfortunately, the mainstream press is controlled by the same people who put Bush in office. Only through our individual efforts will this create an uproar with the public.]

Dear BuzzFlash,

Re: Southern Style: "Excuse Me!"

Everything people are writing to her, are things that have so troubled me. I am glad she is here, too. I am so troubled with the things democrats start to do, like investigations into things, then for some odd reason they just stop. What is happening? This war follows so much the Bush Seniors war with Iraq. He was so going to get Sadamm Hussein . . . then nothing . . . all gone and his ratings dropped from 90% to 40-45! Bush Junior, bragged that he (Bin Laden) once owned a country, now he likely owns a cave! But, he does nothing. And so long as the yellow-bellied democrats do not insist that they do anything . . . nothing will be done. We will limp into the next election and hope that a miracle happens. Clinton left this country with a surplus, fairly free of war . . . he had brought all the bad guys to justice (the first world trade center bombers, the Cole bombers, the embassy bombers ... all doing time now). Then, along comes junior, with a bunch of right-wing supremes to put him into office, so the ones who were involved before could finish the job they started . . . the get the oil rich, richer! I certainly am a "staunch member of the grassy knoll" society.. I am sure this is a blatant act of domestic terrorism ... not foreign.

Thanks to another of our BuzzFlash columnists ...

Shirley, St.Louis

Dear BuzzFlash,

Thanks for publishing my "what if?" scenarios in yesterday's Mailbag. My only regret is that I was presenting myself in a rather ruthless frame of mind, so I'm writing back to suggest a sillier approach to our common concerns. Last week I was reading a worried Chicago Tribune editorial about rising tensions in South Asia, and as so often, the poor Tribune's conflicted loyalties between Bush-pushing and not wanting the world to blow up appealed to my ironic sense. I thought, "Hey, Trib, how about if we cool things off by designating Ann Coulter as our goodwill ambassador to the Muslim world?"

It took a while, but eventually I got over my giggles at this surreal prospect, and then it occurred to me that we can make a pointed little game out of trying to come up with further public-policy suggestions so predictably and gratuitously destructive that even the Bush administration would (hopefully) quail at the thought of adopting them.

So a few more such "suggestions" for dealing with issues of the day have occurred to me since then: How about if we store the nation's radioactive waste inside Mount St. Helens? How about arming airline pilots with armor-piercing ammunition for extra penetrating power? Why not store our de-targeted ICBMs balanced on their nose cones for the sake of space efficiency? And isn't it about time we exposed the Dalai Lama as the Axis of Evil's secret ringleader?

And, sheesh, wouldn't it be outrageous if Bush were to "clean" house after the 9/11 air-defense fiasco by replacing the national commander with a PC-challenged Texas ANG crony who presided over Bush's AWOL...oops, never mind. But then, what's the point of a pastime like this if it doesn't pose a mind-stretching challenge?

Somewhat more seriously, I hope you'll issue a call for your readers to devise and send in additional policy prescriptions of this sort. The strange thing is, my point isn't really to poke fun at the Bush Monsters, at least not entirely. To my mind, the "not even Bush" game has an element of nonpartisan appeal through our universal appreciation for at least the general concept of policy prudence and the perils of irrational decision-making at the highest levels of governance. If we were to earn a reluctant laugh from a conservative here and there through finding a bit of common ground at the extremes of political possibility, this could only be to the common good.

Dan Kritchevsky

A BuzzFlash Reader Letter to Congressman Conyers:

Thanks Mr. Conyers for saying what needs to be said. This justice department had plenty of information before 9/11 and they didn't know what to do with it, or chose to do nothing. How on earth will collecting more information going to help them be better able to sort out anything. This is such an obvious ruse on the part of Ashcroft (playing G-Man) to be a Hoover clone only bigger and better. Last night there was some idiot on the Lehrer Report who was representing the FBI against a representative of ACLU. The ACLU made mincemeat out of his defense of the FBI and their zeal in making the US a laboratory for Inspector Gadget technology.

Mr. Ashcroft wants to "reassure" us that their won't be files kept on citizens. We are supposed to "trust" they have the best interests of the American People in mind, this from an administration who has been lying to us on every subject imaginable, particularly 9/11. Again I ask the question, how long and what will it take to awaken the American People?

Sally McDonald

Dear BuzzFlash Readers,

Here is a letter for you to use as template for a letter to your newspaper.

This was given to me by a friend, please post any comments or suggestions you have. Also, please post or send me any letters you have.

This is NOT BEING REPORTED so it is very important for each of us to SEND THIS IN to your paper!

This is completely up to me and you, otherwise nothing will happen. Folks, its time to take matters into our own hands. Not only do you make a difference, you are IT.. period!

I have full contact lists for every single newspaper in the United States. If you need a list just email with where you live and I will send you every paper for your state.

Thanks!

Kelley Kramer
Group Leader
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/demletterwriting/

==========

feel free to use this as a template

On C-span 2 this morning, Larry Klayman and David Schippers of Judicial Watch were on with Robert Wright of the FBI.

According to these men, they are saying that the Attorney General John Ashcroft, Vice-president Richard Cheney and others in the FBI have threatened Mr. Wright regarding what he knows about September 11, 2001.

Furthermore Mr. Wright has stated that investigations into Terrorist activities before September 11, 2001 were hampered by the activities of the Bush administration. He went as far as to state that the FBI were derelict in their duties and is urging other FBI agents to come forward.

In light of the Phoenix memo, reports from the Minneapolis FBI office, Agent Rowley's memo and now Mr. Wright's accusations - isn't it time for a full investigation into what led up to the attack on September 11, 2001?

We are no safer today from further attacks than we were on that fateful day. Color codes do know good if we don't know why and how it happened.

There are too many questions that have gone unanswered and the Bush administration seems to be extremely reluctant to pursue an investigation.

I strongly urge congress to take action, the victims families deserve answers as much as any American. More importantly, the safety of every American depends on our failed security being corrected.

Name, Address, Phone

Dear Buzz:

In his New York Times column "Liberal Reality Check" (May 31) Nicholas D. Kristoff discusses the necessary trade-off between liberty and security. Since this is a question that all human societies have to resolve we will not answer it soon, even though it is especially pointed dilemma for us today. I want to point out only that in all the recent discussions there has been almost nothing said about curtailing the freedom of corporations and wealthy individuals to transfer large sums of money to overseas tax havens in order to launder it, escape a national tax burden, or perhaps even finance terrorist activities.

Until this gaping loophole is addressed I am afraid I will be unable to take seriously any columns calling on me to make the sort of devil's bargain that Benjamin Franklin expressly warned us against when he said that those who trade liberty for security soon will have neither.

Glenn M. Edwards

Dear BuzzFlash,

Have you noticed that the higher the terror alert, the further away from the White House Jr. is found? Therefore, based on his recent activities, I have formulated my own terror alert system. I believe it will be far more reliable than the Office of Homeland Insecurity's;

• White: (lowest level) boy george attends t-ball game on the White House lawn
• Blue: georgie goes to school (elementary, of course) to read his favorite book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to a captive audience
• Green: jr. takes yet another tour of the *heartland*
• Red: take cover in Crawford, TX!
• Yellow: (the highest level) RUN!!!! Get out of the country!!!! Go to Europe!!! Will they let me in Canada???? I WANT MY MOMMY!!!! (It's not a "yellow" alert for nothing!)

Liz Taylor Houston, TX

Dear BuzzFlash,

Maybe its time for a refresher course in "Nazi Fascism and the Modern Totalitarian State".

http://www.remember.org/guide/Facts.root.nazi.html

"Totalitarianism is a form of government in which all societal resources are monopolized by the state in an effort to penetrate and control all aspects of public and private life, through the state's use of propaganda, terror, and technology. Totalitarian ideologies reject the existing society as corrupt, immoral, and beyond reform, project an alternative society in which these wrongs are to be redressed, and provide plans and programs for realizing the alternative order. These ideologies, supported by propaganda campaigns, demand total conformity on the part of the people.

Totalitarian forms of organization enforce this demand for conformity. Totalitarian societies are hierarchies dominated by one political party and usually by a single leader. The party penetrates the entire country through regional, provincial, local and "primary" (party-cell) organization. Youth, professional, cultural, and sports groups supplement the party's political control. A paramilitary secret police ensures compliance. Information and ideas are effectively organized through the control of television, radio, the press, and education at all levels."

If members of the for profit corporate owned "liberal media" and the American public are not convinced now . . .

(FBI Gets Broad Domestic Spy Powers) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&ncid=716&e=
7&u=/ap/20020531/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/fbi_reorganizing_54

. . . of the direction of these United States of America, they never will be.

For Love of Freedom,

Kenneth Hunt

Dear BuzzFlash,

Remember this?

At FBI, a Traitor Helped in Search for Subversives
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-072901fbi.story

"At the same time he was selling U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union, former FBI special agent Robert Philip Hanssen was a key supervisor in a 1980s domestic-spying program questioning the loyalty of American citizens and monitoring their activities, newly obtained FBI documents show.

Under this program, federal agents filed reports on teachers, clerics and political activists who primarily were affiliated with liberal causes. FBI domestic spy operations under the Reagan and Bush administrations first came to light a decade ago, prompting congressional rebukes. But the role--and historical irony--of confessed traitor Hanssen has not been reported before. The documents also offer some of the richest information to date about FBI domestic surveillance during the 1980s."

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

Guess who's coming to dinner.

--Hesiod

Dear BuzzFlash,

THE WHOLE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS A PARODY

The Bush administration are like Slinkies . . . not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs of incompetence.

I read the Bush administration the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and think, 'Well, that's not going to happen.'

The other night I ate at a real family restaurant. Every table had a political argument going about Bush.

You know when you're sitting on a chair and you lean back so you're just on two legs then you lean too far and you almost fall over but at the last second you catch yourself? I feel like that all the time with this administration.

Whenever this administration feels blue, they start breathing again.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. Like Bush, It pays no attention to criticism.

Why does a slight republican tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut save you thirty cents?

In the 60's people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.

You read about all these terrorists . . . most of them came here legally, but they hung around on these expired visas, some for as long as 10-15 years. Now, compare that to Blockbuster; you are two days late with a video and those people are all over you. Let's put Blockbuster in charge of immigration!

~ Cathy