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June 11, 2002

Important Note: Because we can't always determine your intentions, we need to ask a favor of you when you send us email. If you DO NOT WANT YOUR EMAIL PUBLISHED in the Mailbag or in the Contributors section, please write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the Subject line or at the top of your email. That way we'll know it's just a comment to BuzzFlash. Additionally, if you submit a mailbag item and DO NOT WANT YOUR NAME associated with your submission, sign your email, "A BuzzFlash Reader." If you send email unsigned, we will post your name with your submission, or, if that's not available, your email name (not the full address, just what's on the left side of the email address). Thank you.

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 the not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. Thanks again for your email and your patience.


Dear BuzzFlash,

I got this e-mail announcement about C-SPAN violating their own guidelines policy for not covering a press conference at the Nation Press Club about www.UnansweredQuestions.org's official press conference about unanswered questions about 9-11. The site should be posting a transcript and audio by the end of the week, but C-Span opted to cover Bush's Homeland Security announcements instead.

Could the terrorist announcement also try to divert attention from this press conference?

- Kent.


BuzzFlash,

Subject: Bomb's real threat--panic

I continue to marvel at the fact that the newsmedia has no central nervous system. A club over the head would produce no results with these people.

http://msnbc.com/news/764720.asp

Bush's real motivation: panic

Bush's real threat: the undermining of democracy

He can't do that without MSNBC's help, which he gets that on a daily basis.

A BuzzFlash Reader


BuzzFlash,

Subj: Staffers were given Cipro early on 9/11

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15269-2002Jun7.html

Kind of interesting that on the morning of 9/11 the White house, while smirk was running all over the country to get out of harm's way, was handing out Cipro, the antibiotic used to treat anthrax. But hey, the White house says, don't pay attention to that, lookie here, we got us a genuine nucooler terra-ist. Only problem with that revelation is that he was arrested over a month ago, and (this will piss Coulter off) He's not Arabic, Middle Eastern, Iraqi, Iranian, Pakistani, Afghan or from any other country that ends in -stan or has a large number of little brown people that smirk can bomb into oblivion, He's from right here in the good old USA. That's right, now I guess we'll have to profile anybody of darker skin tone than Dick Cheney. Can we start with Columba Bush? She's Hispanic, and we now know that Hispanics are more likely to plot nuclear attacks than WASPs are. It gets crazier and crazier every day.

Adrian Johansson
Ocala, Florida


BuzzFlash,

Re: BuzzFlash presents Southern Style - Intelligence Failure

"What about the war? What war? Did Congress declare a war? Where is bin Laden? Is Al Qaeda destroyed? How many civilians have been killed in Afghanistan? How many troops are still in Afghanistan? What are they doing? Are we nation building now? Shrub's campaign position was that our troops would not be involved in nation building. Yes, Ari, he said that. I can provide the transcript."

Dear Buzz, When reading on the Internet, I'm usually in a constant state of rage, but the above paragraph actually gave me a much needed laugh!

Thanks.

Susan (Florida)


BuzzFlash,

Remember when Bush claimed that Military Tribunals would not be used for US Citizens? IN fact, here's his executive Order creating them:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/11/20011113-27.html

Guess what...not any more.

The slope is getting awfully slippery folks.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/764658.asp

"Bush, based on recommendations from Ashcroft and White House counsel Al Gonzales, designated the ["Dirty bomb" plot] suspect as a combatant in papers signed late Sunday, the AP reported. That designation allowed the Department of Defense to take custody of [Padilla] from the Department of Justice. If [Padilla] is tried by a military tribunal, his would be the first case to be heard by the special courts authorized by Bush last fall for suspects in the war on terrorism. Some legal experts have previously said that it is unclear whether an American citizen could be tried by a military tribunal."

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

Typical press corps memory problems. Bush himself said that the Tribunals would NOT be used for American citizens in his ORDER!

How incompetent does the press corps have to be to miss the BIG story here that Bush is going to reneg on his OWN executive Order, and the thin reed with which the Administration was able to justify the creation of military tribunals in the first place? Namely...that American Citizens would be exempt?

--Hesiod


Dear BuzzFlash,

Note today's breaking news story from CNN: Seems that the "dirty bomb" suspect has been held for a month now, but NOT REPORTED to the public until TODAY!

Do you think someone is using news story timing tactics to "steer" the public with a Bush White House "Spin Machine?" NAW!!!!!

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0206/10/bn.01.html

Click to read how Darin Kegan slides one in with her question about the suspect being held since LAST MONTH!!!!

A BuzzFlash Reader and $upporter!!!!


Dear BuzzFlash,

WASHINGTON, June 10 — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to referee a congressional boundary dispute from Mississippi, a victory for Democrats who are contesting a plan that helps Republicans.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/
ap/20020610/ap_to_po/scotus_redistricting_1

"I see another 5-4 decision favoring the Republicans."

-The Old Gypsy Fortuneteller


Dear BuzzFlash,

http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?id=165346&article=10650

"I am a pilot and I know what happens to me when I lose my transponder. The controllers console immediately alerts him to the fact since he no longer has my transponder code and altitude. This causes him a great deal of trouble ...This is in the northeast corner of the U.S., the busiest airspace on the planet. Each controller has a wedged shaped sector that he is responsible for. ...Commercial flights...are always under positive control. They must constantly be in communication with the controllers in order to maintain legal separation. If one...loses its transponder, it causes instant problems for more than one controller ...

"So we know that the traffic control system would be in panic mode within two to three minutes of the initial events. We know that Otis Airforce Base is only five minutes from Manhatten by F15. We know that the controllers always had a passive return from the planes and could vector an intercept. The last Airmans Information Manual I bought has a date of 1989 ...So we know that intercepts have been routine low level events since at least that time. We know that there is an Air Defence Intercept Zone just off shore for the entire Atlantic Coast. This zone is constantly being patrolled. In general fast movers would not need to be scrambled. ...It would be most improbable that even one commercial flight could go more than ten minutes without being intercepted. ...Interceptions are routine daily occurrances. The fact that they didn't happen under extreme provocation raises some serious questions."

Now compare this with the Joint Chief's testimony to the Senate on 9/13/01

SENATOR BILL NELSON: ... General Myers, The second World Trade tower was hit shortly after 9:00. And the Pentagon was hit approximately 40 minutes later. That's approximately. You would know specifically what the timeline was.

The crash that occurred in Pennsylvania after the Newark westbound flight was turned around 180 degrees and started heading back to Washington was approximately an hour after the World Trade Center second explosion. You said earlier in your testimony that we had not scrambled any military aircraft until after the Pentagon was hit. And so, my question would be: why?

GENERAL MYERS: I think I had that right, that it was not until then. I'd have to go back and review the exact timelines.

Jim Pittman


Dear BuzzFlash:

Re: Ridge: Bush should veto Cabinet-level homeland security office http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0502/053002cd1.htm

So Tom Ridge says he would advise his buddy Bush to veto a Congressional authorized Office of Homeland Security. Then he says he plans to submit a list of recommendations to Bush "on or about" July 1 to coordinate homeland security measures among federal and state governments. Of course, a week later Bush addressed the nation, addressing the need to establish that very cabinet office. Oops. Guess we won't be needing that list now, Tommy Boy.

Of all the people consulted about creating such an office, wouldn't the current Homeland Security Director be one of them? Or is this more of that infamous Bushie so-called communication?

Craig Williams
Portland, Oregon


Dear BuzzFlash,

Imagine that you're the CEO of Homeland Security Inc, which sells security systems. For years, annual sales have remained about the same; but this year they are a tiny fraction of the usual - so tiny, in fact, that the company could fail for lack of income. So you decide to find out what has happened.

You ask the customers. Some of them tell you that the current systems don't have the features they need. Others say that when they ask for information about your systems, they never hear back from anyone, or that the information is outdated, or that it doesn't answer their questions. Other customers say that they ordered a bunch of systems, which either never arrived, or didn't work when the customer tried to use them, or broke down a week after they were installed. Others say they they received the wrong systems, never received credit after the systems were returned, or were double-billed for an order.

You also ask Engineering, which designs the systems. Engineering tells you that they don't get realistic product specifications from Sales and Marketing, and that the process of completing the design for a new security system takes so long that the result is obsolete by the time it's in production.

You also ask Manufacturing. They tell you that the system designs they get from Engineering are so expensive to build and test that the price can't possibly be competitive, and so complicated that the systems are either D.O.A at the customer's site or fail soon after installation.

You also ask Sales and Marketing; they confirm everything you've heard from Engineering and Manufacturing, and also that the group is so disorganized that nobody knows who the major customers for your systems are, where they're located, which ones already have your systems and which don't, who has the purchasing authority for security systems at those customers, and so on.

Obviously, the Homeland Security, Inc. operation needs shaking up.

So, as CEO, you decide to create a new department, consisting of accounting, human resources, facilities, building security, the department which runs your computer networks, and the social activities committee. But NOT including Engineering, Manufacturing, and Sales and Marketing, which will continue pretty much as before.

Now, here's the question:

What kind of a moron CEO are you, anyway??

Dave Woodworth
Sunnyvale, CA


Dear BuzzFlash,

"The attorney general, who made the announcement via a television hookup from Moscow, said al-Mujahir, then known as Padilla, had served prison time in the United States in the early 1990s, then traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan during 2001 and met with officials of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network."

http://www.msnbc.com/news/764658.asp?pne=msn

Why is Ashcroft in Russia? Anyone know? Is he on vacation, business?? Learning KGB techniques from Pootie Poot?

My question is: If he's there in his official capacity have other AG's gone to foreign countries as such?

Rosemary


Buzz,

In the May 30th 'daily briefing' posted on Buzz on 6/10, ' Ridge said presidents should be "entitled to a few advisers" who owe their loyalty solely to the president' rather than be "accountable to Congress." Don't federal government officials owe their loyalty to the Americans they serve? He didn't mention us at all. Surprise.

And in the Mailbag on 6/10, Judith of Berkeley praised "THINKING websites" like BuzzFlash as "the finest way of using today's burgeoning technology -- for the good of mankind. For freedom of speech and freedom of thought and for the dissemination of the truth." Maybe you should warn your readers not to write laudettes like this. What if Dubya, or one of his "loyal advisers" who can actually read, sees this? They will stop at nothing to do away with the internet. Caution!

And speaking of doing away with stuff. Journalists and Buzz readers keep referring to the 2004 Presidential election - like they assume it's actually going to occur. The way things are going, isn't there a good chance Dubya & The Cabal will declare a state of emergency in their war on turrur sometime mid-2004 & declare the election null & void? Just asking.

T Quigly


Dear Buzz,

Well, Bush and Ashcroft have gone and done it again! Bush labeled this fellow -- an American citizen, by the way -- an "illegal combatant" and had him hustled off to a secure military facility. He has not been charged with crime. He is being held incommunicado with no right to see a lawyer or family. And he can evidently be held indefinitely and interrogated without the benefit of legal counsel. He can't be tried in front of a military tribunal, but apparently he might never be tried at all! He is, according to a news report, being held on the basis of secret evidence.

We don't yet know what this man was up to, if anything. If law enforcement agencies have enough information to bring charges, they should do so and let the case go to trial. The use of secret evidence to lock people up indefinitely without legal representation is an extremely dangerous practice that must be stopped. I don't see any evidence of any oversight, so I presume it's Bush and Ashcroft who get to decide whether the evidence is "secret." Our courts have handled many cases in the past where sensitive information was considered; there's simply no reason for suspending our legal system now.

Together Bush and Ashcroft have manufactured a means to circumvent the Constitution, and by doing so, they show their utter contempt for that document. They should both remove that little American flag pin they both wear on their lapels. Their actions show they don't deserve to wear it.

Bob

[BuzzFlash Note: They should remove more than their lapel pins, they should themselves from office or we may have to do it for them.]


Dear BuzzFlash,

Subj: I asked the same question...

...when I heard about the dirty bomb and that the person was arrested May 8th. Why today? I didn't hear anything about the Senate Congressional Hearings on the lapses and/or failures of the CIA and FBI and the administration today. What is the administration trying to distract us from?

What disturbs me even more is talking to people who still don't get it about Bush/Cheney and company; who take in whatever is given to them by the administration. They only hear the spin when (hardly ever) they listen.

Karen Boerboom/Platteville


Dear BuzzFlash,

I witnessed a possible reason for why Americans have little outrage when it comes to some of the things George W. Bush has done.

As result of a telephone conversation I had with a good friend the other day, I came away with the feeling that Americans are not stupid when it comes to G.W. Bush, but that they are just too darned nice. My friend and I were just doing some general chit chat, when she asked me what I thought about what the investigations of 9/11 were revealing. I was very honest with my assessment of the revelations. I told her that I felt Bush had more insight to the impending disaster than he let on... that he didn't take precautions for the safety of the nation.

Are you ready for her retort? Here it comes! She said, "Oh, I just think he didn't want to scare everyone in the country." Yes, my friend is a very nice and intelligent woman, but I couldn't believe my ears. I asked her... If the 3,000 people who lost their lives could somehow speak, and they had a choice of being scared or dead, which do you think they would choose? The answer was obvious, but I think my friend and other Americans are just too darned nice when it comes to Bush. And with the too darned nice attitudes, goes the myth that we don't criticize our presidents.

~ Cathy

[BuzzFlash Note: In Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, the character of Death often appears at parties and regular events. In one book, Death explained that only children and animals actually "recognize" him, because the adult brain, when confronted with a reality too complex to grasp, blocks the truth and inserts something more pleasant, giving Death the opportunity to chit-chat about current events and enjoy the party food. We think the idea that Bush and his administration knew enough to let 9/11 happen for political gain, so disturbs the average citizen, that they choose to see only that which makes them happy -- a goofy, verbally-challenged idiot President with an interest in baseball.]


Dear BuzzFlash,

Subj: Hooray for Linda Wheeler Hilton!

I just finished reading her wonderful piece When Speak No Evil Means Tell A Lie. Please let her know that she hit the nail squarely on the head!

Sincerely,

Carole Larsen


Buzz,

Seriously now, could the Resident's famous lack of attention and disdain for details amount to an undiagnosed case of Attention Deficit Disorder? It's not uncommon for those with ADD to have a history of self medication with alcohol and drugs. For details, see www.addult.org/adc.htm.

What I want to know is, has the Resident-n-Thief ever been treated for this disorder; and if not, how does it hinder his performance of Leader of the Free World?

Is there a doctor in the house?

Todd Erickson, Ferndale, MI


Dear Buzz,

I'm wondering how many people are as outraged as I am by the new so-called "Bush Doctrine". Are we to assume that he now thinks that he has the right to launch a preemptive and unilateral strike on any nation anywhere in the world that he *perceives* to be a threat to the U.S.?

I hope he will take the time to explain to me and other Americans just how this country, by following such a ludicrous and ill-defined policy, can hope to differentiate itself from the likes of the terrorists. After all, isn't that exactly what they did?

Bush said nothing about consulting allies (maybe because we have none left) or working with the United Nations. He wasn't even legitimately elected president of the United States, but he now seems to have appointed himself emperor of the world. His arrogance is breathtaking.

A recent New York Times article quoted Bush as saying, "We will oppose the new totalitarians with all of our power," Bush said on Monday. "We will hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice. We believe we fight an enemy that is barbaric and evil."

Besides the scary religious overtones of such statements, as if he's on some mission from God, Bush is doing his damnedest to turn *this* country into a totalitarian state. Worse yet, he's getting assistance from congressional Democrats!! If people don't think this country is in serious trouble, they haven't been paying attention to the news.

Bob


Dear BuzzFlash,

So it turns out that an American citizen was arrested with no warrant and no charges. There was also no evidence of any wrong doing. This American citizen rots in jail without the right to communicate with his family or to have legal representation. He also has no chance to defend himself against the charges which are being issued by this "administration." In point of fact he is in a worse situation than the one he would be in if they did have evidence against him, because then they would have taken him to court. But without proof he is apparently to remain in jail for an unspecified period of time. How perfect that Herr Ashcroft should make the announcement from Moscow, where actions of the secret police were once so familiar to the populace.

Tom Ebersten.


BuzzFlash,

Regarding your headline "New Poll Shows Bush Scare Tactics Are Working"--it's not necessarily so! I'm always wary about the spin the Washington Post puts in its so-called "analysis" of its polls, so I make sure and check the actual numbers.

The "analysis" says that "More than three in four Americans -- 77 percent -- say they approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents." However, in the actual numbers, which can be found at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/vault/stories/data061102.htm

we find that 41 percent of those surveyed "strongly approve" of the president's handling of his job, while 36 percent approve only "somewhat." This number has fallen from a high of 76 percent "strongly supporting" the president's handling of his job in October of 2001, representing a decline of 30 percentage points. These are hardly approval numbers I'd take to the bank, and hardly numbers that justify the glowing report given the president by the Post.

Similarly, the analysis said that "The survey found that seven in 10 Americans -- including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and political independents -- approve of the proposed Department of Homeland Security, which Bush described Thursday in a televised address...." The actual poll showed that a much less impressive 44 percent of the respondents "strongly approved," while 25 percent approved "somewhat."

I guess I'd like to know what a "somewhat" approval rating means--sounds kind of like getting a "C" on an exam to me. The moral of the story? Don't rely on analysis--always check the evidence!

Sincerely,

Anne Filiaci


Dear BuzzFlash,

According to the DOJ, Padilla had a lawyer in New York. If so where is he? Has any one ever met a shy lawyer, particularly in a high profile case?

Now they are indicating that he may just be held indefinitely with no charges filed. In a war without end that could be a life sentence without trial.

If as claimed, he was coming to the US to coordinate actions, why didn't they let him do so in order to crack the terrorist nests here?

Robert Reynolds


Dear BuzzFlash,

Subj: Why the Democrats Lack Spine

Has it occurred to anyone that the liberal sprinkling of anthrax throughout the Democratic Capitol offices in the Senate and Congressional buildings was an implied threat to keep in line? Even if only a few of them took it that way, regardless of the true source of the anthrax, it would certainly weight things more in the favor of the GOP. As if things weren't badly skewed before that.

Sincerely,

Rosamond Fogg
Hermosa Beach, CA


Dear BuzzFlash,

First, a brief timeline:

Yesterday (6/10/02) morning, reports surfaced about White House staff being prescribed Cipro on 9/11 (a month before the American People found out that anthrax was being sent to unsuspecting targets.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15269-2002Jun7.html

Later in the morning, after the questioning about the above hit a little too "close to home," John Ashcroft (In Moscow, Mind you) makes the startling revelation that the FBI had in custody a man accused of plotting to use a "dirty bomb" in Washington DC. If the man had been on ice since early May, why did Ashcroft have to quickly hold a press conference from Moscow, and not just wait until he returned to the US?

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/10/national/10WIRE-TERROR.html

Lastly, this morning (6/11), it is reported that the feds are not really sure that the accused bomb plotter was going to use nukes or that it was even going to happen in Washington DC. But for good measure, they're going to go ahead and classify him as an enemy combatant, and let the military do the questioning, and not have to worry about those pesky little civil liberties that can slow down a good old fashioned interrogation.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/10/attack/main511671.shtml

So I guess the question that remains is this: What about the reasoning behind giving out Cipro to the Bush Administration? What did they know in advance of the October anthrax attacks, and if the press starts asking about it again, what new bombshell does the Bush/Ashcroft threat juggernaut have in store for the country next?

Adrian Johansson
Ocala, Florida


Dear Buzz,

Your byline: Bush/Cheney are Committed to Scaring Americans Half to Death 6/11 would be more aptly titled, with the continuation, with help of Zombie Correspondents or Doofus W's Magic 8 Ball.

Reuters correspondent, Patricia Wilson is obviously in need of a dosage adjustment!

Today, I sent this email on to the editors and publishers of Reuters, and Yahoo online.

To the editor/publisher:

I suggest you check this correspondent's meds, and that of her editors! They obviously need their dosages adjusted. The suspect has been in custody since May 8,2002

Accurate reporting, my foot.

via Yahoo online news:
Top Story: Bush Warns of 'Catastrophic Power' in Terror War
Mon Jun 10, 9:00 PM ET

By Patricia Wilson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Citing a growing danger of terrorist groups acquiring weapons of mass destruction, President Bush ( news - web sites) warned on Monday they would use this "catastrophic power" to attack freedom-loving nations.

His prediction came on the same day that authorities captured an al Qaeda operative planning to attack the United States with a "dirty bomb," a conventional bomb packed with radioactive material that can kill people nearby as well as scatter toxic material, causing mass death and injury.

thanks, love your site, fight the good fight....

kikz

a BuzzFlash reader


Dear BuzzFlash,

From Reuters, on "the terrorist we just now caught carrying a dirty nuclear bomb":

Abdullah al Muhajir, born in New York as Jose Padilla, was detained by the FBI in Chicago over a month ago, when he flew in from Pakistan on May 8. He was held without being charged until being declared an "enemy combatant" by President Bush on Sunday, after which he was transferred to a naval brig in South Carolina, officials said. http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=topnews&StoryID=1071718

This American citizen "was held without being charged until being declared an 'enemy combatant' by President Bush ..." Are there any checks and balances on who former Gov. Bush can declare an "enemy combatant"? Or are we just depending on his wisdom and judgment?

A BuzzFlash Reader


Dear BuzzFlash,

Am I alone in believing that this a a very bad thing? The king says "Off to the dungeon with thee" and it is done. No rights. No trial. No constitution. If they can do it to someone who is likely guilty without being held to account, why can't they do it to people who simply disagree? Who would be the wiser?

First They Came for the Jews First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

Alan

A military tribunal for al Mujahir?

John Ashcroft may want to try the "dirty bomb" suspect in a secret military court where his rights would be limited -- even though he's a U.S. citizen.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2002/06/11/tribunals/index.html


Dear BuzzFlash,

hmmm - 3 Saudi nationals - Osama not important - 'nother master brain plotted WTC destruction - so tell me again, WHY DID WE BOMB AFGHANISTAN BACK TO THE STONE AGE????

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28272-2002Jun10.html

RABAT, Morocco, June 10 -- Moroccan police arrested three Saudi nationals who were allegedly planning attacks against U.S. and British warships in the Strait of Gibraltar, government officials said today.

The men were arrested in May and claimed to belong to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, the Moroccan officials said on condition of anonymity. They said the suspects planned to sail a dinghy loaded with explosives from Morocco into the strait to attack the vessels.

The plan was similar to one carried out in October 2000 by two suicide bombers in a small dinghy who rammed the destroyer USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 sailors.

Gibson


Dear BuzzFlash,

More smoke and mirrors: " [The new Homeland Security reorganization] received a skeptical reaction from Democratic aides when they said the administration would not initially seek money to finance that reorganization, Congressional staff members said.

Participants in a private briefing for Capitol Hill aides that was intended to smooth the reception for the proposal quoted the White House officials as saying the administration would not request money for the 2003 fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1, to merge dozens of agencies and more than 160,000 workers into the new department."

A BuzzFlash Reader

Pointed Queries on Bush Plan

June 11, 2002 BY CARL HULSE

WASHINGTON, June 10 - Top White House officials urged Congress today to move rapidly to create a new Department of Homeland Security, but received a skeptical reaction from Democratic aides when they said the administration would not initially seek money to finance that reorganization, Congressional staff members said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/11/politics/11CONG.html?


Dear BuzzFlash,

Story on "dirty bomber" begins to morph:

(CBS) U.S. officials are backing away from assertions that a man arrested last month in Chicago was plotting a 'dirty' bomb attack on the United States, CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart reports.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/10/attack/main511671.shtml

Hey, thanks for the bumpersticker!!

Doug Bostrom


Dear BuzzFlash,

Subj: The Booker Elementary Movie

I still can't get over how Bush just sat there after being told that America was under attack. This movie doesn't show him up close, but other video does not show great surprise on his part, just a somber look at that moment. This movie shows him continuing on with the pet goat lesson and acting like there's no big problem. Does anyone know the exact amount of time that he just sat there? I've heard it was 15 min or so but can't confirm that.

Bush had to know what was happening even before he went into the school. The FAA had declared two planes to be hijacked and knew that one of these had crashed into the WTC. They knew this 10-15 minutes before Bush began the lesson. Bush had to know. Card's famous whisper only adds to what he already had to know. Still he did nothing. It's insane that no one questions this.

David Cleghorn

[BuzzFlash Note: Yeah, it's frightening how calm he is. He's either dumber than we think he is or he knew something was going to happen. How else can one explain his total lack of concern?]


Dear BuzzFlash,

Back to Bush and his "remembrances" of the "Day of Infamy" -- you were likely already aware that he told thousands of people gathered at a Town Hall meeting in Florida that he'd seen the first plan plow into the WTC and claims to have said to himself, "That is one terrible pilot" -- the risks taking by Bush's handlers when they allow him to blather on without a teleprompter. He claimed he was watching the first plane hit as it was shown on a TV in the hallway of the elementary school before entering the classroom to hear the kids read about a goat. He sat down for his photo op like there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary, until Andrew Card told him a second plane had hit, and it was observed that Bush's face did not register horror or alarm.

I truly appreciate your efforts at BuzzFlash, and if my finances improve, I'd give a contribution.

Thanks,

Cynthia


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