August 6, 2002
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Quote of the Day
"If you want regime change, send in the proven team. These elegantly clad operatives were critical and effective warriors in the November 2000 hijacking of an American presidency. They can do it to Iraq too, and they're still on the payroll.
Just change the team's name from The Bush Recount Committee to The Republican Guard and send them in, and Neil Bush will be Iraq's President for Life in no time. And if they can't do it alone, dispatch Senator Joe Lieberman to advise Saddam Hussein on winning elections."
-- Elton Beard
Chewgababy
Dear BuzzFlash,
Yesterday on Lou Dobb's they took a poll, asking: "When, if ever, should the US attack Iraq?" 15 percent said immediately, 9 percent (or so) said in the fall, 5 percent (or so) said next year, and SEVENTY TWO PERCENT said NOT AT ALL. It was very gratifying to see that even in this very "unscientific" poll, most people DO NOT WANT WAR WITH IRAQ. Whew....my faith in humanity was restored.
My optimism was short-lived however. Five minutes later, Ann Coulter was on Crossfire replacing Novak or Carlson. I could not believe it. I will no longer watch it if they continue to have that poisonous spewer of hatred and lies as a commentator.
Elaine Lucia
Dear BuzzFlash,
I haven't seen any notices for Crawford protests. I am just waiting to march on the gas station. Give us the dates! We want to protest IN CRAWFORD!!
PJOnes
Texas
Hi Buzz,
The FBI (Failing Bunch of Incompetents) not only failed to pay attention to it's own field agents warning of suspicious Muslims taking flying lessons but not landing lessons, and failed to find anyone who speaks Arabic so they couldn't translate damning terrorist intercepts until the day after 9/11, and admitting to being in the stone age as far as computers go, and who are now saying that for years they have been "missing" weapons which are later found on or used by criminals, and "missing" laptop computers some of which may have secret information NOW demands that members of Congress submit to lie detector tests to find out who is "leaking" highly detailed war plans???? This is a case of the sieve calling the frying pan leaky! If they give Emperor Bush and Crown Prince Cheney lie detector tests I'm sure they would lose the results of those too.
WOW!!! This is as hysterically funny as ex-Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris's expertise in Florida State Election Law! How idiotic does someone have to be to actually admit their imbecility by saying they thought the law didn't apply to them?
Judith Foster Berkeley
Dear BuzzFlash,
So which brilliant mind in the 'war on terrorism' forgot to leave lighters off of the list of forbidden items allowed onto airline flights? Least of all a ready made flammable substance! This is outrageous. What do you need a lighter for while flying anyways... One cannot 'light up' in flight.
Michael Moore believes he found the answer. Tobacco companies just can't stand the thought of having their loyal customers wait to acquire a lighter after exiting their potentially long and stress-filled flights. So he believes the powerful tobacco lobby just put the pressure on to leave this little item off the list. Oh, but don't even think of cutting that hangnail while in flight. You might be planning to take over the airplane with such an item. Give me a break. How many more examples do we need. Wasn't Richard Reid enough! Maybe now with this new revelation of yet another person attempting to light a shoe, someone over in Homeland Security will 'see the light' for what it is. A BAD POLICY DECISION. We Constitutionally loyal citizens are being asked to report any suspicious behavior to the proper authorities. Here is my report. Stop allowing lighters onto airplanes. Two known cases exist showing intent to use lighters in an unauthorized manner...
I am the eyes and ears you have asked me to be. Now it is up to you policy makers to not 'pass the buck' on this one and to take immediate action to include a ban on all lighters on future flights. I will continue to take an active roll in Homeland Security. I will protect my country with your help.
Faithfully yours.
Sean Richardson
Dear BuzzFlash,
NPR News reported this morning that the IMF expressed concern about the US economy and recommended that the Bush administration delay future tax cuts. I can't find any other reports of this!
Jan Phillips
[BuzzFlash Note: We found this story: US Treasury Tells IMF Dollar Policy Remains Unchanged.]
Subj: Condi Rice's credibility or lack thereof
Dear BuzzFlash,
From the Time article you linked to <http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,333835,00.html>... It is amazing to see this story finally in print.
Berger says:
1. Berger had set up a series of 10 briefings by his team for his successor, Condoleezza Rice, and her deputy, Stephen Hadley to make the transition seamless.
2. Berger attended only one of the briefings-the session that dealt with the threat posed to the U.S. by international terrorism, and especially by al-Qaeda.
3. Berger told Rice -- "I'm coming to this briefing," he says he told Rice, "to underscore how important I think this subject is."
4. Berger later, alone in his office with Rice, he told her, "I believe that the Bush Administration will spend more time on terrorism generally, and on al-Qaeda specifically, than any other subject."
Rice says through a spokeswoman said she recalled no briefing at which Berger was present. Notice how the spokesperson wasn't asked about what Berger said to Rice in #3 and #4 above -- just that she didn't recall him being at the briefing. You don't forget the statement from your predecessor that is characterized as the "most important," the item you will spend them "most time on" Rice is lying or she really is incompetent.
Bush is are parsing words between action plans and proposals and rollback and elimination. Bottom line, Clinton's people told Bush's people about Bin Laden -- and Bush choose not to hear it. It has been said that Bush was so anxious to do everything completely differently than Clinton that he threw out everything -- good, bad, working, nonworking, right, wrong, etc and started at square one for everything.
This is incompetence -- the financial, moral, social and human life cost of this childish behavior is borne by us -- and most horribly, by survivors of September 11 and by families of September 11 victims.
K. McGlynn
Dear BuzzFlash,
A MESSAGE TO ALL OF THE BUZZFLASH READERS OUT THERE:
Spread the word to all your friends, everyone you know...don't allow yourself to be distracted from putting Democrats in office this November by a sudden war with Iraq just before the elections. All of you, get out and vote Democrat! Vote to remove the Big Business influence from politics. Watch for Republican candidates trying to drape themselves in the flag and patriotic rhetoric to bolster their campaigns. Disarm them beforehand by warning others' to beware of this and to recognize attempted manipulation of the voters when it eventually happens. And happen it will.
Write, fax or call your Congressmen and tell them to assert their authority and demand that this administration quit overstepping its authority and ignoring the will of the people. Tell them to demand that this administration make its case to Congress, the American people and our allies and seek the people's consent and a declaration by Congress before dragging this country and possibly others into another war which could destabilize the entire east region, throw it into chaos and breed much more of a terrorism threat against America than exists now.
Until the administration makes a CONVINCING case as to why the US is so determined to wage a possibly unilateral war against Iraq and why it must be NOW, its motives remain questionable and raise questions of oil greed, political manipulation, and attempts to distract the voting public from Republican candidate burying scandals... Write letters to editors, emails whatever it takes, just speak up now before its too late to do anything about it. It may fall on deaf ears, but we must ALL try to make a difference and together we can! Do it now!
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subj: Here's the story by By ELISABETH BUMILLER of the NYT for mailbag writer
Dear BuzzFlash,
Click here: Bush Makes Quick Work of Relaxing
And here's the chilling paragraph:
Sometimes business intrudes on the green, and not always smoothly. Before starting his game yesterday, Mr. Bush, his driver in his left gloved hand, took time to condemn an overnight suicide bombing of a bus in Israel that killed at least nine. "I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers," Mr. Bush said on the first green of Cape Arundel, at 6:15 a.m. "Thank you. Now watch this drive."
A BuzzFlash Reader
Dear BuzzFlash:
re: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/05/national/05LETT.html (among others)
Q: What is the difference between Nero fiddling while Rome burned and Dubya golfing while we plan to go to war?
A: The Nero story is a myth.
BuzzFlash Reader
