August 8, 2002
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Dear BuzzFlash,
Quote of the Day:
"America has not been given the right to impose a 'Pax Americana' and to decide the fate of the world. Rather, we, the people of the world, have the right to insist that we have not given you the authority to destroy the world."
—Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima (8/6/2002)
Chewgababy
Dear BuzzFlash,
So, as Joe Conason reports in his Salon Journal, Crown Publishing is working on excising the distortions, mistakes and outright lies from Ann Coulter's "Slander?"
Good luck to them, but if they follow through how likely is it they'll sell many empty dustjackets?
Mush-headed liberal in NY
Hi Buzz,
Listening to the radio this morning was an eye opener. I thought of your statement about Bush getting a one month vacation was striking. The American worker should get a one month vacation, too. This brings me to what these radio commentators were saying that highlights more hypocrisy in the GOP. This commentator thought that Bush was "as fit as a 25 year old" and remarked that we could be sure of that since the prez was given a three hour physical. Bull, and by the way, hey all of you readers out there, "Don't you wish that your HMO allowed you a three hour physical? Wouldn't it be nice if yours was free and you got to go on a month-long vacation right after getting it?" Needless to say, I switched the station and went to NPR. Unfortunately some Florida GOP representative was babbling on about how highly esteemed Bush is in the Gore-strong county he represents and how many people remark about Bush's great action he took toward Adelphia by arresting the corporate criminals. I was displeased that the host gave this guy much more time than she gave the Democrat. In fact, the host failed to ask the question, which should have come right after this GOP was ranting about how Bush had punished the corporate Adelphia crooks,"Hey, What is going on with Kenneth Lay and Enron? Don't they get arrested too, or did they give enough campaign cash in 2000 to Bush in order to put them above the law?" NPR is listener-supported and they had better get with the program.
anon
Dear BuzzFlash,
http://www.heraldsun.com/state/6-253451.html
The above article about a U.S. soldier coming forward to declare that we had bin Laden targeted in Tora Bora, but he was allowed to escape into Pakistan, had a familiar ring to it. There was another report during the incipient stages of the Bush war that drones had spotted a convoy of senior Taliban and al Qaeda officials, but the command to take them out with the missiles on the drones that spotted them was never affirmed. Read down to catch a bit about this incident.
http://www.mega.nu:8080/ampp/military_erosion.html
The reason this came to mind was because of a discussion that was held with some friends concerning this supposed breakdown in command. At the time, I pointed out that our military did not want to get bin Laden and Omar at that early stage because it would mean an abrupt end to a war that needed to have some legs.
Our government wouldn't want to drag this war out for political gain, would they?
YT Cai
Dear BuzzFlash,
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2002/08/06/tips/index_np.html
It had to happen. Privatizing the government goes too far. FBI subcontracts war on terror to Fox TV show.
Wired's account of calling the TIPS FBI line and getting connected to FOX network TV show "America's Most Wanted."
Rick
Dear BuzzFlash,
I thought you might like to see this article. Below is my email response to Dick Meyer.
Your friend, Mark Rumsey
* * *
Dear Dick Meyer,
It's amazing to me how people like Dick Meyer say that Al Gore's 2000 campaign for President was bad when in fact Al Gore did WIN the election by 500,000 votes, he unfortunately lost the court battle!!
Hillary's health care task force and Whitewater??? Hillary's health care task force records were released soon after Congress asked for them and not after a lengthy court battle. Whitewater was a serious waste of time and taxpayer money. What a Republican folly it was in an attempt to bring down Clinton. Republicans were nothing more than attack dogs and if Clinton had done half of the things Bush has done they would have tried to have him executed!
Clinton tried to have a stricter SEC and the Republican Senate would not let him do it. So, instead of trying to blame him for the recent corporate scandals, why not look at Bush's apparent sympathy for corporate leaders and demand more action and not softening of recently passed legislation.
Bush and Cheney seem to think they they are Kings and whatever they say and do, or have done in the past, should not be questioned or challenged. Compared to Bush/Cheney, Clinton/Gore were the pillar of rectitude! At least Clinton was INTELLIGENT and the US was not a laughing stock for the rest of the world as it is under Bush.
One more thing - I would not normally be comparing Bush to Clinton, you brought that up, but it amazes me that every time I talk to a Republican about Bush's shortcomings, Clinton is the first thing that comes out of their mouth. Clinton's presidency is over, and for someone who vowed to bring integrity back to the White House....America is still waiting.
Sincerely, Mark Rumsey
Gore The Bore Is Ba-a-ack http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/07/opinion/meyer/main517797.shtml
CBS News Online
Dear Buzz:
The distinct lack of excitement I feel about gibberish from Andrew Sullivan and Rush Limbaugh bothers me. I have become so conditioned to outrageous posturing from these two yah-hoos, that their message of "Support Dubya, or you support Saddam!!", rolls off my back like the perspiration that was released during the hot spell here, last week. Just another oppressive blast of hot gas.
Dubya has been equated with a mobster like say, Michael Corleone, I think this is wrong. Michael Corleone was a fictional character and no where did Michael's actions imply that he was about to start an international war to save his professional life. Yet Piggy and "Swat" Sullivan want us to cheer and send the boys and girls off to a war for the most questionable reasons. Reasons that sound more like "I am going to save my Presidency with the blood and pain of your sons and daughters, you stupid Rubes!" Does that sound like Michael Corleone? To me, it sounds more like Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinsky!!
The Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times" is coming true for all of us alive, today.
I urge everyone to get out and start screaming bloody murder over this outrageous posturing by "Piggy" and "Swat," and to be openly critical of the "Dubya Doctrine" that calls for war against Iraq, no reasons save those given by the administration are needed, dissent will not be tolerated. Flood the internet sites. War is a last resort, and must be carefully planned. There must be ample, overwhelming justification for war. Most of the world does NOT want us to attack Iraq. Yet here we are, on the verge of deployment.
Strange Days Indeed!
Steve Ruffalo, Syracuse, N.Y.
Dear BuzzFlash,
One day you'll hear a right-winger say "If you don't like it here, why the hell don't you go back to America!"
Jim P
Subj: Gray Davis defies attempted takeover by energy interests
Dear BuzzFlash,
"Last month, FERC ordered the ISO to adopt a two-tiered system, with an independent board like the one it has now, plus an advisory committee of energy industry representatives.
Davis called the order a 'hostile takeover' and told the board before it voted to consider that state law mandates its current structure."
Doug Bostrom
Subj: Cheney, the real pResident/FT report
Dear BuzzFlash,
FT (8/08/02) reports that Cheney, at the Commonwealth Club Of California, answered a question about his health stating: "There's a doctor following me around wherever I go...a guy with a black bag. Actually two guys with black bags--one has the football, the other has the medical capabilities." FT continues, "The 'football' in case you wondered, refers to the briefcase that would be used to launch a nuclear war. A chilling image--and more ammunition for Bush skeptics who keep insisting that Cheney is really the one running the White House."
-- [FT (paper edition), Avenue of the Americas column, under "Cheney and the H words," p.11, col 7]
Dolores Dohm
Buzz -
Does anyone else remember this flap the repugs stirred up shortly after 911? They were all excited about the 1998 letter from Bill Bennet, Paul Wolfowitz and others to President Clinton urging the overthrow of Sadaam Hussein's regime. And why hadn't Clinton done anything?
Fast forward to 2002. It seems Shrub had intelligence warnings and even an attack plan from the Clinton administration re: Bin Laden. So why aren't the repugs decrying Junior's lack of action? Is a letter from two outsiders a stronger call to action than the information Bush had?
Michael
Pickney
Adrian,
Michigan
Subj: Fwd: GOP Crime Family shows up in California
Dear BuzzFlash,
Republican candidate for governor of California convicted in court for $87 million dollar fraud (see below for snips and link).
Hell, maybe the Enron lobbyist who heads the Republican National Committee will give this guy a fundraiser with corporate criminals Dick Cheney and Kenneth Lay!
And just like a Mob Boss meeting, security would be very tight.. to keep out all the authorities trying to serve a subpoena on any of the Republican criminals.
Thanks
Kelley
---------
Spin Resistance
http://www.kelleykramer.blogspot.com/
more weblog updates tonight-
gop crime wash state quote of the day-good will hunting GOP crime california white house- where is the president? GOP hypocrite in AR
--------------
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/08/01/MN216008.DTL
Fraud case verdict new blow to Simon $87 million award against his firm
Bill Simon, the GOP candidate for governor already reeling from criticism of his past business dealings, faced more trouble Wednesday as a Los Angeles jury found his company liable for fraud in an investment deal -- and awarded $87 million in damages.
-snip-
"We're very pleased . . . the jury decided that William E. Simon & Sons was not accepting responsibility," Frank said. "The mood of the jury, and the country, is that they're not going to give businesses the benefit of the doubt anymore."
-snip-
In addition, a series of damaging stories has raised questions about Simon's corporate background and personal finances, including the candidate's income taxes, which he refused to disclose until providing reporters a brief look recently at his tax returns.
Subj: Fox News Channel and "Fair and Balanced News."
Dear BuzzFlash,
For many months all Fox Channel personalities ended their programs with a blurb saying "stay tuned to Fox for fair and balanced news."
I noticed that they have dropped that promo. Does that mean that they have abandoned the idea of "fair and balanced news?"
Just Curious,
Barry
West
Palm Beach, FL
[BuzzFlash Note: Perhaps someone complained to the FCC about Fox's lack of "truth in advertising" and Fox had to drop the promo or tell the truth.]
Dear Buzz,
Have you noticed that every time our unelected Boy King gives a speech now, there are huge words behind him? A couple weeks ago, it was "[Corporate] RESPONSIBILITY". This week it's "STRENGTH".
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20020808/mdf84764.jpg
I accept that handlers do their best to stage candidates and officials in as flattering a position as possible, but the obviousness of this attempt at subliminal influence takes the cake. I guess the fascists have abandoned the "RATS" commercial method and embraced the Orwellian method.
Mike
Spokane,
WA
[BuzzFlash Note: If they were trying to subliminally convince the public of something that isn't true, they should first affix to the wall above Bush's head signs that reads, "Not Nearly As Stupid As He Seems" and "Not A Total Puppet Of Corporate Lobbyists and CEOs."]
Dear BuzzFlash,
See what can happen when Congress actually stands up to the Bushies -- they back down, just as they backed down over and over again to the Democratic Texas Legislature when Bush was governor.
Gov't
to Reverse on Illness Claims
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&
u=/ap/20020808/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/sick_workers_3
MEB
Subj: "There's no telling how many wars it will take to secure freedom in the homeland."
Dear BuzzFlash,
I sent the following letter to the editors of the Seattle Post Intelligencer. I doubt that it will be published because it asks why American readers have to go to foreign news sources to read what Mr. Bush and his band of Chickenhawks are saying. Thank God for BuzzFlash. You make my search for real news easily accessible. My subscription to the PI is now due and I am sorely tempted to cancel it and send BuzzFlash another donation.
Sara
S. DeHart
Democracy Activist
* * *
Jim Hoagland "Iraq uproar not unhelpful to Bush" (Seattle PI 8/8/02) states:
"Senate and House Democrats maneuver to avoid trapping themselves on the wrong side of a politically popular Bush war on Iraq, as many of them did in 1991."
No where in this article does Hoagland provide supporting evidence that this is a "politically popular Bush war" except among members of the Chickenhawk brigade who advise Bush and conservative political pundits who applaud him regardless of what he does or says. If the American people were exposed to the reality of the Bush agenda on a consistent basis we might fully appreciate the direction that this team of chickenhawks wants to take the United States.
Listen carefully to Bush's words and take heed America.
"There's no telling how many wars it will take to secure freedom in the homeland." (George W. Bush, Pittsburgh, reported by the Sidney Morning Herald, Australia 8/06/02).
Why do the American media remain quiescent? Why must we learn about Bush's words spoken in Pittsburgh by reading Australian news? Bush, Cheney and Rove are setting the stage to fully destabilize the Middle East by declaring unending war for political purposes and it is not "news" in any American newspaper. Can America afford another war that will be fought by sons and daughters of middle and lower income families? The children of the chickenhawks won't fight in this or any other war; they will find their way into the Texas National Guard or other havens. Body bags are for those whom the current administration have denied a voice and a vote.
Sara S. DeHart
Dear BuzzFlash,
This is my first letter to you, although I have been a faithful reader of your courageous website for a long time. Two thoughts:
On the subject of TIPS, I am reading a wonderful book entitled "Wild Swans," a true story of grandmother, mother and daughter in China spanning much of the 20th century. I was struck by a description of a technique used by Mao to shore up the Communism movement and stifle dissent. Citizens were required to snoop on their relatives, friends and neighbors and report on disloyal activity to party officials in their village and community. However, that program was deemed ineffectual because most of the reports were either wild rumors or motivated by hostility or vindictiveness. There are large lessons here for the current administration but apparently no one with the brains to figure them out. Of course, later on Mao used more ruthless means to root out potential traitors, which begs the question: After TIPS, what next??
On the subject of the apparently inevitable Iraq war, it seems the only issue we are allowed to debate is whether the war should be a ground assault with many troops or a heavy air bombardment. Does anyone doubt that the chickenhawks will select the latter option, which will put few of our soldiers at risk thereby keeping Dubya popular at home, but cause many more civilian casualties in Iraq? The potential for killing many innocent people has barely been mentioned. This in itself is a serious moral issue, but, leaving that aside, isn't it obvious that we will simply fan the flames of anti-American feelings in that part of the world? Unfortunately nothing is obvious anymore in this "through the looking glass" world in which regime change and pre-emptive assaults on other countries have suddenly become an integral part of our foreign policy. God help us.
Prudence in Georgia
