August 12, 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 the not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. Thanks again for your email and your patience.
Dear BuzzFlash,
Has anyone happened to notice that we never see George W. Bush with his family? When Clinton was in office he was almost always accompanied by Hillary and quite often his daughter, Chelsea, as well. Chelsea turned out to be a very well-adjusted, successful human being, and Hillary is the New York senator.
Contrast this to George "Family Values" Bush. We rarely see him with his wife and NEVER with his daughters. Laura is somewhere ironing his shirts, and his daughters, who he has totally neglected, are off somewhere partying and getting drunk, a trait which they inherited from their alcoholic father.
So much for "family values."
Rob
Moitoza
Seattle, Wa.
[BuzzFlash Note: That's the beautiful thing about irony -- it exposes the hypocrisy of its target. Irony has been very busy the last few months visiting the White House and the GOP.]
Hi, Buzz:
Just clicked on the link and read the letter from Fox *News'* Dianne Brandi to 'oreilly-sucks.com'. It would be easier to take the letter seriously if the grammatical errors weren't so glaring and abundant.
Here is a list of said errors. I may have missed some, but this will give you a general idea of the low standards that pervade the Fox *News* organization. It's all about ideology and nothing about intelligence.
- At least seven times, Ms. Brandi wrote “O'Reillys" when referencing his rights or name. The last time I checked, that is possessive and, therefore, should be "O'Reilly's".
- The first sentence should read "...a website that you have labeled…”
- When referencing the "Lanham Act", she used lower case. Made the same mistake again when she wrote of the "First Amendment". Capitals, please, when using a proper name--or, in this case, title of an act/law named after someone or a particular amendment!
- The title of a newspaper should be in quotes: "The New York Times". Further, "The New York Times Bestseller List" is indeed a title--capital letters, again.
The Fox News organization and its employees: unfair, unbalanced, and ignorant.
Liz Taylor
P.S.: As far as the allegations that Mr. Stewert has violated the law: Brandi states he: "...misrepresents the nature, characteristics, or quality…" of O'Reilly's services.
Her argument falls apart when she goes on to say that O'Reilly’s name has acquired "...distinctiveness and secondary meaning with the general public..." To me (my being part of the specified 'general public') his name is synonymous with "sucks".
Therefore, Mr. Stewert has broken no law. His representation of O'Reilly is quite accurate.
Dear BuzzFlash,
So Tommy Thompson feels that taking away a patient's right to privacy will be good for us. I believe he said that now we won't have to run around town seeking signatures from physicians. Neither will anyone else, and if you've had an illness in the last 20 years you can't get insurance either. How stupid does he think we are. At least have the decency of saying "gotchya suckers." I can't even express anymore how incredibly sick I am of these people, and how evil they are. This administration seems to prize secrecy only for themselves.
I attended a Corporate Ethics Conference today for, obviously, corporations. The gentleman who spoke said one sure way you know that something very wrong is happening in your company is if there are a lot of secrets at the top. Well, we have a lot of secrets at the top here in this country and there certainly is something wrong.
Sally McDonald
Dear BuzzFlash,
I own my medical records. It will be a shame if I have to keep all of them at my own home and take them to the doctor, the hospital, etc., as they are needed and not let anyone else store them for me. I am the one who has paid for them and I don't plan to give them up. The U.S. Constitution does not give the right of "eminent domain" to the government for my medical records.
Bush is just crazy. He has no self-esteem and so he has to try to be controlling over everyone. He wasn't elected President and he declared on national TV that he was my CEO and not my President. Mr. Bush, I don't report to you. You are not in my chain of command.
I would rather not have my name published on this one (though I usually do) because it would be an invasion of my privacy. I frankly don't trust the self-declared "CEO". He is just getting too power/control hungry.
Keep up the good work BuzzFlash. We are counting on you to help keep us free.
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subj: Noteworthy new developments on Flight 93
Dear BuzzFlash,
This may be the reason the infallible Bush residency suddenly discovered an "executive" jet following flight 93.
http://www.flight93crash.com/flight93_seismic_event.htm
From: http://www.flight93crash.com/
T. Rhine
A BuzzFlash Reader Letter to the NYTimes:
Subj: Bill Keller's Op-Ed
To the editors,
I can only advise Mr. Keller (We Love You, You're Perfect, Goodbye, 8/10 op-ed) and other inside-the-bubble political pundits and analyzers to get out and talk to the average citizens more often instead of relying on the 'wisdom' of party hacks on either side.
Contrary to 'insider' opinion, the majority of Democrats who vote still strongly support Al Gore as their nominee in 2004. After all, as Mr. Keller states himself, "He (Gore) won, don't forget. He got 537,179 more popular votes, and only lost the Electoral College thanks to a lot of well-documented funny business." But Mr. Keller somehow twists this fact into the conclusion that, "Al Gore is a snore." If he is such a snore, why did the majority of American voters choose him, despite what Mr. Keller and his insider friends consider a disastrous campaign? Is it possible that the American public is far more rational in their reasoning than the out-of-touch, insulated pundits who try to tell the public 'what' to think?
A clue, Mr. Keller. Most Democrats don't fault Gore for his loss in the last Presidential campaign. They fault the American media for giving Bush a free ride, and think the 2000 election was stolen by Bush via the voter fraud in Florida that illegitimately gave Bush Florida's electoral votes. We haven't forgotten.
Sincerely,
Jo
Ann Simon
Camden, ME
Subj: Jenna Bush pays $225 for a bottle of vodka
Dear BuzzFlash,
Jenna Bush may be too young to drink in the States, but France is another story. The President's 20-year-old daughter was spotted at St.-Tropez hotspot Caves du Roy drinking with two friends for more than four hours, London's Mirror reports. The threesome is said to have finished a $225 bottle of vodka and an equally pricey bottle of tequila at the club.
Jenna will have to stick to overseas bars until her birthday. In May 2001, she was caught using a fake ID to buy a drink. After paying a $100 fine and taking alcohol-awareness classes, she was nabbed again. Her second offense cost her $500, and the Bush twin's license was suspended.
A White House spokeswoman told us: "Both of the Bush girls are private citizens, and we will have no comment."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/6967p-6480c.html
Drudge certainly can't accuse the Bush family of being cheapskates.
A BuzzFlash Reader
Dear Buzz,
Is no one covering the story of Martha Stewart from a political point of view? Doesn't anyone find it interesting that the giants of corporate fraud like Cheney, Bush, Lay, etc. are left alone while she hits the front page and the network news night after night with the same story--no new developments?
Could it be because, unlike the rest of the mob, she has contributed generously to Democrats?
--- JO Ann McNamara
[BuzzFlash Note: It could. And her celebrity status takes some of the heat off the corporate criminals currently occupying the White House (and whatever rock, we mean, "undisclosed location" Cheney might be found).]
Quote of the Day:
"There's no telling how many wars it will take to secure freedom in the homeland."
-- George W. Bush
Chewgababy
Dear BuzzFlash,
This is too good to pass up from Meanmouth Mo Dowd:
"Like a buoyant Dr. Evil holding a napping Bush Mini-Me in a Snugli, Mr. Cheney seems to relish running the world alone."
Rosanne, in Florida
Dear BuzzFlash,
As soon as I got my copy of the CD "Hail to the Thief!" it went in my CD player.
What a hoot!! I hadn't laughed so much in years. ('course ya know we gotta keep laughin' or we'll just start cryin'.) And the standard of musicianship is as high as the lyrics are bitingly satirical. And all for a $25 contribution to keep BuzzFlash buzzin'.
It was money well spend.
Bob Jewett
Dear BuzzFlash,
I rarely write to BuzzFlash, though I read it religiously. But I think McAuliffe's performance in Las Vegas and on ABC on Sunday merits a million thanks and kudos. Thank you, Mr. McAuliffe, for voicing the feelings of millions of people in this country. And kudos for standing up with spine and asking the current resident of the White House to step aside or lead. I only hope more democrats will follow his lead and demand accountability from the the current resident of the White House.
A Regular Reader
A BuzzFlash Reader Letter to the Washington Post:
Subj: Dana Milbank should NEVER cover Al Gore again...
Mr. Getler,
On the Saturday, August 10th, 2002 episode of CNN's "Reliable Sources," a media criticism show, Dana Milbank made the following astonishing comment during an exchange regarding the press corp's relations with Al Gore:
"MILBANK: You know what it is, Howie, I -- and I think that Gore is sanctimonious and that's sort of the worst thing you can be in the eyes of the press. And he has been disliked all along and it was because he gives a sense that he's better than us - he's better than everybody, for that matter, but the sense that he's better than us as reporters.
Whereas President Bush probably is sure that he's better than us -- he's probably right, but he does not convey that sense. He does not seem to be dripping with contempt when he looks at us, and I think that has something to do with the coverage." (emphasis added)
There are two conclusions to be taken from Milbank's radioactively-biased statement, both bad reflections on the current state of political journalism.
One, Milbank happily allows his personal prejudices to bias coverage of Al Gore.
Two, Milbank happily admits to allowing his personal prejudices to bias coverage of Al Gore, knowing that there will be no consequences to doing so.
If Milbank buys into the canard that personality-based bias against Al Gore is the "standard story," instead of actually covering the substance of Gore's campaign for president, then Milbank should not be assigned to any more stories involving Al Gore.
It is only fair, to Mr. Gore and political journalism. The bar must be raised. The stakes involved in national politics are more important than Dana Milbank's personal feelings toward Al Gore.
Thank you,
H.L.
Williams
St.
Louis, MO
[BuzzFlash Note: Additionally, why does Dana Milbank think he speaks for the public? He's not a spokesperson for any one of us, just an obviously confused journalist who was supposed to report the news to us. If he doesn't do his job, he should quit. It might make the world a better place.]
Subj: The 70%
Dear BuzzFlash,
I want to give you an example of part of the people who "love GWB" and believe him to be the "right man." This is part of an exchange heard over the radio between the commentator and a call in:
Call in: I would hate to think where we would be if Gore was President now instead of Bush
Commentator: We don't know that, that isn't something that be judged.
Call In: Well, Gore wasn't too smart, not as smart as Bush because Bush was able to steal this election and that dummy Gore wasn't.
Commentator: Wait a minute, are you telling me that we have the right man in the White House because he was a better crook than Gore.
Call in: That's right, Gore was just too stupid to know how to take over the White House.
Another caller:
Call in: I am sick and tired of people blaming Bush and Ashcroft for that god awful stupid terrifying Patriots Act, everyone knows it was the Democrats who passed that and took away our Civil Liberties (this man also identified himself as a long term and constant listener of Fox News)
Commentator: What are you talking about, the Patriots Act came from the Justice Dept. and the White House, IT WAS BUSH AND ASHCROFT and Bush signed it.
Call in: Oh no, the Democrats could have vetoed Bush's signature, they could have made that stupid Act go away. It's there fault we are standing in long lines at the airports and searching grandmothers.
Commentator: Do you honestly believe that the Democrats could have vetoed Bush's signature on the Bill he initiated, the Democrats who do not have control of the House and a very slim majority of the Senate. Do you really believe that could have happened. Do you really believe that the Dems are responsible for the Patriots Act. and you don't hold Bush or Ashcroft responsible at all.
Call in: your problem is you don't listen to Fox News and you don't have your facts straight, you've been listening to those other lying sacks of ....
Commentator: Sir, I must say that you have me at a loss for words here, I would be happy to send you a copy of the Constitution and Bill of Rights so you may read it yourself. I would also suggest it might be helpful to broaden out news programs in addition to the Fox News, an informed society gets all the facts from several sources. I would like to ask you if you believe everything the media or your government tells you?
Call in: why would they lie to me, I am a citizen.
Commentary, Sir, were you a citizen when Mr. Nixon was President? Sir, do you remember Mr. Bush saying that his administration knew nothing about terrorists before 9/11 and then we find out he and his administration actually did know about a potential terrorist strike. Were you a citizen when our government lied to us about the Gulf of Tonkin and escalated the Vietnam war based on that lie? Were you a citizen during the Iran/Contra hearings.
Call in: All I know is it's only Democrats who lie, you need to listen to Fox, you can at least get the truth there.
Commentator, Thank you for calling. Listeners, I beg you to search, read and find the truth. Learn about the Bills before Congress and how your representatives voted. Look to see if what your government is doing is in your best interest, and recognize when there are some people you just can't have a reasonable debate. Closed minds are our biggest enemy.
That is an example of some of the people out there, that is an example of a nation who has received their ethics, values, morals and concept of life from TV and entertainment, and now we don't know the difference between the truth and lies, between what's real and what isn't. So much so, that we can't even absorb what is happening in this country, we cannot absorb the impact of crooks running the country, indeed the world. I take heart in the fact that Joseph McCarthy lived in my lifetime and finally we awakened from that nightmare, people had to ride on the back of the bus because of their color in my lifetime and adults threw rotten tomatoes and rocks at children trying to attend school, in my lifetime. We awakened from that insanity, I remain hopeful that we will awaken from this insanity as well.
Sally McDonald
Dear BuzzFlash,
Enron is famous (infamous?) for many things. One of them is its faith in free markets. Not anymore. An Enron-led consortium in Bolivia called Transredes has applied for a $125 million loan from the U.S.-backed Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Transredes, which is 25% owned by Enron, wants the money to build a pipeline to improve the transport of natural gas into Brazil. The bank, which is 30% owned by the U.S. government, could approve the loan this fall.
Beg,
Borrow, and Deal
What about Enron-related government projects?
http://www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?channel=artcol.jhtml&doc_id=208838
Chewgababy
Dear BuzzFlash,
Any illusions that Junior is a friend of the working man should have long ago been dispelled. However his brazen attempt to destroy the longshoreman's union should wake any person up who was suckered by Junior's empty platitudes about his "concern" for the "working man." Ha Ha. The joke is unfortunately on us. Breaking the back of the air traffic union as his Uncle Ronnie did set the union movement back a hundred years. If he breaks the longshoreman's union he will basically destroy the union movement as we know it, because he will use the same tactics against any other union that calls a general strike. If you are concerned at all about workers rights in this country, which you should, since it includes your own, I urge you to vehemently protest this brazen attempt at restoring corporate slavery and let Junior know he and his Republican cronies in Congress will pay at the ballot box.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0810-02.htm
Dan Delisio
Dear BuzzFlash,
Bush the Thief to stump for Simon the Thief.
Another example of " Water always seeks it's own level" and "Birds of a feather flock together"
Bush to stump for Simon, but fraud verdict looms as problem http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/3910473p-4936046c.html
A BuzzFlash Reader
Dear BuzzFlash,
Which leader would you rather have? One that actually said, "There's no telling how many wars it will take to secure freedom in the homeland," or one that would say, "There's no telling how many peace efforts it will take to secure freedom for the homeland and the world."
If you chose the first one, then vote for the US Supreme Court "selected leader" in the White House, George W. Bush in 2004. If you want real freedom, not only for the United States, but for the world, vote for who TALKS and WORKS for peaceful solutions first.
Karen
Boerboom
Platteville, WI
P.S. (Methinks, George Bush is seeking revenge for the the attempted assassination of his father George Herbert Walker Bush and the failure to follow Schwartzkopf's advice and head on into Baghdad during Gulf War One).
[BuzzFlash Note: We think you're right.]
Dear BuzzFlash,
Here is a copy of a letter I mailed to an elected official:
I understand that butane lighters and matches are still being allowed on airlines. There is an excerpt by Michael Moore which claims that a government official told him privately that the reason dangerous items like matches and lighters are allowed, despite the fact that Reid tried to light up his shoes with those very items, is because the tobacco lobby called the White House and asked that they be allowed. The tobacco lobby wanted smokers to be able to light up the minute they got off the plane. I assume the tobacco lobby paid a lot of money to get Bush into the White House and that is why he owes them a favor. This is jeopardizing the safety and our current airline "security" is nothing more than an expensive show. I want to propose that a law be in place that no matches or lighters are allowed on planes, despite what the tobacco lobby wants.
a BuzzFlash reader and supporter
[BuzzFlash Note: You can read Mike's message here: "The Sad and Sordid Whereabouts of bin Cheney and bin Bush."]
Dear BuzzFlash,
I see where there is a new "threat" to the Golden Gate Bridge....some nonsense about 'intelligence' learning of a plan to fly a plane into it. Sad to say, but my first and only reaction was "WHAT IS THE ADMINISTRATION TRYING TO DEFLECT ATTENTION FROM NOW?"
Sad that our country has come to this huh?
Faron Thomason
Houston, TX
"I don't HAVE to like Bush to love America"
Subj: Three Despicable Stories
Dear BuzzFlash,
The three stories below were in a row in the NYTimes newsletter on Saturday morning.
First, companies use bankruptcy to recover from financial missteps, but citizens can no longer turn to that relief because of the new laws won by big companies. Second, our entire tax structure is collapsing courtesy of greedy corporate CEOs and the "lottery" mentality. And, finally, to put the nail in the coffin, a new report says that companies cut back on worker hours (e.g., PAY AND BENEFITS), but productivity remained the same (e.g., the whip got faster).
What is wrong with our country?
- Joey Martin
------------------------------------------------------------
Conseco Recovery Efforts Fail; Bankruptcy Filing Is Possible
Conseco, the big financial services company, said that its turnaround efforts had failed, and analysts warned that the company might seek bankruptcy protection. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/10/business/10INSU.html?todaysheadlines
-----
Companies Use Ex-Lawmakers in Fight on Offshore Tax Break
An armada of former lawmakers is suddenly lobbying against efforts in Congress to crack down on companies that shift their addresses to offshore tax havens. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/10/politics/10LOBB.html?todaysheadlines
-----
Productivity Rise Is Tied to Employers' Response to Layoffs
By cutting back the hours of workers without reducing the workload, employers pushed up the nation's annual growth rate of productivity by 1.1 percent in the second quarter. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/10/business/10ECON.html?todaysheadlines
--
Dear BuzzFlash,
"But what has especially enraged Saudis are rumors of an American plan to partition the kingdom. A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from Riyadh from an enraged domestic Saudi dissident recently released from house arrest. He wanted to know if the US had commissioned a plan to invade Saudi Arabia and set up a puppet regime in the oil-rich Eastern Province? This would supposedly guarantee US oil supplies and shift US troops away from the holy soil of Mecca and Medina."
Chewgababy
Dear BuzzFlash,
Having the misfortune of watching the Bush shill Paula Zahn lead a roundtable discussion while filling in for CNN's Wolf Blitzer (no Bush detractor himself), leaves me convinced that few Democrats know how to frame an argument.
Zahn, in her typical unbiased moderator fashion, had to remind everyone that the recession actually started on Clinton's watch and therefore should not be attributed to Bush. This is as about as accurate as Bush being either vetted or exonerated in his Harken dealings.
Here are the facts:
- The downturn started in the 3rd quarter of 2000, approximately 6 months before Clinton left office
- The first sign of weakness in the economy did not surface until it looked like George W. Bush just might be Clinton's successor. Bush was leading Gore by 20 points in the polls at the time. Not a positive sign for the continuation of the fiscal policies that generated growth.
- The outcome of the election was still undetermined, when the heralded CEO Dick Cheney came out and reassured the nation by hauling out the "R" word to sell a boon time tax cut as a bust time tax cut. Here is where a deteriorating situation got much, much worse. Anyone with basic math skills saw surpluses turning to deficits and balanced budgets being marked up with red ink.
- More than 50 million American voters were first put on hold and the disenfranchised based on the partisan decision in Bush v. Gore. Not only were countless people glued to their TV sets waiting for a fair resolution, their uncertainty was spiraling out of control. This single event not only diminished half of the country's confidence in our democracy, it also brought into light the corporate institutions that brought about this injustice.
- Under the technical definition, the two quarters of negative growth that were necessary to qualify as a recession did not occur until George W. Bush actually took office. ERGO - THIS IS A BUSH RECESSION.
This has to be pointed out at every turn. The Democrats have to drum this home. They have to be able to, in no uncertain terms, tell conservative clowns like Zahn that the buck actually does stop on the desk of the guy who not only was in charge during negative times, but created a negative environment by thumbing his nose at the institutions that we hold sacred.
YT Cai
Subj: Chertoff Again asserts the right to jail American Citizens without judicial review
Dear BuzzFlash,
"An ABA panel on Friday issued a critical report of the administration, recommending legal rights for Americans whom the government deems enemy combatants and locks up in the United States indefinitely. Chertoff, head of the Justice Department's criminal division, was not backtracking. He said the president can take the preventive step of imprisoning people who might be a threat during wartime, whether or not they are Americans.
Chertoff said the jailings are not punishments. People put behind bars as combatants could be tried later at military tribunals, he said. As long as they have the enemy combatant status, they are denied access to attorneys and courts. "
Months ago Chertoff on NPR asserted the same thing except that he stated that the administration had chosen not to do so at that time. Anyone could see that with this administration it would be just a matter of time. They would escalate step by step. First there was Hamid, then Padilla, and now Ujaama. But the Congress and the media with few exceptions has remained silent.
Now, as reported elsewhere (http://www.msnbc.com/news/792462.asp?0dm=N316N&cp1=1) they are establishing a panel to determine which other people need to be detained under the "enemy combatant" category.
As you know, given the US Patriots Act, virtually anyone can be so designated and for the most of absurd of reasons.
Isn't it obvious to you that they are preparing the next escalation? That, after that, there will be another escalation?
Do you in the Congress think you are immune to such acts? Or are you willing to be frightened into remaining silent so that you can remain "free"?
The lessons of history should teach you that these are the steps that are taken by a dictatorial regime.
What are you going to do about it?
Live free or die.
Robert E. Reynolds, Orange Park Fl.
