August 22, 2002
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Dear BuzzFlash,
In addition to the chemical and biological weapons aid that Daddy Bush and Reagan gave to Iraq, they also gave nuclear weapons aid in the form of what's called a "skull" furnace. Bush was warned specifically that this could be used to make nuclear weapons and furthermore that Hussein was asking for WAY more of these things than could possibly be used for the stated purpose (making artificial limbs).
http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/iraq/LicenseMD.html
Keep up the great work!
Eric Foss
Seattle, WA --
Dear Buzz,
We don't need to elect Gore in '04 - WE ALREADY ELECTED HIM in 2000!!!!!!! The BushGang did a coup de tat and we were so stunned we let it happen.
Gore is our president and when we get the BushGang OUT Gore will know what to do and how to do it, to get AMERICA back.
Barbara
Noble
No Nukes - EVER
Dear BuzzFlash,
Isn't it odd that Kissinger and Scowcroft, who helped a bank loan money to rebuild Iraq's military, are now against invading Iraq? Or is it??
from 1993...
A gift for George
Why is Bill Clinton's Justice Department so desperate to bury Bush's Iraq-gate scandal?Stephen Pizzo
Bush administration officials spent their final months in office attempting to cover up a scandal--the so-called Iraq-gate affair--that could have landed them in jail. Strangely, their successors have tried desperately to complete the cover-up: in September, the Clinton Justice Department released a statement concluding that the Bush administration had done nothing improper.
Federal Judge Marvin H. Shoob, who for the past four years had presided over the criminal case, was incredulous. Such a conclusion, the judge said, was possible only "in Never-Never Land."
(more)
Dear BuzzFlash:
Progressive voices seem to have only one national outlet these days and that is through the "Donahue" show on MSNBC, but, he's losing in the ratings to Connie Chung on CNN. I have yet to see ANY news show with the courage to put on voices from the REAL left. I think Phil is trying desperately to change that.
Tonight's show (8/21):
Adam Shapiro is the peace activist who found himself inside Arafat's compound during the siege in the spring. Attacked as a "Jewish traitor," Adam is active with the International Solidarity Movement and an advocate for Palestinian rights. His parents received so many violent threats, they had to leave their Brooklyn home. Adam was forced to leave Israel a week ago after being arrested at a peace rally. He will be joined on the show by his Palestinian-American wife of three months, and by Joe Steir, a Jewish-American critic of his activities.
Guests seen in recent weeks include:
Michael Moore (ONLY time he has been on ANY show to promote his book which is still #4 on NYT best sellers 24 weeks and counting) Michaelmoore.com <http://www.michaelmoore.com>,
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Kucinich in 04?)
Voices in the Wilderness (surviving relatives of 9/11 against the "war")
Scott Ritter - "Endgame: Solving the Iraq Problem Once and for All" available from Simon & Schuster. Weapons inspector in Iraq for seven years, a card carrying Republican who voted for Bush and says we have no right to attack Iraq.
Masuda Sultan (8/15) An Afghan-American woman, she volunteered at Ground Zero in New York, and then traveled to Afghanistan only to find that members of her family had been killed by U.S. attacks. Her story is told in the documentary "Afghanistan: From Ground Zero to Ground Zero." For more information, call (212) 925-3429.
Yitzhak Frankenthal (8/12) He lost his son to terrorists, and still he pleads for peace. For more information about his group, the Bereaved Parents Circle, go to Theparentscircle.com <http://www.theparentscircile.com/>
Missing African-American children ignored by media (8/9) Omega-7 <http://www.omega7.com/>, a unique group of African-American characters designed to raise consciousness and address political issues.
And on Monday 8/19: A full hour of Studs Terkel! And he let'em have it! Go Studs!
"See, what have I got to lose? I’m 90 years old. So I can be subversive right now of the wanton boy we call our appointed chieftain, or of our attorney general, who was born 300 years too late...
"I think right now-remember all these books I've written. The ordinary American, the noncelebrated American, we know the basic decency of them. We didn't need 11/9 to tell me that. I knew that all the time.
"But there's also an intelligence there, that right now is under assault. In other words, the intelligence of the American people right now is being insulted by a wanton boy. When I called Bush a wanton boy, it's a Shakespearean quote. In "King Lear," he speaks of wanton boys swatting flies. That is, mindless boys swatting.
"We have a mindless boy right now with the most powerful job in the world. And that is perilous. We have an attorney general who is like the guy Arthur Miller described in "The Crucible" in Salem, Massachusetts, 300 years ago, who urges people to spy on other people, witchcraft, and all women are hanged. So we have this." - Studs Terkel 8/19/02 on "Donahue"
Full Transcript: <http://www.msnbc.com/news/796617.asp>
Phil is the ONLY liberal voice on the air! We MUST support him (no one else seems to be)
Dave C.
Subject: Where did Osama learn to kill puppies?
Dear BuzzFlash,
This information was taken from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)'s website:
Military Testing: The Unseen War
When news reports tally the casualties of war, or when monuments are erected to honor soldiers, the other-than-human victims of war--the animals whose bodies are shot, burned, poisoned, and otherwise tortured in tests to create even more ways to kill people--are never recognized, nor is their suffering well known. The 1987 movie "Project X" offered only a glimpse of the kind of experiments that go on far from public view but at taxpayer expense.
Uncounted Casualties
The U.S. military inflicts the pains of war on hundreds of thousands of animals each year in experiments. The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Veterans Administration (VA) together are the federal government's second largest user of animals (after the National Institutes of Health). They account for nearly half the estimated minimum of 1.6 million dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, primates, rats, mice, and "wild animals" used, as reported to Congress in 1983, the last year for which government figures are available.(1) Because these figures don't include experiments that were contracted out to non-governmental laboratories, or the many sheep, goats, and pigs often shot in wound experiments, the actual total of animal victims is probably much higher.
(More)
Dear BuzzFlash,
Check out Phil Gramm's radio ad playing in Texas.
It features Himself drawling out how great his and Bush's tax cut was and mocks Ron Kirk for saying it "devastated" him.
It sort of implies that everything is just fine, thank you, and that we should all call Ron Kirk and tell him we want to keep our money.
Also implies that all Texans just love Bush - and that's so not true.
Best,
Jane Fish
Austin, TX
Dear BuzzFlash,
You knew someone was going to blink when the likes of Lawrence Eagleberger and Norman Schwarzkopf (sp?) are making the rounds of the talk shows condemning the "attack Iraq" scheme. The bushies don't give a damn what foreigners say about it but when guys from daddy's administration started publicly questioning him, that catches their attention. These guys, as far as the vaunted "gravitas" is concerned, are the ones that built the coalition for the Gulf War, whereas the bushies have no one but Israel (for their own end) supporting them.
It makes me wonder if poppy tried to talk him out of it and got nowhere, then encouraged (or did not discourage) his own folks from making the rounds of the talk shows. You would think that, out of respect for poppy, they would keep their mouths shut. It's all pretty intriguing.
BTW: The funniest moment on television last night was Ted Koppel's calling Bill Kristol "Bill Clinton" at the very end of "Nightline". It was classic! Too bad they weren't showing Kristol's face at the time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bush Pours Cold Water on Iraq War Talk
http://news1.iwon.com/top/article/id/82316|top|08-21-2002::15:42|reuters.html
By Mark EganCRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush on Wednesday brushed aside speculation about imminent military action against Iraq, saying he was a "patient man" who would consult with U.S. allies and Congress beforehand
Dear Y’all – I wonder if anyone suggested that people who think taxes are too high should heed this advice.
DON’T WHINE. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
Don’t retire.
Don’t be poor.
Don’t lose your job.
Don’t expect a Social Security (SS) check.
Don’t expect your parents’ and family members’ to receive SS checks.
Don’t expect any help from anyone when you apply for benefits or have any problems with your checks.
Don’t become disabled, die, or become a widow(er) or orphan.
Don’t file for Medicare or any other federal benefits.
Don’t expect anyone from the Federal Government to be accessible to you for any reason at any time.
Don’t expect anything from anyone but yourself. Then, see above.
That’s for starters.
Nancy Ortiz
[BuzzFlash Note: BuzzFlash and BuzzFlash Readers have compiled a rather exhaustive list of the benefits of taxes called "If you don't like paying taxes . . .". Make sure to send it to your anti-government and conservative friends.]
Dear BuzzFlash,
Thanks for doing the interview with Lynn. I was too depressed when I realized she was gone on the first Saturday.
Lynn is right: WABC's decision, as with many recent decisions by station owners and GMs, totally lacks imagination. The homogeneity of talk hosts and programming is appalling.
There's no one else out there like her, at least not with that special New York quality.
Jeanine Perrone
Dear Buzz,
Note the comments from Bush Adm spokesman Walter Kansteiner: .".....We do not see President Mugabe as the democratically legitimate leader of the country. The election was fraudulent and it was not free and it was not fair."
And elsewhere, down the article, you must read the statements of Mr. William Fletcher.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/july-dec02/zimbabwe_8-21.html
Cynthia
B
BuzzFlash Reader
Dear BuzzFlash,
So far, in all this talk about our war in Iraq - like it's a forgone conclusion - I have yet to hear anyone talk about the impact this is going to have on what is one of the biggest concerns to older Americans, that is Social Security.
If we actually go to war in Iraq & it seems that Bush is determined to do this one way or the other, people have got to be made to understand that they will be giving up their Social Security in 5 or 10 years in order for Bush to have this war. There is not enough money to have this war & clean up the aftermath in Iraq & save Social Security. It is either one or the other, but there is no way we can do both - even if they cancel that ridiculous tax cut for the wealthiest Americans.
I don't understand why no one is mentioning this. Bush is spending money like it grows on a tree & then complains that it's the Democratic Senate's fault! I understand that he has no concept of what a budget is, he's never had to worry about how to pay the rent or where his next meal is coming from, but he put his hand on that Bible on Jan 20th, 2001 & he swore that he would put the country ahead of himself. He has a duty to think of the nation first. He has a duty to do the right thing.
There should be a poll taken that asks people if they are willing to give up their future Social Security for this war in Iraq. I can guarantee you the answer will overwhelmingly be no. Our Democratic Senators & Congressmen need to start asking the average American if this is really what they want. There is very little discussion happening about the cost of Afghanistan & the after effects of Iraq. Bush mentioned he was thinking of something like the Marshall Plan for Iraq after Hussein is gone. Seriously - where is the money going to come from?? It won't come from Income taxes because he is pushing very, very hard to make those cuts permanent & it won't come from estate taxes, so that only leave Social Security. It's the only thing in Washington that is currently generating surplus funds, but he's spending that faster than it's coming in, too.
We need to start asking the either/or questions like:
Do you want to keep Social Security or do you want a war in Iraq? Do you want clean drinking water or do you want to let the corporations accelerate the amount the can pollute? Do you want gas mileage efficiency raised or do you want to pay $5.00 per gallon for your gas? Do you want to fund education or would you rather give the wealthiest 5% of the American people a tax break? Do you want to help our seniors & veterans or would you rather have the estate tax eliminated? Do you want all Americans to have health coverage (like every other industrialized country) or would you rather just the top 15% of American be able to afford it?
I could go on & on, but you get the picture. These are the realities - we are facing unprecedented deficits, they have already increased our debt limit once & that is not going to be enough. We can't keep going like this.
The other thing that is really bugging me is that I keep hearing the Repugs say that once the war in Iraq starts the American people, as well as the rest of the world, will jump on the band wagon & fully support the war. Are these guys delusional or what? We are talking about an unprovoked attack on another sovereign nation! Everyone agrees that Hussein is a bad guy, but that does not give us the right to attack Iraq! I would even go along with attacking him if we knew he was preparing to attack us, but all evidence to date indicates that he does not have the ingredients or expertise to make a nuclear weapon & we all know that a Scud missile will not reach America from Iraq. He hasn't even made any overt moves against any of his immediate neighbors. We can not just start attacking any country we please because Bush wants to. If we do this, if we start down this patch there will be no stopping untold numbers of other countries from doing the same thing. The United Nations & containment have worked very well since the end of WW2 - why do we have to change that now? I don't want to see our sons & daughters coming home in body bags. Do you remember Viet Nam? Iraq will be much more like Viet Nam than it will be like Afghanistan.
What happens when other nations decide it's time for a regime change in America?
Linda Kekumu
Dear BuzzFlash,
Watching the bandy (I've got basketballs under my arms) Bush, swagger along to his press conference down on the ranch today, was enough to make me puke. What are these guys playing at? This is no game of 'Risk'. Their reluctance to consider the reality and consequences of ignoring increasing global concerns is disgraceful. If the United States is seen as the catalyst for the meltdown of the already unstable Middle East reason, where will that leave everybody? Bush's biggest supporter right now must surely be Bin Laden who is going to get exactly what he wants. For any American parent with a child who may go to war, not to defend America, but to defend George Bush's ego, my thoughts will be with you. I am only relieved my countrymen will not be involved. I am disgusted.
D.M.Reid
(NZ)
(BuzzFlash - My first read of the day, everyday)
Dear BuzzFlash,
GOP Crime Family - California
Without going into the GOP candidate for governor being convicted in a $78 million dollar fraud case, I would first like to point out that California is nothing unique for GOP crime. Feel free to pick around in the weblog archives, widespread Republican party criminal activity has already been covered in the states of VA, SC, NM, WA, CA and FL.
It's apparent there is so much GOP election fraud going on all over the United States, why not make this a regular series and call it "GOP CRIME FAMILY ______" (fill in the blank with whatever state the latest GOP criminal subversion of democracy has come to light in).
Here is the latest, this one is from California. Seems Republican operatives were changing party registrations of Democratic voters to prevent them from voting in the primaries.
When the GOPers didn't out-right change the party selected, they would trick voters by asking them to initial the card close to the Republican check box.
GOP crime family capo's were paid $6-7 by the bosses for each democratic vote they subverted.
Also keep in mind when reading the article, California Secretary of State Bill Jones is a Republican Crime Family capitoni.
Thanks Kelley Kramer
--- Spin Resistance
http://www.kelleykramer.blogspot.com/
--------------
State finds voter registration cards altered in Merced County
Nineteen Democrats filed complaints with the office after discovering during the primary that they were registered as Republicans. They registered to vote with a person working for a firm hired by the Republican Party.
-snip
"We think that they broke the law, but there just isn't enough evidence for a successful prosecution," said Alfie Charles, Secretary of State Bill Jones' spokesman.
-snip
During a five-month investigation of 10 canvassers, the Secretary of State's office found on some cards, voters had checked the box for "Democrat" and initialed the box for "Republican" at the request of the canvassers, who then allegedly crossed out the check in the Democrat box, the secretary's office said.
-snip
"Bounty hunters, when they are being paid by the party, they get $6 to $7 per registration card," Brown said. "That's quiet a big amount of money and that's where fraud comes in, you can get very aggressive."
More here: http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/4002321p-5027806c.html
-------
More GOP felony indictments listed on the weblog, including several Republicans jailed on Friday in Florida..
Spin
Resistance
http://www.kelleykramer.blogspot.com/
Dear BuzzFlash,
Regarding the meeting at Crawford, to which Colin Powell and Tommy White were NOT invited, Ari Fleischer, White House spokesman, said: "Can I guarantee that the word (Iraq) will never come up? No, of course not. But the purpose of the meeting is much bigger than that."
Can someone tell me, what is "much bigger" than the "inevitable" plan to bomb thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens, and place thousands of young American military personnel in immediate danger??? The "budget?" Is that bigger than HUMAN BEINGS??? How about "oil?" Is THAT "bigger" than lighting the match on the powder keg that is the Middle East???
What is WRONG with these people? The ENTIRE WORLD is against this. Is it possible that Bush sees himself as some kind of Redeemer of the planet, bringing on Armageddon to save humanity from evil, even if it means destruction of humanity???? Can it be that this idiot, this dummy, this illiterate, spoiled Caligula, will bring about the ruin of our country? our planet??
This is OUTRAGEOUS. This is OUTRAGEOUS. This is a NIGHTMARE.
What the hell can we do?????
A BuzzFlash Reader, A Parent, A Patriot
Quote of the Day
Frank Rick wrote in the NY Times:
"If Mr. Bush doesn't get rid of Saddam after all this saber rattling, he will look like the biggest wimp since -- well, his father."
Chewgababy
Dear BuzzFlash,
While everyone is jerking off over whether or not Ann Coulter really did her research, the big story is being missed. When the World Bank starts warning us of ecological catastrophe, we'd better sit up and take notice. Note that there is nothing as extensive as the Guardian's coverage of this issue in any U.S. newspaper, and the U.S. papers are scarcely covering the 2002 Earth Summit.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldsummit2002/story/0,12264,778754,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldsummit2002/earth/0,12341,774434,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldsummit2002/0,12264,757397,00.html
Good luck, and keep up the good work.
John Lowe
Kettering, OH
BuzzFlash,
I'm really getting tired of blatant signals coming from the Idiot-in-Chief on taking out Saddam.
It has become ever-clear that too many intelligent notables, both here and abroad, are dead set against it. Yet, Bush continues to sound like a carnival barker on a coming invasion of Iraq. In my opinion, Bush has no intention of invading, at least not for now. He knows that the people are on to him and are beginning to get a bad taste in their mouths over what they've seen so far. Bush is saving the big invasion of Iraq to save his own skin in the next presidential election. That's the way I see it. After all, wasn't that what Big Daddy tried to do? So why all the saber rattling now? Well, it sets Saddam on record that Bush is coming for him. It's a ploy to get Saddam to react. Two weeks ago, we read that aerial surveillance indicated that Saddam was moving something to a factory in an effort to hide weapons. For every action, there's a reaction. Bush is using this theory to play cat and mouse with Saddam. By getting Saddam to react to Bush's carnival barking, cameras are recording those reactions for the big day. I guarantee you, the big day will be closer to Bush's reelection bid. And when it does, I can only hope that it all backfires on Junior, just as it did on Big Daddy!
~ Cathy
Subj: An FYI laugh to start your day
Dear BuzzFlash,
Excerpt from NY Times article:
The late-night comedians have not yet played with the Dubya recession, but they are sharpening their scalpels. When President Bush held his economic forum in Waco, Tex., last week, Jay Leno remarked that Mr. Bush would do whatever it took to keep the economy strong — "even if he must stay on vacation for three more months."
Cathy
