September 12, 2002

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Subj: N.Y. Times Commentary by G.W.Bush

Dear BuzzFlash,

It is bitter, on this anniversary of such a horrendous day, to read a thinly veiled call to war against Iraq in the New York Times ascribed to George W. Bush. This piece, so obviously not written by a man who can hardly utter an intelligible unscripted sentence, is a slap in the face of every soul that perished a year ago today, to every American who believes in our Constitution and to every American who exercised their right to vote in 2000; only to be told by our Supreme Court that our votes don't count. This from a man who speaks only to specially invited guests, who shrouds his administration's every act in secrecy, who seldom bothers with anything remotely resembling a press conference and who relegates those Americans who disagree with his policies to distant "First Amendment Zones" to keep them out of his line of sight and conveniently out of the media's sight as well.

Mr. Bush claims that September 11, 2001, has given our country unique opportunities to create a world of peace and freedom. "We will use our position of unparalleled strength to build an atmosphere of international order and openness in which progress and liberty can flourish in many nations." Yet he has used the opportunities presented him by this tragedy - this "trifecta", as he so blithely calls it - to shamelessly wage a war against the American people, the Constitution he swore to uphold and the very way of government - by the people, of the people and for the people - that this nation was built upon. A war he had begun prior to September 11th, but that flourished once his 'opportunity' came. There has been no flourishing of progress and liberty in our country since that date. Indeed liberty is gone for an "uncertain duration" and we have progressed backwards to a time of unfettered corporate plundering and pollution and national isolationism. We are not using "...the best opportunity in generations to build a world where great powers cooperate in peace instead of continually prepare for war." He is unilaterally preparing for a war of unknowable consequences and demanding that nations and persons utterly opposed to this 'regime change' in Iraq either join him or give their approval to a preemptive strike against a sovereign nation. And with or without the approval of these nations, or even the approval of our elected representatives, we're going to hit Iraq - we are the great power and, in my view, we haven't given a damn about the rest of the world from the moment Mr. Bush was installed in office.

Mr. Bush states that "freedom and respect for human rights are owed to every human being, in every culture." (Except Saudi Arabia?) - "We believe that the murder of innocent civilians and the oppression of women are everywhere and always wrong." (Except in Afghanistan and Iraq?)

I would encourage everyone to read his comments, ostensibly to honor the victims of September 11. I cannot think that the dead would be honored by the decimation of an already decimated country, by the deaths of uncounted innocents, by the unlawful detention of so many people, by the absolute disregard he's shown our Constitution or by the invasion of a nation without an iota of culpability in their deaths.

M. Murray

Dear BuzzFlash,

I was going to get you a card, but Hallmark hasn't come out with their 9/11 Holiday Greetings. However, appropriate costumes for your Nine-eleven Day festivities might include the following:

Blinders -- so as to be blind to the hypocrisy of American foreign policy.

Earplugs -- so as to be deaf to the reasons the entire Arab world hates us.

Paper bags -- to put over our heads to hide the international embarrassment brought on by W's "environmental" policies.

Clown suits -- for obvious reasons.

All to celebrate the real meaning of the holiday -- the day a less-than-mediocre president had his presidency saved by fundamentalist Muslim fanatics. Oh, the irony: now he wants to make war on the very people who saved his administration!

Don't get me started ...

Greg

Dear Buzz,

This is an email I wrote to the editors and to Alisa Solomon of The Village Voice in response to her excellent article.

RE: Things We Lost in the Fire
by Alisa Solomon
September 11 - 17, 2002

Thank you editor and thank you Alisa Solomon for your amazingly insightful, thorough and informative article. It does a terrific job of shedding light on the deliberate attempts by those in power to subvert the truth.

It is the perfect article for the first anniversary of 9/11. We have much more to mourn today than the already unbearable loss of our brothers and sisters a year ago. After the terrorist attacks, I feared the consequences that would emerge from the jingoistic Bush Administration and the extreme conservative and religious ideas of Ashkroft. But when I voiced my concerns, and I suggested the US needs to find out why so much of the world hates us (I have first hand experience having lived in other countries for the first 25 years of my life) I was accused of being unpatriotic and it was suggested that I should live in another country if I'm so unhappy in this one. Some people I spoke with assured me angrily that they would gladly give up some of their rights in order to be safe.

I didn't shut up, but I did choose the people I talked to more carefully. and eventually and gratefully I found BuzzFlash.com (where I found your article). I've written dozens of emails to my representatives and to the Democratic Party and to writers and editors like you.

And I do have one small correction to your article. It is that there HAS been an outcry and there still is by individuals and small organizations, especially on the internet, just not enough from journalists and the mainstream media. So your article is a breath of real hope and more than welcomed from those of us who aren't important enough to be listened to. For us this government has set up the First Amendment Zones behind wire fences which could easily be expanded into the detainee camps Ashkroft is so fond of.

Thanks,

Judith Foster

Dear BuzzFlash,

Check this out...

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020911/4437020s.htm

USA Today says that the Bushies decided to go after Iraq within days of the WTC attack, before they had any information on who did it. They're not coming to the conclusion, based on evidence, that this is necessary.... they're deciding to do it, then looking for evidence that it is necessary. They haven't even asked for a "national Intelligence Estimate" from the CIA about whether to go ahead or not.

They're just kind of making it up as they go along!

Thanks for your site, we need it.

Kevin Golden

Subj: Who decides who will inherit the earth, Bush?

"We fight to protect the innocent so that the lawless and the merciless will not inherit the earth," Bush said in speech at the Pentagon. 9-11-02

Dear BuzzFlash,

Who are the "lawless and the merciless"? The followers of what Bush refers to as the "false religion" of Islam? Or the innocent victims he kills in the process of finding the "lawless and merciless"?!

I don't like the religious overtones of this statement! It sounds like a reference to Armageddon to me!

Are we going to send the "heathen" souls of Muslims to hell like the Puritans did to the "heathen" souls of the Native Americans and justify it with Bible scripture? Is he planning on wiping them off of the face of the earth so they can't inherit it? What's his strategy? Who decides who will inherit the earth, Bush?

Or his he speaking about Saddam Hussien? Cheney said he will annihilate Saddam and his WHOLE society!

The whole society?!

How did America get here? How can the American people tolerate this crazy man any longer and allow him to continue his madness?!!

I don't want any part of this one. I fear we're doomed!

Nancy Lynn Nagy TN

Subj: FL GOP Leader Lunches w/ Fidel Castro

Dear BuzzFlash,

Let me get this straight: Gov. Jeb Bush recently wrote Gov. Ventura asking him not to go to Cuba. Assistant Secretary of State Otto Reich said he hoped Gov. Venture wouldn't engage in "sexual tourism" during his visit to Cuba. Now, the current Republican Leader of the Florida House of Representatives goes to Cuba and says, "Overall, it was one of those really rare moments that I wouldn't ever want to miss," and we don't hear a peep out of Gov. Bush? Go figure.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Here's the story:

Pensacola Trade Group Gets Surprise Lunch With Castro
The Associated Press
Published: Sep 10, 2002

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGA8PHV8Y5D.html

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - Cuban dictator Fidel Castro invited Pensacola officials visiting his country to an unexpected six-hour lunch. They were on a trade mission to drum up business for the city's port.

Castro was "cordial and attentive" and particularly interested in the Florida Panhandle's agriculture, asking questions about crops, soil and rainfall, said state Rep. Jerry Maygarden, R-Pensacola.

Maygarden, a former mayor, was part of the delegation last week trying to revive long-standing trade ties between Cuba and Pensacola that were broken after the communist revolution Castro led in the late 1950s. The lunch Saturday capped a four-day visit.

9/11

Dear BuzzFlash:

I spent 9/11, today, at your web site. How beautiful BuzzFlash.com looked and how wonderful, yet, sensitive the content was on this day of remembrance and loss. You make a poignant argument in your 9/11 BuzzFlash Editorial, "where are the Abraham Lincolns of America?"

What a difference BuzzFlash.com has made in my life and the perspective it has given me. That tangible political wall, the one that I can touch and feel, is starting to fall. Perhaps, behind this wall, I will find the "Abraham Lincolns of America."

It is with humbled pride that I am a contributing writer for BuzzFlash, but it is you, that has contributed so very much to me.

I Thank you.

Sincerely,

Wilhelmina Sims, New York City

Dear Buzz,

Don't you just love how the right wingers want to stop everyone's freedom of speech but their own?

Under the guise of "safety" the Tampa Police will force dissenters out of sight. This is par for the course wherever Dubya goes, but the Tampa PD "special events coordinator" (a.k.a. inside Republican man) betrays his special disregard for the Constitution:

"We can't guarantee their safety if they are out on Bayshore holding an anti-American sign in the middle of 20,000 patriotic Americans," Foster said.

Let's dissect this, shall we? First, though the police are required to "protect and serve," his department apparently picks and chooses who deserves protection and service. So much for equality under the law.

Second, calling a protest sign "anti-American" is a slap in the face to anyone who seeks the redress of grievances under the First Amendment - and demonstrates the fascistic and intolerant brand of patriotism being shoved down our throats. So much for the Bill of Rights.

And third, this gentleman implies that the 20,000 people NOT protesting are true Americans, unlike those who dare to break out of lock-step (or is that goose step?) with the crowd. So much for the reason we've enshrined America's founders in history!

You know, I remember when Clinton was President (ah, the good ole days): Everytime he went somewhere there were protestors, and early in his presidency there were feeble attempts on his life (i.e. pipe bomb on motor route in Oregon, Mr. AK47 shooting at the White House). A southern senator even intimated that Clinton was dead meat if he visited the senator's state.

Despite all of this, there were no Orwellian "free speech zones" - hell, Clinton even waded out into crowds and shook people's hands! But from day one (Coronation Day) the Boy King has been shielded and cocooned from anything but adulation and applause.

And why? Because it's his fond wish to be a dictator, and it wouldn't do for the peasants to see others dissent and protest in the midst of the Great Leader. It wouldn't do if the scales fell from people's eyes and they saw the Emperor wore no clothes....

Mike
Spokane, WA

P.S. For more on Tampa's squelching of speech, visit http://www.voiceoffreedom.com/archives/voices.html

9-11-02

It has been a sad year,
for those who value freedom,
for those who approach life with arms outstretched and eyes open,
for those who love their country,
for those who wait for leaders to lead,
for those who see more colors than red, white and blue,
for those who work for justice,
for those who detect the stench of hypocrisy,
for those who hate greed,
for those who know that legal does not always mean moral,
for those who struggle under oppression,
for those who believed the myths,
for those who seek the truth,
for those who know violence does not bring lasting peace,
for those who care about the basic needs of others,
for those who look to gods for answers,
for those with a world perspective,
for those who know morality refers to more than sex,
for those who wish that their leaders would learn the lessons,
for those who feel helpless,
for those who want to hold their leaders accountable,
for those who realize that they have seen it all before,
It has indeed been a sad year.

Mike Mertes
Wisconsin

Dear BuzzFlash,

Republican Criminal Operatives - Sabotage? Most likely. What does it take before the arrests happen?

<Snip>Union County workers began counting 2,600 ballots by hand Wednesday because a programming error registered all Democratic votes as Republican, said Babs Montpetit, the north Florida county's elections supervisor.

The responsibility for conducting elections in Florida lies with the individual elected county supervisors of elections.

Gov. Jeb Bush ordered polls statewide to stay open an additional two hours to handle unhappy voters — but some refused and closed at 7 p.m. as scheduled. At one precinct, residents said poll workers refused to reopen the doors and shouted profanities at would-be voters.

"I frankly wonder what in the hell have they been doing for two years," said Secretary of State Jim Smith, Florida's top elections official.

Smith, a former secretary of state, returned to his old job after the resignation this summer of Katherine Harris. Harris won the GOP primary Tuesday for a seat in Congress after presiding over the 2000 recount that eventually led to George W. Bush's razor-thin victory over Al Gore.

The state changed voting laws and outlawed punch card ballots after the presidential election. Millions were spent and more than half of the state's voters used — or tried to use — the new touch-screen machines intended to replace punch card and butterfly ballots.

But ballots jammed in optical-scanning machines used in some counties. Poll workers didn't show up, forcing some precincts to open late into the morning. And some Democrats were given Republican ballots.

"Our community suffered a black eye on a day we expected to celebrate our democracy," Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas said. <snip>

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subj: Senator Feinstein does not support an Independent 9/11 commission

Dear BuzzFlash:

To mark the anniversary of the 9/11, I picked up the phone. I called the offices of my two Senators, Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, to ask a simple yes or no question: Does the Senator support the creation of an independent commission to investigate the 9/11 attacks?

My call to Senator Feinstein's D.C. office was handled by the usual intern who could not answer my question or find anyone who could. I politely demanded to speak to someone who could, saying that as a citizen represented by her, I was entitled to know how she stood on the issue. The intern came back after checking around the office and transferred me to an aide's message machine. The aide called back after an hour or so and told me how Feinstein was investigating the matter through the Senate Judiciary committee--you know, the one that is looking at the narrow question of intelligence failures and is 99% behind close doors because all the hearings on NSA, FBI, and the CIA failures are so secret that we the people aren't supposed to hear any of it, except what leaks out.

I told the aide that wasn't good enough. I explained that I wanted an independent, wide-ranging investigation into the 9/11 attacks similar to one of the SEVEN inquiries we conducted on the Pearl Harbor attack or the Warren Commission on Kennedy's assassination. I told him that I wanted one because the families of the victims are still looking for answers about how their government failed so badly. I asked him again if the Senator favored such a commission, yes or no? He hemmed and hawed. Finally, I told him that I would take his non-answer to mean that the Senator did not support a commission. He didn't object to that characterization, but said that he might ask her directly and get back to me. I said fine, but that I wasn't too happy about the "might."

I decide on the spot to tell him that in the meantime, I was going to compile a list of Senators' responses to the question and post them on the Internet. Perhaps there are other BuzzFlash readers, one in each state, who would like to help with the list. Try to get an answer from your Senator and let BuzzFlash know the response.

Does the Senator support the creation of an independent commission to investigate the 9/11 attacks?

Senator Feinstein--No.
Senator Boxer--I'm still waiting to hear back. I'll call every day until I do.

RA in LA

Subj: Gettysburg Address

A really fine job of incorporating the ending of Lincoln's speech with the theme of your editorial. Maybe one of your writers can come up with an editorial for:

"Is life so dear, or piece so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid Almighty God. I know not that course which others may take, but as for me give me liberty or give me death."

Patrick Henry

Keep up the good work

J. Philip Schediwy
Apple Valley, Ca .

Dear Buzz,

I just finished reading another great article from Rebecca Knight regarding 9/11 and Days of Infamy.

I also found she missed a DAY OF INFAMY: KENT STATE

That's when we learned that our government will SHOOT TO KILL if we practice our constitutional right to protest.

You know, in Oregon, when bushie boy visited the "forest fires" (which were set and kept burning by the loggers), we learned quite a lot about the shrub's travels:

Seems that he brings his own contingent of National Guard with him everywhere he goes. They are dressed in riot gear, black and shiny. They disembark the plane alongside Air Force One and bring out eight foot tall 12 foot wide pieces of chain link fence. They mount a surround of the protesters and enclose them in a contained area using the chain link fences, which then are hooked together.

Then they pull 18 wheel trucks around the perimeter to block the view of the protesters to the official visit, and to block the view TO the protesters from the news cameras. The whole thing is accomplished with a switch and bait tactic which leads the protesters to the wrong area to shout at the shrub.

Anyone saying anything, or attempting to exit the containment is maced. Even if it is a 18 month old child in her fathers arms.............

So much for freedom.............. I remember Kent State.

Proud Democrat from Washington State

Dear Ms. Marquez,

You said in your recent column 'Now we know what we've lost: Civil liberties'

We should have seen it coming, but we were blinded by the president's good humor and down-home charm. We forgot that his father had run the CIA. We ignored his big-business connections and thirst for Big Oil. We chose to see his public humility after the Sept. 11 carnage and closed our eyes to the excesses of executive power.

Well here is something else that you and many others appear to have overlooked as well.

From an article: "Revising Reality-MSNBC's Whitewash of GWB's Failure of Leadership on 9-11" posted on BuzzFlash at http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/09/11_Leadership.html

Saratoga Florida's Emma T. Booker Elementary School produced a video record of the events of 9-11 that demonstrate the complete failure of George W. Bush to act appropriately to the information that America was under attack for the first time since Pearl Harbor. Although this video is edited somewhat, it provides more than enough evidence that the continued occupancy of the White House by its current resident represents a clear threat to the well-being of this nation and its people.

<snip>

What is abundantly clear from a close observation of the video is that Bush felt no sense of urgency whatsoever, after being told that the United States was under attack. Instead, he engaged in chit-chat, and the video shows that he is quite relaxed and at ease while doing so.

<end quotes>

The "official" accounts show that Bush and his entourage were aware of the first plane crashing into the WTC prior to his arrival at the school. In light of the numerous amounts of warnings and alerts which we now know were flooding into the White House and security agencies prior to Sep 11 regarding the likelihood of imminent aircraft hijackings and terrorist actions, my first question would be, why was the President not IMMEDIATELY removed to a secure location until it was determined just how extensive the attack was going to be and to initiate and coordinate a response, should it be needed, to any further attacks on the people of the United States.

Even if one is charitable and gives the President and his entourage the benefit of the doubt on this (unbelievable as it is in light of what we know now), after Andrew Card whispered in The President's ear that the 2nd WTC tower had been hit by a hijacked aircraft, the Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces appears quite unconcerned and continues to nonchalantly read about a pet goat with a class of school kids for at least a further 7 minutes and only when the story ends does he excuse himself and leave the classroom after making a few off the cuff remarks.

Quoting again from the BuzzFlash article:

....the video demonstrates that Bush was entirely unconcerned about the fact that the nation had been attacked. Rather than take the first opportunity to leave the room, Bush engaged in irrelevant patter with the teacher and students at a time when thousands of Americans were dying, and two other hijacked planes were flying toward Washington DC. Remember when asked why fighter aircraft weren't scrambled in time to intercept the hijacked aircraft we were told, "Only the President can order a civilian aircraft shot down," implying that even if the hijacked airliners were intercepted by fighters it wouldn't have done much good if the President wasn't standing by to give the OK for them to be shot down. However, is this not just one of many reasons that the second the Bush entourage had an inkling there was a terrorist action commencing against the United States using hijacked aircraft (i.e. before leaving the hotel for the school), the Commander in Chief would have been removed to a secure location where he and his team would be safe and able to coordinate and direct the defense of the country? Instead we have a Commander in Chief who is content to read about a pet goat to schoolkids (incidentally putting the children and their teachers in danger, should the President also happened to be a target of the attacks)

Why has no one in the mainstream press remarked on this curious lack of concern on the part of the Commander in Chief as he blithely continued with a photo-op while he and his aids KNOW the US is under terrorist attack? Oh right, you were all blinded by his "good humor and down-home charm." Its funny how practically all the "liberal" US News media was blinded by the famous Bush charm yet there were plenty of us non-media types who could see him for what he really was: an incompetent, egotistical, intellectually challenged sock puppet of the Oil barons and his daddy's millionaire friends. Now why do you suppose that was?

Regards

Brian Clarke
Toronto, Canada

Re: Al Gore Blasts Media Consolidation as a Threat to Democracy

Dear BuzzFlash,

"In a recent speech, not covered by media.........," and there you have it!

Fascinating and disturbing. I'm delighted to hear that Al Gore is forthrightly addressing the media problem we all face. This is an area where I'm in disagreement with most Dems. Media is viewed by most people in our party, as a serious problem among other serious problems for Democrats. I view media as our single most serious problem.

Shortly before the 2000 election, there was a Dem get together in W. Los Angeles. Kirstin Gore was a guest, and spoke to the crowd. Afterwards, I chatted with Kirstin, telling her that if anything would be the undoing of her dad's presidential candidacy, it would be media forces.

Sure enough.......

John P.

Subj: The Best President of Our Time

Dear BuzzFlash,

As I sit here watching Bill Clinton on the David Letterman show, I cant help but to think about how much we lack in our current POTUS. This man is being asked questions and answering them fully, articulately, and in depth. He is knowledgeable about every issue from foreign diplomacy, oil production and the balancing act that we must employ when dealing with oil producing countries, the Middle East peace process, etc. Not once has he gone to a scripted statement to stand in as an answer to an important question which is or has the potential to be important to the business of the country-- You know the ones, "They hate us for our freedoms" or "This is a different kind of war" etc. David Letterman said it best when he stated, "I think you're still the president of the United States". It is amazing to hear unscripted, unsolicited, un-recruited applause from those in the audience. David Letterman doesn't have transcripts and he doesn't provide tapes of shows but his website says that you can visit the "alt.fan.letterman" Internet newsgroup and post a request for the specific show you need there. Chances are good that someone will see your message and be willing to provide you with a copy of their own tape.

John Despertt III
Austin, TX

Dear BuzzFlash,

It's time we start having ways to bring conversations back to reality in the face of the rightists evident skill at sabotaging real thought. Some possible responses:

- "This is Bill Clinton's fault."
- "So is it also Bill Clinton's fault that Bush is a moron [insider trader, crook, traitor, etc, depending on the facts being discussed]."

- When charged with "A bizarre conspiracy theory" answer
- "Well it certainly is more likely than your truly bizarre coincidence theory"

- any of various slurs and slanders
- "Well that was fun when we were in the schoolyard. Does it hurt your head when you try to talk like a grownup?"

- when basically they are just yelling, going on about their [strategic] outrage
- "You ever notice how people yell when they know they're wrong?"

Jim P

Subj: did you know...

that Bill Clinton is on "Late Night"?

It makes me cry for what we had then, and what we DON'T have now. He is brilliant.

Hope you are watching...

Liz

Subj: William Jefferson Clinton

Dear BuzzFlash,

He's smarter, better informed, and about 1,000 times more articulate. The President of the United States - Bill Clinton. It just about makes me sick to see him or read what he has to say, or listen to his solutions to the problems facing America and the world. His intelligence, his poise, his inclusiveness, his guts in facing his detractors, I could just throw up. I expect George Bush and Karl Rove feel the way I do but for different reasons. I'm sick because he or someone like him isn't our president, and Bush and Company would have to be sick because right now Bill Clinton could easily run the present group "outta Dodge."

Clinton was on Letterman last night and absolutely wowed them. There is a good reason why they call him the "big dog." All Clinton has to do is step on stage and GWB as a President just pales and shrinks by any mental or actual comparison. Yes, I just felt sick to my stomach and not for the first time, thought "oh my God, what have we gotten ourselves into."

Clinton made an analogy in talking about Palestine and Israel, but it certainly could apply to our present administration; "if you find yourself in a hole, stop diggin." The White House should have that pasted on every wall in big block letters, because they keep digging us and them into a bigger and bigger hole. I just hope someone comes along to take that shovel out of George Bush's hand.

Sally McDonald

Dear BuzzFlash,

Where's Dick Cheney?

"It's better to lead from behind and put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership"

- Nelson Mandela.

Let us not forget congressman Cheney voted against a resolution supporting the release of Nelson Mandela from his cell. And you can bet Cheney's temporary "cell" is considerably more comfortable!

D.M.Reid (NZ)

Dear BuzzFlash,

Did anybody else notice that Bush had grey unkept hair (it was windy, ok), during the entire day of grieving with family members, but at his speech in front of the Statue of Liberty, he'd had his hair cut and colored? OK maybe it was just me, but I think while the rest of America was doing some serious grieving, on 911 and fearing those terrorists, our Prez Select was getting pretty hair for his evening's speech...(and how many times did Laura change clothes today?)...

Betsy in Dallas

Subj: Making the Case for Recusing

Dear BuzzFlash,

Regarding Shrub's reading at the U.N.,

1) Where he said, "A regime that has lost its legitimacy (will lose its power)..." Whoa, hits too close to home.

2) He should RECUSE himself (haha) from anything in the past about Iraq, since all his issues appear to be involved with his father, cleaning up what his father didn't, and "Saddam tried to kill a former (U.S.) President" (an intimate relationship).

3) All of the "making the case" points continue to be items from 1980 and such years. If our own Congress had defied Orrin HATCH's dictum in the Ted OLSEN confirmation hearings, "Who the Hell cares about THAT---NOW???!!!", the Shrub Administration would be unpopulated of appointees even now.

John Garza

Buzz

You should add to your "Bush Knew" collection the CBSNews.com piece on Ashcroft getting off commercial airlines in July 2001:

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/26/national/printable303601.shtml

And you should make this collection a permanent part of your site.

It's sickening to see Bush soak up accolades for a disaster he allowed to happen. The Bush family and their cohorts are practically gleeful about 9/11! Just look back at his cheerleading spectacle on the still-smoldering graves of the WTC. Go back and look at their demeanor at the memorial service last year at the National Cathedral. Very disturbing. There's a picture of Geedubya somewhere sitting down next to his mom and dad after making his remarks. Their expressions and body language say it all. They're practically beaming with pride and joy while Jr has that "do I do good Ma? Pa?" posture. Meanwhile, in the background is Clinton, his face ashen, grievous, solemn.

Also, didn't Condolezza Rice say publicly something like "to the extent that we had any intelligence data, it was only in the context of traditional hijackings"? Can it be any more obvious?

BuzzFlash Reader

Subj: Leni Refenstahl

Dear BuzzFlash,

Thanks for pointing out the similarities between the president's "rallies" and "the triumph of the will." I have been noticing that these things have been getting more and more alike. All we need now is our own "horst wessel" song!

A BuzzFlash Reader