October 10, 2002
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Hey guys,
Love your site. Hope you will post the transcripts from the debates. As I'm writing this, Russ Feingold is body slamming George Bush.
You will also note how those Democrats speaking out are also weaving in the neglected aspects of domestic policy into their comments.
Keep up the good work,
Jay Bagi
Dear BuzzFlash,
Shrub loves to say "Our enemies hate us for what we love: we love freedom!"
The truth of the sentence is this "Our PEOPLE hate us for what we love: we love FACISM."
Isn't it nice to have a guy in the white house who hates his Americans?
Proud Democrat
WA
State
Subj: Elaine from Petaluma's Puzzlement
Dear BuzzFlash,
This is in answer to Elaine's puzzlement about the "war". Yes, you are missing something, thanks to the mainstream media....Bush and Blair have been bombing Iraq for weeks already.
......Patricia Bever
Dear BuzzFlash,
I recently wrote to all the rep. and senators in my area in St. Louis. I got a very nice response from Sen. Carnahan But, my letter to Gephardt was answered by office workers who told me that he had so much mail that they could not handle it all, that I should try to e-mail one of the local offices of Mr. Gephardt. I decided it likely was not worth it, but you know, I figured he got the message I sent about his being for the war in Iraq, sort of like, if he voted for it, I would never vote for him again...So, the message was there I am sure.
We should all at least try to contact these buffoons..and let them know that they are there to serve the people of this country and not the special interests!!
Shirley St.Louis
Subj: Email Sen. Jeffords a Thank You Note
Dear BuzzFlash,
I visited Senator Jeffords website to send him a thank you note via email for his dissension on the pre-emptive action against Iraq issue. But, I discovered that his "contact" link was basically a dead link, it leads to the top of his homepage. I found this link via a websearch and it seems to work, so:
To BuzzFlash readers:
If you want to send Senator Jeffords a THANK YOU email for his dissension on the Iraqi issue, go to http://jeffords.senate.gov/contact-form.html. There is no link to this web-form from his page, but it still seems to work. I can't guarantee it will reach him, but it should.
Here's an email I sent to him today (10/09/02) via the webform:
----
Senator Jeffords,
I don't have much faith that you will actually see this, as email seems to be ignored by members of Congress, but just in case you do actually read this:
Although I'm not technically one of your constituents, I feel you speak for me on the issue of Iraq as your statement shows. I want to say thank you for taking a stand where others in Congress are shamefully going along with Bush's extremely dangerous pre-emptive doctrine.
It is people like yourself and Senator Byrd who are what America, the rule of law, and common sense are all about. You are faithfully doing your job in the Senate, representing the people who you serve.
I know that the offices of Congress have been deluged with outcries from constituents against a war with Iraq as things now stand, but our "representatives" aren't listening to the people they are supposed to represent.
This will come back to haunt them at the polls.
The President was supposed to make his case against Saddam Hussein to the American people and the world, but all he did was employ rhetoric and scare tactics on the American people without supplying any of the convincing "evidence" he claims to have. It wasn't worth watching. The audience was stacked with supporters by invitation!
Even the director of the CIA stated that Saddam wouldn't use WMDs or aid terrorists UNLESS HE FELT THAT AN ATTACK WAS IMMINENT, AND THEN HE WOULDN'T FEEL SO CONSTRAINED.
This is madness!
Is Congress so quick to change the subject because of the upcoming elections that it is willing to gloss over the most important vote ever to come up in Congress in the past half century? Shameful!
I will vote against any congressman who votes in favor of this madness, regardless of their past record, republican or democrat. That's how important this is. It's the single most important issue to come up in a long time.
An institutionalized, US adopted preemptive attack doctrine WILL make the world an exponentially more dangerous place for Americans, abroad AND on our own soil. It will undercut our support for the war on terrorism, galvanize our enemies into a cohesive force against us and our former allies will just say, "you brought it on yourselves".
I am not a pacifist and I believe that there are times when a strong offense is necessary for defense of country, but this is NOT one of those times. This stinks of election month politics, ambition and greed.
Most Sincerely,
Joe...Kentucky
Dear BuzzFlash,
What do you think John O'Neill might say to Mr. Freeh today?
"Who's blowing smoke up who's ass now??"
Vicki Roush
Re: Two New BuzzFlash Reader Contributions: GOP Soc. Sec. Lies and Ashcroft Propaganda
Dear BuzzFlash,
Make it THREE NEW CONTRIBUTIONS:
YOU CAN EFFECTIVELY PASS OPINIONS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY BY USING THE TOOLS PAINSTAKINGLY BUILT BY THE GOP: GO TO WWW.GOOGLE.COM (some search engines won't connect) ask for www.WA.newspapers and press ENTER. You will get a site that shows ALL THE NEWSPAPERS ACROSS AMERICA BY STATE ALONG WITH LINKS TO THEIR "LETTER TO THE EDITOR" ADDRESSES. THIS TOOL CAN BE USED TO QUICKLY LINK TO ALL KINDS OF SOURCES TO SPREAD THE WORD!!!
The resultant address is http://www.gop31.esmartweb.com/Res-newspaper.htm#tips
I give more than one avenue to this link for a specific purpose. Sometimes, local republican net owners will divert searches to a dead end if they know their subscriber is Democrat.
Cynthia
Hey!
How can Bush evoke the Taft-Hartley Act under the circumstances taking place in California?
It was my understanding that the Taft-Hartley Act could allow a president to intervene by ordering (striking) unions to go back to work. Are they on strike? Did they refuse to work at the docks? Wasn't it the Ports that locked them out? How do you order union workers back to their jobs when they've been locked out by the powers that be? And isn't Bush bending, abusing and misrepresenting the Taft-Hartley Act?
~ Cathy
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
Taft-Hartley Labor Act
[make [strike] red]
1947, passed by the U.S. Congress, officially known as the Labor-Management Relations Act. Sponsored by Senator Robert Alphonso Taft and Representative Fred Allan Hartley, the act qualified or amended much of the National Labor Relations (Wagner) Act of 1935, the federal law regulating labor relations of enterprises engaged in interstate commerce, and it nullified parts of the Federal Anti-Injunction (Norris-LaGuardia) Act of 1932. The act established control of labor disputes on a new basis by enlarging the National Labor Relations Board and providing that the union or the employer must, before terminating a collective-bargaining agreement, serve notice on the other party and on a government mediation service. The government was empowered to obtain an 80-day injunction against any [strike] that it deemed a peril to national health or safety. The act also prohibited jurisdictional strikes (dispute between two unions over which should act as the bargaining agent for the employees) and secondary boycotts (boycott against an already organized company doing business with another company that a union is trying to organize), declared that it did not extend protection to workers on wildcat strikes, outlawed the closed shop, and permitted the union shop only on a vote of a majority of the employees. Most of the collective-bargaining provisions were retained, with the extra provision that a union before using the facilities of the National Labor Relations Board must file with the U.S. Dept. of Labor financial reports and affidavits that union officers are not Communists. The act also forbade unions to contribute to political campaigns. Although President Truman vetoed the act, it was passed over his veto. Federal courts have upheld major provisions of the act with the exception of the clauses about political expenditures. Attempts to repeal it have been unsuccessful, but the Landrum-Griffin Act (1959) amended some features of the Taft-Hartley Labor Act.
See bibliography under labor law.
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2002 Columbia University Press
Subj: Thanks Shirley
Dear BuzzFlash,
I am writing to say thank you to Shirley from St. Louis for her eloquent and heartfelt plea to Dee to not give up hope. Shirley, you are what America is all about. And you're right. They're idiots all. As we speak, they are driving away their supporters and generating the largest wave of anti-war pro-decency sentiment this country has seen since Vietnam. This Bush will go down in history as the worst and most hated president in history. No one trusts him. Everyone with any common sense and decency sees right through the rhetoric. Just watch and see. We'll be here fighting for American values and truth long after these blokes have choked on their money and oil.
As a very wise soul once said, evil's goal is always to kill and then die. That's all it can do. It's not capable of anything higher. It's a parasite which cannot live in equilibrium with its environment. It kills, then it dies. There is hope. This darkness will pass.
A BuzzFlash reader
Subj: For Shirley . . St. Louis
Dear Sister Mother and Grandmother:
I hear your cries of despair and disappointment concerning the insanity which has gripped your family. What you need is a DIVORCE. Maybe when they see the loss of such a valuable member of their family, they might notice they're going to lose their beloved NATION!!!!
I allow NO republicans (small r on purpose) in my house. President Bill Clinton's autographed photo adorns my wall and is in plain view when you enter my house. It says "MY HOUSE LOVES BILL CLINTON AND ALL HE STANDS FOR: KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT OR GET THROWN OUT PERMANENTLY!!!!"
We have discovered that most of the people we know agree and love our approach. It has opened more doors than it has closed (only two).
I say to you: Get a divorce, leave Missouri, and start again in a Democratic state. Remember community property does not leave you out completely. The freedom and self respect you gain is worth it.
Proud Democrat
WA
State
Subj: Clinton, Bush, Interns, and War
Dear BuzzFlash:
Got to thinking...give me a scenario with a President and an intern...ANY DAY...compared to the WAR wishes of another president.
The former was such a stupid thing. It always appeared to me that Clinton did not harm this country with the intern. But, this current president is mighty scary. With all of the talk about the pre-emptive attack on Iraq being dangerous, the administration turns a deaf ear.
It is so evident that Bush spends his time stumping for a disastrous war...or hosts fund-raisers. He has no regard for our hurting economy, job situation, the stock market, education needs, nor the environment.
One thing that makes me feel a bit better is that there are a lot of republicans who have 401k's. Theirs are sinking, too.
Here's to better days!
Stephanie
Dearborn
Subj: Peace March in D.C. and S.F. Oct 26th
Dear BuzzFlash,
I read your page every day. Thank you for being there. I note that you occasionally publish where protest marches will be and I am asking you to notify your readers of the March on October 26th to be held simultaneously in Washington D.C. And in San Francisco. This is sponsored by ANSWER and several other groups and the hope is that it will generate 100s of thousands of marchers. If we are big enough, maybe the media, and possibly the people who are asleep in Congress will actually open their eyes and see that Americans do not want this war that Bush is pushing down our throats. I hope this is HUGE, and that is why I am urging you to post info about this march. I am not a member of ANSWER or any of the other groups sponsoring the march, I am a simple citizen who plans to go and march. Every body we get is a huge message to the administration. This will be a peaceful march (unless the police get out of control). Please let your readers know about this. The web address is "www.InternationalANSWER.org. You can call (202)332-5757 in D.C. or (415) 821-6545 in SF or (213)487-2368 in L.A. there is a number for N.Y. too, but I don't have it handy. It's at the web site though.
Sincerely,
Ranney
Moss
Sedona,
AZ
Dear BuzzFlash,
I go to sleep every night and I hope somebody in the morning is going to stand up and say "WHAT'S GOING ON?" This is not America. This is not the nation I was raised in. The other day Harvey Pitt once again is caught with the republicans in turning down a great applicant to oversee the accounting industry! Once again America the RICH (the republicans) screw the common man. And who does Bush endorse over and over again -- IN YOUR FACE -- the rich. Make permanent the tax cuts for the rich-FOR ENRON!!!! FOR CORPORATIONS!!! I would almost think America would finally catch on and realize that CORPORATIONS DON'T WORK!! PERIOD!!!! When do the people work -- we only work when we need bodies for WAR or we need bodies for the most efficient production! WE ARE NOTHING BUT SLAVES FOR THE BUSHES OF THIS COUNTRY!! Think I'm wrong??? Try to raise the question! The national security act is only an implement for Bush to break a union of workers that have fought for the jobs they have for years and in one meager act he's going to take the livelihood of massive American families because he is rich, he's never had to work, he doesn't care and it would embrace all his buddies if it gets passed with the cronyism that will follow. THIS IS NOT OUR AMERICA -- THIS IS NOT ANYBODY'S STATE OF LIVING!!! MAYBE ONE DAY I WILL WAKE UP AND THE AMERICAN CITIZEN WILL ALL SAY, "STOP! YOU ARE NOT OUR PRESIDENT!!!!!
Anthony
Dear BUZZFLASH,
I have never written a letter to the editor of any publication before but this article:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1009/p09s01-cojh.html
. . . inspired me to respond with this:
In response to John Hughes’ article "Whom should the US trust: Bush or Hussein?" doesn’t take into account a third choice, that is: trust neither. The Bush administration’s actions and policies have been contradictory and ineffective on many accounts.
The President’s vow to hunt down Osama bin Laden has been put aside. The anthrax mailer has not been identified. The Attorney General has sought to weaken gun control legislation that could help to identify the perpetrator(s) of the recent sniper shootings. Tax cuts that benefited primarily the wealthy have contributed to a new massive national debt. The plunging stock market continues to erode citizen’s retirement funds. Continuous attempts are being made to appoint far-right federal judges. Environmental regulations are being removed or circumvented, to the advantage of large corporations. Meaningful accounting reforms have been stalled and tremendous efforts have been made to shroud the administration’s actions in secrecy.
Yes, Hussein is a dangerous and unpredictable man. Bush seems to have a lot of reasons to attack Iraq but hasn’t bothered to explain why Saddam would be so intent on attacking the United States. It is generally understood that a prime motivating factor for Saddam is to retain power. An unprovoked attack against the U.S. would bring quick and overwhelming response, probably the last thing Saddam wants. The President’s determined campaign to initiate a war in the Middle East, particularly just before elections, begs the question "Why now?"
Peter
McCann
Cincinnati,
OH
Dear BuzzFlash,
Senator Byrd's words will mark one of history's greatest unheeded warnings. Senator Byrd sees clearly the dangerous direction an unelected President who has professed his admiration for dictatorship, is steering our country. Senator Byrd will be remembered as the lone courageous voice who spoke the loudest to try to stop the willful wanton sacrifice, on the altar of oil, of our nation's greatest treasure, the Constitution, which is the repository of our freedom and which was paid for dearly by the blood and toil of countless numbers of Americans. Senator Byrd will be remembered, unless democracy is destroyed and history is sanitized to remove references to his existence, as the principal voice of reason in the wilderness of cowardice and political opportunism that has been the legacy of this Congress. Time and history will prove him right and his colleagues, who are the silent accomplices to the slow painful death of our democracy, will be proven grievously wrong. My question, and it is never asked at press conferences or at one of Junior's staged photo ops, but should be, is how many American lives will be lost on this foray down the hellacious path of death and destruction that "ol 5-4" is gleefully pushing us? How much of our "way of life" will be forever lost because it was destroyed by this administration's insatiable thirst for power and disrespect for our fundamental democratic institutions? Why is it logical to attack a country when your present strategy of containment and selective bombing to degrade military targets in that country has rendered it militarily ineffective and not a threat to its neighbors or the rest of the civilized world? Why is it logical to attack a country when your best and brightest professionals in your own government and military warn that such a rash action is likely to result in a greatly increased terrorist threat to this nation's citizens? I think it absolutely imperative that we ask these questions and imperative that we stand united with Senator Byrd to save our Constitution, our Democracy and our future.
Dan
Dear BuzzFlash,
Getting and INDEPENDENT commission to investigate Bush's thwarting of Sept. 11th prevention is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT because it will shed light on Bush's knowledge of the attack and reveal VERY important things about Bush's misdeeds.
Please, the white house can not be allowed to have influence in the commission! The media is not covering this! They can't have influence in the commission because the truth won't come out! PLEASE!
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subj: ASK THE HAWKS TO LEAD IN THEIR OWN HOMES FIRST
Press Release:
10/07/02
For immediate release:
Veteran's For A Sensible Defense Policy announces a campaign to make all members of congress who vote in favor of the President's war resolution explain what they have done to convince the service eligible members of their own family to join the military at the alleged time of peril. VSDP urges citizens to write and call their representatives and put this critical question to them. We urge citizens to press the question in media, write letters to the editor of you local paper, asking this question. Call your local news channel's political reporter. Push the question.
VSDP will be putting up a website to record their responses and will list how many service eligible members of their family they have, and whether or not they have enlisted.
For further information, contact Jay Bagi at james.bagi.att.com
A SPECIAL NOTE TO BUZZFLASH: VSDP is an emergency ad hoc organization of service veterans opposed to George Bush's illegal, unconstitutional, and immoral proposal to prosecute an offensive war against a sovereign nation.
A BuzzFlash Reader
Re: Poll on WV Gazette....
Dear BuzzFlash,
It is 8:36 pm 10-10-2002...
Poll results:
For Sen. Byrd---71% Against----------28%
Total cast-------6413
Diana:)
Dear Buzz --
Here's one for some of the BuzzFlash readers in Florida:
I checked out the Danny Schecter/Salon/PBS story you ran on Tuesday (or was it Wednesday?). Schecter refers, at the tail end of the story, to a report on a website from "Flori-DUH" that in August 2002, divers retrieved a locked metal box containing 2500 uncounted ballots, 1600 of which were for Gore. Schecter provides no link to this website or story. ----
"A car was being dredged up after sinking in a canal in Miami Dade County on August 9th, 2002. Divers who found the car also found a locked metal box that when opened contained uncounted ballots from the November 2000 election. The large majority of the presidential votes in the lost container were for Al Gore. Of the approximate 2500 soaked ballots over 1600 were for Al Gore. The election of 2000 just won’t go away…. Local police spokesperson Jeanne Pierre Dorvil stated that the matter would be investigated."
By doing a google.com search, I found just one other article that included the same information, and that was in "The Boston Statement" at www.TakeBackThePresidency.com. Section A-12 -----
On August 9, 2002, more than a year and a half after the election, divers in search of a sunken car discovered a locked metal box that, when opened, contained uncounted ballots from the election. Of the 2500 soaked ballots, over 1600 were for Gore. Counting this ballot box alone would have erased Bush's official "victory". How many other ballot boxes from heavily Democratic precincts were taken from the polling places and dumped into the water?
The only other site cited by google was Schecter's weblog, but after perusing numerous dreary pages of that, I found no reference to the Miami-Dade sunken ballots. A subsequent google search on the police spokesperson's name turned up nothing as well.
So I wrote to the TakeBack website Wednesday night and got this reply:
"I got the info on the car from a web post from someone who heard it on a Miami-Dade radio station. I have written to him and asked him to give me the name of the station so I can track it down. He said he would - I haven't heard back yet - he needs some tweaking."
Now, because I'm a hopeful but very suspicious person, I think this whole thing is probably bogus, even though I really really really want it to be genuine.
So, would it be possible for BuzzFlash to ask Miami-Dade Floridians if anyone knows anything more about this story, or if they have a contact through which to question this police spokesperson some more? I don't even have an idea of which police department it was. . . . . . . .but if the police were involved, there should be a formal report, correct?
Peace,
Linda
Hilton
Arizona
Subj: Thank Congressman Pete Stark...
Dear Mr. Stark,
Thanks for your courage...
On the floor of the House...10.09.2002, Mr. Stark spoke...
REP. PETE STARK, (D), CALIFORNIA: Let's not forget that our president, our commander in chief, has no experience with or knowledge of war. In fact, he admits that he was at best ambivalent about the Vietnam War. He skirted his own military service and then failed to serve out his time in the National Guard. And he reported years later that at the height of the conflict in 1968 he didn't notice, quote, "any heavy stuff going on." So we have a president who thinks foreign territory is the opponent's dugout and Kashmir is a sweater.
J. Gocht sends...
US
Army Special Forces,Vietnam 1962-66
THANKS!
