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Subj: Messiah Bush

Hello BuzzFlash:

This picture, an AP photo which you might already have seen, appeared on the front page of our local paper, The New Orleans Times-Picayune. They must think he is a messiah or something?

Keep up the good work. We need you.

Best wishes, Paul Taylor

Subj: The Feeble Democrats

Dear BuzzFlash,

It is with great anguish that I write this. I cast my first vote in 1948 for Henry Wallace seeing little difference between Harry Truman and Thomas E. Dewey. There really wasn't. Dewey was a moderate Republican who as governor of New York pushed through the country's first anti-discrimination law. New York was almost twenty years ahead of its time. I have remained loyal to the Democratic Party with only one or two exceptions, since then. But now, I see a party without backbone, afraid to fight a president who is slowly accumulating dictatorial powers. It is time to seek a third party, not the Greens with Ralph Nader as the standard bearer, but to find someone who will lead. Someone to stand up for the working man, the hungry and for a world at peace and economically stable. We need a new Progressive Party. I will leave it at that for now. The Democratic Party has abdicated its role as a true opposition party that should be threatening filibuster of the appointment of every reactionary judicial nominee, any anti-labor or anti-union bill, cuts in Medicare or Social Security, an absurd tax structure, etc...

I said it.

Ellis L. Bert
Dallas, Texas

Subj: Iraq says yes to inspections

Dear BuzzFlash,

For several months now Iraqi officials have been saying that they don't have any weapons of mass destruction. These demurrers are, of course, widely assailed in the corporate media as lies. Scott Ritter, however, has explained that they could have only miniscule amounts of WMD in any case.

What, if after all the brouhaha, they really don't have any?

At CNN.com I find that "White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that the Bush administration had not seen the letter from Iraq -- but warned that if it contained "any false information or omissions, that would be considered a violation," of the resolution."

Since McClellan is speaking for his boss, who "knows" they have WMD, I expect the bombs should start raining down on Baghdad any minute now.

CNN's Senior White House Correspondent John King said the ambassador's words may hint at bad news in the future.

"If that is the position of the Iraqi government 23 days from now when Iraq must produce a list of its weapons of mass destruction -- if Iraq produces no list and says it has no weapons of mass destruction -- then what appears at this moment to be a diplomatic breakthrough could quickly turn into a military confrontation," King reported.

So, there you have it. They must have them, and if they say they don't, let the war begin. I guess that some in the Bush administration aren't as sanguine about the prospect of calling Iraq a bunch of liars and starting the hot war.

"U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has indicated that a possible worst-case scenario would be for Iraq to appear to fully comply with the resolution -- leaving Washington with no basis for pursuing a military option."

Don't worry, Rummy, if CNN is any gauge, the media will cover your ass, no matter what.

Bob Shields

Subj: Newsflash! Buzz, please pay attention to this newsflash!

Dear BuzzFlash,

Last week a few minutes after the ink was dry on the U.N. resolution, a story appeared in the Washington Times discrediting Hans Blix by saying he had failed to report Iraqi anthrax to the U.N. I sent it to you, as an ominous sign. Sure enough the follow-up moves have now appeared in the form of 2 articles today in The Guardian. Seems as if Richard Perle is not pleased with a whole lot of people, including--in addition to the French and the Germans--Hans Blix.

What's wrong with these people, BuzzFlash? They got Congress to tumble, then the U.N., now Iraq has said 'yes' (again, remember they agreed to inspections right after Bush's speech to the U.N.) and it's still not enough. Now they have to start in sabotaging the inspections program. And are the U.S. papers really following this story? Here are all the links.

Inspections Team Cannot Prevent War - 11/13 -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,838728,00.html
The Guardian

Europe lacks moral fibre, says US hawk - 11/13 -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,838796,00.html
The Guardian

US says Baghdad is Hiding Anthrax - 11/08 -
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20021108-712686.htm
The Washginton Times

Mary Kim

[BuzzFlash Note: If they have Anthrax, it's probably the Anthrax we gave them. Don't they call that "planting evidence"?]

Dear BuzzFlash,

As of late, I'm reading a lot more about peoples' efforts in writing, calling, emailing the mainstream media outlets to protest their rightwing propaganda. I, too, have been doing this for many months, on a daily basis - ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, NY Times, Washington Post, - you name it - I've been there.

I've also read many suggestions from people about boycotting sponsors, networks, etc. These, of course, are good suggestions, and while I admire the commitment, energy, passion and resolve of all of you (including myself!!) I regret that I feel all of this is not nearly enough. It's kind of like spittin' in the wind, if you know what I mean.

I don't believe we can make a dent in the propaganda machine using only these methods. I think some people may be underestimating the giants that we're up against. I've read some pretty intriguing suggestions from those who are wishing for an opportunity for our side to purchase our own media outlet or some type of media infrastructure to get our message out and also to combat (answer to) the right wing media/government propaganda machine.

If I were a billionaire, heck, I'd buy ya one! (Anyone for hitting up Barbra Streisand for a few bucks?) It seems to me that we need something much more powerful than grassroots activism alone. Not that I don't believe in grassroots activism, but that alone won't do it. I think the media has gotten completely out of control, and the old traditional ways of fighting no longer apply. Maybe I'm just feeling overly negative now. But I honestly believe the mainstream media will continue to CHOOSE to ignore us.

Another idea that appeals to me would be HUGE demonstrations outside the offices of the 3 major networks or major newspapers - how can they ignore that? Why is it that we constantly hear of demonstrations in other countries with numbers like 500,000; 1,000,000? That should be happening here on a regular basis. Washington DC was a great start. But it will take some extraordinary measures to be noticed. What are we doing? It's time to raise the level of dissent. As I said, DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST. So if anyone has any encouraging words or suggestions, feel free to submit them. Thanks for listening.

Barbara from NYC

Dear BuzzFlash,

So, it seems we'll soon have a Department of Homeland Security to pull together and coordinate the functions of several Executive Branch agencies. Funny, I used to think that's what a President is for! Funnier still, this new Department won't include the FBI or CIA! But its creation WILL strip nearly 200,000 federal employees of their hard-won labor rights. Quite a coup for the Idiot Prince.

But let's not forget why the dim son reversed himself and suddenly supported a new bureaucracy in the first. The day that the White House unexpectedly announced its support for a Department of Homeland Security was the same day the FBI field agent investigating Zacarias Moussaoi came before Congress to describe how her efforts were repeatedly thwarted by headquarters. The White House announcement was a desperate gambit to knock her off the evening news. And it worked! Not much was made of it, but the agent said things were so bad with headquarters that other agents close to the case joked morbidly that Osama bin Laden himself must have infiltrated the Justice Department. Well, no, not exactly. It was really just George Bush and John Ashcroft. September 11th was the best thing to ever happen to these guys.

So let's review, shall we? Since the Bush junta illegally seized power two years ago, two million net jobs have been lost, billions in retirement funds lost, spy secrets lost to the Chinese, record surpluses lost, consumer confidence lost, investor confidence lost, MidEast peace initiatives lost, civil liberties lost, anthrax vials lost, an opposition party lost, and a gang of ruthless terrorists set up shop right under the Administration's nose and still the American people reward these idiots with yet more power! Never let them forget: with the 9/11 hijackers all but screaming to get caught, and warnings pouring in from all directions, our Commander in Chief went on the longest Presidential vacation in history.

Yesterday, I saw Bush making one of his pathetic little speeches in front of one of those message boards that read "Protecting the Homeland". I couldn't help but feel it's too late.

A BuzzFlash Reader

[BuzzFlash Note: We were disgusted with those "boards", too, and decided to create one of our own -- The Bush Propaganda Backdrops.]

Subj: Questions, Questions!

Dear BuzzFlash,

All together now, AL GORE WON ELECTION 2000!

GWB STOLE ELECTION 2000! Any questions???

Yes, why is that, it's only Democrats who are having these horrible plane crashes?????

We have Levers in our voting district. They work fine. What's with the new gadgets in Democrat places, like Florida???

SO many questions, why WON'T our elected DEMOCRAT officials get us answers???

A BuzzFlash Daily reader

Subj: Tom Daschle "Cave In"

Dear BuzzFlash,

What else does handsome, hunky Tom Daschle do but "cave"- He has got to go! Now that dicky is gone and replaced by Pelosi we've taken a step in the right direction. But dear god get Tom Daschle out, he stands for nothing but rubber stamping the cowboy and robber baron Cheney's directions. It is nauseating.

Charles Bennett

Dear BuzzFlash,

So many of our colleagues are condemning the media for referring to Bush as a popular president. Don't blame them too much. They (the media) just aren't up on their Texan phrases. The term is "poplar", pronounced "poplar" and not pop-u-lar. In West Texas, where the wind howls across the plains, when houses need a quick windbreak, something that grows fast, is tall and skinny, flimsy, bends, is not reliable, and doesn't last long, the new owner plants a row of poplar trees. By the time the poplar trees die young, more substantial trees have had a chance to take root and become established. And the poplar trees are NEVER replanted. Now a "poplar bush" is subject to your own interpretation. We can blame the press for ignorance and negligence. They can't tell the difference between "effect" and "affect". Just look at Fox News if you can stand it. I saw this example just today in a major headline rotating and gyrating about the screen advertising one of their "regulars". As long as a word is in their spell checker, it doesn't get caught, and they don't worry about whether it makes sense. If you doubt what I say, just ask Molly Ivins. In Texas, she really is "pop'lar" and so is her column.

Keep up the good work, BuzzFlash (and Molly). We need you.

Margaret C. Waid, Ph.D.

Subj: Paul Begala

Buzz:

Thank God for Paul Begala. I guess right-wingers are upset that Barbra Streisand is not only a loyal Democrat, but she has the bucks to back it up. So the new party line appears to be that of attacking La Streisand. Every evening Tucker Carlson finds some way to insult her. Butttttttttt yesterday my man Begala answered Tucker's onslaught with a few choice words about Dubya's past (drunk, drug-abuser, draft-dodger, liar, selected prez, etc.). In the past, such boldness was rewarded with anthrax and downed aircraft.

Remember to keep Paul and Carville and others like them in our prayers. It should be easy, since there are so few of them!

Dee Turner
Atlanta

Subj: Mailbag 13

Dear BuzzFlash,

I agree with Lori Goldstein, on the Max Cleland debacle. I really to this moment can't believe that it actually happened. Max, a man who lost three limbs in the war that these chickenhawks ran from, yellow bellied...to accuse this man of being unpatriotic is almost as bad as calling George Bush an Intellect! What is it going to take, Buzzers, to wake this country up? They, all the media, hawk on and on about the "popular president!? Yeah, Yeah, I know the one who cannot pronounce NUCLEAR, for crying out loud! Sometimes, I am so ashamed of this country, I could cry. Poor Max Cleland, what more can you give for your country? My brother gave his life in that war....and, these criminals have the audacity to accuse Cleland of being unpatriotic!

We must hope, hope for a day when we do not have to listen to this garbage! As my grandaughter, who is in the military, says, "Always Forward!" I am not sure I can, thinking of This president for two more years...and I will not coexist with this regime further than that. I must have hope! Thanks for the mailbag...always therapy.

Shirley, St.Louis

Subj: Riley returns honesty and integrity to Alabama State House! (barf, barf)

Dear Buzz,

Wow! The Pugs just stole the Alabama governorship from the incumbent Democrat Siegelman!

I watched the coverage on election night and it appeared that Siegelman had won by a large margin. Then when I got up later that night I saw that Pug Bob Riley was even with Siegelman--49%-49%.

Votes were counted throughout the evening and the next day and it appeared on Wednesday that Siegelman had won! He claimed victory anyways, for a moment!

Then all of a sudden there was a "glitch" or something in Baldwin County, a Repug stronghold, and it was Riley who was Alabama's new Governa' not Siegelman!

Siegelman is petitioning for a state-wide recount but the Pug State Attorney General, Pryor says the state is not allowed to break already sealed ballots for a recount. Not for Siegelman anyways!

It appears that when the supposed "glitch" in a computer chip was found in Baldwin County, those ballots too were already sealed! But Pugs went ahead and recounted the votes giving the Pug Riley 3,117 more votes than Siegelman, while other counties quickly sealed their ballots.

According to Pryor, who many say is changing Alabama law, Siegelman doesn't get a recount because already sealed ballots can't be broken open and recounted, unless of course Siegelman can PROVE voter fraud! Geeze! These Pugs sure know how to twist it!

However, the most ironic part of all of this is when Bob Riley was campaigning for office against Siegelman, he claimed in his ads that if Alabama elected him he would return honesty and integrity to the State House just like GW Bush returned honesty and integrity to the White House!

Riley must mean the Repuglican kind of honesty and integrity! The kind of honesty and integrity that gets them into office through the back door!

Nancy Lynn Nagy (TN)

Dear Buzz,

So why on earth is everyone so surprised by the nationwide election results last Tuesday?

Years ago the right launched an all out war on liberal thought and it's apparent that they have reached the promised land. How did they get there? They've spent billions on a national drip marketing campaign to paint us all as baby killing, criminal nurturing, flag burning, Christian hating villains. How is the public supposed to think otherwise when there is not one member of the house or senate to stand up to them and call them on their lies. When in a national debate or on Sunday morning have you seen a democrat stand up for liberalism and the tremendous quality of life that it has brought all Americans?

As for Bush and Cheney. How is the public supposed to be aware of the horrible things these two are doing to this country when nobody has the courage to call them and their band of creeps on their actions. Even Sam Donaldson used to take Reagan on for crying out loud. Now within one week, the cowardly democrats have caved in on the so-called homeland security bill and they've allowed the chimp to repeal Clintons ban on snowmobiles in Yellowstone. I guess it didn't matter to the Resident that Yellowstone is a sacred national treasure that attracts visitors from all over the world. As long as the local rednecks can tear the shit out of the place everything is fine since they vote for the illiterate one.

Let's face it. At this pace, Bush will be elected in 2004 and there won't be any ballot disputes this time. We cannot depend on the Democrats in Washington anymore now that Paul Wellstone is not with us. We have no voice or representation in the press either.

However, The one thing we do have is our economic power. Has it occurred to anyone to boycott products that advertise on Fox, Limbaugh and the local hate radio stations? Or at least threaten to boycott them if they do not demand that the news networks start showing some guts by becoming journalists again. Maybe for starters, Buzz can list the names of those products on a special link. What do you think?

Our battle is not anything close to what Gandhi faced. Ideas will help us win back our country - whining will not.

JB Bryan

Subj: When will this groveling cowardice end?

Dear BuzzFlash,

The Democrats will allow the confirmation of two radical right-wing nominees to the United States Court Of Appeals without a fight as a gesture of goodwill to the equally right-wing Orrin Hatch who never showed any goodwill to President Clinton. They say this will make their efforts to block other radical Bush judicial appointees more credible in the future. Poppycock. This is nothing less than a servile act of gutlessness and the Republican bullies will regard it as such.

The Democrats caved in on Homeland Security, letting the Republicans strip federal workers of their rights, which guarantees that the Republicans will be back for more. Who will be next? All federal employees? Firefighters? Police? Think not? Then you're fools as well as cowards.

The Democrats also have given up on an independent commission on 9/11, this monstrous attack on our great nation which cries out to be investigated. At the very least this involves massive incompetence which should be exposed and corrected. But not by the cringing cowards in the Democratic Party.

Enron? Silence. The SEC? Silence. Environment? Silence. Continuing charges of being unpatriotic by a draft-dodging deserter? One brief outburst of indignation, then - silence.

There is so much more, but this is enough to sicken anybody.

Jonathan R. Davey

Dear BuzzFlash,

Rove claiming that the nation is moving to Republican is like O'Reilly stating his r-w pseudo-populist propaganda show is a "NO spin zone"

As Gene Lyons wrote this week, subtract just two plane crashes, and we would still have a Democratic senate.

And as Bartcop wrote, even with 4 networks AND cable vigorously cheering for the Republican party (and actively suppressing Democratic party issues and concerns with distraction issues and inflammatory, often race-baiting headlines) the Democrats STILL picked up 10 votes to 11 Republican.

It is only by lying, race-baiting, control of the corporate media, and character assassination of Dem. candidates that the GOP achieved its great "mandate" in the 2002 vote. And EVEN THEN there are widespread hints and tidings of massive, systematic vote fraud, as evidenced by the entire VNS vote-tracking system going "DOWN" on election day, with NO PRIOR NOTICE or CONCERNS EXPRESSED?

The New York Times and American media are peddling lies as fast as they can spit them out.

______________________________________

Tuesday only proved again that:

Even when Democratic candidates are buried under an avalanche of money and ruthless attack ads...

Even when Democratic candidates are humiliated over and over and don't fight back...

Even when Democratic candidates act like Republicans...

Even when Democratic candidates suck...

EVEN THEN, Americans voters are still more likely to vote Democratic.

____________________________________________

November 14, 2002

http://nytimes.com/2002/11/14/politics/campaigns/14ROVE.html

Rove Declares Nation Is Tilting to Republicans

By MICHAEL JANOFSKY

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 13 — Karl Rove, the Bush administration's chief political strategist, said today that the midterm elections that gave Republicans control of the Senate and expanded their hold on the House showed that the electorate was no longer evenly split, as it was two years ago.

Speaking at a political forum on the American presidency at the University of Utah, which he attended in the early 1970's, Mr. Rove said "something is going on out there" that is drawing more voters to Republicans than to Democrats. He said he was not sure why, but cited various polling data that suggested voters were steadily warming to Mr. Bush and Republican candidates who echo Mr. Bush's views on foreign policy and important domestic issues like education.

Dear BuzzFlash,

Saddam didn't save the GOP. The DEMS did with ineffective leadership. The GOP did what they have always done - lie, cheat, manipulate, spin and steal. The DEMS don't know how to counter it.

Christine

Subj: A New Nickname for Dubya

Dear BuzzFlash,

In light of bin Laden's recent reappearance and the president's fondness for nicknames I suggest we now affectionately refer to our commander in chief as "Smoke 'em out George".

Carol Brown
Marietta, GA

Subj: Another Example of Republican Hypocrisy

Dear BuzzFlash,

FROM THE 13 NOV 02 NEW ORLEANS TIMES PICAYUNE:

Washington Magazine reports this month that Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), Chairman of the National Republican Committee, lives with his family in a Washington, DC house with an assessed value of 6.5 million. The Magazine's report raised eyebrows among Democrats because Frist's campaign committee financed advertisements criticizing Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) for living in a 1 million dollar Washington "Mansion" and losing touch with her constituents. Asked about this, committee spokesman Dan Allen said that "Senator Frist is not on the ballot" in the December 7th runoff and "Mary Landrieu is."

A BuzzFlash Reader