BuzzFlash Mailbag for April 18, 2008

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Subject: Bush And Cheney Impeachment

Once the the two are out of office they can no longer be impeached. Can they, however, be brought to trial for crimes against the Constitution ... after they leave office?

Kind regards,
Ruben Hernandez
Munich, Germany

I've been watching an excellent television ad by Condimustgo.com online. The ad combines statements Rice made when she spoke BEFORE Congress and information from the ABC news investigation shown on 4/9/08, in which principal advisors, to the President made decisions as to what torture techniques would be used on the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

Condoleezza Rice chaired those TORTURE MEETINGS at the White House.

See the video and article: Who Will Tell The People? (firedoglake)

In January, 2005 Condoleezza Rice, who was National Security Advisor, spoke BEFORE Congress and said, "The policy of the administration and the policy of the President and that he has made it very CLEAR to American military personnel, that we will not condone TORTURE."

Anyone who speaks BEFORE Congress is SWORN in and is UNDER OATH. Unless of course, no one in the Bush administration has to be sworn in? Assuming that Rice WAS sworn in, wouldn't this be PERJURY?

In all of these clips, she is LYING AND SHE KNOWS SHE'S LYING, but butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

She reiterates over and over again, BEFORE Congress, that "The United States DOESN'T AND CAN'T condone TORTURE." This is ANOTHER LIE AND SHE KNOWS IT. Is this PERJURY?

Or is her GET OUT OF JAIL CARD the word condone? No we don't CONDONE TORTURE, WE JUST DO IT.

In one speech she made, Rice said, "Torture and the conspiracy to commit torture are CRIMES under U.S. law, WHEREVER they may occur in the world." This was in the ad and Congress should see it. She knows torture is a crime and a conspiracy DID occur.

Condimustgo.com is a movement to have her RESIGN as Secretary of State. So far, over 50,000 people have signed on.Go to http://condimustgo.com

Not only MUST she RESIGN, but she and ALL the other PRINCIPALS, CHENEY, ASHCROFT, TENET, RUMSFELD, POWELL, AND BUSH MUST be TRIED AS WAR CRIMINALS.

Over 15,000 angry viewers have called ABC news over the so-called debates travesty. Why isn't there anger towards the mainstream media, for NOT REPORTING this story about these PRINCIPAL ADVISORS deciding on torture techniques? Or all the other crimes of this administration?

The Yoo memo tells the actual torture techniques Bush could use.

See my article: "Yoo's Torture Menu" buzzflash.com 4/09/08.

These techniques and others FORBIDDEN by the Geneva Conventions are what these PRINCIPALS were deciding, on a case by case basis.

Sometimes, they'd approve of MORE than one torture technique to be used during an "enhanced interrogation," in other words, TORTURE.

Except for the ABC coverage, it hasn't been covered in the press or on television.

On April 17, 2008, Dick Cheney filled in for Bush at the annual Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner in Washington.

Why wasn't this dinner BOYCOTTED by these correspondents? Since when do you break bread and joke around with a WAR CRIMINAL?

Let's not forget that Bush CONFESSED to Martha Radditz on 4/11/08, that he not only knew about the torture meetings, but that he APPROVED of TORTURE.

He has CONFESSED to being a WAR CRIMINAL and the mainstream media says absolutely NOTHING, ZIP, ZERO.

BUSH has saved Congress a lot of work, by ADMITTING he was GUILTY of a WAR CRIME, again NOT A WORD out of them.

Something's wrong with us as a society, when you get 31 MILLION people calling in to vote for an American Idol in one week, yet our country and democracy which are dying a slow death, can't seem to get people to be as passionate about our country, as American Idol fans are about a singing contest.

We MUST start putting a LOT of PRESSURE on Congress and the media. It is NOT OKAY to let these WAR CRIMINALS go off free.

Congress has let the people down and enabled this criminal administration. Nancy, George put his head on a platter, all you need to do, is put it ON THE TABLE.

IMPEACH! IMPEACH! IMPEACH!

Markmyword
Chicago, Illinois

Subject: Jesus God!

We just saw John McCain telling Andrea Mitchell over and over (almost in a crazy person type fashion) that he disagrees with ALL the experts and that he has his own experts! Isn't that the problem we have now with our president? He is always right and anyone who disagrees, expert or not.....IS ALWAYS WRONG! ACTUALLY, NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, THAT LITTLE SCENE WOULD MAKE A GREAT COMMERCIAL AGAINST MCCAIN! :):):):)

A BuzzFlash Reader

"Because he is."

"Based on?"

"The fact that a couple months ago when he won the Republican nomination, his opening act was to go on a get-to-know your next president tour."

"Nothing from him back then about ending the Iraq War, negotiating with Iran plus turning things around here at home?"

"Nothing then, nothing now."

"Which means?"

"He won't be our next president."

A BuzzFlash Reader

YUK If McCain continues to support Carly Fiorina, having her at his side at every video and function, asking her to answer economic questions for him, we can expect more layoffs and hyper inflation under his rule. She is an economic disaster, having laid off 57,000 people (including my husband) at least, running two companies into the ground, Lucent Technologies and HP (the company improved AFTER she left and she tries to take credit for it). What is McCain's issue with Carly Fiorina?!! She is front and center on his web site. More Dems should prowl around on GOP web sites to see what their issues are and what their vulnerabilities are and what their fears are. The GOPs prowl around on Dem web sites all the time. It is worth prowling. Dems think they are breaking a loyalty code if they look at GOP sites but you have to know your enemy.

mev

Buzz,

Institutionalized murder
is what is preached
and we argue semantics
about the humaneness of the act

was he in pain
did we torture
or did he die
painlessly

we ignore the absurdity
of murdering one of our own
is it just retribution
or revenge

A debate that is ignored
who has the right to decide
who lives, who dies
murderers make that choice

So what separates us from them
we can argue semantics
and talk about humane practices
as we put another to death

yet somehow as a society
we fail to see the contradiction ...

Akhil Bhardwaj
Jersey City, NJ

Subject: Obama And Clinton

For the life of me I don't understand why all the progressives are dogging Hillary Clinton like she's some kind of devil. What if she just pulls this off and wins the Dems nominee and you've done nothing but make her out to be the devil. I for one don't Hillary and the progressives and not even given her a chance. Just wait until the Republicans get ahold of Obama's pastor and his bitter comments and we'll lose the election again. Come on if she wins in PA give her some kudos she deserves it, give her a break and quit taking sides like the media. I haven't even been reading my news because of all the Hillary bashing so please quit taking sides and just report and discuss things about the two dems without dogging either one. Thank you.

Karen Brown
Kingman, AZ

Hi BuzzFlash,

Thanks to Rachel Maddow for reporting this info.

We have McCain saying that WE cannot torture AMERICANS ...

McCain Takes Bold Stance On Torture: ‘We Cannot Ever Torture Any American' (thinkprogress)

Excuse me McCain, but who exactly were you IN FAVOR of torturing? Didn't you learn anything from you days in the "Hanoi Hilton" in Vietnam?

Then we had the "HARSH MEDIA" from The AP going gushy over McCain with doughnuts at a Health Speech and Q&A!!!

Yes, DOUGHNUTS!!!

McCain's Media: AP reporters give John McCain doughnuts at their event: That's his new health plan (crooksandliars)

So when Barack Obama said the truth about the hard living people have to deal with in this country, every network, news pundit along with Hillary, went nuts over it, in yet another endless loop of news -- but McCain mentions the approval of torture, as long as it does not happen to Americans -- and he gets doughnuts from the press and it doesn't get a nano-second of extensive coverage.

Oh wait. We have nothing but LIBERAL REPORTERS working in a LIBERAL MEDIA here in America!! How could I have ever forgotten that?

Tom Wieliczka
Windsor Locks, CT

Has anyone other than me noticed that every time Bush can...this year...he horns in on every personal appearance anyone makes who is known?

There he was grinning like that stupid possum with the Pope...and just recently ... before this he was on stage with someone else ... whom escapes me right now ... but, if anyone is in town ... you can bet he will put his silly face up there.

And his grin is more and more like the one guy who does the commercial for Direct TV ... who grins with his mouth going downward...never saw it before GW ... I still also have the picture of him as he was talking a dumbed down nation to go to war with Iraq ... that little phony crease between his eyebrows ... I always wondered how long it took his handlers to get that idiotic look on his face.

Oh, incidentally ... if you have not seen the commercial ... it is of our dumb president ... with that same silly grin...and he is telling the interviewee about 'Direct TV' being so good for him...because it has this little 'Recordification" device ... and being that he misses a lot of his cartoons because of his job ... it is really handy. It is hilarious ... ya gotta get it on here for anyone who has never seen it.

Shirley ... St. Louis

I expect to be piled on by Republicans. That comes with being a Democrat. I also expect the same from the likes of the Fox network.

Maybe I am showing my age by saying this, but I was under the impression that worthy news sources were obligated to be fair and unbiased. Are those days no longer with us? Has the notion of fair and unbiased reporting become silly? Is it no longer "en vogue?" Are even we, progressives, playing Gotcha Politics? It's great to be passionate about your cause, but as progressives, we must never lose sight of what sets us apart from the rest of the herd. I, for one, believe it is both imperative, as well as mandatory, that a news source does not appear slanted in its reporting. Your reporting is, and has been for sometime, blatantly favorable to Barack Obama.

I stated earlier that I am a Democrat, but please do not take the fact that I am writing this letter to mean I am a Hillary Clinton supporter, because I am not. Both candidates, in my eyes, have warts. However, if one were to rely solely on BuzzFlash for their political news, one would come away thinking Barack Obama is flawless.

As Democrats, if our goal is to elect a Democratic President this fall, then shouldn't the electorate be fully informed on "ALL" of his/her positions prior to the election? Let's not be in a rush to anoint, or to drink the Kool-Aid for any candidate. Such behavior is why we as a people find ourselves in the situation we are in now, and have been since Ronald Reagan. We no longer have the luxury of overlooking or ignoring flaws of "any" candidate, regardless of who that candidate may be.

As I see it, your job is to see that the public is fully informed. By trumpeting the cause of a particular candidate you fall short of this vitally important objective.

Sincerely,

Thomas Schilling
Philadelphia

Subject: Dear Anne Kornblut: Debate subjects NOT covered that should have been

Dear Anne:

Just heard you on MSNBC and you basically stated that all the subjects that could have been covered over the previous 20 debates were, in your defense of Charlie & George, so they felt they need to focus on the shit they did?

Are you kidding me?

Over the 20 debates, Anne, many subjects that should have been covered haven't been (and if they have, not in any meaningful way) and I am shocked you don't see it. Or do you and don't care?

So, where to begin?

1. What kind of Supreme Court Justice will they appoint? Will they do everything possible to protect all our privacy in their choice, but especially the right of individuals to make health and medical decisions for themselves?

2. Will they restore FISA to its original intent?

3. Will either have their AG Investigating the Bush administration's crimes (domestic spying, torture, politicization of the Justice Dept., etc.) and prosecuting if applicable? Obama just said he would ask his AG to at least start with the instigating to see if something is really there.

4. How will they rebuild New Orleans - what about a real levee system like the Dutch or England does?

5. What will each of them do to rebuild our crumbling Infrastructure?

6. What will each of them do modernize air traffic control?

7. Will either restoring the constitutional protections that this Administration has cast aside (including Habeas Corpus).

8. Who will restore the checks and balance (separation of powers) mutilated by the power grabbed in the executive branch? Meaning ... who will GIVE UP some of the powers that Bush/Cheney claimed for them?

9. Do they promise to restore Banking regulations like the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, put in place after the great depression by FDR, but subsequently rescinded by Bill Clinton as Citibank Request (The Financial Modernization Act of 1999, also known as the "Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act" or GLB Act).

10. Do they promise to restore the old bankruptcy laws (and rescind The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 which Bush & Republicans put into place on behalf of the banks not satisfied with the The Financial Modernization Act of 1999) - the one that if they were still in place might have helped keep people from losing their homes?

You see, since they couldn't declare bankruptcy on their small credit card debts (let's say 10,000 - 20,000), they kept paying those bills only to fall behind on their mortgages. Combine that will the results of Glass-Steagall being mutilated and predatory lending practices with teaser rates, and you have the mess we're in now.

11. Do both promise to restore Telecommunications regulations that are preventing this country from keeping up with Europe and Asia when it comes to choice & competition, internet speed, high-definition 7 the types of devices made available for consumer use, not to mention we're paying astronomical prices for services that would be considered substandard in these other parts of the world?

12. Do both promise to maintain net neutrality and perhaps even expand on it to keep big media/telecoms out of our business?

That was just off the top of my head, Anne.

If you don't see that Charlie & Georgie have plenty of subjects to tackle that haven't been tackled before, that the public wants discussed openly and honestly, then you're in the wrong business.

Or, is it your job to maintain the public's ignorance in your attempts to protect big media just like Disney/ABC was doing in the debate?

Shame on them and shame on those of you defending their line of questioning when there's so many more imperative issues we must be dealing with.

You are obviously part of the problem. You might want to check with your colleague Dana Priest as sort of a refresher course on how journalists are supposed to behave.

Joshua

Hi there,

I'm a regular cash contributor to BuzzFlash because I like to read uncensored news.

It's with some dismay that I've noticed the total lack of articles in BuzzFlash covering Ralph Nader's presidential campaign.

I understand you like Obama. He's the best of the corporate shills running, but he's a corporate shill nonetheless. He's VOTED FOR a NAFTA-like trade agreement, and one of his advisors has stated Obama will do nothing to disrupt NAFTA and the corporate profits it generates. He's against a single-payer healthcare system, which means he values corporate profits over citizens' health.

Ralph Nader is the only candidate representing citizens' interests. He has stated he will pull out of NAFTA, and cut Federal funding to the worst corporate outsourcers.

Ralph Nader is also the only candidate backing a single-payer healthcare system.

I can understand the corporate media censoring Ralph Nader's campaign, but BuzzFlash?!

Unless you start covering Ralph Nader's campaign and make up for your previous lack of coverage, I will consider you biased just like the corporate media, and the donation I sent you last night will be the last.

Sincerely,

Alan B. Balkany
Ann Arbor, MI

Hillary Clinton wasn't wearing a flag pin last night, yet no questions on her patriotism. Isn't that interesting? -- Be-Elected

All this does is legitimize Rethuglican tactics. And yes, I know, Hillary supporters do the same kind of thing.

Dear God. If we're not going to do any better than this, we're going to help McCain right into the White House. Think about that before you decide on the language and emphasis of your next attack on whichever Democrat you don't like.

Unless, of course, just to choose one of many appalling possibilities, you don't think it matters that we would have four more years of federal judges and attorneys drawn from the pool of Federalist Society fascists.

Kurt Beyers
Hays, Kansas

[BuzzFlash Note: We weren't disputing Clinton's patriotism, just noting the unfairness of the pin=patriotism thing. The article garnered many good comments, including: "I've been thinking of making "Constitution" pins and sending them to Democratic officials. Every fed official swears to "protect and defend the constitution." Think I should spend the money and do it?"]

I have been an avid BuzzFlash reader for many many years and I am angry over your man crush on Barack Obama. All the issues you appoint to Fox News and you are guilty of the same. Why don't you report the news and be fair to both Hillary and Barack? It is clear how much you support Obama and how much you despise Clinton. You have tainted my opinion and I find that instead of BuzzFlash 2-3 times per day I am down to once in a while. Please stop being Fox news and really be Fair and Balanced.

Thank You,

A BuzzFlash Reader

[BuzzFlash Note: We have a progressive viewpoint which we're clear and upfront about. We admire much about Clinton (not the campaign tactics), but more about Obama. Thanks for reading.]

Subject: Barack Obama And The Media

After much musing I feel that the media, who think of themselves as the self-appointed gatekeepers of the truth, have decided collectively to pull the rug out from under Barack Obama because he is honest and therefore human. Since they all are such mendacious bastards they cannot deal in any way with honesty. They and most of the officious politicians that they know are only familiar with one thing and that is the art of lying. Along comes Barack Obama who presents himself as honest and above all human. This blows their collective minds and therefore the hit is on!! Well screw them all because as hard as they try they have not succeeded in any way to dumb down the public any longer. They, and their ship of fools has finally sunk.

Ruth Gottlieb
Laguna Woods, CA

Before, when the (corporate-paid) interviewee was trying to box him in with an elaborate hypothetical, of you are committed to getting out of Iraq so what would you do if the Iraq government said We want Americans out of here?, he mumbled around instead of saying the obvious: That would be Great! We want them to stand up. It would make it easier for us to stand down (get out). 

Last night the (corporate-salaried) interviewee was trying to skewer him with tax increases, claiming tax increases had been bad for the economy have been good under Bush, Obama did not respond with the obvious: Bush tax cuts have been good under Bush? We have gone from a 3$ trillion surplus to a 10 $trillion debt under Bush, and are in a recession that could become a depression.

Still, his soft responses are part of the personality that might talk to our enemies, avoid wars (hopefully), and bring more of our country together.

Twiga

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