BuzzFlash Mailbag for December 01, 2008

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Subject: My thoughts about Mumbai and the past few days

Buzz,

I wrote this on Saturday:

I remember I was having lunch with colleagues when one of them pulled out his Blackberry to check the news. This was on Wed afternoon. He hails from Mumbai and told me about what was going on. We had a short academic discussion about it and that was it. By about 6 that evening, everyone was streaming the news on their laptops. I got home and was monitoring the news on CNN and CNN-IBN. As details became clear, I realized that my cousins, uncle and aunt frequent the areas attacked and lived in the vicinity. I was unable to reach them and finally got word at 1 am that they were safe. My mom called and said everyone was ok. My dad who typically writes long emails responded to my query about his thoughts with a terse "I have lost faith in the Congress party's ability to govern."

Later on at the Irish bar all of us skated around the topic. Most of my Indian friends are from Mumbai and other than quickly checking to see everyone's family was safe, we did not bring it up. Thursday...I lay out on the couch the whole day. My roommate was rather quiet...he was born and raised in Mumbai. Unable to take it anymore and despite the fact that I had damaged my knees (mildly) recently I decided to go the gym but it was closed. So I ran along the water till I could not anymore. Finally I collapsed on the cold sidewalk...short breaths, the sound of my own heart pounding as the images of the city flashed before me. The city I had visited as a child, a teenager and then a college student. The terminal, the Taj...all places that I had memories of. I came back home. My roommate came in and sat in my room as we quietly watched the news. He was sipping on wine explaining the geography of it. I studied my glass of scotch and kept quiet. 1:30 am, I decided to go out, the pub was closed. I did meet a few friends and we headed to A's place. By now one of my friends was visibly upset. His father works in Taj and had not gone to work. His colleagues had, and one of his dad's best friends had been killed. I received word that another person who I was sortof  acquainted with had died.

The talk was wild. There was anger in that room. Mumbaikers were angry. In a certain way so was I. I came back at 6am unable to believe it was not over. One of my friends was too drunk to make it home and he spent the night over. We awoke in the afternoon and tuned to CNN. The nightmare was not over yet. He left and I curled up on the couch, knees hurting. Finally I could not take it anymore. I went to the gym and was watching the news. I remember punching the TV on my elliptical and people turned to look at me. They saw what I was watching. Perhaps there was sympathy in their eyes but they turned away quickly. I left the gym and went to DR to pick up some Gatorade. She was standing their...this woman. She called out to me softly. She had a baby with her. She started crying. She had no money to feed her baby. I reached into my pockets and gave her all the cash I had and ran away from her before she could say anything. I came to my apt. and realized I had been a complete idiot. I grabbed my credit card and went searching for her. Perhaps in this miserable world I could help someone...even try and make sense of the madness. She was gone.

Later I went to the bar again. Everyone seemed to be avoiding the topic though there were pockets of discussions and groups forming. The nightmare had just ended but the day had not begun. We needed answers. There had to be some reason, some response...something. Everyone came to my place after that. We were all fatigued having spent 2-3 days caught up and glued, each facing their own nightmares. Some were from Mumbai. Others like me had been frequent visitors. There were other threads tied up in that...memories I do not wish to speak about. It was in our eyes yet we hid. There was talk about going ice skating today, plans made for dinner. We were lying, and we all knew it. We knew we were going to stay at home, each wondering what it was all coming down to. At least I knew. I spent the entire day sleeping. Some of it has to do with my knees I suppose, the dull pain constantly pounding me but I prefer it over the emptiness within.

I find it hard to pen this, harder still to share it. Perhaps there is some need to reach out, I really don't know. The one thing I do know is that life is rather uncertain. Who could have imagined that 10-15 men armed with guns and grenades could take city of millions hostage? They've certainly captivated the world for days now. This note is not an appropriate place for me to comment on my views regarding how this could have been handled by the media or the government of India. Rather, this Saturday night, raise a glass for those you know, love and cherish. Raise one for the good people of Mumbai who watched their city burn for 60 hours who even as we speak are preparing for the soon to be held funerals. Keep them in your thoughts for in this time of cheers, there are others who are crying unravaged tears of blood.

(My apologies for sounding raw or seemingly incoherent)

Subject: FOX News

I notice from the Politico website that Fox News Sunday is having Republican crook and Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss as a guest, but not having Democratic challenger Jim Martin. I even checked the Fox News website and see yes, indeed, Chambliss is a guest. It makes no mention of inviting Martin. I never watch Fox News to keep my blood pressure from boiling, but this is a low blow.

The runoff is Tuesday in Georgia and a one-sided appearance by Chambliss gives him national exposure at the expense of his challenger. So much for Fair & Balanced!

Joseph C. Wilson
Atlanta, Georgia

[BuzzFlash Note: From Fox: "Joining us now from Atlanta is the Republican incumbent, Senator Saxby Chambliss. We should note we invited his opponent, Democrat Jim Martin, to join us, but his campaign turned us down."]

Subject: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib

Buzzers -

The Joe Klein piece made me feel sad - sad for the country, sad for Bush and his utter ineptitude in every domain that matters publicly.

Last night I watched Rory Kennedy's documentary "The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" for the first time. (I probably purchased it from BuzzFlash.) Only a few details were new to me, but it takes some mental space to be reminded voluntarily of that terrible chapter in our "war on terror." And who's to say that similar abuse is not still being inflicted on those we have "detained" in Iraq?

I thought it was just incredible that the Abu Ghraib revelations hit us all just months before Bush was reelected!!!! (And even if he was reelected with the help of Rovian etc. shenanigans, the country accepted the results and in any case close to 50% of the voting public voted for him.)

And incidentally, further catching up on unwatched DVDs I saw "Winged Migration," if nothing else a balm for the soul after listening to the American military mealy-mouth about torture. In any case, "Winged Migration" has one scene of birds flying high over Manhattan and there are the twin towers. A reminder in a different way of what we have lost.

Back to Bush - Klein's last paragraph is tragic. In human terms Bush is just a flawed man, but he sat in the White House for 8 very long years. He never had a real idea and all his fancy education left no apparent trace of information or thoughtfulness. And almost the whole time the MSM let him get away with his ineptitude and his crimes. It was not acceptable even to notice that the emperor had no clothes, much less to point it out. Whatever else Jack Goldsmith thinks about the conservative enterprise and the war on terror, his book, "The Terror Presidency," is unrelenting in his criticism of Bush and Cheney and most of all Addington for violating the Constitution and for deliberately refusing to engage even Congress much less the American people in a joint enterprise to protect ourselves.

If Obama accomplishes nothing else in his first term than to close Gitmo, restore the rule of law, absolutely repudiate and rescind officially permitted torture, and reaffirm our commitment to the Geneva Conventions our national souls will be cleaner.

Colleen Clark
Cambridge, MA

Subject: Clinton replacement

I think it will be Cuomo. He could appoint Bill to finish Hillary's term. Spouses do it all the time.

Karen Webb
Moore, Ok

Subject: Mumbai

How strange it is to receive word about the death of someone when you're separated by one degree a friend of a friend or that of a cousin sitting here a world away one knows of them but not in person not a natural death but one due to hate irrationality cut short sans reason the violent blow that knocks one off sitting here trying to make sense of madness a city torn and bleeding millions affected by the actions of a few sanitized white cloth that shrouds the bodies is also used as an excuse to hide an ideology based on division yet the blood on that sheet is real platitudes and excuses we hear as families are torn apart losses that eventually will become statistics as the banality of evil erodes the shock they will continue in the same vein those who profit from acts such as these and the sheep will bleat institutionalized nary a voice of reason i hear nor a solution one can only hope the lust for blood does not turn into a feeding frenzy

Having said that, allow me to add that I have not made up my mind as to what the repercussions to the Mumbai attack should be. I absolutely do not want a war between Pakistan and India, and I fear this will lead the Hindu extremists to unfairly target Muslims. That has not happened as yet and hopefully it won't.

Akhil Bhardwaj
Newport, NJ

Subject: California priest wants Obama voters to confess for backing an abortion supporter 11/30

Fr. Camillio Garcia St. Joseph's Catholic Church Modesto, CA

Your Junior Eminence:

Since Fr. Illo fails to face the public with an email address, I am contacting you.

I am closing on 60 years old. I was brought up a devout Catholic mastering my catechism through my junior high school years in the 50s and 60s and am a master of catholic doctrine.

I have suffered YOUR church's rabid hypocrisy on the subject of abortion to the point of irrationality for the eternity of my short life. Indeed, I have even tried to have my local San Bernardino Bishop to excommunicate me, but he has failed to respond to any of my requests.

I would love to confess my conviction that President-elect is God's chosen to direct this nation out of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed and suborned by his recent presidential opponent on a pernicious magnitude unknown in the nation's history by the current usurper that the mainstream media has ersatzly crowned as president these past eight years.

The evil and hypocrisy of YOUR church's subornation simply shocks the conscience of any reasonable man. BTW, how many young boys have you or your colleagues molested today? Ever?

In any event, if I publicly confessed to voting for the current president-elect, could you guarantee me a public excommunication by your boss, Fr. Illo, sufficiently in writing that I can frame it for my study? If so, you've got a deal!

Will Wyche
Palm Springs, CA

Subject: All Sorts of Constitutional Issues

Day after day we see stories on Buzz and other media regarding violation of our beloved Constitution. The most recent BF entry is about a town in Vermont which is having hysterics over the handling of the daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag.

This is a free speech (or non-speech) issue, as are a lot of the news these days. It's really easy to distill. The privileges and guarantees of the Bill of Rights apply to people you or I don't like! whether they recite patriotic slogans or not.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Gates retained

I voted for Obama. I wasn't going to NOT vote for him and then IF McCain somehow got in feel partly responsible for that. However, I'm sure I'm like a lot of other Progressives--not surprised by the appointments being made right now for his administration. A while back, I remember posting in the Mailbag that Obama and Clinton were not Progressives. I caught a lot of crap for that--a few others writing in and questioning my statement that Obama wasn't a Progressive. Well, I stand by that. I mean, how can his campaign platform refer to ending the war within 16 months and still retain Gates? Gates is an extension, not change.

Sure, there are liberals who are happy with the appointments reflecting the Clinton years, when there was peace and prosperity. And, obviously, the DLCers are not the whacko right-wing capitalist criminals that we've had to deal with for 8 years. However, where are the Kuciniches or Waxmans or Feingolds or Wexlers in this appointment phase? Somewhere along the way Obama bought into the DLC/Republican "lite" philosophy. He ran as a centrist and will stay there (as opposed to Bush/Cheney who ran as centrists and then did a hard right turn and went bats**t on us). And I'm still glad that I didn't spend one dime of my hard earned salary on a centrist.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: SOS can't run against the incumbent president

I don't think Obama likes Hillary's foreign policy any better now. I am quite sure Obama wasn't lying when he totally criticized her foreign policy, with a chorus of his supporters, during the primaries. Isn't that right? So, he must have changed his mind, since then. Why would he change? Is this about 2012? Does Obama think Hillary might want to change her mind and run against him in 2012, if the opportunity arises, and this is one way to prevent her? I just can't understand his sudden change toward her on foreign policy. Does anyone think maybe "it was all politics" and he just criticized her for leverage? In that case, why listen to any speech? What a shocking choice. At least some Obama supporters who mistrusted (and mistreated) Hillary during the primaries are doing the honorable thing and they continue to continue to mistrust her. We know where they stand from one minute to the next. I honor that consistency. I say, whatever you feel, make up your mind. I wanted Hillary for President, but I think SOS is just a ploy. I'm glad I voted for Cynthia McKinney. Then again, I did not want to vote for a man. They get away with too much during the election cycle that women do not get away with. And you know it.

A BuzzFlash Reader

[BuzzFlash Note: During the primaries, Clinton cast doubt on Obama's foreign policy experience, not the other way around.]

Subject: The Top Marine In Iraq, Major General John Kelly, Says To Back Iraq's Dependency Upon The U.S.A. - Saturday LA Times

"If the Bush administration didn't want Iraq to be dependent upon the U.S., why did he get us into this war?"

"Supposedly to liberate the Iraqi people from the tyrant Saddam Hussein."

"At the cost of how many lives, ours in the thousands, theirs in the hundreds of thousands?"

"In exchange for?"

"A puppet government."

"Which just approved a so-called status of forces agreement."

"An agreement which to go into effect must be ratified by the Iraqi people by way of a referendum."

"Which, if held, is going to voted down by the people."

"Based on?"

"There being nothing so precious as freedom and independence."

"But isn't the status of forces agreement all about freedom and independence, albeit, three years delayed?"

"Three years delayed could stretch to who knows how far."

"What instead?"

"Troops out now."

"But how?"

"By way of a peaceful uprising in which unity is forged in the struggle to defeat the referendum on the status of forces agreement."

"And then, keplunk, there goes Iraq's dependency on the U.S.A."

"Keplunk?"

"That's about as long as it'll take for a new agreement to be reached in which the troops are to be out of Iraq within sixteen months, as promised by Barack Obama during the election campaign."

"And then what sort of world?"

"It'll be up to us."

A BuzzFlash Reader

I woke up early this morning and the rerun of yesterday's Meet the Press was on and I want to know if they did the same thing yesterday. It is supposed to air from 3:10 am until 4:10am. Tom and Ted were talking about Russia and Putin. Tom mentioned something about Putin picking Ted and Jane up somewhere in the past and wanted to know if Ted thought that now all you see when you look into Putin eyes, today, is KGB.

Ted said that we have an FBI and no one says we shouldn't trust former agents or leaders of the FBI in this country. Tom mentioned something I think maybe about the invasion of Georgia. I was still kind of asleep. Ted started in saying he really thought the USA started all of that and bingo; "we now cut to our program in progress". It was 4:05 and First Business wasn't supposed to start until 4:10. They cut it off in mid-sentence.

Did anyone see Meet the Press, yesterday, and did they do the same thing then? Was it NBC or Channel 4 that did it? I really wanted to hear what Ted was saying.

Karen Webb
Moore, Ok

Subject: The Terrorist Hatred Of Liberty And Jews Is What Is Behind Last Week's Massacre In Mumbai - Tim Rutten In Saturday LA Times

"Shades of President George Bush after 9/11 when he declared 'What they hate is our freedom.'"

"Instead of?"

"His having said, 'While we're going to capture and punish those responsible for 9/11, I must admit that it could be blowback from U.S. military actions in the Mideast and, for that reason, I hereby issue a cease and desist order to our armed forces.'"

"What about the terrorists' hatred of Jews?"

"Has to do with the myth about a land without a people for a people without a land, together with the false claim that Israel, a settler-state, represents all Jews."

"Being that there was and has always been a people in Palestine, the Palestinians, and not all Jews support Israel."

"The answer?"

"For Palestinian and Jewish settler to sit down together for the purpose of figuring things out."

"Based on?"

"One equals one."

"Anything else?"

"Liberty and justice for all."

"With the U.S. military out of the Mideast plus a just and peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, what'll become of acts of terrorism such as last week's Mumbai massacre?"

"There'll be history."

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: bush in Prophecy

Back in the early 1970's, I was a fairly religious type, and eventually received a minister's license after doing a lot of church work. In those days, THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH by Hal Lindsey sparked "Rapture fever" and soon lots of books jumped on this bandwagon.

The scriptures were scoured for what would lead to the battle of Armageddon. Countries were identified as taking part in the last war, such as Gog and Magog for Russia, and the Kings of the East for China.

But several of the books noted there was no parallel name for the United States. Some authors predicted that a great mishap would befall America, so that it would play no part in Armageddon.

Back then I thought that was nonsense. Surely the United States would be involved, fighting on the side of right.

Of course, I am no prophet. I could not see that bush would bankrupt and destroy our military. Or that he would make serving one's country a dirty word. That concerned parents would keep their young out of our country's armies so that they would not give their lives on a madman's whim.

So I suppose if Armageddon does arrive, bush has certainly played his part in prophecy.

He always says that God directed him to attack Iraq, but I do wonder which god that was.

Mike Curtis
Greenbrier Ark

Subject: Bush must be prosecuted

Obama is sending out signals that his administration will not sanction prosecutions against Bush and his cronies. Bush and Cheney must be held accountable for their crimes.

It is Obama's constitutional duty to charge and prosecute crimes against the American people and our country's laws. Bush flagrantly laughed at our nation's laws and its constitution. Will Obama do the same and allow the most criminal administration ever in our history to walk away with impunity? Will Obama condone the crimes Bush and Cheney have committed by allowing them to again laugh at our laws?

This will set horrible precedents for future administrations and will be just one more stone in the wall being built by our government to control American citizens. What are the democrats so afraid of that they will simply turn their heads? Are they afraid that they will be found complicit and are themselves guilty of the same crimes? Makes one wonder doesn't it?

Lawton
Springdale

Subject: Northrop Grumman New contract??

Went on Dice.com today to look for engineering job and almost every job posted was for Northrop Grumman. Did they get a big new contract or something?

A BuzzFlash Reader 

[BuzzFlash Note: The two latest press releases on the corporate web site are: Nov 20, 2008, Northrop Grumman Awarded Joint STARS Radar Modernization Contract; and Nov 20, 2008, Department of Homeland Security Awards Immigration and Customs Enforcement Infrastructure System Task Order to Northrop Grumma]

Subject: A Better Solution?

I've been following the so-called "bail out" garbage for a few weeks now. To say I'm profoundly angry and disappointed with how it has been handled and WHY, would be an understatement.

Just thinking of all the money that is being "borrowed" from the governments of China and Saudi Arabia to "bail" us out seems like adding fuel to the fire.

Wouldn't a better solution, instead of giving billions to greedy, arrogant banks and bankers be to take those billions and give out a billion to each and every legal citizen of this country? This would enable them to pay their mortgages, pay off their credit card debt, and put them back on an even keel. They might even be able to get some affordable health insurance until we enact a universal health care system.

Seems to me that once the citizens can be stabilized then we will be in better shape and condition to start turning things around in this country.

One important step in turning things around is to revisit the issue of regulating all of the financial markets so the greedy, arrogant CEOs don't have the ability to make braindead decisions and get billions from us in "inventive" pay, perquisites (such as corporate jets), and golden parachutes.

We also need to cut back on our defense spending that is nothing but wasteful and destructive.

Hope all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Lisa Johnson
Tacoma, WA

Subject: headline of your turkey and george w.bush picture..

should read as a quote from the turkey.. "no weapons of mass destruction found here either buddy!!!,gobble gobble"...

david donerlson
Atlanta, Georgia

Subject: Looks Like We're On Our Way

"Where?"

"Towards change that we can believe in."

"By doing what?"

"On our behalf President-elect Barack Obama held three consecutive daily press conferences and after each of these the stock market rose."

"Coincidence?"

"That, or the president-elect updating the narrative of history."

"Based on?"

"Something that Dick Cheney (or was it Donald Rumsfeld?) said a few years ago."

"Which is?"

"That the Bush administration could make history any time it wanted."

"How?"

"By perpetrating the type of action that hurts so many people and/or causes so much damage that the administration's opponents have to react, after which the administration does something else that's equally bad, or worse; once more the opposition reacts, the stuff of history, time and time again."

"But if our President-elect's press conferences indeed turn out to have been history making events, what's going to keep this going?"

"Yes we can."

"And then what sort of world?"

"It'll be up to us."

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Use of the Word "Terror," as in "Mumbai Terror Attack"

Hi Buzz,

I think it would be better if you refer to "terrorist" attacks rather than "terror" attacks. The latter usage only appeared with the advent of the Bush Regime, and serves a political purpose.

When you see the phrase "terrorist attack," the traditional usage, your response is essentially intellectual: there is a problem with terrorism, and we have to figure out a way, mostly likely through policing investigation and operation, to deal with it.

But when the word "terror" is used, there is an emotional response, not an intellectual one: you feel a sense of terror. There are wolves in the woods. There are scary Islamofascists out to get us. Let's rev up the military, give more money to the war corporations, and bomb a bunch of brown-skinned Third Worlders who aren't Christian. That'll learn 'em a thing or two.

It's not even Lakoff-style framing, just a call for respecting the integrity of the English language, to ask that, at least on BuzzFlash, you refer to "terrorist" attacks, rather than "terror" attacks.

Those are my two cents, and I hope you'll consider my suggestion.

Jon Krampner
Los Angeles, CA

Subject: "24"

I watched the first episode of "24" in the past year...and the minute it played into the hands of the right wing...I knew it was over for the year. The strike came at the right time for them, or it would have ruined that show...it might have ended up on the cutting room floor, had the strike not come when it did. People in this country were not into any more of that kind of storyline or torture. I knew the minute the "mushroom cloud" happened...it was done!! And it was. The outcry from their watching public was so loud they had to completely revamp that show...and we will see this year how it comes back. It was a good show...except for the blatant torture...and then idiot makers playing into the "Mushroom cloud" Mania...no one in this country wanted to hear those two words ANYMORE...EVER!! We all had had enough of the lies from Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice. All the "WE don't want the smoking gun to come in the form of a Mushroom Cloud" Will anyone ever, ever forget that?

I sure will not...and I will watch the show now with the jaundiced eye of a person who does not feel the same...in fact...it may not make it. So much for trying to play into the hands of the not so truthful white house at the time...and that is what the makers of "24" did. We will have to see...but, I am not looking at it the way I once did. After the demise of the show...as we knew it, I started watching the "CSI's"...and really may not ever get back to "24"...which is what a lot of us may do!

Shirley ... St. Louis

Subject: Slant of the news

US Headlines read: "Iraqi parliament OKs US troops for 3 more years 11/28"

The Arabic document calls this a "Withdrawal Accord" but the US news touts it as a "Iraqis want US to stay".

Maezeppa
Los Angeles CA

Subject: Is bush Drinking?

No, I do not believe bush is drinking. I DO believe he is sucking up as much government provided cocaine up his nose as possible during his remaining days, though.

It's like a fellow Texan, Rooster Cogburn said. "I don't buy that! I confiscate it!"

Mike Curtis
Greenbrier Ark

Subject: Mumbai and the Media

Buzz,

The city of dreams she bleeds tonight attacked by ideological idiots who believe in an imaginary man in the sky who rewards them for hatred the blood spilled is of men and women of all color the common demarcation is innocencethe battle wages on and the pundits dissect this much to the affront of those who know an attempt to create a narrative commercializing death inducing fear sensationalizing this incident sans context you sir hold a microphone and telecast yourself as the world watches incoherent and your masters cheer increased profits paid by blood of your own countrymen never before have I seen the craven ambition of some so young so cynical to betray the city of dreams for after this day it is the city of nightmares allow me to say it was not just the terrorists who are responsible for the dark streets it is you as well for you refused to bandage the wound and chose to perpetuate unfounded fears and half truths repetitions that minute comment can change frames a country which may face division preying on a nation's emotion they say history repeats itself it just did perhaps but the media never learns from it

Excuse me for being blunt - but F*** YOU. CNN-IBN, you suck. NDTV, a subsidiary of NBC you too. You're sending out greenhorns and your anchors are idiots. For f***'s sake can you have some intelligent people there who are able to analyze the situation? These kids and the anchors are vying for attention. History anyone? Context you f***ing idiots? And the American media as well...you have been talking about the war on terror...yet not one...NOT ONE has brought this up as a fallout of the invasion of Iraq and Bush's failed war policies.

Akhil Bhardwaj
Jersey City, NJ

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