BuzzFlash Mailbag for January 28, 2009

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Subject: A Republican hangup

The Republicans still don't get it. After eight years of tax cuts they still don't see that throwing money at the wealthy simply stagnates the economy. There were, indeed, no appreciable jobs created by this measure before, that just put the money to waste and caused the eoconomy to deteriorate, helping to bring on the sorry mess we're in today. Still they're blocking Obama's efforts to relieve the economy and help us once again to survive and prosper.

J. Burgess
Syracuse, NY

Subject: Just Who Is Running The Show?

It doesn't seem to matter, whether we have a Democratic president or if the Republicans are in the MINORITY in the House and the Senate.

It's THEIR WAY OR THE HIGHWAY!

They bully, threaten, filibuster, threaten to filibuster, stamp their feet, cry, whine, get on every news show that will promote their propaganda.

We've just come out of eight very long years with a near DICTATORSHIP.

The Democrats are either shell shocked, cowards with no backbone, too politically correct, stupid or STILL BEING BLACKMAILED. Take your pick.

The computers in both the House and the Senate had their firewall installed by the late Republican operative Mike Connel whose plane crashed on 12/19/08, just before he was to testify before Congress. So I would assume ALL the computers in Congress have been monitored by the Republicans. More than likely people have been BLACKMAILED.

Question: Do the Republican operatives STILL maintain the firewalls on these computers?

Does Dick Cheney STILL have a SHADOW GOVERNMENT out there, getting information off all the Congressional computers.

This is why ALL of these War Criminals need to be tried and locked up, permanently.

We had Obama wanting to provide contraceptives for the poor.

Out come the Republican MINORITY worrying about the MONEY being spent (what a joke). Low and behold, this part of the stimulus package has been dropped.

Then the Eric Holder nomination. The Republican MINORITY start putting in their demands. Holder has to agree NOT to prosecute criminals for TORTURE, which is a WAR CRIME or they won't confirm him.

As of today, the committee did pass his confirmation.

Let's see if the future Attorney General follows the law and appoints a special prosecutor or did he make a DEAL with the Republicans, that if confirmed, he'll LOOK FORWARD? Time will tell.

Too bad the Democrats didn't use these tactics during the Bush administration. These Republicans don't really care who is in. They only care if it's done THEIR WAY, regardless if it's good or bad for the people and the country.

These phony baloney Republicans, after throwing BILLIONS of dollars at Iraq, and all those private contractors, Haliburton, KBR, Blackwater, etc, and ALLOWED Wall Street to go lawless.

Now all of a sudden they're worried about our TAX DOLLARS, they're becoming FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, PROTECTOR OF THE PEOPLE'S MONEY, they've found religion like George.

GIVE ME A BREAK!

Why didn't they FIGHT George over the cost of this war? They were in the MAJORITY for SIX YEARS.

It's time for the Democrats to let the MINORITY party know that that's exactly what they are the minority.

Unless these Republicans are delusional, arrogant, or just plain nuts, they could be all three, they better start getting a dose of REALITY.

YOU LOST THE ELECTION AND THERE'S A NEW GUY AND PARTY IN TOWN.

LIVE WITH IT!

Maybe with Obama offering an olive branch to the Republicans,they'll thaw out from the nasty way things have been done in Washington, under Cheney and Bush.

Obama CAN NOT bow to the Republicans on issue after issue, so that this turns into the Republicans making the decisions on everything, whether they're IN or OUT of office.

We can only HOPE that Obama and his administration are HONEST people, if not, we're in for the same old same old from our politicians.

If that is the case, the only change in Washington, is the name of the guy in the White House, the rest is business as usual.

That IS NOT why we elected Obama as president.

If prosecutions for WAR CRIMES do not occur under the Obama administration, then there is no difference between Democrats and Republicans.

If that is the case, maybe Progressives should be looking to start their own political party.

It is the DUTY of Obama to PROTECT, UPHOLD, AND DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION.

It is his DUTY to have his administration PROSECUTE the CRIMINALS in the Bush administration and all those who are still in departments in our government, trying to subvert our Constitution and the laws of this land.

Call Congress 1-800-828-0498 and ask the operator to connect you to a Senate or House of Representative office and ask for a War Crimes trial.

Markmyword
Chicago, Illinois

Subject: THE POLITICS OF OBSTRUCTION

The Republican party has not changed one iota since the 1930s when they tried their damnedest to put up roadblocks to keep F.D.R. from fixing the economy that was broken by the Hoover. They did it again when Bill Clinton was president, trying to prevent him from cleaning up the economic mess left over from the 12 disastrous Reagan/Bush years. Now, once again the Republicans are trying to prevent a Democratic president from strengthening the economy and putting people back to work after Dubya Bush destroyed the country and the world.

Why don't the Republicans just admit it? They hate America, and they hate Americans! They want the country to be bankrupt. They want people to be out of work. I don't know what kind of business the G.O.P. jerks belong in, but they sure don't belong in government.

Shirley Dianne Jackson
Portland, Oregon

Subject: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says 30 million service jobs may be shipped overseas. Specifically mentioned: telephone operators, payroll and timekeeping clerks, word processors and typists, pharmacists, computer programmers, biochemists and biophysicists, architectural and civil drafters, financial analysts, paralegals and legal assistants. 1/27

The only way to stop this hemorrhaging is to require overseas compliance and enforcement of environmental and labor laws similar to what is in this country. We should suspend trading with nations that don't upgrade their laws and rather rely on slave and child labor for cheap goods and services at home.

Will Wyche
Palm Springs, CA

Subject: Send this to your congressional delegation

If you like this letter, send it to your delegation or change the names to inflict it upon the guilty, especially if Cornyn is your senator. Too many of them ask for a zip code or they won't accept it. They seem to think that what they do only affects their districts or states.

January 28, 2009

To the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation

Let me get this over with at the start, I am aware that Dan Boren is a “democrat”, but he votes with the Bush apologists and enablers enough to get this letter.

I have heard about enough crap. Yes, the democrats have been in control of one house of congress for two years which is 12 years less than the GOP has been in control.

I do not want to hear another word about what won’t create jobs or fix the economy for the group that has spent 8 years legislating morality and bedrooms.

I don’t want to hear one more word about more tax cuts for the wealthy. I am aware that some of you were not there to vote for Bush's first huge tax cut, but most of you were there for the second and each time it was supposed to create jobs and fix the economy.

You are asking people to give up parts of their wages and benefits so more can work. How about asking investors to give up part of their profits so more people can work? We pay a fortune for clothing that they pay foreigners a few dollars a day to make. Who gets the profits?

If you give one more dime to anyone on Wall Street without some sort of oversight you don’t deserve a vote from anyone, not one. Someday your time will be up in Oklahoma as soon as people realize that keeping gays single isn’t going to feed their children or pay their mortgages. Oklahomans can’t possibly be that stupid.

Last night, on channel 4, they were asking if President Obama should be telling Muslim countries that we have made mistakes in the last 8 or 40 years. No, we should make sure they know that the USA believes themselves to be omnipotent, even if they know better.

I am not sure why President Obama has to inform you of a damn thing or ask your permission because you made sure that Bush was allowed the most secretive administration in history with NO checks and balances because somehow you think we have an imperial presidency during war times.

Well, we are still at war so I can’t figure out why you guys need President Obama to tell you anything.

If it weren’t so damn serious it would be funny. You even let him use torture in interrogations. Yes, it is torture and we all know that. Not one of you would watch it done to your own child if they were captured because you would call it torture. We prosecuted people in several wars for using waterboarding and now we are claiming it isn’t torture when the USA does it. It is torture.

I am so tired of Boehner and others saying that allowing family planning groups in foreign countries to make their own birth control decisions won’t create jobs. That is extremely funny coming from the guys who spent 8 years not fixing the economy while telling everyone what to teach.

You guys wanted to give more tax cuts to the people who didn’t create jobs or stimulate anything, except their own pocket books. You didn’t care if banks made insanely crazy commercials about how anyone could get mortgages because they had programs where they would help you, no matter what.

You didn’t care when they sold these mortgages to other companies and you didn’t care when those companies used the losses to get out of paying taxes on their earnings. So, here you go and I am fully aware that this is useless because none of you give a damn about anyone except your contributors;

Jim, Mary, Dan, John, Frank and TOM-TOM if you are going to continue this incessant drumbeat that legislating morality will fix the economy and create jobs then shut up. For eight years you have been saying that you will do anything as long as we keep gays single, make medical decisions for women, teach Biblical creation as science instead of faith and use taxpayer money to send kids to parochial schools everything will be fine.

We know how frustrated you are, but if you aren’t going to help then get out of the way. He has been in office one week and one day. You are still not taking any of the blame for what you and your guys in the Bush Administration did. More than a thousand laws challenged with signing statements. Good Grief.

Yes, there needs to be an investigation because torture is a lot more serious than lying about oral sex.

Karen Webb
Moore, Ok

Subject: Senator Whitehouse on Bush Accountability

David Bender discussed this on the Maddow show (radio). I listened to the whole speech at Senator Whitehouse' webpage. This is an awesome speech. I hope he pursues hearings. While it would be great to see Bush & Co. in jail, I will gladly settle for hearings that shame them and warn off future pols who want to subvert the Constitution.

http://whitehouse.senate.gov/newsroom/speech...

Anne Ehrlich

Subject: Here's a good story

Get Ready to Rumble: The Fight for the Next Economy Begins

Kristin Blanchette
North Ferrisburg, VT

Subject: Israel = Holy Land?

Don't equate Israel with the "Holy Land". There's no such thing, really.

"So why is Carter vilified by the right wing in Israel and some American Jews who claim he is Anti-Semitic?" Mark Karlin, Editor of BuzzFlash.com, Reviews "We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work" (Hardcover) -- Just Released by Former President Jimmy Carter.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: GOP says no, then Dems say yes, to investigating Bush Team

If the republicans Senator Mitch McConnell and Rep John Boehner do not want to get along with President Obama, then I think that the republicans have no intention of working with the President and then President Obama has free rein to investigate the misdeeds that the Bush administration has done, even to present the information to the United Nations and the World Court for further consideration.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Poll Analysis

Your site is educational. Yet, one tool of those who seek to misinform citizens is to use polls, like the approval rating poll.

Can you add Polls as a category that BuzzFlash covers that includes analysis, meaning trying to discern the scope of the poll survey, the organization that published the poll and even sample questions, so that any bias can be determined? Also, include a mathematical ratio label to indicate the true value of the poll.

Thanks,

Mary Wollstonecraft
Silver Spring, MD

[BuzzFlash Note: We're not statistical analysts. The best advice we can give is to compare various polls and ignore the outliers.]

Subject: Reverse hypocritical cuts to domestic family planning

Here's a link to a piece by NOW on the removal of family planning funds from the stimulus package by the Democrats AT THE REQUEST OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:

NOW-NYS Decries Obama Stimulus-Package Family-Planning Cuts

A network news item on the same development is at:

Dems Back Off On Family Planning Provision - Political Hotsheet

This is truly unconscionable.

Please tell President Obama to reverse this. Keep in mind you can only put a message of 500 characters (not words) on his web form. The White House site is:

Welcome to the White House

John Williford
Richland, WA

Subject: The drug companies

I am another one of those people who are sick to death of the drug companies and their television and magazine ads. Has anyone noticed that really nothing (that I can think of) has been cured in my lifetime, and I am getting up there. The only thing is that some diseases have been eliminated by vaccines and better hygiene. Most of these pills and treatments are, to me, bogus. Lately they have been encouraging me to get a flu shot, but I have never had the flu and nobody in my family has had the flu. All of this coverage of 'bird flu' that has them in a tizzy reminds me of the 'swine flu' scare of the 70's. They swore up and down that it would be a pandemic that would wipe out hundreds, thousands, etc. Has anyone you know had the swine flu? Not me.

Now they encourage us to take all kinds of pills, especially cholesterol pills and most of those that I have heard of have been taken off the market. They talk about high cholesterol but can only feed you pills to bring it down. People in Europe do not seem to have the health problems we have, they all have better food to eat and universal health care and seem to have healthier lives than those of us who 'get to choose our own health care company". Lord protect us from the drug companies.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Bush Legacy Project

As my contribution to the ‘Bush Legacy Project’ and in the interest of Truthful and Accurate History; the 2006 book that accounts for all of George W. Bush’s mindless exploits on September 11, is now posted online for free reading.

www.bushseptember11legacy.com/

Ron Schalow Author Bull$#!@ Artist – The 9/11 Leadership Myth

Ron Schalow
Fargo, ND

Subject: Out Of The Collapse Of Capitalism, What's Next?

"One equals one."

"Anything else?"

"Liberty and justice for all."

"Based on?"

"Yes we can."

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Stuff

Hi, Buzz!

First, a big AMEN to Jeff Leon. He says, "We've been living the last eight years in a Bruce Willis movie." That puts it about as well as it can be put. Thank you, Jeff!!

Now, to everyone who's getting antsy about President Obama's willingness to talk to Republicans in Congress and right-wing pundits, etc., let's back up just a little. While I agree that there's no working with the right wing, I believe President Obama may have hit on a strategy here:

What if he's giving the righties plenty of rope to hang themselves with? He's giving them all sorts of opportunities to work with him. So far they are refusing to do so. I suspect he'll continue to consult them as long as it takes for everyone to realize that the right wing does not have the best interests of our country at heart (let's face it, some people will take longer to get hold of that idea than others).

Unlike the formerly majority Republicans, who simply shut the Democrats out of the process from Day One, Obama will let the righties marginalize themselves. Then it will be abundantly obvious that he's in the right (as in "correct") and they are in the wrong. The only way for them to prevent this is to work with the Administration in good faith. I don't see that happening, but I'm glad the President is giving them every chance to see the light. Or hang themselves.

And re Geithner --

Jim Hightower has his doubts about Secretary of the Treasury Geithner. While I don't argue with his thinking, a couple of points:

Given the last eight years, it would be difficult for the President to find anyone to head Treasury who ISN'T tainted in some way. Of course, he could hire me, but I don't have any expertise with money. And this isn't the Bush administration (thank God), so lack of expertise is once again a factor.

Also, while Geithner should certainly have paid his taxes, shouldn't we be looking at his accountant? I doubt very much that anyone as high up in the financial-services industry as Geithner fills out his own returns.

Just a thought.

Subject: Corporate Media Criticism of Obama

Anderson Cooper mentioned the other night that CNN had received numerous calls condemning the network for negative comments about President Obama. We need to keep up the pressure. That's the least that we can do when the Rush Limbaugh/Sean Hannity crowd continues to call for Obama's failure.

The idiots and their sheeple don't have sense enough to know that if Obama fails, then America fails. They also conveniently forget that Obama inherited this mess from Bush/Cheney. We don't need to accept and agree on all things Obama, but when we know that conservatives are simply being asses, we need to act. Let's call the networks, our local papers (those that are left,) the media sponsors, and our representatives.

Times are difficult, but let's not leave Obama out there by himself. Let's be pro-active.

Thanks Buzz!

Dee Turner
Atlanta

Dee Turner

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