BuzzFlash Mailbag for March 09, 2009

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Subject: Helen Thomas to receive Edward R. Murrow Honors in April

Well, I didn't expect to be asked to paste an article, but according to my alma-mater Washington State University, the Edward R. Murrow school of Communications will honor Helen Thomas and CBS newsman Bob Scheiffer. When I received this from their newsletter, I had to look at it a second time to make sure my eyes where working correctly. I don't know if you were alerted to this tidbit, but it is true, according to the Murrow school itself. The school will conduct its annual Murrow Symposium scheduled for April 6? 7? at Beasely Performing Arts Center at 7:00. I'm in Northern Cal. I wish I could go. Helen Thomas is without a doubt the "Dean" of the WH press corp. She is overdue for this award. But, hey! If you want to go, it's in Pullman Washington--just two hours south of Spokane.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/398388_wsu03.html

www.pitchengine.com/edwardrmurrowcollege...

Greg Gardner

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Subject: How Obama can help fix the real estate crisis

Virtually all economists agree that plummeting home values are the very root of the economic crisis, but an endless supply of fresh bailout funds only encourages bankers to keep selling their foreclosed properties at far below market value, just to get rid of them without any real effort on their part and clear their desks for more-easily-gotten profits--like the next round of bailout funds. This continual dumping of foreclosures onto the market at far below their actual value causes further decay in overall home prices, which then inevitably leads to more foreclosures as more existing mortgages are driven "underwater".

If government can restrict executive pay, ground CEO jets, and ban buyouts of solvent banks, surely it can also encourage bailed-out lenders to help pull themselves up by their own bootstraps by requiring them to demand fair market value for their foreclosures and to do all that is reasonable to actually obtain it. The alternative is a continuing cycle of bailouts, ballooning federal debt, bankrupt homeowners, and ever-more foreclosures.

Bill Frey
Zenia, CA

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Subject: Providing Health Care To Everyone Calls For A Single Payer System

"Based on?"

"Everyone receiving the best possible health care."

"Anything else?"

"Keeping the cost of overhead below 5%."

"Otherwise?"

"One form or another of privatization with an overhead of at least 30%."

"Due to?"

"Profits, CEO bonuses, shareholder dividends and keeping the amount of money actually spent on health care to as low a level as each privatized entity can get away with."

"No surprise this?"

"And why not?"

"Privatized public service is an oxymoron."

A BuzzFlash Reader

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Subject: Republican Strategy?

Rush wants Obama to fail. The Republicans are doing everything they can to prevent recovery programs. Is this their strategy to, in fact, make Obama fail? Rush may have more power than the media suggests. If Republicans are sufficiently obstructionist, the economy will get worse ... The dots seem to connect but, on the other hand, after eight years of Bush, my mind may be continuing to have nightmares!

Barbara A Rosen
Providence, RI

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Subject: 2009, The Year That Opened The Way

What happened was that America, haunted by the spectre of Israel turning Gaza into the Warsaw Ghetto, finally woke-up and demanded justice for the Palestinian people. The first hint that such a turnabout was possible came in the form of the public response ("No Mas") to that now epic mock Israeli-like "Security Checkpoint" which peace and justice activists set up on April 8 outside the AIPAC Fundraiser in San Fernando. And with the public now demanding justice for Palestine, what else could the 44th president of the U.S. of A. do but join in? After all hadn't he been the one who, in his quest for the presidency, time after time had said that change comes to, not from Washington?

A BuzzFlash Reader

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Subject: Winning in Afghanistan

I will be throughly happy when they decide that winning isn't what we want. We just want the hell out of there.

What happened to Russia is happening to us because some neocon, oil-hungry idiots weren't paying attention.

As far as I am concerned the end of the Wall and Russia started when they decided they could win in Afghanistan and we helped Afghanistan.

When will the US leadership get rid of the arrogant idea that we can do anything?

Russia was down to nothing on the grocery shelves and what was there no one could afford. Leave both places, just leave.

Karen Webb
Moore, Ok

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Subject: Letting GWB et al take a walk - Letter to Helen Thomas

Hello, Ms. Thomas

I read your piece on Bush et al. getting a free pass, which appeared in the Seattle P-I.

Bush, top aides apparently home free

If this flows from Obama, then he has perjured himself in swearing to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution (and on Lincoln's Bible, no less)..

We all know that the Justice Department under GW Bush was staffed with sycophants who put their loyalty to the president above the Constitution and the country. Please, not again.

There is a special prosecutor in place in the Justice Department, named by AG Holder's predecessor.

It seems to me that the question of whether the law is to be enforced or pandering to the Right by the president will prevail is central. This is mainly a test of AG Holder's independence. If the game goes as you forecast, it is more of the same.

The world will not forgive us if we do not credibly express remorse for the crimes of those in the top tier of the GWB administration. The credibility of our remorse will vanish if we ignore the provisions in our own law, and our obligations under ratified Treaties.

Senator Leahy's Truth and Reconciliation Commission is not a substitute for enforcement of the rule of law. It accomplishes nothing, but rather muddies the water and complicates necessary indictments and trials.

President Obama's credit is rapidly being exhausted by retention of many abuses of GWB, including the modifications of wiretapping authority legalizing earlier lawbreaking, the invocation of State Secrets to block access to legal remedies by persons subject to criminal torture and illegal imprisonment, delays in resolving return of sovereignty to Iraq, and expansions of military activity in Afghanistan and into Pakistan.

If he thinks he will gain the admiration of the country for letting Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice walk away with no accountability, I believe he is deeply mistaken.

Regards,

John Williford
Richland, WA

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Subject: More lunacy for the gullible

Dear BuzzFlash:

Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are better known right-wing sleazeballs, but a few lesser known wanna-bes are worthy of attention for their insipid commentary. I bring up Richard Land, the Limbaugh clone who clokes himself in evangelical Christian cliches supposedly to make his wacked out views more "divinely inspired".

Mr. Land, who bills himself as fighting "counter-intelligence", which I interpret as opposing any intelligent opinion contrary to his, which would mean most of them, was attacking President Obama's handling of the economic crisis on his Saturday spew. He was of the opinion that what was in the past (re: George W. Bush, whom Land practically worships) doesn't count any more, and that to switch tactics to deal with the economic situation was a bad thing to do. Huh?!?! By all means, let's keep doing things the Republican way, and protect the rich bastard's dough, which is all Land really gives a damn about anyway.

Of course, his audience eats it up like a cheap Vegas buffet. It's disheartening to deal with the fact that so many people who call themselves adult and intelligent are so willing to swallow such stupidity with nary a thought of possible factual errors, outright lies or thinly veiled attacks on the middle class, whom people like Limbaugh, Land and others so desperately want to destroy.

I have an idea - why don't we ship these idiots to Baffin Island and let them have their own theocracy with dirt bag poor people that comprise primarily of the AM talk radio audience on one end, and quasi-millionaires on the other, and leave the rest of us alone?

Scott
Fayetteville, Ar.

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Subject: Foreclosures May Save The Economy

Yes, you read that right. Foreclosures MAY SAVE THE ECONOMY.

I just read that 1 in 8 Americans are now in foreclosure and millions more may follow.

So how can foreclosed homes save this economy that seems to be spinning out of control?

In the first place, no one really needed one of those gigantic homes to begin with.

Does anyone NEED 3,000 OR 4,000 square feet of living space? The rest of the world seems to be doing quite fine in much smaller homes.

Don't forget most of America's homes built in the 1950-1960 were under 2,000 square feet.

All of a sudden, the middle class and some of those in the upper lower classes, decided that they wanted to live like the rich. Even believing that they were ENTITLED to live the same way, even if they couldn't afford to.

Everyone bought into the idea, except those of us who lived within our means.

So the NEW AMERICAN DREAM, became not a small house within your budget, but the 3,500 square foot house or larger,that you really couldn't afford.

The MCMANSION that you just HAD TO HAVE, became the new status symbol of the middle class.

I've been reading stories about Nevada and Florida,and elsewhere in the country, where complete subdivisions are now being abandoned, because of foreclosures.

Many of these subdivisions are going to become the slums of the future. Gangs are doing drug deals in the houses, homeless people have moved into these already gutted structures, prostitutes are also making use of these empty buildings.

What you have is inner city neighborhood devastation, but in a suburb, in subdivision after subdivision.

Believe it or not, these homes going into foreclosure is really a BLESSING IN DISGUISE.

This foreclosure mess, may really give us a chance to do it RIGHT with a DO OVER opportunity.

We all know that we NEED to go GREEN.

We all know that we NEED JOBS, to get our economy going again.

We all know that we NEED to build COMMUNITIES NOT DEPENDENT on OIL.

We all know that we NEED a community that is ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY.

We all know that we NEED a community that is family friendly, where neighbors know one another and let people have a connection to each another.

These foreclosures will ALLOW us, as a society to get it RIGHT THIS TIME ROUND.

If we tear down these subdivisions, and ACTUALLY build communities, which are GREEN, allow it's residents to WALK and be close to public transportation and make the homes and the community ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, we'll be doing something good for the Earth and for civilization.

Without huge subdivisions, maybe some of the land that houses were built on, could RETURN back to farm land or conservation areas. Open spaces would be very environmentally friendly.

Jobs will be created, when these communities are torn down.

Jobs will be created, when these communities are rebuilt.

Architects who specialize in green buildings will lead the way.

Green materials for these homes, will create new businesses and jobs.

This country LACKS good craftsmen, bricklayers, carpenters, electricians,etc. Let's see the federal government train people in these trades.

Could every new community have its own wind power, to generate electricity for its citizens?

Homes could either have solar panels or green roofs, like our Mayor Daley has on the top of many office buildings.

Read: Brian Handwerk, Nov. 11/15/04: Landscaped Roofs Have Chicago Mayor Seeing Green

Builders would hire people to build QUALITY, GREEN homes.

City planners would have to develop new communities that factor in people WALKING and NOT DRIVING to get around in the community.

How about going back to the OLD TOWN CENTERS? In some towns, all the stores were built AROUND THE TOWN SQUARE.

A recession/depression is causing more and more stores to close. This will lead to malls and strip shopping malls to be vacant.

Personally, I've always hated strip shopping malls. Someone should have asked mothers, with little children what that thought of them BEFORE they built them.

Knock those shopping malls DOWN NOW.

A town square would allow you to park your car(that's if you drove to the center of town) and WALK to all the stores at one time IN THE FRESH AIR.

Our mental health will improve, no stress driving places, having a connection to people and the community, by meeting neighbors when you go out to shop and talking to them.

Having a simpler life style, will improve mental health. Not having a huge mortgage to worry about for one thing.

Physically, you'll walk more, getting a lot more exercise. These communities would also have bike trails and paths, for cycling.

If we build smaller, greener homes, we're helping the environment, as well as, our own mental and physical health and well being.

The Republicans should be on board with this idea, because they say we need entrepreneurs to start small businesses.

A town square would allow many entrepreneurs the opportunity to own and start new businesses.

If we DON'T patronize Wal-Mart and other big box stores, that have destroyed the small businesses of America, then they should go the way of the dinosaurs into EXTINCTION.

Just think of ALL the communities in America, that could be rebuilt. So instead of us calling the foreclosures a disaster, let's look at them as a NEW BEGINNING for America.

Markmyword
Chicago, Illinois

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Subject: Triangulating Yet Again

For those of us who were hoping for real change, this couldn't be a worse time to be "fooled again." The game seems to be turning out to be the same old one: winning, with just a few (very few) new faces.

Obama apparently thinks he wins by offering what are really token gestures at "reform", thus maintaining a populist reformer image with a substantial portion of his voter base (still quite helpful even in a titular "democracy"). But, he does so while, in fact, appeasing those in control of what's left (quite a lot actually) of the real money/power base. This basic principle may be best illustrated by the glaring fact that our Reformer-in Chief has yet to even ask one, single, official (or regulator) at any financial institution to step down (let alone send any to jail) for the unprecedented mismangement of our financial system.

This despite the fact that, we the people, are now major shareholders,and/or outright owners of the offending institutions. Furthermore, the "Change We Can Believe In" apparently does not include introducing a single piece of legislation aimed at ending these same abuses, even though they have resulted in the virtual unraveling of the very fabric of this country. The name of the game, unfortunately, is still "Stay On Top By Triangulating", it's being played by the same people, with different titles, but for much higher stakes.

And they will apparently play this game until they're the last ones left on earth... Richard Margolin

Richard M. Margolin

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Subject: Really sad and in very bad taste

Did anyone else see the story about Barbara Bush and her surgery where they showed her husband in tears sobbing about he couldn't make it without her or something to that effect?

That should have never hit the air and I am not that found of GHWB and definitely not a fan of Barbara, but capturing this man in this private moment was uncalled for.

We all know he isn't that well and the last few times I have heard him speak you could tell he is going down pretty fast. They have been together for a lot of years.

I felt so sorry for him.

Karen Webb
Moore, Ok

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