BuzzFlash Mailbag for June 1, 2009

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Subject: GOP

Do we need to send an urgent telegram to the GOP telling them that they lost the elections?

They just keep prattling on as if they are still in unfettered power. A sorry mess they are... they lied to the public for 8 years and now they are lying to themselves. This is all symptomatic of deep-seated resentment of having to relinquish power.

For every one of their whacko actions, there is a reaction. That reaction is that republicans are losing credibility with American voters. A mere 21% of Americans identify themselves with the republican party now. This is a plus for the democrats and independents.

So, grin and bear the prattling of Limbaugh, Gingrich, Cheney and the lot. Realistically, these resentful republicans are a gift to the democratic party. Everytime they spew their venom, another voter disavows the republican party and their ilk. And it doesn’t cost democrats a cent.

captain jessie
cincy, OH

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Subject: Dr. Tiller (Murdered, in church)

On news flashes and in the paper, I have been watching and reading about the death of Dr. George Tiller.

A reporter this morning said the man who murdered Dr.Tiller "Tried to kill freedom. We do not have to go to third world nations to try to stop terrorists...they are alive and well right here in our one Country!"

Not only does Bill O'Reilly have blood on his hands, so do all the regular people who spread the kind of hate that killed the good doctor!

I recently had one of these hate filled persons offer to pray for me because I did not TOTALLY agree with their stance on abortion...(even through I am pro life). I believe strongly in the three exceptions...of 'the life of the mother' 'rape' and 'incest'...this person drives home the fact all the time that she believes it is murder!..although she will lamely agree with the three exceptions!

I think the difference in many who actually are pro life is...that they do not obsess about it day after day after day period!!

These same persons who preach...ABORTION... every single time any kind of politics is discussed, do not have one problem with the killing of innocent children in Iraq...after four high ranking people in the administration lied us into a war...that was not!

They couldn't care less, knowing that 50% of the Iraq population is under that age of 16...and there is no way of knowing how many little kids died face down in the mud and sand of Iraq!

A paragraph in our paper describes him well, "Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with the technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born!"

It is a sad day when a coward such as Scott P. Roeder can even get his hands on a gun...and kill, then knowing (as most that it is a cowardly act) instead of standing his ground and bragging that he had done God's work...he runs like the yellow-bellied coward that he is...170 miles away before being caught... God help us all!!!!

Shirlee
S'hampton, Mo.

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Subject: Your Book Recommendation: In defense of food

In regards to your book recommendation, In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. This book that you are pimping is written by a journalist trying to give nutritional advice, and obviously so. The book truly has no real substance. The book you should be recommending is by T. Colin Campbell: The China Study. Read it...no comparison.

A BuzzFlash Reader

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Subject: Adieu

Hello, All.

(I sent the following note to my personal ISSUES group late last week. It is normally a good idea to wait a few days with such things. Having waited a few days, I share these remarks with whoever among the readership may have followed my stuff over the past eight-plus years).

I've had some setbacks in trying to get views up on BuzzFlash. A number of pieces submitted as Contributions have been bumped into the Mailbag. A couple of others that have been sharply critical of policies of the new president have just vanished entirely, because "we can't print everything." Blogs on the Right and the Left have their own viewpoints, and select which truths they decide to speak to which power. This is indeed their right, and sites at both extremes flourish by pandering to their core constituencies.

When this site was centered on opposition to the Right Wing established power in the White House and the Congress, it provided ample opportunity for truth, as well as feel-good venting. With the change in administration, the site no longer seems to have much principled purpose. So, I'm retiring from obsessive participation in the BuzzFlash community unless or until they find a new balance with today's realities and the need to speak truth to power - even the power we voted for.

Like some other Contributors, I dropped away during the Campaign season for close to a year. During that period, BuzzFlash went through a period of printing 30 to 50 pieces a day trashing Senator Clinton. After the election and a hiatus of a year, I returned to sending Contributions and letters. There have been a few Mailbag writers who have expressed deep concerns with some policies of the new president, which seem to mirror those of the last president. I expect there will be further attrition of the BuzzFlash readership and monetary support over time, unless they can find a new balance and purpose. I don't envy the editor's position in these circumstances, and I really don't see how support from the Left can be maintained if core issues of war, peace, nuclear security and adherence to law are not supported more aggressively.

I'm personally moving on to direct communication with Congress, the White House and the mainstream press (e.g., the NYT Comment sections). This is just a heads-up to those who have been following my BuzzFlash efforts in the past.

I bid the BuzzFlash readership a fond adieu.

John Williford
Richland, WA

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Subject: A crazy Repub commits himself (Rep. John Sullivan)

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/23150.html

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/29/congressman.rehab/

In 2002 he told high school students he had rid himself of the problem, but aparantly not.

I would feel sorry for this idiot, but if you get on that sanctimonious high horse while under the influence, sooner or later you will be thrown.

http://www.news9.com/global/story.asp?s=10447050

"Until Sullivan returns, Oklahoma's delegation is short one vote."

One crazy, always unanimous, vote less.

Karen Webb
Moore, Ok

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Subject: Possible link for you

Analysis, video. [on Bill McKibben]

Oh, Mercy, Mercy Me: Bill McKibben in Jamaica Plain

Michael
Stoughton, MA

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Subject: Wilkerson...Cheney: Lonely, paranoid, frightened

This article is something that everyone on earth should read. Wilkerson..finally...is a person we can all look up to....just the fact that he wrote that letter on the night of Powell's speech...sending us to a war built strictly on lies....is admitting something that most people would never do.. But, he has made many appearances on TV now, and discusses it openly. I have watched him from the beginning of his "come back" journey... His confessions are something that so many folks i know, should be able to stand up and admit they were wrong.,but will never..they cannot admit they are wrong about the smallest things. And..should make many people admit that they lied,so many!!!!

Wilkerson: Cheney "Lonely, Paranoid, Frightened"

And: "Boston Legal"

I can remember all through the years of its run, Buzz...always followed and seemed to admire the show, "Boston Legal." Back then, I was working full time, and never got to watch it... I do now...and enjoy it very much...and hope to be able to rent all the back issues ... We enjoy watching it every chance we get and love the talks the two stars always have at the end... They are not afraid to express their political opinions...what a joy to watch a show that likely does not, or never, followed in the footsteps of the two biggest liars ever in the White House.

Thanks to Buzz for your putting the readers on to these really good shows.

Shirlee......S'Hampton...Mo.

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Subject: Bill O'Reilly

Piecing Together the Murder of Dr. George Tiller: Right-Wing Violence Rears Its Head | Reproductive Justice and Gender | Alternet.

Somebody has to do something about Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck or this kind of murder is going to continue to happen.

Bill
Chicago

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Subject: Israeli Arabs Defiant On Loyalty Oath

"No surprise, this."

"Why not?"

"Rather than take a loyalty oath Palestinians will choose martyrdom."

"The reason being?"

"Palestine is their birthright."

"Will the Israeli government back down?"

"Back down or not, the outcome's going to be the same."

"How is that?"

"If it doesn't back down, it faces a slave uprising which will lead to an awakening of the Arab masses, such as hasn't been seen since the days of Saladin."

"And if Israel's government does back down?"

"One victory for the Palestinians, that's all it'll take."

"Which means?"

"Back down or not, the settler-state's days are numbered.

"Instead what?"

"Jewish colonizer and colonized Palestinian sit down together and work things out."

"Based on?"

"One equals one."

"Anything else?"

"Liberty and justice for all."

A BuzzFlash Reader

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Subject: Full text of Berkeley speech

Here is the full text of the speech Judge Sotomayer made.

http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/05/26_sotomayor.shtml

A BuzzFlash Reader

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Subject: WHY ARE THE RICH SO AFRAID OF HUGO CHAVEZ?

Because he makes sense and he is a threat to their greedy dominance of the wealth.

Putting profitable ventures in state hands is a way to bolster financing for social projects, and Chavez recently said his government has recovered its investment in telephone company CANTV two years after buying a $572 million stake from U.S.-based Verizon Communications.

The government agreed last week to pay $1 billion for a unit of Spanish bank Santander, and intends to use its purchase to facilitate credits to farmers and poor families.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/05/31-3

A BuzzFlash Reader

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Subject: The Northern Half of Korea

Do other people feel the same disgust and exasperation that I do over Mr. Kim's antics in his pathetic little "country"? We created the sorry state of affairs in Korea, bringing the war to them and dividing their country in half. Far from owning up to our responsibility, we have kept the untenable situation frozen in time for our own advantage - from maintaining a large military force in the south to playing off Mr. Kim's belligerence to justify spending billions on "Star Wars", Ronald Reagan's mad dream of creating a nuclear "umbrella" to protect us from nuclear attack from "rogue" states - "North" Korea foremost amongst them. We let Kim spit in our faces on the nuclear issue and missile launches. After a period of "negotiations" he will agree to back off in exchange for a little food and petroleum. We go along with it because it's perceived to be to our advantage to do so.

This will mark approximately the umpteenth time that we've played this little game of "brinksmanship". We see and hear the same parade of clueless Korean "experts" in the media - it's all part of an elaborate and tiresome charade. The media pundits like to portray Mr. Kim as a madman - but to the people in the north of Korea his shenanigans put food on the table and turns on the electricity for a brief interval of time.

The one topic that you'll never hear discussed is reunification. It is apparently absolutely forbidden to broach this subject - even though this is the one topic that Kim can't lightly dismiss. I'm sure that most Americans perceive Korea as a tribal culture - though nothing could be further from the truth. Koreans are a proud, cohesive people, and the vast majority of them yearn to see their country made whole again.

At the end of the Cold War, recall how quickly the west acted to reunite Germany. It was the number one priority. It is manifestly in the best interest of Koreans - particularly for those living in the north. We are the Iron Fist, not Russia or China in this situation. It would have been done years ago if we had allowed it.

It's little more than slapstick humor at this point and I've stopped watching nearly all TV news until it's over. I hold the news media - and the government - in utter contempt over this issue. "North" Korea may be a pathetic little "country" - but we ourselves cannot be seen as much better. We apparently don't want to see any real progress but are satisfied to perpetuate the 1957 armistice indefinitely for our own byzantine advantage.

Tim Mooring
San Francisco

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Subject: Dr. Tiller

Sorry for the family of Dr. Tiller. I don't agree with abortion (or the death penalty either, for that matter), but this is very tragic. It only takes another life. I am so sorry for the doctor's family and loved ones.

A BuzzFlash Reader

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Subject: DON'T FLATTER YOURSELF

I'm so sick to death of hearing Bush, Cheney and those other lying Republicans talk about how they kept us safe and protected America and how they had to use torture in order to save American lives. Don't flatter yourself, Bush and Cheney. You 2 sniveling cowards didn't even have the guts to serve in the military, yet we are supposed to believe you are tough and strong enough to protect America and its people?

Quit patting yourselves on the back. You did not protect me from any terrorist attack. My life was never in any danger. And even if it was, I wouldn't expect Bush/Cheney to be qualified to protect me! If anybody protected America and kept us safe, it was President Bill Clinton. When the World Trade Center was attacked in 1993, Bill Clinton made sure the terrorists responsible were tried, convicted and sentenced to long prison terms. We were not attacked again until that weak, spineless, sorry excuse for a human being George W. Bush stole the election away from President Al Gore. If Mr. Gore had been occupying The White House on September 11, 2001, we might not have been attacked at all!

Shirley Dianne Jackson
Portland, Oregon

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Subject: Stop the arms leak!

We must seal our border to make sure that we keep all our precious weapons in this country, in the hands of our citizens and our criminals, where they belong; not in the hands of Mexico's citizens and Mexico's criminals who are so backward and undeserving.

What makes this country great is power! Not sissy ideas, morals, and values (except for being against abortion and gays) but guns, assault rifles, and even nuclear weapons. Border patrol patriots wake up, turn around and look inward. Contain our holy machines of destruction within this country. Peasants going the other way to pick vegetables as slave labor are no threat, as long as they swear not to steal our weapons. And "to not steal" is one of the ten commandments that we as a Christian nation believe in. The other is the "right to bear arms."

The soft-on-torture liberal

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Subject: Summers

Buzz

I do appreciate you publishing that article about Larry Summers. I don't forget that he said women should not be in mathematics. I am happy that I voted for Cynthia McKinney, instead of Obama because I do not think she would have made such a sexist appointment as Larry Summers.

A BuzzFlash Reader

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Subject: Online news charges

I think this is a very bad idea at this time. Most people don't have any extra money to throw around.

Frankly the newspapers have not done their jobs, they did nothing to uncover the misdeeds of bush and company. They ran stories that were plainly propaganda and years before they have done nothing to cover the real state of things. To get the real news you have to read something from England or Europe.

I for one will not pay a penny to them. For years they were just conduits for sales ads and coupons, and more ads. Most of those pages went to the trash or the recycler.

A BuzzFlash Reader

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Subject: Left Versus Right

"Vision?"

"The left seeks a better world, the right aims to hold onto this one, or worse, no matter what."

"Plan?"

"For the left it's to rise up en masse, for the right it's hold onto power by whatever means are necessary."

"Spirit?"

"On the left it's Yes We Can, on the right it's My Country Right Or Wrong."

"Which way will it go."

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Us."

A BuzzFlash Reader

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Subject: Rangers

This week they told one of their fans to either turn her T shirt inside out or leave. They said it was profane and what did it say;

YANKEES SUCK

This is the same organization that had Dubya as their liason between the management and the fans.

During the 2000 campaign I was trying to do a piece comparing Gore and Bush on their resumes. One of the things I looked at were the reference books, Current Biography. Gore was in it at least 10 years before Dubya, but I found a very interesting quote from Dubya that plays into the Texas Ranger proper-ness police.

I can't recall which yearbook it was in, but it was while he was governor of Texas. He did an interview and I can't recall which publication, but they asked why he didn't sit in the owners box.

I can't find the actual quote and I don't have a car to go to the library, but this is close;

I want the fans to see me sitting in the same seats, eating the same popcorn and peeing in the same urinal.

The Current Biography gives the source. They were interviewing him because it was while his dad was either VP or President. I believe it was while he was President.

I have used it many times to show his class. The idea of asking people to watch him pee is a bit much.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/05/29/Texas-fan-told-to-nix-suck-shirt/UPI-95211243636025/

Karen Webb
Moore, Ok

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Subject: Paranoia

I saw a link to this article on BUZZFLASH:

Wilkerson: Cheney "Lonely, Paranoid, Frightened"

Hey dick, it's not paranoia if we're really out to get ya.

Mike Curtis
Greenbrier Ark

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Subject: GOP Hypocrite Nomination: Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)

I nominate Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)for GOP Hypocrite of the week.

See: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/05/by_paul_kane_the_top.html?hpid=topnews

Focus on: This is an expected role reversal from four years ago, when Chief Justice John Roberts was nominated in late July by a Republican president and the GOP controlled the Senate. Republicans such as Sessions and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) called for confirmation hearings during the August recess, after just four weeks, while Democrats demanded more time and called for more documents to be released on Roberts.

Thanks for everything you do,

Wayne Jonas Bealer
Reading

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