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October 8, 2003 |
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Subj: How Many Barf Bags for Orrin Hatch? BuzzFlash, I am not sure if four barf bags are enough for Orrin Hatch's "We have to look at people who they are today, not what they may have done wrong in the past,". He lead the slandering campaign against both Anita Hill and Bill Clinton. When Cokie Roberts criticized his attack on Anita Hill, Hatch tried to physically assault her. His role in attacking Clinton is nicely summarized in the second link: "Orrin Hatch is now a stand-up comedian. He looks like Buster Keaton with his deadpan face, solemnly intoning into the camera, "Yes, we may have to impeach the leader of the free world if it appears that he has lied about having sex." I can't watch him without imagining that the minute the camera goes away, he's going to collapse into hysterical laughter." Larry, Maryland Subj: Arnold The media as usual has it all wrong about Arnold. It's not sexual harassment; he's a pervert. Anyone who, for no apparent reason, grabs women's or men's private parts is sick. He obviously isn't trying to attract willing women, only attract attention. It's all about degrading and humiliating other people. Rush Limbaugh does the same thing with his mouth. I hope Arnold does become Governor. Then the whole country will have to come to gripes with the growing incidence of bullies in our society. If you condone their behavior, you're as perverted as they are. It would appear the party of Lincoln has become the party of perverts. What's going on in the White House -- committing treason for revenge -- is about as perverted as it gets. But the news media let's Novak off the hook saying he's only protecting sources. The Republicans say Bush couldn't possibly have known. I doubt Lincoln would have seen it that way. Adolph Hitler is alive and well and dominating the landscape of the United States...from sea to shining sea. What's ironic is Arnold is married to a journalist who prefers to look the other way. Just as the rest of the media has been doing for the past two years. S. Harrington Subj: Martha Stewart When Enron hit the press, and there was a connection made between Bush and Ken Lay in all the newspapers - all of a sudden high-profile Martha Stewart hit the news. The Ken Lay info just died out and poor Martha was everywhere. The U.S. attorney in New York, James Comey, who charged Martha Stewart, is President Bush's choice to be Deputy Attorney General. Coincidence? I think not! Connie Subj: Marching orders from Bob McChesney Media corporations are getting bigger and democracy is losing. Journalism has become dumbed-down entertainment, we are deluged by advertising, and elections have become scripted horse races instead of forums for meaningful debate. And it's getting worse. This summer the Federal Communications Commission made it easier for media giants to get even bigger. In response to massive public outcry -- some three million Americans wrote or called Washington in an unprecedented show of opposition -- the Senate passed a full rollback of the FCC rules. Now members of the House of Representatives are listening to big media lobbyists instead of the public, and are blocking a vote. Today we've reached a make-or-break moment that hinges on you. With three simple steps, you can make the difference. Your petition and phone call are the only ways to force a vote on legislation that would reverse the FCC's decision. STEP ONE Sign the online petition to roll back the FCC rules. Go to http://www.mediareform.net/petition.php. STEP TWO Call your U.S. Representative. Go to http://www.mediareform.net/callcongress for the number and details. Most Members of Congress get fewer than 5 calls a day from constituents on ANY legislative issue. 10 calls on one issue looks like a banner day. 50 makes people sit up and wonder. 100 lights a fire. Why call? Because a letter is being circulated by leading House Democrats and Republicans calling for a vote on media ownership. If your Representative hasn't signed it, please call them and ask him/her to do so. Over 120 (out of 435) have signed already. Click here http://www.mediareform.net/callcongress to find out if your Representative is on the letter. Instructions are provided. STEP THREE Forward this message to everyone you know. Yours, Robert W.
McChesney P.S. For more information on the FCC rules and media reform efforts, visit http://www.mediareform.net. Working together we can build a better media. BACKGROUND Since the FCC loosened media ownership rules on June 2, the House and Senate have voted for three bills that overturn some or all of the changes. Not a single one of these bills has passed in both chambers. On September 16th the Senate voted by an overwhelming margin for a full reversal of the FCC's blunder. It's now in the House of Representatives, but the Speaker of the House -- Rep. Dennis Hastert -- is rejecting the democratic process. Hastert, who controls the House voting schedule, says he has no plans to allow a vote on the resolution. Republican Majority Leader Tom Delay has called the Senate bill "dead on arrival." They won't permit a vote because they don't want it to pass. They favor the concentration of corporate wealth over a democratized media system (see http://www.mediareform.net/news.php?id=1178 for details). Your action is the only thing that will change their minds. Subj: George Bush on Rush Limbaugh's Recent Problems
A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Voting in California I just received and e-mail from a friend in Ca. .... looks like the hijinx have begun already:
Subj: not worried about outcomes in CA Dear BuzzFlash: The vote is too close to call in California and I'm headed over to the senior home to vote. While I've worked diligently to urge people to vote and heard from people (I normally like) why they are voting for Arnold, I'm not worried about the outcome. Let's face it, things are going to have to get much worse before that large non-voting segment oozes out of their torpor to vote. As a good friend of mine opined while we watched events unfold in 2000, it's not bad enough in the U.S. or people would have marched on Washington (as they did in Caracas, Venezuela) after the Supreme Court installed the Dim Son in the White (apt name, huh Rush?) House. Cry all you want about the flaws in our 2-party, winner-take-all "democracy"-- until about 70% of the eligible voting population exercises their privilege to vote, we can't really test the legitimacy of our system. Perhaps campaign finance issues would be mitigated if more people actually voted. So, let's raise a glass to the great state of California. We will get through the next few hours and we will keep chugging along, come earthquake, high water or the Austrian Predator. G. Chung Subj: More Dubyaspeak, and journalists don't even notice From "Bush Has Doubts Leaker Will Be Caught" [LINK]: "I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is..." Bush told journalists. Adding a note of optimism, Bush said, "But we'll find out." Who's stupider? Bush for making yet another incongruous statement, or all of the journalists for not asking him what the hell he's talking about? Warren Subj: The Goose and Gander problem [LINK] Civil lawsuit by Wilson/Plame? Let's see, depositions, discovery, embarrassing revelations…I love it!! OK…all those Republicans that said Bill Clinton should have had to answer questions about Paula Jones under oath while President because he's not "above the law", the hypocrisy police await... Marc L.
Lippincott Subj: This Smells
The White House declined to discuss the extent to which the hand-overs would be reviewed by the White House (Bush's) Counsel's office. One can only imagine what kind of vetting will go in in that office - everything will be scrutinized to make sure they didn't miss something in the past 2 months & conveniently disposed of. Why aren't these files being turned over directly to the investigators? Why are they going to the Bush's lawyer first? is this SOP? That the White House lawyers get to review everything before it's turned over to investigators? Linda Subj: Absentee ballots May be the Answer Buzz, After considering all the ramifications of "black box" voting, the solution may be to encourage as many people as possible to file absentee ballots. Here in Oregon, we vote by mail and can keep our own record of who we voted for. The most important thing to remember is getting that ballot mailed in plenty of time. Even though it will cost postage, it certainly is a lot cheaper than the gas used to getting to the voting booth. Cynthia
Putt Arnold Schwarzenegger has been elected Governor in California. I am afraid for my country Afraid of what its people might want, and get, and like, under pressure of combined reality and illusion. Afraid that it will embrace totalitarianism at home and world domination abroad, and the attendant destruction of our planet; with a whoop and a holler. It has happened in the not-too-recent past in other places, under similar conditions, and these conditions exist here, now. Reason, factual informed discussion, and especially, restraint; have been replaced by direct hind-brain emotional appeal to the sense of disenfranchisement, by brutish misogyny, humiliation, and the implied threat of violent retribution for those who do not follow. Milton Mayer wrote in 1955: "If we succumb to that concatenation of conditions, no Constitution, no laws, no police, and certainly no army would be able to protect us from harm. For there is no harm that anyone else can do to a man that he cannot do to himself, no good that he cannot do if he will. And what was said long ago is true: Nations are built not of oak and rock but of men, and, as the men are, so will the nations be." Michael
Anderson Subj: Suzanne from SFO Dear BuzzFlash: As someone who lived thru the Kennedy Era as a young woman, (this was my first election opportunity, and it was a thrill to vote for JFK), I could not say it better than Suzanne from San Francisco. As much as the trash that we sadly call our "elected" government tries to discredit the Kennedys, they can't alter their history. I would rather live with the hope and honor that I felt then, than the misery and depression I feel now when I see what our country has become. Barbara from Rhode Island Subj: Too Stupid to Vote BuzzFlash, Everyone says that the GOP is trying to recall Gov. Davis of California because he started with a surplus and now has a deficit. Well I welcome all those Republicans to sign on to the petition to recall or impeach George W. Bush. He began with a much larger surplus and now has a much larger deficit. There are very few Governors in the US who are not facing deficits and most of it has to do with George W. Bush giving his surplus away and shifting responsibilities for all the unfunded mandates to the states. I was just amused to the point of falling in the floor at the comments of Robin Cruse of San Clemente, who is entirely too stupid to even be allowed to vote. "She said that the sexual harassment accusations against him only made her angrier about the opposition and had driven her to cancel her subscription to The Los Angeles Times, which reported many of the recent accusations." Do you suppose she became angrier and angrier every time they reported a new one about Bill Clinton or does her anger only apply to harassed Republicans or did she believe each and everyone. The statement that confirms she is way to stupid to make rational decisions said, "When they are going off on him, it just makes me madder," she said. " I think maybe, yeah, when he was an actor, he was probably goofing around a lot. But he wasn't running for anything then. I trust Arnold to be an honest, good husband." Maybe "when" he was an actor it was alright? He was an actor 11 weeks ago and is still an actor unless he is elected and then he will be acting as governor. He has been married and an actor since 1986 and I guess grabbing butts and boobs, ridiculing his wife for throwing up and acting like a horse's butt was alright. He keeps up with the quotes from his movies like they are quotes from something other than what they are. He considers violence entertaining or he wouldn't keep making those movies. Apparently the more violent the more entertaining. He is calling 16 women liars and he isn't apologizing for anything because he thinks what he did is fine because he is Arnold. Karen Webb Subj: Report on voting in CA A forwarded email: sari.... i just came back from voting. It was so disorganized.... why don't they even check my id??? i tried to show my drivers lic. and they acted like i'd done something wrong... 'put it away'! All i did was sign in next to my name. Anyone could've signed in for anyone!! So... they way the ballot is laid out is, first -- it's HUGE... like 11x17" single sheet.... they say vote on the recall, then pick a candidate from the long list of 135 names. It looks like the scrambled up the alphabet and put all of each letter names "randomly" into a list. RANDOMLY with S being at the top of the list. guess who's name showed up SECOND on the ballot out of 135 names?????? bustemante's name was buried about three quarters into the second column of names. such BULLSHIT. NOR, and i'm SURE that this will be a problem for some voters, did they explain clearly that even if you vote NO on the recall to STILL vote for a candidate. I've talked to a few people (not *entirely* dumb types) who didn't know that if you vote NO on the recall you STILL vote for a candidate. enough of that and inevitably more YES voters will have selected a candidate than NO voters will have --- and the repubs will have an edge. i don't know.... i'm sure most of the people i was in line with are republicans. i made some comments when i left about how the names were organized unfairly. got some dirty looks. from everything i gather going on here today in CA... i think it's going to be a LARGE voter turnout. The more i think about this whole mess... .the more it pisses me off. Regardless of whether he's a weenie or not, we elected GRAY DAVIS by a MAJORITY. Then they got 12 percent of the voters to sign a recall petition. 12 percent.. next thing you know we're voting for a new governor (Davis is not even a choice on the ballot). IS THERE ANY GOVERNOR EVER WHO COULDN'T HAVE BEEN RECALLED THE VERY NEXT DAY AFTER AN ELECTION where they won by a majority??? Wouldn't it be possible in almost any situation to find 12 percent of the people against a given official or candidate??????? Only officials elected with more than 88 percent of the vote would be immune to a 12 percent recall!!!! RIGHT???? It would be one thing if it took 12 percent of voter signatures to initiate a recall proceeding of some kind.... like an impeachment trial, or whatever. But this went STRAIGHT to a ballot, not only for a recall but for a SUCCESSOR!!! How could this possibly be constitutional???????? what do you think? How can this be happening??? If this is true and arnold wins.... we must IMMEDIATELY gather 12 percent of voter signatures to recall him. With this law in place..... future elections will be pointless. I think all we can do is push the limits of the law. Democrats need to get it together. big time. arnold was the second name on the ballot. can you believe that??????? jen Subj: California 2003 = Florida 2000 revisited My partner just called from West Hollywood, CA (6:45pm PDT) to report that, on leaving work, he discovered our regular polling place was closed. He was directed to a second location (no parking-long lines) only to learn he had to go to a third location. When he arrived at the third polling place (no-parking, long lines) he was directed to a fourth, but after persistent questioning, was allowed to vote 'provisionally' at the third location. He was advised that his 'provisional' ballot, "could takes weeks to be certified and counted." He claimed this process took well over an hour, and that there were literally 100s of folks lined up waiting to get inside. He overheard dozens of seniors complaining about being confused, and several Russian-only speaking folks utterly confounded at what to do or where to go, many too infirmed to 'get to another place.' There were no translators available, so the officials resorted to shouting, "DID YOU VOTE YET?" In response to my question, "Did you make sure there were no hanging chads on your ballot?" he replied, "Who knows? I just wanted to vote and get the hell out of there, it was so upsetting." He concluded that, with but an hour left, 100s would not be able to cast their votes tonight. I'm grateful for having voted absentee ballot two weeks ago, but learned my ballot could take several weeks to be counted, and fearful that I'm seeing the unravelling of the Democratic process. I'm so grateful for BuzzFlash and its endless links to a steady stream of sane, courageous, evenhanded articles that elucidate our nation's plight. Perhaps, as my sainted grandmother used to say, "Misery loves company." With admiration, C. Robert
Holloway Subj: My Letter to the Sun Times about Robert Novak From: J.
Murphy While I would give the Sun Times high points for loyalty in your ardent defense of Mr. Novak, I would append that with: Come off it, will you? You can read Novak's July 14th column from top to bottom, backwards, forwards and any which way half a dozen times. No matter how many times you read it, there is simply no rational way to justify the presence of Joe Wilson's wife full name and disclosure as a CIA operative. Her name and occupation have simply nothing to do with the story. It was Wilson who went to Niger to investigate the yellowcake claims, not his wife. It was Wilson, not his wife who criticized the preemptive war on Iraq for what he felt was an overblown set of reasons. His wife actually had almost nothing to do with the story. Yet Novak went out of his way to worm into the column, the information obtained from "Senior White House officials" that now has the administration under fire. Obviously the motive was revenge against a prominent and credible critic of Bush's foreign policy and potential intimidation of anyone else who might come forward. There was simply no other reason for her name and function even to be in the story. I think it is telling that reportedly, half a dozen other Washington journalists were approached with this sordid chore and all refused----except Novak. Novak has done GOP dirty work before: during Bush Senior's campaign, operative Karl Rove was reportedly fired for planting scurrilous allegations against one Robert Mosbacher Jr., a GOP fundraiser who had apparently run afoul of some Bush insiders. I think that if Mr Novak had any self respect as a journalist, he would not allow his column to be used as a "rape room" in which the Administration can brutally avenge the President's critics. Joanne G Murphy Subj: Robert Novak, journalist??? Dear Buzz, I wrote the following letter to CNN to express my outrage over the fact that Robert Novak continues to hold forth as a journalist on CNN, with impunity, after recent events. If CNN hears from enough of us, maybe they'll rethink their willingness to continue giving him a soapbox. After all, he isn't a reporter any more, he is very much a part of the story. His cavalier, snide attitude is sickening. At the very least he is totally unethical and it is my fervent hope that his television career will suffer a fate similar to Mr. Limbaugh's.
Prudence Consensual sex is impeachable....illicit, groping and non-consensual sex is a winning combination in our new RepublicanWorld. Gerald Nelson Subj: What am I supposed to do now? I live in California, and am just sick and tired of Republican bullshit. Now they have taken the Governorship of my home state. Somehow it was one thing when it was happening in Washington, but now they have struck at home. How can I fight back? Elliot Subj: Which election will they overturn next? If they succeed in Texas and California, who will be next? Old Arnie says he has no special interest gropes or groups. I hope they give him 9 months and then kick his butt back to Austria. I guess it could be a plus that California has a repub guv who is pro-choice and gay rights. I hope all 16 women come up with a class action suit and take Arnie and Maria for a fortune. At least we may not have to see Maria's emaciated form anymore on NBC, except as Mrs. Arnold, first lady of Calif. Karen Webb Subj: So . . . when does the recall start? I'm thinking of moving to CA so I can sign the new recall petition. Dan Subj: We are also part of the coalition of the UN-Willing It's good to see BuzzFlash reporting on the plans of some Australian parliamentarians to turn their backs on Bush when he visits us (briefly) this month, it should be a hoot. (LINK) I just thought I would add that this is not the only parliamentary backlash going on. Yesterday our Senate passed a motion censuring our Prime Miniature for misleading parliament on Iraq. A censure has no real legal ramifications, but it does become an "official opinion", so to speak, of the parliament. Additionally, Senator Bob Brown challenged Bush to a debate, although it's unlikely to happen since Bob is educated, articulate, incredibly polite and would share an opinion or two in common with most Buzz readers (its surprising he was ever elected). Here's part of what he said.....
So, my gut feeling is they are all going to get away with this outrageous war, but at least we have some politicians willing to stand up and say that it was wrong. Australia may have played some role in the coalition of the willing, but it seems there are more of us involved in the coalition of the un-willing. Greg Wright Subj: I can't wait to see Bush embrace The Groper in 2004 Dear Buzz, I can't wait to see George W. Bush embrace Arnuld The Boob Groper and the two of them wave at the huge crowds of cheers while campaigning in CA for election in 2004! Nancy Lynn Nagy (TN) I think Gropennager's election will destroy the republican party in this state for the next 20 years. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Wake Up People!! Buzz, This is a sad day for California, as the jackbooted neocon agenda goose-steps onward. Phil Rowland Subj: Get to Rove by way of Novak Isn't it against the law for ANYONE to "out" a top secret CIA agent? Since when is it OK for a "journalist" like Novak to blow the cover of an undercover intelligence agent? So why not prosecute Novak as a way of finding out who his sources were? I'll bet if he were given a choice between 10 years and divulging his contacts on the Valerie Plame affair, he would sing like Aretha Franklin. Larry Dennison Subj: Arnold's huge win It just shows that reality and fiction, politics and entertainment, are so intertwined in the United States, that people mistake one for the other.... that, I think, we have to thank the mass media for, who makes news entertaining, who tells about death and horror - if at all - with big smiles on the faces of pretty girls so as not to turn the audience away from its commercials, or writes only the things it thinks people want to hear. If ever there was a clear and loud signal of how much trouble America is in, this election is it. But, like the Germans before WWII, the Americans are blind and deaf to the signs. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: No Democracy! Will someone please mention the fact that more people voted NO (a vote for Davis) on the recall than voted for Arnold. Now that is American democracy for ya! What Crap! Peter Subj: Start printing the shirts and bumper stickers, Nelly! Buzz, Time to start printing up the T-shirts and bumper stickers, "I visited the Governor's Office and all I got was groped and this stupid T-shirt." A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: 'No Idea' About Leak Inquiry (washingtonpost.com) "I don't know if we're going to find out the senior administration official," the president said in response to a reporter's question." Now, this is a large administration, and there's a lot of senior officials. I don't have any idea."
JEEEEEEZUS the incompetence.... Might as well let him off the hook, its a 'large' administration............ Greg Subj: The Postcards I have purchased a set of both of the postcards that you offer - the "Bush Lied" ones and the "Are You Better Off" ones. Virtually everyone I show the graphs to (about jobs, the stock market and the surplus) is totally blown away by the reality of what the Bush family has done to the economy of this Country - and how much Clinton was able to do - even though being continuously hounded by the idiot right-wingers. I strongly recommend them to anyone who has a hard time talking to conservatives about why we MUST change this administration . There is NO spinning the information - it is what it is - and can't be argued against. Whoever put them together deserves a big THANK YOU for their creativity. Thank you so much, BuzzFlash, for being so hardworking and articulate in the presentation of your website. I recommend you all the time to people who are hungry for some sanity. Beautiful
Barb Subj: Plame affair and journalistic ethics Journalists must protect their sources when those sources provide information on a story. What if the information, i.e. the leak, IS the story? Then, the information provider becomes the perpetrator of the story. In order to protect a source, shouldn't the journalist demonstrate that there was a story that the information, obtained from the source, pertained to? It seems to me that Novak and the other journalists are not protecting a source, they are protecting a perpetrator. There was no story on Valerie Plame, therefore the leaker was not a source from a journalistic point of view. I'm all for investigative journalism which requires journalists to protect their sources, but they can't hide behind this right when they are divulging information provided by someone who is trying to create the story rather than clarify a story. Novak and the other journalists should be required to show how Plame's job was pertinent to the story or they should be considered as protecting a criminal. Bruce Mackay Subj: Schwarzenegger Celebrates, Davis Concedes What in the world can those people be thinking! Have they gone crazy or do they all watch Fox news. As they say, they get the government they deserve. [LINK] Cynthia Dear BuzzFlash, I could not be more disappointed in the electorate in California. Just the women and minority vote could have defeated the 19th Century mental lightweight Arnold. Oh well, they are going to get what they deserve. But I will never forgive Jay Leno for all of his assistance to Arnold. Jay was pissed because the price of his license tags went up! This from a multi-zillionaire who could well afford to pay any price for his license tags. I plan to record all of Jay's sponsors and boycott them. I think Jay was extremely unfair to Gov Davis and I also remember all of his crappy jokes about V.P. Gore. I was angry then and this makes me want to act against this kind of behavior by people, like Jay, who have a lot of media clout. Unfair! Unfair! And he promotes that stupid Dennis Miller! This guy had the audacity to say on the Leno show that he did not know why the deficit was important at all since it was meaningless. He is a mental incompetent who Jay refers to as his "good friend." Now we will get to see how much work the new governor can accomplish between running to the attorney's office and the courthouse to defend all of the sexual harassment lawsuits that will be filed. This little venture in politics is going to cost him millions in settlements. You go girl! Henry Subj: Hooray for California Dear Buzz, Well, in spite of the numerous attempts to belittle a talented actor and great humanitarian, California has shown America and the rest of the world what it takes to be a true cutting-edge leader, defying critics and forging ahead with stand-alone wisdom and individual unity. Governor Schwarzenegger will set standards of decency and justice that will make King Solomon look like a dead guy. I can see it now: Rapists flocking to California in droves to pursue their lustful dreams, finally no longer discriminated against, with the full (or slightly full) approval of its political leaders and citizens; education eliminated altogether, as it is clear it is no longer needed to rise to power, fame, and fortune; groping, fondling, and gang rape as a required part of every job interview, or involvement in every personal relationship from first date to "going steady" to marriage. If the office staff, family, and/or friends like your tits and/or think you're a great lay, you're a possible job candidate or spouse - - maybe; goose-stepping to military music playing in every Walmart and shopping mall will be the new dance that will soon sweep the nation after Californians make it immensely popular and "cool"; Austrian replacing Spanish as California's second language, with English spoken only in guttural, 3- to 4-word sentences; "I'll be back" becoming the new phrase when any Californian, and soon all of America, is confronted with any serious matter; women who don't look like Governor Schwarzenegger's fashion-cover, every-man's-dream wife will be deported, after being fondled and gang raped of course. It's truly a great day for California, America, and the world, 95% of which are followers and need to be told what to do, where integrity, honesty, experience, and competence no longer matter when it comes to being a leader, and have for too long been denied moral standards of decency. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: The Spy Next Door: Valerie Wilson, Ideal Mom, Was Also the Ideal Cover Let's add a little salt to the fire! While attempting to explain how serious the leak was, the writer ["The Spy Next Door," Washington Post, LINK] inadvertently or otherwise has provided even more detail to anyone trying to determine what she did, how she did it, where she did it, and the other operatives she worked for. Yes, I'd have to agree that the leak has endangered countless others - unnecessarily. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: the bright side to the Gropinator Dear BuzzFlash: Okay, so the worst has happened in California. Governor Arnold is about to take control of the world's fifth-largest economy without a smidgen of legitimate managerial experience (has he even had anything more than a vanity producer credit?), much less political experience. It's just what Shrub wanted. Well, he's got it. And it might be better than our wildest dreams. Imagine California in October 2004, a year into Arnold's term. Early in his term, he foolishly insulted and belittled most of the Legislature, cabinet, and thousands of state employees on the front lines; they, in turn, showed him just how difficult it is to be governor-by-tagline by pointing out his errors, making him eat his words publicly, and demonstrating just how vital their work is to Californians. Several of his groping victims have filed suit, forcing him to have to answer subpoenas aplenty about boorish, nonconsensual behavior that wasn't really all that long ago. And he can't seem to dodge questions about his involvement with Enron's bilking of California consumers to the tune of $9 billion. Voters are now screaming for his head on a platter. And THIS GUY is supposed to deliver California's electoral votes for Shrub in November 2004? Now, Arnold's not stupid. He may prove to be more adept at politicking than we all think. Still, I wouldn't bet the farm on it - the guy's got a 25-year public history of massive ego, brutish behavior and sweet treatment from the entertainment press. Wait until the first crisis he can't sound-bite his way out of and we'll see Arnold disenchanting voters by the thousands, just in time to sink the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Anybody want popcorn? It's gonna be a helluva show. Lisa Smith, Boston Dear Friends: With a lying government in Washington, a womanizing groper in California, a reckless driver and killer in South Dakota, cheating and stealing business executives --- whatever has become of honesty, integrity, and decency in our country? Gustav A. Pohlig Subj: What the hell does that mean? Katie Couric said it was a resounding victory. An overwhelming majority of a an overwhelming minority of Californians of voting age is a resounding victory? There are approximately 25,082,322 plus Californians over the age of 18 and there are 15.3 million who are registered voters and only 6.8 million voted. The only thing I can say is everyone needs to register and vote. When will anyone at Today decide to ask Arnold and his wife why he was having private meetings with Ken Lay before the Energy crisis in California. Ask Maria why her wonderful husband was meeting with Lay? Will Lay be on his finance team? We are already dealing with secret energy meetings between Lay and the Bush administration and now Californians can deal with secret meetings between Enron and Arnold's team. Karen Webb, Moore, Ok. Subj: Let the Recall Begin A legitimate election has been abrogated, and a lawfully elected governor has been replaced by a sexist, racist buffoon who has yet to give the slightest indication that he has a clue about how to govern. Let the recall petitions go out tomorrow. By the time the recall vote is to take place, the morons who voted for this clown will realize that he doesn't have some magic wand that will make a multi-billion dollar budget gap disappear without massive lay-offs, severe service cuts, and yes, tax increases. Now, moronic slogans have to be replaced with concrete actions. Let's see what Governor Grope has up his sleeve. Joann Olbrich Subj: 10/8/03 SAO NOT FOUND When asked why he doesn't question the Senior Administration Officials (SAOs) in his administration about the CIA leak, Bush said he couldn't find them. However, he asked the public to wait and not jump to conclusions. David Kay will lead the search for SAOs after he discovers WMD in Iraq. In the mean time, Bush said he has much confidence in the integrity of all of his missing staff as he does in himself. He also said "I don't want to jump to conclusions, but Clinton did it." [LINK] Larry, Subj: List of things Bush admin. can't find 1. Osama 2. Saddam 3. WMDs 4. Looted Iraqi treasures 5. Reason for war 6. Shoulder mounted missiles 7. White House leakers [did they look under the bed?] How about an appeal for the six journalists to come forward (or even one of them!)? Sari [BuzzFlash Note: Might we also add to the "Bush can't find" list: Ken Lay, the Anthrax Terrorist, Mullah Omar, Respect, Integrity, Decency, Ethics and Morals.] Subj: Treasongate, as they are calling it . . . Does Bush really take us, the public, to be so stupid? "This is a large administration" and "I don't have any idea" as to the source of the leak? If we take Bush at his word (just for the sake of argument, I know he can't be trusted), and that that he "wants to know the truth", implying that SOMEBODY has lied, this means that Bush is okay with having one (at least) of his senior administration officials LIE DIRECTLY TO HIM, probably on a daily basis. He has no problem continuing to work with someone who cannot be trusted. But who is it? Bush doesn't know (he says), so he is going to continue business as usual. What kind of leadership is that? You guys are right, the audacity is just mind-boggling. Moggio Hozna Subj: Conan
A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Whiners aren't winners I hope the Dems have learned something from the California recall mess. Whoever was advising Davis on how to campaign to keep his job was the one who lost it for him. Every time Davis spoke in public, he was humbly apologizing for something or other, and admitting he "made some mistakes" instead of attacking the very idea of the GOP trying to undo an election result they didn't like. There was a strong case to be made that CA's fiscal woes owed a lot to the idiocy of the Bush economic policies, and that the rigging of the electricity "shortage" was the work of some of the biggest backers of the Bush presidential run. Davis should have made it a campaign against Bush, and not Arnold (or Gary Coleman, et al). That would have forced Arnold to defend Bush, which would have changed the whole tone of his campaign. Instead, we see Davis looking like a weak, whiny screw-up who just keeps saying , "Please forgive me for making so many mistakes; I promise I'll try to do better." against Mr. Universe who projects the image of strength and confidence. Whoever ends up with the Democratic nomination needs to come out swinging, and swinging hard. If Gray Davis had done that, the Rove Recall would have been defeated soundly. FJC Subj: Family Values Tell me folks, based on a hypothetical case, would you vote for a family-value person who pinches the buttock and fondles the breast of your wife, daughter or loved ones and has no expertise in politics? John |
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