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___.COMPOSITION______In This Issue_______________________________
Anti-Bush Protests
American Prospect Calls for 'Citizens Movement for Reform'
Bush's Approval Sinks to 80% - and Americans Want a Democratic Congress!
Americans See Through Shrub's Enron 'Bushit' and Want a Special Prosecutor!
When Will Bush's Own Insider Trading Be Investigated?
Use Social Security to Pay for Bush's Tax Cuts? Americans Say 'Over Our Dead Bodies'!
Bush's Budget Motto is 'Leave No Defense Contractor Behind'
Bush's 'Axis of Evil' is a Red Herring to Justify Red Ink for Defense Contractors
Whenever Bush Touts 'Rebuilding New York' – Keep in Mind that He Has Repeatedly Tried
to Reduce Aid to NYC
Is Michael Vreeland a Naval Intelligence Officer who Knew About 9-11 - or a Nut?
Michael Vreeland's Story Is Verified in Court
Were Innocent Civilians Killed in Commando Raid?
A Case of Arrested Development – Adolescent Bush Uses Baseball-like Scorecard to Track
Al Qaida
Hey Kenny Boy - Don't Get Into the Ring with Barbara BOXER!
Enron Exposes GOP's Only True 'Value' - GREED
Yo Scalia - Justices Who Believe in STEALING ELECTIONS Should Resign - That Means YOU!
It's Not Too Late for a War Crimes Tribunal for Ronald Reagan
Attacked by the Right, Robert Dobbs Fights Back
The Ballad of George Bush (Humor)
Ode to Kenny Boy (Humor)
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__Anti-Bush Protests
On Thursday 2/7, protest Bush Sr. in Palm Beach. On Monday 2/11, protest Bush in
Milwaukee, WI.
http://legitgov.org/action.html
__American Prospect Calls for 'Citizens Movement for Reform'
The American Prospect writes, "The current system of campaign finance turns
politicians of both parties into servants of private corporate interests. Republicans
are more explicitly so than Democrats, but the New Democrats play the
corporate-interest game essentially as Republicans do—leaving the Democrats' role as
tribune of the people blunted and their message blurred. On the one hand, Bill Clinton
could appoint and defend a genuine public-minded regulator like Arthur Levitt of the
SEC. On the other, when Levitt got serious about actually regulating corporate and
accounting abuses, it was not just Republicans who warned him to desist, but also New
Democrats with close ties to industry, including Senators Chris Dodd, Robert
Torricelli, and Joseph Lieberman (the same Joe Lieberman now leading the Senate's
investigation of Enron). More than a select committee or special counsel, we need a
citizens' movement for reform." OK guys - so when is the first meeting?
http://www.prospect.org/print/V13/4/editors-t.html
__Bush's Approval Sinks to 80% - and Americans Want a Democratic Congress!
According to the Corporate Media, Americans WORSHIP Bush, right? Wrong!! Bush's job
approval rating has already dropped from 92% to 80%. Yet despite his high popularity,
only 48% say they would vote to re-elect Bush! This is amazing, because political
professionals consider ANY incumbent with a "re-elect" under 50% to be in deep doodoo.
And in Congressional races, Americans prefer DEMOCRATS by 47%-41%. Here's the
political analysis you won't hear from the Corporate Pundits: Americans "like" Bush in
a next-door-neighbor way, but they think (correctly) that he is shallow, reckless,
partisan, and a pawn of powerful and greedy corporations. To keep Bush in check,
Americans will elect a Democratic Congress in 2002. And with the widening Enron
scandal, exploding deficits, cuts in social programs, and continuing recession, Paul
Begala is exactly right: "Junior is gonna fall faster than Enron stock."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-020502poll-465pa1an.story
__Americans See Through Shrub's Enron 'Bushit' and Want a Special Prosecutor!
The LA Times reports: "Nearly half said that the Bush administration's actions in
regard to Enron have been at least unethical (35%) if not outright illegal (12%) while
only a quarter think the administration did nothing wrong... Cynicism on this subject
is running high. Two-thirds agree with those who allege that Enron's contacts with the
Bush administration and the company's abundant campaign contributions, mainly to
Republicans, gave it more influence over national energy policy than is usual for a
major corporation... The survey found strong public support for independent oversight
of investigations into the Enron collapse. After being told that Attorney General John
Ashcroft recused himself because of having accepted campaign contribution from Enron,
six out of ten said that the Justice department cannot be trusted to be impartial in
this issue, and that a special prosecutor should be appointed to oversee the case." We
demand a Special Prosecutor!
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-020502poll-465pa1an.story
__When Will Bush's Own Insider Trading Be Investigated?
Molly Ivins writes, "When Bush was in the oil business, his failing company Spectrum 7
was bought by Harken Energy. Bush and his two partners got $2 million in stock in
exchange for a company that had lost $400,000 in the six months prior to the sale.
Bush himself got stock worth about $500,000 and an annual consulting fee of $120,000,
later reduced to $50,000. In June 1990, Bush sold two-thirds of the Harken stock he
had acquired in the Spectrum 7 deal at $4 a share -- $318,430 more than it was worth
when he got it. A month before Bush sold his stock... Smith, Barney, Harris, Upham &
Co., the financial consultants hired by Harken, told Bush... only drastic action could
save the company. So Bush sold his stock before the news became public. According to
U.S. News & World Report, there was 'substantial evidence to suggest that Bush knew
Harken was in dire straits.'" We demand a Special Prosecutor!
http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=5779
__Use Social Security to Pay for Bush's Tax Cuts? Americans Say 'Over Our Dead Bodies'!
"Although Americans express resounding approval of President [sic] Bush's performance
at home and abroad, an overwhelming majority would rather cancel later stages of his
signature tax cut than tap Social Security revenue to pay for other government
programs, a Los Angeles Times Poll has found... Said Doris Walls, a secretary in
Denton, Md., who responded to the survey: 'Absolutely do not use Social Security for
anything other than Social Security. If they can't figure out some other way ... don't
go ahead [with the tax cut].'... Asked whether future installments of the Bush tax cut
scheduled for 2004 and 2006 should go through if that meant the government would have
to use Social Security revenue to fund other programs, Americans said no by 81% to
13%... Asked if the tax cut should go through if it meant tapping Social Security and
increasing the national debt--as Bush's budget proposes for the next three years--84%
said no."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-020502poll.story
__Bush's Budget Motto is 'Leave No Defense Contractor Behind'
"The events of Sept. 11 shocked and horrified the nation; they also presented the Bush
administration with a golden opportunity to bury its previous misdeeds. Has more than
$4 trillion of projected surplus suddenly evaporated into thin air? Pay no attention
to the tax cut: it's all because of the war on terrorism. In short, the
administration's strategy is to prevent criticism of what amounts to a fiscal debacle
by wrapping its budget in the flag. And I mean that literally: the budget report
released yesterday came wrapped in a red, white and blue cover depicting the American
flag. No politician hoping for re-election will dare to say it, but the
administration's new motto seems to be 'Leave no defense contractor behind.'" So
writes NY Times columnist Paul Krugman.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/05/opinion/05KRUG.html
__Bush's 'Axis of Evil' is a Red Herring to Justify Red Ink for Defense Contractors
LA Times columnist Robert Scheer writes, "The red ink that Bush wants us to bleed to
line the pockets of the defense industry, along with the tax cuts for the rich, will
do more damage to our country than any terrorist. The result will be an economically
hobbled US, unable to solve its major domestic problems or support meaningful foreign
aid, its enormous wealth sacrificed at the altar of military hardware that is largely
without purpose. Why the panic to throw billions more at the military when even the
Pentagon brass have told us it is not needed? Our military forces, much maligned as
inadequate by Bush during the election campaign, proved to be lacking in nothing once
the administration decided to stop playing footsie with the Taliban and eliminate
those monsters of our own creation... His astonishing budget makes sense only if we
are planning to use our mighty military in a pseudo-religious quest to create a
super-dominant Pax Americana" - or to enrich Bush's dad at Carlyle.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-000008933feb05.story
__Whenever Bush Touts 'Rebuilding New York' – Keep in Mind that He Has Repeatedly
Tried to Reduce Aid to NYC
"Money for victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be counted against the $20
billion President [sic] Bush promised for New York City, White House budget director
Mitch Daniels said Monday. New York Democrats immediately attacked Daniels' comments,
saying they contradicted what he had told them in earlier conversations. Sen. Charles
Schumer said Daniels' statement 'verges on a breach of faith.' 'It was repeatedly made
clear that these dollars were not to be included as part of the $20 billion and we're
not going to stand by and let that happen,' Schumer said. Added Sen. Hillary Clinton,
'This money is not related to the cleanup, rebuilding or economic recovery in New
York'…About $10.7 billion of that was appropriated last year. Daniels said he expected
the victims fund set up by Congress to total about $5.4 billion for the New York area,
although he allowed that figure could change depending on the number of people who
apply." Bush and the House GOP had earlier tried to slash the total to $9.8
billion.http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-1495365,00.html
__Is Michael Vreeland a Naval Intelligence Officer who Knew About 9-11 - or a Nut?
Michael Vreeland is in a Toronto prison, charged with credit fraud in the US, and
facing extradition. According to the Toronto Star, "The 35-year-old American claims to
be a lieutenant in a U.S. Navy intelligence unit - a spy who says he knew in advance
about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In his affidavit, he says he tried to warn
Canadian intelligence about possible terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon,
along with targets in Ottawa and Toronto, but was written off as a petty criminal. So
he wrote the warning on a piece of paper, sealed it in an envelope, and handed it to
jail guards a month before the attacks. They opened the letter Sept. 14 and
immediately forwarded the information to Ottawa. His lawyers, Rocco Galati and Paul
Slansky, are fighting extradition, telling the court he could face treason charges and
the death penalty in the U.S."
http://www.torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1003791935801
__Michael Vreeland's Story Is Verified in Court
US officials claim Michael Vreeland is a nut who was discharged from the Navy in 1986.
But according to From the Wilderness, "In a January 10, 2002 tactic worthy of Perry
Mason, with the greatest possible risk to his client if it failed, attorney Slansky
got the judge to agree to let him call the Pentagon from open court. Using a speaker
phone, in front of at least six witnesses, Slansky first dialed directory information
and got a number for the Pentagon switchboard. Then, calling that number he asked the
Department of Defense operator to locate the office of Lt. Delmart Vreeland. Within
moments the operator had confirmed Vreeland's posting, his rank as a Lieutenant O-3,
his room number and given Slansky his direct-dial number. All of this is a part of the
court record." So what did Vreeland know in advance about 9-11, and how did he know it?
http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/01_25_02_revised_012802_vreeland.html
__Were Innocent Civilians Killed in Commando Raid?
"U.S. forces in Afghanistan should apologize immediately to relatives of any innocent
victims of a commando raid they are investigating, Defense Secretary Donald H.
Rumsfeld said. American forces returned to the remote area north of Kandahar to look
into circumstances surrounding the nighttime raid two weeks ago. Local officials say
U.S. special forces troops killed people loyal to the pro-American interim Afghan
leader, Hamid Karzai. Military officials have said 15 or 16 people were killed in the
raid in Uruzgan province, and 27 were arrested. Rumsfeld said he had no information
about reports that American investigators were apologizing for mistakes made in the
raid and were paying $1,000 to the family of each man killed."
http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-afghan-us-military0205feb05.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dpolitics%2Dheadlines
__A Case of Arrested Development – Adolescent Bush Uses Baseball-like Scorecard to
Track Al Qaida
"As the war on terrorism began, President [sic] Bush ordered aides to produce a photo
'scorecard' of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network, crossing off faces with
an 'X' as members were captured or killed. …'I'm a baseball fan, I want a scorecard,'
Bush told the newspaper. 'And I understood that when you're fighting an enemy like
al-Qaida, people - including me - didn't have a sense of whom we were fighting.. And I
actually got a chart." Hey Bush, why don't you ask your Daddy about these people? He
should know, since it was his CIA that armed and financed them in the '80's. Your
treatment of war like rotisserie baseball is reminiscent of how Reagan couldn't
understand the Contra operations until he saw a map with colored flags on it. When he
could see the Contra War as a game of Stratego, Reagan got excited. Of course, your
Daddy and Ollie North took advantage of Reagan's simplemindedness to commit all sorts
of illegal acts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-1492341,00.html
__Hey Kenny Boy - Don't Get Into the Ring with Barbara BOXER!
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and she is
VERY disappointed Kenny Boy Lay cancelled his appearance at the last minute.
"Deregulation kept the cash flowing while insiders unloaded and unsuspecting employees
who worked for Enron lost their jobs, their pensions, and their dreams. Meanwhile,
California faced the prospect of old people dying from lack of air conditioning,
agriculture businesses losing everything due to loss of refrigeration and families
having to choose between soaring energy costs and food for the table. This was a
secret market. And Enron's friends in high places let the games continue. Ken Lay has
left us in the dark once more, but my colleagues and I will make certain that the
facts in this case see the light of day with or without his cooperation." You GO,
Barbara!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/02/05/ED218673.DTL
__Enron Exposes GOP's Only True 'Value' - GREED
"Liberals have acquiesced in letting conservatives paint them as libidinous traitors
and moral relativists for three decades, and have only occasionally, and tremulously,
defended their values. Those values -- more central to the task of governing than the
realm of personal mores -- have brought the nation the 40-hour work week, the G.I.
Bill, civil rights, Social Security, Medicare, cleaner rivers, lower poverty rates and
the first federal budget surplus in a generation (now gone), among many other
benefits. I'll go out on a limb here: I daresay most Americans find these gains rather
useful in their day-to-day lives... If liberals want to win this argument, they'll
turn 'values' into an offensive weapon here at home, reminding the country of what
their values have done for it, and what conservative values, in the case of the Enron
affair, did to it." So writes columnist Michael Tomasky.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11805-2002Feb1.html
__Yo Scalia - Justices Who Believe in STEALING ELECTIONS Should Resign - That Means
YOU!
Supreme Injustice Antonin Scalia considers himself a "devout" Catholic, which is why
he will outlaw all abortions as soon as one pro-choice Justice retires (be VERY
afraid!). Yet in the SAME BREATH, Scalia says Catholic judges who support the Catholic
position opposing the death penalty should RESIGN - rather than apply their beliefs in
court. How does he reconcile these diametrically opposed positions? By claiming the
Catholic Church SUPPORTED the death penalty for 2000 years. "I don't see why there's
been a change," he says. Hey Antonin - even Supreme Court Injustices don't get to
JUDGE the Pope - he's infallible! And if you want to apply "original intent," Jesus
was opposed to the death penalty! But if you want to apply "stare decisis," then you
must deal with the fact that Catholics did not oppose abortion for the first 1850
years. Here's the bottom line - any Injustice who nullifies 175,000 votes to SELECT a
President is a criminal - and must resign. We mean YOU, Antonin!
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020205/ap_on_go_su_co/scalia_death_penalty_2
__It's Not Too Late for a War Crimes Tribunal for Ronald Reagan
"Reagan even took a bullet for us on the job. Thank the man for that. But when you
talk about canonizing him, you can go suck a sprinkler head. Ronald Reagan may have
been a likable guy—even in the White House, he answered his fan mail, sometimes
enclosing a check to a citizen going through hard times—but his administration was
also flat-out the most anti-democratic, hoodwinking, lying, Constitution-flouting,
despot-coddling, rich-enriching, deficit-building, environment-despoiling,
health-endangering, paranoid, cynical and fundamentally corrupt one in our nation’s
history. Name a strip mine for it if you must, but no monuments, please." So writes
Jim Washburn in Orange County Weekly.
http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/02/22/cover.shtml
__Attacked by the Right, Robert Dobbs Fights Back
"There was a time, when I was a young polemicist, when I thought I should be genteel
and polite and intellectual and theoretical. And then I was attacked by a GOP Thug.
And that's when I realized that being genteel and polite and intellectual and
theoretical is how Gore lost Florida." So writes Robert Dobbs, the Tiny Polemicist.
http://www.robertdobbs.iwarp.com/photo.html
__The Ballad of George Bush (Humor)
Listen while I tell you 'bout the dogs that didn't moveIt was Sunday and the house was
calm, really in a grooveThey were stretched out near the sofa and the table full of
boozeTerrible thing on TV though, favored Florida would loseFootball ... Miami, that
is...
http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=5744
__Ode to Kenny Boy (Humor)
"Oh Kenny Boy, the jails, the jails are calling, From state to state, and through the
world so wide. The money's gone, and all the chips are falling, 'Tis you, 'tis you
must go and you must hide. " So begins the song by humor columnist Madeleine Begun
Kane.
http://madkane.com/bushkennyboy.html
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