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___.COMPOSITION______In This Issue_______________________________
It's Iran-Contra II - Bush Pays Al Qaeda Ally for Hostages!!!
Anti-Bush Protests
Democrats.com's David Lytel Tells the Washington Post: 'Where's the Press?'
Gore Takes Florida By Storm
Read Al Gore's Speech to the Florida Democrats
Democrats.com Launches 'We Believe Cynthia' Campaign
We Believe Cynthia! Letters from our Readers
A Shockingly High Number of Americans Think the Bush Administration Knew 9-11 Was
Coming
What Did They Know and When Did They Know It?
Michael Moore Asks 5 Important Questions About September 11
It's Time for a Department of Peace - Sign the Petition
Masters of War Bush and Blair Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Osama Bin Forgotten
Democrats Demand Regular Foreign Policy Briefings from White House
Ashcroft Puts Police on Front Line of the War on Terrorism
Touch Screen Voting Machines Fail in Palm Beach's First Election
Venezuelan People Reject CIA's Coup d'Etat against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
Just Like the US Stolen Election, Venezuela's Coup was 'A Media Coup'
Venezuela Withstands US Supported Coup D'Etat
Roger Ailes Responds to E-mails about Crossfire
__It's Iran-Contra II - Bush Pays Al Qaeda Ally for Hostages!!!
Reagan's Iran-Contra scandal exploded when a Lebanese newspaper revealed that Reagan
officials - Ollie North and John Poindexter - delivered arms to Iran in exchange for
US hostages, after Reagan vowed never to pay ransom. Well Shrub made the same promise
- and now ABC News has revealed, "The United States was involved in arranging a ransom
payment to the Abu Sayyaf rebel group in the Philippines meant to secure the release
of an American missionary couple kidnapped nearly 11 months ago, but the couple has
not been freed, ABCNEWS has learned." WHAT??? As ABC reports, Abu Sayyaf is Osama bin
Laden's al Qaeda affiliate in the Philippines! So Bush helped raise $300,000 to PAY AL
QAEDA RANSOM FOR HOSTAGES! This means BUSH HIMSELF SUPPORTS TERRORISM! We demand a
Senate investigation!
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/DailyNews/Philippines_ransom020411.html
__Anti-Bush Protests
On 4/15, protest Bush in Cedar Rapids IA, and protest Cheney in Collinsville IL. On
4/19, protest Cheney in Allentown PA. On 4/20, participate in major demonstrations
against Bush's War in DC and SF. On 4/22, protest Cheney in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. On
4/24, protest Bush in Sioux Falls, SD.
http://legitgov.org/action.html
__Democrats.com's David Lytel Tells the Washington Post: 'Where's the Press?'
Responding to E.J. Dionne Jr.'s specious query of "Where's Gore?" Democrats.com
Managing Partner David Lytel (former member of President Clinton's White House staff)
wrote an article to the Washington Post asking "Where's the Press?" On March 26, Gore
blasted Bush's administration for "its collusion with the energy industry and for
undermining a generation of laws guaranteeing citizens an open and transparent
government." On Feb. 15, Gore encouraged "Congress to overturn the administration's
decision to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, calling the decision bad
science and bad policy that completely circumvented due process." As an earth lover,
Gore blasted Bush on Valentine's Day for his laughable substitute for the Kyoto
accords. So, here's the beef: stop the opposition blackout!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41557-2002Apr12.html
__Gore Takes Florida By Storm
"'The time has come to speak out boldly,' former Vice President Al Gore told a wildly
cheering crowd at the 2002 Florida State Democratic Convention this morning. An
impassioned Gore followed his own advice, delivering his most partisan speech to date.
'On one key issue after another, the Republicans' radical agenda is completely at odds
with our vision for America, and, I believe, with the will of the American people,' he
told the assembled Democrats... Gore gave his recipe for a Democratic victory in 2002:
'stand up with conviction for what we (Democrats) believe in'. Several times in the
speech he stated his firm belief that victory depended on showing the American people
the Democratic party's agenda - - and showing them the truth about the Republican
party's record." So writes Janet Hessert in the Gore News Network.
http://www.algore04.com/news/gnn/EpElZuElZuQzhErHYv.shtml
__Read Al Gore's Speech to the Florida Democrats
"My fellow Democrats, this year we're going to show America that our party stands for
a fairer America with a brighter future ahead. In the coming months, we're going to
take our agenda to the American people. And we're going to show them the truth of the
Republican record. Over and over they have turned the clock back on progress. I tell
you, it is a good thing they love the past so much, because pretty soon, they're going
to be history. And if we tell America about our vision, we will win in 2002. We will
make Dick Gephardt Speaker of the House, keep Tom Daschle as Majority Leader, and put
Democrats back in charge in Tallahassee... Never give up on what you believe in. Never
give up on your vision for the future. Never give up on fighting for what's right. As
Churchill also said: Never, never, never, never, never, never give up. God bless you
and God bless the United States of America." So declared President Al Gore. (To view
the video, click the link on the right.)
http://www.algore04.com/news/gnn/EpElZkyAVZkjaVUAzS.shtml
__Democrats.com Launches 'We Believe Cynthia' Campaign
The media's attempt to portray Cynthia McKinney as crazy is a repeat of the media's
character assassination campaigns against Anita Hill and Lani Guinier. In all three
cases, outspoken black women have been attacked for daring to express ideas that
challenge the white male establishment. History has shown that both Anita Hill and
Lani Guinier were telling the truth. History will also show that Cynthia McKinney is
telling the truth. We believed Anita Hill and Lani Guinier - and we believe Cynthia
McKinney too. And we're taking action! We invite you to join our "We Believe Cynthia!"
campaign. 1) Write letters to the media - especially those who smeared Cynthia
McKinney - telling them "We Believe Cynthia!" Write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Send a copy to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and we'll publish the best
ones. 2) Post our "We Believe Cynthia" button (at the top of this page) on your Web
site, with a link to this page. Thanks!!
http://democrats.com/display.cfm?id=270
__We Believe Cynthia! Letters from our Readers
A number of Democrats.com readers have written to Washington Post reporter Juliet
Eilperin complaining about her distortion of Rep. Cynthia McKinney's entirely
legitimate demand for answers about September 11. Here are a few of these outstanding
letters.
http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6609
__A Shockingly High Number of Americans Think the Bush Administration Knew 9-11 Was
Coming
At Democrats.com, we don't consider Web polls to be scientific in any way, so we don't
often cite the results of such polls. But this Web poll by the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution is shocking, even if it is not scientific. With all of the
controversy surrounding Rep. Cynthia McKinney's statements, the AJC asked: "Are you
satisfied the Bush administration had no advance warning of the Sept. 11 attacks?"
Shockingly, 46% said "No. I think officials knew it was coming." This is a large Web
poll, with 23,145 participants. Is this poll completely skewed, or does this in any
way reflect the sentiments of the American people? We challenge the pollsters to ask
probing questions about Americans' attitudes about September 11 and the "official
story" told by the Bush administration and the media.
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/news/0402/12mckinney.html
__What Did They Know and When Did They Know It?
Carolyn Kay of MakeThemAccountable.com has created an outstanding Web page that dares
to ask the questions that Bush, the Republican Congress, and the Media refuse to ask:
What Did They Know and When Did They Know It? Kay's page links to dozens of MAINSTREAM
media sources, not conspiracy theories. Given that 9-11 was the worst terrorist attack
on American soil, aren't we entitled to ANSWERS to these questions? That's why
Democrats.com has been calling for a Blue-Ribbon Investigation of 9-11.
http://makethemaccountable.com/whatwhen/index.htm
__Michael Moore Asks 5 Important Questions About September 11
Michael Moore's #1 bestseller "Stupid White Men" was written before September 11. Now
Moore is asking some of the unasked questions about 9-11. 1. "Why was it in the days
after September 11, when no plane could fly anywhere in the country, the Bush
administration allowed one plane to fly" - the plane evacuating the Bin Laden family.
2. "What are the financial connections between the bin Ladens and the Bushs?" 3. "What
was Bush's involvement in the 1997 Texas meeting between the Taliban and oil
executives?" 4. "Why was it the Bush administration gave $43 million of our tax money
to the Taliban last May? In what form did they give the money?" 5. "Is Bin Laden back
in Saudi Arabia?"
http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6611
__It's Time for a Department of Peace - Sign the Petition
"We suggest the establishment of the Department of Peace, as proposed by Congressman
Dennis Kucinich, and the immediate appointment of Bill Clinton to head it. Not only is
President Clinton's peacemaking ability a proven quality, but his popularity
throughout Europe would be a great asset in building true alliances, not faulty ones
that last only when they are bought. Our people deserve this. Our nation is threatened
from within and without, and such dangers should forbid our playing politics or
looking for personal gain during such times. We feel that the hearts of our founding
fathers would be broken by the turn of events in the past year. We believe that
history would be grateful to the Bush Administration for putting these
life-determining issues into capable hands." Sign the Petition!
http://www.petitiononline.com/APTHBA/petition.html
__Masters of War Bush and Blair Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Harald T. Nesvik, a right-wing Norwegian Member of Parliament, has nominated Tony
Blair and George W. Bush for the Nobel Peace Prize for their "decisive action against
terrorism, something I believe in the future will be the greatest threat to peace." By
definition, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize "shall have done the most or the best
work for fraternity between nations for the abolition or reduction of standing armies
and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." But Tony Blair has ordered
more military actions than any U.K. leader since World War II, and George W. Bush has
urged massive increases to the size and funding of the U.S. military. They have
initiated an undefined, open-ended "War on Terrorism" which they threaten to expand to
other nations... Cheney told the Washington Post that the campaign of warfare the
President was launching "may never end. At least, not in our lifetimes." Use this page
to e-mail your opposition!
http://www.eskimo.com/~cwj2/actions/bushblairnobel.html
__Osama Bin Forgotten
"There are six syllables President Bush really doesn't want to say aloud: Osama bin
Laden. In the first weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the al-Qaeda leader
was on Bush's mind and prominent in his public remarks. Bush said he wanted him found
'dead or alive' and rarely missed an opportunity to refer to bin Laden as 'the evil
one.' But it has been six months since the president launched the war on terrorism,
bin Laden has not been caught, and Bush and his advisers have decided that making bin
Laden the personification of the enemy is not a good idea. Mentioning him only serves
as a reminder that U.S. forces in Afghanistan have failed to fulfill what was once a
key objective of the war." So reports USA Today.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20020412/ts_usatoday/4023310
__Democrats Demand Regular Foreign Policy Briefings from White House
House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO) is leading the Democratic call for
more frequent briefings following a "more formal procedure" by Bush or his senior
advisors. Gephardt wrote Bush saying: "Many of these sessions have been undertaken on
an ad hoc basis and have of late taken place with decreasing frequency. As a result,
many members of Congress have recently expressed concern that they are learning about
U.S. foreign policy developments and military activities overseas through the media
rather than from the administration." Ari Fleischer, White House Press Secretary,
minimized the concern by remarking, "Sometimes you have to recognize in Washington no
amount of consultations is ever enough for the Hill." No Ari, we recognize that under
the Bush dictatorship ANY amount of consultation is TOO MUCH for Bush.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/04/11/dems...consultations/index.html
__Ashcroft Puts Police on Front Line of the War on Terrorism
According to the Chicago Tribune, "Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft ordered the names of
thousands of 'known or suspected' terrorists listed in the government's three major
law-enforcement databases Thursday, including one used by police officers nationwide
when making routine arrests or traffic stops." That means when a police officer pulls
over a young Middle-Eastern male for running a red light, the officer will try to
determine whether that individual is a member of Al Qaeda, responsible for the murder
of over 3,000 Americans on 9-11. We can only imagine what kind of racial profiling
THAT will produce!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0204120275apr12.story?coll=chi%2Dnewsnationworld%2Dhed
__Touch Screen Voting Machines Fail in Palm Beach's First Election
In the Palm Beach village of Wellington, "Councilman Al Paglia filed a lawsuit Friday
in Palm Beach County Circuit Court contesting his loss in the March 26 election.
Paglia lost to Lizbeth Benacquisto by four votes in an election that also registered
78 under-votes... In the affidavits, voters said they weren't allowed to vote in
secrecy, the screens didn't register a vote when they touched it, and that the machine
froze, wouldn't let them choose between English or Spanish, and spit out their
activation cards." Holy toledo - after spending a small fortune, Theresa LePore STILL
can't run an election in which EVERY VOTE COUNTS???
http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6612
__Venezuelan People Reject CIA's Coup d'Etat against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
George W. Bush and the CIA suffered a devastating defeat in Venezuela, when "a
countervailing uprising that swept like wildfire through the slums surrounding the
capital carried the populist leader back to the presidency today." Hugo Chávez
returned to the Presidency only two days after Bush's CIA deposed him and "dismantled
the National Assembly, fired the ministers of the Supreme Court, arrested high-level
members of the Chávez government and sent others into hiding." Chávez "described the
demonstrations by his loyalists as a 'counterrevolution to a counterrevolution.' But
the time, he added, had come for the fighting to end. And the 47-year-old Mr. Chávez
appealed for reconciliation... Latin American nations helped pave the way for Mr.
Chávez's return by refusing to accept the legitimacy of the military move against him
and by threatening sanctions against the transitional government." The world is sick
of Bush's global tyrrany, and is fighting back!
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/14/international/americas/14CND-VENEZ.html
__Just Like the US Stolen Election, Venezuela's Coup was 'A Media Coup'
The Times of London reports, "After a battle with Señor Chávez over press freedom in
recent months, media owners leapt to back Friday's coup... In the few hours that a
provisional government led by a businessman, Pedro Carmona, was in power, the top
media barons were among the first to visit him at the presidential palace to offer
support. 'It was a media coup,' said a disgusted María Lilibeth Da Corte, a veteran
palace reporter for Unión Radio, who said her editors censored all negative reporting
on the coup... One photographer heard other journalists being told by their bosses to
'forget being journalists for the next week, we're all working for the government
now.'" That sounds exactly like the orders handed down on November 8, 2000 at FOX,
NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, the NY Times, and the Washington Post. It's time for Americans to
rise up against the Bush/Media Coup - just like the Venezuelans!
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-267216,00.html
__Venezuela Withstands US Supported Coup D'Etat
Venezuela has experienced "a successful countercoup in the face of an oil-media
conspiracy to seize power, overturn the constitution and roll back social reforms,
backed by the Bush family. A democratically elected government has been restored,
albeit one chastened by its close brush with death. However, the current US
Government's eagerness to back a coup, and its labeling of a corporate-military coup
as 'tranquility and democracy' (in George Bush's own words) should raise alarms. It is
doubtful that Venezuela under Chavez will see the US as a beacon of Democracy and the
Rule of Law. It is also doubtful that he will be inclined to ease on his policy of
forcing oil prices higher. It is also unlikely that OPEC, having been stung by US
non-intervention in Israel, threats made against some of its member governments, and
having had one of its own the target of a pro-US corporate coup, will think kindly of
US interests when they next meet." So writes Stirling Newberry.
http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6629
__Roger Ailes Responds to E-mails about Crossfire
A number of Democrats have e-mailed FOX propaganda minister Roger Ailes urging him to
follow CNN's lead in including aggressive progressives like James Carville and Paul
Begala on FOX's political shows. Ailes appears to have personally replied to several
such e-mails, which are posted on Buzzflash. "Some moron left wing newsletter must be
advising a bunch of pathetic losers who sit home a[nd] play with themselves on
computers to write to me to tell me to be more fair and balanced." He whined that
Crossfire was "set up to have the left win every night by beating up the old man and
the kid twit. Clever but it will fail." Sorry, Roger, FOX will fail - because
Americans want to hear from REAL Democrats, not the lame backbenchers YOU set up to
lose.
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/04/12_Cross_Roger.html
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