43 minutes on GrrRadio with Grace and Rama Schneider for your listening pleasure (or displeasure as the case may be). Mostly on the FeeneyGate players of Clint Curtis, Raymond Lemme and Hai Lin "Henry the Spy" Nee, but we managed to fit in a bit of Joe Biden bashing for variety.

Pick a card...any card: Streaming RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, or MP3 Download.

HERO: Scott Ritter
Was right about compromised Iraqi weapons inspections during Clinton, was right about there being no WMD before the Iraq War and was right about Bush Administration lies to get us into it. Is he right about a cooked Iraqi election and war plans for Iran? Why should he stop speaking the truth now? RAW STORY's Larisa Alexandrovna has Part 1 of a 3-part interview with one helluva brave American patriot. UPDATE: Part 2 of the interview with Ritter on "Neo-con Brownshirts", fear as a political tool, and the disintigration of the CIA is now online here.

HEROES: EV1 Rescuers
For four weeks now, a small group of American heroes have stood vigil night and day outside of a General Motors Facility in Burbank, CA, attempting to stop GM from sending the last remaining vehicles from their now-cancelled non-polluting all-electronic EV1 line of cars to be crushed, literally, in an Arizona scrap heap. The small band of great American patriots who give a damn about our environment --- and who we haven't noticed receiving much coverage on Fox "News" --- have been braving torrential rains out here in their 24 hour-a-day attempt over the last months to get GM to allow them to buy the last of these cars before they're destroyed. We're certain these are just the type of folks willing to quietly make great sacrifices in their lives for the good of the world and their country, who cowardly chickenshit wingnuts who've never put their lives on the line for anything would label "America Haters". Kudos patriots! Give us a call if you need some thermoses of hot chocolate! And thank you!

HEROES: U.S. House Democrats
Specifically, Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) and the other House Dems on the Ethics Committee who are standing tough for a change against the Republican bullies and backslappers. Mollohan, with a reputation for bi-partisanship is disallowing work on the committee to continue until the Republicans undo bogus new rules put in place (without consulting Dems) which make it easier for their GOP buddies to avoid the trouble DeLay has recently found himself in. With increasing frequency of late, thugs like DeLay and Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) seem to regard themselves above The Rule of Law. Thanks to a few Dems with the courage to stand up for what's right ('bout time!), perhaps the bad guys may actually be held accountable for once.

ZEROES: U.S. Senate Democrats
Specifically, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) and the other Dems who voted in favor of ending debate on the bogus "Debt Slavery Act" --- otherwise known as the Bankruptcy bill --- from steamrolling through the Senate at the behest of their high-rolling funders from the Credit Card lobby. Biden's vote is particularly disappointing as he had been, for us at least, one of the few remaining Dems in the Senate with any creds left. And this on top of refusing to sign onto a letter calling for an investigation in the Gannon/Guckert scandal after blowing smoke on Bill Maher's Real Time the week prior claiming "The Judiciary Committee of the United States Senate should be investigating it, the House Judiciary Committee should be investigating it. And if it were the other party in charge, it would be investigated." It seems you're full of shit, Joe, and this week you've succeeded in losing at least one potential vote of support for your '08 Prez bid. The other Senate Dems who, to quote Gannon/Guckert, "seem to have divorced themselves from reality" on this one, at least in regards to where their party is going with or without them: Byrd (D-WV), Carper (D-DE), Conrad (D-ND), Johnson (D-SD), Kohl (D-WI), Landrieu (D-LA), Lieberman (D-CT), Lincoln (D-AR), Nelson (D-FL), Nelson (D-NE), Pryor (D-AR), Salazar (D-CO) and Stabenow (D-MI). (BTW, see Talking Points Memo's Special Bankruptcy Bill Blog for excellent coverage on the fine points.)

ZEROES: The Bush Administration
Specifically...well, the entire Bush Administration...But to zero in on the Zeroes of note this week, let's focus on the jackasses responsible for bungling nearly every step of the post-War phase in Iraq and who managed to simply lose track of billions (with a "b") of American Tax Payer dollars via their completely incompetent boondoggle. Part of which is highlighted in this current investigation of the post-war chaos and the nobodies who were given enormous million dollar security contracts to guard the Baghdad Airport. Just one of the perks of being a favored friend of this decidedly non-Conservative adminstration? Being handed $2 million worth of $100 bills, signed off with a handwritten receipt and no legal requirement to be accountable for any of it. Who re-elected these guys anyway? We're certain you don't want our answer to that right now.

ZEROES: ABC Television Network Execs
The good ol' boys at the top of the corporate media structure were apparently just looking out for their own this week when they axed references to Fox "News" and Bill O'Reilly from a Boston Legal episode which highlighted a school principal who blocked the Propaganda Net from the school's televisions because he felt it to be biased hate speech. All references to Fox "News" and O'Reilly were removed at the request of the ABC censors who, apparently, were too cowardly to face the predictable wrath of Rupert Murdoch's marching band of brownshirts. No doubt they'd have unleashed their fake outrage upon any American network to dare suggest that the Masters at Propaganda Central may not have quite as much of the American Spirit as they pretend. Thanks to ABC, the lock-stepping ditto-heads can focus their "American" hatred elsewhere this week.

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The AP version of the same story, by the way, quotes one Republican with the audacity to say: [emphasis added]

Is that really your "intention", Senator? If so, we hope you'll endorse Velvet Revolution's "Divestiture for Democracy" campaign immediately, sir. Please feel free to email us with your intention to do so or if you'd like further information on how we can really take steps to avoid "voter irregularities".

By the way, the voters weren't irregular at all. We haven't heard of too many "lawsuits" against voters for committing fraud, have you? And we've heard of not a single instance where a photo ID would have changed a damn thing beyond continuing to supress the minority vote.

The election, on the other hand, sir, was marred beyond a shadow of legitimacy thanks to the way lawmakers like you determined the votes of the people would be "counted". Jerk.

It's always worth taking notice whenever we find ourselves in agreement with actual Conservative, Pat Buchanan (as opposed to those fake Conservatives who make up the bulk of the Bushville Faction, the great majority of whom haven't a clue what the word "Conservative" actually means).

Yes, he's also a bigot. But Buchanan has been a correct and vocal critic against Bush's War on Iraq in the past, and this week in his American Conservative magazine, he provides a smart antidote to the knee-jerk series of pro-Bush P.R. articles we've seen over the past week or so from the supposedly "Liberal" media. Of course, those folks couldn't wait more than an hour after a single Anti-Syria demonstration last week in Lebanon to declare "Bush was right!" (Yes, Newsweek, we're talking to you...you might have waited an hour or so for the even bigger Pro-Syria, Anti-America demonstrations that followed just a minute or so later before slobbering all over the Bush administration to demonstrate your we're-not-the-Liberal-media creds in your absurd coverpage splash this week.)

Anway...Buchanan provides a Reality Check on the State of the Empire to counter-balance the administration's effective P.R. work aided and abetted by that not-so-Liberal-after-all media over the past week. Here's the money...and the reality which doesn't get nearly the amount of Newsweek Cover time...

Other than that...how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

Yesterday morning Air America's Unfiltered program discussed the latest wrinkles in the Clint Curtis/Raymond Lemme revelations reported here earlier this week. It was a quick hit. Just a few minutes during a short segment on some recent news items with host Rachel Maddow and her guest, Isaac Davey Aaronson (we hope that's how it's spelled!).

A few points in the story were bungled and they missed one big one (the photos that didn't exist!), but they mentioned BRAD BLOG enough times that we're more than willing to overlook any innocent transgressions on their part. (Never let it be said we aren't generous!)

The clip is short enough that even dial-uppers should be able to give it a quick listen.
About 3.5 minutes: Streaming RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, or MP3 Download.

By the way, we'd be happy to guest on Unfiltered to give 'em the unbungled skinny if they'll have us. Feel free to suggest it to them!

(Thanks to eagle-eared BRAD BLOG friend, Jaime, for catching it, and letting us know! And thanks to Air America Radio Place for making AAR archives available! We've heard tell of many BRAD BLOG mentions on AAR in the past, but never knew where to go back and hunt 'em down until now! Free BRAD BLOG T-Shirt to the next BRAD BLOG reader who catches another BRAD BLOG cite on AAR!...If we should ever have BRAD BLOG T-Shirts that is...And while you're at it, ask Randi Rhodes to have us on as well!...And Al Franken...And all the rest!...Let's go, people! I can't do everything around here!)

While Mr. Big Shot is out doing media interviews and just oooh sooo busy and oooh sooo important that he couldn't possibly find time to blog...you can make noise without him in this Open Thread...

(P.S. Mr. Big Shot hopes to catch up with a few items over the weekend!)

No callers, but all the main skinny on Clint Curtis and the latest Raymond Lemme "suicide" scoop. Courtesy of our friends at the Thom Hartmann Radio Show.

About 15 minutes in your choice of three fashionable colors: Streaming RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, or MP3 Download.

Rockin' and rollin' in the name of democracy at 6am(!!!) this morning on The Power Hour with Joyce & Dave. A very lively hour and a half interview with lots of really smart callers and a really smart host. Sadly, no wingnuts called in today. But we had fun anyway. Mostly discussed Velvet Revolution's "Divestiture for Democracy" and other missions for America, with a bit of Clint Curtis thrown in for flavor. Oh, and great election machine related bumper music to boot!

About an hour and a half: Streaming RealPlayer or Windows Media Player

Had a blast doing Harrell Carter's show out of WNWS in the Tennessee/Mississippi area. Was booked to do 30 minutes with him, and ended up doing an hour and a half. Discussed everything from VR to Clint Curtis to the state of the Media in America today. Lots of good calls, including quite a few wingnuts who are always fun to chat with

Sadly, I had a problem recording, but will try to get an aircheck from the station. In particular, I think you guys will enjoy the last two calls taken. I know I did. If I can get at it, I'll post 'em.

Much rolling since posting of the Ray Lemme element of the Clint Curtis story yesterday, as you may have noticed.

As well, Feeney seems to keep digging. But the good news is, the House Ethics Committee has told him he has nothing to worry about. Well, that's a relief!

More on that, and a good deal of follow up to the many good comments and questions posted in the Lemme thread soon. Have been having many interesting phone calls and emails over the last 24 hours which I hope to speak about soon and/or when the time is right. Again, I beg your forgiveness for those to whom I am not able to reply. It's getting much harder to do so --- but I try --- and I do read them all.

For the moment, I've got a 6am(!!!) PST interview on The Power Hour with Joyce & Dave for which I need to go prepare by sleeping for an hour or two. I believe I'll be on for an hour and half and we'll be taking calls! So don't be a stranger...but leave a few lines open for the wingnuts! We'll be insulted if we don't hear from them!

Also looking forward to chatting with Thom Hartmann a bit later. And then a few more (see the list at the top of the main page). The word is getting out.

P.S. Great interview with Conyers in RAW STORY. There's still one or two of the good guys left in the Halls of Congress.

P.P.S. For those many of you who have sent in contact info for Det. Shannon Floyd. Got it. Thank you! I hope she will be willing to discuss some of these concerns and perhaps help clear some of them up.

P.P.P.S Should the troops come home? Send in your vote to Congress!

Just finished an interview with Don Grady of Louisiana Live. Lots of fun. Discussed Clint Curtis, VR's DV4D Campaign and took some calls. Even from an angry Republican who it's always nice to hear from. He has (Don Grady, not he angry Republican) invited me back to "do this on a regular basis" and we're looking forward to it.

Here's today's interview. Just under 30 minutes in your usual choice of three delicious audio flavors: Streaming RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, or MP3 Download.

For reasons still unexplained, our interview scheduled for today with Louie B. Free on WWOW in Ohio did not occur. Hopefully that one will be rescheduled. Keep an eye on the list at the top of the main page for other upcoming live appearances when I'm able to keep 'em updated!

Looks like our friend, Comrade Feeney (R-FL), has now been linked to the ethics scandal that's been plagueing Senate Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX).

Credit when it's (too rarely) due. In this case, to an investigative report from today's LA Times by Chuck Neubauer and Walter F. Roche Jr.

Feeney, who represented Yang Enteprises, Inc. (YEI) --- a Florida software firm which harbored at least one illegal alien indicted and convicted recently on espionage charges related to illegally sending missile chips to China --- is, ironically enough, throwing a "C'est la vie, Comrade Rather" fundraising party this evening. Feeney was YEI's corporate attorney and registered lobbyist for years while he was also Florida Speaker of the house before heading to the U.S. Congress in 2002. He was also Jeb Bush's former running mate in his first failed bid for Florida governor. He has also been implicated by programmer Clint Curtis for conspiring to build a "vote-rigging" program in 2000.

But according to the LA Times --- surprise, surprise! --- Feeney is being identified as having taken expensive luxury golf trips to St. Andrews, Scotland on the tab of a Republican lobbying firm now under criminal investigation.

From this morning's Times...

We think it went very well!...Today's Blogcall press conference call is playing "LIVE" right now at RadioLeft.com. It may repeat throughout the evening.

[UPDATED] The Blogcall is now posted for posterity in the archives at WhiteRoseSociety.org for your listening pleasure anytime in the future.

The guests were myself and Clint Curtis, and we took questions for the hour. I also took the opportunity to break the news about this morning's Raymond Lemme story on the call...

UPDATE 3/14/05: The New York Times publishes an article on Blogcall after attending the above mentioned conference call. Our comments on their article is here.

George W. Bush's "hometown" Crawford paper, The Lone Star Iconoclast, covers Velvet Revolution's "Divestiture for Democracy" campaign! And they even got that good looking fellow we saw on ABC News yesterday to talk about it!

By the way, have you told America's E-Voting Companies what you think of them yet? It takes about 30 seconds!

The case of the mysterious suicide of Raymond Lemme of the Florida Inspector General's office was reopened by Valdosta, Georgia police last December shortly after we broke the story of computer programmer Clint Curtis' sworn affidavit charging that he had built a "vote-rigging software prototype" at the request of Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL)!

Furthermore, graphic and disturbing photos from the crime scene --- said in the original police report to have not existed due to a failure in the camera's "flash memory cards" --- have recently been published on the web!

Those crime scene photos, which clearly do exist, can be viewed via this link.
WARNING: THE PAGE LINKED ABOVE INCLUDES GRAPHIC MATERIAL!

A spokesman from the Valdosta Police Department has confirmed the legitimacy of the photos but has so far failed to explain several inconsistencies that the photos and materials from the supplementary detective reports reveal when compared to the original police report.

Supplementary evidence from the reports would seem to indicate that Lemme was not even in Valdosta, Georgia at the time that the motel receipts show that he had checked-in to the room where he was eventually found dead.

Furthermore, involvement from the Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) may have lead to the quick re-closing of the case shortly after it was recently re-opened!

Lemme was the first official from the FL Inspector General's office to investigate the charges originally made by Curtis' 2001 whistleblower complaint at the FDOT, where he had gone to work after leaving Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI) in the wake several disturbing meetings at the software firm with Feeney and YEI's CEO, Mrs. Li-Woan Yang.

In Curtis' 2001 complaint to the IG's office, filed along with another FDOT whistleblower, he charged that an illegal Chinese alien was working at and committing espionage out of YEI and that YEI was illegally over-billing FDOT in a multi-million dollar contract. That contract, Curtis charges, was received with assistance from Feeney, who was, at the time of Curtis' original complaint, the Florida Speaker of the House as well as legal counsel and a registered lobbyist for YEI. Feeney had previously been Jeb Bush's running-mate in his original failed bid for Florida governor in 1994. Feeney now sits on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee representing Florida's 24th Congressional district.

The Chinese spy reported by Curtis was eventually indicted and pled guilty to espionage charges (see this previous BRAD BLOG report for more details). For their part, YEI was recently found --- in the IG's final report begun by Lemme in 2001 and finally released in February 2005 --- to have billed FDOT for more than $300,000 in "questionable charges" (see this recent BRAD BLOG report for more info on that).

THE 'BIG' CASE...

In his 2004 affidavit, Curtis describes a mid-June 2003 meeting with Lemme in which he claims that Lemme told him he "had tracked the corruption 'all the way to the top' and that the story would break in the next few weeks and I would be satisfied with the results."

On July 1, 2003 --- just two weeks later --- Raymond Camillo Lemme was found dead in a bathtub, with his arm slashed twice with a razor blade near the left elbow in Room #132 of the Knights Inn motel in Valdosta, Georgia; a border-town some 80 miles from Tallahassee, Florida where Lemme lived and worked.

A handwritten note, unsigned, was found by police on the desk in the room in a black leather day planner. Here is a photocopy of that note...