The mighty Bob Fitrakis of the Columbus Free Press --- responsible for boatloads of tremendous investigative reporting on the ground from Ohio in Election 2004 and one of the participants in the Moss v. Bush lawsuit seeking to set aside the election results in the Buckeye State --- has been mostly quiet of late while working on an upcoming book on all of the above to be published soon.

Today, however, it looks like he's unleashed quite a bit of what he hasn't been able to report on over the last several weeks while hard at work writing the historical record. His new article on the "rise of the right wing juggernaut in Ohio" sheds fresh light on several key points on the insidious Election Night machinations, and even those to this day, of Ohio's Election Viceroy, Sec. of State J. Kenneth Blackwell (also the Co-Chair of Ohio's Committee to Re-Elect Bush/Cheney '04).

Amongst the several noteworthy new items Fitrakis catches up on today is some inside skinny on the now-infamous Warren County lockdown on Election Night when an apparently phony "Homeland Security Alert" led Board of Elections officials to issue an unprecedented scheme that shut out all press and witnesses from late-night vote counting in the county's election center.

Free Press has received an insider's account of what happened that night. Here's a sample:

As well, in a section of the article sub-headed as "Whitewash with a black face", Fitrakis connects a few more interesting dots on the phony GOP front-group busy conning America and hoping to derail true Electoral Reform. Fitrakis ties together the "non-partisan" hoaxsters of the "American Center for Voting Rights" (ACVR) --- the group we originally exposed several weeks ago exclusively here --- with some of the other folks who testified recently at Rep. Bob Ney's hastily convened U.S. House Administrative Hearings on Electoral problems in OH...

Disturbingly apropos of our previous piece on the wankers of the Mainstream Media and their disservice to America...Our friends at FreePress.net have unleashed the following video on the Big Media Boyz who call the shots. For your online viewing displeasure...

(By the way, the Free Press is organizing the big National Media Reform Conference in St. Louis a couple of weeks from now. Somehow, they seem to have managed to get some great big names, but not a single blogger! Hello? We like 'em, so be nice, but think that they should have at least one at the conference! Don't you? Being the media whore that I must obviously be, I'd be delighted to speak at the conference if they'll have me. But you may have to apply some POLITE pressure asking them to do so! You can email them at conference@freepress.net. Feel free to request any blogger if you prefer that they hear from someone else. Either way, the voice of the new media should be better represented at anything calling itself a "National Media Reform Conference" in 2005! Dontcha think?)

Juan Cole gets it right in his highly recommend piece today pointing out exactly why and how the MSM's required 15% profit margin has killed the entire industry and is bringing the rest of the country down with it. It's America (and the rest of the world!) which suffers from the corporate media delinquency, of course, as profit has replaced the public service that once was "the news".

Back in the day, news was always a loss-leader. It wasn't meant to make money, but to perform a public service. Back in the day, while CBS lost money with their extraordinary news gathering operation, Bill Paley was proud of that jewel in the "tiffany network's" crown. In America 2005, however, losing money for the good of the nation will not be tolerated. And those of us who understand that it's about issues and public safety and governmental responsible will be branded as America Haters in the process.

As Cole smartly puts it, "We don't care."

Read the whole piece if you can. It closes with this money quote...

Indeed.

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win"
- Mahatma Gandhi

If this Sunday article from Washington Post is any indication, it seems we're now somewhere between that "laugh at you" phase and that "fight you" phase. Which I choose to see as continuing good news...since we're heading straight towards that "then you win" phase in the bargain.

The piece headlined "Vote Fraud Theorists Battle Over Plausibility" from WaPo's Terry M. Neal is, at least, a step in the right direction. The issues are finally being discussed on no matter which page in the mainstreamest of the Mainstream Media.

With that, however, comes the usual expected imbalance in the bargain. The WaPo article discusses the recent scientific report from U.S. Count Votes which debunks the notion that the Exit Polls were wrong (as Bush Supporters, Republicans, and even the Exit Polling company would like you to believe) by explaining that the odds are several millions to one that the Exit Polls could say one thing in virtually all of the swing states, only to wildly change --- and in only one direction, Bush's --- at the last minute to give Bush a "victory" in the final Voting Results.

In covering the report --- as we've come to expect whenever such issues are discussed at all in the mainstream --- Neal is skeptical and as well, quotes two other skeptics. They only bother to quote one supporter of the study, one of the authors themselves.

One of the great misconceptions (generously) or misdirections (more probably) that the piece offers is Neal's notion that...

...Well, no. That's not actually the case at all. It would take a relatively small number of people to secretly flip the vote only in the states where it was needed, and even in only the counties were such manipulation of the vote would be less likely to be noticed (say, in Democratic Counties...where there was indeed much unexplained funny business, to say the least, last November).

Let's focus, however, on the good news, as we're wont to do. Neal starts the column thusly...

Sorry, cats. It's been that sort of a day (or two, or three). Open Thread to your hearts content! I'll be back as soon as I can...Just in time to leave entirely for a bunch o' days in a row. More on that soon.

In the meantime...What am I missing?

RAW STORY beats the competition. As usual.

The Freedom of Information Requests from the Secret Service have come in. And whoops...look what RAW found!

And then there's this...

Okey doke. Watch for "Executive Privilege" to be invoked any day now.

In addition to their article (which has more details on the above, in addition to the some of the odder sign-in, sign-out sequences), RAW STORY also has the RAW DATA from the Secret Service.

If anyone sees the Mad Hatter, pay him no mind.

Thanks again to Winter Patriot and all of the "6 or 7" BRAD BLOGGERS for your support during last night's BRAD SHOW broadcast! Can't wait until this thing gets easier! As mentioned, this radio game is no easy feat for a novice, especially suddenly, out of the blue and from the road! We look forward to getting back to a homebase where we can really start cooking and kicking some hard ass! (And getting rid of that annoying buzz!)

As well, literally moments before last night's show I received some sad news that a good friend of mine (and a fine BRAD BLOG supporter!) had died suddenly. Didn't help this beginner to get through the first hour or two of the show without being a bit shaky. But having heard at least the last couple of hours of the rebroadcast today (to be available via BRAD SHOW archives shortly!) I think we did okay. Last night's show goes out to my dear, departed friend Aldrich Allen. Godspeed, friend...You are missed.

As mentioned on the air, we've got to get largely off the grid this coming week for some long-planned obligations that will take us to yet another state. If we can get on the air from yet another new location, we will. Otherwise, a rebroadcast or some other devious plan will occcur for this coming Saturday's show.

Either way, we could probably use a few hours sleep, or a day or two or three or four of brain rest. It's been a tough week, month, several months and we better take care of ourselves or we won't be able to continue kicking badguy ass and taking names...And there's plenty more of that to do in the weeks and months ahead. Thanks in advance for your understanding and --- as always-- for your extraordinary support.

We shall continue to overcome!

Another intellectually-honest Republican is found!

Just in from AP...

So while we're on a roll...it seems that Clint Curtis' name and story (even briefly) are popping up in papers all around the country, and even around the world. Good folks (no doubt fine BRAD BLOG readers and patriots all!) seem to be contacting their local papers with letters to the editor to discuss the Election 2004 debacle, and tossing in the relevance of Curtis' story along with it! (See this page for more on Curtis if you need...and if so, where in the hell have you been for the last six months!?!

So while we spend some hours working on some important things today, please feel free to take the time to jot a letter or two to your local papers. As we hope you've realized, "6 or 7" letters can make a difference.

Some recent examples... Chicago's Northwest Herald in a letter headlined "Election thieves":

From Nashville's City Paper, in a letter headlined "The most important issue":

Then in the Ireland's Irish Times last Saturday earlier this week, they ran an article (paid subscription required) which included the following:

And finally, our new friend, Robert Koehler of the Tribune Syndicate, follows up his courageous and frank "Silent Scream of Numbers" piece --- the first that we know of from the "mainstream" to out and out charge that "Election 2004 was stolen" --- with another triumphant home run in his latest column. Titled, "Democracy's Abu Ghraib" the piece asks "If they can disable an election, what's coming next?" Just one of the many worthwhile money quotes:

Read on. Then write on! The march of the "6 or 7" must continue and will prevail! Keep making noise!

Coming together...who knows what you'll get...But amongst the currently scheduled stuff on this week's hall-of-fame, seat-of-our-pants broadcast (everything subject to change as events warrant!):

Quick and easy access to LIVE listening links, archives, upcoming guests, donation links and ad info (not to late to advertise!) and more via www.BradShow.com!

The BRAD BLOG has just received a personal phone call from Congressman John Conyers (not from his staff, but from the good Congressman himself), thanking us for the work that everyone has done on behalf of the nation to get the message through to the Baker/Carter National "Election Reform" Commission that their current make-up and apparent direction is wholly unacceptable.

Conyers has just finished meeting with Dr. Robert A. Pastor, the executive director of the commission, and has been told that he will be able to continue working and meeting with the commission and it's various members over the coming weeks and months.

He plans on meeting with former Jimmy Carter personally to discuss some of his concerns.

As a good faith measure, Conyers has told Pastor that for the time being he would ask us (and you) to direct all Email with concerns or information for the commission to CDEM@american.edu. We will shortly change the Email to the Commission page at Velvet Revolution to reflect that address change in similar good faith. We would only do that at the request of Mr. Conyers, and so it will be done. For the time being.

He will be issuing a full statement concerning his meeting and the commission shortly at ConyersBlog.

...DEVELOPING...

The BRAD BLOG has just received a personal phone call from Congressman John Conyers (not from his staff, but from the good Congressman himself!), thanking us for the work that everyone has done on behalf of the nation to monitor the Baker/Carter "election reform" commission and to seek fairness from it.

Conyers has just finished meeting with Dr. Robert A. Pastor, the executive director of the commission, and has been promised that the commission and its members will continue to work and meet with him about his concerns over the commission, its make-up and its current direction over the coming weeks and months.

He plans on meeting with former President Jimmy Carter personally to discuss some of these serious concerns.

As a good faith measure, Conyers has told Pastor that he would ask us (and you) to direct all Email with concerns or information for the commission to CDEM@american.edu. We will shortly change the Email to the Commission page at Velvet Revolution to reflect that address change in similar good faith. We would only do that at the request of Mr. Conyers, and so it will be done. For the time being.

Conyers will be issuing a full statement concerning his meeting and the commission shortly at ConyersBlog.

UPDATE: Conyers' full statement is now online.

Much going on today...So for now, Open Thread! Let the voices of the mighty 6 or 7 be heard!...

QUICK UPDATE: A bit of news...just booked Congressman Chris Bell, the man who filed the ethics complaints against Tom Delay last year --- the ones that led to his sanctions --- for this weekend's radio show! More info on guests etc. soon...