(Blogged by Brad, from somewhere in Arizona)

1) When Days Inn says they offer High-Speed Wireless Internet in their rooms, they don't mean that it actually works. Three different Days Inns over the last three weeks in three different states have been maddeningly disappointing in that regard. None of those Days Inns has offered a refund or even a discount for their inability to deliver what they'd promised.

2) BRAD BLOG Guest Blogger, Joseph Cannon is a genius. Evil genius perhaps, but genius nonetheless. Proof.

3) George W. Bush performed flawlessly in every respect in his response to Hurricane Katrina. Every American can be justifiably bursting with pride in his great leadershipt. His ability to keep our country safe and secure --- precisely as he'd promised so many times in the past --- has never been more perfectly exemplified than in the last two weeks.

4) Out "in the wilds" there is no Internet (information), only Fake Conservative Talk Radio (lies).

5) Talk Radio is 98% Fake Conservative. 1% Actual Conservative. 1% neither of the above.

6) Fake Conservatives on Talk Radio have a remarkable ability to lie in lockstep and with alarming effectiveness across a 24 hour broadcast day (several layers deep in most markets).

7) Americans who listen to Fake Conservatives on the radio are remarkably gullible and ever-surprisingly effective at parrotting what they've heard on the radio even when they are parrotting demonstrable lies and insipid spin. Such Americans are also masters of self-delusion.

8) Trolls and Bush Apologists of all stripes are welcome to post comments on The BRAD BLOG. Unlike most wingnut blogs, we welcome all points of view. Such trolls are not, however, allowed to post under different names or (more importantly) deliver personal attacks towards other commenters. That would include the repeated sad use of calling other commenters "socialists". Not that there's anything particular wrong with being a socialist, but when such language is meant as an attempt at some kind of perjorative with not a shred of supporting evidence to support said name-calling, its nothing more than a sad attempt at a personal attack.

9) The continued inability to follow the rules outlined in #8 will be grounds for having such comments deleted and/or the authors of said comments banned permanently at the discretion of myself or Official BRAD BLOG Concierge, Winter Patriot.

10) Falsely representing oneself as "a troop fighting in Iraq" will bring the same punishment as those violate the rules described in #8. After spending so many weeks and months speaking with actual such troops, and the families of those who've lost their lives fighting that ridiculous War for real, I'm especially sensitive to those jerks who would impersonate same.

11) I am remarkably generous. Please don't push me.

12) There are mountains in Northwest Texas. Beautiful ones. I previously had no idea.

13) Despite Winter Patriot's Open "Impeachment" Thread here and a commenter named Bob's words about my having called for the Impeachment of George W. Bush, I'm not sure I actually ever have. Not publicly anyway. Not that I recall. Not that I'm against it.

14) BRAD BLOG Guest Bloggers David Edwards and Winter Patriot are not only great bloggers, they are tireless patriots and world-class human beings. Top-notch. As good as anyone could find. Anywhere.

15) For those wondering when I might reply to their email or return to full-time BRAD BLOGGING here, please see #1 once more and then count days with me until I'm finally off the road (only to leave again in a few weeks, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it...if it's not under water). Shouldn't be long now...Hopefully those who don't receive a reply will understand, I now receive nearly 1000 messages a day, and it's difficult --- if not impossible --- to read them all, let alone reply to all of them. But I'll do my best. Thanks for understanding.

Wholly hell this is a big state! We're still working our way westward and may stop in the mountains if we can find any (we hear rumors there are some in NW Texas) to cool off for a day or three along the way.

So the bulk of the BRADBLOGGING will be done by our fine bevy of Guest Bloggers who will be paid double for their extended duty.

Speaking of which, any opinions on how you all like the generally increased amount of BRAD BLOG items in my general absense now that we've got the GB's cranking it out with a bit more regularity than I do when I'm running the usual one-man-band here? Should we continue with the additional voices even when I'm finally back? Your thoughts are appreciated...

IBC Radio is replaying our "Operation Noble Cause" coverage from Crawford, Texas continuously all weekend long. Or so I'm told...Enjoy.

The filter is gone. This is the No Spin Zone...

Listen all the way to the end to Mayor Ray Nagin. Heartbreaking.

Thanks to our great engineer Otie Maclay (who we found on the side of the road on our way to Crawford), this Saturday Night's BRAD SHOW will feature many of the highlights from our 50+ hours of LIVE daily broadcasts from on the ground at Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas.

Highlights to include interviews with: CINDY SHEEHAN, JOAN BAEZ, REP. JOHN CONYERS, RANDI RHODES, Goldstart Mom KAREN MEREDITH, Iraqi Vet TOMAS ANDREWS, plus musical highlights and much much more!

And yes, your DONATIONS are still greatly appreciated to help us pay for the Radio Miracle that was "Operation Noble Cause"!

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this historic series of broadcasts possible!

CRAWFORD, TX - Driving his own pickup, with two trucks blockading both sides of the street, Bush Administration Senior Political Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff, Karl Rove made a surprise sunset visit/photo-op Tuesday night to the half dozen or so Bush supporters camped across the street from "Camp Casey" in Crawford, Texas where Cindy Sheehan --- whose son, Casey, was killed in Iraq --- originally made her stand requesting a meeting and an explanation from George W. Bush, The BRAD BLOG has learned from eye-witnesses.

According to supporters from both the Bush and Sheehan sides of the street at the makeshift protest sites, Rove's visit occurred as the bulk of Sheehan supporters and volunteers were enjoying a final "thank you dinner" down at the larger Camp Casey II several miles down the road on Tuesday evening.

The BRAD BLOG has obtained exclusive photographs from Rove's quick glad-handing and back-patting with the few pro-war, pro-Bush stalwarts who were manning a counter-protest site across the street from Sheehan's original camp.

Rove did not meet with any of the dozens of Iraq and Afghan war vets, nor the Gold Star Family members who'd lost loved ones in those wars who were present in Crawford to support Sheehan's request to meet with Bush for an explanation of the "noble cause" that he's suggested their loved ones had died for.

After nearly 2,000 U.S. troops have lost their lives in the sands and streets of Iraq, and even while scores of thousands of U.S. citizens were fighting for their lives in the face of devastating flood waters encroaching into New Orleans, Rove laughed, greeted and thanked those who came to Crawford to attack a mother who'd lost her son in the cause of George W. Bush's unexplained "noble cause."

Bush's top political advisor completed his quick early evening photo-op, after which several "Bush Supporters" who reportedly were present especially for the occasion, promptly got in their vehicles and left the Bush side of the street according to one of the volunteer security guards who was standing watch at the Sheehan camp while most supporters were enjoying their final evening in Crawford at a group dinner in Camp Casey II.

Will Marean of Minneapolis, a blogger and right-wing activist who voted for Bush in 2004 and spent several nights camping with Bush supporters across the street from Sheehan's camp, described the event to The BRAD BLOG and provided our exclusive photographs.

Rove first reportedly drove through Camp Casey without stopping on his way to Crawford from the Bush vacation ranch. "He was in Bush's truck," said Marean, "a White Dodge RAM extended-cab pick-up truck. He was driving it himself."

"He came by slowly...and he rolled down the window, leaned out and gave us the thumbs up and drove by," explained Marean. "Everybody in the camp was really excited."

Rove then came back approximately 45 minutes later, sped by the camp without stopping, but then turned and returned to greet supporters a few minutes later.

Marean said, "We were all happy --- we were literally giddy --- to meet Karl Rove. And then he proceeded to say he was glad that we were there and we were happy to say that we supported our President and supported our troops."

It had been reported to The BRAD BLOG that prior to Rove's surprise visit several new signs had been added to the side of the street that Bush's pro-war supporters have dubbed (apparently with a complete lack of irony) "Camp Reality".

An inspection of the site conducted by The BRAD BLOG later in the evening revealed that in fact there appeared to be several new signs, including the addition of a dozen or more new "Support the Troops" and "This is Bush Country" signs than had been there the previous evening.

The newly added signs were identical to the ones that lined one side of the street leading to Camp Casey opposite the quarter mile or more of crosses that were placed on the other side of the road as part of a memorial created by combat veterans who stood in support of Sheehan.

The nearly quarter mile of memorial crosses on one side of the street, juxtaposed with the "This is Bush Country" signs on the other, was apparently just one more piece of overlooked irony by the handful of squatters in the ditch that is "Camp Reality".

Despite the presence of officers from the Mclennan County Sheriff's department, Rove, who is allegedly responsible for the unprecedented outting of a covert CIA agent by a Senior White House official was not arrested by police. Neither was he beaten to a bloody pulp for either his shameless disregard for the security of the United States of America, nor for his arrogant disrespect for the men and women that serve in America's armed forces.

Yet.

(BRAD BLOG has been in Crawford, TX for the past several weeks to present a special LIVE daily "Operation Noble Cause" broadcast of The BRAD SHOW via RAW RADIO. Though we are no longer broadcasting from Crawford, highlights of our 50+ hours of live coverage --- with more coming online --- are currently available at www.BradShow.com.)

"I came here bitter and angry, but this is a place where the anger turns to hope. And you know why it turns to hope? Because of Camp Casey, we remembered something we forgot. We own this country. This is our country."
-- Cindy Sheehan, in closing remarks to supporters and volunteers on the final night at Camp Casey II
Crawford, TX, Aug. 30th, 2005

The BRAD SHOW via RAW RADIO's "Operation Noble Cause" carried Sheehan's final remarks to volunteers at Camp Casey II in Crawford, Texas. Exclusive audio here [MP3]...

(Many more highlights from The BRAD SHOW's "Operation Noble Cause" coverage in Crawford can be heard here with more to be made available soon!)

As The BRAD BLOG has been reporting for months, the recount of the 2004 Ohio Presidential Election was gamed by Ohio elections officials and voting machine company employees who violated state laws requiring a random recount of precincts in order to determine if a hand recount of entire counties would be necessary.

Reports that county officials and voting machine companies colluded to assure the hand recount would match with the initial machine recount have been reported for months and yesterday the first indictments were handed down.

According to today's Cleveland Plain Dealer...

Amongst the reports on this matter that The BRAD BLOG has carried since last November, is the case of Hocking County election board worker Sherole Eaton, who filed a sworn affidavit that an employee from voting machine company, Triad had offered a "cheat sheet" to her and other county officials on how the recount might be carried off to assure the entire county would not need to be recounted by hand. He also allegedly removed and restored a harddrive from the county's central tabulating machine prior to the recount, according to Eaton, also in violation of Ohio state law. Eaton is currently challenging her firing as improprer.

Ohio law calls for a random selection of 3% of a county's precincts to be carried out by hand. If that random recount doesn't match the initially reported count, a full recount of the county would then be necessary. Eaton was subsequently fired from the board after making her claim public (our BRAD SHOW interview with Eaton is here [mp3]).

As well, RAW STORY had reported last January that several recount witnesses had testified to stickers having been placed over Kerry/Edwards votes on ballots before they were fed into vote tabulators during the recount in that county. (Our BRAD SHOW interview with two of those witnesses, Stephen Spraley and Eric Gifford, is here [mp3]).

(Hat tip Ray Beckerman!)

We'll be wrapping up tonight, LIVE from Camp Casey II as the big tent comes down.

Most of the folks have now moved on from Crawford and the tent is filled with many of the volunteers, bloggers, vets and families who will be here until tomorrow's final move out of town.

We'll be back on the air (Listening links at www.BradShow.com) tonight at 9pm ET (8pm CT, 7pm MT, 6pm PT), for a final wrap-up during the "talent show" of the volunteers and those other die-hards who are still here at Camp Casey II.

Join us, as we broadcast LIVE from Crawford, TX for what (we hope) will be the last time...If the Radio, Democracy and Internet Gods permit us.

Please consider this an Open Thread for tonight's show, and spread the word where ya can.

{UPDATE from Winter Patriot: DONATIONS are still badly needed. If you can help in this regard, we'd certainly appreciate it. You can Donate via Credit Card or PayPal or you can Donate via Snail Mail and if those options don't appeal to you then you can always do some gift shopping at The BRAD STORE. Thanks to you and your financial support Brad is still on the air. Gasp! Sigh! And thanks again!!}

And yet another UPDATE from WP with a summary of your live listening options:
The IBC Radio Network
WhiteRoseSociety (Option 1)
WhiteRoseSociety (Option 2)
KPFTX.org
OmRadio.com
RadioPower.org

Open thread blogging below, as usual. Please join us if you can!

Brad and our favorite Crawford photo-blogger, AlaskaGyrl, on the air Sunday in our state-of-the-art broadcasting facilities in Camp Casey II...

She left today. We miss her already.

(NOTE: Thanks to Ben Burch at WhiteRoseSociety.org, The BRAD SHOW's special coverage from Camp Casey is re-airing all night long here or here!)

U.S. Army Specialist Tomas Young has some questions for George W. Bush. He's never met with the Commander-in-Chief who sent him into Sadr City, Iraq in a canvass covered truck during a massive uprising in that city on April 4, 2004. The same city on the same day that Cindy Sheehan's son Casey was killed.

Tomas was lucky. He was only paralyzed from the chest down. Amongst other things he'd like to ask of Bush, is why he won't allow funding for stem cell research which might eventually restore the spine that he lost in Bush's War. A spine, as Tomas explained to us yesterday on The BRAD SHOW, which apparently Bush has never had.

Tomas and his new wife Bree (also pictured), came to Crawford from Kansas City on their honeymoon to "stand" in support of Cindy Sheehan.

We now have our interview with Tomas up in the BRAD SHOW "Operation Noble Cause" Archives shortly, with much more news, sound and the stories of the people of Camp Casey on today's LIVE BRAD SHOW from Camp Casey beginning at HIGH NOON in Crawford (1p ET, 12p CT, 11a MT, 10a). We are hoping to feature several Bush supporters on today's show!

Until then, WhiteRoseSociety.org is looping the previous days BRADcast throughout the night (live listening links here and here).

We have now broadcast 42 hours of LIVE coverage from on the ground in Crawford, Texas in the last seven days, simulcast over at least 7 different radio networks at various times, including Air America for several hours on Saturday. All hosted by your friendly citizen blogger, Brad Friedman. We are the only broadcast "organization" to feature such live daily coverage!

Your DONATIONS continue to be greatly needed and very much appreciated in order to help make all of this possible!

(Photo courtesy of Alaskagyrl.blogspot.com)

UPDATE: Tomas Young's interview with The BRAD SHOW and other audio highlights have been added to the Operation Noble Cause archives!

UPDATE 2/12/06: A profile of Tomas Young was run today on 60 Minutes and includes a brief shot of our interview from Camp Casey with Young. Details, video here...

We've got a lot of photos of interviews and such, but are having problems pulling them off our camera and getting them onto the net (just one of the many continuous uphill battles out here, like crashed computers, overheated equipment and hosts, etc...). These photos, however, were sent to me, and I was actually able to receive them (go figure!) so here's a few from yesterday...

Air America's Randi Rhodes showed up yesterday during our 6th hour of LIVE programming (we did 9 yesterday) just before we began our simulcast with Air America's Laura Flanders Show. Randi waited in line during our "Lightning Round", where we were quickly trying to get the voices of as many people in the crowd on air as we could, to surprise us and say hello. Unfortunately, she's not broadcasting from Crawford...other than on RAW RADIO's The BRAD SHOW...

We'll try to get Randi's "cameo" into The BRAD SHOW "Operation Noble Cause" highlights soon!

We were honored to serve as hosts to the folks from Laura Flanders show on Air America to help them get up and on the air during the final three hours of our show on Saturday...Here she is...

And finally...here's a shot of Cindy Sheehan sitting down with us for her first one-on-one interview since returning to Camp Casey after going to Los Angeles to tend to her mother who'd had a recent stroke...

Much more today as we beginning at HIGH NOON in Crawford, as usual. We'll be back at Camp Casey today and hope to be carrying LIVE all of the events and rallies on the stage in the big tent. Rumor has it we'll hear from Rev. Al Sharpton, Randi Rhodes and perhaps Martin Sheen (the real President of the United States...Perhaps he'll be able to tell us what the "noble cause" is.)

In the past six days, we've broadcast over 35 hours of LIVE coverage on the ground in Crawford, Texas over at least 7 different radio networks!

We'll be here till it's all over...and thank you very much for the SUPPORT where you can afford to lend it!

UPDATE: Randi Rhodes' visit with The BRAD SHOW and other highlights have been added to the Operation Noble Cause archives!

AlaskaGyrl has been doing some tremendous photo blogging from Camp Casey.

Here's a quickie of Otie and I not long after we arrived in Crawford, figuring out how the hell we're gonna be able to get on the air the next day:

We look considerably older and much more tired by now

And, for those of you who heard my interview with him the other day, here is "CNN News Director" Isaac Green:

(Too bad he's not really the CNN News Director, their work would probably be a hell of a lot better!)

Click on the pics for more details...And check out all of AlaskaGyrl's terrific stuff from Camp Casey!

In the spirit exemplified by the Peace House in Crawford, Texas, Saturday Night radio "competitors" Laura Flanders of Air America Radio and Brad Friedman of The BRAD SHOW via RAW RADIO are announcing an historic partnership as they broadcast their programs together this Saturday Night from on the ground in Crawford!

The BRAD SHOW has been the only LIVE broadcasting "organization" on the ground at Camp Casey to air continuous live daily coverage of the events, voices and news surrounding Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan's "standoff" with George W. Bush.

The BRAD SHOW has now broadcast over 26 hours of live radio across four different radio networks since last Monday, including exclusive uninterrupted coverage of Joan Baez' performances from Camp Casey and Cindy Sheehan's late-night comments to supporters.

Friedman's interview with Sheehan on Thursday was her first one-on-one interview since returning to Crawford, Texas after travelling to Los Angeles to care for her mother who suffered a stroke last week.

This weekend's broadcast schedule is the most ambitious to date, with the handsome Mr. Friedman, scheduled to broadcast atleast eight hours on both Saturday and Sunday, including the planned simulcast with Air America's comely Ms. Flanders.

Friedman's daily broadcasts begin at HIGH NOON in Crawford, TX each day (1p ET, 12p CT, 11a MT, 10a PT). The Flanders/Friedman portion of Saturday's programming will begin at 6pm Central time and will be broadcast over the IBC Radio Network, White Rose Society, KPFTX.org, OmRadio.com and Air America Radio via The BRAD SHOW's miraculous tin-can and string technology powered by one exhausted hamster running around in a wheel constantly since Friedman arrived in Texas last Monday.

The BRAD SHOW via RAW RADIO is a co-production of Friedman's The BRAD BLOG and Internet news site RAW STORY in cooperation with IBC Radio Network.

Friedman, who interrupted his vacation to travel to Crawford and tell the truth since Rush Limbaugh is a liar, is exhausted, hot, but happy to be speaking truth to power...as long as his voice holds out.