THIS WEEK: Recovering nicely! Hillbilly heroin! Cooling rhetoric! Standing by!...And much more in our latest collection of the week's best political toons...
Also: More pressure from top Dems for Biden to reconsider candidacy; Judge nixes GOP vote suppression suit in NV; Biden calls for SCOTUS reform, national rent control...
Toronto crippled by extreme storms, flooding; Heat related costs rising in U.S.; Extreme weather and aging dams; PLUS: Marathon Oil pays record fine under Clean Air Act...
Guests: Heather Digby Parton and 'Driftglass' on politics after the shooting, Dems still fighting over Biden; Trump's chooses Vance, RNC's 'unity' convention...
After a brief pause following Saturday's assassination attempt of Donald Trump, we are back with our latest collection of last week's best political toons...
Beryl fallout continues: Flooding, power outages, sweltering heat; New FEMA flood risk standards; PLUS: House Repubs seek Freedom for Refrigerators!...
Felony charges dropped against VA Republican caught trashing voter registrations before last year's election. Did GOP AG, Prosecutor conflicts of interest play role?...
State investigators widening criminal probe of man arrested destroying registration forms, said now looking at violations of law by Nathan Sproul's RNC-hired firm...
Arrest of RNC/Sproul man caught destroying registration forms brings official calls for wider criminal probe from compromised VA AG Cuccinelli and U.S. AG Holder...
'RNC official' charged on 13 counts, for allegely trashing voter registration forms in a dumpster, worked for Romney consultant, 'fired' GOP operative Nathan Sproul...
So much for the RNC's 'zero tolerance' policy, as discredited Republican registration fraud operative still hiring for dozens of GOP 'Get Out The Vote' campaigns...
The other companies of Romney's GOP operative Nathan Sproul, at center of Voter Registration Fraud Scandal, still at it; Congressional Dems seek answers...
The belated and begrudging coverage by Fox' Eric Shawn includes two different video reports featuring an interview with The BRAD BLOG's Brad Friedman...
FL Dept. of Law Enforcement confirms 'enough evidence to warrant full-blown investigation'; Election officials told fraudulent forms 'may become evidence in court'...
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) sends blistering letter to Gov. Rick Scott (R) demanding bi-partisan reg fraud probe in FL; Slams 'shocking and hypocritical' silence, lack of action...
After FL & NC GOP fire Romney-tied group, RNC does same; Dead people found reg'd as new voters; RNC paid firm over $3m over 2 months in 5 battleground states...
After fraudulent registration forms from Romney-tied GOP firm found in Palm Beach, Election Supe says state's 'fraud'-obsessed top election official failed to return call...
So we went out to Griffith Park out here in L.A. on Sunday to check out the kick-off day for the new "Tea Party Express II" national tour. Thought we might meet some interesting people and file a quick video report. Met a lot of interesting people, and so ended up making a short film of sorts. Enjoy. Spread the word. Go tell the story ("both sides")...
UPDATE 10/29/09: Boy, it's tough to compete with the Tea Baggers in the satire department, even when they're not actually trying to be satirical. As God is my witness, coming to you with a straight face this Thanksgiving --- Tea Party: The Documentary Film!...
UPDATE 11/9/09: As of today, we've had more than 11,000 views of Rise of the Tea Bags at YouTube. By Tea Bagger math, that's more than 3 million views! And yet, the media refuses to report it!!! Also, here's my interview on Air America Radio's Ring of Fire discussing the video...
I'll be sitting in for Angie Corio on Live from the Left Coast on Green960 (KKGN-960AM) in San Francisco tonight (Friday) from 6p - 8p PT (9p - 11p ET).
PLUS: Supporting the White House attempts to hold Fox "News" accountable and your calls on all of the above (866-960-5753)!
You can listen via the live Internet stream here or here if you're not in the Bay Area. Please tune in, stream in, call in and join the LIVE online chat room during the show at lftlc.com/LIVE!
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POST-SHOW UPDATE: I'm delighted that our friends at KRXA 540am in Monterey, CA also decided to pick up and simulcast last night's show as well! Thanks to those who tuned in and called in!
Thanks to the good folks at LFTLC.com for removing commercials, these "hours" are appx. 40 mins each...
HOUR 1: White House v. Fox "News". And Frank Schaeffer on the looming danger of rightwing extremism... Download MP3 or listen online below...
HOUR 2: Sue Wilson on reforming the media... Download MP3 or listen online below...
Alternet has just published my most recent op-ed article written for the Commonweal Institute (where I am a Fellow). The subject is the desperate need for media reform, particularly reform of our publicly-owned airwaves. The piece calls on Progressives to begin this most important conversation, while calling out Democrats for running away from it with their collective tails between their legs.
The article starts this way...
Our Media Need a Fair and Balanced Doctrine Without freedom of the airwaves, there is no freedom of the press.
Just minutes after noon, on January 20, 2009, "hope" arrived for Constitutionalists and supporters of its First Amendment. A slight, little-noticed, but exceedingly noteworthy paragraph appeared on the new Administration's White House website "Technology" page.
"Encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media," the paragraph began, "promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation's spectrum."
After more than a decade of private corporatization of virtually every inch of bandwidth across the public airwaves, a new day seemed to be dawning with a new Administration's indication that they might reverse years of cynical, self-serving mismanagement of the people's airwaves by a few, very large, very far-right leaning corporations who had been granted priceless government largesse in the form of broadcast licenses without the responsibility of serving the public interest in exchange.
"Hope" would be short lived. By summer, the paragraph had been quietly excised from the White House website without a trace, apology or even an explanation.
The rightwing-dominated media's War Against Restoration of the Fairness Doctrine had been won before those who might have joined the battle were even aware there had been a first skirmish...
Though they give me the credit, it was Rady Ananda's story here last week which expertly covered Diebold's wholly unverifiable touch-screen voting machines receiving the thumbs up for use across the entire state of Georgia, where they've been using them since 2002. That, even though there is no way to determine that any vote ever cast on any of them has ever been recorded accurately as per any voter's intent.
Once Pap stops laughing at our headline, he and David Bender discuss the article noting its even more terrifying "subtext", our previous coverage of the horrifying ES&S takeover over of Diebold's election division.
"Bad as Diebold was, it's now gonna be ES&S, their largest competitor ... ES&S may be the single voting machine company --- this one Goliath that will be unaccountable, unauditable to anybody --- and that's really where we're headed," Bender accurately warns. He advises folks to call Congress at 202-224-3121 in support of Sen. Chuck Schumer's demand for a DoJ antitrust investigation on this matter. We'll also point you to BlackBoxVoting.org who instructs how you can send your own antitrust complaint to the DoJ.
Finally, after Pap details ES&S' legendarily monumental "screw-ups" over the years (his firm was one of those who took on the state of Florida and ES&S after their voting machines simply lost 18,000 votes cast in the 2006 FL-13 U.S. House race, decided for the Republican candidate by just 369 votes), they go on to say some extraordinarily kind things about our work here at The BRAD BLOG.
My thanks to both Pap and David along with the swell Ring Of Fire producers for tipping us off with the exclusive heads-up in advance of this weekend's show --- both for their coverage of this issue, and for those exceptionally kind accolades.
The BRAD BLOG covers your electoral system fiercely and independently, like no other media outlet in the nation. Please support our work with an online donation to help us keep going (Snail mail & other options here). If you like, we'll send you some great, award-winning election integrity documentaries in return! Details right here...
[Now updated with audio archives at bottom of article.]
I'll be guest hosting the The Mike Malloy Show LIVE from Los Angeles tonight as Mike is doing a personal appearance in San Francisco.
Once again, I'll be 'Bradcasting' from L.A.'s KTLK am1150 from 9pm-Midnight ET (6p-9p PT) and hope you'll tune in! We'll have our swell new, handy-dandy chat room up and operating during the show, so jump into the conversation there as well! (It'll be open just before show time, see down below.)
LORRAINE MINNITE, Barnard College asst. professor and author the landmark report, "The Politics of Voter Fraud," soon to be expanded into a book from Cornell University Press early next year, on the latest GOP/media ACORN smears, lies and madness. (See Brad at the UK Guardian and/or Rachel Maddow's recent smashing reports here, here and here, for an idea.)
EMILY LEVY of VelvetRevolution.us' on their new "DIEBOLD: RETURN OUR MONEY!" campaign, demanding the return of some $100 million dollars from the company that knowingly sold e-voting systems to the state of CA (and many other states) even though they failed to comply with federal voting system standards.
Plus: Brad rants (no doubt), your calls at 877-520-1150, and whatever else may come up along the way...
Malloy's show is nationally syndicated on a number of air affiliates around the country, also on Sirius Ch. 146 & XM Ch. 167. You may also listen online to the free LIVE audio streamshere or here!
POST-SHOW UPDATE AND AUDIO ARCHIVES: Three "hours" (actually, about 38 minutes without commercials) that flew by. Give the archives below a listen, and see if you don't agree. My thanks to Ben Burch from WhiteRose Society! The archive of tonight's Chat Room discussion from during the show, is also posted below. Enjoy 'em all and then do someting about it!...
Though I won't be there in person, the travelling Burning Fuse Film Festival hits Burlington, VT's Roxy Theater beginning today through October 1, and continues to feature Patty Sharaf's award-winning documentary, Murder, Spies & Voting Lies: The Clint Curtis Story in which I'm featured quite prominently. Remaining screenings are: Fri 9/25 @ 1:15p, Sat 9/26 @ 1:00p, Sun 9/27 @ 5:00p, Mon, 9/28 @ 7:00p and Thu 10/1 @ 3:30p. If you've yet to see it, we'll strongly recommend you check out this entertaining and enlightening (if horrifying at times) documentary, based on our own years-long investigation of the Clint Curtis/Tom Feeney vote-rigging scandal. More details on screenings and passes available here...
(NOTE: If you're not near Burlington, or even if you are, but would like to support our work, we are still offering DVD's of the film, as signed by both myself and Sharaf, as premiums to supporters of The BRAD BLOG. We enjoy no corporate or foundational funding, so we appreciate whatever you are able to offer to help us continue our work. See this item for details...)
Anti-War's Scott Horton interviews Giraldi and Joe Lauria, co-author of the January 2008 three-part front page Sunday Times of London bombshell series on Edmonds, which was entirely ignored in the U.S. (Read 'em all here, here and here.). Scott's audio interview with the two gents is now posted here.
[Update: Just happened to hear from Scott as I was posting this, and he's asked me to be on tomorrow's (Thursday's) show. | Later Update: That interview, part 1 anyway, during which we got completely sidetracked from the Edmonds issue to discuss "war, peace and our bogus left-right political spectrum, " as Scott described it, is now posted here. Scott and I plan to sit down again very soon to finish up the Edmonds-related discussion for air.]
The Guardian eds tell me the short piece will also run as well on Monday in their print edition.
UPDATE 7:49pm PT:Welcome Drudge/Breitbart fans! While you're here, be sure to peruse what's about to break in American Conservative magazine! We'll have some exclusive advanced details for ya very soon, which I believe you'll enjoy, which actually matter, and which may even distract you from your silly, misinformed ACORN-rage for a minute or two! Have a nice night! (Note to regular BRAD BLOG readers and others still in touch with their mental faculties: Be sure to read the comments from the geniuses over at the Breitbart link I gave you above. They're a hoot! Who knew I was a "limey SOB"?! )
I was asked by the Guardian UK earlier this week to write a piece about the latest ACORN. Thought it was to run yesterday, so hopefully it'll run today. [Update: Just heard from the Guardian with some good news, as they've decided to run the piece I wrote for them in their paper version on Monday, so it'll run online Sunday night. || FURTHER UPDATE: That piece is now posted here.] But until then, Joe Conason over at Salon has posted a similar, if longer, piece, "In Defense of ACORN" in which I'm mentioned by name in regard to one of the (many) great hypocrisies in all of this silliness:
If only the Republicans who have worked up a frenzy over ACORN's alleged crimes were so indignant about real and damaging voter fraud --- such as the amazing case of Young Political Majors, the firm that ran GOP registration efforts in California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona and elsewhere before the authorities in Orange County, Calif., busted its president, Mark Anthony Jacoby, and sent him to jail last year. He had built a lucrative partisan career by teaching his minions to deceive thousands of voters into registering as Republicans rather than Democrats, among other scams. Of course, the only on-air mention of the Young Political Majors scandal on Fox News was made by blogger Brad Friedman-- and the national media, mainstream and conservative, generally ignored it. They were too busy generating "controversy" over ACORN.
Conason also highlights another superb (and yes, classically wingnut hypocritical) point which I didn't note in my own piece...
What will we talk about? You'll know, like me, just as soon as I start talking about it!
(May have a bit of breaking Sibel Edmonds news during the show, btw, so tune in for that too! - UPDATE: Here ya go!)
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POST-SHOW UPDATE: Fun show. First hour on what the hell to do about Dems, second hour with Norman Solomon of Institute for Public Accuracy, just back from Afghanistan, on the mess we've got there, and what can possibly be done now. Archives should be posted at LFTLC.com soon! Thanks all!
AUDIO NOW AVAILABLE: You can listen online over at the lftlc.com website...
[Now updated with audio archives at bottom of article.]
I end this week of guest hosting The Mike Malloy Show LIVE from Los Angeles on the eighth anniversary of 9/11.
As ever, I'll be 'Bradcasting' from L.A.'s KTLK am1150 from 9pm-Midnight ET (6p-9p PT) and hope you'll join me. Also, please join the conversation during the show in our new, handy-dandy chat room facility below.
My thanks to many this week, but especially to Mike and Kathy Malloy for allowing me the honor of borrowing their microphone to speak with you across your public airwaves all week. The audio archives from all of our shows this week are now online and recommended (particularly last night's show!) here: MON • TUE • WED • THU
Plus, remembering 9/11, all we've lost since that day, your calls at 877-520-1150, and whatever else may come up along the way...
Malloy's show is nationally syndicated on a number of air affiliates around the country, also on Sirius Ch. 146 & XM Ch. 167. You may also listen online to the free LIVE audio streams here or here!
POST-SHOW UPDATE AND AUDIO ARCHIVES: Thanks for a great week, rock stars! It was my honor to sit in with you all week!
Commercial-free archives from tonight's show are posted below (each "Hour" is about 38 mins.). My thanks to the very busy Ben Burch from WhiteRose Society! The archive of tonight's Chat Room discussion from during the show, is also posted below. Enjoy 'em all and pass 'em on!...
Alluding to the assassination of JFK, long-time high-level CIA analyst says Panetta and the President 'afraid of these guys because these guys have a whole lot to lose if justice takes its course'...
During my interview last night with 27-year CIA analyst Ray McGovern on the Mike Malloy Show (which I've been guest hosting all this week), the man who used to personally deliver the CIA's Presidential Daily Briefings to George Bush Sr. and Ronald Reagan, among other Presidents, offered an extraordinarily chilling thought --- particularly coming from someone with his background.
In a conversation at the end of the hour (audio and transcript below), as I was trying to pin him down for an opinion on whether or not he felt it was appropriate for CIA Director Leon Panetta to have reportedly attempted to block a lawful investigation into torture and other war crimes committed by the CIA, McGovern alluded to a book about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and noted he felt it likely that both Panetta and President Obama may have reason to fear certain elements of the CIA.
"Let me just leave you with this thought," he said, "and that is that I think Panetta, and to a degree President Obama, are afraid --- I never thought I'd hear myself saying this --- I think they're afraid of the CIA."...
[Now updated with audio archives at bottom of article.]
My week of guest hosting the The Mike Malloy Show LIVE from Los Angeles continues, and we've got a big show tonight, including the first airing of extended clips from the stunning recent deposition of formerly-gagged FBI translator turned whistleblower Sibel Edmonds.
As ever, I'll be 'Bradcasting' from L.A.'s KTLK am1150 from 9pm-Midnight ET (6p-9p PT). Please join the conversation during the show in our new, handy-dandy chat room facility below.
Among our scheduled guests tonight...
RAY MCGOVERN, retired 27-year CIA analyst, on torture investigations, the state of the CIA and its new director Leon Panetta, and much more.
ERNEST HANCOCK, libertarian activist, radio host, and publisher of FreedomsPhoenix.com, on his having brought a gun to a recent Obama healthcare townhall in AZ.
Plus, the 'Green News Report' with DESI DOYEN, your calls at 877-520-1150, and whatever else comes up along the way...
Malloy's show is nationally syndicated on a number of air affiliates around the country, also on Sirius Ch. 146 & XM Ch. 167, or listen to the free online stream here or here!
POST-SHOW UPDATE AND AUDIO ARCHIVES: Wow. If I say so myself, that was a helluva show. Creepy as hell, on lord knows how many fronts.
Commercial-free archives from tonight's show are posted below, with thanks to the very busy Ben Burch from WhiteRose Society! The archives of tonight's Chat Room discussion from during the show, is also posted below. Enjoy 'em all and pass 'em on!...
[Now updated with audio archives at bottom of article.]
We'll be bringing you special live coverage of Obama's speech all night tonight, as I continue guest hosting this week's Mike Malloy Show LIVE from Los Angeles.
I'll be 'Bradcasting' from L.A.'s KTLK am1150 from 9pm-Midnight ET (6p-9p PT) with analysis, reaction and commentary on the President's health care address to a joint session of Congress.
Please join the conversation during the show in our new, handy-dandy chat room facility below (open during the speech and the show).
Plus, your calls at 877-520-1150, and whatever else comes up along the way...
Malloy's show is nationally syndicated on a number of air affiliates around the country, also on Sirius Ch. 146 & XM Ch. 167, or listen to the free online stream here or here!
POST-SHOW UPDATE AND AUDIO ARCHIVES: Archives of our busy live special coverage are now posted below, with thanks to the very busy Ben Burch from WhiteRose Society! The archives of tonight's spirited Chat Room discussion, from during the show, and the President's speech just before it, is all below. Enjoy 'em all!...
Plus, DESI DOYEN with the 'Green News Report', my rants, your calls at 877-520-1150, and whatever else comes up along the way...
Malloy's show is nationally syndicated on a number of air affiliates around the country, also on Sirius Ch. 146 & XM Ch. 167, or listen to the free online stream here or here!
Jump into our new LIVE Chat Room during the show, hosted by "Agent 99"! See below!...
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POST-SHOW UPDATE AND AUDIO ARCHIVES: Archives are now posted below, with thanks to the very busy Ben Burch from WhiteRose Society! Also posted below is the lively Chat Room discussion from during the show. Enjoy 'em all!...
Or by Snail Mail Make check out to...
Brad Friedman
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About Brad Friedman...
Brad is an independent investigative
journalist, blogger, broadcaster, VelvetRevolution.us co-founder,
expert on issues of election integrity,
and a Commonweal Institute Fellow.