By Brad Friedman on 12/31/2005, 10:00pm PT  

What a year 2005 has been. Wish I could say it was a "great year". But it wasn't. Even if it was a "great year" for the blogosphere and the citizen's uprising against both a failed media and a failed administration. I'm sorry to say that America's shame is the blogosphere's gain. I'd be much happier if it weren't the case. I'd be happier still if our government halted its tragically wreckless and misguided foreign policies, cynically and ironically implemented in the name of "national security". I'd be joyous beyond reason if the unprecedented rise and reign of corruption in DC came to an end. And giddy to the point of distraction if the Mainstream Media woke up finally from their five-year slumber and decided to show up to play their vital role as our fourth estate once more. All of which would allow for a welcome retirement from the job I reluctantly find myself doing much less because I want to, and much more because I believe it's necessary.

At the year's very end, I thought it would be interesting to compile a "Best of BRAD BLOG 2005". A list of notable stories, achievements, landmarks, highlights and lowlights. In the process, I was overwhelmed by how much has been recorded on these cyber-pages over the last twelve months. Selecting choices for the "Best of..." list was no easy feat, even if the end result is still a rather hefty compilation of notable stories. I welcome your thoughts on these selections and any additions that you, dear BRAD BLOG readers who have made it all possible, feel should have made it onto this list. As always, all of our archived stories are here for your perusal.

I can't turn the page to 2006 until I've given a proper thanks to the many who have made The BRAD BLOG what it is and The BRAD SHOW what we hope it may soon be. To all the Guest Bloggers, contributors, tipsters and sources (named and otherwise) who have shaped the very character of these pages, I say thank you. To name just a few (and likely to leave too many errantly out!) I'd like to recognize a few folks who have served above and beyond the call of duty here over the past year: "Winter Patriot", David Edwards, John Gideon, John Byrne, "Kira", Brett, Katrina Wilcox, Joseph Cannon, Ben Burch, Jaime Robledo, Kat L'Estrange, Ilene Proctor, Aerielle Louise, Otie McClay, Lydia Cornell and Desiree Doyen. Thank you all several times over. And, of course, without you readers, listeners, emailers, commentors, donators (see how I snuck that in?) and all-around patriotic trouble-makers, I am nothing. So thank you all from the very bottom of my heart.

From Bush's ignominious inaugural and electoral challenge in January...to new revelations in the Clint Curtis story and CNN's duplicitious or just dumb drumbeating for war in February...to Velvet Revolution's launch of a campaign against American Voting Machines companies, a stunning twist in the Curtis case and the appearance of a phony GOP "voting rights" group in March...to a cooked "National Election Reform" commission, a new radio show and the emergence of the "BRAD BLOG 6 or 7" in April...to spiked newspaper columns and outrage on Capitol Hill in March...to meltdowns in Congress and Conyers at the White House gates in June...to whitewashed investigations, censored websites, fired elections workers, a heroic "Blogathon" and the first whiffs of "the I word" in July...to an unexpected trip to Crawford TX to be a witness to history and to "be the media" like never before in August...to Rove shenanigans, disastrous hurricanes, an insider dubbed "DIEB-THROAT" and "nothing at all" happening in D.C. in September...to running Ann Coulter off the air, finding Conservatives who despise her and discovering "faith-based voting" is alive and well in October...to GAO reports corroborating and ignored, staggeringly impossible election results and Ann Coulter lashing back in November...to a remarkable end of the year unraveling of the once-great, now-disgraced company known as Diebold and more election reform panics than one could shake a stick at, much less blog about as fully as it all deserved, in December...2005 has been --- to paraphrase Dubya --- "a heckuva year".

And with that overly long preamble, and having more than a few ideas of what is soon to come in 2006, I hope you now enjoy a look back, if only at a few of the remarkable headlines! --- to the BRAD BLOG year that was 2005...

JANUARY...
· 01/05/05: Kerry Chooses to Throw Over His Base for a 2008 Presidential Run!
· 01/06/05: IT'S OFFICIAL! OHIO ELECTORS CHALLENGED! SECOND TIME SINCE 1877!
· 01/12/05: Blackwell Ignores Rule of Law! Twice in Same Letter!
· 01/19/05: The Exit Poll Disparity: Mystery Solved!
· 01/21/05: Dubya's 2nd Inaugural: America Celebrates!
· 01/23/05: Election Probe in PA Reports Votes 'Vanished' from UniLect Machines!

FEBRUARY...
· 02/08/05: Yang Offered Clint Curtis $1 Million for a No-Work, No-Show Job!
· 02/12/05: Mystery of Thousands of Extra Bush Votes in OH County 'Solved'
· 02/14/05: CNN's Nuke Plant Photos Identical for Both Iran and N. Korea!
· 02/15/05: CNN's 'North Korean' Nuke Plant Shows Up Again at U.S. GOV FUNDED 'News' Site!
· 02/16/05: All-Purpose Nuke Plant Photos Scrubbed from Government Run 'News' Site!
· 02/18/05: EXCLUSIVE: 'Bloggermann's' Alleged Clint Curtis 'Threat' Letter, Police Report Discovered!
· 02/21/05: Hai Lin ?Henry' Nee Confirmed by Feds to be an Illegal Alien!
· 02/28/05: Feeney Caught Lying Again About His Association with Yang Enterprises!

MARCH...
· 03/01/05: Velvet Revolution's 'Divestiture for Democracy' Campaign Begins!
· 03/02/05: FDOT/Clint Curtis Report: Tom Feeney Client, Yang Enterprises, Overbilled! Refund Demanded!
· 03/03/05: 'Catastrophic Success' Tops 1,500 in Iraq!
· 03/05/05: Tom Feeney, Lobbyist and Friend to Firm Harboring Communist Spy, Implies Dan Rather a Communist!
· 03/06/05: CLINT CURTIS INVESTIGATOR'S 'SUICIDE' CASE REOPENED BY GEORGIA POLICE!
· 03/14/05: NYTimes Article on Progressive Blogs Fighting Conservative Bias in Media, Biased Towards Conservatives!
· 03/21/05: CBS Inserts the Feeding Tube into the American People
· 03/22/05: New 'Non-Partisan' 'Voting Rights' Org Appears Little More than Republican Front Group!
· 03/23/05: High-Level Republicans from the New 'Non-Partisan' 'American Center for Voting Rights' Explain Themselves...
· 03/24/05: Mystery Solved! Location of 'American Center for Voting Rights' Found! Exclusive Photographs!
· 03/28/05: 'Non-Partisan' Ring-Leaders of GOP 'Voting Rights' Front Group Currently Very Active Partisans!
· 03/29/05: VR CONDEMNS INCLUSION OF JAMES A. BAKER III AS CO-CHAIR OF ELECTION REFORM BLUE-RIBBON COMMISSION!
· 03/30/05: Right-Wing Extremist 'News' Service Attempts to Legitimize Phony GOP 'Voting Rights' Group!

APRIL...
· 04/02/05: SCIENTIFIC REPORT: Evidence Strongly Suggests 2004 Presidential Election Results --- Not the Exit Polls! --- Were Biased and/or Flawed!
· 04/08/05: CLINT CURTIS PASSES POLYGRAPH EXAM!
· 04/12/05: Aside from being wrong, Lucy Morgan had Clint Curtis story right
· 04/18/05: CONYERS UNLEASHED! DECRIES ELECTION REFORM HEARINGS AS 'OUTRAGEOUS', 'RACIALLY-CHARGED'!
· 04/19/05: Executive Director of National Election Reform Commission Goes Ballistic at BRAD BLOG!

MAY...
· 05/04/05: Tribune Syndicate Spikes Robert Koehler's Latest Column!
· 05/16/05: Tom Feeney's #1!
· 05/17/05: British MP Galloway Shames Sen. Coleman & Bush's 'Oil-for-Food' Sycophants in Remarkable Testimony!
· 05/20/05: Galloway's Senate Testimony Scrubbed from Official Subcommittee Website!
· 05/23/05: Washington Post Buries Page 1 Sunday Story on Iraq Intel Doubts to Page 26!
· 05/31/05: John Bolton is a Crazy Man.

JUNE...
· 06/06/05: GOP Conspiracy Theorists in WA Lose Gubernatorial Election Battle...
· 06/07/05: New Report on Election Reform Dead on Arrival
· 06/10/05: SENSENBRENNER MELTDOWN! UNILATERALLY GAVELS PATRIOT ACT HEARINGS TO A CLOSE!
· 06/16/05: The Congressman Makes a House Call...

JULY...
· 07/01/05: DOJ WHITEWASHES OHIO ELECTION INVESTIGATION! CONYERS 'FLABBERGASTED' IN REBUTTAL!
· 07/06/05: BRAD BLOGGERS Taking Action, Making The News and Making a Difference...
· 07/06/05: Hocking County, OH Barred from Replacing Recount Whistleblower Sherole Eaton
· 07/08/05: The BLOGATHON at a Glance
· 07/12/05: Conyers to Friedman: 'Great Appreciation And Many Thanks'
· 07/13/05: EXCLUSIVE: JOE WILSON Says 'The President should fire Rove'!
· 07/14/05: Rush Unglued Over RoveGate...
· 07/15/05: COMCAST KILLS EMAIL FROM 'AFTERDOWNINGSTREET' COALITION!
· 07/15/05: Frank, Conyers Inquire Into Impeachment of 'Senior White House Officials'!
· 07/21/05: Fed Court Upholds Volusia County Decision to NOT Use Diebold Touchscreen Voting Machines

AUGUST...
· 08/02/05: Phony GOP 'Voting Rights' Group Delivers Onslaught of Disinfo Today!
· 08/08/05: ACVR, America's Fake 'Voting Rights' Group, Enlists Fake 'Democrat' to Shill for Fake 'Election Fraud' Report!
· 08/18/05: VACATIONUS INTERRUPTUS: 'Operation Noble Cause' is Underway!
· 08/22/05: Raw Radio Miracles Can Happen! And today they did!
· 08/23/05: EXCLUSIVE: JOAN BAEZ PERFORMANCE LIVE FROM CAMP CASEY!!!
· 08/24/05: Sheehan's Late-Night Camp Casey Comments to Supporters
· 08/26/05: AIR AMERICA Broadcasts With BRAD SHOW Saturday Night!
· 08/28/05: A Few Photos from BRAD SHOW in Crawford, Texas...
· 08/29/05: Mr. Bush, Specialist Young Would Also Like to Speak With You...
· 08/31/05: EXCLUSIVE: Cindy Sheehan's Closing Remarks to Volunteers at Camp Casey...

SEPTEMBER...
· 09/01/05: EXCLUSIVE: Karl Rove Makes Surprise Visit to Camp Casey!
· Audio Highlights from The BRAD SHOW's Live "Operation Noble Cause" Coverage from Camp Casey
· 09/04/05: MTP VIDEO: Jefferson Parish Prez --- in Tears --- Begs for FEMA Help
· 09/08/05: The Ballad of Michael Brown
· 09/15/05: * EXCLUSIVE! * A DIEBOLD INSIDER SPEAKS!
· 09/19/05: BUSH CRONY JAMES BAKER AND GOP OPERATIVES ATTEMPT TO DISENFRANCHISE MILLIONS OF AMERICAN VOTERS WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEW VOTING RESTRICTIONS
· 09/22/05: DIEB-THROAT Weighs in on Diebold's Stunning 15.5% Wednesday Stock Plunge
· 09/22/05: 2004 Election Ranked #3 on List of Stories Ignored by Mainstream Media
· 09/23/05: Diebold's Tough Luck, VR's Promise, and a New Ad for America from the Velvet Revolution...
· 09/24/05: Nothing At All Occurring in Our Nation's Capitol Today!

OCTOBER...
· 10/01/05: Brad Debates ANN COULTER on Republican Ethics (or lack thereof)!
· 10/05/05: Ann Coulter Genetically Incapable of Telling the Truth?
· 10/06/05: 'Non-Partisan' 'Voting Rights' Group Founder Works for White House!
· 10/08/05: The Fight for American Democracy Continues...
· 10/10/05: BRAD BLOG BUSTED AGAIN!
· 10/11/05: ACVR's 'Non-Partisan' 'Voting Rights' Spokesman Now Working for Dick Cheney!
· 10/16/05: Tammy Bruce Lies To America! Makes Much Money in the Bargain!
· 10/20/05: EXCLUSIVE: CONSERVATIVE GROUP DENOUNCES ANN COULTER!
· 10/20/05: BREAKING: NON-PARTISAN GAO REPORT CONFIRMS CONCERNS ABOUT SECURITY OF ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES!
· 10/24/05: Monterey County, CA Registrar Admits New E-Voting Machine Technology 'Faith-Based'!
· 10/26/05: Print and Video Ads of the Moment...
· 10/27/05: Iraq WMD, The Outing of Valerie Plame, The Downing Street Memos and The White House's Obsession for Going to War...
· 10/31/05: Cheney's Clintonian Lie About Joe Wilson...

NOVEMBER...
· 11/01/05: Silence: Mainstream Media Completely Ignores GAO Report, Joint Congressional News Release on E-Voting!
· 11/02/05: Rush Limbaugh Lies Again: Says Fitzgerald Investigation Found 'No Evidence' in Outing of Valerie Plame
· 11/04/05: Dear Wingnuts and Christian Conservatives...
· 11/04/05: New Poll: 53% of Americans Support Bush Impeachment!
· 11/08/05: ELECTION DAY: ELECTRONIC VOTING 'PROTOCOL BREACH' DENIES SCHWARZENEGGER AT POLLING PLACE!
· 11/10/05: Rep. Weldon Alleges Massive 'Cover-up' of Pre-9/11 Intel
· 11/10/05: O'Reilly, Robertson Wish Death and Destruction on Voters They Don't Agree With...
· 11/12/05: Plaintiffs Blocked During Discovery Phase of New Mexico '04 Election Lawsuit
· 11/14/05: The Staggeringly Impossible Results of Ohio's '05 Election...
· 11/17/05: Democracy Breakin': Ohio's Electric Boogaloo
· 11/17/05: Bush DoJ Political Appointee Overruled Staff Recommended Rejection of GA's Voter Photo ID Law...
· 11/18/05: Diebold Uses Court System to Avoid Law Requiring Source Code Submission in N. Carolina
· 11/20/05: Election Day 'Meltdown' Reported in Lucas County, OH
· 11/21/05: 'Mystery Pollster' Blumenthal Analyzes Columbus Dispatch Polling of Ohio '05 Election
· 11/24/05: Death Is Sexier Than Sex (to Ann Coulter)
· 11/27/05: Confusion, Misreporting Surround Reports on CA Sec. of State Diebold Voting Machine 'Hack' Test!
· 11/28/05: AUDIO: Sec. of State Spokesperson Evades Questions in Live On-Air Interview About California/Diebold Situation
· 11/28/05: ANN COULTER POSTS BRAD BLOGGER'S PERSONAL INFORMATION ON FRONT PAGE OF HER WEBSITE!
· 11/29/05: Ann Coulter and Her Supporters May Not Care About Jesus' Golden Rule...
· 11/29/05: Diebold Drops Out of North Carolina

DECEMBER...
· 12/01/05: I'm Deeply Sorry That Judith Miller Is Out of Her Mind
· 12/01/05: Former Gay Hooker, White House Correspondent 'Jeff Gannon' Supports Ann Coulter's Posting of Critic's Personal Phone Number on Website
· 12/01/05: Election Reform Activists Locked Out of California SoS Summit on Electronic Voting!
· 12/01/05: 'IMMACULATE CERTIFICATION'! DIEBOLD ALLOWED IN NORTH CAROLINA AFTER ALL!
· 12/02/05: Bush DoJ Appointees Overruled their Own Voting Rights Act Attorneys to Approve Texas Redistricting Plan!
· 12/04/05: MSNBC Names Ann Coulter 'World's Worst' for Posting BRAD BLOGGER's Private Information
· 12/04/05: O'Reilly Trumps Up Phony 'War on Xmas' With Year Old 'Daily Show' Clip!
· 12/07/05: SOURCE: 'Daily Show' to Run Piece Tonight on O'Reilly's Misleading 'War on XMas' Clip as First Reported by BRAD BLOG...
· 12/07/05: EXCLUSIVE: POTENTIAL SECURITIES FRAUD CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST DIEBOLD IN PROGRESS!
· 12/10/05: Bush Administration Guts 40 Year Old 'Voting Rights Act'
· 12/10/05: O'Reilly Caller Said to Stiff Waitress For Saying "Happy Holidays"...
· 12/12/05: DIEBOLD CEO WALDEN O'DELL RESIGNS! FRAUD LITIGATION IMMINENT!
· 12/13/05: EXCLUSIVE: SECURITIES FRAUD LITIGATION FILED AGAINST DIEBOLD, INC!
· 12/14/05: BBV: Leon County, FL to Dump Diebold After Undetectable Hack Reverses Test Election!
· 12/15/05: Bush/Cheney New England Chair Found Guilty of Election Day 'Phone Jamming' Charges
· 12/16/05: BREAKING: Volusia County, FL Dumps Diebold Too!
· 12/18/05: Florida Gov. Bush Expresses Concern About State Election Systems in Light of Leon County Hack Test
· 12/20/05: Conyers, House Judiciary Dems Release Massive New Pre-War Intel Report, File Several Resolutions
· 12/20/05: CALIFORNIA SEC. OF STATE REFUSES TO RE-CERTIFY DIEBOLD VOTING MACHINES! (For Now...)
· 12/22/05: Amidst Intense Last-Minute Drama, St. Louis County Rejects Diebold!
· 12/22/05: BREAKING: DIEBOLD PULLS OUT OF NORTH CAROLINA! (Again! And For Now...)
· 12/23/05: UNCOVERED: CA Sec. of State Threatened Decertification for ES&S After Failures in Recent Election!
· 12/29/05: 'All is Well' Says CA Sec. of State About ES&S Voting Machines
· 12/29/05: Sibel Edmonds Calls for National Security Officials to Step Forward as Whistleblowers
· 12/30/05: 'Downing Street Documents' - Confirmed and Corroborated!

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