What follows this post may likely be a flurry of posts which I've been unable to make while I've been busting at the seams during my mostly involuntary BLOGATHON captivity. So, very quickly...

The BLOGATHON was an extraordinary event, no matter the financial results (and I don't know what they were yet since it was all set up and run by readers --- but I'm praying that we at least covered the expenses for it!) I consider the effort a tremendous success as well as a tremendously moving experience for me. Thanking Steve and Winter Patriot here is not enough since there were scores of folks that are due thanks. I shall try to do so in the coming days. For the moment, please see Winter Patriot's many thanks, followed by Commander Steve's in the comments for that item! Though I should also point to Mr. Conyers' incredible words posted last night which just blew me away. In the current political atmosphere, it is truly we who owe our thanks to him, not vice versa. But we graciously accept and appreciate his thoughtful words.

Thanks to every single one of you who participated in any way over the last several days and last several months to help support The BRAD BLOG and SHOW. Without you, I am nothing.

The map to the cornucopia of mad events that was the BLOGATHON Travelling Circus will be up and available in perpetuity for those who may have missed anything over the last several days, or wish to review the festivities. There is a treasure trove there to be explored! Enjoy!

In the meantime, I know you guys would love for me to get back to work here just about as much as I would love to do so myself...What a perfect bunch of days to have been held hostage and unable to report here!

So get ready for a flurry of delicious and wholesome BRADness... It's time to light it up, bitches!...

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

The First Annual BRAD BLOGATHON has been running for just over a hundred hours, and as you probably know, our primary motivation was to raise some much-needed funds for The BRAD SHOW and Brad's other very important work. We've been asking, and you've been responding. Thank you very much for that. We cannot say Brad's cup runneth over, but at least his cupboard is no longer quite so bare.

We hope you'll continue to make the occasional donation via Credit Card or PayPal or Snail Mail and that you'll make a habit of shopping at The BRAD STORE, but we're going to stop pestering you about it, at least for a while. We agree that The BRAD BLOG is much better with Brad here than without him, and we're ready to give him back his keys. So we've reached the point where we need to say "thanks"... to a lot of people!

To all who have contributed financially, with cash donations or by shopping at The BRAD STORE, or both: Your support is sincerely appreciated, and we thank you very much. Brad's work could not continue without your support, and we wish there were more of you. So go forth and multiply, will you?

To our excellent guest bloggers: to Josh Mitteldorf, Bernie Ellis, Chris Floyd, Gandhi, David Cobb, Larisa Alexandrovna, John Amato, Bob Koehler, Bob Fitrakis, and Clint Curtis: Many thanks to all of you! What an incredible lineup! We are very grateful for you support, as well as your blogging! And we hope you've enjoyed the time you've spent here with us.

To the loyal BRAD BLOG readers who contributed their time and their skills and their ideas and their enthusiasm to make all this possible; to Tracy, Peg, Joan and Robert for their very generous contributions; to Torqued, who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes on any technical thing anyone asked him to do; to Steve, who conceived the idea, and who worked so hard to make sure it happened; to all these people and to many others whose names I cannot possibly mention here [including some whose names I do not even know!], we offer our deepest gratitude.

And now, as we turn to the man of the hour ... or the man of the blog... I have so much to say ... and so few words ... I was thinking clearly --- or at least I was thinking a bit more clearly than I am now --- when I wrote this entry in please don't read my blog:

It's always an honor to sit in for him while he's gone. A great digger, a very good writer, a brave and honest patriot, and a very, very funny man, Brad's my choice: there's nobody in the world I would rather help.

That was back in May, and although I wouldn't take any of those words back, I no longer see them as adequate. There's more ... there's so much more ... that I want to say ... but ... shucks, folks ... I get so tongue-tied sometimes ... oh, you know ... hey, listen: Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin said it better than I ever could, way back in 1961:

You know what, Brad?
Bomp bah bah bomp, bah bomp bah bomp bomp.
Yes, my friend, rama lama ding dong forever.
And when I say, dip da dip da dip da dip
You know I mean it from the bottom
of my boogity boogity boogity shoo.

And so ... without further doo-wop ...
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Brad Friedman!

Welcome home, Brad! We've missed you!!

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Guest Blogged by Steve Viele

As avid readers of this space already know, we had to split the Clint Curtis Puppy-Naming Contest into two parts once we realized that we don't know whether Clint's new dog will be male or female. Clint chose one name for each possibility. So we get two winners.

As discussed last week, our man in the White House, Eric Brewer (actually, BTCNews.com's man, but as he's the only active blogger actually working also as a White House Correspondent, and has been a friend to The BRAD SHOW, we consider him "our man" as well) was holding the Administration's feet to the fire in regard to the huge increase in the number of terrorism incidents in the world since George W. Bush's "War on Terror" was supposedly meant to reduce them.

Of keener interest to Brewer seems to be the fact that the White House seems to be lying to the American People about those numbers.

Thankfully, Brewer is in place to try to keep them honest even while the rest of the White House Press Corps seems unable to do so with regard to anything...other than their newly displayed cajones concerning Karl Rove...which should have been a chip shot for them in the first place anyway.

While Scottie was busy sweating out the Rove questions today, he turned to Brewer for some relief. He didn't get any.

Brewer asked:

Click here to read the whole new set of lies McClellan had to resort to in order to dodge the facts included in Brewer's question...

Guest blogged by Gandhi.

INTRODUCTION {by Winter Patriot}: I am pleased to introduce one of my favorite bloggers, the Australian known as "Gandhi". His blog, Bush Out (by Gandhi), is a treasure trove of factual material concerning the bush administration and its rush to war, its record of deceit, and much else. For quite a while now I have been asking readers of my own blog to check out Gandhi's work, and I am very pleased to share a small excerpt of it with you today.

Does Reality Even Matter?

I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down,
But still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all.

-- Joni Mitchell

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Christmas is coming! Birthdays are coming! All sorts of events require you to give gifts. But what to give?

You need some great gift ideas!!

How about these???

Donate $50 and receive as our gift a copy of Dr Fitrakis' excellent new book:Did George W. Bush Steal The 2004 Presidential Election? Essential Documents

Or ... donate $50 and receive as our gift a copy of Robert Lockwook Mills' excellent new book: The Lindbergh Syndrome: Heroes And Celebrities In A New Gilded Age

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

BLOGATHON TUESDAY?? Yep. The BRAD BLOGATHON has been extended. For more details, click here.

SPECIAL RULES will be in effect for the duration of the Blogathon. We will start a new open thread for each day of the event. PLEASE stay on-topic on the other blogathon threads; but POST FREELY on whatever subjects you like on the open threads. OFF-TOPIC comments on other threads may be subject to relocation or removal.

Guest blogged by Chris Floyd

But that was then; this is now. The following contribution from Chris Floyd is a BRAD BLOGATHON EXCLUSIVE. In his words, it's:

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

The First Annual BRAD BLOGATHON began late Friday afternoon and was scheduled to end Monday evening. As combined blogging extravaganza and fundraiser, it has been a mixed success ... so far!

The blogging has been wonderful; we have enjoyed the online company of very distinguished patriots, some of whose words appear here only rarely. Unfortunately, our fundraising efforts have been less effective than we had hoped. Therefore we have no choice but to continue the BLOGATHON.

As regular readers of this space already know, Brad's blogging permissions have been revoked, and of course we all hope this situation will prove to be temporary.

You can help Brad regain his blogging rights! Please click HERE to donate via Credit Card or PayPal ... or ... click HERE to donate via Snail Mail.

We regret any inconvenience caused by the extension of the BRAD BLOGATHON. While you're waiting for normal service to resume, please enjoy The Dream Of Unlimited Swag: The Klepto-Plutocracy At War by Chris Floyd.

something went weeeerd on me when I was trying to set up this page and I eventually moved Chris over to another thread. oh well.

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

You really have to wonder what Brad would say about this:

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Many of us thought we'd never see anything like this on CNN

Is it really? And CNN is saying so? In public?

What is this nation coming to??

UPDATE: Somehow, the White House Press Corp suddenly grew a set. Extraordinary transcript here. Watch Scottie sweat! CrooksAndLiars has the video.

UPDATE 7/12/05 12:04am: Citizen's for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the folks responsible for helping to write the ethics charges against Tom Delay last year (the ones that stuck!) are calling for the Bush to remove Rove's security clearance pending the outcome of the Plame Investigation!

UPDATE 7/12/05 2:53am: United States Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) issued the following statement to RAW STORY

more as it develops...

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

OUR MISSION IS CLEAR, is it not? We're trying to raise some cash for our friend Brad, and his blog, and his radio show, and his continuing investigations.

No doubt there are many who would donate to such a worthy cause if they had an easy way to do it.

If you're one of those people, HOORAY! We're glad you're here; the BRAD BLOG needs you!

All you need is a regular envelope. That's easy enough, isn't it? Here's what to write on the envelope:

BRAD BLOGATHON
7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594
Los Angeles, CA 90028

What you put in the envelope is your business. But please do it today.

Funds are tight. Every little bit helps. It's only your democracy at stake.

P.S. We have some very nice gifts for donations of $50, $100, or $125. Visit The BRAD STORE for more details.

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

SPECIAL RULES will be in effect for the duration of the Blogathon. We will start a new open thread for each day of the event. PLEASE stay on-topic on the other blogathon threads; but POST FREELY on whatever subjects you like on the open threads. OFF-TOPIC comments on other threads may be subject to relocation or removal.