Guest blogged by Michael Collins

From 9/11: Press for Truth
and 9/11: Press for Truth: A Review --- "Scoop"

I saw 9/11: Press for Truth last night at the Landmark E Street Cinema. When I got directions, I laughed a jaded laugh because that's just around the corner from the J Edgar Hoover Building, FBI Headquarters. How did I know that? Because in the 1980's, the 9:30 Club was also just around the corner from FBI Central. Ignoring the 9:30 Club was to the FBI's credit. Their performance on the 9/11 tragedy, however, has been like the other institutions that ignore or obfuscate: disappointing.

I reviewed this outstanding work of documentary film art for "Scoop" shortly after I saw it --- 9/11 Press for Truth: A Review- "Scoop". Winter Patriot has very recently blogged about some of the background behind it.

There was one sequence in the film that I wanted to explore more deeply, because it brings together 9/11, Elections, and the Corporate media.

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

From the Sydney Morning Herald's main man in New York, Paul McGeough, September 9, 2006: Right sets attack dogs on Jersey Girl widows

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot and Agent99

Excerpts from oral testimony provided by NYC firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians, downloaded from this page courtesy of the New York Times, and transcribed by Agent99 exclusively for The BRAD BLOG. These are only a few of many more first responders and others at the scene whose testimony has reference to bombs, explosions, holes in vehicles, burning metal and/or other evidence of controlled demolition. We have added the emphasis. Click on a name to download the full PDF of that person's testimony.

Richard Banaciski, Firefighter (FDNY)

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

I don't know whether you've noticed, but I have: billions and billions of op/ed pieces coming out every day lately, purportedly "debunking" the so-called "conspiracy theorists" on the subject of 9/11. A glutton for punishment, I read as many of them as I can get my grubby little hands on.

One thing they do --- one thing they all do --- is fasten onto one or a few of the least plausible suggestions ever advanced by anyone who didn't believe the official story of 9/11, shred them (yes, very easy to do!) and then act as if such shredding nullifies every question raised by every person who does not believe the “official conspiracy theory" of 9/11.

The logic is stunning in its simplicity. It's as if --- bear with me; this gets better --- you're at a football game with sixty or seventy thousand other people, and a stranger sitting next to you says to his buddy, "They'll never score if they don't start throwing the ball!" And now suppose the next play is a straightforward running play and it goes for a touchdown.

Without necessarily being a professional logician, nor a master of sciences theoretical or applied, but simply as a semi-intelligent human being, you should be well-equipped to answer the following question:

What conclusion can you draw from this incident?

If you said:

"NOBODY IN THIS WHOLE STADIUM KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING!!"

then you could be missing out on a career as a "9/11 conspiracy-theory" "debunker"!!

But first you must learn how to smile as you kill.

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Camp Democracy has landed!

That's, uh, one small camp for man, one giant camp for mankind!

Don't believe me? You think this is a hoax? Well, it's up to you. But do some research:

Watch the video.

Enjoy the photos:

[1]: 09/07/2006 - Camp Democracy’s Immigrant’s Rights Rally in front of the US Capital Building

[2]: 09/07/2006 - VR’s “Impeachmobile” on the grounds of Camp Democracy, at the foot of the Washington Mounument.

[3]: 09/09/2006 - Camp Democracy moves from near the Washington Monument to the front of the US Capital Building.

[4]: 09/09/2006 - “Bushocchio” at Camp Democracy giving a “Thumbs Up”!

For even more background, read The BRAD BLOG's interview with David Swanson.

That is all. For now!

As I roll down the freeway towards home, I'm reminded of our friend, the legendary and mysterious Freeway Blogger, who didn't wait five years to remember 9/11. Here's a look back at a few of his finest moments remembering...while Bush and Friends had long forgotten...

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

It's September 10th, 2006.

If you were living and breathing and paying attention, you probably haven't forgotten where you were five years ago tomorrow, nor what you were doing, nor what you were thinking. I can remember what I was wearing! I can remember what my next-door neighbor was doing! Some days get etched on your mind like that ...

And sometimes it helps --- somehow --- to talk about these things ... at least for certain people it does ... and if you're one of those people, this is your place!

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Here's a quick roundup of some relevant stories from far away and even farther. Let's see whether you can spot any connection between these stories and some others, from near and even nearer:

In Great Britain, as you may already know, there is open revolt among the governing Labour Party.

From September 6th:
Gordon Brown scents victory as Blair suffers massive revolt

Guest blogged by Robert C. Koehler | originally published at CommonWonders.Com

Nothing like a little intimidation to liven up my ongoing meditation on a just society. To be threatened with e-mail violence by a Marine Corps major (ret.) steeped in righteousness — wow, how deliciously personal and unfair. What a lovely mixture of bile and adrenaline it sets to bubbling. What a temptation it creates to respond in kind.

Instead, I’ve decided to make this conversation — about violence, ignorance, idealism — public. This is bigger than both of us, sir.

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

It's September 8th, 2006.

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

The Orlando Sentinel has noticed the "Clint Curtis Is Crazy" campaign being run by Tom Feeney. It's hard not to notice, I'd say, when a three-ring binder full of stories about Clint Curtis lands in your lap.

Scott Maxwell, whose reporting we were fortunate to encounter just the other day, chips in with a line-item from his blog:

There's quite a bit more more detail from Robert Perez in a piece called Congressional race gets 'crazy' fast which begins like this:

Blogged by Brad on the road...after 5 days offline, but not off the job (unfortunately)...

After a car breakdown in Kansas, in the middle of nowhere, literally, we're now $650 lighter, but back up and running and closer than ever to the West Coast. And what's the matter with Kansas? Nothing. The folks who helped us out of a jam were aces. With a few meetings over the next week between here and home, and some hot feature articles and other super-secret missions that I'm working on in the background, we'll be back no later than late next week. With much to come the following week.

In the meantime, here's a couple of quickies...

+ I'll be back on Peter B. Collins' show tonight in my usual weekly 5:20pm PT (8:20pm ET) slot to discuss the latest developements (and a few unpublished details) in the Clint Curtis/Tom Feeney election, the Busby/Bilbray matter, and anything else that comes to mind. Listen up online here or call in to say hello! We'd love to hear from you! 1-888-573-8372.

UPDATE: Peter B. called earlier after another guest had to drop at the last minute, so I went on about 15 minutes early. If you tried to tune in, but missed the first part of the interview --- including some previously unpublished details of Tom Feeney's beer-fueled election night flip out last Tuesday --- the interview is now archived here for your listening pleasure.

One section dropped out briefly from my recording, concerning the story I wrote for Hustler on Ray Lemme. Lemme was the man from the Florida Inspector General's office who was mysteriously found dead just prior to releasing the results of his "all the way to the top" report (as it was described by vote-rigging whistleblower turned congressional candidate, Clint Curtis) in a Valdosta, Georgia hotel room. That report, which was published in Hustler's September issue --- and warning: it contains some graphic crime scene photos --- is available in porn-free PDF format right here in case you missed it.

+ Watch PBS' NOW tonight (Friday) at 8:30pm ET for their report billed as "DOWN FOR THE COUNT: Will new voting machines cause an Election Day debacle? NOW takes an alarming look at the new systems in place, ready or not." If this quote from the now-resigned, formerly Bush-appointed first head of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission is any indication, it could be an ugly report: "We are no more certain today than we were in 2000 that we will not have an embarrassing moment and a tragic outcome in this year's election," Deforest Soaries, former Chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, told NOW. (Hat tip to Oregon Voting Rights Coalition for the heads-up! Check the NOW page for air times in your area.)

UPDATE: The PBS NOW report was tremendous. You can now watch the video here...

Guest blogged by Emily Levy

The BRAD BLOG has learned that the plaintiffs in the Busby/Bilbray CA-50 election contest will be appealing the recent dismissal of the case by a San Diego judge. The appeal will be filed in California's 4th District court. Briefs are now being prepared and funds being collected for what may be a rather expensive appeal. Notice of appeal may be filed as soon as today.

Donations to the appeal can be made via Velvet Revolution.

The appeal is a rejection of Judge Yuri Hofmann’s August 29 ruling which echoed GOP claims that the U.S. House of Representatives, not the state courts or voters, have the power to determine the outcome of elections of members of Congress. In California’s 50th Congressional district in San Diego County, Republican candidate Brian Bilbray was announced to be the winner of the June 6 special election, flown to Washington and sworn in before all the votes were counted or the election certified. That, after reports were initially broken, and well circulated by The BRAD BLOG revealing that the Diebold voting machines used in the elelection were sent home with poll workers for overnight "sleepovers" in the days and weeks preceding the "bellwether" U.S. House special election.

Those sleepovers, in which election works had unsupervised access to the highly hackable, programmed, election-ready voting systems, were in contravention of both state and federal laws and led to a filing of an election contest in early July.

Says attorney Paul Lehto, who argued the plaintiffs' case in Hofmann’s court...

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Late Tuesday night, after the election returns from Florida showed a landslide win for Clint Curtis over Andy Michaud in the 24th congressional district's Democratic primary, I heard a fascinating story from Ace Reporter and Managing Editor Alex Babcock of Oviedo, Florida's Seminole Chronicle. The Chronicle is Feeney's "hometown paper" which both the corrupt Republican congressman, and Yang Enterprises Inc. (YEI) --- the company he used to lobby for, even while he was speaker of the Florida House! --- threatened with a lawsuit after the paper dared to report on Curtis' sworn, video-taped testimony to members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.

Curtis had testified that Feeney asked him to create a prototype of electronic vote-rigging software when they were both employed by YEI as The BRAD BLOG originally broke back in December of 2004. Curtis, of course, is now the Democratic candidate challenging Feeney for the U.S. House seat in Florida's 24th congressional district.

Babcock's remarkable account of the "jubilant" Election Night conversation, witnessed by at least three other parties, went as follows...

Guest blogged by Chris Floyd | Originally posted at Empire Burlesque

Kos comes up with this nice catch:

Top Bush counterterrorism official bashes ABC's 9/11 mockumentary