The BRAD BLOG

Larisa Alexandrovna has the details

By Winter Patriot on 8/16/2005 12:23pm PT

The Ed Schultz Show will be heading to Crawford Texas to broadcast its Wednesday and Thursday show a few miles from Camp Casey, Raw Story has learned.

According to Ed Schultz, the host of the Ed Schultz show and one of the biggest voices in progressive radio, the show is going to show support for Cindy Sheehan. "We are going for our listeners, there are a lot of people from across the country who want to be [in Crawford, Texas] but can't be there," said Schultz in a conversation with Raw Story earlier today.

Click the photo for the rest of the article. And thanks to Larisa for the good news!

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Memorial Crosses at Camp Casey Plowed Down by Truck

Driver of truck apprehended and will be charged today

By David Edwards on 8/16/2005 7:00am PT

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Last night, around 10 PM local time, a pick-up truck ran over about 500 crosses at Camp Casey in Crawford, TX. The crosses, provided by Arlington West, each represent a soldier who has died in Iraq. The Associated Press published a preliminary story on the desecration of the memorial crosses early this morning.

Japhet Els and Emily Sharpe of truthout.org reporting from Crawford:

About an hour ago, wegot a phone call from our friends up at Camp Casey saying that the line of gravemarkers along the road (Arlington West) had been run over. People there said that as they were talking to a few members of the press, a pick-up truck came down the road and stopped at the fork by the edge of the tents. The driver then jumped out and attached a pipe to the undercarriage with a chain and began to "swerve into the line of crosses," said Tammara Rosenleaf from Montana. "Then we heard the pipe being dragged over the gravemarkers and the pick-up's wheels crushing them."

Out of the 800 crosses, 500 were knocked down and 100 are irreperable. However, the driver was arrested by the local authorities. This is a prime example of how the Crawford sheriff's department has helped to protect us and our freedom of speech over the past week and a half. A big thank you to them!

(..)

Now, more than ever, is the time for us to come together. We need your voice and your help to bring America closer to an ideal that all of us hold in our hearts. Cindy Sheehan is bringing us closer to that ideal and demonstrating its power to change this country.

This morning, NBC's Today show reported that the driver will be charged later today with criminal mischief. This video from NBC's Today show provides a drive-by view (Windows Media) that really highlights the destruction of the cross memorials.

Today may prove to be bring even more challenges as a few local residents vow to challenge Camp Casey in the Waco courts.

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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Indicted GOP Moneyman Tied To ACVR, the Phony GOP 'Voting Rights' Group!

The DNC Finally Fights Back at the Republican-run 'American Center for Voting Rights' Hoax!

PLUS: Proof that Republicans only pretend to hate Marxists and More on ACVR's Fake 'Democrat', Brian Lunde!

By Joseph Cannon on 8/15/2005 11:19pm PT

Guest blogged by Joseph Cannon

The Democratic National Committee has responded to the false charges posted by the allegedly non-partisan American Center for Voting Rights.

As most of you should know by now, the ACVR is crawling with Republican operatives, many of whom have strong links to indicted sleazoid Jack Abramoff.

AVCR chairman Brian Lunde has a particularly troubling history...

According to Senate lobbying registrations, in 2001 Lunde registered to lobby for George Birnbaum, an associate of Republican consultant and mudthrower Arthur Finkelstein. According to his disclosure filed with the Secretary of the Senate, Lunde worked to "set up meetings for President Kabila of Congo."

According to the CIA factbook on the Congo, at the time, President Joseph Kabila had just assumed power from his father, Laurent Kabila. The older Kabila was a committed Marxist who had ruled Congo since he took forcefully took power in 1997 in a rebellion backed by Uganda and Rwanda. As President, Laurent Kabila banned all political parties except his and failed to hold long-promised elections. He also blocked an investigation into the massacre of tens of thousands of Rwandan refugees that occurred during his takeover. Today, Joseph Kabila still rules as a dictator and no elections have been held in Congo since 1984.

In addition, by claiming he worked for Birnbaum and not Kabila directly, Lunde skirted disclosure laws that would have required him to register as a foreign agent with the Department of Justice.

A lobbyist for a democracy-phobic dictator dares to give the rest of the world a lecture on voting rights? Outrageous!

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Election 2004, Jack Abramoff, ACVR

Doug Thompson: Is Bush Losing It?

Capitol Blue Columnist Asks and Answers the $64,000 Question

Our WP offers a different answer [again!]

By Winter Patriot on 8/15/2005 10:19pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Doug Thompson, writing for Capitol Blue, asks: Is Bush Out of Control? His answer? Heavily edited excerpts follow.

Buy White House aides enough drinks and they tell a sordid tale of an administration under siege, beset by bitter staff infighting and led by a man whose mood swings suggest paranoia bordering on schizophrenia. They describe an angry, obscenity-spouting man who berates staff, unleashes tirades and ends meetings with �get out of here!�

Bush's mood swings have become so drastic that White House emails often contain �weather reports� to warn of the President's demeanor. �There's real concern in the West Wing that the President is losing it,� a high-level aide told me.

Do I think the President is losing it? No. I think he lost it a long time ago. However, the entire piece is worth a read: not too long and very well-written. Thompson quotes a prominent psychiatrist calling Bush an untreated former alcoholic. Take a look at the photo [of Bush with Dennis Hastert] and decide for yourself whether the word "former" seems appropriate. Click on the photo if you're not sure. And please share your thoughts below.

Thanks to Peg C. for many things, including the pointer to this article.

You seein' everything OK, Georgie? Georgie?? GEORGIE???

If you've enjoyed this post, please Buy Something at The BRAD STORE and/or Make a Donation via Credit Card or PayPal and/or Send a Donation via Snail Mail. Thanks to you, The BRAD BLOG and The BRAD SHOW are still here, and still growing!!

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CA: Schwarzenegger Could Be Impeached!

Sleaze Scandal Not Just About Sex; It Involves Bribery Too!!

So ... Why are Democrats so Quiet???

By Winter Patriot on 8/15/2005 9:11pm PT

Guest blogged by Joseph Cannon

Go to Google, type in the words Schwarzenegger, Gigi and impeach --- and what comes up? Precious little. Yet at this very moment, we should be seeing the stirring of a widespread impeachment movement.

The California governor had a seven-year affair with Gigi Goyette, who now lives in Malibu. The affair may have started when she was underaged.

Days after Arnold Schwarzenegger jumped into the race for governor and girded for questions about his past, a tabloid publisher wooing him for a business deal promised to pay a woman $20,000 to sign a confidentiality agreement about an alleged affair with the candidate.

American Media Inc., which publishes the National Enquirer, signed a friend of the woman to a similar contract about the alleged relationship for $1,000.

The story was first told in LA Magazine back in September of 2004. Alas, everyone (including this writer) ignored the matter until the L.A. Times brought it back into focus.

Two months later, the Enquirer announced it had a "world exclusive." The cover story, headlined "Arnold's Shocking 7-Year Affair," chronicled his dalliance with a former child actress named Gigi Goyette and was accompanied by photos of Goyette lounging in a thong bikini and posing with Schwarzenegger. Coming on the heels of the Premiere story, it was a lethal blow, certainly for a candidate who needed the support of the family-values, conservative base of the Republican Party to survive a primary.

The article had blindsided Schwarzenegger, who believed he had already dealt with the detritus of his life...

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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Sheehan invites Bush to Friday Prayer Vigil for Troops

Will this 'president of faith' come out to pray with his neighbors?

By David Edwards on 8/15/2005 6:34pm PT

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Cindy Sheehan is hoping that a less confrontational strategy will be more effective. Will President Bush, as a man of faith, join her and others on Friday at noon to pray for the troops? The president is reported to have nothing on his official schedule for this week.

A candlelight prayer vigil is planned for Wednesday night. Cindy asks that mothers around the nation join together on Wednesday night in solidarity to pray for our troops.

Here is the latest video of Cindy speaking about the prayer vigil on MCNBC's Countdown. (Windows Media format).

CrooksandLiars has an earlier MSNBC report from this morning.

UPDATE: Wednesday Candlelight Vigils...
Join with MoveOn, True Majority, and Democracy for America in organizing or attending a Vigil for Cindy Sheehan in your town on Wednesday, August 17, 2005, at 7:30 p.m.
http://www.moveonpac.org/event/cindyvigils/

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Velvet Revolution Launches Ad Campaign in Crawford

Hard-hitting campaign takes aim at neo-con 'chicken hawks'

By David Edwards on 8/15/2005 1:02pm PT

Guest blogged by David Edwards

The RAW STORY is reporting that Velvet Revolution, a coalition of over 120 activist organizations, is launching an advertising campaign aimed at the Bush Administration's "lies, corruption, fear, incompetence, indifference, and arrogance."

From the Velvet Revolution website:

"The first ad will appear today as a full two-page spread in the Crawford, Texas, newspaper The Lone Star Iconoclast and will be delivered to the President's ranch during his long five-week vacation. Cindy Sheehan and hundreds of others opposed to Iraq war are protesting nearby and they will all be given free copies of the paper. "
...
These ads will appear in newspapers, magazines, billboards, transit shelters, bus and rail cars, and on dozens of web sites in order to reach the most people.

Please donate here because your donations will determine how many of these ads can run. VR wants to have continuous ads in hundreds of venues over the next 18 months. Avenging Angels Inc.will create all of the ads.

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Mark Crispin Miller's 'None Dare Call It Stolen'

excerpts from Harpers and a few action items

for the 6 or 7 squad

By Winter Patriot on 8/15/2005 11:24am PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Some of us have read the newest Harpers, notable for its excerpt from Mark Crispin Miller's None Dare Call It Stolen. And many of us have been waiting for it to hit the net.

from None Dare Call It Stolen, by Mark Crispin Miller:

Whichever candidate you voted for (or think you voted for), or even if you did not vote (or could not vote), you must admit that last year's presidential race was�if nothing else�pretty interesting. True, the press has dropped the subject, and the Democrats, with very few exceptions, have �moved on.� Yet this contest may have been the most unusual in U.S. history; it was certainly among those with the strangest outcomes. You may remember being surprised yourself.

... or not ... you may have been expecting it ... once burnt, twice shy, as they say ...

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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New Revelations Raise Serious Questions

Are Illegal Drugs, Money Laundering, Cruise Ships, and 9/11 Terrorists Connected?

And if so, does the connection involve a shady Republican money-man?

By Joseph Cannon on 8/14/2005 11:44pm PT

Guest bloged by Joesph Cannon

A little bird has chirped in my ear, telling me to look closer at the possible connection between shady Republican money-man Jack Abramoff and the 9/11 terrorists. Uncharacteristically cryptic, the bird said no more.

I knew about the Associated Press story (referenced here) which reported that Atta and company had hopped aboard a SunCruz casino ship on September 5, 2001. Abramoff owned SunCruz. He acquired the company under circumstances many consider strange --- so strange as to have resulted in his recent indictment. So strange as to involve the murder of the former owner, Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis.

The feds had long suspected that SunCruz ships have been used for money laundering, and perhaps even drug importation. The ships are beyond all regulation --- nothing stops criminals from operating them.

Al Qaida operatives have made many a strange visit to casinos --- visits that most investigators feel had more to do with criminal activity than with gambling.

So what further information was the little bird chirping about?

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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The Strange Sacking of General Kevin P. Byrnes

By David Edwards on 8/14/2005 6:05pm PT

Guest blogged by UnderstandingLife and David Edwards

Earlier this month, The Associated Press reported that Four-star General Kevin P. Byrnes was relieved of his position due to alleged sexual misconduct. General Byrnes who was near retirement was assigned as commander of Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia.

From Arianna Huffington in At Rummy's Bizarro Pentagon, Torture is Rewarded While Sex is a Firing Offense, on August 10, 2005 we read:

"Here's all the proof you need that the lunatics have taken over the Pentagon and DoD asylums (that is, if the lunacy of their Iraq policies hadn't already convinced you):

Four-star General Kevin Byrnes, the third most senior of the Army's 11 four-star generals, was sacked over allegations that he had an extramarital affair. Meanwhile, Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez, the senior commander in Iraq during the Abu Ghraib torture and abuse scandal, is being considered for promotion to, yep, four-star general.

Talk about your utterly perverted priorities.

Now, it long ago became clear that the Bushies inhabit a bizarro, topsy-turvy universe --- a place where being utterly wrong about slam-dunk WMD earns you a Medal of Freedom, dismissing a �Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in U.S.� memo earns you a promotion to Secretary of State, signing off on torture makes you AG material, another 123 American soldiers being blown up is the mark of an enemy in its �last throes�, and outing an undercover CIA agent (and then lying about it) merits a vote of confidence instead of a pink slip. "

Yes, we agree with Ms Huffington --- the hypocrisy is all to obvious and that is the problem. Many have recognized that whatever General Byrnes private life might be, it is unlikely to be the primary reason for his current career crisis.

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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Cranky Bush Neighbor Fires Off Near Camp Casey

Several shots heard near protestors but no one hurt

By David Edwards on 8/14/2005 4:38pm PT

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Larry Mattlage is a neighbor of George Bush in Crawford. He says he was sympathetic to the anti-war protesters when they arrived but has gotten tired of the crowds.

Deborah Mathews reports for The Iconoclast...

"Wait! Someone is firing a gun. (pause). He fired it into the air about five times. He appears to be a local inside the fence line on private property. Now he has thrown what looks like a shotgun into the front seat of a pickup, and he's stomping off out of sight. I wonder where he went.

"Now he's coming back out. I'm out here standing on the road. He's got a no parking sign in his hand, walking toward his fence. I'm going to go try to talk to him. I've got to hang up."

(three minutes later)

I went over and talked to the man. He is Larry Mattlage, who says he is on his property and just posted a no-parking sign.

"We're going to start doing our war and it's going to be underneath the law," he told me. "Whatever it takes. So y'all go find another place to do whatever you do. 'Cause this is our front yard and back yard."

I asked, "Do you mean the protestors?"

Wait.....now there's some Secret Service and cops. I'm going to get closer to hear what they're saying. People in bullet-proof vests are here now. Two Secret Service agents are now walking up his driveway towards his house, with Mr. Mattlage. A member of the Sheriff's Department has arrived. Mr. Mattlage is waving his arms now. All of them are now walking back this way.

CNN just reported on the situation and it seems that Mr. Mattlage claims he was preparing for dove hunting season.

"This is Texas.", he says. He is clearly agitated.

The CNN video clip is available here. (Windows Media format)

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Military Funeral Of The Moment

Lance Cpl. Chase Johnson Comley, 21, of Lexington KY, buried yesterday

killed while conducting combat operations near Amiriyah, Iraq

By Winter Patriot on 8/14/2005 12:53pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

BRAD BLOG reader and commenter "WTF" pointed out an article [and photos] from the Lexington Herald-Leader. We found the following passages notable, especially given their source.

[I]n a departure from the norm in Kentucky --- one of the reddest of red states --- some of Comley's relatives, including a few sitting in the front pews, have spoken out strongly against the Bush administration and the war that took the 21-year-old Marine's life.
...
[O]n Friday, Comley's grandmother, 80-year-old Geraldine Comley of Versailles, described herself in an interview as a former Republican stalwart who is "on a rampage" against the president and the war.

She said she would like nothing better than to join Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a fallen soldier who has been holding a peace vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Texas.

"When someone gets up and says 'My son died for our freedom,' or I get a sympathy card that says that, I can hardly bear it," Geraldine Comley said.

She said her view, developed before her grandson's death, is that Bush pushed for war because Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had tried to assassinate the first President Bush, and to get control of Mideast oil.

"And it irritates me no small amount that Dick Cheney, in the Vietnam War, said he had 'other priorities,'" Geraldine Comley said. "He didn't mind sending my grandson over there" to Iraq.

It irritates us too, Geraldine. No small amount, indeed!

Our heartfelt condolences, and sincerest best wishes, to the family and friends of the late Chase Johnson Comley, and to all the other families and friends who weep today.

Click here or on the photo for more. Thanks to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

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Lobbyist Working For Diebold Also Works ~~For~~ Against Mayor's Office!!

Tetris Group Helped Get Diebold Machines Into UT; SLC Mayor's Office 'Frustrated'

and it's all 'legal' --- mayor says it depends on the definition of lobbying

By Winter Patriot on 8/14/2005 12:13pm PT

Or maybe it depends on whay you mean by "is" ...

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Here's a chilling story from Salt Lake City, which one of our friends noticed at The Salt Lake Tribune. It's the kind of tale that Brad eats for breakfast, but for me it's the sort of thing I gag on.

I don't mean "gag" in the way you might think, that the overwhelming nature of the sleaze takes away my appetite. Instead, I mean: Brad would be able to understand all this --- and explain it to you --- a lot better than I can. But he's away --- the slacker! --- and so it falls to this lowly and nearly frozen blogger...

I've read the article, Lobbyist challenged on voting machines: Legal. But ethical? S.L. County's lobbying firm also works for the devices' manufacturer, several times, and the words of Derek P. Jensen are finally starting to seep into my very thick skull. I'm even starting to get a handle on the cast of characters! Listen:

Peter Corroon is the Mayor of Salt Lake County.

Blaze Wharton, Dan Hartman and Paul Rogers are principals in The Tetris Group, a lobbying firm which is paid to lobby for the Salt Lake County Mayor's Office.

The Tetris Group also has other clients, one of whom just happens to be Diebold Election Systems, a manufacturer of touch-screen voting machines, on which The BRAD BLOG has reported many times --- often in less than glowing terms.

Last month, as part of their bid for the lucrative statewide election machine contract, Diebold made a presentation at the Salt Lake County Government Center. They were escorted to this presentation by their lobbyists --- the Tetris team --- who also just happen to work for the county Mayor's Office. One slight problem: the Mayor's Office never asked Tetris to do this ~~for~~ to them.

Peter Corroon: "We never asked Tetris to go out and lobby the state to get the Diebold systems. They came in with Diebold..."

As regular readers of this space already know [all too well], Diebold's machines are ~~crap~~ not always reliable, and as Jensen writes, Salt Lake County "leaders continue to unleash a litany of complaints."

For their part, Tetris has set up what apears to be a classic runaround: Wharton is referring all questions to Hartman, who isn't returning any phone calls. And Rogers cannot even be reached. So that end of the trail is set up just about the way we'd expect it.

Gavin Anderson is Deputy District Attorney of Salt Lake County and he says the push "to determine an economic conflict must come from the mayor's office", according to Jensen, who quotes Anderson as saying:

There's nothing in the law ... It's a matter of the county saying, "Do we trust these guys or are they going to be in Diebold's pocket?" ... As a contractor, they could say: "Hey, Tetris, are you looking out for our best interest?"

Maybe I'm nearly frozen but I'm still functional enough to realize that this sounds like a good idea!! Is there anybody home over at the Mayor's Office?

And what does Diebold say? According to Jensen:

A representative for Diebold insists there is no conflict with Tetris because the lobbying firm represents the county mayor's office, not the county as a whole.

Wow! That's mighty reassuring, is it not?

Well ... don't take my word for it. I'm too cold to make any sense anyway. You should read Derek P. Jensen's Lobbyist challenged on voting machines and enjoy the full reassuring story in its original context.

Thanks, as always. I'll be back. But I gotta go try and thaw out for a while. Brrrr! What a cold story!

P.S. I heard from Brad last night, albeit briefly. He is doing fine, getting some R&R, and heading back to the wild lands. He sends you his best regards. He also says "Watch for some heavy Cannon Fire, coming to a blog near you, on Monday".

I can't imagine what he means. But we shall see...

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Videos of the Moment in Support of Cindy Sheehan

By David Edwards on 8/14/2005 10:02am PT

Guest blogged by David Edwards

RAW STORY has the details on a TV ad that is airing on the Crawford cable channels near Bush's ~~1600 acre palatial estate~~ ranch.

Watch the video at RAW STORY.

Wolf Blitzer of CNN's Situation Room interviewed Cindy Sheehan soon after the presidential motorcade passed by Camp Casey and the crowd of protestors.

Watch the video provided by BRAD BLOG. (Windows Media format)

Swimmer Films spent a day at Camp Casey in Crawford. The filmmaker was awake three days straight to get this film out quickly in hopes that this video would inspire more people to go to Crawford and support Cindy's cause.

Watch the video at Swimmer Films.

TruthOut has been live blogging from Crawford and posting high quality videos. This video clip provides a tour of Camp Casey.

Watch the video at TruthOut.

Canofun Blog has been posting videos nearly everyday of their experience in Crawford. This video shows the proprietor of the Crawford Peace house speaking at Saturday's rally.

Watch the video from Canofun Blog. (Windows Media format)

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AP: 'Republican Party shells out money to defend voter suppression case'

Report: Republicans paying legal bills for 'a former Bush campaign official'

... who is 'charged with conspiring to keep Democrats from voting in NH'

By Winter Patriot on 8/13/2005 9:47pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

No! We are not making this up! We have it via Lex18 in Lexington, KY and the headline reads: Republican Party shells out money to defend voter suppression case

The Republican Party is footing the bill for a former Bush campaign official charged with election dirty tricks in New Hampshire.

Despite a stated zero-tolerance policy on tampering with voters, the party has quietly paid nearly three-quarters of a million dollars for private defense lawyers for James Tobin.

He's charged with conspiring to keep Democrats from voting in New Hampshire in 2002. Republican John Sununu won the close Senate election.

Prosecutors say Tobin worked with a state G-O-P official and a consultant in Virginia to jam Democratic and labor union get-out-the-vote phone banks.

The other two have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with prosecutors.

That's a zero-tolerance policy on what, exactly? Could it be a zero-tolerance policy on democracy, by any chance?

A tip of the BRAD BLOG hat to a loyal BRAD BLOG reader for that great catch. No names, please: You know who you are, don't you, John?

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