Thought Puh-leeze

After Senator John McCain's publicly-exposed lies about the safety of Baghdad's streets on Bill Bennett's radio show and Wolf Blitzer's the Situation Room, we can now safely call the Senator out of the '08 presidential race and unofficially out of his mind.

McCain's comment, There are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods today. was proven laughable when Blitzer, no anti-war freak himself, contacted CNN and NY Times correspondent Michael Ware, who blew big John out of the water with this pithy comment:

To suggest that there's any neighborhood in this city where an American can walk freely is beyond ludicrous. I'd love Senator McCain to tell me where that neighborhood is and he and I can go for a stroll.

Ware had more to refute, including McCain's unfounded claim that General Petraeus travels around the city in an unarmored Humvee.

McCain is officially toast. Adios, Senator.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to almost anybody, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination two days ago. The mainstream media doesn't want to mention Paul because they know he's a straight-talking critic of almost anything that goes down in Washington.

With Paul in the race - he'll never get the Republican nomination even though he's the most conservative voice of the party - we have the makings of the dream split-party ticket: Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich.

Libertarians and Conservatives should take note because both are from the House - the people's house - and not the Senate. It's time to start drafting Articles of Impeachment and talking up the potential for a real non-partisan ticket. Our democracy may not be dead just yet.

Once again, it's time to report on my favorite radio goon, Ed Schultz. Now, anyone who's been reading my posts for a while understand that I am a serious media critic and generally call a spade a spade. After calling out Tim Russert and the producers of "Meet the Press" last week for having Tom DeLay on their air, Schultz (and every other talker out there) chimed in on the issue, proving that one does not have to be especially sharp to be a radio talk show host.

What brings me back to Fat Ed again was the superb job the Georgetown Hoyas did on the North Carolina Tar Heels on Sunday, winning in overtime to advance to the Final Four.

While that was, in my estimation, the best game of the tournament thus far, I was overcome with joy that not only are the Hoyas my pick to win the NCAA Tournament, but they advanced past the pick of Fat Ed, the Tar Heels.

So today, Eddie actually opened his show with a denunciation of North Carolina, which means that the shameless self-promoter won't get any more mileage out of his pick to win the tourney. Ed had picked the Tar Heels only because he is headed to North Carolina in mid-April, and being the unrepentant shill that he is, picked them to win it all.

What an a$$-hole. The Tar Heels don't need fair-weather fans like Ed Schultz. I hope they boo him off the stage when he does his little meet and greet in April.

Labels: Ed schultz, progressive, talk radio

Representative Ron Paul of Texas simply does not get enough credit for his plain-speaking approach to issues facing America. Instead of hearing the wisdom of this honest man, we're stuck with sound bites from blithering idiots like John McCain and Rudy Guiliani.

On the Democrats side, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barak Obama don't make much sense either when they bluster over the entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, entitlements which Paul (and any other person with half a brain who understands economics) says will bankrupt the nation in 20 years.

Paul cites David Walker, Comptroller General at the Government Accountability Office in this recent article, pointing out that federal spending is completely out of control and entitlement programs will probably never be able to meet their promises unless radical changes are made now.

It's interesting that people like Al Gore and Ron Paul are sounding the alarm about Global Warming and Entitlement Meltdown today, while the current politicians are more concerned with the phony "War on Terror."

We are already a bankrupt nation, morally and economically. The coming 2008 elections are already a complete fiasco.

In the matter of the fired prosecutors from the DoJ, it is absolutely amazing to me that the the criminal-in-chief, George W. Bush, would make an offer to Congress to have Harriett Meirs and Karl Rove testify to John Conyers and the Judiciary Committee behind closed doors, with no record and not under oath.

Apparently, Mr. Bush doesn't want anybody in his administration to admit to anything or be on the record about anything. How the president can make a case that his deputies shouldn't be held to the same standards as the rest of us is really stretching the imagination - not only mine, but that of every thinking person in America.

Not being sworn in to testify before Congress is the ultimate abuse of power. It means that one can say whatever one pleases without the threat of perjury or comtempt of Congress ever being raised. It must be nice to be a neocon, fascist, immoral, unpatriotic pig like the people we have running this administration.

It's time for Conyers and Congress to issue subpoenas and put the president's fee to the impeachment fire. The American public has endured six-plus years of this lying, deceitful, decrepit, (did I mention immoral?) charade and this summer should be one full of non-stop incestigations, hearings and hopefully, resignations and jailings.

These days, computers are used for just about anything but computing. Ripping video, piping music through your system or downloading huge graphics files are just a few of the operations which require massive storage requirements.

Just a few years ago, people thought a 20 gigabyte drive was huge. (Actually, I am still running 6 blogs, 2 websites and various other operations on my Mac Powerbook G3 with a measly 2 Gig drive.) But those days are over. If you want to store music, videos or graphics, you're eventually going to hit the hard drive wall.

There are lots of choices out there for external drives (yes, you must back up your files!), but none better than these portable drives by from Pexagon Tech.

The all new Store-It Colors line of portable USB hard drives from Pexagon Tech, featuring a small 2.5" form factor hard drive, are red hot. With storage ranges from 40GB up to 160GB, these pocket-sized dynamos are priced right, too - from just $59.99 for the 40-gig to 169.99 for the 160-gig, and they're personalizable.

When you order online at the Pexagon Tech web site, you can laser engrave both sides with whatever you like. And there's NO setup charge and NO order minimum. Way, way cool. 5 shades!!

Just got my email from the luxury portal, Robb Report, featuring a story about a cool business in Albany, New York which specializes in restoring antique pool tables.

According to the story, Donald Bartholomay and Dave Grunenwald, the two craftsmen who operate Bankshot Antique Pool Tables spend anywhere from 4 to 10 weeks to restore pool tables made from 1870 to 1920.

The finished products are masterpieces of luxury gaming equipment, replete with leather pockets, oak and mahogany carved woods, and heavy slate slabs beneath the cloth playing surface.

Playing pool may never again attain the heights of these magnificent tables, which reportedly sell for anywhere from $15,000 to $60,000. By the way, if you're going to set your drink down to make your next shot, please use a coaster.

Recently launched Big Web Links Directory offers a new approach for directory listings. While most search engines sort by PageRank or some other kind of relevance, Big Web Links are sorted by contribution amount, allowing webmasters to control the position of their listings rather than being lost in the shuffle of hundreds or thousands of similar pages.

The paid listing concept is not particularly new, but the Big Web Links Directory, human edited web directory provides a new wrinkle to the standard equation.

There's a one-time fee of $29.90 for all new listings, but after that, anyone can contribute to a listing and increase the site's ranking. It should be interesting to watch which sites compete for top listings in the coming months.

Sponsored Post

Radio talk show host Big Ed Schultz was noticeably not on top of the news yesterday regarding the gigantic pet food recall involving Canadian company Menu Foods Inc., a supplier to more than 50 brand names of dog food and 40 brand names of cat food.

Could it be that Ed exercises selective editorial control as one of the show's major advertisers is one of the biggest brand names in the pet food business - the Purina company?

I'd say that's a good guess, since Ed Schultz has already been identified as a self-promoting, business-first kind of "progressive" who leans towards the money side of issues. In other words, if it's good for Ed's business, it makes the show. Alternately, Ed would not want to alienate an advertiser even though Purina's pet foods aren't even involved in the recall.

Considering Big Ed's propensity for the outdoors and his love for the family dog, Buck (frequently mentioned on the show), it's difficult to imagine the big guy simply missing the story.

This is just more proof that Ed Schultz isn't really a progressive, but nothing more than a paid shill for whatever advertiser offers him enough money - or in this case, a paid censor.

Labels: Ed schultz

If cruising bars no longer appeals to you or you've gotten tired of friends "fixing you up" with various losers or people you don't find interesting or attractive, you've probably checked out a variety of the online dating services on the web.

The problem with most of these is that they're either charging a ton of money to meet the right kind of people or they're charging a ton of money to allow you to cruise people you'll never meet. Either way, you pay. Sometimes it's worth it, but more often than not, it's a waste of time and money.

But, your frustration may be nearing an end. There's now a free
online dating service that allows you to search by gender, age and locale, to within 10 miles of any location. And all it takes is the time to fill out a 60-second online form. Once you've completed that, you're able to search and post your own profile at JustSayHi.com.

Think about it. The money you save on trying to find a date can now be spent on having a really nice night out with someone special. You never know.

Just when we thought the mainstream media could stoop no lower, Tim Russert and the producers of NBC's Meet the Press have hit rock bottom by allowing former Speaker of the House Tom Delay and Iraq war architect Richard Pearle to appear on their show.

Pearle, who is nothing more than a policy wonk for the administration, has consistently toed the company line on Iraq. His point of view is nothing more than propaganda, not even disguised. Pearle, former chairman of the Defense Policy Board, and DeLay offered nothing more than simple, tired talking points.

DeLay, former Republican House member who resigned in disgrace, has no place in Washington politics or in any American policy debate. He's been appearing on right-wing shows such as those hosted by Sean Hannity and elsewhere on Fox news and now has made it to prime time. The man is a known liar, cheat and was forced to step down from the House because he was under criminal investigation.

It was interesting to note that Pearle and DeLay, who argued ardently for the war, have no official position in government. Former Rep. Tom Andrews (D-MD), director of Win Without War. Rep, Joe Sestack (D-PA) retired Vice Admiral of the US Navy argued successfully against the war and proposals to redeploy the troops out of Iraq.

Pearle engaged in excessive finger-wagging and pointing. Russert even called DeLay "Congressman DeLay." Sorry, Tim, your credibility is now kaput. ZERO. As an honest participant in American politics, you have nothing left. Allowing DeLay on the air is one thing, but calling him "congressman" and holding up his recently penned book No Retreat, No Surrender, is another. You've become nothing less than a shill for the Republican/conservative party that is systematically destroying democracy in America.

Russert, his producers and the management of NBC are elitist plutocrats. Their interests in no way intersect with the majority of Americans. Russert can sit on his fat , pampered ass at the head of his big table and conduct phony, useless debates such as this one. Meanwhile, troops are dying in Iraq. Russert could care less, and it shows.

Thankfully, the truth is that very few Americans even bother to watch the Sunday morning news shows, including Meet the Press. The influence of these shows has diminished drastically thanks in part to the internet and other alternative news and information sources. The shows themselves have helped speed their decline, though, as they continue to feature guests espousing mostly right-wing, pro-war points of view.

I encourage them to keep it up, as it will only hasten their ultimate demise.

Labels: Tim Russert, Tom DeLay

As I've pointed out in previous posts, radio talk show loudmouth Ed Schultz is on my air from noon to 3:00 pm every weekday. What used to be a sometimes enjoyable part of my day, thanks to Al Franken, has now become quiet time. I have taken to turning the radio off during his show.

When Franken was on the air, prior to this switch, I and other listeners were magnetized by Franken's dry wit, intelligent, measured commentary, and a bevy of regular guests which included such erudite personalities as Lawrence O'Donnell, Tom Oliphant, Christy Harvey and David Sirota.

Today and all other weekdays we are now forced to endure the tortuous yapping of the ill-mannered doofus, Schultz, who today was blathering on about paying college athletes, puckering up to Paula Zahn (he was a guest on her show last night) and making cooing noises about being in New York City, redneck yokel that he is. Yesterday, he actually interviewed his son, a fledgling pro golfer, for much of the first half hour.

I turn Schultz on from time to time because he may have an interesting politician every so often, but mostly he turns my stomach, so I tune him out. I wish my station (950-AM WROC), and others would wise up to this ignorant poseur. The good news is that there's only an hour before I get to hear the goddess of the airwaves, Randi Rhodes, at 3:00.

I've often wondered if there was a certain kind of personality that preferred flip-flops over sandals. I've always been a sandals kind of guy and I wonder if people who wear flip-flops, like the California surf crowd, are more laid back, easy-going or free-spirited.

Whatever the case, and whatever your demeanor, you aren't going anywhere in style this Spring and Summer without rainbow flip flops in a variety of colors to mix and match with any wardrobe.

These flip-flops are more substantial than the ones kids wear. These are high-quality footwear, made of premier leather, with laminated, closed cell sponge rubber, and feature a non-skid surface which molds to the foot, ensuring a perfect fit. Plus, they're guaranteed for the life of the sole.

Now that you've got your shades, hat and footwear set for Spring and Summer, you're ready for anything, from beach to boat to boardwalk. Kick it up!

OK, you got your sunglasses and you're ready to roll out into the Spring sunshine.

Not so fast. How about a cool hat to top off your look? I found a few sites that have a great selection of hats for guys and gals.

At hats.com you can outfit yourself with anything from berets to genuine straw hats to tropical clippers or genuine cowboy hats.

If the sports lover in you needs to express team loyalty, check out the selection of franchise caps at lids.com.

And, if you're feeling really adventurous, the largest selection anywhere is available at the Village Hat Shop.

Being one myself, I give a certain amount of latitude to self-promoters. But overdoing anything can grate on one's good side and the non-stop self-praise that comes from the mouth of progressive radio talk show host Ed Schultz is so far over the top as to be onerous.

Ed never misses a chance to pimp himself to his listeners, even though they've heard it from him ad nauseum. He flaunted his ranking as the #5 choice in Talkers magazine Heavy Hundred. I had to remind Ed that he's keeping company with a crop of loudmouth lying losers from the right, aka Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage and their ilk. How good a survey can it be, touting "the most influential talk show hosts" when Limbaugh, Hannity and Savage are preaching to a conservative choir that's diminished to 20-30% of the population?

Real liberals didn't show up in the survey until Randi Rhodes at #13. When it comes to influence, I'd put Randi far beyond "Big Eddie" because while he does get some name guests (mostly elected politicians), Randi offers far and away a production that's smarter and better-researched than his. And ranking nitwit Glen Beck above her proves the survey is seriously flawed. The Talkers' editors even admit "Aside from the hosts whose sheer numbers and fame demand their inclusion on this list, the selection process is subjective..."

But any reasoned analysis failed to dissuade Schultz from talking himself up for a week or so. It was disgusting.

Ed also never fails to mention - at least twice per hour and complete with clips - from any appearance on anyone else's show. He shows up alot on Larry King Live, which should explain much. Schultz is palatable to the right because he's only leaning to the left. He really doesn't have any identifiable convictions beyond making sure he never misses a meal or an opportunity to pimp himself or, even more whoresome, one of his program sponsors.

I recently had the good fortune of exchanging some email with Big Ed himself (or, hisself, as he would say in his faux redneck accent). Here's the transcript:

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Gagliano [mailto:fr@dtmagazine.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 1:31 PM
To: ed@edschultzshow.com
Subject: You're a huckster, shameless self-promoter



Ed,
Whatever Howard Stern said about your show sucking eggs, he was probably right. Since your meltdown about Air-America a few weeks ago and the departure of Al Franken, we here in Rochester have been subjected to your daily middle of the road, wishy-washy opinions from noon until 3:00 pm on WROC 950. Thankfully, you're bookended by the soul sisters of the left, Stephanie Miller and Randi Rhodes, so I only have to tune out 1/3 of the time.

I've contacted the station and have requested that your time slot be changed to Thom Hartman, a real progressive with a functioning mind, rather than the daily blather you produce. I mean really, who gives a crap about college kids downloading music, or less-fattening food in schools or, for that matter, who's winning the stupid race for president in '08. It's a year to the first primary for god's sake.

You are nothing more than a loudmouth panderer who serves at the behest of your advertisers. Just today you revealed yourself when you mentioned that you wrote a book to "promote yourself" or something to that effect, and to make money. It's not the primary reason most people produce works of art, something you obviously know little about.

YOU write books to make money. You run your mouth on the radio to make money. I'm certain that you would champion any cause that would improve your ratings. Basically, you've sold out to commercial interests and aren't worth listening to. While I wish you well, I wish you were off my air. And please, don't get into the March Madness stuff, something you know nothing about. I mentioned you on my web site last year and you couldn't return the favor with so much as a mention. It's a two-way street, Ed. I'll see you on my way up. You'll be going in the opposite direction.

OHHHHHH! I'm #5 in Talker's Hot 100. Big freaking deal. Do you see who's ahead of you? Nice company you keep.

Regards,

Rick Gagliano
Downtown Magazine
http://www.dtmagazine.com


Ed Schultz wrote:

Rick…Can you send me that magazine so I can it use while sitting
On the toilet.

ed

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Gagliano [mailto:fr@dtmagazine.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 1:52 PM
To: Ed Schultz
Subject: Re: You're a huckster, shameless self-promoter

Your response proves what a self-possessed, self-important ass-hole you are.

---------------------------------

Ed Schultz wrote:

Rick….Now be nice…at least it would be read….then flushed like your attitude.

ed

---------------------------------

Yes, I called him an ass-hole, but only after he expressed a desire to read my magazine on the toilet - a slur for sure.

Ed's got a big head, but it pales in comparison to the size of his gut. He, he, it's my blog, I get the last laugh.

Labels: Ed schultz, Randi Rhodes

While watching Charlie Rose last night on PBS, it occurred to me that his guest, ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz, might, in another political climate, qualify as a war profiteer.

Ms. Raddatz, who glowingly proclaimed that she has covered the war in Iraq from "the Pentagon, the White House and on the ground" has penned a new book, The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family, detailing the travails of a group of soldiers who were essentially ambushed in Baghdad's Sadr City in 2004. The book purports to offer perspective from both the soldiers and the family of the soldiers.

In an ironic twist (and maybe Raddatz's motivation for writing the book) the death of Casey Sheehan, son of activist Cindy Sheehan, is detailed. Could the tie-in with Sheehan been a convenient excuse for Raddatz to capitalize on death and destruction in a foreign land?

That could be the case. Raddatz has been pretty busy on the book-promotion front. Her appearance on Rose's broadcast wasn't the first - and apparently not the last - time she'll be appearing on national or syndicated TV this week.

The media likes to make heroes out of journalists who write war stories, regardless of the background. In an amazing revelation of her boundless ego, Raddatz even went so far as to say she faced the same dangers as the soldiers. Sorry, Martha, I don't think so. It's that kind of talk and thinking that makes me want to tell people like Raddatz to strap on some kevlar, grab a weapon and go cap some terrorists. The attitude of journalists is insanity couched in some perverted sense of honor and duty. In reality, it's rubbish.

War is glorified in books such as these without examining the deeper issues. While Raddatz was surely paid a princely sum for this work, I won't read something which essentially was bought and paid for with blood money. The war is on all our hands, but Ms. Raddatz's have a particularly crimson hue.

Labels: corporate media, Iraq, Martha Raddatz

Next Saturday, a coalition of anti-war groups will march on the Pentagon in protest of American involvement in Iraq. The March 17th protest will occur on the 40th anniversary of a 1967 march on the Pentagon that was a major milestone in the anti-war movement of the Vietnam era. The countries are different but the message of protesters is eerily similar: we shouldn't be there and we need to get our troops out.

Organizers of civic and anti-war groups say they expect tens of thousands of people to join the protest march on the Pentagon. Among the many groups which will be represented at the march are the ANSWER coalition, World Can't Wait and many other dedicated anti-war groups who see the United States' involvement in Iraq as criminal and completely unjustified.

Considering how the war seems to have no end in sight, it's difficult not to agree with the views of the protesters. That their march will have any impact is doubtful, especially considering the cynicism in both the White House and Congress. At least there are still some Americans willing to voice their opposition to the war. I am one of them and while I can't make it to Washington, I will stand in solidarity and report on the event here in this blog. It's the least I can do.

Labels: Iraq, protest

After ten days of deliberation, jurors returned guilty verdicts on four of five counts of obstruction and perjury in the CIA leak case which centered on the exposing of then-undercover agent Valerie Plame Wilson.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has not brought indictments in the case against anyone, though Libby was tried separately for various lies to prosecutors, the FBI and the grand jury enpaneled for the original investigation in the fall of 2003.

Libby is free on appeal but could face fines up to $250,000 on each guilty count and 10 years in prison for obstruction and up to 5 years for each of the other three counts. It is doubtful that Libby's attorneys will find sufficient grounds for appeal. Though the trial was highly publicized, there was little for the defense to argue as Libby's accounts were roundly disavowed by government witnesses which included various members of the Washington media and the administration.

With the verdict now in his pocket, Fitzgerald is free to reactivate his investigation with fresh subpoenas and a new grand jury. Fitzgerald said outside the courthouse on Tuesday that he does not expect to reopen the investigation "unless new information" comes to light. Information that emerged from the trial had pointed the finger directly at the office of the Vice President, Dick Cheney, to the point that Fitzgerald said there was a "cloud" over the VP's office in his closing statement.

Trial transcripts will now be widely disseminated and Congress could take matters into its hands, demanding further hearings on the matter. There's plenty of circumstantial evidence to suggest that not only Cheney, but presidential advisor Karl Rove and president Bush himself were aware of Plame's identity, ostensibly tried to smear her husband Joseph Wilson and either originated the leak and/or may have conducted a cover-up to keep facts from Fitzgerald.

Congressional investigations should follow, but whether the current Democratic Congress has the will to pursue the matter is a matter of considerable conjecture. When Nancy Pelosi said before the elections of November 2006 that "impeachment is off the table" should Democrats win a majority - which they did - it signaled to many that the party would not pursue an attack strategy against the current administration.

Since then, the president has defied Congress and the will of the people in sending more troops to Iraq and only former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has admitted to revealing Plame's identity to reporters. There remains nobody formally charged with "outing" Valerie Plame, an act some on the liberal side of the debate equate with treason.

A congressional response will be quick, possibly today. Some loudmouth grandstander like Joe Biden could grab the baton and run with it. We'll see.

Labels: Bush, Cheney, impeachment, Karl Rove