New podcast, new record!

Happy Friday, folks!

We set another podcast download record; actually, we smashed the old one! Again, a huge thank-you to all our listeners. We do this for you!

Our next podcast will be up shortly, from our second segment last night: "Doing the Bare Minimum." One of our shorter segments, to be sure, but we have much coming up for you all over the weekend. Both parts of "This Week in the Libby Trial" will go up tomorrow; I will drop at least 2 more parts of last night's show on Sunday and Monday.

Again, thanks to all for your support, and keep listening!!!

-Ralph

Short media roundup

The right-wingers have tamed down a bit the past few days. They've spent a lot of time venting at Media Matters for pointing out their hate-mongering, but little time giving us more ammunition against them. But, a few interesting points from the usual suspects.

Bill O'Reilly can't decide... is Sean Penn anti-American, or not? Somewhere, deep inside, you know he longs for his Inside Edition days. Oh, and the ACLU are a bunch of traitors... again. Yawn, Bill, get some new shtick, eh?

Pharmie-popping Rush Limbaugh (lamely) jokes on Muslims after a story reveals that British prisons plan to reorient toilets in cells as part of a refurbishment plan... which also happens to respond to complaints from Muslims. It is disrespectful in Islam to excrete bodily waste while directly facing or opposing the direction of Mecca. Of course, Rush takes it one step into ridiculousness.

Finally, what would a media segment be without a comment from that massive tool, that Weiner, Michael Savage? He seems to think that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would stand against America, should another attack occur on U.S. soil. The best line ever from the weenie Weiner: "I think they'd march thousands of us into the hands of the enemy in order to gain what they would think would be a long-term peace." Hmm... Bush has sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers "into the hands of the enemy in order to gain what he would think would be a long-term peace" ...hasn't he? Or are we watching two different wars?

Another Democrat leaning right?

Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) has never been one of my favorite people, since supporting the "bankruptcy bill," that, like most other Neo-con legislation, is named for what it doesn't do.

His comments regarding Barack Obama, however... I'm not quite sure how to take this. Is this a faux-pas, or is it misanthropic? Let's dissect: (my commentary in italics)

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American (What's that supposed to mean, a mainstream African-American? As if others who held power/ran for president were far-flung kooks?) who is articulate (Calling an African-American "articulate" comes off as awfully condescending, even if it isn't. What, are they all supposed to speak like Snoop Dogg, fo' shizzle?) and bright (Usually, they're stupid?) and clean (...and dirty?) and a nice-looking guy (...and ugly?)..."

This reminds me of Kerry's botched joke. Probably innocent, but it sounds really really bad.

Guess who else says Obama is "articulate"? Yep, it's George Bush.

Contempt for the American people, too.

Bush knew BEFORE the November elections that a "major change" in Iraq was necessary... just like he knew before the elections that he was booting Rummy from the SecDef position. Oh, and just like he knew before the '03 SotU that the proof behind the "Saddam is buying uranium" claim was fraudulent.

He also thinks that people are dismayed over the economy because of Iraq. WHAT? People are dismayed over the economy because the economy is only doing "great" for the top few percent of Americans. Of course, the economy would be less troubled were we not borrowing from the Chinese to finance our illegal occupation of a sovereign nation. To claim that people's views on Iraq lead to their dissatisfaction with the economy is fallacy. Job and wage growth are weak, while the growth of the cost of many big-ticket necessities (medical care, housing, food, household operation, college tuition, and cars) is strong.

Meanwhile, Bush and his loyalists always say, "If you're against the war, you don't support the troops!" But, Mr. Bush... a soldier asked you what your plan was going to be if your "surge" fails, and you gave him the worst non-answer answer that a politician could possibly give - "Don't worry about it, we'll handle it."

I'll take Kanye West one step further. President Bush doesn't care about American people... unless they make seven-figure salaries per year.

The United States of Paranoia?

...or, How Advertising is Really Terrorism.

Boston was paralyzed in fear yesterday as a series of advertisements for an upcoming movie based on the Adult Swim/Cartoon Network show, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," were mistaken for BOMBS.

Basically, the advertising consisted of a magnetically-backed Lite-Brite-style board, which displayed images of series antagonists the Mooninites (a.k.a. Ignignokt and Err) flipping the bird to passersby, strategically placed so as to be noticed. Unfortunately, in our "terrorists are coming to get YOU!" mentality that the Bush cabal has fostered in us, these devices were considered suspicious, and arrests have been made.

Are we Americans... or cowards?

Interestingly enough, these displays are up in many cities, including New York, and NO incidents of "OMG suspicious package!" have occurred.

Oh, and if you are unfamiliar with the ATHF... get a frickin' clue already!!! Best cartoon on TV that does not come from Japan, far and away.

Pure contempt towards the military

The latest report on Iraq's re-construction reveals millions of wasted dollars and fraud by private contractors, yet military officials are complaining about lack of proper equipment for the soldiers in Iraq. This administration displays pure contempt for the military; thus, it is no surprise military personnel are speaking out against this power grab in Iraq.

They do not support the troops! This is all about the power and resources and contractors becomming rich off the taxpayer as our military suffers. If you are not outraged, you might be a dittohead!

Potentially devastating testimony at Libby trial!!!

David Attington, the former counsel to the vice president, was asked to testify about a hand-written letter by Dick Cheney given to Scott McClellan. Attington was brought in by Libby's defense team. This letter had a crossed out phrase "this pres". It seems Bush wanted Libby to take the fall in an effort to protect Karl Rove for the outing of Plame. Bush orchestrated this effort to get Plame's name into the media!!! It would appear that Bush (not Cheney) was the one who wanted this campaign to discredit Wilson and out Plame. Cheney appeared unhappy with what Bush was asking for. Cheney did not want to destroy Libby to protect Rove!!!

Could this lead to a re-opening into the investigation of who outed Plame? This investigation was halted due to Libby's obstruction in the first place.

This trial gets more complicated every day, and the main stream media is not even trying to explain it to the American people. This letter can potentially be the evidence that brings down this administration.

More podcasts for you!

Hey folks,

My new podcast prep system will be paying dividends shortly for our loyal listeners.

Two more podcasts from Monday night's show are available: "The Plan Is Iran" and "It's Always Right to Hate..." are available now.

In addition, we're sure to be devoting a segment of tonight's show to the latest bombshells from the Libby trial; the day that segment gets podcasted, it will be joined by Monday's Libby segment. A week's worth of Libby trial news, in a convenient two-part package.

What more could you possibly want?

Listen LIVE later tonight, Thursday, 10:00PM - midnightish, on Indie Airplay!!!

Bush tries to impress the press...

... right into the ground!

Bush got behind the wheel of a massive tractor at a Caterpillar plant and "crank[ed] this sucker up," warning the crowd, "I suggest moving back." He then proceeded to aim the tractor directly at the media crowd assembled for the event. Even the Secret Service had to run for their lives when our Decider-in-Chief decided he was sober enough to operate heavy machinery.

Is this what we have a president for - to play with really big "toys" at a Caterpillar factory while our military is at war?

Judith Miller bombshell!

Libby told her about Valerie Plame... IN JUNE.

More to come, I am sure.

Turd sandwich for hack right-wing blogger

I admit it, I despise conservative bloggers, mainly because they omit facts and lie pathologically.

Last week, we posted a story about election officials in Ohio being convicted of tampering with the 2004 presidential election recount in Cuyahoga County. I came across a hack right wing blogger, named Grouchy Old Cripple, who actually accused the Democrats in the county of the fraud! Yes, Cuyahoga county is Democratic, but this hack of a blogger (who puts a stain on the great state of Georgia with his ignorance) omitted the fact that the board of elections was run by Bill Bennett, who was, in turn, selected by Republican Kenneth Blackwell (Secretary of State at the time). I emailed this hack, and got a blog dedicated to me on his childish website. The crippled con will not man up and admit he is wrong. The Democrats had nothing to do with the fraud, but the Republican board of elections did.

More proof cons are incapable of telling the truth. Hit the coward's blog, correct him over and over again, until he bans you, like most effeminate conservatives do when confronted with the truth.

Jared

Do what they say, say what they mean!

The new motto of the Democratic party!!!

House and Senate Democrats came to an agreement on a budget plan that eliminates virtually all earmarks for this fiscal year. This is the same budget plan that the last Congress couldn't find the time to work out between all their lobbyist-paid junkets and vacation days.

Republicans are disappointed that they aren't getting anything out of this. You had a stranglehold on this country for the last six years. How's that minority status working out for you? How does it feel to be treated like you don't exist? You don't like it when it's done to you, do you?

I fear, though, that this will teach them nothing. As I always say, I hope I'm wrong.

Times change.

So should the minimum wage.

The Senate passed the minimum wage bill, with $8.2 billion in TAX CUTS. The Republicans' defense? "Oh, the Democrats passed a minimum wage bill with tax cuts when Clinton was president!"

Please, Clinton wasn't raping the treasury. He wasn't borrowing billions from China to finance an illegal occupation of a sovereign nation in order to steal its oil from them for his buddies. He wasn't saddling the country with OTHER tax breaks that have lead to some of the largest budget deficits in the history of our great country.

Times change. The times, unfortunately, require more taxes, not less - thanks to Bush's "stellar" stewardship of the American economy. We'll be paying this off for generations as it is now; do we have to make it even worse?

There were 10 Republicans in the Senate who actually voted AGAINST the minimum wage, even WITH the tax cuts! The list (courtesy of ThinkProgress) contains the expected members of Bush's knee-pad squadron: Burr (R-NC), Chambliss (R-GA), Coburn (R-OK), DeMint (R-SC), Ensign (R-NV), Gregg (R-NH), Inhofe (R-OK), Isakson (R-GA), Kyl (R-AZ), Vitter (R-LA).

Bush has a problem...

...pesky governmental agencies that actually do their jobs!

Bush signed an executive order stating that each agency must have a regulatory policy office - put simply, an office to review the policies the agency recommends. Sounds reasonable, right? The problem, however, lies with the reality that the heads of the regulatory policy offices will be political appointees. Bush disagrees with global warming? The EPA will now have no choice but to fall in line. Are OSHA's restrictions costing big business money? Not anymore! Does the FDA require too much "expensive" testing of new products before selling them to the public? Bush will make that problem go away faster than you can say, "thalidomide."

All this happens on the same day that scientists have come forward yet again in protest at the Bush administration's veritable mangling of their research, turning valid global warming science into nothing more than speculation (if they don't delete it outright). A survey of scientists shows just how severe this treatment by the Bush cabal is. Also, the Senate has begun debate on capping emissions - heresy!

What else revealed today? Besides the fact that John "Death Squad" Negroponte is considered by anyone to be a "very eminent statesman," it is shown that the White House has barred Negroponte from saying the words "global" and "warming" in the same sentence!!!

This is un-American, inhuman and inhumane behavior by the Bush cabal. They're going to get us all killed, one way or another. Perhaps this is why Bush really wanted to get us to Mars; the Earth is going to fall to pieces as his buddies extract all the resources at the lowest cost possible.

Projection all over the place.

There are two internet sites already spreading lies about Obama, both with very "truthy" names...

There is The Truth About Obama, at obamatruth.com ... and the Obama Truth Squad, at obamatruthsquad.com ...

And Democrats are the racists... right? We're also the big, bad, evil corporatists... right?

What would they do if they could not project themselves onto the Democrats? They might actually have to try and defend their reprehensible positions!

Yet another podcasting update.

"We Don't Need No Escalation," the first segment from last night's LIVE broadcast, is now available through iTunes.

Keep on downloading!!!

How AG Gonzo takes the power back.

Thank you, Arlen Specter. [/sarcasm]

Turns out Sen. Specter added a provision to the Patriot Act that allows Gonzales to replace U.S. Attorneys with whomever he desires, without his appointees going through the previously standard Senate confirmation. An appointee (as a result of a firing or retiring) used to have to be confirmed by the Senate within 120 days; if not, district court judges would select someone.

Gonzo's problem with that? District court judges have "tended" to appoint their friends to these positions. Wow.

Thank you, Paul Krugman (yeah, TimesSelect, yo)!!!

ASSorted media follies.

Bush mangles yet another metaphor. This time, an optimist is a "half-glass-full" kinda guy - like Dick Cheney!!!

The Savage Weiner lives up to his reputation here. On his show Thursday, he first tries to explain why the Democrats are "attacking" Barack Obama: If the media attacks Obama, Hillary gets to go "under the radar." Unfortunately, the right-wing media are the ONLY ones reporting it as true. Why would they help Hillary? (For Obama's part, he's done a good job at deflecting this shitstorm.) But Weiner doesn't stop there; oh no, that would never do. He then completely lashes out at a true American patriot - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) - telling him, amongst other things, "screw you, you jealous loser" and "go to hell," "dirty socialist"!!!

On Hardball Thursday: "too elitist" Hillary can't carry the mountain states, but McCain "matches the state [of Nevada] to a great degree" because they are "individualistic" and "mavericks by nature".

Bill O'Reilly, as could by now be expected, again refers to Iraqis and Iranians as "savages" who "have fun" "blow[ing] each other up" and "tortur[ing] each other". This freak is doing more damage to the international reputation of the citizens of the United States than most others.

Last but not least... Sean Hannity, on his Fox News show "Hannity's America," plans to air content (if not footage) from the deleted scenes of ABC's docu-fantasy "The Path to 9/11". In a bitter twist of irony for Hannity, his fill-in host on Hannity & Colmes last Friday, Chuck Norris (try not to laugh too hard), actually thinks it is wrong for such footage to have been in the film if it is inaccurate. I'm sure Hannity would disagree.

LIEberman stands with the neo-cons!

As I mentioned earlier, I would have some juicy LIEberman stuff... and I hope I do not disappoint.

LIEberman is against the Democrats on the "non-binding" resolution against Bush's troop surge, which reminds everyone that he is a LIAR when he says he will "caucus with the Democrats." Yeah, to gain the edge in the election, he said that. Since the Democrats didn't win enough seats to force a majority, he can act like a Neo-con while knowing he can't get "kicked out" of the caucus by the Democrats, as they would cede control of the Senate back to the Republicans. He has had the Democrats by the balls and he can now come out as a Neo-con spy.

How can I be so sure of this? Look who speaks out in allegiance with him. Bill Kristol says the Senate should "shut up". Of course, new Secretary of Defense Robert Gates agrees with him too. And neo-Neo-con denier Sam Brownback has come down... against LIEberman!

LIEberman is an enemy to BOTH party AND country, and the good citizens of the state of Connecticut should find out what recourse they have regarding removing him from his post in the Senate.

Today in the Libby trial!!!

According to Ari Fleischer, the first White House Press Secretary, Libby told him about Valerie Plame 4 or 5 days before Libby claims to have heard it for the first time.

Surprise, surprise.

The people spoke this weekend in D.C

This weekend's anti-war protest drew over 200,000 people (some estimate as high as 400,000). All walks of life, from elected officals, government workers, veterans, families of veterans, students, celebrities and plain old patriots, let their voices be heard. Bush's poll numbers hit another all time low over the weekend.
America has rejected the Iraqi war, and is against the "surge". The neo-con agenda is dead in America, yet Bush and his demonic administration will continue to go against the will of the people. The only solution is for these degenerates to be peacefully removed from office. America has spoken. One can only hope the information learned at the Libby trial will open the doors for the removal of Cheney, and, subsequently, the impeachment of Bush.

Tune in tonight, the show will be a blockbuster!!!!

Jared

I now turn the blogging over to Ralph for the rest of the afternoon.

Treason= Cheney

The Libby trial revealed that Libby was directly instructed by the VICE PRESIDENT to leak the name of the covert CIA agent (Plame) to the press. As we all know by now, Plame's husband, Joe Wilson, was investigating the claims of Niger's role in supplying uranium to Saddam Hussein. Wilson's investigation proved that the adminstraton was, of course, lying about Saddam's nuclear capability. This would not fly with an admisitration intent on a war for profits and oil in Iraq; Plame became a victim of a vengeful Bush crime family that wanted no opposition to the planned invasion. Libby is basically taking the fall for Cheney, but will this news learned from the trial finally bring Cheney to justice?
Cheney endangered the lives of covert agents working on weapons of mass destruction issues! CIA agents doing their job were exposed by this administration as a result of this leak. Cheney needs to be held accountable. He is an enemy of America.

War on Drugs the Bush way!

The US Military has reduced their role in intercepting large drug shipments into the United States, due to their ever-increasing role in Iraq and Afghanistan. How is the Bush administration fighting the "war on drugs" in 2007? By busting medical marijuana outlets in California where voters have supported medical marijuana!
Be prepared to see thousands of low-level drug busts all over the nation, as the administration will now allow the heroin and cocaine to come into this country. This will contribute to the creation of an even larger prison culture within this nation by filling the jails with small fish, while the drug suppliers have free access to deliver the goods into the country. It has started already, with a drug sweep in Harlem, NY this weekend .
These sick degenerates are not interested in fighting addiction, they are interested in locking up small-time dealers (who have increased access to product) and punishing the sick who are legally prescribed marijuana as a painkiller.

Syria - Good for torture, bad for diplomacy.

A Canadian citizen was arrested in America and brought to a secret prison in Syria, courtesy of the United States acting on poor intelligence from Canada itself. Strangely enough, we refuse to speak to Syria in diplomatic discussions regarding the war on terror and their role in Iraq, yet we use them for secret prisions? Can anyone kindly explain this to us?

Iran just may be next

We have frequently spoken about talk in Washington about attacking Iran on our program. It appears, more so than ever, this may be happening. The Sunday Herald of Scotland is reporting this. John Bolton (gone, but still running his mouth) supports a regime change! He denies the US plans a government overthrow, yet the United States is claiming Iran is giving weapons to Iraqis to kill American troops. Given this administration's track record when it comes to their claims about the workings of the Middle East, can we trust a single word any of them have to say? Is the "surge" in Iraq just the start of the next war?

New record!

We set a new podcast downloading record yesterday! Jared and I thank each and every listener for your support!!!

Actual news-y content from me will be coming in the afternoon. I have the day off of work, but a busy morning/early-afternoon.

Pressure applied to the FCC

It appears the Democrats are interested in regulating our airwaves once more. The media, dominated by fewer and fewer organizations, is no longer serving the public. This is a topic we feel very strongly about on the ELPN; we call it the "complict story-book media," who look to dumb down the news and leave the public uninformed. We have a Federal Communications Commission, and it is about time they do more than slapping a few "shock jocks" with a fine every once in a while. Somebody has postponed the news for the last 6 years, and it is about time the media be held accountable!

Sorry for the no update...

This weekend has been incredibly busy for me. However, it will have benefits for you, dear ELPN fans!!!

My hard drive was almost toast as of Saturday morning - only 7GB of 144 free! The culprit was a lot of partially-mixed ELPN shows. I have started mixing every segment down into podcastable form; every show in January is now fully ready to be podcasted, and a daily ELPN podcast segment is closer to reality. (I'm now at 20.5GB, if anyone cares...)

In addition, as of this posting, all three parts of our State of the Union dissection are available as podcasts! The first "technical difficulties" segment has one small part cut out where I was diagnosing and correcting the problem that led to the dead air; otherwise, it is presented as you would have heard it, had I reset my studio's wires to broadcast configuration before the show instead of during.

Anyway, look for a Joe LIEberman segment tomorrow night. Our Hebrew traitor-I-mean-Democratic-caucusing-but-Independent buddy from Connecticut has had his mouth full of excrement, including a promise to "endorse the candidate I think is best for America" (paraphrasing here). McCave-LIEberman in 2008 will be the Republican ticket, mark my words.