Rehab, Conservative Style

They'll be happy to tell you how tough they are in the war on terror. They're all about law and order.

But did you know they're also all about paints and crayons?

Brian Ross of ABC News reports that two of the four men behind the plot to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day were actually prisoners of the United States and that, under the leadership of President George W. Bush, were released into a Saudi art rehabilitation program.

"The so-called rehabilitation programs are a joke," a U.S. diplomat said in describing the Saudi efforts with released Guantanamo detainees.

Saudi officials concede its program has had its "failures" but insist that, overall, the effort has helped return potential terrorists to a meaningful life.

One program gives the former detainees paints and crayons as part of the rehabilitation regimen.

A similar rehabilitation program in Yemen was stopped because so many of the detainees quickly joined with al Qaeda or its affiliates, the official said.

Thanks to the Bush administration's relationship with the Saudis, we almost had another aviation-related terrorist attack.

Your holiday gift from the party of national security.

Update: ABC News issues a clarification:

One of the two former Guantanamo prisoners who assumed leadership roles in al Qaeda of Yemen turned himself in to the Saudi government in Februrary, 2009 and therefore could not have played a direct role in organizing the attempt to bring down Northwest flight 253, U.S. government officials said Wednesday.

A second former Guantanamo detainee remains in the leadership ranks of the Yemen group, the officials said.

ABCNews.com reported Monday in error that former Guantanamo prisoner #333, Muhamad Attik al-Harbi, was one of four leaders of the al Qaeda group which claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing.

Weekend Video Salon: On Fixing Capitalism

"[The bailout of Wall Street] demonstrates a very specific class skew—extraordinary intervention into the market place just long enough to fix the situation from the point of view of asset-owners while leaving wage-earners holding the bag."

Radical Cleric Issues Healthcare Fatwa

See who the Senators have chosen to take advice from about health care legislation:

The Truth Shall Set You Free

Dear Republicans: I used to be one of you. In fact you'd likely have no "Tea Bag" movement if it hadn't been for my dad and me, and many others who, back in the 1970s and 80s, instigated the rise of the Religious Right. Dad and I were leaders of that movement.

Read on...

Weekend Books

This is one of the best books we've come across in a very long time. We've got a real interest in learning about how it came to pass that so many issues which were not necessarily seen as being political--became so politicized.

What led to the creation of the hyper-politicized world we live in today? Who or what drove its creation?

In Nixonland, Rick Perlstein traces the roots of this trend--to a very interesting individual who managed to exploit to his own political benefit one of the most wrenching periods in our nation's history. The results of his political strategies can be felt everywhere today.

If you're not with us, you're against us. The playbook for total divisiveness.

This book is a great read, and a long one too. We can't recommend it enough. Dig in.

The Free Market Speaketh

According to news reports, it appears that Citadel Broadcasting is about to file for bankruptcy protection. Citadel owns 5 radio stations in Tri-Cities, Tennessee, many of which can be received here in the High Country. One of these stations is WQUT-FM, which for some reason people listen to when they have an overriding need to hear the same old classic rock songs again, and again, and again.

Wow. The Who. Now there's a band that never gets any airtime. Poor guys. Will they ever break through?

Citadel Broadcasting also syndicates right wing talker Mark Levin. Sleaze is the word that comes to mind when one thinks of him:

Mark Levin to Palin: "You're absolutely right about" "death panels"

Levin rants against environmentalism: " 'Oh, we want clean air and clean water.' And what does that mean? Poverty!"

Levin: President Obama "has aggressively undertaken to destroy this society like no president in my lifetime"

And so on. What a shame it would be if Citadel sold off some of their stations and started carrying progressive programming. Like how about Thom Hartmann? He's only the most popular progressive talker in the nation--and has the 10th most popular talk radio show nationwide.

So, it appears that the invisible hand of the free market is about to slap Citadel's backside. They are not alone in getting slapped. The Washington Times, long a bastion of church-subsidized right wing "reporting", is apparently getting ready to layoff 40% of its staff.

And how about Focus on the Family?

What is a right wing free market worshiper to do? Looks like we might just have a trend here.

Wholesome Local Radio

Feeling like shopping for the holidays? Like to listen to the "local" radio stations? Then think about this before you step out and spend your hard earned cash at local businesses who knowingly advertise during this fine show:

LIMBAUGH: I got two more stories in the stack today about how black unemployment is through the roof. Black unemployment is terrible. The black frame of mind is terrible, they're depressed, they're down -- Obama's not doing anything for 'em. How is that hoax and change workin' for ya? They're all livid. I mean, they thought there were gonna be an exact 180-degree economic reversal and it's done nothing but get bad for everybody, but they're especially upset about it because they look at him as one of them, and now they feel abandoned. And I'm sure Tiger Woods' choice of females not helping 'em out with their attitudes there either.

For the defenders of the radio stations airing this garbage, and for the defenders of the show itself--who will undoubtedly declare that this statement was taken out of context, and that this was a totally isolated incident, we have some more:

"We are being told that we have to hope [Obama] succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles ... because his father was black."

"[I]n Obama's America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering."

"Obama's entire economic program is reparations."

"Obama has disowned his white half ... he's decided he's got to go all in on the black side."

Limbaugh on Gates controversy: "Here you have a black president trying to destroy a white policeman."

More here.

Tis the season.

Little Blue Footballs

Fair is fair. C'mon guys. You get to regulate the uterus, then we get to regulate your Viagra.

Support Our Teachers/Mercenaries

Looks like a certain special someone may be looking for a job teaching high school history or economics--maybe even in North Carolina, if our kids are lucky. He's very familiar with the state--he used to be in charge of a 7,000 acre private military training compound here.

He has excellent real-world experience. He's well traveled, straight as an arrow, and is deeply, deeply familiar with how valuable public-private partnerships can be.

Oh, the things he can teach.

Also too, he's a good Christian:

Scahill: Blackwater USA was founded by a man named Eri[k] Prince. And Eri[k] Prince is ... currently in his late 30s, but at the time of founding Blackwater in 1996 he was believed to be the wealthiest person that had ever enlisted in the U.S. Navy SEALs, which is widely considered to be the most elite force within the U.S. military. And Eri[k] Prince came from a very conservative evangelical Christian family in the state of Michigan. His father was a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps businessman who started a very successful auto parts manufacturing business called Prince Manufacturing. And what the company was best known for was inventing the now ubiquitous lighted sun visor. Any time you’re in your car and you pull down that visor and it lights up, that’s Eri[k] Prince’s family that invented that. So this company was very successful throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and really, young Eri[k] Prince watched as his father used his very successful business as a cash-generating machine to fund the rise of the Republican revolution in 1994 that brought Newt Gingrich and the Contract With America to power. To give the kick-start money to Gary Bauer to start his group, the Family Research Council. They were heavy funders of James Dobson and Focus on the Family. And so young Eri[k] Prince grew up in this family that was very strict Calvinist in their religion and then real free-market-gospel followers. And so he saw this sort of model from his father, and that really has been the model that he has picked up and ran with as he’s built up his Blackwater empire.

Wednesday Night Sermon: The Trawling Edition

Distract, Distract, Distract

Whenever local pols start to do the stoopid, we tend to dig in a little bit more to try to find out exactly what it might be that these same pols are trying to distract us all from seeing.

These pols seem to know that if they can somehow make people frightened about something, then their constituents will re-direct their growing frustrations onto the scary/evil something the pols just invented.

Works like a charm, right? The last thing we all want to hear about is how poor we've gotten over the last several years.

The cumulative impact of the economic policies pursued by the Bush administration over the course of the last 8 years on North Carolina is staggering. In Wilkes County, according to a report by the North Carolina Justice Center, the poverty rate now stands at 25.2%. Fully ONE QUARTER of the population of Wilkes County now lives in poverty.

That is not a recession, it is a depression. And it's brutal.

What do we hear about this shocking news from the elected ones? Nothing. We hear nothing.

How about the "local" media? Gobluridge.net recently offered up these Pulitzer-worthy Wilkes County articles:

Haunted Wilkes Paranormal Conference Begins Tomorrow

929 Gallons of White Lightning Found in Wilkesboro

Motor Racing Network to Broadcast Live from Wilkes

Man Leasing North Wilkesboro Speedway Arrested

Looks like we can't count on the "local" media to call it straight either. Two peas in a pod.

The C Street Widening Project

Heath Shuler is a Stupak:

The Oppressed Minority

As holy activities in the High Country wind down for the day, we thought we'd quiz you. Who said this? We'll tell you at the end of the post.

"Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians. It's no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-based media and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians. Wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history."

Hint: He also said this:

The noose has tightened around the necks of Christians to keep them from speaking out on certain moral issues. And it all was embodied in something called the Hate crimes bill that President Obama said was a major victory for America. I’m not sure if America was the beneficiary. [...] We have voted into office a group of people who are opposed to many of the fundamental Christian beliefs of our nation.

Yes, in this country we are somehow supposed to believe that Christians are "oppressed". An oppressed minority in need of protection, even. The fact that that protection already exists seems not to matter, from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964:

Under Title VII:

• Employers may not treat employees or applicants more or less favorably because of their religious beliefs or practices - except to the extent a religious accommodation is warranted. For example, an employer may not refuse to hire individuals of a certain religion, may not impose stricter promotion requirements for persons of a certain religion, and may not impose more or different work requirements on an employee because of that employee's religious beliefs or practices.
• Employees cannot be forced to participate -- or not participate -- in a religious activity as a condition of employment.
• Employers must reasonably accommodate employees' sincerely held religious practices unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the employer. A reasonable religious accommodation is any adjustment to the work environment that will allow the employee to practice his religion. An employer might accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices by allowing: flexible scheduling, voluntary substitutions or swaps, job reassignments and lateral transfers, modification of grooming requirements and other workplace practices, policies and/or procedures.
• An employer is not required to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs and practices if doing so would impose an undue hardship on the employers' legitimate business interests. An employer can show undue hardship if accommodating an employee's religious practices requires more than ordinary administrative costs, diminishes efficiency in other jobs, infringes on other employees' job rights or benefits, impairs workplace safety, causes co-workers to carry the accommodated employee's share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work, or if the proposed accommodation conflicts with another law or regulation.
• Employers must permit employees to engage in religious expression, unless the religious expression would impose an undue hardship on the employer. Generally, an employer may not place more restrictions on religious expression than on other forms of expression that have a comparable effect on workplace efficiency.
• Employers must take steps to prevent religious harassment of their employees. An employer can reduce the chance that employees will engage unlawful religious harassment by implementing an anti-harassment policy and having an effective procedure for reporting, investigating and correcting harassing conduct.

It is also unlawful to retaliate against an individual for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on religion or for filing a discrimination charge, testifying, or participating in any way in an investigation, proceeding, or litigation under Title VII.

Looks like those evil, "special rights", librul laws protect Christians, too.

The viewpoints and stories of the truly oppressed are NEVER heard. The for-profit media world in which we live considers their viewpoints to be irrelevant, or worse--unprofitable. So, look around the dial in the High Country, and witness the oppression of the poor Christians in action:

There are at least nine radio stations used by the oppressed Christian minority to lament their plight. What a pity. Depending on where you live in the High Country, the oppressed Christians can be heard on up to nineteen radio stations.

Oh, the oppression! It hurts so bad!

The person quoted above? Pat Robertson.

Love LPFM

You can bet that mainstream corporate radio is hating this:



How will they fight it? More bogus "studies"?

Forced Sterilization: Private Sector Style

Ah, the private sector. Always right. And oh, so good for our society:



These women are just lazy.

Wednesday Night Sermon

A Baptist Church near Asheville, N.C., is hosting a "Halloween book burning" to purge the area of "Satan's" works, which include all non-King James versions of the Bible, popular books by many religious authors and even country music.

The website for the Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, N.C., says there are "scriptural bases" for the book burning.

...

The event also seeks to destroy "Satan's music" which includes every genre from country,rap and rock to "soft and easy"...

...

Full story from rawstory.com.

Authoritarian Mindset

Why does it seem that Americans are so divided these days? Is it OK to ask this question? We think so.

There's a new book out there which examines the role that authoritarianism plays in contributing to the political divisiveness in our country today--as well as something known as the "authoritarian mindset". Very interesting stuff.

Glenn Greenwald had a good interview with one of the authors of the book--Jonathan Weiler of UNC-Chapel Hill. The book is backed up with empirical data, which makes it all the more fascinating.

Listen to the interview here. Glenn's full post here.

The book -- Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics -- examines newly available empirical evidence to contend that America's political culture is more stratified than ever before. It makes the case that higher levels of authoritarian behavior -- such as all-consuming tribalistic loyalties and rage over group blasphemy (i.e., criticism of the group and its leaders from within or without) -- is the primary culprit, particularly (though not exclusively) among right-wing movements.

...
Weiler and Hetherington's analysis builds on and, in many important respects, departs from the excellent books on the same topic by John Dean (which I wrote about here) and Canadian Psychology Professor Bob Altemeyer (which I wrote about many times, including here). What makes this book genuinely impressive is that it remains grounded at all times in hard empirical evidence while simultaneously advancing provocative arguments about America's political conflicts...

Scary

Know Your Market

The DNHC Team is receiving unconfirmed reports that there may be a major state university located in the mountains of western North Carolina...and that this university (still unconfirmed) may be situated in Watauga County...

What do large universities do for local economies? Well, they employ lots of people. They tend to be fairly stable places to work. They are for the most part relatively immune to the ups and downs of the economic cycle...at least so far. Lots of people get to learn about the world they live in--and about other people they may not be familiar with. When students graduate, many of them want to hang around, especially in a beautiful place like Boone. And these are all good things.

We're lucky to have a relatively stable economy in Boone. In this sense, Boone is somewhat like Chapel Hill. Although Chapel Hill is bigger, it too has an economy dominated by a large, relatively stable state university. But guess what else? Boone and Chapel Hill also have similar politics, i.e. a substantial number of progressives live in each community (both students and non-students), and the progressive segment of the population in each community is not subject to any appreciable variation. Look around the state, and you will see that the blue counties usually have universities located within their borders.

The focus of this blog is on local media issues, so lets get to it. It's no secret that radio advertising revenues are in the tank, generally. But one community's local radio station is doing very well: WCHL-AM, Chapel Hill. Why?

1) A large, relatively stable state university--with lots of jobs.

2) Local/syndicated progressive programming (Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz) which matches local listener preferences; leading to

3) Advertising that works for the customer, and generates revenue for the station.

But don't believe us, listen to the station's owner:

The station has benefited during the downturn from being a "local medium in a prosperous town," Heavner said. "Local advertisers find that their ads on WCHL continue to work."

All of this must lead to the obvious question: why does High Country Radio not understand their own market demographics--especially when their market (Boone) is fortunate enough to have a large state university located there? And a large progressive population to boot?

Could it be that the current owners of High Country Radio--Curtis Media--also once owned WCHL, but couldn't seem to figure out how to make that station work?

Just sayin'.

Does WXIT Hate America?

That gleeful cheer you heard around the High Country yesterday--after it was announced that the U.S. would not be hosting the Olympics--was only made louder by WXIT's syndicated, all right-wing programming lineup.

By carrying this type of programming (listen to the audio link here), can it also be said that WXIT is also cheering for the failure of America? Why does conservative talk radio hate America?

For Emergency Use Only!

Click the play arrow to induce vomiting:



Disgraced former Speaker of the House Tom Delay (R-Indicted) literally shakes his booty--alot--just for you. Wonder if he'll get to show off his new moves while doing a little time?

Fakery: Stage Right

Watch as the Fox News producer (the woman in the green shirt) stage-manages the allegedly spontaneous 9/12 protesters in D.C.--coincidentally just in time for a live stand up with Griff Jenkins of Fox.

Gives a whole new meaning to "making" the news.

But you're probably OK with being propagandized, yes? Watch the video by clicking on "propagandized".

He Is Heavy...He's Our Birther

Seems like every time we're in an airport, we can't get away from this guy. Yes, CNN's Lou Dobbs--the man who used to bill himself as "Mr. Independent"--has taken a hard turn to the right. He hangs out with known hate groups, demonizes minorities, and lends credence to whacked-out conspiracy theories.

But now, the pushback:

For years, Lou Dobbs has been one of the most dangerous hosts on cable news. He benefits enormously from the legitimacy of the CNN brand, which provides him with an unparalleled platform from which to mainstream the hate speech and racially charged conspiracy theories normally relegated to Fox News and other conservative news outlets
...

If CNN won't drop Dobbs, it's time that his advertisers did. It's time to do more than simply highlight the damage Dobbs does and the threat he poses. We must demand accountability from the advertisers who, by their purchase of airtime on his shows, actively support his hate speech.

Today, 11 organizations, including America's Voice, National Council of La Raza, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and many others, joined together to launch the Drop Dobbs campaign and DropDobbs.com. The effort aims to let companies know that their continued financial support of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight makes them complicit in the hate speech and wild conspiracy theories that he promotes.

...

62 companies have already dropped Glenn Beck. Time for round two.

We're Number 37...

...and we wanna keep it that way! Wait until you see who number 1 is...oh noes!!

Incitement

Maybe Curtis/Foothills/High Country Media will add this guy to their all-right wing programming line up. Listen as Mr. Quinn of Clear Channel's "The War Room With Quinn and Rose" offers up this dose of incitement to violence, from mediamatters.org:

Respectful Conservatives In Action: UPDATED

During President Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress tonight regarding health care reform, Republican Congressman Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) yelled out "lie" when the President said his health care bill would not mandate coverage for illegal immigrants.

Maybe this is how they teach their kids to be respectful when they keep them home from school.

You stay klassy, Joe.

Update via rawstory.com. Purely coincidental, no doubt:

Whether because of his outspokenness or in spite of it, Wilson is a major recipient of contributions from the health care industry.

In fact, over his entire congressional career, health professionals represent Wilson’s top industry contributors, donating a total of $244,196 to his campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics OpenSecrets.org database. He received another $86,150 from pharmaceutical companies, $73,050 from insurance companies and $68,000 from hospitals and nursing homes.

Among Wilson’s top contributors are the American Hospital Association, a lobby group that represents the interests of hospitals and health networks, and the American Medical Association, which represents physicians.

Right Wing Radio, You Have A Call

Our favorite part of the speech:

...

But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now.

Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do nothing. Our deficit will grow. More families will go bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it most. And more will die as a result. We know these things to be true.

...

High Country Mom Makes CNN

High Country mom interviewed by CNN about the local reaction to Obama's speech:



For the ongoing wingnuttery, go here.

Dare To Be Dumb

Let's hear it for Dare County, North Carolina! Dare County schools, to be specific. It seems that the Dare County school system is caving in to the latest Republican talking points about the terrible speech President Obama is about to unleash on the county's youth.

Why, Obama is going to talk to the kids about what used to be considered core conservative values: working hard, studying hard, and staying in school. But no, the Republican party seems to have local parents in a tizzy about these core, formerly conservative values--parents are demanding that their kids be able to opt-out of the speech:

In North Carolina, the Dare County School Board is taking similar measures. Another concerned parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted Raw Story about a newsletter item that was sent out and posted on the board’s web site:

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, on Tuesday, September 8, at 12 noon, President Barack Obama will deliver a national address to encourage students to set high academic goals and to do their best to succeed in school.

Any parent who wishes for his/her children not to participate may “opt out” by contacting the school(s) where the children are enrolled. Principals will be contacting parents by various means, such as with forms, electronic mail, websites, or via an announcement on the educational television station. If parents have any questions, they should call the school(s) where the children attend.

The Dare County School Board did not return calls for comment.

Because to a conservative, what could possibly be scarier than working hard, studying hard, and staying in school?

Conservatives would much rather have presidents come and teach their kids about how to cope with the worst attack ever to occur on U.S. soil--by sitting around and reading "The Pet Goat" while Americans burned alive in the World Trade Center towers. Like this:



Or maybe these same conservatives would be made more comfortable by having the "Great Communicator" stop by to chat up the importance of deregulation and tax cuts for the rich. Much, much better.

On November 14, 1988, Reagan addressed and took questions from students from four area middle schools in the Old Executive Office Building. According to press secretary Marlin Fitzwater, the speech was broadcast live and rebroadcast by C-Span, and Instructional Television Network fed the program “t o schools nationwide on three different days.” Much of Reagan’s speech that day covered the American “vision of self-government” and the need “to keep faith with the unfinished vision of the greatness and wonder of America” but in the middle of the speech, the president went off on a tangent about the importance of low taxes...

Work hard, study hard, stay in school. Wow--how radical.

Call It What It Is

Author/columnist Dan Savage:

“I reallly do think that the Michele Bachmanns of this world and the Glenn Becks of this world are actively and consciously — or subconsciously — trying to get — I’m just going to say it — trying to get the president killed,” Savage stated angrily. “That’s why they’re setting this up as kill-or-be-killed arguments. ‘He’s going to kill your grandma.’”

“Somebody’s got to put the brakes on it, and unfortunately in the Republican Party, there are no adults left in the room,” continued Savage. “There are only the Michele Bachmanns and the Glenn Becks and the Rush Limbaughs running the show.”

More here.

In Privatization We Trust

Hey, look here! Youthful, privatization-obsessed conservatives/libertarians are taking things to the next level! Watch 'em go:

Weekend Video Salon: In Denial

Who would know better than a 15-year employee of CIGNA how our privatized healthcare system really works?

Q: If allowing the treatment of a patient costs a private healhcare "provider" money (and therefore hurts their profits), then why would any private healthcare "provider" want to actually provide any healthcare?

A: They don't. Profits only come from denying healthcare to patients.

Shilling For Our Corporate Masters

High Country health care reform opponents who attended the recent Americans For Prosperity rally at the Inn at Crestwood may want to think again about the company that they keep. After all, is it not a conservative truism that an individual's past is the best indicator of an individual's future?

Could it be true that a key player at Americans for Prosperity has some interesting history to share with the rest of us?

...
With nearly 70 Republican operatives and former oil industry spokesmen working behind the scenes of AFP’s various fronts and disclosures that point to ever increasing oil and corporate donations to the group, one must wonder, who is guiding this massive front group factory? The answer is Tim Phillips, the President of AFP who has built a long career of inventing fake grassroots causes.
...
Phillips joined former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed in 1997 to create an astroturf lobbying and campaign consulting operation called Century Strategies. The firm promised to mount “grassroots lobbying drives” and explained its strategy as “it matters less who has the best arguments and more who gets heard — and by whom.” After being recommended by Karl Rove, Century Strategies signed its first major corporate client - Enron. Phillips and Reed were paid $380,000 to mobilize “religious leaders and pro-family groups” to push energy deregulation in Congress and on the state level, a policy shift that led to the energy crisis and economic meltdown of 2001.
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Reed and Phillips conspired to generate conservative Christian outrage towards gambling at Indian casinos in a cynical plot to encourage those same tribes to hire Abramoff to lobby on their behalf. In some cases, Phillips’ anti-gambling crusade would simply be part of an effort to kill off competition to Abramoff’s clients. And while Phillips and Reed postured to be motivated by anti-gambling Christian values, the pair helped launder lobbying money from an Abramoff Internet gambling client called eLottery.
...
Phillips managed to escape most of the controversy that eventually embroiled his partners Reed and Abramoff. Working under the slush fund provided by oil baron David Koch - with a salary approaching $300,000 a year and at least a $7 million annual budget - Phillips continues to lead AFP in building front group after front group to advance his radical right wing agenda.

So, how about it High Country Americans For Prosperity rally attendees? Won't you too be judged by the company that you keep? Or does profit trump morality?

Our Michael Jackson Post

It may be difficult to slog your way through all the "local" media coverage of airplanes crashing in Louisiana with people from Hickory on board, and the mega-blockbuster report that some counterfeit money was found in Catawba County (sorry, but isn't this supposed to be the High Country?!).

And thank goodness the Michael Jackson saga continues to unfold--he's still dead!!

So, consider this the anti-useless news post--local or otherwise. Time to get your learn on:

Just over two weeks ago, FBI translator-turned-whistleblower Sibel Edmonds was finally allowed to speak about much of what the Bush Administration spent years trying to keep her from discussing publicly on the record.
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High-ranking officials from the Bush Administration named in her testimony, as part of the criminal conspiracy on behalf of agents of the Government of Turkey, include Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, Marc Grossman, and others.
...

Video of the sworn deposition here at bottom of page. Transcript here. Other stuff here.

But make sure you hurry on back to the important stuff, ASAP! Hope we didn't miss any news from Hickory!

The Private Sector Speaks: Updated With Video Below

The private sector has apparently determined that it is no longer wise to advertise on poor Glenn Beck's TV show. We have to wonder how long High Country advertisers will knowingly keep advertising on local right-wing radio programs.

Eight more Glenn Beck advertisers, including Wal-Mart – the world’s largest retailer – have confirmed to ColorOfChange.org that they pulled their ads from the controversial Fox News Channel broadcaster’s eponymous show.
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Twenty companies have pulled their ads from Beck’s show in just the last two weeks. The moves come after the Fox News host called President Obama a “racist” who “has a deep-seated hatred for white people” during an appearance on Fox & Friends. Previous companies who pulled their ads include ConAgra, GEICO, Lawyers.com, Men’s Wearhouse, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, RadioShack, Roche, SC Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, Sargento, and State Farm Insurance.
...

Limbaugh and Hannity have been as over the top as Beck, albeit in slightly different ways. And yet, our local radio stations continue to air these programs, and local businesses continue to advertise during them. We have to ask why. In a region that holds tight to the family values mantra--why is this programming aired, and why do advertisers continue to support it?

Where do you shop?

A beginning, perhaps?

Just Regular Folks Protestin'

It is amazing that there is so little coverage of who the "protesters" disrupting the town hall meetings being held across the country to discuss healthcare actually are.

But now it is becoming more and more apparent that the "protesters" are not just "regular folks" after all.

And it turns out that the behind-the-scenes leaders of these "regular folks" cut their astroturfing teeth as sweaty Brooks Brothers suit-wearing "protesters" not all that long ago, during the aborted 2000 election recount:

And wouldn't you know it -- the "Brooks Brothers rioters" are back.

This time, instead of helping to bilk Florida voters out of a thorough and complete recount, they appear to be fast at the work of ensuring America's poor are not allowed the luxury of decent health care.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow revealed last night that her recent comparisons of the anti-health mobs and the 2000 'Brooks Brothers riot' were just in theme and spirit. "A historical analogy," she said.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Please don't allow yourselves to be fooled. And if you are an actual regular person joining these "protesters", we hope that you now know that they are not on your side. They are actively trying to deny you the fundamental right of affordable healthcare--so that they can have more money for themselves.

Charter To Iran

As the people of Iran continue their struggle to secure basic freedoms (freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom from religion, etc.), at first glance it would seem that their plight bears little resemblance to anything happening in the High Country.

And yet, there are a few similarities.

It is widely known that the government of Iran has been using advanced technology to spy on their own citizens' internet activity, especially if that activity involved organizing protests--or other officially frowned-upon actions (like organizing a funeral for Neda).

What is this advanced technology? It is called "deep-packet inspection" or DPI for short. DPI allows the Iranian government to keep track of almost all of the internet activity conducted by anyone in Iran--anyone the government chooses to designate as being a dissident.

Most people would say that this kind of invasion of privacy is intolerable--especially when it is used by a tyrannical regime against its own citizens.

So what is the connection to the High Country? Simple: Charter Communications.

Charter Communications opted to back away from deploying DPI to monitor its subscribers internet activity--for marketing purposes:

Charter Communications, one of the nation’s largest ISPs, plans to begin eavesdropping on customers’ web surfing activity, to help web advertisers deliver targeted ads.

In letters being sent to some of its 2.7 million high-speed internet customers, Charter is billing its new web-tracking program as an "enhancement" for customers’ web surfing experience. The letters were first reported by a BroadbandReports.com user on Sunday. The pilot program is set to begin next month.

...

Then, Charter decided not to implement DPI--but only after a backlash:

...

The plan sparked a backlash and heated congressional hearings. Publicity about the issue died down, however, after Charter retreated from its plan, and Congress moved on to other matters. But deep-packet inspection didn’t go away.

ISPs insist they need it to help combat spam and malware. But the technology is ripe for abuse, not only by ISPs but also by the U.S. government, which could force providers to retain and hand over data they collect about users.

...

So, here's the question: If you find a tyrannical regime's use of DPI technology to be deplorable--do you think it is OK for a private-sector company to use the same technology to monitor your every move on the internet? What is the difference, exactly?

Do you subscribe to Charter Internet?

Scare, Confuse, and Delay

Well, that did it.

Now you can be sure that we'll never hear the Stephanie Miller Show in the High Country. Steph had a guest on this morning who enjoyed a good laugh (ok, lots of good laughs) over Dr. Foxx's recent assertion that a government-run healthcare system would result in seniors somehow being put to death.

The guest? It was Foxx's congressional colleague, Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). Let's go to the audio tape (scroll down to the interview on the left side of the site under the Stephanie Miller Show widget).

From the Huffington Post:

...
Anyway, today she came up with a brand new health care reform objection when she said that the Republican health care plan -- whatever that is! -- would "make sure we bring down the cost of health care for all Americans and that ensures affordable access for all Americans and is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government."
...

U.S. 421 Widening Project

U.S. 421 widening to begin today. From NCDOT:

Rendered Pork

It will be interesting to see if any other rendition-related flights from North Carolina come to light:

Large parts of the CIA’s “extraordinary rendition” program — which sent terrorist suspects to countries and prisons where they would be tortured — could soon become public, thanks to a lawsuit in Britain on behalf of a person who claims he was a victim of the agency’s program.

There has already been a fair amount of coverage of rendition flights occurring at Kinston, NC (the Global Transpark).

The Kinston site houses Aero’s Boeing 737 business jet which plane spotters and flight logs have linked to many of the “extraordinary rendition” flights that have delivered suspects to various detention centers, including U.S. secret prisons in Europe.
_______
Three of these Aero pilots live in Johnston County. Their identities were made clear by Los Angeles Times investigation and verified by investigation of the NC-based Institute of Southern Studies. So, with today’s action, NC Stop Torture Now has continued the collective exposé of extraordinary rendition and our state’s complicity. Today’s witness follows our letters to Aero and Global TransPark leaders, to NC legislators, to the Governor, to the state SBI, and to the Attorney General, asking for a NC SBI inquiry into Aero’s documented criminal actions. At this point, the investigation sits with the Charlotte office of the FBI. Attorney General Roy Cooper sent our files about Aero to the FBI after 22 NC legislators asked him to have SBI look into Aero’s legal violations.
_______

The activists also note that Aero’s rent to Global Transpark (GTP) is just $.05 a square foot. Since Aero leases five acres—218,000 square feet—it’s just $10,890 a year. Moreover, since GTP gave Aero a credit for the $60,000 the company spent to “upfit” its hangar, Aero will park free for over five years. Someone is footing the bill, the activists argue, and that someone is the taxpayer.

Aero’s planes stop first at Dulles or at CIA facilities in Virginia to pick up flight plans, then fly to Ireland to refuel, and from there to countries such as Britain, Italy, Sweden, Pakistan, Germany, Bosnia, Macedonia, Morocco and Turkey to collect the suspects. On the final lap, they deliver the human cargo for interrogation to countries such as Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Afghanistan and until last year, Uzbekistan—all cited in U.S. State Department reports as having unclean hands when it comes to human rights.

...

Think they'll give the prisoners some good 'ol North Carolina Bar-B-Que en route to their FINAL destination? You know, kinda like a little care package?

Birther Bull****

Chris Matthews shuts down a whack-job birther who co-sponsored a bill in Congress to investigate President Obama's birth certificate. The fun starts at 2:26 into the clip:

Mitch & Friend & Friend

Lewis Black calls out Mitch McChinless and other assorted obstructionists--and their lackeys--on healthcare reform:

Wednesday Sermon: All In The Family

And we're not talkin' Archie, Edith, and Meathead. We're talkin' about the Family on C Street:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Weekend Video Salon: Look! Something Shiny! Over There!

Thanks to the bizarro-world that is Sarah Palin's universe, and to the untimely passing of several celebrities (all at once), it seems that Mark Sanford can breathe a sigh of relief: the corporate media has found other shiny things to focus on--instead of him.

Let's go to the videotape!

Epic FAIL

...and apparently, much more to come. Poor Sarah.

Girltalk

Hey girls, it's summertime. The kids are out of school. Let's hope you're not having any trouble keeping them busy, out of the house--away from the TV and radio. Get 'em outside!

Playing outside is more important than ever, given what your kids might stumble across on some of the local radio stations around here. Rush Limbaugh's squeaky-clean family fun program airs in Blowing Rock/Boone on WXIT 1200 AM from 12 noon to 3 pm, just when the little ones are most active.

Rush has lately been obsessing about rape, something that most women find a tad distressing--and certainly something that we would not want our children learning about from a drug-addicted, divorced, misogynist creep like Rush. Rush has been comparing legislation that he disagrees with to rape. Repeatedly.

But what does it say about the state of local radio--that local stations would continue to air this program (and others like it)--despite the well-established history of Rush's filthy statements? This is commitment to community?

How 'bout some proof?

Note to programming central: Women are responsible for most household purchases. Seems like you are doing a mighty fine job alienating a pretty important demographic. Will your advertisers understand this fact better than you do?

Sweet Dreams Tea, Continued

Will goblueridge.net and High Country Radio follow Fox's example and push the next round of teabag parties as hard as they did last time around? We've only seen it mentioned once so far on goblueridge.net, but there's still time.

By the way...these teabag parties? Totally grassroots. Not funded by rich lobbyists at all. Not one little bit. So you just get that thought right out of your head:

...
Reprising their role in orchestrating the first tea parties, the lobbyist-run groups Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks are again helping to organize the July 4 protests. FreedomWorks is working alongside other right-wing groups on a new website to publicize the events, and Americans for Prosperity is hosting several rallies on the 4th, including one with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
...
But while these lobbyist-run groups played a pivotal role in financing the logistics and coordination of the tea parties, Fox News was certainly the megaphone for the movement. Just as Fox News became a full-fledged sponsor of the April protests, running back-to-back segments and broadcasting live from protests across the country, the network is attempting to motivate another round of radical, anti-Obama protests on July 4th.
...

Maybe the "reporters" at goblueridge.net can call in reinforcements from the "Foothills Bureau" to help them count the attendees this time around.

Sunday Service

Listen to the good Reverend Wiley Drake as he tells Fox News Radio that he is praying for the death of President Obama:

Oh-Kay

From Mike Lux at openleft.com:

Will Kay Hagan Betray Ted Kennedy?

by: Mike Lux

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 15:05

This won't be a long post, because I just need to ask a simple question. With Ted Kennedy too sick to come down to DC and make the committee vote, Democrats will need every Senator on the HELP committee to produce a strong bill, a bill that fights for what Teddy Kennedy has been fighting for his entire life. The last holdout is Kay Hagan, who represents a state (NC) that is one of the worst in the country in terms of percent of people without health insurance. The insurance companies are lobbying Hagan against the bill, because they don't like having to compete with a public option. My simple question is this: Teddy Kennedy is too sick to be there, Senator Hagan, so he is relying on your vote for the issue that he has fought for passionately his entire life. Will you betray him to help the insurance companies? You need to make up your mind now.

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Another Unregulated Private Sector Triumph

Tyson Foods is a pretty big employer in Wilkes County. So, we are kind of curious if this story will get any coverage in the local or regional media:

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- An Arkansas federal judge on Friday ordered Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) to pay $500,000, the maximum criminal fine allowable, and serve a year's probation for violations of worker-safety regulations that led to a worker's death.

...

In a county where unemployment is sky high--and worker-activism is not exactly appreciated or encouraged--we suspect that there will be no coverage at all in the local media. It would even seem fair to say that Wilkes is a company county, now that Lowe's is basically gone.

The likelihood of Tyson workers in Wilkes expressing their concern over incidents like this to local management is about zilch. And who could blame them? They'd be afraid of losing their jobs...in a extremely tough economy.

There's more though:

Little Rock--Tyson Foods and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are actively fighting workplace safety measures that could have prevented the tragic death of a Tyson Foods worker, said Reverend Steve Copley today.

...

"Mr. Kelley's death is the worst possible example of what can happen when employees do not have a voice on the job and are not protected at work. If workers had a voice at that plant, if they had a union, there could have been a more rigorous safety program in place to prevent this tragic loss of life," said Rev. Copley.

Despite an identical accident in 2002, Tyson Foods did not put safety measures in place to make sure it didn't happen again. Tyson Foods workers do not have a union and its workers were not able to hold their employer accountable for failing to enforce these federally mandated worker safety protections.

"Groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that opposed the original Occupational Safety and Workplace Act and are now fighting legislation that would enable allowing more workers to choose to form a union. They're opposing workplace safety," said Rev. Copley.

Does the local or regional media have any responsibility to employees who might be too scared to ask for basic workplace protections--which would prevent accidents like this from occurring...or even to ensuring that this tragic story is made known to their readers?

Or is everyone still stuck in that "all unions are evil" mentality? Unions...you remember...the folks that brought you the weekend, worker safety, and a decent wage?

Sunday Service: Second Opinion Needed

You may recall the fuss about the Department of Homeland Security report which came out in April...the report discussed the potential for increased right-wing violence in the U.S.

Conservative Christians like Dr. James Dobson, whose radio program can be heard all over the High Country were quick to denounce the report as a total exaggeration. Watch the good doctor as he seeks to reassure us all.

If you're too lazy to click through to the site, here is Dr. James Dobson's assessment of the DHS report:

Dobson said "there are no Timothy McVeighs out there right now. They're making a big deal out of something that hasn't happened and may not happen."

Maybe that DHS report hit a little too close to home, doc.

Holocaust Museum Shooting.
Tiller Murder.
Pittsburgh Police Murders.

Hate Radio Contributes To Domestic Terrorism

It's time to call it like it is. Hate radio is directly hurting this country, and the local stations which carry this sort of programming need to do some very hard thinking.

Because, as shown by today's shootings at the Holocaust Museum in Washington--hate radio jocks are clearly ginning up the hate. With tragic results.

One of Rush Limbaugh's favorite conspiracy theories revolves around the ridiculous idea that Obama is somehow not an American. And just today, Limbaugh ripped Obama for daring to remember the horrors of the Buchenwald Nazi death camp.

Care to take a guess as to who out there shares Rush's views? Why, James W. von Brunn--the same guy who shot up the Holocaust Museum today. Need some proof?

Some more? Listen to Rush's clip about Obama's birth certificate, and then read this, from TPM:

The following Web postings and articles appear online under the name of James W. von Brunn, the reported suspect in the Holocaust Museum shooting today. TPM cannot independently verify that the postings were written by James von Brunn.

--Brunn: 'Obama Is Missing'

Obama has lived for 48 years without leaving any footprints -- none! There is no Obama documentation -- no records -- no paper trail -- none -- this is no accident. It is being done on purpose with Media help - but to serve whom & why???

By broadcasting this kind of hate speech, hate radio can provide just the rationale people like von Brunn need to do their work.

Why would any local radio station which claims to be community-minded broadcast suff like this? Hate radio is contributing to domestic terrorism.

Sunday Service: Christian Patriarchy Movement

Looks like if your husband beats you, you're just going to have to deal with it:



No doubt he'd tell you that it's your fault anyway.

Libertarian Paradise Found

Attention Libertarian WXIT 1200 AM Neal Boortz fans!

Your tax-free paradise has been found...in Alabama. Go there--and be free from the shackles of evil government taxpayer-funded services. Like, um--roads, and nursing homes, law and order and other oppressive stuff:

June 5 (Bloomberg) -- Alabama’s most populous county is preparing to stop road maintenance, close courthouses and shutter services for the elderly after a court struck down taxes that pay for about 35 percent of its budget.
...
The proposed cuts, released today by county Commission President Bettye Fine Collins, would slash deeply into the government’s services and also include closing a nursing home for the indigent, declaring a moratorium on enforcing zoning and littering laws, and scrapping local development contracts.
...

Your libertarian paradise awaits. Go live your dream with NEAL! Be true to your ideology. Full article here.

Open The Pod Bay Doors, HAL

Hal Turner, a somewhat noted right wing-talk show host, probably wishes right about now that he could get those doors opened. But tonight, he may be busy with his new cellmate, Bubba.

Looks like Hal has gotten himself in trouble...for yelling ""fire!" in crowded movie theater. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy:

Reactionary radio host and white supremacist Hal Turner was taken into custody Wednesday after remarks urging Catholics to "take up arms" against two Connecticut lawmakers and a state ethics official over legislation being considered in the state legislature regarding the church.
...

"It is our intent to foment direct action against these individuals personally," the blog stated. "These beastly government officials should be made an example of as a warning to others in government: Obey the Constitution or die."

And, the post continued, "If any state attorney, police department or court thinks they're going to get uppity with us about this; I suspect we have enough bullets to put them down too."

He was arrested for inciting violence--and he is being held in New Jersey. So, how 'bout it right-wing defenders. Gonna start a legal fund for him? More here and here.

Progressive AND Popular

Rachel Maddow, formerly of Air America Media (technically she's still on AAM in the morning, but it's just a replay of her previous nights' TV show on MSNBC), was so unpopular on the radio that she got her own television gig.

Yes, she's been on the teevee for quite some time--but isn't it funny how all these progressive radio hosts (who are so unpopular!) seem to keep winding up with their own TV shows too?

There is just no interest out there in progressive radio or TV, as this trend clearly illustrates.

Question: Why was the phone number of an Operation Rescue staffer on the dashboard of Dr. Tiller's murderer's getaway car? Just askin'.