If you know anything about me at all; it is simply that I am not very happy with the state of journalism today. Especially broadcast journalism. CBS is still my favored organization even though at one time I worked at NBC news as a runner during the GOP convention in 1964 in San Francisco. I loved those days of NBC when they had a radio network and a TV network basking in the glory of renewed ratings thanks to Huntley and Brinkley and the fact that my lawyer had worked with Frank McGee at WKY-TV in OKC and that one day I knew I would work at WKY which I did, WKY radio in 1980-81-82 period.

The fact is no one did it better in my opinion that CBS news. Murrow was their lead guy but they had others, great reporters of their time, Cronkite, Rather, etc. In those days CBS was still a fairly small operation with Frank Stanton as President bringing that network up from scratch to compete with David Sarnoff and RCA who owned NBC. Looking back on it, and I can still remember hearing Murrow doing a fifteen minute radio newscast nightly on CBS, it was an era where today's resources were science fiction, who would have dreamed I could just turn on my laptop and send a show out live..satellites and video as news happens, were only dreams.

So in one sense today's news is far, far superior to those Murrow days but in the real sense it does not measure up at all. There is something missing these days and that is the healthy skepticism we all had after a great depression, a world war, and obvious over-reaction from government into our private lives. This sentence seems humorous today with the Patriot Act and others that infringe upon our civil liberties and with stories of government threats to journalists. But this is exactly my point about CBS news of old and Edward R. Murrow in particular.

Senator Joe McCarthy was painting everyone with a broad brush and Murrow saw that it was time to stand up against the tyranny of a government gone wild in pursuit of only good news for their side. Senator Joe McCarthy was challenged and CBS paid a price with pulled advertising, after all, fear in those day was a real as today. It was the communist threat then and now it is some sort of twisted relationship between a few thousand Muslin extremists and the world. But Murrow stood up, McCarthy went down as the fraud he was and CBS stood by their man.

Today would CBS stand by their man? Obviously not, look what they did to Dan Rather who was as loyal as one can be to his network, CBS. Will Rather bring out the true facts in the Court Room of Justice? Time will tell. This is a far different world where big bucks from government have filtered into the media checking accounts as a major depositor. Meanwhile I find it encouraging that CBS did take time out to pay homage to their ICON, Mr. Murrow. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/24/murrow/main4041673.shtml

We still link to CBS news often even though we understand they are a mere shell of what they used to be, but so are the others as the new journalism has taken over, FOX with their endless propaganda for the Republicans, CNN trying to not rock the boat and NBC wandering in a path of torn desires, corporate business and journalistic integrity. Thank God for the Internet, at least if you want to take the time, you can find all sides to an issue and we strive every day to do our part. 

Please note we do have a liberal-biased web site as well, www.bushbusiness.com. It started as an outrage to the control of media and thought processes, but quickly morphed into just a parody on those conservative sites and programs. We do hope Mr. Murrow understands, it is all show business these days. Meanwhile rest assured on our conspiracy shows and political shows we will strive to bring the facts just like Jack Webb of old, "just the facts."

Our only plea for understanding is that we are the NEW MEDIA. We offer entertainment, information and lots of stuff in between. We just hope the viewer, the visitor and the listener understand where we are coming from... ah, yes a another phrase of modern America. Rest assured we are coming from a standpoint of truth, we sometimes present it in an entertaining fashion and we don't apologize for that...I mean for God's sake, we are a radio show not a news organization.

Jerry Pippin 4-24-08

Representatives Robert Wexler, Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI),  issued a joint editorial entitled "A Case for Hearings," cites significant allegations made against the Vice President.: Deceptive actions leading up to the Iraq war, the revelation of the identity of a covert agent for political retaliation, and the illegal wiretapping of American citizens are among the charges. It is widely thought by expert observers that if hearings do come into being, fraud and widespread graft would be front and center in evidence presented.   to Read the Op Ed.
  to sign Congressman Wexler's online petition to impeach Bush.
 

A closing thought about Cheney and his men including the President who evidently is under the Vice President's control at all times.  I wonder if they have thought about what life will be for them after they leave office and no longer control the Justice Department. Do they still think they will escape accountability? It is now only a little over a year until we find out how this gross mafia-like grasp of the government control of the leading nation in the world will fare.

Jerry Pippin

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted today (12-13-07) to hold two top aides to President George W. Bush in contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate in its probe of fired federal prosecutors. On a largely party-line vote of 11-7, the Democratic-led panel sent contempt citations against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to the full Senate for consideration.

Nevada will hold its primary on January 19, 2008, not only in advance of February's Super Tuesday but also an election not on a Tuesday. Long time election watchers have wondered why the US does not have elections on weekends when more could vote? This will be interesting to see how turn out is affected by a Saturday vote and ahead of the Super Tuesday landslide or crowing by the media of a winner already.

Personally I have loved the tradition of that Tuesday voting, but logically it appears with today's ability to fix or rig votes mechanically and in reality by making it tougher for certain demographics to vote, this may be our saving grace to get a candidate that is free from the corporate purse strings. We know this can not happen completely until we take away the power of the purse and the "fountain of wealth" that has become the money train for broadcasters since the Reagan years of allowing the "free market" to apply to political races. In other words, until the broadcasters no longer have a cash cow in election commercials, our chances of having free elections and getting someone with an administration that is on the side of the population in general and not just for big business in particular, the American election system is broken. We must demand that it get fixed and this Saturday voting may be a good trend in that direction, we will wait and see how it all works out.

A million dollars a minute. When the President came into office, we had stopped borrowing new money. The Clinton White House had been spending within its means. Oh, yeah, there was that 5.7 trillion in debt inherited from those previous fiscal conservatives, Ronald Reagan and Daddy Bush, but we were not spending more and actually the US Government was in a position to start paying off debt. What happened?

Simply as Mr. Bush said, "Mission Accomplished." The war and anti terrorist money combined with previously spoken for dollars in social programs has made it a bonanza for the financial interests who like to loan money and get lots of interest back. Don't worry about the system being faulty, why do the financial institutions get the interest on the money when they have nothing to do with printing the money? Good question, but it has been a bonanza for decades for banking interests.

Look at the results, six times the debt limit has been raised in the years of the Bush, Jr. debacle. It is about double what it was from the Clinton years and most of this new debt is short term, meaning just as the California home buyers are now facing a crisis because short term mortgages are coming due at much higher rates, the same will happen with Uncle Sam. It appears that interest on this debt will average about 30 grand a person in the US in the next few years.

Hey, the Grand Old Party has been one grand money maker for those who loan money and for those who spend money. Who are these folks making out like bandits? Mostly people who are the beneficial recipients of privatization of the government. Folks like Blackwater, ammunition makers, security interests all; oh well, maybe not the individual personnel who work for these companies but the corporations themselves are reaping in a good portion of that million bucks a minute.

You gotta hand it to those Texas based two faced politicos like Bush and company. They say "terrorism" and smile, why? Because for every terrorist program, they get a wallet that is fatter and fatter. Now the compound interest factor is coming into play; first they got the money under false pretenses like the IRAQ war and now guess what, they get it again because they loaned Uncle Sam the money. A million dollars a minute, now you know why Mr. Bush smirked and said " Mission Accomplished."

Rep Dennis Kucinich has presented H Res 333 (Impeachment of Richard B. Cheney) on the floor of Congress, under a special procedure called Privilege. Bush forces seemed to think the best political tactic would be to allow a debate on the floor of the issue forcing Democrats to either support or vote against Cheney in public.

In a strange move not seen regularly on the house floor, Republican Congress members suddenly changed their vote to against to supporting the debate. House leaders tried to table the motion, but this motion was defeated by 251 votes against tabling the motion to 162 for it. This meant the issue would be debated but House Democrats quickly introduced a bill that would send it to Congressman John Conyers' House Judiciary Committee for further debate.

It is not clear when or if it will up there at all. Conyers until recently was a staunch impeachment advocate but recently has been seen by observers as reversing himself on these issues. Will this tactic work? Will it die in committee? There are 11 Democrats, the majority of that group belonging to the Democratic party. Already it is apparent that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-MD and the speaker are recipients of enough Bush Business deals to shirk their duty as leaders of the opposition. The resolution said that Cheney, "in violation of his Constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of vice president, had "purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the use of the U.S. Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national security interests."

Bush Business editors urge everyone to call Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office and other key Democrats to urge them to "wake up and smell the coffee" and remove the cancerous sores on America caused by Cheney/Bush. The number is 1-800-828-0498.

  for columnist Jerry Wilhite's take on the Last Hurrah of Democracy. We urge everyone to contact their Congressman and Rep. Conyers' office to let them know "Cheney must go." Dennis Kucinich deserves your support and with the right kind of public outcry this "shot in the dark" at getting a hearing on removing the most crooked fraudulent Administration in history...will work!

When two oil men took charge of the executive branch in January of 2001, it was apparent from the stolen election results in Florida, the Republicans had a lot riding on the outcome of that election. As you can see by the photo with this article, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah is holding hands with the President, in public. The romance is blatant and the reasons are obvious, this union is a union of convenience, about a trillion dollars worth of convenience in profits. Profits at the expense of the American people who at the time of the election of Bush/Cheney were paying slightly over a dollar for gasoline, now anything under $3.00 is a bargain for the American Motorist.

What does Bush/Cheney and their administration have to do with it? Everything. First of all, do you know a Republican who has voted for a windfall tax on the oil companies?

Supply and demand in the market price? Forget it, there is a conscious policy by oil companies to suppress supply, reap unprecedented profits, and miserably fail, by the way, to reinvest those billions into increased refining capacity and guess what? Big Brother Bush/ Cheney government minions, they aren't going to pass rules to require these corporations to expand their capacity so the market can work. No they are all too busy counting their excess profits.

All of this is the short term, naturally, Iraq will be able to get back in the International market by the end of 2008 as our current agreement with IRAQ stipulates. So mission accomplished, Eight long years of wonder profits for the super rich and be damned with Americans who work hard every day to survive and oh, there is the other thing Mr. Bush has accomplished. The Republicans are going to lose in record numbers even worse than back in the Great Depression and worse than in 1964 with the Johnson Landslide.

Ay, yes, the real plan, stick those damn Democrats with the ruins of eight glorious years for the super rich. Laws? Who cares about Laws, Cheney and Bush already own lots of property in South America.

President Bush wants his cronies to have a very Merry Christmas indeed. This week he asked for an additional $45.9 billion in supplemental war funding to the $150.5 billion he'd already requested, and then turned up the heat on Congress to sign off on the $196.4 billion before heading home for the holidays.

We have a suggestion for Congress on how they can give America a real Christmas present. Simply deny the request and instead give a billion to the troops. Two and a half million on active duty, a million or more who have been called up over the years to serve at great sacrifice at home financially and emotionally, divided up this bounty would make a great Christmas bonus to the troops.

The Troops need a break and someone really supporting them, let them come home, let the killing and maiming stop. What a great Christmas idea, Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward all men. Congress should not allow this Christmas bonus to be distributed by private contractors or the Pentagon, they will simply take more than their share in profits. No, it needs to be a check, directly from the US government to each and every soldier, airman, sailor and Marine.

Stop the Bush Business bonanza of war profiteering ..save $195 billion and support the troops at the same time, let them have a Merry Christmas for the first time since Mr. Bush has been their Commander-in-Chief.

We have watched the Bush allies such as Vice President Cheney and a neo-conservative line up of hardballers take over the Grand Old Party, pushing the Republican mainstream to lunacy in decision making for America. Arianna Huffington, who was at one time married to one of the far right, but saw the light and left the would-be Senator for a career in the new media has coined the phrase and It is a good one, "Midnight in America."

It indeed is very dark in the Republican party. They push torture as if it is as routine as reading one their rights. They push the loss of civil liberties as if it is a routine matter to spy, pry and investigate ordinary Americans because of political differences. They push a war designed not to save the Mid East but to push it further into confusion and all the while condoning thug like behavior of Blackwater and other defense and security contractors in a manner that is anti American in its behavior. The list is far too long to list on this page.

They endorse a condoning of criminal behavior in its own Republican controlled Justice Department allowing billions to be stolen or drained away from the Federal Treasury in the name of privatization. They endorse looking the other way when the question of voting machine fraud is addressed and they push a sort of fanatical "do it my way or hit the highway" creed upon the people they rule as they desperately hold on to the seat of power at any cost.

Yes, Mr. Bush and his men have done the impossible. They have ruined a good political idea of "government closest to home and less government period" - once the stalwart of the Republican Party, to creating an apparatus that pushes for more central control and routinely takes dangerous paths of leadership including a proclaimed low road on the way to World War Three.

Arianna Huffington's complete piece Midnight in America can be found here.

jerry@jerrypippin.com

When I first heard about it, I was disturbed because it seems to me this has been happening more and more. Oh, maybe not as brutal as this treatment of the Florida Student Activist who was tasered by University police before the very eyes of former Presidential Candidate John Kerry. The reaction of Kerry saying it was a "Police Matter" bothered me even more. Here was the head of the Democratic ticket for President last election cycle saying someone who went over his time and was insisting on answers to good questions was somehow justified to be under arrest. What has happened to the Democratic Party?

I am sorry to say this but evidently security in this country has gone wild and we are now paying the price for it. Political speech and activism is now being viewed by the establishment as some sort of act of terrorism in itself. I say this because of the way Kerry reacted and how most of the crowd reacted to this event. No one stood up in outrage. If I had been Kerry I would have demanded they release the man right then and there. Since when is it a crime to protest and ask tough questions of elected officials?

No, Senator Kerry this was not a "police matter." This was a Constitutional matter, a matter of freedom of expression, the backbone of Democracy. Activists are routinely banned from the Capitol for months at a time because they were arrested in civil actions of protest. People are pulled off airplanes and banned from political rallies because of T-shirts and signs that others say are disrespectful or whatever. I am told by some political activist friends of mine that even Hillary Clinton has goons that jerk people around who are too loud in their protests.

I wonder what would have happened to those activists in Chicken suits that used to show up at Papa Bush's rallies because he wouldn't debate Clinton? And this OJ thing, charging him with kidnapping with a weapon is a little much. We are giving the police in this country entirely too much power. This is an epidemic of establishment control and it is likely to grow into something much more serious.

Stop and think of how we are enforcing Democratic rules in Iraq. If they don't agree with us we point guns at them and many times we pull the trigger. It gives a great message about American Democracy, doesn't it?

It looks to me like we are in a crisis mode. I think Mr. Kerry will have to go, along with a huge number of Democrats and almost all of the Republicans that hold office before we get back on the right track. It appears they have all been polluted with corporate money and corporate rules of engagement. The imperial office holder is alive and well, thanks basically to security issues. Have you ever thought this through; I mean if you are doing the people's business and you are an honest broker why in the world do you need all of this security. We have become a nation of cowards, afraid to stand up for principles or maybe we have become a nation whose principles are corrupt and not for the common good. I know many who think that term "common good" is some sort of communist plot and communism has been defeated for two decades-plus and we are spending more money on security than we ever did in the Cold War, against an enemy with no navy, army or air force.

Obviously Security is popular as an issue because it pays so well.

There are two things that bother me about this Senator Craig story. The first thing has to do with the way he is arrested. The city of Minneapolis along with other police departments evidently pay undercover vice squad officers to sit on the toilets for hours in men's rooms waiting for someone to hit on them. This seems unseemly on the face of it and secondly even if Senator Craig were Gay and he might be, why would he hit on a guy in the men's room. Why not in the airport bar, on the airplane, and why don't undercover officers sit in the toilet areas of women's rooms and try to trap gay women? Or do they? People are robbing, killing, threatening mayhem on others every day and we have our cops sitting in the men's room all day?

So what kind of guy would this cop be? Could you hang around in a stall sitting on the toilet watching people tap their feet, God forbid Senator Craig was listening to an ipod while doing his business and tapping his feet to some melody? How does this cop know the pick-up signs of gay men in toilets?

Now from a political standpoint I do think the country will be better off without Craig. Instead of three short of getting an impeachment vote on Cheney and/or Bush we are now only two, maybe. The second thing that bothers me is that part of Senator Craig's defense besides yelling to anyone who will listen that, "I am not gay."

What is the problem here? Well basically how can you expect a law maker to treat everyone fairly in society when obviously they view this fairly common trait among humanity as a curse somewhat like a disease that will infect everyone. The troubling part from Senator Craig in my view point goes directly to "what if he is really gay?" Then why would he run around pushing for laws that are not friendly to his own personal behavior? Why would he run against those who are "gay" with such a vengeance over the years? I know many Republicans and Right Wing Christian Ministers and though I can't prove it; many of them appear to me to be GAY. Unless of course you listen to what they say which is, " I am not Gay."

Think about it, Rove courted the Christian right all his political life and on his departure from Washington he drops a bomb to his most faithful followers, in essence saying, "Hey, I am not a believer, I am agnostic." Do you think Rove is gay? Falwell is gay? I have my own ideas but the point is why bring it up. Well I didn't they did. Senator Craig did, Rove has? Falwell always got around to it.

Now to something that bothers me about discussing this topic at all. Being a "straight" man, I guess that means hitting on every female in sight in some people's eyes but not hitting on men since I am a man, why do I feel it necessary to point out my sexual orientation. It is somewhat like the disclaimer on those financial ads, car commercials and cigarette packages, who cares. Well evidently we all care, regardless of how "with it in today's world "we think we are, this subject gets everyone's emotions going. Maybe someday we will be as concerned about a high government official who pushes death and destruction by using military means to settle issues.

Why is it more of a concern that Cheney and Bush might be homosexual than the obvious fact that they are "serial killers" causing hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide for no good reason, other than maybe some misplaced religious ethic. I am inclined to think it's really because there is a lot of money, honey -  in killing for your country.

jerry@jerrypippin.com

In the 60s when I was in the service, our little attachment of golfers, radio announcers, baseball players and actors had the duty of attending military funerals ..I went to several as the representative of the US Army to the family. It was never pleasant and this military duty has shaped my viewpoint on war more than any other, War is usually not necessary and certainly not in the case of IRAQ. Those who made the decisions for young boys and girls to lose their fathers and mothers needlessly plays havoc with my soul every waking moment.

Can't we wake up as Americans and see we are giving far too much to the military industrial complex? These men who caused these deaths are the true terrorists. Call your congressman and tell him the madness must stop.

Thirty-eight votes for Gonzales in the Senate shows that slightly over a third of that body just like the US itself is Nazi driven whether they realize it or not. Does this mean Attorney General Gonzales will continue to operate above the law and unfettered by normal restraints of the Constitution? Not if we play our hand correctly. Our help now lies in the US House of Representatives where the US Constitution says impeachment of any cabinet officer can be held with a one-vote majority.

The Democrats may have just enough votes to pull off impeachment hearings in the House for a cabinet member, the movement for impeachment of Cheney is showing little or no progress at this point, but shifting the effort to a lesser cabinet position just might fire the shot across the bow to the Cheney/Bush administration.

Urge your representative to support impeachment action against Attorney General Gonzales. What happens when the chief law enforcement officer is the crook, the man who makes his own law? Nothing, unless the system stands up and works and the only way it can now is by action in the House of Representatives. Nine Senators did not vote today, 38 voted against the rule to allow censure of Gonzales. This means simply that if a House hearing on impeachment happens, we would only have to change the minds of 20 per cent of those voting nay or not voting.

Let the administration bask in a moment of glory but then let’s take Mr. Gonzales to court; the only court he does not now own, the court of the House of Representatives. Let the sun shine in and tell the ugly truths of how this Justice Department is not much different than the Mafia itself. Impeach the man who put the black eye on American values, the man who says it is okay to torture and keep in prison persons without charges, the man who attacked the very system of justice that made America great. Impeach Mr. Gonzales now.

jerry@jerrypippin.com

Lots of people have been asking about what happened to our impeachment movement, the push for a county grand jury in my home town of Muskogee, Oklahoma. The answer is simple enough. Impeachment is now a bill up for consideration in the House of Representatives, so we have made a decision to push with all our energy to develop support for this bill. We feel without question that once an investigation starts with Cheney it will spill over to others including the President. Here is my letter to the editor thanking citizens of my home town and county for signing the petition and for all of you have signed our on line petitions, we thank you for your effort to seize the power away from the profiteers of war and help get it back to the people.

Late in the summer last year, we decided to push for a Grand Jury Investigation of the Bush/Cheney Administration. Oklahoma has a clause in its constitution that allows for a citizens empanelment of a grand jury with a certain percentage of a county's registered voters signing the petition. By October we had about 1300 signatures and things seemed to be going our way. The November election had a Democratic Land slide basically because of the anti-Bush movement sweeping the land and mostly this was because of the war in IRAQ. Locally we had a change of the guard in the local District Attorney's office and it appeared that the new administration might actually co operate in the Grand Jury movement to investigate the President and his men.

Many of our supporters were not happy with our decision to wait a few months and see how the landscape in Washington actually looked for impeachment, but we decided to put things on hold. We are now going to abandon our local drive for impeachment in favor of putting all of our energy behind an impeachment bill that is in the House of Representatives sponsored by Dennis J. Kucinich.

I know he wants to impeach the Vice President and that is the gist of his bill, but does any one doubt that if an investigation really got rolling on Vice President Cheney he would not be history as they say in a "New York Minute." Former Federal Prosecutor Elizabeth de Le Vegas told me in a radio interview that she thought the same type of prosecutions could occur against him as in Enron.

It appears that Cheney is pushing the envelope when he says he has no financial interest in Halliburton. He still has 433,000 shares of stock options in that company. I saw a report the other day those stocks are selling for about $33.00 a share, I don't have a calculator handy but that is a lot of money. It is true it is in a charitable trust and he promised to donate the profits to charity. There is one small catch and one large one here that we can not deny. First of all this trust is revocable and secondly Halliburton and its KBR security group has reaped billions, not millions in income due to false pretenses. Remember Cheney was never shy about saying that Iraq had WMDs along with many other statements that led to a military action in which his shares showed marked improvement in value thanks to "no bid" contracts from the government.

So as my grandfather used to say, "You gotta start somewhere." So impeachment is in the House now; let's push for it. I am asking all 1300 plus persons who signed our petition here in Muskogee county to pick up the phone and call Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office at 202-225-0100 and tell her you want an investigation into the financial dealings of the Vice President and to put "impeachment on the table."

I want to thank everyone who took the time to sign the petition for making their wishes known and I do hope you will continue to push for an investigation. The circumstantial evidence is just too strong for us as a law abiding public to ignore. We have our foot in the door now in Congress; let's insist justice be done. An impeachment investigation must take place or our reputations as Americans will forever be in jeopardy.

One of the reasons we think impeachment is the only option to get rid of this group of crooks and hoods who are the Bush/Cheney administration is laid out in this report. The top 25 of the 160 are spread mostly in parts of the government where the "money" is. Several from the department of Air Force, Army, etc. but the thing that jumps out is the number who inhabit Homeland Security and other departments that have had increased spending with little or no over sight from Congress because of the terrorism issues.

The way the Bush/Cheney administration has framed this situation is ingenious and dangerous. If one dares question spending and actions of these agencies charged with checking the increase in terrorism you are immediately branded "a traitor." In fact I have been called that by well meaning people who have been "hood winked" by this tact. Their tactic is how dare you attack these people who are only trying to save your life and your country.

How have the crooks in the Bush/Cheney administration managed this? Mafia tactics, pure and simple. First pay off those who have influence. Fox News is a prime example of payola going amuck and we aren't talking about playing rap records either. How do they do this, they allow the journalists to get government and corporate grants and contracts for projects executed by their families, wives, daughters, etc. Remember it is not smart to "bite the hand that feeds you."

Then there is the pressure put on highly priced executives in news, Tim Russert of NBC being a prime example. For mutual benefit, Russert chose to play loose with the truth so he could keep his contacts and party invitations coming from the highest levels of government. Testimony to this fact exists in the Libby trial which is now wrapping up in D.C. and then there is the example of number 25, take a key person in Public Broadcasting and either give him the opportunity to make money, or perhaps he was appointed so he could make money illegally in return for slanting the coverage of this great so called liberal news source toward the goal of corporate and personal graft in the name of privatization.

Indeed, government is broken and it was done so, slowly and surely, by those who have a mission and that is to steal as much wealth as possible and disarm those who might stop them.

The list can be found here: http://www.citizensforethics.org/filelibrary/FINALREPORTPDF.pdf

With the news overnight of convictions of two people in fraudulent recounts of the Ohio Presidential election in 2004, the passing of famed CIA operative E.Howard Hunt who was involved in the Watergate scandal this week and Tom DeLay's conspiracy charges being considered again as viable, it does bring home the idea that sometimes things never change. The trial of Scooter Libby in its first week is featuring a public spat that has a promise of a mud-slinging cat fight between the two men who act for their leaders, Libby and Karl Rove. As testimony comes rolling out, it will be apparent regardless of what kind of spin we put on it, the crooks are back in charge of government.

A little-noticed story this week is the one involving Tom DeLay. Evidently his dismissed conspiracy count is not going to be dismissed for long or at least that is the hope of the prosecutor. This charge is now in the highest Texas Court and even if DeLay pulls out another miracle with a dismissal of this appeal from the prosecutor, the PR is not good. It is obvious to everyone that while masquerading as a do-good Christian man, he was a do-bad thug.

One thing people in the Republican party need to stop and think about, think before blindly supporting the Bush Crowd and their two bit crooks who are now installed in almost every major office in the Administrative branch of government, is why do these scandals always hit the Republicans.

Am I saying there are no crooks in the Democratic party, no, not really. Many Republicans can say that the press is after them, well, I think that is not the case now. It is true that Nixon frequently was the object of press stories that showed him to be the crook he was. In these latter times, the press is no longer very objective, so maybe someone needs to start naming the press as the crooks they are as well. I have no sympathy for my journalism friends, they have let the power of money and position move their objective brains into a status quo coma.

It is my feeling that many people will be amazed as the politicians are exposed in the Republican party but it is also my feeling that they would never have become the crooks they are without the enabling power of the press. The right thing is to use those conspiracy charges not only against the Mr. DeLay but maybe to a few well placed media people, editors, publishers, broadcasters and columnists. What has happened to the press in America is very, very sad indeed.

So in summary, dirty politics are a way of life at the White House, the previous congress was a den of thieves shaking down everyone for themselves and their corporate partners and now it is confirmed, BUSH did not win in 2004, Ohio was fixed just like Florida was fixed in 2000. Where is the outrage from the press, the public? Until it comes, America will continue to be the home of the crooks and no one is brave...enough to stand up and put a stop to it. Hopefully this will change, this year.

Rich Little, the comedian chosen by the White House Correspondents Association to headline the annual correspondents dinner on April 21, has been told by organizers of the event that “they don’t want a repeat of last year’s performance by Stephen Colbert.” “They don’t want anyone knocking the president. He’s really over the coals right now, and he’s worried about his legacy,” Little said. “I won’t even mention the word ‘Iraq.’”

I have interviewed Little several times, one time he even took time out of his dinner at Batista's restaurant to talk to me on the air at the old KVEG. He is big Bush man, big fan of both Bushes, during my last interview with him he was bragging about how wonderful and sincere President Bush's mother was.

"She just doesn't go for the off color or sarcastic stuff" he told me. I think if you check into his private life, you will find Rich Little has made lots of money with deals that in part were sent his way by the Bush Family.

So this does not surprise me at all, their picking him for the correspondent's dinner. Remember the unintended consequences of all this social whirl in DC over the years that gradually included columnists and reporters has poisoned the well of the oversight duty of a free press. I think when historians look back at what happened in the early 2lst Century, the Press will be blamed more for the fall of the US than any other group. No questions asked, no real questions asked about events surrounding IRAQ, the taking of Civil Liberties, graft that is now rampant in every department of our government, 9/11, torturing of fellow human beings and lots of "hanky panky" in the financial arena of banking and stock market dealings.

Am I optimistic? Yes, I think Mr. Little better pray Mr. Bush is still there by the time this event rolls around, the Impeachment bandwagon is rolling and there really is nothing that any one can do to stop it, especially if you are a neo-con.

Jerry Pippin 1-19-07

Tuesday, October 24 is exactly two weeks before the "off year " election, one that is always dismissed as not important but usually is as important to the nation as any Presidential election. This year it is a bell weather of sorts, all the polls, and most of the pundits say it is going to be a blowout against the status quo and most Republicans will be sent home. Evidence is mounting to the contrary however, not that the Bush factor is suddenly getting new support in the populace, no far from that. The evidence is more sinister to our democracy, 80 percent of the voting machines in American can be tampered and changed by clever computer geeks. It is true; ask anyone in the computer business and they laugh as they tell you how simple a Republican vote can show up as a Democratic vote, even with a paper trail right in front of your eyes with a rigged program and printer.

October 24 is significant for some other reason just as sinister. Most if not all of the talk show hosts in America will be in Washington D.C. at an expense-paid orgy of easy access to the biggest of the big in the Republican party. Hundreds of hours will be spent by these demons of democracy such as Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Neal Boortz, Laura Ingraham, and Michael Medved and a cast of supporting players. The man who organized this straight forward move toward a national movement in political hypnotism is one of them, Tony Snow, our Press Secretary for the administration.

Karl Rove and K street PR firms are probably close to an erotic climax in delight over this move. Thousands of hours of radio and TV time slanted by a shameless effort of the powerful to influence these mental midgets of the air waves with booze, money, power, and even contracts to the next of kin for worthless PR jobs handed out at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars form the governmental agencies spearheaded by the traitors of the American Dream, the neo-conservative movement. PAYOLA, refined and moved form Hollywood to Washington where it lives and multiplies by the likes of flacks who give political opinions on Fox and other networks without anyone asking if they have a conflict of interest.

I have been in radio a long time. I rose in the business from a kid who worked weekends at KBIX in high school to ultimately doing a daily show by satellite on 192 stations. I am now on the internet only because this is the only place where I can still get an audience for my mission of "truth and justice for all." The conservative program executives don't like that description of my show, they spin it as a liberal or progressive talk fest. Alas in a universe dedicated to conservatism by the listening audience, truth and justice does some times sound like liberal trash talk so hence, I saw the light and went to where I could find an audience who liked to hear a full description of what really is happening, not by me the pontificator, but by major guests who should and do know because they are the movers and shakers of the world.

I better stop and change course; this is reading like a commercial. Just one final thought, I am far from a liberal political figure, most of my radio shows actually have very little to do with politics. We deal in strange and unusual subjects and in entertainment of today and memories of times gone by with shows on Elvis, Big Bands and the like. At the height of my talk show career, I tried to get on my old radio station KBIX. I was on stations like KLIF in Dallas, KFYI in Phoenix, KOMBI in Kansas City on a regular basis but for me to be heard in my own hometown I had to buy time on Sunday morning and play tapes of shows for the week. I paid two hundred a week out of my own pocket just for the pleasure of letting my neighbors know I was alive and well and working.

This was the state of radio in America when I was in syndication and evidently it is even today. Air America, a liberal talk network with the likes of Al Franken and Randy Rhodes, declared bankruptcy a couple of Thursdays back and on Friday morning all over the country, shocked liberals heard religious programs instead. Why? Well not because religious programs get good ratings, no because radio preachers pay top rates to spread the word of God and their good deeds for humanity and until Air America ran out of money, it was doing the same thing I was doing back in the early 90s, only on a far grander scale, pay to play.

So when you turn on your favorite talk radio host or watch your favorite talk host on cable TV on October 25th, remember you are witnessing first hand how we got to this state of decay in our country. The ministers of truth forgot about that mission in their broadcast careers long ago when they figured out as Willie Sutton once said "Go where the money is," or something close to that... Sutton was talking about robbing banks, these guys, the boys on the dole at Fox ...they are talking about getting the leftovers from those who have robbed Americans of their wealth by using privatization with its built in profits to those who support those who giveth.. Billions transferred from the government to private business before our eyes and we are told "buy some stock in these companies and share the wealth." Meanwhile those on the inside laugh at how easy it all has been.

A word from the inside of talk radio to you the listener. Take those ratings with a grain of salt, few if any in my business are interested in my outmoded, outdated mission of journalism..."the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

October 24, talk show hosts go to Washington; October 25, listen to their false talk and keep reality in mind, they are the silver-tongued snakes luring us to continue to eat of the forbidden fruit of excess and pleasure ...we are all enjoying the music while Rome burns.

Public letter to Virginia activist on his question of conviction of impeachment in regards to retirement benefits.

Dear Larry Bryant:

Your recent letter to Senator George Allen asking about benefits for an impeached removed president from office brings me to the point of what our impeachment investigation is all about here in Oklahoma. Not only do we think they have been guilty of crimes but we think we can prove it with the grand jury investigation and one of the punishments we will be asking the prosecutors to pursue is reimbursement of the costs to the US from their misdeeds. One instance would be the no bid contracts to Halliburton, and the expenses of the IRAQ war which was knowingly started by both men without a decoration of war from Congress. They knowingly did the aggression using the assets of the United States in a war that was started and conducted under false pretenses.

it seems to me that as the damaged citizens of the US we would be entitled to compensation. Perhaps compensation for every citizen but more likely a repayment to the Federal Treasury of all monies expended under false pretenses as set forth by numerous executive orders and speeches made by both men leading up to the war beginning and then continuing to this day.

No doubt they will try for immunity similar to that granted policemen and other law enforcement officials who make errors in judgment; but I would think just the convictions alone would show that there was an intent to defraud and in my opinion the Bush Family and the families others including Cheney, Rumsfeld and even perhaps the secretary of state might actually be libel for reimbursement to the treasury. If the Judge did not rule this way as part of the punishment phase, I would suggest another civil action similar to law suits that go after those who harm ...such as a class action suit on behalf of the United States Tax Payer.

Best Regards,

Jerry Pippin
Co-Chairman of the Grand Jury Impeachment Committee
 P.O. Box 333 Muskogee, Ok. 74402
918-682-2630

In the movies, some of the best scenes are when the characters and the audience know doom is just over the hill. Hearing the Indians on the war path before they arrive in many old forgotten westerns, the dark of the night in a world war two movie when the soldiers can hear the tanks and artillery shells coming closer and closer. Today we saw a scene in Washington D.C, of the coming doom. It came in a roll call vote for House Bill 6166. Hmm, scary how this bill came out of no where with the 666 moniker, isn't it?

This is a defining moment in American politics. It transgresses republican against democrat, liberal against conservative in my mind. It shows who is moral and who is not. It shows who wants to stand up for humanity as a whole, doesn't it?

I have been out and among the people now for several weeks talking politics and moral behavior, law and order and who is a crook and who is not. About a third of those I have talked with, think I am somehow un-American because I challenge the administration and their dirty deeds of lies about war, about terrorists and who is winning. Facts seem be immaterial to most as we talk the issues . Five long years with billions spent and the terrorist threat is believed to be as real as the day after 9/11; yet, for some reason, many are willing to trust an administration that has done nothing to stop the terrorists, in fact, the evidence is everywhere that this inept rotten to the core group of men who rule us have created more problems than they have solved.

Now comes the defining moment and I wish it had not arrived. It is not fun to stand up and say to the "maddening crowd" hold on a minute? What are you doing? But someone must.

Today's vote is a vote that never should have been made. How can these men and women who voted for torture, suspension of rights, and countless other inhumane wrongs in the name of good live with themselves? My own congressman, Dan Boren, has proven to me is not a man fit for office, or any position in life. How can he vote for torture? It is beyond my understanding. From this moment on, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure the likes of Dan Boren never serve any longer than necessary for the public good because he has proven he is not for the public good. He is for Stalinist, Hitler-like treatment of others. He can dress it up anyway he wants, I think the word these days is spin, but the fact is he wants to back the US government in efforts to force men to drink boiling water, pulling fingernails, electric shock to genitals, etc. etc.

I have been accused of playing favorites with Democrats against Republicans, well, there are other Democrats that need to go home or go to jail. Isn't there a law against backing torture and tearing down the Constitution in favor of imprisonment for suspects without proper defense? There are other Democrats who were favorites of mine who have shown their true colors today? That nice Ford boy from Tennessee? Why would he vote for torture? Then there are the Democrats who did not vote at all. How could they miss the defining vote of any human being? How could they not take a stand? Among them one of my favorite liberals, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Houston and Marty Meehan of Massachusetts.

Over on the Republican side, how can every congressman in my beloved state of Oklahoma vote for torture? My hat goes off to a brave Republican who voted against torture today, Jim Leach from Iowa.

I am not sure who is running against Boren in November, but I am going to vote against him even if I have to write in my own name on the ticket. How can anyone vote for these men who cast their lot with the thugs and say "go ahead treat these men to pain, suffering and long term imprisonment. We will worry about their guilt or innocence later, right lets see a little blood, lets hear a few screams, ah, yea, ..." I am sick in my heart and into the depths of my soul tonight. How could American's vote for bodily harm of fellow human beings? What kind of world have we created?

Jerry Pippin
 www.bushbusiness.com

jerry@jerrypippin.com

The People Speak and the Powerful Shake
08/08/06

The bulletin was a relief, I made a huge deep-breath sound, like an Alka Seltzer commercial of old. Breaking: Three-term Sen. Joe Lieberman concedes CT Democratic primary for senate. Lieberman has announced he will run as an Independent.

Just as I had thought, the war and his undying support for the Bush Administration had stuck in the political throat of the electorate. What kind of Democrat is Joe anyway? Does he love the imperial office of the Senate so much that he has to retain his position at any cost or is there more to it than this. I submit to you that we, the populist part of the Democratic party, had been had when somehow this turncoat ended up on the Gore ticket in 2000. You know the political movers and shakers of the Democratic party, the party of the people, knew Lieberman's true stripes. Why did Al Gore, a true man of the people, accept this fellow on the ticket anyway? Questions about this keep me awake at night, when it comes to Gore. A man who I truly believe is a man of the people and I hope most of us realize how different 2006 would have been if Gore had actually won. Well, that is not actually true, all the evidence shows he did win. That is one of lingering questions. Why did Gore give up and allow the coronation of George W. Bush and his Neo-Con court?

Now Lieberman is going to turn his back on the party that supported him for 18 years, even elevated him to a post few men ever dream of achieving: candidate for Vice President of the United States. What kind of man could then behave like a battered wife and cuddle up to those who cheated him out of his place in the sun? I can tell you in five short words, "not much of a man."

So what if he succeeds in splitting the Democratic party vote in November and a Republican gets the seat? I don't think that is likely to happen, but even if it does, could any East Coast Republican be as bad as Joe Lieberman when it comes to protecting the working man and taking the high moral ground we expect from our leaders? I don't think so.

I am cautiously optimistic that the death throes of the neo-conservative movement in the United States will come to pass in November. Fifty seats could swing for the Democrats in "safe" House of Representatives." I expect it to be so, most political pundits do not, but they have missed most of the expectations of the people for years now. The Senate will be closer in numbers and the blank check of Cheney/Bush will no longer be a political chip.

77 percent of the people according to exit polls tonight, said the war was a major issue and well it should be. In the name of greed, power and prejudice, Bush/Cheney (I think the way I referred to this earlier is more appropriate) has caused untold damage of lives, property and hope for peace anywhere. 9/11 is now becoming more of a topic and we are working on evidence, real evidence, from witnesses who will say they helped in fixing 9/11 so it could happen. Voter machine fraud rampant everywhere, looting of the Federal Treasury in the name of privatization, all now well past ideology and into the shady greedy underworld of crime. Most of the administration is populated by two-bit thieves in the night? We will start on the road of trying to prove this ..right here in my little town of Muskogee, Oklahoma.

How, by a county grand jury investigation. We will get the signatures, we will push the prosecutors, we will push the envelope and finally this haze of wrong doing will become apparent to most if not all of us. So help us by signing the grand jury petitions, one on line and the other one which will be only for voters in my little county in the heart of a "red " state, Oklahoma. Somehow I think it is fitting we start the action with a signing kick off on Labor Day; after all isn't this what it is really all about...taking the power back from the elite and giving it to the common man. America needs to cleanse itself of the power brokers and greedy and get back to ideals of Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy. Only with people power will we be able to survive as the leader of the world, otherwise, I am afraid we are doomed.

So Mr. Lieberman, so long, it hasn't been so good to know you.

jerry@jerrypippin.com

Jerry sent this letter of support to Larry Bryant, whose letters are printed below.

Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2006 9:01 AM Subject: Fw: CIA v. The "UFO Press"

Mr. Larry W. Bryant, Please be advised that www.jerrypippin.com will gladly entertain joining with you and others from the media in protest including possible legal action if deemed necessary. This is an out rage particularly when the CIA asserts that Roswell is not the public's business. After all, this government seems to forget that they operate on the people's money, so the people have paid for the entitled to see what their hard earned money is buying for their country.

As a side note, if the administration continues to operate in this manner of high secrecy, not allowing the average tax payer to see the fruits of his labor? Then I suggest we only tax the corporations and allow the people to go free. Unfortunately this bunch of highway robbers and black operatives have chosen another route, letting the Corporations off the hook and taxing the middle class into oblivion while saying they are doing the opposite.

Go get them and I am sure other media especially involved in the UFO field will join with me in supporting any Court Action possible. Meanwhile I will contact my congressman, Rep. Dan Boren, though a Democrat, leads the pack in getting energy company money for his campaigns. He learned well from his father who has turned the Oklahoma University Campus is one super advertising mall with big corporate donors with their huge name plates making this famed institution of higher learning look like a buffet of advertising signs.

Jerry Pippin

[LWB Note: Ever since its inception 40 years ago, the U. S. Freedom of Information Act has served as a nuisance to such agencies as the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency. Now, can you imagine this: any federal agency's using taxpayer funds to thwart the spirit and/or letter of this venerable open-access statute aimed at serving the informational needs and interests of the nation's taxpayers (especially since some of those funds were used to generate the records in question)?

Well, fellow FOIAphiles, that's what we now have in the upcoming federal lawsuit of Bryant v. CIA. By his July 19, 2006, letter to me (quoted below), CIA FOIA chief Scott Koch has thrown down the gauntlet -- tossing me back into the FOIA briar patch, where I'm shaking hands with a similar victim, called the National Security Archive. For you see, this public-interest organization housed at the George Washington University in Washington, D. C., has once again filed suit against the CIA FOIA folks because of the Agency's refusal to honor the Archive's requester status as a "representative of the news media." (See a copy of the Archive's June 14, 2006, complaint at http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20060614/index.htm

It so happens that I, as a columnist for the newsstand monthly periodical "UFO," share the same requester status as the Archive's. But no, says Koch & Co. I, like the Archive, must get on my knees and justify my existence under some arbitrary and capricious criteria not envisioned by the intent of Congress.

But there's a slight variation on the theme here. I notice that the Archive's complaint neglects to cite the organization's rights under the freedom-of-the-press clause of the First Amendment. Nowhere does that clause's language confine its protection to those who own a printing press, publish literature, and distribute (for example) entertainment media. Hence, individuals like me also enjoy the clause's protective scope in the matter of government-related oversight, editorial criticism, citizen-directed debate, and the eternal ideals of free access/inquiry and public accountability. In particular, the most self-revealing statement expressed by Mr. Koch -- "The July 1947 crash [near Roswell, N.M.] is not a current event, and the UFO press is not the general public" -- plants a red herring right at the feet of judicial determination in, at least, the Court of Public Opinion.

As with the Archive's case, Koch errs in trying to manipulate the definition of "news" to serve his agency's censorial proclivity. Understand this, sir: the term "news" constitutes whatever a publisher/editor/reporter/broadcaster/archivist and his/her readership deem it to be -- NOT what any federal agency might deem it to be. By levying unauthorized records-search fees upon any representative of the news media, you're imposing a de facto, inhibitory licensing fee upon those who'd dare exercise their freedom-of-the-press rights. First Amendment case law rejects that official policy/practice. Note: Koch's singling out the UFO press for disdain and disregard also violates the U. S. constitution's equal-protection-of-the-laws provision.

I therefore encourage all producers, content providers, and consumers of such media as UFO magazine, FATE magazine, the MUFON UFO Journal, the myriad of UFO-related web sites/blogs, and all UFO-oriented book publishers, along with the various UFO-related TV documentarians, to express to the CIA director their objections to this unfair, illegal, and dangerous policy; your doing so via your congressmen might result in an actual response from the Agency.]

larryb@jerrypippin.com

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

TEXT OF MR. KOCH'S 19 JULY 06 LETTER TO L.W.B.:

Dear Mr. Bryant:

Reference: F-2006-01045

We received your 5 June 2006 letter seeking to change your fee status from "all other" to "news media." As we noted in our 20 May 2006 letter to you, a request must satisfy ALL of the criteria set forth in our published regulations to receive preferential fee treatment as a representative of the news media. The records being requested must:

* concern current events;

* interest the general public;

* enhance the public understanding of the operations or activities of the U. S. Government; and

* be disseminated to a significant element of the public at minimal cost.

You write: "Corso's role as a Pentagon-based intelligence/R&D analyst in helping exploit the advanced technological artifacts retrieved from the July 1974 crash-landing of a 'flying saucer' near Roswell, N. M., reverberates, to this day, in the UFO press." The July 1947 crash is not a current event, and the UFO press is not the general public.

In addition, as you know, you have an outstanding fee balance of $30.00 for request F-2006-01956. Please remit a check or money order made payable to the Treasurer of the United States citing F-2006-01956 to ensure credit to your account.

Before we can process your requests, we must receive your check or money order for $30.00 for request F-2006-01956, and we must receive your commitment to pay fees in the "all other" fee category for F-2006-01045.

Meanwhile, we will hold your request in abeyance for 45 days from the date of this letter. If we do not receive your commitment to pay fees in the "all other" fee category within that time, we will assume that you are no longer interested in pursuing this request, and we will close this case.

Sincerely,

Scott Koch Information and Privacy Coordinator

This is a column written for a few and hopefully read by the many. It concerns our recent efforts to try to get a grand jury to investigate the criminal wrong doings of the President, his Vice President and the others that lead this administration. Larry W. Bryant posted our intentions on the forum at the Ardmore, Oklahoma newspaper. What ensured was not just ripe debate on principles, but vicious personal attacks on Mr. Bryant, my staff, as well as myself. These men ..three in particular..were especially vicious to Jane Swartley one of our producers. Calling her several names that gentlemen should not call ladies even in jest. So I thought I would share my response to Jane about these so called patriots with the world. Here is the letter:

Jane, I am amazed at these three fellows over at Ardmore. I know quite a few thoughtful Republicans with a conscience (they actually exist, I have seen them.) I am not sure where these "good old boys" have their heads. Remember I am a good old boy too. I was born and reared in Muskogee, Oklahoma and I joined the US Army to help defend this country back in the 60s, so I know them. I am surprised in their steadfast defense of Dubya as there is little left to defend. There is little this administration has done among all categories of ostensible GOP values that they can look to with any sort of pride.

Medicare? A great program has been so altered for profits' sake by medical interest that there is little left to be secure in the future. Dubya and the boys are sinking it fast within a sea of red ink. Shrinking the budget? Conservatives can't be happy with what this administration is doing for fiscal responsibility can they? Smaller government? Not with Dubya creating a new multi billion dollar department every month or two. Less intervention in our lives? Well all of us know Big Brother is listening and reading our everyday conversations and activities.

Reduced spending? Dubya has never heard of that one, especially with Dick Cheney and his friends getting huge sums from the middle class tax payers in the name of privatization. Increased respect in the international community? Even the front page of a Norway newspaper this morning reports Bush did his own people harm in a sham terrorist attack in New York and Washington D.C. Responsible international citizen? Ha. Name your topic, Bush has failed. Spectacularly. Intentionally.

So the only thing I wonder about tonight is why do these three down in Ardmore say such lies about me when the only one lying is their leader. I am not anti soldier, I was one. I want to impeach Bush/Cheney because I love this country and I love humanity and these neo-conservative warriors are far from being nice. They can laugh all they want, but we will prove ..history will show..that this administration was the worst..for America ..for the world. Torture, fear mongering, and greed do not make good legs for leadership. We need to stop this trend that is making America anything but the land of the free and I am sure sooner or later, our three friends who scoff and snicker and tell lies about our lives and reasons for living will suddenly accept the truth...THEY HAVE BEEN HAD by the snake oil salesman who sold them false premises for the sole purpose of stealing their money and their freedom.

In closing Jane, thanks for a good fight and I trust you will continue to try to cause thinking men and women to do just that...think. In the end, good will win over evil and don't think for a second that these men and women in our administration who try to say they are religious and moral, are. They are not. Deeds count much more than words and their deeds have been dastardly for sure.

Doug Thompson a reporter for Capital Hill Blues in D.C. on December 5, wrote this in a column - Thompson insists he has two sources who were there and heard the President cursing the Constitution and those who oppose him. We all know he publicly said he was the decider. So in Mr. Bush's mind it seems pretty clear that he is already the dictator of the United States of America and not just a lowly elected official even though it is the highest office the people can bestow in this country, that being President of the United States. Here is how that meeting went according to Thompson and a half year later no one is saying it is not true.

The meeting was with key Republicans from the Hill on his efforts to keep the Patriot Law as is. Bush was forceful and there was no way anyone could misunderstand his words. “I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”

“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”

“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”

Three people present for the meeting confirmed the words from the President to Thompson. Now let's fast-forward to Sunday morning, May 21, on "Face The Nation" where Attorney General Alberto Gonzales calmly stated that journalists could be prosecuted for doing stories about government secret activities. He also said that the government will continue to track telephone calls in the US including phone calls made by reporters. Unless you think this is not happening, all we have to do is quote ABC 's Brian Ross, an investigative reporter who says he is "treated like a drug runner or terrorist by the administration" as he attempts to investigate stories. The lead investigative correspondent for the network learned last week he was under surveillance by our government.

As a talk show host and broadcast personality who deals with news events and news personalities, I have had an interesting personal journey the past six years of the Bush Administration.

When Mr. Bush's forces were able to get the Supreme Court to do a political decision and make him President, I was shocked that the Gore people did not do more. In fairness to Al Gore, he has been quoted as saying "In our system, there's no intermediate step between a definitive Supreme Court decision and violent revolution." Gore's lawyer, David Boiles, has been quoted as saying not only does Gore think the election was stolen, but so does he.

As a person who was a Gore Supporter and a believer in the rule of the ballot box, I was outraged. So for four years we did everything we could, risking and losing quite a lot of money from advertisers who did not want our anti-administration slant associated with their messages. This was certainly the case from September 11, 2001 forward. The least bit of criticism met with an onslaught of cancellations and threats of cancellations of advertising money even though many told us off the record they agreed with our stance. They just thought it would be bad for business.

When Mr. Bush won the second election in November of 2004 with a far more clever manipulation of the ballots in our opinion, we decided to back off and let others do the heavy lifting. By the Spring of 2006, it was apparent to us that no one controlled by national advertising would do much about the IMPEACHABLE offenses of this President and Vice President. We had hoped an ambitious Attorney General of some state would step forward with an investigation, but none have. It was very clear to us that the Federal system was useless as it was now controlled by this anti-American Neo-Conservative movement. Then Larry W. Bryant contacted me.

Bryant is a well known activist in the political arena and has written several books. His main claim to fame is his ability to give the Pentagon fits over Freedom of Information requests. He is like a mad-dog who never lets go after he takes his first bite. Bryant and some lawyer friends had come up with a different tack to IMPEACH and they contacted me.

Two States, Oklahoma and New Mexico, had an interesting twist in the grand jury statutes. Simply put, five hundred signatures from a county and a local grand jury could be called to investigate the charges of criminal activity of even the President and Vice President. It was too much for me to resist. The call to duty was made and I accepted for better or for worst. I have decided to make the effort to get a local grand jury in a small Oklahoma town to take on the giants of our nation in far away Washington D.C. It is a long shot, not necessarily getting the signatures or even getting a Judge or an appeal if the Judge refuses to empanel the grand jury. The long shot is two-fold, will the local prosecutors take this charge seriously and do a good job investigating or will they bend to the pressures from Big Brother that will surely come?

The impeachable offenses are many. Lies and false pretenses about the war in Iraq. Well over 2500 dead American men and women due to the actions of the administration in creating false reasons for war. False reasons ranging from saying Iraq had something to do with the 9/11 attacks, nuclear threats that did not exist, biological weapons that did not exist and on and on.

The 9/11 attacks themselves have many unanswered questions which will show at the very least a huge incompetence on the Bush Administration and at the most some much more sinister. Spying on regular Americans. The huge misuse of public funds by giving billions of dollars to politically connected businesses such as Halliburton to do the people's business . The refusal to reveal government cooperation with energy companies by the Vice President that has resulted in three times higher gasoline prices than in the Clinton years.

Then there is the torture issue. How can Americans stand by while our government conducts animalistic mauling of human beings in the name of security. Pulling fingernails and toenails out with each wrong answer, electric shocks to private parts of men and women, things are being done with official sanction that masters of Sadism would only dream possible. What kind of men and women are these government condoners?

There are many more impeachable offenses and our congress and the Democratic party sit like spineless jelly fish on a bench by the beach in the sunlight as the neo-con movement passes out the tax dollars to political donors from every type of business operation from pharmaceutical, to insurance, to financial services to the big daddy of them all, defense businesses. The objective is clear to anyone who wants to see it. Break the Federal Treasury and dismantle the social fabric of 50 years of legislation that was designed, not to help the wealthy, but the average American family.

The mission is clear, stop the madness and return us to the sanity of an America we have known in decades past. The job has fallen to the meek and least powerful, but we, the people in a tiny place in a red state can undo the actions of the cowboys of fear and loathing, the members of the Bush Administration. How? Simply by using the legal system to go after the "decider" and his fellow warriors of destruction. I am afraid, criminal charges being investigated by a county attorney in a rural area of a small state might be our only hope of restoring decency and moral conviction to the political arena. So our march toward a grand jury investigation of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard (Dick) Cheney has begun.

With the elections in Israel over and obviously a move toward splinter parties being evident there, it has occurred to me that we may be headed in the same direction here. I am a believer in the two party system, but something has happened with the parties losing their ability to define themselves. I am going to attempt to do this now, as I am afraid it is almost too late. What is the term we use, "Get back to basics?"

The overall definition: Republicans believe in a strong government that tends to favor business and financial interest with the understanding that the benefits will trickle down to the population as a whole once the special interests of big business and banking are fulfilled. The former definition of Republicans sounds good but does not work very well in my opinion. The GOP mantra for decades was, " Less government interference in commerce and have government be stronger when it is closer to home." In other words, more of a Republic type of government with each state having strong rules and abilities to control the population rather than a central government in Washington.

The Democratic Party is designed for a stronger central government with Federalism or edicts put forth from the central government to the states and municipalities. The thinking is that we are indeed one nation rather than 50 different states and that certain types of laws should be enforced on a Federal level due to the ability of local and state law enforcement to be compromised by local officials. This is the reason civil rights laws, minimum wage laws, environmental laws and the like are pushed by Democrats on a Federal level.

Basically all political parties have special interests, the special interests of the Democrats tend to center around social issues and the Republican special interests seem to be centered around big business in general. Now the exception to this has developed into a mix mash of people saying they are Republican or Democrat but not necessarily following the lead of the party. In the Democrat camp it is the influence of the Southern voter and candidates who tend to support states rights whenever possible and in the Republican ranks you have the neo conservative movement that tends to want a strong central government to control their issues.

Now what kind of Democrat am I? I am a liberal in every sense of the word. I favor a bottom-up or strong foundation to government. In other words, the Mr. Smith goes to Washington thing, people taking time out of their lives to make sure the government is not captured by special interests but only for the benefit of the people, with equal justice and economic opportunity. It is interesting that Wall Street tends to support Republican policies, but in actual fact, under Democratic administrations, it has done very well.

Here again, a strong financial house with a good economic foundation. Instead of paying less for labor, I suggest when people are paid a good income, they will spend money more readily and over the long haul the businessman makes more because there is more action in the economy. It is a producing economy, not an investing economy and this populism I think makes good sound financial sense.

Strong social issues can be strong economic issues, equal rights for all means more money for everyone in the long run doesn't it? In the medical field alone, many doctors have realized they are being told by insurance interest as well as government interest what they can charge, etc. Many of them have come to the conclusion that they would be better off and so would the patient if the profit motives are shifted from insurance and third-party payers to a single-party payer system. The point being, a doctor spending a million dollars a year for an expensive office infrastructure complete with accountants and specialists needed not to administer care, but to collect fees, is growing increasingly futile. Perhaps a simple fee arrangement of $200,000 to the doctor instead of some years unexpected fees taking 85 to 90 per cent of his income would be better for him in the long run. On the patient side, it certainly would be better for all expenses to be pooled, saving hundreds of dollars in premiums not yearly but monthly, in some cases.

Why does this not happen? Because both political parties are obligated now to the big business donors due to de-regulation in broadcasting allowing broadcasters to make huge profits from the politicians and from government agencies. The Democrats in previous decades legislated that broadcasters had to give free time to these causes and charge little or nothing to political campaigns and make sure their coverage was balanced by equal-time laws. All of this has been done away with by republican/conservatives believing that the free market would take care of the problem. It hasn't; it has increased the cost of running government by many billions.

So as a liberal or populist Democrat, I believe restraints should be replaced in many areas. Taxes should be shifted back to the ability to pay, using the tax code to cause employers to hire people and pay benefits rather than the opposite which is now encouraged by flat tax ideas. We need to get away from privatizing things that are not compatible to making money.

The cry of the Republican party was, "Run government like a business." Well, guess what, some things are not supposed to make money, police and fire protection, safety concerns, national defense, but under the Republican mantra of running government like business, a chosen few politically connected are making billions and we are getting for return a very poor investment on our tax dollars.

So the difference between being a Republican and Democrat is very simple. A Democrat wants to make business make money the old fashioned way, "Earn it." The Republicans have found an easier way, government-supported tax breaks, actual payments of government to private enterprise at over-inflated rates, and less regulation because after all, that costs money and who wants to spend it for the common good?

The lines between Republican moderates and Democratic moderates is very blurred and most of them do not have control of any of the agenda at this point. A good Democrat is willing to compromise, to give a little here and there, but only for the overall good of the nation. Sometimes special interests have to be stopped and it is always a good thing to stop and examine each issue by one simple standard: who benefits? If the common good of the people are not the winners in a piece of legislation or executive order, then I submit, we do not do anything to harm.

So in summary, haven' t you wondered why Democrats support fair labor laws, environmental issues, voting rights with less red tape on who gets to vote? It is really a very simple thing, Democrats have a tradition of being for the people and just for a precious few at the top. Equality and opportunity sums up what the Democratic party should be recognized for, fairness and always a desire to err on the side of the people against the special interests of the few.

Here in my native Oklahoma it is a cloudy and somewhat dreary day with a cold north wind, some leftover rain but no White Christmas. Soon my family will be gathering around for for round two of eating, joking and gift giving. All my life we always had a big Christmas Eve and that tradition has continued long after the passing of my parents, Virgil and Bertha Lee. Somehow that is the point of this column.

Stewardship...passing of the torch...institutions and life styles living far beyond the mortal lives of each of us. No one in my immediate family is anything but a Democrat, but I did notice as we grew older and our families expanded with various in-laws, some Republicans have crept into the scene. I marveled last night as we gathered around the tree and waited in anticipation for our gifts, who was a Democrat and who was a Republican. As far as I can could tell, my sister's husband's relatives were the only ones that were Republican. Both of them, young ladies in their 20's were well educated and upwardly mobile... they were just delightful in all things but their admiration for George W. Bush, our President. They worshipped him.

One went fifteen hundred miles to see him at some sort of GOP gathering in Washington and she still talked about him as if he were some sort of "matinee idol." When pressed she did admit the economy was bad, but her husband was doing well, too bad about the others. I stayed away from the war, after all it is the season of Good Will and I did not want to bring up a sour subject, one of death and destruction. I would like to say both of these women were just not informed, but that is not the case. They were proud of the fact they listened to "talk radio," Fox News and oh yes, they liked NPR but when pressed all they could name was Terri Gross and her fine interview show about mostly entertainment out of Philadelphia.

The point here is simple in nature, all of my friends are outraged at the needless destruction of Iraq, the taking away of our privacy and civil liberties, the graft in government that rivals the Teapot Dome scandals of the 20's, etc. etc. These two young Republican women, all they could talk about was their "sexy president." When I said I didn't think he was sexy, I thought he looked coked out...they smiled and said something to the effect, "so what, he is still good looking." We even talked about super churches and the Joe Olstein wife problem, she getting kicked off an airplane for bad behavior. They agreed the super churches were for the rich, mostly. The Republican party was for the rich, mostly and that I evidently had very bad taste in men's looks if I didn't see Cowboy George as some sort of bigger than life sex symbol.

I would have argued with them, but in a way, they were right. I mean I still think Bill Clinton is the greatest, but I dare not mention his name to them, it would spoil their Christmas.

Since they got their information from talk radio, I knew there was no answer for them. I had been in talk radio in the midst of the battles for the hearts and minds and the conservatives won. Not because they were right, they won because of the free market. Fifteen percent of the total available audience flocked to talk radio because it was conservative and told them what they wanted to hear regardless of the facts. When you have 40 or 45 stations or more competing for an audience, 15 percent is a strong percentage. So the conservatives won this battle, but have they won the war?

I marvel at this group of citizens who spout out with a twitching expression and eyes flashing, the word "liberal." Their idea of a liberal is far from mine. I remember what JFK said about it almost 50 years ago, "If by a 'Liberal' you mean ..., someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people --civil rights, and their civil liberties ... then I'm proud to say I'm a Liberal.''

So stewardship is really what it is all about these days and I am afraid many of the conservatives agree, the problem as I see it is they want to pass on their life's work and I want to pass on the work of the common good. It should be the same but somehow it has been altered to some other than "goodwill toward men." It is now thought of ..in not so good a term of thinking frame as ...I want to pass on my works and only to those I know and love... the common good means taking away from the rich and giving to the poor and most of these conservatives think of themselves as "rich" even though they probably have less money than many of us "liberals." It is the unintended consequence of the success of the American dream, I guess.

Jack Blanchard, the well known poet and songwriter/performer said it best, "For many this is the first Christmas and for others it is their last." Stewardship after all is what it is all about isn't it? Will our ideas of justice and fairness survive the ages to come? For the first time, the outcome seems to be in doubt.

Casey Clare sent me a joke last night that was funny, but unfortunately rings true. I want to share it with you. It is about five surgeons discussing who are the best patients for surgery.

The first surgeon says, "I like to see accountants on my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered."

The second responds, "Yeah, but you should try electricians! Everything inside them is color-coded."

The third surgeon says, "No, I really think librarians are the best; everything inside them is in alphabetical order."

The fourth surgeon chimes in: "You know, I like construction workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end, and when the job takes longer than you said it would."

But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed: "You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains and no spine, and the head and the ass are interchangeable."

Unfortunately many politicians behave in a manner that makes this joke almost true. We can change this you know, get involved in the political system today. People can change it and make it work. We have the government we voted for...how do you as an individual do it, simply get involved in the political machinery. Find out from the party of your choice, when your next local meeting takes place. Go and observe, introduce yourself and demand quality candidates.

Not for a minute do I believe most Republicans want the graft, corruption and ineptness that plagues our government today. It is simply a case of the neo-conservative faction working with corporate interests that have hijacked this political party. The same goes for Democrats. My experience has been quite simply a puzzled reaction that most Democrats are scratching their heads at some of the comments and votes in congress of their leaders.

We as a people have let the few speak and act for the majority. It can be stopped. Now is the time to do it, not election time a year from now. Get involved, after all who we select to run is just as important as when we vote on the winners and losers. The way it is now, we, the American People, are the losers. We deserve better, so demand it and do your part to improve the system.

Politics does count. It reaches into your pocketbook; your everyday life-styles and overall quality of life is controlled by politicians. Don't you think you need a little more say about how things are done? Well, we had better start using our power or we are endanger of losing it forever.

---

Unintended Consequences of a Conservative Philosophy
09/15/05

I have not written a column since the Hurricane Katrina disaster, on purpose. I applaud those that have. Now I would like to write a few opinions about it all. The first lesson from this disaster was a simple one and from listening to President Bush speak tonight on TV, it did not seem his side got the message at all. The message is simple and the events the past two weeks prove it to be very true: PRIVATIZATION does not WORK.

Well I take it back, it works for some folks. Those who can do business with the government, like the company that rented the trucks to FEMA at $600.00 a day and there are over a hundred of them sitting at an Air Force Base in Alabama, never used. They are full of ice and water and supplies. It is working for the trucking company. However privatization is not working very well for the refugees and that is indeed what they are.

Reports from all over the Gulf Coast say razor fence barbed wire double strings are springing up, keeping residents from their property and keeping refugees contained in places of "safety." It looks more like a Prisoner of War Camp to me. We watched with horror the inaction that allowed thousands to die, yes, thousands, don't pay attention to the official death count, it is being deflated. It sure looked like "ethnic cleansing" to me. It appeared like an official effort to get rid of the poor and the minorities from a major resort city. This has developed into a white separatist's dream.

There was the President on TV tonight (September 15th) blue light, blue shirt, pretty background of a landmark in the French Quarter. He was speaking better than he ever has. No stammers, no hesitations, he was a man on a mission. But what really is the mission here?

I think he laid out three major points, but those were not the points I was getting. First of all, he mentioned the fact than he had hired a private company who knew how to respect the dead to recover the remains. Wait a minute, is he talking about the company in Houston, the one that was implicated more than once in the past with body dumping? The President looked so sincere when he mentioned this; but he forgot to mention that Kenyon International was a Bush supporter, friends of the family. They are being paid $118,000 plus per day for two months to do this dirty work of recovering the dead and maybe even hiding the dead. Hey, what are friends for anyway?

The President mentioned minority-owned businesses and small businesses and all I could think of were billions of dollars of contracts going to Halliburton, Bechtel, and the regular suspects. All friends of George, but Hey, what are friends for anyway? He said he was going to rebuild New Orleans and just hours earlier the Corps of Engineers said that 150,000 homes would be coming down by Bull Dozer and plowed under the rich damp delta dirt. Could this new NEW ORLEANS be leaner and whiter? I suspect that is the plan, old Louis Armstrong is probably turning over in his grave as he watches the heritage of New Orleans being transformed into a modern Las Vegas of the South.

Gambling? Who said anything about gambling? Well, it is the unspoken idea floating everywhere in the city just like the debris in the leftover water from a broken levee that was concrete and had just been refurbished. Gambling. What a way to make the city money, pay the bankers back for the rebuilding after they have repossessed the land. What did that smooth-talking southern boy Governor Hailey Barbour say on TV the other night, Mississippi gets 50 million a week from the Casinos?

Then there was the little nice statement from Mr. Bush..with a smile. Something to the effect, we are going to make Federal Lands available for homesteading, if a displaced person can get a mortgage or a grant or help from Habitat for Humanity, we will give them the land. Sounds good until you think about it? Where is this land? Most Federal Land is not close to anything and certainly not residential or business-friendly. Oh, I see, Halliburton and the others, they will do what Del Webb did, transform the desert into lovely places of public housing ...all at a handsome profit for George's friends; but, hey, what are friends for anyway?

What would be there result of making a million people move to Federal Lands, even if they could qualify for loans. It would be simple. New Orleans would be a resort city without the baggage, the concentration of minorities would be spread out around the country and the government would guarantee all of the loans for the bankers, so Hurricane Katrina would become the pin-up queen of government giveaways. Do I have a better idea?

Yes, has anybody heard about the Works Progress Administration in the great depression? It worked then and it will work now, put the 60 billion to work in the Gulf Coast, with the businesses there and the people there getting the money. Let the homeless have the jobs and let them build back their homes, their towns, and yes, even old NEW ORLEANS could shine like new paint in the morning sun. It is very simple, put the money back in the hands of the common man, the one who was damaged. Will they do this? I doubt it..

You see President Bush has never been accused of being the smartest kid on the block. He didn't get it. PRIVATIZATION DOES NOT WORK. Oh, I forgot, for a few at the top, it is working, they are making lots of money from the middle class tax payer, they get the contracts, the money and the tax cuts...you and me, the great American Middle Class, we get the shaft. The poor, dislocated people from the Gulf Coast, they get to start all over ...somewhere else.

jerry@jerrypippin.com

I notice with some satisfaction and also with some disbelief the public and private statements of Right-wingers these days. They seem to be saying things that are blatantly improper and perhaps in some cases, illegal, with impunity. First of all, lets talk about Pat Robertson. His case is so outlandish that it seems to a parody. In fact, many of my right-wing positive thinking religious friends seem to think he really didn't say it and it was made up by the liberal media.

Well, he did call for the assassination of the President of Venezuela. I can't help but think that this is illegal and seems to be some sort of conspiracy to commit murder. I would like to see charges filed against him. I don't think we have an extradition treaty with that country, but at least they should be filed. If I got on the air said let's assassinate someone, you can bet the law and order guys would be after my head. Why not Pat Robertson?

The puzzling thing about this is the fact that he felt safe enough to make this statement. First of all, how can he keep support of the Christian community when he advocates killing? I don't think killing others is a pillar of faith or is it these days? He did make some sort of reference to Muslims and Commies. The latter seems to be the reason for the statement.

Just maybe, Pat was asked to alert his base which is not really all that informed about world events that Venezuela is now on our enemies list. After all, they took the business away from the Bush family interest and CITGO and are going to start giving "our" oil at a handsome price to the Chinese. The ink will dry on that contract later this week. So either Pat owns a lot of CITGO stock or maybe KKKarl Rove called him up and said, " Hey, we are going to take over Venezuela and oust their President, just like Papa Bush did in Panama." I mean all Manuel Noriega did was tell the CIA he was tired of doing their drug work in Central America and that he had found a new source of income: passports sold to the Chinese.

So will we have a take-over of another South American country by the US? Venezuela does supply a lot of oil to us and I can hear Dubya saying to cheering crowds of SUV owners, "taking our oil and giving it to the commies, why, that's a hostile action against the US." Notice he probably won't mention how many of his buddies are losing millions daily because of the nationalization of the oil business in Venezuela.

I read Daily Variety every day, and they had an interesting story today about Right-winger's insensitive remarks on the radio and on TV. Here is the quote: "Is there something in the right-wing water that's causing conservative commentators to cross the boundaries of taste and propriety? Within the past six weeks, Robert Novak stomped off the CNN set; Tucker Carlson praised a police attack on Greenpeace protesters; and Rush Limbaugh trashed a grieving mother."

I have noticed the shrillness from the Right on a personal level. I get lots of emails everyday from conservatives who follow a script that seldom is altered. First they write me about some statement or challenge a fact or two.  I return the favor with an answer with some documentation. They return the next dispatch saying they like me but frankly I am full of it and by the fourth or fifth email they are attacking my intelligence, patriotism and morals. Then finally they get really nasty all the while saying we Liberals are the nasty ones.

There are a couple of conclusions I have drawn and I am not sure which one is valid. First of all, we may be past help in having any sort of dialog with these people who think of compromise and "live and let live" as some sort of flawed idea, or.. and I hope this is the right one.. they are getting louder because they can see their ideas and power slipping away and a yearning to return to the "good old days" when there was a healthy discourse of ideas. Could I be kidding myself because I want to believe the latter rather than the former?

jerry@jerrypippin.com

Is All of This for Real?
08/21/05

It is a bright Sunday morning here in Oklahoma. After an evening of rain storms the new day shines bright as if it has been cleaned by yesterday's storms. I think it is time for a national cleansing and it just might happen. The news this morning is the usual stuff, accidents, murders and oh, yes, a strange announcement from a Salt Lake City TV station that they will not accept the latest commercial featuring Casey Sheehan's mother berating Bush for sending her son off to die in a desert far away on the other wide of the world. I think the TV spokesperson said something like, "It is just not good for our community."

No, they were talking about the commercial, not the fact that President Bush was going to be there on Monday speaking to veterans in defense of his oil war. A couple of things stand out about this. My, how far we have come since I started in broadcasting over four decades ago. Back then, we could not turn down commercials because we didn't like the content. There was a fair doctrine at the FCC. Back then we all understood it was the people's air waves not the owner of the stations airwaves, but that has been replaced, I guess in society in general, with that term the common good almost being a curse word these days to the me-firsters who seem to rule.

The second thing is the strangeness of the comment, "not good for this community." Is the TV station owner saying sending men and women from Salt Lake City off to die in a war that was started under false pretenses is good for the community? I guess it is as long as his children, fathers, daughters, sons don't have to go die. Instead of Other People's Money, it seems to me we are operating on Other People's pain these days. The strange reality continues with a look at the President's schedule...

First of all, that August vacation in Crawford with the woman outside the property line grieving over her lost son and the President seeming to be totally untouched by it all. Just read what he told the newspaper reporters the other day about Cindy Sheehan and her grief:

"I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy," he said when asked about opting to ride his bike instead of meeting with Sheehan. "And part of my being is to be outside exercising." Hold on, don't worry, if you are thinking that our beloved President is too busy watching Dr. Phil and talking to Jerry Falwell to know what really is going on the world around him, he addressed that very subject in that same news conference.

"I'm mindful of what goes on around me. On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so." The strange thing about this comment is that he thought it would be okay to say it out loud in an atmosphere of dead soldiers, grieving mothers, and the reality that IRAQ under a despot like Saddam was better off than billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis without life.

To add the icing on this cake being baked by the spin masters of the neo conservative masters of the world, there is the news that Mr. Bush will spend Tuesday in Idaho, dirt bike riding. Isn't that dangerous, especially for a man who already ran over a secret service man on a regular pedal bike? The thought has crossed my mind that someone is encouraging him to do these things. Why? Maybe they are sick of George too. What would happen if the President had a fatal dirt-bike accident? Unfortunately not much over the long haul because very few think this President is making the decisions anyway. What is it with father and son? Always trying to push the macho button.

Remember, Daddy Bush in his 80s went parachuting a while back and now sonny Bush is going to prove he can ride those dirt bikes as good as any "good ole boy" anywhere in the country. I have a message for both of the Bush men, you have spent a lifetime manipulating "good ole boys" and zealots of all types, don't you think the world is about to figure out something about you two? When it comes to the good of the populace as a whole, neither of you have much of a legacy. Both of you have killed by ordering combat, killing hundreds of thousands of Arabs and allowing millions of African's to die without intervention in natural disasters. It seems to me that both of you could be poster boys for the same ideology that infected our world in the 30s and 40s, Nazism and fascism.

jerry@jerrypippin.com

TV is a strange medium. You get to know the people who you watch, even though you really don't know them. Radio is a little more intimate in that radio listeners feel intimate with personalities they have grown to know over the years. Either way, and Peter Jennings was no stranger to either medium, the news of his death due to cancer this Sunday evening was still more than just a headline. We have done lots of shows about Peter Jennings over the years, many of them negative, because of his touting the official line about the Kennedy Assassination and saying that Roswell is a myth.

However, Peter was the last of the big three and the first of the big three to go. He was still officially working when the end came. Cancer had ravaged his body but he still was making an effort to cover the stories. The other two, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, still do some news stints, but not the daily grind of day to day news.

Jennings was the consummate TV icon, smooth as silk, yet, no one challenged his intelligence or his tenacity. My only gripe was he produced an establishment line, but perhaps he believed the official word, alas, now we will never really know. It is sobering to think this man was born only one year earlier than myself, in Canada in 1938. He died at the top of his game, in New York in 2005.

I hate to close this tribute on personal note, but it must be pointed out because the thoughts haunt me constantly, growing old and dying is not something any of us are prepared to do, I don't think. However, I imagine, I will pass from this Earth working at my trade, just like Mr. Jennings. Broadcasting and news reporting, it gets in your blood and only a few have ever been able to walk away from it and then die, most like Jennings, pass still plying the trade.

The sobering thought tonight is that the world will go on, without Peter Jennings, the news will be reported and stories will be told. I guess the same will be said when it happens to me. Regardless of the critiques from me about him from time to time, he was a class act. I hope the same can be said of me when the time comes. God Rest your soul, Peter Jennings and God Help us keep men and women who want to tell us the news, correctly and straight forward. America and the world need the truth tellers.

Jerry Pippin 11:59 p.m. August 7, 2005, August 8, 2005

It is close to Midnight and the email with the photos sent to me are very troubling. Another military funeral, the streets of the small community lined with the flags, the people like robots waving them as the hearse winds its way toward the cemetery in the bright sunshine of day. At least 1800 of these scenes have been enacted according to official government records of August 3rd, 2005. I have been told that they don't count those who have died from injuries sent back to Germany or to other military hospitals, so it may well be twice the number or even more.

When I was in the US Army in the 60s, that was one of my assignments: taking bodies back for military funerals. The Army wanted good rounded personalities to do this and they elected me. I attended several, all were sad and I decided very quickly, all were unfortunately deaths that should have not happened at all. I am afraid this is even more true today than it was then.

What a shame, the blood of these men wasted...for what? For money for those who do not fight? For religious reasons which are not valid at all? And the most saddening thing is the family and friends...what can they do, but wave the flag, and listen to Taps?

Futility abounds, we must stop this madness somehow.

I only saw the living of the dead. Roberta Scott of our staff, lost her leg to cancer while very young, she was a beauty contestant, and a college student. She decided to do her duty and do the USO hospital tours in Vietnam and the far east.

She would walk into medical wards where soldiers were dying or many times worse, coming home with half of themselves missing. She would spend her days seeing the undead. The soldiers who would come back without legs and arms, napalm burns and no hearing or eye sight. Scarred souls who would never recover and they came back to a society who really didn't want to look at them, help them or even recognize their sacrifice.

But really, Roberta nor I had it the roughest. We were the eye witness to the slaughter of war. Passive observers of the the terrible toll war takes on everyone.

This is one reason I get sick at my stomach when I see President Bush and his ilk, all non-veterans of combat, most never serving at all, in front of TV cameras extolling the need to give our young and our brave to the cause.

What cause? Eight Million dollars an hour is being spent in IRAQ .. figure out 15 per cent or more going back into the pockets of the corporations who are contractors in this mess and you can see why, we fight. MONEY...money for corporate contributors and then there are the unspoken reasons, religious and race. After all, they are Muslims and Arabs..

America, the melting pot of the world as been turned into a Nazi camp deciding on which group will be sacrificed next, all in the name of profit, religion and race.

I say impeachment and imprisonment for these mad men in charge is not enough, they should be faced with the visions of sadness from those 1800 families who have lost a son, a daughter, a husband, a wife, a father, a mother, but all I see is the smirk and the cowboy-type responses from this President.

Something rotten has happened here; a hundred thousand ministers of God's word meet and greet, pushing for the favor of this crowd, influencing their flock. Turning the other cheek has turned into a theory of God's favor for the white man and the drums of war of beat beneath the Sunday messages from the pulpit.

How far have we strayed? Is there anyone out there who can rise up and stop this madness? As the clock approaches midnight this hot, dry August night, my brain reels with the knowledge that we are on a fast track to hell. Where and when did it happen, that the men on the white horses were no longer good but evil and our pursuit of happiness became the pursuit of the almighty buck?

As I lay myself down to sleep, will the dawn come showing a day of hope or another day of despair? The deep sleep of the dead soldier, the cry in the night of the widow, and the laughter of the fat cat making millions off a war that was not needed. It is almost too much for all of us now; but we must pick ourselves up by the boot straps and be heard. It is not too late, the perfect dream of humankind, the dream that was America is almost lost to us all.

If there is a God, we know they will pay for their transgressions, but in the meantime, it is we, the people, the men and women who work hard every day and strive for a good life; we are being misled and many of us have lost our way.

God have mercy on all of us in these troubled times.

Journalism is on the Ropes and the Public Might be Cheering
07/10/05

A New York Times reporter is in jail this weekend and probably for several weekends to come for not revealing something that the prosecutor and the public already knows. When the administration outed CIA agent Valerie Plame at the risk of death to her, in an effort to get even with her husband who was telling everyone that the Bush crowd was lying about the nuclear threat from Iraq, most Washington insiders suspected the source. Odds are that the special prosecutor knew all along who did it, who broke the law. Now it's official, the email has been released to the prosecutor and Time has leaked the story to its competitor Newsweek, strange bed fellows in this strange tale of the battle against them by us.

The truth is out. The law breaker was that symbol of Christian do gooding par excellence, Karl Rove. The man who mobilized the Christian community to vote for the re-election of George Bush... the President who claims to talk to God and who says God talks back to him.

How can this be? These leaders of the Christian movement in the good old USA are up to their belt buckles in lying about countless things, including weapons of mass destruction and looking the other way while their friends and supporters are getting rich from legalized graft in a war waged on false premises. These Christian men are fast becoming the hypocrites of the Century. But let's get back to the problem at hand, the First Amendment and reporters protecting sources.

In a strange twist of modern life, just as in Democratic politics, the women seem to have the balls, standing up for principle while the men are, at best, looking the other way and many such as Matthew Cooper in this case, bending to pressure and making it even more difficult for these types of stories to make it to the public. Judith Miller is a super hero in my book, sitting in the same jail as the 20th hijacker, because of a need for the establishment to show those pesky journalists who is boss and at the same time, chilling the chances of others coming forward and squealing like a pig on the hogs of government who are getting rich off the blood of American soldiers. Even worse, this group is shamelessly getting unbelievable sums of money from the tax payers of America under the guise of a phony war on terrorism and a phony excuse to invade Muslim country. It's a win/win situation for them: make lots of money and get the Christian Right a foothold into the middle east, making a holy war for the faithful and making lots of money for the rest.

But back to this little incident in DC and what it has done to the American public. What it should have done was to push them to the point of rebellion, but alas, no one is paying attention. Regardless of how you look at it, the jailing of Ms. Miller is an attack on the press and the democracy; an attack as deadly as 9/11 and no one seems to care.

Not only will the fear of being hauled off to jail chill the exuberance of the investigative journalist, it will cause the whistle-blowing sources to think twice before spilling the beans, and the unintended consequences are simply too terrible to contemplate. News channels and all kinds of outlets from the New York Times to small weekly newspapers will say to their reporters, " We really can't run this story, the legal battles will cost us too much in profits and our stockholders will not stand for it."

Yes, Virginia there is no longer a Santa Claus in the news business. Every story, every broadcast is expected to make money and making money is hard to do when you continually go after the establishment. When it comes to communications, "These are the best of times, these are the worst of times."

Better technology, easier ways to deliver the truth; yet the truth will set you free in many cases, free of that job because corporate news executives are just that, corporate first and news second. In today's economy one does not dare shake the trees too much, and most reporters are paid more than they know they are worth and so do their corporate bosses; after all, that's how you get loyalty, you buy it.

Daniel Schorr said it best in this morning's Christian Science Monitor. "Think for a moment of what the situation would have been if the Nixon administration had found a way of subpoenaing Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, threatening them on pain of jail to identify Deep Throat."

Dan, you know the answer to this hypothesis. Tricky Dick would have done his deeds to the country and his legacy would have been simply this: The crooks would have been established 12 years earlier, the election fraud would have been here earlier and yes, the little guy would be even worse off than he is today.

The chances that Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, and George W. Bush will be exposed for the crooked lying, conniving men they are, are a little less tonight, but there is still a small light in the window of liberty and only a few reporters are there holding open the door for all to see. I am an optimist, but not any more when it comes to the future of America and the common man. These imposters of patriotism, imposters of religion waging war, not love, around the world have the upper hand tonight. I could be wrong, but does anyone really think Karl Rove is going to jail even for a few months like Judith Miller? Unfortunately, I doubt it.

The Police State Closes In
06/27/05

Many events have taken place since my last column of only a few days ago, and most of them are not good. The Supreme Court has been making its usual mish-mash of rulings that impact our daily lives and most of us seem oblivious to this fact completely. The ruling last week allowing menial governments to seize land for the common good has many upset over property rights, but the only new wrinkle here is that a government entity may now take someone's land for fair market value and resell it immediately to large resort companies. This is really nothing new...Detroit did the same thing for GM several years ago, the only difference is, that land was a slum and crime-infested area and now the government can go after desirable locations such as beach fronts with impunity.

This could be stopped by the ballot box. City Council people who approve this sort of thing could be voted out of office and the chilling effect would filter down, stopping this sort of crime against the little guy in favor of the big guys. Then there is the Supreme Court ruling about the two reporters' revealing sources. This case involves Time magazine's Matthew Cooper and The New York Times' Judith Miller.  They are doomed to spend 18 months in jail now unless they squeal on their sources.

This is a direct assault on the Bill of Rights as well as having the practical effect of making it harder for reporters to uncover complicated government cover-ups. Once again the people lose. Another ruling in favor of the cops is proof positive that civil servants such as policemen working under the badge of authority are not accountable for their actions. Law enforcement personnel know that they pretty well have their way with the population anyway and this is just another laxation of our protections against undue actions of the police. We really are at the mercy of the officer on the street. So when conservatives say, "If you aren't doing anything wrong, why worry?"  My experience is that there is plenty to keep us worried.

Another instance of this peeling away of any power of the people, occurred with Google, of all places. It is something that might appear small potatoes to many, but it really isn't. It is just another example of the way the Conservative movement in America has been taken over by a Nazi-like group on the Right. Unfortunately this group has worked its way into the decision-making levels of government, corporations and media outlets.

Here is what happened. I received an email from an associate of mine, a person that I have been talking to about an entertainment story in San Francisco. She wrote me in part, "I was shocked to see my name and home address come up when I googled myself, 'katie hickox' at  www.google.com."

Now before you get excited and think we are making something of a privacy issue, this is much more than that. Her name and address appeared in connection with the list of contributors to Liberal Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Ca. Boxer is an outspoken critic of the Neo-Conservative movement in general and the Bush administration in particular. The woman quickly searched other inquiries. Since her name came up in connection with the political organization Friends of Barbara Boxer, she decided to enter Friends of George Bush and other leading Republicans. Guess what? No names, no addresses.

So apparently someone at Google has been infiltrated in a big way by the Right Wing Christian movement and the Neo-Conservative movement as far as top administrative personnel in that organization goes.  I make this statement based on several other situations that I have come across as a Liberal dealing in the world of the Internet.

The point here is not that Google is doing it, so much as someone there thinks this is fair play. I am old enough to remember when the media really was dominated by Liberals and how the Right Wing used to howl about unfair treatment. It is strange that they have now become the majority in the media and related industries like Search Engine web sites and these Right Wing political groups do anything but treat Liberal ideas in a "fair and balanced" way.

We may have lost the free press in this country, but it is not only rulings from the conservative element on the Supreme Court that has done it to us. Corporate and religious interests have far more influence than most would believe. Take the issue and the PR slogan, " Support Our Troops." Are we really supporting our men and women in the military by allowing them to be used as pawns in a war that was declared by false pretenses, (a nice way of saying lies from our President?) To me, supporting our troops would mean not putting them in harm's way for reasons that are not valid.

The entire point of this column is simply this: Beware my friend, of the corporate Nazis and those who would help rob individual taxpayers by raiding the public treasury in the name of patriotic deeds. Alas, they are winning . They are taking over our institutions step by step in the name of reason, while their actions are anything but reasonable.

The question now is one that is direct and chilling because the answer may be, "No one." Who is going to stop this movement to destroy America, the land of the free and the home of the brave? It appears no one is brave enough to stand up and be counted, and soon they will have their way with us, and then they will turn on their allies of deception, the common man and woman who think we are talking about values of good against evil. I am afraid in the end, they will find that those who say they are good, might be the evil ones after all.

So I close with this question, "Can the government that wants to have authority over you in every way, wants to take your young and have them die or injured for life in battles that were needless, to take away the right and dreams of the everyday person and give their labors to the richest, are these people in this government, really your friends?" I don't think so.

Bush Before and After His Re-Election
06/16/05

I have been an observer of national politics since high school and frankly, I have little in the way of answers to why the electorate in this country vote the way they do. Many times they vote against their interest and it was obvious to most that in 2004, they did it again. Now six months later, the people seem to be figuring it out.

I state this because of a poll released today by the New York Times and CBS News; once the bastion of liberal press both of these organizations are highly suspect when it comes to casting a critical eye on Mr. Bush and the corporate neo-cons. But, hey, you can't say that compared to many other organizations in the main stream press, they aren't doing some reporting that is bad news for Bush.

It is true; neither really is focused on the pending impeachment of our President. The memo affair, the tasteless sheer showing of power by congressional Republicans would seem to warrant a little more coverage than it's getting, but I guess we should be saying, "Thank God for small favors."

The small favor is the polling data, it is dismal for Bush. The demographics of 30 somethings into the 40 somethings has shown the greatest decline since the election, when it comes to job approval ratings. How does 37 per cent grab you? That means 2 out of every 3 American's think Mr. Bush is not up for the job. Then how did he win that election?

I have lots of friends and many on our staff that think there was only one way to do it, and that was fixed voting machines. I have difficulty taking the other side of this argument, but this is not what I am writing about today. It seems like someone has just awakened from a deep sleep and that someone is John Q. Public.

In this poll, only 39 per cent approve of the economy and I am still looking for those two out of five and I live in a red state! Nationally only one in four approve of his social security plans. Just like the war on terrorism, it seems to me that he has created a problem here when no immediate problem exists. He does get over the half way mark on terrorism, which is a puzzle to me; but it just shows you that he has taken FDR's advice and pushed the fear of the idea of "fear itself."

The trend here is even worse than the problem of approving ratings from the public before 9/11. He has lost 14 per cent in 30 days in the popularity ratings of that 30 something crowd. My cynical group working with me is saying be careful now,  "another terrorism attack" is on its way. Here again I have trouble arguing the point with them, evidence of something "stinking to high heaven" over the 9/11 attack still turns my stomach.

Then there is the war in IRAQ. John Conyers and a few Democratic Congressman are showing great courage in setting up the "impeachment" scenario. I think it is well deserved.

Mr. Bush has blood all over his hands. His friends have robbed the Federal Treasury of 200 billion plus in money and they have robbed America of thousands of youth who are now dead or forever handicapped and he did this on a bevy of lies, half truths and with a smile on his face. Actually impeachment is too good for his kind, they all are war criminals and maybe some country will start nabbing them and putting them on trial, just like we did the Nazi's. However, you know what will happen don't you?

These guys will turn this around and all of a sudden it will be the good old USA against the world (how dare they try to nab our guys and put them on trial?). I still have faith in good over evil and I think we can see the signs of a sleeping public beginning to awaken with questions like, " What is this all about anyway?"

It's not about protection of the U.S., it is about, and I am sorry to say this, killing other people of other faiths, right now the Muslims; it is about making lots of money for the military security complex and it's about taking the money from the tax payers of America and using money to make government contractors rich beyond most people's comprehension. Let's start the impeachment investigation. President Clinton barely escaped with lust on his hands; can Mr. Bush escape with the blood of thousands on his hands?

Hypocrites All
3/19/05

I have long marveled at the Christian community ( protestant reactionary's) and their attitude toward allowing people in coma's to continue to live when there is little or no hope of a normal life for that person. It seems to be very contradictory to me. Christian principals call for a belief in a hereafter that is better than this life, if you are born again, yet they refuse to allow death when medical science says there is no hope. They cry out for the unborn child yet easily agree to principals of the death penalty and to wars that are "just."

Tonight late into the evening, the deal was set for President Bush to fly back to Washington to sign a bill that will once again insert a feeding tube into a woman who has been in a coma for years. Why, because of a memo that came from GOP pundits and political consultants that says this is a great way to beef up their support from the Christian Right. Condi is in China and she is going to an illegal church service tomorrow ...why? to beef up the support from the Christian Right.

Rumors abound in Washington that Karl Rowe and others in the white house are gay. Frequenting K Street gay bars and the Press secretary has been seen in Austin at a Gay Bar. A known male prostitute has access to the white house late at night and stories about Dubya when he was a cheer leader abound. Hypocrites, all...these neo cons pretending to be born again Christians, yet living a life that is far from the base of the Christian right.

Have they no mercy, no heart? Stopping stem cell research when it promises to promote wellness and relieve us all from terrible diseases, just because radicals on the right think it is somehow playing God. They need to think about God and what it really is. God created man and gave him the intelligence to develop these things.

As I think this late night about the danger the elderly now face with Social Security being dismantled, the dismal future of the young thrown to the corporate wolves who will how even be able to take their homesteads in bankruptcy usually brought on my corporate American greed, high hospital and doctor bills, huge fees for prescriptions and credit card offers that snare the working class into huge debts. What kind of men are these in charge in Washington, D.C. today. I am afraid I know the answer and the answer is not pleasant.

We are being led to our own destruction by men and women who think only of their welfare and the welfare of their class of privilege while the common good of good and decent people is looked upon as silly liberal thinking. I am afraid tonight, our wonderful country has fallen to new lows by people using lofty slogans and emotional hot buttons to manipulate the regular people into sewing the seeds of their own destruction.

I have always been an optimist, but I see little or no room for optimism this night. Our only hope is for someone to rise against the corporate mentality that possesses this great country and a leads a huge wave of populism that will return the power to the people. Does anyone know anyone who might be able to fit that need. America cries out for a leader of the people and we see little evidence of this person riding their white horse to the rescue.

God help us to rid this power of hypocritical manipulation of the Christian upbringing of most Americans. I am sorry my friend to report, but we have all been had.

Carl Rove and Jeff Gannon In Bed Together?
2/18/05

The problem with Jeff Gannon is a simple one. It is not the sexual material that is the most damaging really. Gannon seems to have worked as a male prostitute alright while doing dirty tricks for the White House boys who were running on a moral platform calling liberals the real perverts in life. This was and is hypocrisy at the highest order; however, my problem with Jeff Gannon is much more serious.

While actively engaged in defeating House Minority Leader Tom Daschle for the South Dakota for re-election. Gannon routinely traveled from South Dakota to Washington D.C. to make regular appearances in the White House Press Room asking questions and seeming knowing much more than main stream big name media reporters for major newspapers and networks.

This opens the door for many questions, questions that never seemed to have been asked in public. How did this guy get there? How did he get to stay there? Why would other reporters allow the Press Secretary to call on his friend, Jeff Gannon when the going gets tough. Gannon would always change the subject just in time.

It seems that the buck stops with Karl Rove. The self righteous right wing Christian designer of the take over of the new-conservative movement at the seat of Government, the house, the senate and the executive branch plus many members of the press. Could Gannon have had special permission from Mr. Rowe? It certainly seems so, circumstantial as the evidence does seem. We have a strong Christian man, Rowe, working closely with a lying, self deceiving man who thinks nothing of showing his manhood in its full glory on web pages?

Is there something wrong here. You bet your "sweet bippy" there is, as Rowan and Martin used to say on Laugh In. The two do not mix, unless someone is not a genuine ideologue when it comes to family and Christian values. I used to view Rove as a dangerous manipulator worthy of comparison to famous Nazi image makers in the 30s and 40s, then I decided that maybe Rove is what he says he is, a dedicated Christian man doing whatever is necessary to insure a strong conservative protestant role for government, be damn the constitution.

Now I am not so sure. Could it be that Rove is both? I think the Jeff Gannon incident proves that may be the case.

The State of the Union - As bad as I think, or as good as he says?
2/2/05

It was somehow surreal, almost like almost everything we see...events running out of control or are they? Somehow I could not help but notice the irony of it all. Three things seemed jump out at me, almost as much as former Vice Presidential candidate who actually ran against Bush in 2000, kissing Mr. Bush as he walked by the Senator on the way out. Just as this is Super Bowl weekend, tonight was the Super Bowl for politics for a very ambitious agenda that I think is very scary.

First of all, lets talk about Social Security. Not only in the wake of corporate scandals and big losses of retirement funds in the stock market. The President said with a straight face that no one over 55 would not be bothered with this boondoggle for the stock market boys, billions of money pouring into the market, does anyone think they will be good stewards of those funds. I don't. I see even more SUPER RICH and SUPER POOR. The unintended consequences of pitting the young against the old is what is scary.

Think about it. Pensions being reduced or done away with by corporate bean counters, pensions don't help stock dividends, do they? Health care, no problem, just don't have any for those old people who are taking the lion's share of this money. You think this is exaggeration, start reading the propaganda from those media outlets that serve business. Not a day goes by that a feature or an article is not there, saying, how can we afford these old people? So what happens, when those 30 somethings suddenly realize that their benefits will be cut by almost half?

Is a vision of a country where selective removable of the problem, those old people who are still getting theirs? It does not take a stretch of imagination to see violence from the young toward the old, and vice versa, terminally ill senior citizens with automatic weapons battling back. You may call this over reaction, but I am not so sure.

Then there was the question of the assault on our intelligence. Did I hear Mr. Bush say his lovely wife, everyone's idea of a Sunday School teacher, was going to be in charge of getting rid of motorcycle gangs?

Then there was the war. When parents lose children, they search, cry out for this to make sense. There he was, Mr. Bush, in his $2500 tailored suit, using the parents of a dead marine, to somehow get our nation to think that these 1500 soldiers have not died in vain. I took this very personally being a veteran. Bush was the man who pulled strings to avoid combat and not even do his duty here in this country during Vietnam. As I watch him smirking, not seeing the blood on his hands, using religion and patriotism as reasons to continue making his business friends wealthy with tax payer money; I am sick at my stomach.

Just when it seemed that this country was almost hopeless; but then there was hope, when Mr. Bush talked about Social Security and his plans to dismantle it. As we write this column, the Democrats are actually booing (yelling no, no, no). I don't ever remember seeing this kind of reaction to a State of the Union speech. I just heard Dan Rather say it reminds him more of the English Parliament, rather than the American Congress.

Time and History will tell us who is right. Is Mr. Bush the devil I think he is, or the savior the right wing Christians say he is.

Reality
11/03/04

Every once in awhile a dash of reality hits even the most optimistic of us. Suffice to say that is what happened with this election. It is simply clear to me that the electorate is at a far different place than yours truly and many of my friends and associates are. It is simply evident that regardless of the exposes, the facts of hanky panky with the federal treasury, the folly of our foreign policy, in this reporters opinion of others is clearly different from mine.

Exit polling shows that the majority of those impacted most by the fruits of the new deal and the great society turned their backs to future generations hoping for a similar break. It is evident to me that the phrase "for the common good" has been replaced by "me one." Somehow we have bought the idea that building a strong economic base at the expense of a few dollars going into public programs has given way to "it is my money and I am going to hold on to it if I can."

In the holy bible, Paul makes reference to fighting the good fight and giving it your all. I feel we did that with the Jerry Pippin Show and if there was a ever a moment in history where our goals of world cooperation and the belief of the common good would succeed, it would have been now.

We have a war where thousands have been killed or injured, only those with an ability to pay have hopes of good medical care and life free from government intrusions might become a reality. All of that was not bought into by the majority of the voting public. It did not seem to matter how much corruption, good old boy money schemes were revealed or unfairness to minorities by the justice system were exposed; most voters seem not to care. In fact, perhaps this is the type of society they would rather have.

Therefore I am making a decision based upon business and emotional security. I can not speak for those who work with me to do this web site, Larry Dicken, a tireless advocate of the Democratic party, Jerry Wilhite, Don Gard, Casey Clare and Jim Wallace; all who have put their heart and soul into our beliefs and goals. I am not sure what they wish to do in the future, if they want to continue with the political elements of this web site, then I will out of obligations to them, allow them to do so; but for me. It is over.

My broadcast career and my efforts will return to entertainment. I have done very well in the past and my income has definitely suffered as a result of my beliefs over the past four years. Advertisers have balked at sponsoring me because of my insistence on exposing the NEO-CONSERVATIVE movement for what I believe it is...a corrupt immoral movement biased for the corporations and greed in general.

I had the evidence, we pointed it out, we documented it and nobody bought it. So now I pass the torch to others and I will go back in my remaining years to doing what I do best, entertaining radio audiences. We will continue our conspiracy, UFO and paranormal sections because there is an entertainment element there, but I plan to return to the format that most people know that I do very well: ... a little music, a little food for thought...an interesting guest here and there, some fun and my mission will be to bring a moment of entertainment to a world that I think is going to need it.

I hope you will continue to support me with your visits to my web site. We have been very successful and have well over five million hits a month, well over a hundred thousand listeners to our internet radio shows per week. Thanks for your support and I promise you that I will work very hard each day to continue to offer entertainment and information in an entertaining way for the world.

I hope you will check back with us often, I think you will see some very fun things happening very soon on this web site.

GOOD vs. EVIL
9/1/04

As I write this, it is the morning after the second night of the GOP Convention in New York City. I am puzzled and somewhat alarmed at the various pictures we get from there. Puzzled because if you were as a " innocent in matters political" you would have the impression that the Republican party is the party for equal rights, compassion and self defense. I find the reverse is true at least in my perspective.

Alarmed because of the way the Bush crowd seems to be able to master the masses, making half truths ...the truth.. and actually being blatant with statements with if you are not with us, "you are against us." Which is a stupid statement to the max. Just because I may not agree with something you are doing, does not make me against you, I might think or know I have a better way.

Nowhere have I seen these silly statements come to light more than in the Oklahoma Senate Campaign. Even though I live in Oklahoma most of the year, other than a few weeks a year when I broadcast out of Las Vegas, I am very interested in our state and local political races. I donate a little money, not much, but a lot of effort, a lot, to keep Democrats in office. Many times this effort is less than successful in Oklahoma.

Brad Carson is our Congressman in the second district. He is now running for the Senate Seat vacated by Don Nickels who has been "done in" by the Bush forces of the GOP and has called it quits. In my opinion, Nickels was not great, but when you compare him with the brains, tactics and personality of the other US Senator, Jim Inhoff, he looks pretty good. The Republicans have Dr. Tom Coburn, also a former second district congressman, running for the vacant seat.

Coburn is the conservative of the political right. To his credit, when he was Congressman, he never dodged my interviews, which were not always soft balls. To my astonishment, sometimes he would even be pushing for some of the things I was trying to get passed. For instance, he came out against Newt Gingrich early and staying after him.

The problem I have with Coburn is that he wears his Christian right wing beliefs like a brand new expensive Brooks Brothers suit. He is proud of it. This is where something he said is correct, but not the way he meant it. In an interview attached below, Coburn says his struggle with Carson is "Good against Evil." Well, I think it might be, but just as in many things these days, things are not what they appear to be

In today's world, over zealous religious types have put the world in great danger, both from the Christian Right and the Moslem extremist. In this case, the over zealous have turned good things into bad things. I believe the Bible speaks of moderation in an approving manner, these religious types are anything but moderate. So I think in this particular case, Coburn with all of his good intentions, just might be the worst thing that could happen to Oklahoma. I know Brad Carson and on many issues he is much more conservative than this writer, but one thing about Carson, I think he does keep an open mind and is in politics for the right reason, to help further mankind.

I do think Oklahoma can reverse the GOP trend with Carson taking a victory in November, but it will not be easy for him. Coburn beat four others in the Republican primary without a run off. I have some Democrat friends who might vote for Coburn. Why? I am not sure, Coburn stands for most things these friends are not wanting to happen. They will be voting against their interest.

I am sure of one thing, Brad Carson is a man who will do what is right and not do what is wrong and say it is right. I am going to put my support behind Carson. Take a look at the article from the Tulsa World below and decide for yourself, which one of these men has a grasp of good and evil. I think it is Brad Carson, not Tom Coburn.

By Rob Martindale, Tulsa World

August 31, 2004

(EXCERPT)

"If you don't recognize it," Coburn said, "you must. This is a battle for the culture of America and its future, and I would describe it as the battle of good versus evil."

Carson responded that the debate between himself and Coburn shows that they have differences, "but I don't think it is a matter of good versus evil."

"I think there are people who we disagree with. They could be tremendously on form. They could be foolish as all get out. But I don't think they are evil," he said. "When you call them evil, you contribute to the polarization that is tearing this country apart."

Response to Bush Supporter
8/3/04

Everyday I get several e-mails from Bush supporters who mirror a recent letter received from a woman who proclaims her Christianity and loyalty to George W. Bush. By now, I can cite these e-mails almost by rote. They all have a similar theme and something in common. They all seem to be proud of the fact that they are not political and are not up to speed on the issues of the day. This is the cannon fodder for the Republican political machine. They have mastered the ability to present issues in some half light that appeal to the uninformed and to the religiously dedicated people of America. There are many statistics that back up my opinion and I will be happy to discuss them with you.

Jerry@jerrypippin.com

I have taken the liberty to reply to this woman's e-mail, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph...word by word. My hope is that many of you will read this in a dispassionate manner and let your brain over-ride your heart. These are the common arguments set forth by this woman that seem to ignore the facts that John Kerry is a war hero, an intellectual and a concerned citizen. In every sense of the word, he is a patriot who joined the fight in Vietnam, saw things as they really were, and came home to tell America about his concerns. What more could any country ask of it's citizens?

She wrote: He says he believes life begins at conception. Yet he voted against the ban on partial birth abortion, the most barbaric, horrible procedure conceivable.

My response: The hard and full facts about partial birth abortion is that the number is is the hundreds...not in the thousands each year. In every case, the doctor is faced with the potential death of the Mother. It seems to me that logic and morals would dictate that the doctor would err on the side of the Mother on each case. After all, her life continuing would allow her to have another child later. In some cases the family would be left Motherless. While the death of the fetus is tragic, many times that baby brought to term could be deformed physically and mentally.

She wrote: John Kerry voted to go to war in Iraq, then he voted against funding our soldiers on the ground. When confronted with that, he said that he was not voting against the soldiers, he was voting against the way the war was being prosecuted. The end result was the same. He voted AGAINST giving them the things they need to fight the war and protect themselves. That is unconscionable to me.

My response: Blindly supporting the troops means by continuing to put them in harms way. Means that you are part of an action that is putting the lives of Americans in danger un-necessarily. What would have happened if the funding had not been given? Do you really think that our troops would really be there without ammunition and protection? Not likely...after all the Military budget is over $400 Billion, just as the Bush took funds out of Afghanistan and earmarked them for the Iraq War...well before any funding was passed by Congress...they would have figured out a way to protect our soldiers. Let’s continue with the idea that the funding would somehow stop with the John Kerry vote: The funding would have stopped the $Billion a week going to private contractors. The Bonanza of War profiteering...which is going on in this country right now...would come to a screeching halt. Therefore I think this is a reason to vote for John Kerry...not against him...After all...who is paying for the $Billion a week...it is the middle class taxpayers. So in essence...the middle and working class of Americans are asked not only to pay for this venture...which gives unseemly profits that go to already swollen Corporate bank accounts...then to add insult to injury ...they are asked to give up their families with deaths and permanent injuries of their sons and daughters...husbands and wives. So it seems to me, the Christian thing to do...would not be killing of thousands of innocent civilians along with the shedding of the precious blood of our young.

She said: He said something in his acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention that is terribly frightening to me, in his tirade against President Bush (I will never mislead you into war, meaning the President did); My vice president will never meet with energy companies behind closed doors and agree to wreck the environment (like VP Cheney did that), and the one that scared me: My attorney general will uphold the Constitution (like John Ashcroft is not). That was a direct swipe at the Patriot Act. My friends, if they repeal the Patriot Act, you better get ready for suicide bombings at the malls of this country. Hard times call for hard measures. This is a different world since 9-11. That is why I fear for our country under John Kerry.

My response: This is the strangest twist of all. This woman is saying "support the troops", and I wonder what she thinks World War II was fought over? The Nazis wanted a society where a precious few corporate and government off ice holders had the right to do whatever they wished....while the general population had not the right to voice counter opinions. They were considered guilty when charged rather than innocent with the burden of proof on the state and the freedom to ....Yes, Worship ...in a large group...was considered subversive. Who knows...with the Patriot Act...the next Administration ...or maybe this President....might decide that certain and places of education...are enemies of the people. Her church might be one of those... So for someone to say..."Take my rights from me...I don’t deserve them...because a group of terrorists might misuse them"...is insane. From what I gather....she thinks the government should have the right to stop anyone in the Mall and start searching them just because they can. They can’t search everyone...so my question is: "Is this really keeping us safe?" As far as I understand, this country was founded with one of the most considerations being freedom from authoritarian edicts, such as: If you are an Arab...don’t go to the Mall, or try to fly on an airplane. If you are a Christian, make sure you are attending the right church.

She wrote: The traditional American family is in grave danger under a Kerry administration. Legalization of gay marriage would most certainly happen. I believe that would lead to the further destruction of the traditional family and will lead this country down a road we do not want to go down.

My response: I have no doubt that this woman believes what she writes, but she is totally misinformed. Marriage is a two tier system. There is the religious significance and then there are the legal ramifications. Marriage, almost always, involves a sharing of responsibilities and rights. In every church wedding, somewhere along the way, the Minister testifies on a document, that is filed civilly, testifying that there is a blending or union of these rights. John Kerry and the official line of the Democrat Party is to leave this unchallenged. The feel that it is the churches right to deny or accept a marriage. This happens frequently. Many Ministers talk to the couple before he agrees to marry them in the church...and sometimes he does not agree to marry them. A good example of this is found in the Catholic faith, where annulments are sought regularly. Many Catholics are divorced and have remarried...but not in the Church. So government and religion long ago reached an agreement to co-exist.

The Democratic Party and John Kerry have long had a history against any type of prejudice. The Democratic Party is the party that was in power that passed the equal rights amendments which gave women the same rights as men. The Democratic Party was the one that passed all the civil rights bills, giving equal opportunity, as least in law, to every American citizen, regardless of race or creed. Therefore, the Democratic Party wants to leave Gay marriages up to individual states and to the churches where these religious services are performed...and only use the Federal Laws insuring Civil Unions. A Civil Union is the legal document entitling two people who have chosen to live as one family unit, the legal and lawful rights given to every household in America.

She wrote: I may be simplistic, but I believe things like the deficit, taxes, jobs, and the economy will iron themselves out. We have had all those things under both parties and fixed all those things under both parties.

My response: Let’s talk about the deficit. It is true that both parties have ran deficits in the past. However, you need to know what a deficit is before you can really deal with it. The Clinton years were generally consider boom years because of one reason. There was a surplus of capital...or in plain language...MONEY.... The deficit was almost non-existent by the end of the Clinton/Gore years. For this to be important...and it is...you have to consider what happens when a country runs a deficit. Just as in a household, things are bought and paid for by a credit card. The debt continues to build, while many households can pay the debt as it comes due...the fact is that this is money taken out of the family pocket book and put into the pocket of the bankers and lenders. When a government runs a deficit as we are running now with the Bush Administration....a huge amount of the money taken in by taxes is paid back out to banks and lending institutions. This does two things. It takes away from the overall spending for education...military....and for social programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Now what will happen if we don’t reduce the deficit? There is not an unlimited supply of money...and ultimately countries such as Japan and China...which loan us huge amounts of money...will no longer consider us a safe and secure investment...because our ability to pay will be challenged. So what will we have to do? Either default on the banks here and abroad...thereby becoming bankrupt and not credit worthy....or the more likely scenario...if a Republican Administration is in charge (after all they represent the money interest) it would be to cut the budget...and the only place to cut would be Social Security, Medicare, highways, infrastructure, and finally, the Military budget. Stop and think about countries who have faced this alternative...Military Haves and Civilian Have Nots...Do Russia and Nazi Germany come to mind?

As far as the economy is concerned, I’m glad that you are doing better today than you were four years go. You are a rare person. The statistics show that over $9 million jobs have been lost the last three years. ...and many of these people have had to take jobs paying less than they did previously. It’s just a matter of where you are in the economy...and the majority are not in a very good place at this time. In every measurement since World War II...when the Democrats were in power...job growth...small business production...and ownership of stocks, bonds and property...were on the up-swing. So you can argue about the economy all you wish...but the facts are that the Democratic philosophy of building a strong base of economic stability for the common man...works for all...not for just a few at the top.

As far as America being safe from a terrorist attack under the Bush Administration...then I take it that if an attack were to happen...you would be willing to say that he did not protect us? Have you thought about all the many $Billions of dollars that have been spent by Homeland Security to protect us? I submit to you that the bill over three years has been close to $50 Billion. There are 300 million Americans living in this country with about half paying taxes...and a billion is 100 million...so for each $billion dollars the government spends...each taxpayer pays several dollars...lets give the benefit of a doubt to the Government...that for each billion spent...the tax liability for each individual is only $7.00....so $350 per person was spent this year to pay security guards, buy security equipment, and a profit of !5% or more profit to civilian contractors. So I submit to you, that a good exercise for you would be to go to the telephone book....and go to the yellow pages...and look at the names of the companies that got about $50 of your money last year. You may think that it was money well spent...but John Kerry thinks it could be better spent if we cut out the middle man.

As far as the burning of the churches in Iraq...there is lots of evidence that this was not done by terrorists...and is part of the concerted effort to scare the hell out of you....just as they do with the terrorists alerts. Four churches in a Moslem country being destroyed? How many Moslem churches were burned to the ground last week around the world? This issue is a paper tiger. How would you feel if the Moslems took over your neighborhood by force and opened a Mosque on every corner? We really need to stop panning the fires of religious warfare and get back to what the Bible teaches....and that is Love for thy fellow man. John Kerry believes that a more civil tone by the United States will create a brotherhood of men rather than throngs of American haters.

I realize that I am fighting an uphill battle talking to you about these issues because I am sure you are a devout Christian woman who believes that George Bush walks among you. Unfortunately, I am afraid that if we had a picture of our President holding a Police dog at bay and putting a dog collar around a naked Arab prisoner...you would still think he was a good Christian man and vote for him anyway. After all, this is really what he is doing, by setting the tone of behavior in the military. He is our Commander in Chief....He is responsible...and as Harry Truman said..."The buck stops here."

Jerry Pippin
www.jerrypippin.com
10:05 P.M.

No Good Modern President?
6/16/04

Most of Wilhite's 6/16/04 column about politicians and presidents is true. However, I take issue with your (Wilhite) reference to "no good modern President." I think just the opposite is true.

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln quickly come to mind as great Presidents. I'm not so sure, when you compare the aristocrat philosophy of Washington and Lincoln taking a stand against the South when in hindsight I am not sure the War Against the State was worth the price we paid in death and maiming. After all, a deep division existed 100 years and more after the war was ended. Was it really worth it turning brother against brother and family against family?

By contrast there is Franklin Delano Roosevelt. No-one can deny that he changed the face of the country, and I think for the good. He, like Lincoln, oversaw a tremendous war. He, like Lincoln, could have probably avoided the war for another year or so. Most agree that we suckered Japan into a sneak attack, so that we could wage a war against tyranny. What kind of world would we be facing today if we had left the axis powers to continue to conquer country by country around the world. Surely no one believes that in the end the United States would be facing this aggression.

Taking the war out of the picture, Roosevelt made this country great. He reorganized the financial and banking systems after a devastating crash of financial markets. He created a social net that literally saved the common man from starvation (Social Security). Then there was Harry Truman. Say what you must of "Give 'em Hell Harry" he stopped Communism in it's tracks. Contrary to the PR BS from our conservative friends about Ronald Reagan last week; Truman did more to stop Communism. The Marshall Plan instituted during his administration lifted our enemies from poverty and despair to productive citizens of the world. Too bad our present President didn't take this tact to combat terrorism in the Mid-east.

Other Presidents of the modern era who are heroes include Bill Clinton, who oversaw the longest period of economic prosperity in American history. His policies were busy disarming the ability of the terrorists to spread anti-American hate mongering, because it was plain that his administration could see the world in a kinder, gentler light.

Then there was Lyndon Johnson. Johnson almost single handedly turned this country around in the area of civil rights and his war against poverty. Millions of citizens who are now elderly and non-productive, live a fairly comfortable life, thanks to Johnson's minimum Social Security Plan. No one was able to pursue equal rights more successfully than Johnson. It is true that he had the Vietnam War around his neck, but it is also true that he saw the light and knew his policy was wrong, and therefore decided to not run for re-election. Too bad our present President isn't as magnanimous.

Then there is the matter of class. No-one can hold a candle to Jimmy Carter. A man of the people who was framed by a cabal of bankers, financial investors, and parts of the Republican Party. Oil prices were out of sight for no reason. Interest rates were sky high for no reason. Years later we learned the horrible truth that Ronald Reagan and his men worked with Iran to keep American hostages until after the election. I wrote no reason earlier in the paragraph, but we know there was a reason. The reason was simple. Get rid of Carter because he was for the common man and not the corporations.

Then there was Dick Nixon. Even he did some good things, like opening the door to China for world trade, thereby defeating the militants that were in control of the largest nation. It has been proven over and over that the best way to stop communism or any other dictatorship philosophy is to give financial power to the people. It's too bad our present President doesn't realize this.

Then there were the Camelot Presidents. The Presidents who bordered on royalty. First came General Dwight David Eisenhower. Then, in 1960 JFK. Ronald Reagan, who I felt overall was a bad President, did fit this mold, however. All three of these men, along with Gerald Ford, who succeeded Nixon, but was never elected, made this country feel good.

Kennedy was a little more than just sizzle. He solved an attack on America the right way. When Russia put missiles on Cuban soil, just 90 miles from our shores, he did not call all the troops together and invade a tiny island nation to show who was the boss of the West. Instead, he used brinkmanship and statesmanship in tandem to bring Russia to it's knees. Too bad our present President didn't use this tactic in the Mideast. So, Wilhite, I hope you understand why I take exception to your remark that there were no good modern Presidents.

Disturbing Events Shape Summer News Cycle
6/1/04

If you have been a listener to my radio shows or a visitor to our web site, www.jerrypippin.com, you know we try to keep a perspective on today's news and what it really means for you. It has come to our attention that several things are at play right now that do not look good for the near future.

First of all, the Federal Reserve is increasing the money supply at the highest rate in history, this past week, they added $45 billion plus to the money supply and over the past four weeks they have added $155 billion to the money supply. The question comes to mind, WHY?

Reports from the Pentagon show that half of the Navy is going to be deployed to the high seas this month as a planned "military exercise" - destination undisclosed. We have fourteen battle groups and seven of them will be deployed? WHY? And, at what cost?

Homeland Security Head Tom Ridge, Attorney General John Ascroft, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and others are warning of a possible terror attack this summer, WHY?

Rumors persist, and real life action seems to back up these rumors that the Saudi Arabian Government is about to be over-thrown, could this be the event that is expected ....to cause the FED to put money into banking system at an alarming rate? No doubt it could impact the stock market, if the Kingdom fell to the terrorists.

Then, there is the persistent rumor that the Democratic Convention this summer in Boston is the target of the next terror attack. This would wipe out the Democratic Party as we know it today, and the President would no doubt postpone the up coming election. Reaction to this could cause CHAOS in America, and impact the stock market and all other economic institutions as well.

Finally, there is the G8 summit coming up this month, the European Union member states might make moves to drop support of the dollar and the US Stock Market, this would shake up the currency market around the world as well. Already, OPEC has announced a currency switch from the dollar to the Euro for the sale of crude oil, effectively increasing its price on the world market.

The signs are there, we just do not know what they mean as yet. We ask you, we urge you, to stay informed this summer as it very well could become the most important summer in the history of America. We will be doing our part with columns on politics, election coverage, the real story behind the Bush Dynasty with our Bush Business page and lots of up to date information on our X-Fire pages. To check us out often at www.jerrypippin.com.

High School Buddies
5/26/04

I grew up in a small town...in fact, I still live here. Most of my high school classmates stay in touch with me and vice versa. We graduated several decades ago, but still most of us are fairly close. Tonight, I got an e-mail from a dear friend and classmate who seemed to indicate to me that it was alright for American soldiers to torture Arab prisoners.

He had a list that was very long of terrible things that had been done in the past to Americans by others in foreign lands. All the terrorist activities were laid out in a way that no rational person could not be emotionally upset by reading it.

I was in the Army and I know that nobody in my unit would have followed those orders. And I know that my friend, who was in the Air Force probably wouldn't have done those things either, but somehow time and pressure of everyday living in today's world seems to have changed his mind about what's right and what's wrong. I fired off a diatribe that probably convinced him that he was right and I was crazy. Frankly, I lost it. I have been stewing in my own juices for weeks now....puzzling over how a third of our population seems to be willing to accept inhuman behavior as American. I would have trouble treating a dog the way the Arab prisoners were treated by us.

Fortunately, I had a chance to discuss this with my childhood friend, Jerry Wilhite, this evening. I just received an e-mail from Jerry, addressed to our friend, in which reasoning and intelligence took the place of my anger and disgust. The letter touched me deeply and I am including it in this column. Please read it and understand, that when I say that when President Bush closed his speech with "God Bless America."...I yelled at the TV..."God SAVE America!" Here is the letter...

----- Original Message -----

From: jerry wilhite

To: jerrypippin@sbcglobal.net

Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 10:28 PM

Subject: Charles

Jerry,

I would appreciate your forwarding this to Charles for me. Hopefully he will read it through before forming an opinion.

Charles, you certainly raise some valid points when it comes to highlighting mans inhumanity to man. Wartime is not a good time for any soldier. I think far too many become hardened to the death and destruction all around them. The American GI is no less susceptible to this than any other.

I know a veteran of WW II, in fact I have his book, who was highly decorated. He is not at all reluctant, in his book, to detail examples of executing prisoners because taking them to the back lines would be counter productive. This was done under orders of officers. I think what he did was wrong.

I think everything you detailed was horribly wrong. But, I don't think things get better by seeing who can be the most savage.

You left out the dropping of the atomic bombs in WW ll. That wreaked more havoc than all the events you list together. I concur with that act, but damn sure regret its necessity.

Many of the acts you detail were carried out by Al Qaeda. We had them on the run before we were sidetracked. There are now more Al Qaeda than before 9-11. The mistreatment of the prisoners has been used as a great enlistment tool. Remember this was done to obtain information. No one really knows if all those tortured actually had any information of value. It was a procedure that got horribly out of hand.

I could not do those things to another, but I can't shoot a deer either. It bothers me that there are too damn many on all sides that have not a shred of concern over the pain and suffering of others. When you and I grew up, kids that pulled the wings off butterflies were called bullies. Now they are called a leader among men.

If the Red Cross is to be believed, and I personally think they are, thirty per cent or more of the prisoners were innocent of anything. We mistreat them, they mistreat us. We are more offended by what they do to corpses than they are. We view death differently. Cultural differences will always be a problem. Look at the South during days of segregation if you really want examples of inhumanity.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I would not like to count you as being capable of performing these types of acts. You would have fooled me all my life if you could. But, Charles, I have been fooled before, and will be again.

I am not defending any of the acts you detailed. I do know many Muslims who are as disturbed by these events as you are. They do feel badly about the crimes done by those of their faith. Their faith is as explicit as ours in condemning everything we have discussed.

Charles, I just heard on the news that Houston is on alert. We are considered one of the highest likely locales to suffer terrorist attack this year. Screw those Arab bastards...just kidding!!

Where did we all go wrong, that is is considered all right to torture others? What are we teaching the next generation? I always hoped that America would always place a high value on human life, but fear we are becoming no better than any other country.

Long ago, someone said, "Do the right thing, because it's the right thing to do." We need to return to that credo, and cram it down the throats of all who don't agree. The good people in all the countries you listed are afraid to show support because they have been let down every time they have. Ideals may well win in the long run, but terrorists with guns are pretty intimidating when they are in your living room.

Well, that's all the rambling for now. In proofing this I don't find anything that should cause you to feel offense. If you do, be assured it was unintended.

Jerry Wilhite

Let's Get Kerry on the Stick
5/25/04

Last week, for instance, it was disclosed that the Bush White House was once again touting health and education programs that the president has, in fact, cut. What do you do with people who brag of bringing heart defibrillators to communities across America when they've actually proposed slashing the defibrillator program by 82 percent? Apparently, nothing. If Kerry or his war room had a sharp rejoinder, it wasn't sharp enough to break through the clutter.

Jonathan Alder wrote this in this weeks Newsweek and it goes to the heart of the problem with the Bush people, they have always gotten away with saying one thing and doing the opposite. Don't you think it is time our candidate, John Kerry, woke up to the fact that this needs to be drive home to the voters every day. Write them and tell them to get touch on DUBYA, he is lying, he is incompetent and and as my good friend Jerry Wilhite says, " They ( BUSH PEOPLE) are losers. Contact www.johnkerry.com and tell them to get on the stick and save America by campaigning hard, every day.

One of the things that has become apparent to me with over four decades of investigative reporting is that our criminal justice system is not just imperfect, but it is broken. Most people would think it is broken in favor of the criminal; however, I have not seen that as much as many innocent people being in jail for crimes they did not do. We are covering one such crime on this website now, the non murder of Ted Binion in Las Vegas with two people in jail for the so called murder. The reasons behind this particular outrage is not the usual ineptness of the authorities, but a willful act to protect others from losing any claims to the Binion fortune. See www.jerrypippin.com/Ted_Binion.htm.

My friend Jerry Wilhite lives in Houston and this city seems to have more than its share of criminal cases gone bad. Take the time to read his letter, below, sent to me this morning, I think he makes some very interesting observations.

Jerry Pippin
 

From: jerry wilhite

To: jerrypippin@sbcglobal.net

Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2004 9:44 AM

Subject: Criminals??

Jerry,

Sometimes when I read a newspaper the articles become thought provoking. This happened today in a somewhat meaningless story of a serial killer due to be extradited to Michigan from Texas.

As an aside, the article does not say so, but I think Texas plea bargained for a confession on the thirteen women he murdered, confessed to,. Now they can send him to Michigan to stand trial for one there, They have no plea bargain.

In a newspaper sidebar it detailed the murders of the thirteen women. Two were not called homicides, and in another case a man was serving life, though innocent.

The coroners office was wrong in app. twenty five per cent of these investigations. If a study were done and that was found to be a national problem, think of how many murderers are walking around free, with no ongoing investigation. Furthermore, app. eight per cent of those convicted of homicide would be wrongfully imprisoned.

Where does the responsibility lie for this? Additionally, does anyone care? The newspaper made no mention of this as being a bad thing. I just culled the facts from the details of the murders in the sidebar.

It is frightening to realize the numerous ways ineptitude by government people can impact average citizens. Another example is the number of people embarrassed because of the No Fly List. My name is not common, yet I have encountered five others who share it. If one of them was on the No Fly List I could be caused to miss a flight and suffer temporary humiliation at the airport. With my big mouth I could proceed to become one of the wrongfully prosecuted.

Regards,
Jerry Wilhite  

Now that the Democratic race has been settled and the dust is clearing, it is plain to see that Senator John Kerry will have a united party behind him. This is the way it should be. We have been asked many times by many people, why we put our support behind Howard Dean early on and why I hedged my bet by backing General Wesley Clark here in Oklahoma. The answer is simple.

For sometime now the Democratic politicians in DC have been marching to the right, becoming what is known as the Republican Light wing of the party. We have felt that the Democratic party belongs to its base, the people and we felt that both Dean and Clark could get this message out. I think they did, the campaign is showing a born again candidate who is now almost FDR like in his speeches, both in delivery and content. This would never have happened with grass roots organizations like move-on.org and others had not given a populist voice to the campaign.

The main evil as I see it in politics today is my base, the broadcasting segment, the owners and the people who make money from advertising. Here is a lead story from Daily Variety this morning, it tells the story completely; why money has ruined politics and it is all the broadcasters fault.

Florida TV stations, cable nets saw biggest windfall. The TV networks must be loving the presidential race: In March alone, more than $26 million was spent on political ads paid for by President Bush and the Democratic opposition that includes Hollywood backing.

Four decades ago when I started in broadcasting, management and sales never thought about getting lots of money from politics and government. This was one of those things that federal rules made it not very profitable. There was equal time clauses on issues and people; lowest rate required for politicians, up to a third of your commercial inventory was given to public service announcements for government programs and community needs.

The broadcast lobby over the years has successfully gotten congress to do away with these provisions and now, the government regularly buys advertising at expensive rates for the armed services, for public service programs, for social security and for political ideas.

America to continue to have an informed public must change this attitude of these third and fourth generation broadcast executives. No longer do they look upon radio and TV as belonging to the public but with an attitude that this is my own private money making machine and making money is pretty easy in radio and TV these days. Not because of a strong economy and the natural market forces, but because of special interest buying time to push selfish agendas that are doing in the American Dream.

So we saw an opportunity for true populism to take hold in this campaign, it didn't; but I submit that half a loaf is better than none. The Kerry wing of the party is kinder and more friendly to the average American than the Republican party which has been captured by people who believe fleecing the middle class tax payer with make lots of money programs like the war in Iraq is the way to go.

We say it is not, so watch the campaign develop and you will see, the friend of the average American is not the Bush forces. He must be stopped, America is not the country it was when Clinton/ Gore were at the helm, and I am not sure how much more of this wrong headed blatant robbing of the Federal Treasury, you and I can stand.

So vote for Kerry and the Democratic candidates and get rid of the Tom DeLays of the world, who will do you in for a few bucks at the drop of a hat.

Many people have asked me over the past two years why I keep plugging along after losing most of my eye sight. I am legally blind, but I am under going experimental surgery and I have hopes of regaining my vision fully someday. There are many personal reasons including "habits are hard to break." after all, I have been in broadcasting most of my 40 years plus of adult life.

The real reason is evangelistic in a secular sense; I believe the truth must be told. Everyone at our web site has two over riding principals, one is to report the truth as it is found, regardless of the impact on any of our beliefs and secondly, we must continue to offer entertainment to the web site visitor and listeners. After all, man does not live by bread alone and no human can just take a diet of facts without some fun along the way.

In the next few weeks, we will be starting a new series of radio shows in syndication; some of this can not be written about yet, because it is not a done deal, but we expect all of the details to be worked out in the next few weeks.

We are planning on going back to a live streaming format similar to the variety based magazine show we did on KBIX that was so popular on the web in 2000-2002 before KBIX was sold.

As the election season is here, be sure no one will cover politics like us. We poke fun, we will continue to push our ideas, but they will be clearly labeled as such. Basically, we are pursuers of truth.

We have many sections or facets to our shows, from the way out ( UFOs and Paranormal) to political commentary to entertainment. We hope you check with us regularly, in fact, put us on your favorites list, because you haven't seen anything yet, compared to our plans for 2004.

Below, one of our listeners, visitors to our web site, a fellow by the name of OKIE BOB found this article. I hope you can take time to read it... it is the reason we are still working hard every day. Americans are not getting the truth from our corporate dominated media by and large. The New York Times has been taken over by a coup, now it is a mouth piece for the present administration, FOX news continues to leave out anything that might hurt the administration, Clear Channel stations routinely present only the corporate side of policy. Read below and I think you will see that Bob sums it up much better than I ever could have.

It’s old news that many Americans are know-nothings when it comes to Iraq. According to a Washington Post poll in August, 32 percent of Americans believed it was “very likely” that “Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.” Another poll found that 20 percent of Americans believed that “Iraq did use chemical or biological weapons in the war.”

Researchers at the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) in Washington have plumbed the abyss of this ignorance. Their mission: to discover why “a substantial portion of the public had a number of misperceptions that were demonstrably false [and that] have played a key role in generating and maintaining approval for the decision to go to war.”

From June through September, PIPA polled 3,334 people, asking them about three of “the most egregious misperceptions.”

• Evidence of links between Iraq and al-Qaeda has been found.
• Weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq.
• World public opinion favored the United States going to war with Iraq.

The study, “Misperceptions, the Media and the Iraq War,” found that 60 percent of respondents held one or more of the three misperceptions—an ignorance that played into the Bush administration’s drumbeat for war. PIPA discovered that “among those with just one of the misperceptions, 53 percent supported the war—rising to 78 percent for two of the misperceptions and to 86 percent for those with all three.” Conversely, among those “with none of the three misperceptions,” 77 percent opposed the war.

So why did so many Americans hold opinions that were false “or were at odds with the dominant view in the intelligence community?” the PIPA researchers wondered. Was this ignorance “a function of an individual’s source of news?”

Indeed it was. After asking respondents to name their “primary source of news,” PIPA discovered that “Fox News watchers were most likely to hold misperceptions.” Conversely, an “overwhelming majority” of NPR/PBS consumers “did not have any of the three misconceptions.” (Indeed, 80 percent of Fox News viewers held one misperception and 45 percent held all three. In contrast, 23 percent of those getting their news from NPR/PBS held one misperception and only 4 percent held all three.)

The researchers point out that it is true that audiences for network news shows vary as to education and political affiliation. For example, Fox viewers are more Republican while PBS/NPR consumers are better educated and more Democratic. (They also found that Republicans and those with lower education are more likely to hold misperceptions.)

Yet source of news is still a determining factor. Of the Republicans who get their news from Fox, the average rate for the three key misperceptions was 54 percent, while for Republicans who get their news from PBS/NPR the average rate is 32 percent. On the Democratic side of things, 48 percent of Democrats who watch Fox believe that the United States found a direct Iraqi link to al-Qaeda, while not a single Democrat who relies on PBS/NPR believed any such nonsense.

But “most striking,” say the PIPA researchers, is that among Fox News viewers, those who watch the “fair and balanced” network the most are the ones most likely to hold demonstrably unbalanced misperceptions.

Steven Kull, the director of PIPA and the study’s principal investigator, says, “If people are getting misperceptions, and we can empirically demonstrate that they are, then the media has a responsibility to offset that and counteract them. The media hasn’t been diligent enough in taking into account the way that perceptions and impressions are formed around a quite significant public policy issue.”

As for Fox, Kull says “research shows that Fox gives more airtime to the administration’s representatives and that may be one of the key explanations why Fox viewers have these misperceptions.”

Joel Bleifuss is the editor of In These Times, where he has worked as a investigative reporter, columnist and editor since 1986. Bleifuss has had more stories on Project Censored's annual list of the “10 Most Censored Stories” than any other reporter.

Jerry Wilhite is a life long friend from grade school forward. He is very good at satire. He was a life long Republican until Dubya showed up. Now he sees corporate greed for what it is. Here is his latest letter to me, I know he will not mind sharing it with the world.

Dear Jerry,

I could not help but notice that you seem to have a mild dislike for Geo. W. Bush, hereafter referred to as OFL...our fearless leader. You have even referred to the fact that he did not win the presidency, but was appointed.

You really harp upon our involvement in the overthrowing of the Iraqi government. I find it amusing that we have not been able to capture Saddam, but you must admit we did achieve our purpose, whatever it was. I know because OFL stood bravely on a ship at sea and declared this conflict over. OFL immediately returned to his loved ones...I am sure our troops can't be far behind. It further confuses me that more Americans have died in Iraq after the war than before. I don't think that has happened in any of our other conflicts.

Money seems to bother you a lot. Eighty Seven Billion is nothing compared to what we have already spent liberating Iraq. Incidentally, I am still waiting for the Iraqi people to throw rose petals at our feet, and welcome us as liberators. OFL said that would happen.

Other countries will undoubtedly contribute to the cost of rebuilding Iraq. OFL has asked them to do so. Japan has pledged an insignificant sum next year. I'm not sure anyone else has responded. This, however, should not be viewed as failure in our foreign policy by OFL. We can point to so many other indicators of failure in foreign affairs that this insult is just a drop in the bucket.

Back to the Eighty Seven Billion!! American companies are being paid well to rebuild Iraq. There was no bidding for the work. It was given to Halliburton, a company formerly headed by Dick Cheney. Research has indicated that he was not prepared, other than contacts with the Defense Department, to run that company. However, there are at least five other examples of retired military, and high ranking civilians being hired at Millions of dollars per year because of their ability to secure defense contracts.

Back to catching Saddam...did we ever catch that Bin Laden guy? Can we, with our high budgets for several intelligence agencies, catch anybody? Well, at least we can find weapons of mass destruction!! They appear to be everywhere...except Iraq.

I remember being told that Iraq had weapons that could destroy life as we knew it...including cockroaches, within forty five minutes. Based upon that we had no choice but to overthrow that nation. One good thing is that it has brought us closer to Muslim nations. I can tell because gas prices are still higher than before the liberation.

Evildoer's, that's what OFL calls the terrorist country of the day. It changes rapidly, so you have to watch the news carefully. I fear I will lose track of the evildoers and hate somebody we have forgiven. North Korea, Iran, Syria, Palestine are known evildoers. Oklahoma, with you spewing your anti-OFL talk may not be far behind. I don't think you produce enough oil to be ignored, like Saudi Arabia. You don't export enough to the rest of America, like China, to be ignored. Wal-Mart doesn't need you!!

You did say one thing, and maybe a few more, that is true. Eighty Seven Billion dollars is enough to restore all of the money lost due to the corporate corruption we have recently suffered. Enron, WorldCom and their ilk have stolen more from American retirees than any other group in history. It doesn't make sense to restore that money to suffering Americans when we can give it to Halliburton without supervision or bidding.

Many of our major banks and trading firms are paying Millions of dollars in fines, none of which will find the way to victimized retirees, for their admitted corruption. We are so stupid we keep depositing money with those same guys. Why would they fear reprisal? They will just find new ways to do their accounting.

Back to hating someone we have forgiven. Good news!! We have forgiven absolutely no one. We can continue to hate just about everybody!!

I hope this helps clear your confusion regarding OFL. I would hope for contrition on your part.

You know, when I read this I am appalled at our continuing stupidity. We really don't punish corporate criminals by taking our trade elsewhere! Those guys at the top, making millions per year, must really laugh at us!!

Regards,

Jerry Wilhite

The Case for Dean and the Case for Clark

When this campaign started never did I dream that we Democrats would have such excellent choices for the Presidency. I bought into the pundits in Washington who are supposed to know about these things. They all said, the Democratic field was full of light weights. Then I started watching the debates and they did not appear to be light weights at all. The only light weight it appears to me is sitting the White House right now due to an illegal election.

I am at a place where the choices are too good to be true. First lets take the case of Howard Dean. He is the answer so far to one of the major problems with America in my opinion and that is the corporate political contributor. So far Governor Dean has not taken a dime from these merchants of special interests. He has taken his campaign to the people and in my opinion that is the only way we are gong to save America, get a truly populist financed campaign.

I like that. I like it because it is the way of the history of the Democratic party. We, Democrats, have always been for the people, not the corporations and in dong so, every time a Democrat is in office, the economy does well and the corporations make money. It seems silly to me that so many of these fat cats are Republicans since they really do not do that well except for the special interest few... those who went to Yale, Harvard and networked their way to the top. I must point out in doing so, the cream of the crop of America never seems to get placed in positions of authority. This is a major reason why we are doing wrong headed things in the world today in my opinion.

Money is the secret of control. We all know this unpleasant truth from personal lives to professional lives, money can make or break you. So finally in the case of Howard Dean, there is a way to break this circle. Dean has gone to the people.

I received an email from the Dean folks this morning. In it, Dean states:

“time will tell whether the special interests and the Bush administration have underestimated me. But I know in my heart that they have underestimated you.”

Sunday the Dean people did something unprecedented in American politics. By setting the goal to raise $5 million in ten days and by doing so publicly, they are putting the future of this country in the people's hands, not the corporations and special interest.

If the half million Dean supporters on the Internet alone gave a hundred bucks each, the Dean people will have changed America's politics forever! The URL for the Dean campaign is: http://www.deanforamerica.com/contributenow

Then there is General Wesley Clark. Everything I have read and feel about the man is positive. He is everything that we Democrats would want in a leader. He has courage that tempered with reason, he has intelligence that is tempered with compassion and he has never forgotten his roots. Another Arkansas Rhodes Scholar? It may be exactly what this country needs again.

I am gong to watch Wesley Clark closely. He is a good man and we need good men in the White House not these lying cheating limited thinkers that we have now. I urge you to keep tabs on General Clark, he just might be the man for the future of America. http://www.draftwesleyclark.com/

We are standing by our endorsement of Governor Dean at this time; however, those who know me, know that I am a big General Wesley Clark booster and fan, It may be that we have a split in our staff when it comes to who we want to endorse for President before this thing is over. All I am saying is that right now, I am torn between the two. In actuality either will do a fine job and there are others in the Democratic field that may rise to the top as well.

In my part of the country, Senator John Edwards has special appeal. I still like Dick Gephardt even though I was bitterly disappointed when he supported the Bush War. I think he has learned his lesson. Senator John Kerry is one of the Yale types, but he seems to have his heart in the right place. Many of the lesser tier of candidates appeal to my liberal soul. Health Care needs to be fixed and I know in my heart the payer Government system is the best, It works wherever it is tried.

So in summary, I think we Democrats are very lucky to have such an impressive field to choose. Do not buy into the hacks in Washington who say they are light weights. However I must tell you, those who voted for a war in IRAQ that has upset the entire scheme of things in world politics should have known better and I am not inclined to vote for these Republican lights, especially the likes of the Joe Lieberman's. Why Gore chose him as a running mate is beyond me.

America needs a man of the people in the White House and we need to clean out those in the Senate and Congress who are not for the people; who vote regularly against your and my interest in favor of huge corporations making huge profits off the sweat and toil of everyday people.

Lets have a candidate who appeals to the better angels of our spirit rather than the "me first" intellect of that crowd of empty hats and selfish motives that controls this present administration.

Jerry Pippin
9:00 AM, Monday, September 21,2003
 

Executive Orders

One of the good things about doing an Internet Radio website that deals with issues of the day is the fact that I get lots of emails. Okie Bob is a very interesting fellow who seems to very informed and he seems to be a definite liberal just yours truly. An email from him jumped out of the computer screen at me this morning.

It concerned an executive order signed by George W. Bush on May 22, 2003. I am going to have to do some investigation, but if this Executive Order actually exist this t his could very well be the "smoking gun" needed to show the true reason for the invasion of Iraq." wrote Okie Bob. This order would seem to put the oil companies doing business in Iraq above the law.

First of all, I guess we need to explore the subject of EXECUTIVE ORDERS. Executive orders are used by Presidents to surreptitiously make policy. It often makes an end-run around Congress and frequently escapes the media's attention as well.

I am going to do an experiment. I am going to contact several white house reporters and assignment editors of major news organizations and ask them about Executive Order 13303. I am going to contact the White House Press office as well. We will see what kind of response I get. It may be that this order does not exist, but I am inclined to think it does. Hopefully we will find out.

I understand that President Bush has signed a lot of executive orders that have gone unreported for weeks or months -- most notably, changes to environmental regulations and restricted access to former presidential papers and Freedom of Information Act information. It does seem this President views the press as his enemy rather than his friend even though I think his administration has been able to play the press like a symphony.

The same day as this order was signed, May 22, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1438, which provided gas and oil companies in Iraq with limited immunity until Dec. 21, 2007. Their reason? To protect the flow of oil revenues into the development fund that will be used to reconstruct Iraq. The U.N. resolution, however, did not provide immunity from human rights violations or environmental damage. Nor did it protect any employee or any company after the oil was produced and extracted in Iraq.

President Bush on the same day issued Executive Order 13303 -- called "Protecting the Development Fund and Certain Other Property in Which Iraq Has an Interest." Unlike the U.N. resolution, the president's order appears to place U.S. corporations above the law for any activities related to Iraq oil, either in that country or in the United States.

It also declared a national emergency as the justification for sweeping aside all federal statues, including the Alien Tort Claims Act, and appears to provide immunity against contractual disputes, discrimination suits, violations of labor practices, international treaties, environmental disasters and human rights violations. Even more, it doesn't limit immunity to the production of oil, but also protects individuals, companies and corporations involved in selling and marketing the oil as well.

This order allows any person, company or corporation to do what they want in IRAQ without fear of prosecution. If, for example, a U.S. oil company engages in criminal behavior in California, and its assets can be traced back to Iraqi oil, it could be immune from any kind of prosecution. As you can see, the oil man in the White House is protecting his pals in the business from almost any prosecutions. However, it is much more than this, it gives legal immunity for companies who are helping to reconstruct Iraqi communications, computer or electrical infrastructure. Maybe this is the reason World Com is not being pursued for their bankruptcy violations? It is a green light for oil companies to do business in Iraq, without worrying about legal liability.

Lets be clear about one thing, any legal action taken for any reason against any American corporation dealing in "Iraqi petroleum products" at any point in the process -- from well-head to gas-pump to boardroom -- "constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security" of the United States. In fact, the very possibility that one of Bush's oil pals could be held accountable for its actions while taking Iraqi oil is so terrifying that he had to subvert America law in this declared "national emergency" to deal with the situation. (A "national emergency" that he forgot to mention to anyone in the public arena.)

Bush declares flatly that any "judicial process" launched against these protected entities "shall be deemed null and void." And how to guarantee that his partners and patrons won't be troubled by some rogue nation that still clings to the outmoded principle of law and order? The Defense Department is specifically mentioned in this order, I understand, when it comes to making sure no one will be prosecuted by other countries.

Ostensibly, Order 13303 is aimed at preventing Russia and France from going to court to enforce their existing oil contracts with Iraq. Legalized thieves, pitting the US against the world, oh, yes; the rest of the world! So much for harmony and cooperation and fairness?

So now we know what hundreds of Americans sacrificed their lives and limbs for...so that Iraq's oil doesn't belong to Saddam anymore; so it can belong to George Bush, and he can do what he likes with it.

This executive order is a license to kill and steal; where favored corporate cronies can run wild, unfettered by regulation and glutted by American taxpayer money that frees them from any financial risk.

Bush sent his old college buddy Thomas Foley to Baghdad last week, the Financial Times reports, to "advance the privatization" of Iraqi state enterprises by ensuring that the sell-off of the nation's non-oil assets will be "open to foreign trade" -- i.e., "United States persons or entities."

At the same time, a rigged bidding process last week forced rivals of Dick Cheney's paymaster, Halliburton (yes, he still gets fat checks from his old firm) out of the running for a new multibillion-dollar contract to administer Iraq's oil fields, The New York Times reports.

Halliburton is protected, however, there is no indemnity, no immunity, for the American soldiers dying daily in Iraq. Not to mention the innocent Iraqis killed and injured daily by their US Occupiers. Then there is the question of Terrorist? Does any one think this blatant power grab by America will go unanswered over the long haul?

If this executive order is true, as reported, then Ann Coulter's book called "Treason" will have to rewritten to reflect who really is doing in our country. I submit to you it is the members of the neo-conservative movement that is treasonous and not the left wingers of the 40's and 50's that she tries to tarnish in her misguided book of lies.