Month: July 2005

Clear Channel Co-Opts Queer Channel

Buck Banks

This story has all the earmarks of a heart-warmer: A bunch of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered employees of media Jabba the Hut Clear Channel conceive of a radio show for GLBT folk and propose it to CC. Clear Channel, or “The Channel,” as we might as well call it, smells money and says, “Okay!”

The result is a thing called “Queer Channel,” a two-hour radio program on KQKE in San Francisco that, according to its mission statement seeks to “educate and entertain the world at large about issues concerning the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Community.” It proposes to do this with celebrity and community panelists.

Feeling warm of heart yet?

I don’t — I don’t trust Clear Channel.

Clear Channel, founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, wields considerable influence in radio broadcasting, concert promotion and hosting, and fixed advertising in the United States through its subsidiaries. The company owns over 1,200 high-power AM, FM , and shortwave radio stations and more than 30 television stations in the United States, among other media outlets in other countries. The present head of the company is Lowry Mays and its headquarters is located in San Antonio, Texas.

The term “clear channel” comes from AM broadcasting, referring to a channel (frequency) on which only one station transmits.

In the Clear Channel modus operandi, there are many stations all transmitting the same message. Look for “The Channel” to do for GLBT broadcasting what it’s done for AOR radio and local radio.

“Queer Channel” debuts Sunday, Aug. 7 at 10 p.m. on KQKE “The Quake” in San Francisco.

A Plame Name Game Timeline

Buck Banks

Thanks to FactCheck.org for this cool timeline of events leading up to the current mess.

The Timeline

1988-1991 – Joseph Wilson serves as Deputy Chief of Mission in Baghdad, Iraq. In July 1990, he takes over as acting ambassador to Iraq. (Joseph Wilson, The Politics of Truth 451, 2004).

1992-1995 – Nominated by President George H.W. Bush, Wilson serves as Ambassador to the African nations of Gabon, as well as the smaller island country of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. (Wilson, Politics 451).

1995-1997 – Joseph Wilson serves as political adviser to the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces in Europe, stationed in Germany. On a trip to Washington DC, Wilson meets Valerie Plame who at the time says she is an “energy executive living in Brussels.” (Wilson, Politics 239-242).

June 1997 – Joseph Wilson returns to Washington DC as Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. At about the same time, Plame also moves back to the United States (Wilson, Politics 240), in part because the CIA suspects her name was leaked to the Russians in 1994. (Vanity Fair, Jan. ‘04).

April 3, 1998 – Wilson and Plame marry. (Wilson, Politics 276).

[…]

Pam Spaulding Gets a Note from the Republican Base

Jon Ponder

Occasionally rightwing trolls wander into liberal blogs and leave their droppings just to let us know they’re around, I suppose.

When [homophobes] dwell on same-gender sex aren’t they, in fact, fantasizing about it? If you’re a self-identifying straight person but you’re obsessed with homosexuality to the point that it consumes your life, making you increasingly more hostile and agitated day by day – seek counseling. You may just be queer yourself.

Pam Spaulding, the host and editor of one of our favorite sites, Pam’s House Blend, is as strong an advocate for progressive values – and queer rights – as they come. It’s not surprising, therefore, that she was singled out to be the recipient of this missive from a typical Bush voter that I thought I’d pass along:

Subject: Amazing Website
From: “Robert Lundey”
Date: Sat, July 23, 2005 10:23 pm

Why is it that anytime someone disagrees with the homosexual lifestyle, they are a “homophobe?” You stupid ignorant homos who made up that word are so DUMB that the logic of the word as it relates to those who are accused of being one makes no sense. “Phobe” signifies fear, who is afraid of you warped people?

Why dont [sic] you carry your nasty carpet munching and pole smoking selves to a secluded island and do all the nasty fudge-packing and patty caking you want to. Stay to yourselves so your nasty lifestyle will die out.

The reason faggots and lesbos get such a bad name is because of dyke bitches like you who are always pointing fingers and looking for handouts.

You call a guy, who happens to be a pator [sic] a homophobe because he is against homosexuality? I am no Bible scholar, but I do know there are various places in the Bible that teach against that perverted lifestyle. If this guy did not follow his Bible, then he would be going against God. Lets [sic] see support [sic] the rump rangers and butches or support God…no contest! and dont [sic] give me your crap about God being a loving and accepting God. He loves everyone, just not there [sic] lifestyle. I know this stuff and I am not even a Christian!

Get a life you nasty muff diving dyke whore!

Leaving aside the fact that Mr. Lundey had nothing better to do at 10PM on a Saturday night than type up this hilariously self-deluded screed – can’t get a date much? – let’s look at the larger issue.

One thing I have learned in my 49.999999 years on the planet is that when it comes to sexuality there are two kinds of people: those who are comfortable with the way God (and by that I mean Nature) created them – and those whose sexual desires are so repressed that they are expressed in twisted, tortured and hateful ways.

As a gay person, I do not think about – much less dwell on, day after day after day – the particular sex practices that straight people enjoy. I mean, it’s fine – yall do whatever floats your boat. To each his own. Whatever, whatever.

Why do ostensibly straight people like this Mr. Lundey – or opinion-makers whose views he has regurgitated here like Pat Robertson, Donald Wildmon, Jerry Falwell and especially Jesse Helms – spend so much time obsessing about the mechanics of other people’s sex lives?

Another question. When they dwell on same-gender sex aren’t they, in fact, fantas1zing about it?

If you’re a self-identifying straight person but you’re obsessed with homosexuality to the point that it consumes your life, making you increasingly more hostile and agitated day by day – seek counseling. You may just be queer yourself.

Gonzales Gave WH Staff 12 Hours to Shred CIA Leak Documents

Jon Ponder
At the time [when Gonzales was given permission to wait 12 hours before sealing White House documents], the Justice Department was run by John Ashcroft, who eventually recused himself from the case under pressure from Democrats who complained about his ties to Rove.

This is huge:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Sunday that he notified White House chief of staff Andy Card after the Justice Department opened an investigation into who revealed a covert CIA officer’s identity, but waited 12 hours to tell anyone else in the executive mansion.

The White House did not immediately respond to questions Sunday about whether Card passed that information to top Bush aide Karl Rove or anyone else, giving them advance notice to prepare for the investigation.

Gonzales was White House counsel on Sept. 29, 2003, and got the first official word inside the White House when the Justice Department opened its inquiry… Gonzales said Justice Department lawyers notified him of the investigation around 8 p.m., and he got permission from them to wait until the following morning to direct the staff to preserve any materials related to the case.

“We were advised, `Go ahead and notify the staff early in the morning, that would be OK,'” Gonzales said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “And again, most of the staff had gone home. No one knew about the investigation.”

Gonzales said he immediately notified Card, then told President Bush the next morning before notifying the White House staff.

At the time, the Justice Department was run by John Ashcroft, who eventually recused himself from the case under pressure from Democrats who complained about his ties to Rove…

Democratic Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware said he doesn’t doubt Gonzales’ sincerity, but that his decision to notify only Card about the federal investigation “wasn’t the soundest of judgments.”

“The real question now is, ‘Who did the chief of staff speak to?'” Biden asked, speculating as to whether Card might have spoken to Rove or someone else.

Democracy Depends on Holding Bush Accountable – GOP Won’t Do It So They Must Go

Jon Ponder

“Never have I seen such an unlawful Administration, one with such arrogance toward the rule of law. Their activities are criminal… We have a monolithic government in Washington. It is a government whose policies have failed, and made the world much more dangerous and made us less secure… It is the responsibility of Congress to oversee the executive branch and when this Administration lied and deceived us, Congress should have held hearings…. Therefore, the election of 2006 is one of the most important in our country’s history if we’re going to maintain this Democratic republic. We need a new Congress and we need to carry out a full and thorough investigation of the Administration…. It is up to each of us, every one of us in this hall today to do everything we can, to mobilize all our resources, our friends, our organizations, to to make sure our democracy stands.”

— Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), speaking at a Town Hall event, “Torture and Lies: Who is Accountable?” on Saturday, July 23, 2005, at the Ethical Culture Society in New York, co-sponsored by The Nation and Democrats.com

California Dems Turned the Terminator Into a Girly Man

Jon Ponder
“[Democrats] have attacked Schwarzenegger’s policies; they have attacked his character, his ethics, his trustworthiness, and it has driven down his poll numbers.”
— GOP adviser

If the national Democrats are scratching their heads over how to take down a once-popular Republican leader, they should drop a dime and get the 4-1-1 from Democrats in California.

The reversal of fortunes for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger began in January when he informed us in his “State of the State” speech that 2005 was going to be the “year of reform.” The speech was a disaster. Das Guber projected an attitude that suggested that, yes, he was delivering bad news but, hey, he was doing it with a smile. Buck up and take yer medicine.

Voters never liked to be lectured to by their elected officials. A real politician would know that. And nobody wants to be lectured to by a movie star.

While many of his wounds ar self-inflicted, Democrat’s in the state deserve credit for the governor’s reduced fortunes:

“What the Democrats have done here undeniably has been very effective,” said [Hoover Institute fellow and conservative political adviser Bill] Whalen. “They have attacked Schwarzenegger’s policies; they have attacked his character, his ethics, his trustworthiness, and it has driven down his poll numbers.”

…But veteran Democratic strategist Garry South said there’s hardly an outpouring of pity for the GOP action-hero-turned-governor with this latest development. “He’s gotten himself into this pickle,” he said. “This was all about testosterone, and we’ll have to see whether his glands outduel his brain on how to get out of this mess.”

Democratic consultant Gale Kaufman also seemed to be enjoying the governor’s predicament. Strategy is limited, she said, when you’re hanging on the side of a cliff.

“They are in free fall here,” she said of the governor’s team. “They don’t have any good choices.”

[…]

CIA Leak: Sen. McCain Says He Doesn’t Know Definition of ‘Negligent’

Jon Ponder

I just saw George Stephanopoulos interviewing Sen. John McCain about Karl Rove’s involvement in the CIA leak scandal on ABC’s This Week. Stephanoplous read the text of the security clearance agreement signed by Rove when he took a position in the government.

I then happened to click onto AmericaBlog where they had seen interview (three hours earlier, EDT) and posted the transcript:

“I have been advised that any breach of this Agreement may result in the termination of any security clearance I hold; removal from any position of special confidence and trust requiring such clearances; or the termination of my employment…”

Stephanopoulos: Do you believe that this agreement should be abided by?

McCain: I do, but that also implies that someone knowingly revealed…

Stephanopoulos: This covers negligent disclosures

McCain: Again I don’t know what the definition of “negligent” is.

Please contact Sen. McCain and help him with the definition of the word “negligent:”

McCain, John- (R – AZ) Class III
241 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2235
Web Form: mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Contact.Home

Democrats’ Radio Address on CIA Leak Is Scathing – And Delivered by a Republican Ex-Agent

Jon Ponder

Reuters:

Democrats slammed President Bush’s response to a top aide’s role in outing a covert CIA operative on Saturday, turning their radio address over to an ex-agent critical of his actions.

Larry Johnson, a former CIA agent and registered Republican, accused Bush of flip-flopping on his promise to fire anyone at the White House implicated in the leak…

Johnson was one of a handful of former intelligence agents who testified at a Democratic-sponsored hearing on the leak on Friday. He said he knew Plame from a training program…

“We must put to bed the lie that she was not undercover,” Johnson said in response to some Republican efforts to minimize her role at the CIA. “For starters, if she had not been undercover then the CIA would not have referred the matter to the Justice Department.”

“We deserve people who work in the White House who are committed to protecting classified information, telling the truth to the American people, and living by example to the idea that a country at war with Islamic extremists cannot focus its efforts on attacking other American citizens who simply tried to tell the truth,” Johnson said.

Flying Monkey-Gate: Cajones Goeth Before the Fall

Jon Ponder

In today’s leak in the Leak-gate investigation, a secret source confirms that top White House flying monkeys Karl Rove and Scooter Libbey are under suspicion of perjuring themselves to federal agents and obstructing justice. These allegations come on top of charges that Rove violated the law when he revealed the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson to reporters.

The million dollar babies who cover the White House feel betrayed. They are cranky because they were roused out of a half-decade’s stupor with the harsh news that Bush’s spokesman Scott McClellan lied to them in the fall of 2003.

Why are men who are under suspicion of such serious crimes still working at the White House? Karl Rove has tacitly admitted – through leaks from his attorney – that he gave Mrs. Wilson away to Time Magazine’s Matt Cooper.

And yet we’re given photo ops of Bush dry humping Karl on the White House lawn. Ya think that might come back to haunt him?

We seem to have reached the tipping point where Bush’s famous cajones have been reduced to hubris.

Prior to this administration, there was a truism about working in West Wing: Everyone is expendable except for the President. By keeping a minion who is in such bad odor so close to him, it appears Bush feels he can’t govern without Karl.

In fact, what Rove has accomplished until now largely rises from his success in keeping the press corps in submission. With the media supine, Rove and the GOP messagemeisters pulled off a very neat trick. They created their own reality, as they described it, about the urgency for going to war in Iraq.

But reality has a way of rearing its ugly head. And the reality of politics, just like life, is that the truth will always come out.

Karl’s skills at media manipulation may now become moot. The million dollar babies who cover the White House feel betrayed. They are cranky because they were roused out of a half-decade’s stupor with the harsh news that Bush’s spokesman Scott McClellan lied to them in the fall of 2003 when he absolved Rove and Libbey of the “ridiculous” charge that they were the Plame leakers.

You mean Scott would lie?! To us?? Why – it’s just unthinkable!

Judith Miller may not be the most popular of the DC Kool Kids – she so totally sucked up to Rove et al before the war. But the DC Clique sees her as one of their own – and they know that one of Bush’s senior monkeys is her secret source – and he could get her out of jail by coming forward. I suspect they even know which one. (As noted, I think it’s Ari Fleischer.)

Who knows – maybe the press will earn its keep for a change. The threads are unraveling. All you have to do is pull one.

Guess Rove Was Busy: Bush Calls on Swiftboat Architects to Get Roberts In

Trish

Karl Rove must be tied up with other matters. Instead of using Karl’s strategic acumen, Bush is calling on other slimeballs to help get his homie, John Roberts, approved for the Supreme Court. But as usual, he came down to Jeb Country to do the dirty work.

Palm Beach Post:

A law firm headed by the former chairman of the Florida GOP is part of an $18 million campaign blitz supporting U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts and backed by the conservative group that underwrote the anti-John Kerry “Swiftboat Veterans for Truth” ads last year.

The Tew Cardenas firm, with offices in Tallahassee, Miami and Washington, is promoting President Bush’s judicial nominee in Florida as part of a 20-state strategy in which the conservative nonprofit organization Progress for America already has begun airing television and radio ads…

Law firm partner Al Cardenas was chairman of the Republican Party of Florida during the protracted 2000 Florida presidential dispute and also served as the state chairman for Bush’s reelection campaign last year.

There are some really deep pockets here, as you might expect.

…Progress for America pledged in June to spend $700,000 defending Bush’s nominee.

It has spent more than $50 million “promoting President Bush’s agenda,” according to its Web site, and most recently spent more than $11 million defending the president’s Social Security reforms.

Well, that was $11 million down the drain.

And the usual suspects strike again.

One of Progress for America’s “sources” supporting Roberts’ confirmation is Ken Connor, the founder of the Christian-based Family Research Council who represented Gov. Bush in his fight to keep Terri Schiavo on life support.

Can’t these people just crawl off somewhere and expire?

Whoops. Look who I’m talking about.

Anyway, it sounds like they’re trying to use the fear factor on their donors to raise even more.

“I fear that, based on the early skirmishes we’ve seen and heard from leaders from the other side, it appears to me that this could turn out to be a free-for-all that could end up demeaning something that has as much sanctity to the United States as the Supreme Court,” Cardenas said. “It’s not going to be an easy time for Mr. Roberts and his family, for sure.”

Stop it, I’m getting all teary-eyed.