Have you seen their morning broadcast? That should explain it all...

I think maybe it's Ray Bradbury who's interested in the governorship.

I got a robocall telling me senate candidate Jim Markley thought Russian had invaded Georgia as in GA. That was money well spent!

Bill Bradley's going to be governor??? That's great! I always liked him when he was with the Knicks.

The funny thing is it is NOT funny -- that IS its "finest."

Today's LIARS reported the Oregon Secretary of State is the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Also, LIARS certified that (Oregonian) citizens can directly dial-up the Attorney General and speak with him. (Which is yet another public defraudment and felonious broadcast statement he aired. One wonders why the A.G. continues not bringing charges indicting abuse-of-privilege crimes in his, and our, jurisdiction.)

Tensky,

Care to share who you think is an admirable news and/or commentary guy?

They fixed it. But it took a while.

Howard,

Just offhand, here are two paragons of perfection, one in news & commentary, one in critical news who makes no comment.

(If you mean 'admirable' limited to TV, radio, or 'news'papers, I can think of no one just offhand.)

Wayne Madsen. (He sometimes hosts a call-in 'radio' program on the internet.)

You might need to read his daily *exclusive* news items, and a 6-year archive of them, [subscription req'd: $30/year ... lower price than 1 month cable TV or 1 year Wall Street Journal, more 'insider Intelligence' than both put together], in order to form your opinion from the same evidence informing mine. Also, Madsen got a lot smarter in my estimation, after I learned the names of over 100 (out of 280) countries and capital cities in the UN, and some contextual 20th century history of each one. I needed a Program to be able to appreciate his performance.

One badge of honor, maybe a litmus test: Cheney's goon-Pentagon put a hit contract on Madsen, disclosed in Aug.'05; and, Aug.'08 it is revealed Mukasey's Ju.Dept. jointly with AIPAC and Chertoff's neo-cons, have threatened to unlawfully abduct him and silence his website news. ('Babs' Bush did file restraining lawsuit on Madsen, (for defamation, I think), about 20 years ago, and Madsen threatened to countersue, and Babs retracted her action.)

Madsen has never had to retract a news report, nor make any 'correction' more than an inconsequential typo. I spoke with him for an hour, over beers, about a year ago. A couple of his 'position' answers disappointed me. He does not fully 'believe' oil on Earth is running out fast; he says he is unsure of the measurements data, since he hasn't got verification, and he is sure that much of the turmoiling problems of oil flow are socio-political power influences which 'mask' the data. Second, he discounts (my tendency to see in astrology terms) the 'Era' or 'Age' theory of categorical 'movements' in History, that is, he doesn't see how, or that, the 'Times' people live in affects their thinking or ambitions. Madsen 'believes' that History and events is made only in individual action and motive; and as we specifically discussed, that the CIA/NSA or the idea of withheld information and 'Secrets' classification is bad or wrong, per se, but only that there is bad or wrong(minded) individuals in it. That is, he would not think to abolish the CIA institution, rather he would identify named (unethical-motive) individuals inside, remove them, and 'clean it out.' All his reporting work focusses on specific names, times, places, events, motives, and methods; he is disinterested in comprehending (supposed) Big Picture 'conspiracies' or 'historic movements' which concurrent actions 'make' or that 'makes' someone act.

He is ex-NSA. In the '80s, he was stationed in Oregon, (Yaquina Bay lighthouse, I think ... he loves Oregon's environs), and when he blew the whistle on his commanding (Admiral?) officer, for taking bribe money and wanton sexcapades which compromised mission security, Madsen was retaliated against and removed from authority. Most of his inside intelligence reports is leaks and whistleblowing from connections cultivated in CIA, NSA, and international 'spies' (he speaks and reads other languages -- imagine!), who associate with his integrity. The rest is excellent old-fashioned investigative shoeleather and public records searches.

Madsen is top candidate for investigative reporting Pulitzer Prize; and this year stood for election as president of National Press Club.

Madsen is heroic. A character combination of Columbo's doggedness, Ralph Nader's patriotic ethic, and George Seldes' journalism. He looks like Eric Alterman, or Jeff Greenfield, sorta, with soul.

David Brock. The founder of Media Matters for America website. A biblical Saul -to- Paul conversion.

(I've never met Brock.) He was the ghost-writer hired in '94 by the Scaife dirt faction to fabricate the Clinton Arkansas-character smear book featuring Jennifer Flowers, Whitewater/Castle Grande, Bernie-Giusto-type State Troopers, Webster Hubbell, Paula Jones, Mena Airstrip, and even some of the Vince Foster intrigue. All of it being unsourced innuendo, rumor, and gossip.

Then his guilty conscience turned on him, and in 1996 he wrote his own book of confession, saying he cashed the Big Money neo-nazi checks to write the 'Enquirer-dupe' trash about Clinton. 'They' tried to eradicate his book from distribution. (Sorta like a latter-day tell-all book, which many people refer to as "eye-opening" (for them): I Was An Economic Hit-Man.)

When Brock 'went straight' he went pure and perfect. (Probably with his own money) he started Media Matters. Every item reported on the website is absolute incontrovertible documented fact of a false representation in the massmedia. None of it (worth mentioning) has ever been 'Corrected' and there is not a whiff of opinion or 'characterization,' except that appearing there marks it discredited as a false or unsubstantiated word(s)-verbatim as broadcast or published. All it is, is quotes of what massmedia 'celebrities' actually said or showed, with documentation of its fraudulence; and it is driving the celebrities berzerk -- especially O'Reilly, Limbaugh, and Savage have 'gone off' on tantrum tirades name-calling against Media Matters. And then Media Matters reports that.

It is the echo of themselves, saying things unbalanced, inane and lying, which infuriates the pompous poobahs. Media Matters more or less single-handedly 'brought down' Don Imus, (actually, though, he brought himself down, now didn't he? Only someone reported what he said.)

Brock doesn't write the website items. He instills its integrity, in a tribe of interns and rising stars of journalism. Media Matters never 'strikes back' -- never; it only speaks the other person's words against them -- always.

Brock is inscrutable and untouchable. Of hundreds of famous people and towering figures and celebrities whom I have approached to meet, or correspond with, he is the only one (I can recall) who has never responded. I have emailed and faxed him dozens of times, and the response is always silence. However, subsequently I notice some suggestion of mine is followed up, appears, or starts to happen. He reads every word I write to him, stone blank sphinx-like. And when he writes, usually to CEOs and Presidents of media conglomerates, heads roll and the media firmament trembles.

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Well, Howard, I don't know whether or not you are going to share my esteem of Madsen and Brock -- they are big News NOT on your TV or in your newspaper -- yet I have wholeheartedly enjoyed writing my pittance of a tribute to them, here, and thank you very much for asking.