Bye-Bye Blago

We're not completely done with January yet, but our first political scandal of the year has the fork in it. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was thrown out of office yesterday after the state Senate voted unanimously to impeach him and rid the state of his brand of government. Ahh, it should have only been that simple with the shrub and his ilk. I still can't believe we allowed those crooks to rule our country for nine years! Perhaps Nancy Pelosi should take a cue from the Illinois state legislature!

I'd been threatening to come up with a Blago montage, and figured if I didn't do it today, I'd never get around to it. So, with a little help from a piece on Countdown and a few more of Blago's blunders and ridiculous statements, and the Traveling Wilbury's "End of the Line", we bid Blago farewell.

Plus a bit of commentary on the House vote on President Obama's stimulus plan, the passage in the House and Senate of SCHIP legislation, and the new Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act- the first piece of legislation our new president signed in to law!

And one more thing... an interesting wardrobe phenomena I've noticed on MSNBC... All that on today's Radio or Not Podcast.

Listen to it by clicking here (runtime 14:46)

Walmart redux, and the Economic Stimulus Bill

Today's podcast at Radio or Not starts with a follow-up to last night's blog entry about Walmart and their exclusive deals to release albums. Whenever I talk about Walmart, emotions tend to run high, as is evidenced by the first comment under yesterday's blog.

Let me point you toward a website that backs up the problems with Walmart. Visit www.walmartwatch.com and read up on their practices. Then, if in your heart you still feel that you want to give them your business, go for it. I can't.

Today I also reached out to an old friend. Jim Bliekamp does radio reports for the Wall Street Journal, so if you're a news/talk radio listener, you've likely heard him. He works the graveyard shift, and when I hosted mornings in Miami was a frequent guest of mine in the 6am hour. He'd just be wrapping up his day as I was starting mine, and we'd discuss what was happening in the news.

Jim is no stranger to Radio or Not, as he often posts on the message board under the name "Jersey Jim". I hope to have him guest blogging in the main section here at Radio or Not in the near future. But today, we spoke about President Obama's stimulus bill that should be before the House today, and let the conversation progress from there...

Hear today's Radio or Not podcast by clicking here (runtime 46:19)

What do the Eagles, Journey, AC/DC and Springsteen have in common?

I went to see the Eagles in concert last night. They aged well, these icons of California country-rock. The harmonies created by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmidt and Joe Walsh were flawless, and even the sound in the usually cavernous, acoustically- not-suited-for-concerts-Bank Atlantic Center, was crystal clear.

So, why was I so cynical and critical of this band whose music I’ve enjoyed for the past three decades? One word… Walmart.

Yes, Walmart, the store that refuses to pay its employees a living wage, has so-called benefits that put quality health care out of the reach of most of its workers, engages in discriminatory practices that have resulted in the largest workplace-bias lawsuit in U.S. history for widespread discrimination against women employees; a class action lawsuit filed by African-American truck drivers; and numerous other cases involving discrimination against workers with disabilities. I could go on about the evils of Walmart, and the list is long, but you get the idea.

In October of 2007, 13 years after the Eagles reunited for the live “Hell Freezes Over” and 27 years after their last studio album, “The Long Run,” the Eagles finally released a new album. The problem is that “Long Road out of Eden” was only available at Walmart!

Don Henley, Mr. Social Consciousness chose to be the businessman capitalist by making a deal with the devil.

Ok, to be fair, I know it wasn’t Don Henley who made the exclusive distribution deal with Walmart, but the Eagles’ manager Irving Azoff, who turned around and cut a similar deal with the mega-retailer for the new Journey album, and then AC/DC’s new record after that.

Businesswise I get it. You cut out the middleman, in this case the record company. Walmart sells the CD at a lower price than the typical record store, and both the artist and the store make a bigger profit.

But Walmart!? Really? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, as the Eagles famously admitted that the “Hell Freezes Over” reunion was all about money in the long run, so to speak.

I honestly hadn’t heard most of the songs from “Long Road out of Eden” before last night’s concert, which featured many of them. My disdain for their business practices must have influenced my lack of enjoyment of those new songs.

But the bottom line is that I think the Eagles would have made more than enough money supporting the few brick and mortar record stores that are still standing, and embracing the digital world of iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, Amazon and the other online retailers. Instead, they chose to for as much money as they can possibly make, even if it means supporting the evil empire. So, their standing in my world has dropped a few notches from superstars to sell-outs.

So, I’ve been a bit cynical when it comes to the Eagles. I didn’t really care about AC/DC or Journey also going for the money, as I’m not a fan of either band. And many may say Guns n Roses should have done their exclusive deal with Walmart, rather than Best Buy. Again, no problem for me there either.

But today, as I took the shrink wrap off the brand-spanking new Bruce Springsteen album, “Working on a Dream,” I did cringe a little.

This CD is available everywhere that sells CDs. But just two weeks ago, a new Greatest Hits collection of Bruce’s material quietly debuted on Walmart’s shelves… and nowhere else. There was no fanfare, and no requests for comment from Springsteen’s management, publicist or label were answered. I’m not sure what that means, other than they know there’s a problem there.

It does trouble me, though, that the working man’s hero allowed a collection of his greatest hits to be sold by exclusively by a company that has so little regard for their workers rights.

We're finally on the Right Side of History!

On today's Radio or Not podcast, I commented on a few news stories that I think will truly impact our lives for the better -- both Barack Obama's directive to rescind the "abortion gag rule," and the FDA approving an embryonic stem cell research study for human spinal cord injury! Both giant leaps forward after the Victorian-era policies of the last administration.

I also commented on Maureen Dowd's wonderful New York Times column from this weekend, in which she which, between the Governors of Illinois and New York, is wackier!

I also took the rare step of reading an entire article on today's show, because I think it's important enough to do so. For the past month or so, I've been pointing you toward the writings of Israel peace activist Uri Avnery. I interviewed him, albeit very briefly, for Radio or Not last month. I had the chance to spend a few minutes more with him on Air America radio when I guest hosted for Ron Kuby on January 19-the day before Barack Obama's inauguration.

You can hear our interview here, in which we discuss the very fragile cease-fire in effect right now, and Mr. Avnery's thoughts on how to achieve peace in the Middle East. Please bear in mind that I reached Uri in Jerusalem, so the phone line isn't great... and he's 86 years old, with a thick accent. But he's more than worth the effort it takes to listen to him.

Yesterday, I received his latest column which moved me so much that I decided to read it for you today in its entirety. Should you prefer to read it yourself, you can do so here.

As always, I welcome your comments... Feel free to post below, or look to your right to check out the Radio or Not message board.

Feel free to use the tools to share this with your friends. I really want the world, and those in this country who aren't looking at the big picture, to hear the words of Uri Avnery.

Click here to listen to today's Radio or Not podcast (runtime 30:28)

We Pick Ourselves Up, Dust Ourselves off, and Start All Over Again!

I used that very line when I re-started this blog in August after being let go from my job hosting the morning show at WINZ. When Barack Obama spoke those words on Tuesday, I smiled and thought, "great minds think alike."

I didn't realize that the line came from a song, "Pick Myself Up" that was sung by Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers in the depression-era movie Swing Time. They were just words I knew that described what I went through after being fired, taking the weekend to mourn my loss, and awakening Monday morning with a purpose: re-launch my podcast and blog here at Radio or Not as a place to continue the work I was doing.

Today I offer these words, and the first part of my podcast to the 1850 fomer colleagues of mine at Clear Channel who were given their pink slips on Tuesday. Yes, the behemouth broadcaster decided to do their dirty work on the day that the media attention would assuredly be focused elsewhere.

I understand that seriousness of the economic crisis enough to know that the cuts were necessary. I only question the timing of the firings. A friend of mine who lost her job was understandably angry at her former employer for ruining for her what was an amazingly joyous day for the rest of the world. It just added insult to injury.

To all of those newly unemployed--and the thousands of others who'll join them this week (Microsoft today announced they'd be cutting 5000 jobs due to the economy), I wish I could say it'll be easy. But you can rest assured that we have a guy in charge who will use every means at his disposal to turn our crisis around. That's more than we were able to say two days ago!

President Obama wasted no time in changing the way things will be done in Washington, signing immediate executive orders limiting lobbyists access to his administration in a meaningful, enacting new ethics policy, setting the ball in motion to close Guantanamo, and more.

All this in his first 24 hours in office, just as we learned that George W. Bush spent a full 1/3 of his time in office ON VACATION!

I predict that as the days pass, we'll learn of more abuses of power by the former administration that will make our collective heads spin.

If you watched Keith Olbermann's Countdown last night, you saw this stunning interview with whistleblower Russell Tice, who blew the whistle on the NSA surveillance program. Now that Bush is powerless to hurt him, Mr. Tice told Keith last night of just how widespread the eavesdropping was, and said that the NSA, under the direction of George Bush, was monitoring ALL Americans' communications, specifically targeting journalists and news organizations.



He'll be on with Keith again tonight for a followup interview. I have a feeling this is going to be the scariest of thrill rides as more and more stories of abuse by this administration unfold.

Today also happens to be the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade. By electing Barack Obama president, we insured the sanctity of the Supreme Court against right-wing dominance and an almost certain overturning of that landmark ruling. But women's rights to privacy and control over our own bodies are still at risk on the state level.

I was invited to speak to the Democratic Women's Club of Broward County, FL last night on this occasion. Here in Florida, we have a state legislature that is mind-boggling controlled by Republicans who are stuck in the stone age. They continue to cut the state budget at the expense of schools, children's programs and programs for the elderly, and resist any attempt at raising revenue to help alleviate the state's fiscal crisis.

The president of the DWC offered this sample letter to incoming FL Senate President Jeff Atwater as an example of something you can do to mark today's anniversary.

Sample Email to Senator Jeff Atwater
To be sent on January 22, 2009
Roe v. Wade 36th Anniversary

Email address: atwater.jeff.web@flsenate.gov

Dear Senator Atwater:

It was widely publicized during the November 2008 campaign that you have a positive record with regard to education, health and safety of Florida’s families. Given that 52% of the population are women, and, on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I take issue with your voting record.

Support of private school vouchers vs. non-support of public education. You voted to:
• Cut over $7 billion in education spending
• Raise college tuition rates by over 70%
• Gut the constitutional amendment to reduce class size
• Put private school vouchers in our constitution
• Allow religious materials in schools
• Allow kids to bring guns to school

Voted against quality health care and received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the health care industry. You voted to:

• Require that an ultrasound be performed on any woman obtaining an abortion
• Allow insurance companies to raise their rates by 71%
• Not reduce medical malpractice insurance premiums for doctors
• Take 20,000 children off of Florida KidCare that provides health care for children
• Privatize Medicaid
• Allow for-profit hospices in Florida
• Not reduce the amount of money senior citizens pay for prescription drugs

Voted against the interests of working families and consumers. You voted to:

• Cut benefits for injured workers
• Cut funding and positions for Palm Beach County firefighters
• Cut funding and positions for Correction Probations officers who supervise dangerous criminals
• Give over $200 million in tax breaks for large corporations
• Prevent local government from requiring employers to pay a minimum wage
• Allow the Florida Department of Transportation to pay stipends to the losing bidders on state contracts

Women have the primary responsibility for child care and elderly care. Women are 48% of the workforce and 52% of the population. Government works against women in restrictions on abortions rights, cuts in education for their children, making health care and drugs more expensive, and cutting benefits to workers. Because of your votes and those of your colleagues, Florida’s government is working against women. I urge you to keep women in mind in your consideration of bills during the 2009 legislative session. I am disappointed about all the cuts once again you approved in the special session dealing with women and children. I call on you to be a leader for women’s rights.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Take the example, make it your own, and send it to your state representatives, wherever your might be, to make sure our voices are heard on this 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Today, I'll leave you with an inspiring link. Click here for a montage of newspaper front pages from around the world commemorating the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

And click here to listen to today's Radio or Not podcast... runtime 29:00

Welcome to a Brand New Day!

I just pinched myself and I am awake! George W. Bush has left the building, and we have a new president. President Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th President of the United States. He and his beautiful family have taken up residence in the White House. And now the real work begins.

I'm not a woman of faith, but I do have faith in our new president.

I've been uncharacteristically quiet over the past 24 hours, soaking it all in and sorting through my emotions.

Eight years ago I had just brought my newly-adopted daughter home from Kazakhtan. I was in the city of Almaty from November 18 through December 13, 2000-- during the time when this country's W problem was taking shape. It was during then that Bush v. Gore was in the courts, and the Supreme Court decided not to count the votes in Florida, and decided to award the presidency to the guy who lost the popular vote.

My daughter set foot on American soil as W was preparing to be sworn in as President #43, and became a citizen shortly after he took the oath of office.

During the 8 years of his administration and of our life together, I've watched my quality of life, and my potential for giving her the life I aspired to upon adopting her, diminish. My spirits were dashed, my hopes and dreams dulled with the daily destruction of our liberties, rights, assets and our country's morals.

I adopted a little girl from an orphanage on the other side of the world believing that I could give her a wonderful life in a great country, with the American dream of being able to provide for her at least as well as and probably better than my parents did for me. But those beliefs were taken from me bit by bit over the eight years of a dictatorial, unjust and corrupt administration.

With the election stolen in 2000 and the many problems inherent in our voting systems that were evident in 2004, I wasn't sure we'd ever see a fair election here again. As the rich continued to get richer, the poor poorer and the middle class on the endangered species list, my hope for the great life I was planning to give my daughter faltered.

On November 4, which also happened to be my 49th birthday, the spark of hope I'd been cultivating within me began burning brightly. Yesterday it exploded in a sea of fireworks.

Welcome to our brand new day.

I did listen to the words of President Obama. Although he didn't quote JFK's words "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," verbatim, he did, nevertheless, express them.

The next few years are not going to be easy.

In between watching the inaugural activities yesterday, I was checking the various radio industry trade sites to see which of my friends and colleagues were let go from Clear Channel yesterday. Yes, Clear Channel had an inauguration day blood bath, ridding itself of 9% of its workforce-- somewhere in the neighborhood of two thousand people.

It's going to get worse before it gets better. But I see the light behind the dark cloud. I finally have trust in our leader, knowing that he's got the intelligence, common sense and ability to make the decisions necessary to turn things around.

Right now, I'm flying on faith, hope and the knowledge that Barack Hussein Obama is the President of the United States of America. Oh happy day.

Today's Radio or Not episode is a musical tribute to our new President, with a little help from Sting & Stevie Wonder, The Chambers Brothers, Widespread Panic, ELP, Patti Smith, Ray Charles, Joe Jackson, Tracy Chapman, Diana Krall, and U2.

Click here to listen... runtime is 15:35.

Inauguration Day

Yes we did! We survived eight years of George W. Bush, we elected Barack Obama as our 44th President, and we saw him swear his oath of office today.

It's a beautiful day.

I spent the day reflecting on what it means to me, to my family, to us as a nation, and to the world. And it's all so much better than it was just 24 hours ago.

It was an overwhelming day. Ironically, the inauguration of No Drama Obama was truly dramatic, with Sen. Ted Kennedy's scare making to more so. Happily, it turned out ok, and we're able to celebrate with complete abandon tonight.

I've been absorbing the events of the day, and editing President Obama's speech. I will put them all together into a show for tomorrow-- the day the real work begins.

For today though, savor the moment, the feeling, the happiness, the relief and the rest of the mountain of emotions you're probably experiencing today.

If you didn't get to see the inauguration, watch it here....

And we'll talk tomorrow... Radio or Not!

Inaguration Eve on Air America

I just finished guest hosting Doing Time with Ron Kuby on Air America Radio. I got to do a bit of everything today... I said goodbye and good riddance to W with my A to Z production of his Bushisms. I got to talk to people in and around Washington DC to get a feel for what they're experiencing including Air America's David Bender and Ira Mellman. And Democracy for America Miami president Wendy Sejour checked in while trying to buy an "I Was There" button.

I got to speak with Israeli peace activist Uri Avnery who's lived in Israel since 1933, before it was Israel, who fought for the country's birth and has fought for peace there ever since. He pleaded for President Obama to do something to insure that there is peace in that region... and he even put forth a plan detailing how that can be accomplished. Read it here.

I got to speak with David Swanson, who's at the forefront of activism during the inaugural festivities. He'll have a prime viewing spot for the parade tomorrow, right in front of the FBI building, where their permit allows for 3000 people to join him. The only ticket needed for admission is a sign that screams "Arrest Bush".

The feeling I'm picking up from almost everyone I encounter is great hope and optimism.

Tomorrow is the day that we start our new beginning. We'll enter a new era, and I'm feeling profound happiness, even in a time of great uncertainty.

Part of me didn't believe we'd have an election on Nov. 4. And an even bigger part of me didn't believe Barack Obama could win.

I've always been a pretty skeptical person, but of late I've embraced my inner optimist. And only truly wonderful things have been happening.

So today, on the verge of tomorrow's new beginning, I know it's going to be a very tough road. I also promise that I'll speak up and speak out loudly when I see wrongs being committed. But I hope we can all join together to support our new president and keep the hope we're all feeling now alive.

I'll post a Radio or Not program tomorrow, but it'll likely come late in the day-- after I've had a chance to absorb the swearing in, the parade and some of the festivities.

***I promised to give you the link to an article I referenced on the show about a new study into prejudice that found homophobic attitudes are more common than racism. Read it here.

Happy Inauguration Day!

George W. Bush -- A to Z

If you're a regular Radio or Not listener, you know that I came from a music radio background. In fact, at my favorite radio station of all time, KSCA, we did an early "A to Z" in which we played a couple of thousand songs over a three week period in alphabetical order.

Now stations do it all the time, but back in 1994, it was pretty groundbreaking stuff.

This week, as I tried to figure out a fitting way to say goodbye to W, I though that listening back to his infamous Bushisms A to Z might be the way to go. I'm sure lots of people will be playing some of them back, but I wanted to do it in a unique way...

It was time-consuming, but I think worth the trouble.

I'll probably have to shorten it a bit to play on Air America Monday when I fill in for Ron Kuby, so here's the only place you'll get the full impact...

GWB A to Z. Enjoy!

Click here to listen (runtime 16:38)

Tidbits today

I'm preparing for a day-before-inauguration show on Air America radio. I'll be filling in once again for Ron Kuby, this time Monday, January 19, so I hope you'll listen in. On Saturday, I'll be gracing the airwaves of South Florida on 850 WFTL, filling in for Stacy Ritter, who's heading to Washington for the inauguration, so I've got my plate pretty full right now.



Today, I bring you a few news tidbits and some short commentary.... and Barack Obama's official presidential portrait, which was unveiled this morning, along with the comment that it's the first presidential portrait taken with a digital camera. Oh, the times they are a changing....




It looks as if Hillary Clinton will sail through the confirmation process to be our next Secretary of State. David Vitter was the only member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to vote against her (go figure), but it was John Kerry, on his first day as Chair of the committee, who committed a faux pas... Watch this, courtesy of Rachel Maddow:



Hear today's Radio or Not episode by clicking here (runtime 6:58)

No show today :(

I got a bit carried away on the production end! I'm working on a fitting farewell to the guy who took this country down over the past eight years. Yes, I'm assembling a collection of Bushism's, but I want to do it in a unique way.

I could do my usual musical montage thing, and that will be part of it. But, as I come from a background of creative music radio, I thought I might incorporate the A-Z countdown as a way to listen back to some of the best of the worst (president of all time).

So, Bushisms A-Z is coming soon... It's taking some time, so it may not appear until Monday. Actually, I'll be filling in for Ron Kuby Monday on Air America radio again (3-6 pm Eastern), so perhaps it'll get played here and there...

I will have another edition of Radio or Not for you tomorrow. Sorry about today...

Seven More Days

Ahh, we're in the final week of the Bush years.

Today on Radio or Not, I discuss the Bush legacy with Dr. Walter Brasch, a university professor of journalism and mass communications, and author of a biweekly syndicated newspaper column. Dr. Brasch is also the author of dozens of magazine articles, several multimedia productions, and has worked in the film industry and as a copy writer and political consultant. He is the author 14 books, most of them focusing upon the fusion of historical and contemporary social issues, including his newest one, Sinking the Ship of States: The Presidency of George W. Bush.

It's amazing... Just when we thought we had heard the last of W with yesterday's magnificent (on so many levels) press conference, we now learn that we'll be subjected to yet one more farewell appearance in the form of a prime-time TV speech Thursday night.

Interesting how the announcement came just hours after his final presser, a performance widely dissected and ridiculed. I'm guessing his handlers pointed out, as delicately as possible I'm sure, how he might not want that to be his final presidential appearance, since he appeared decidedly UNpresidential.

So, I'm guessing, Thursday night's speech will be written for Mr. Bush by someone who actually has a command of the English language and in it he will appear much less cocksure, snarky and self-righteous, and a bit more... um... presidential. In other words, it'll be pretty boring and unevenful.

But it will be his goodbye and to that I say Good Riddance!

A couple of quick programming notes: Last night, I appeared on Talk Radio One with my friend Marc Germain. His show is streamed live nightly from 8-10 pm Pacific/ 11p-1a Eastern, and is always available for podcasting after. We spoke about yesterday's press conference and lots of other stories that have consumed us in recent days.

And this Saturday from 10:30-noon, I'll be filling in for Stacey Ritter on 850 WFTL here in South Florida, as Stacey heads up to DC for the inauguration. Listen the old-fashioned over the air way, or streaming at www.850wftl.com.

Hear today's Radio or Not episode here (runtime 27:55)

Dissecting W's final press conference!

Eight days to go with George W. Bush squatting in the Oval Office. This morning he held his final press conference. I listened so you didn't have to. And I taped it too. And yes, today's edition of Radio or Not features some of the highlights, along with my running commentary,

No... I did not subject you to the whole thing. Just some of the more objectionable parts.

Perhaps tomorrow -- but definitely before he leaves for good next Tuesday-- we'll have to have a final laugh at his expense, with some of the best Bushisms from the last 8 years. Feel free to send your requests and suggestions!

Hear today's Radio or Not episode by clicking here (runtime 45:26)

How Can We Miss You If You Won't Go Away???

Hear today's edition of Radio or Not by clicking here (runtime 11:29)

Today's edition of Radion or Not asks the musical question posed in the title, with the help of Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks, and is aimed directly at Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush.

Just as I was getting ready to post today's show, the news broke that the Illinois State House of Representatives voted 114-1, with three not voting, to impeach Gov. Rod Blagejovich. The question of whether or not to remove him from office now moves to the Senate. If they move quickly enough, they may enable the US Senate not to seat Roland Burris, the man Blago named to fill Obama's vacant Senate seat. Stay tuned....

As much as I detest watching or listening to Dick Cheney, this is one video that made me feel really good:



Hear today's edition of Radio or Not by clicking here (runtime 11:29)

Buy an extra Pepsi today, and thank them too!

I received this email today from Donald Wildmon's "American Family Association." It would be funny if it weren't so sick.... I say to call the numbers they give and thank them for being a tolerant, caring, inclusive company! And buy an extra Pepsi today.

PepsiCo gives $1,000,000 to help promote the gay agenda

Donald E. Wildmon
Founder and Chairman

Please help us get this information into the hands of as many people as possible by forwarding it to your entire e-mail list of family and friends.

PepsiCo gives $1,000,000 to help promote the gay agenda

Company forces employees to attend sexual orientation classes

January 8, 2009

Dear ##FirstName[Friend]##,

PepsiCo has refused a request by AFA to remain neutral in the culture war. The company indicated that it will continue major financial support of homosexual organizations. AFA wrote Pepsi two times (on October 14 and October 29) requesting a meeting to discuss Pepsi’s neutrality in the culture war.

On November 17, AFA received a condescending letter (dated Nov. 7) from Paul Boykas, director, public policy, in which he refused to address Pepsi’s support of the homosexual agenda.
In the last two years, Pepsi has given $500,000 to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and $500,000 to the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). The $1,000,000 was to be used to help promote homosexuality in the workplace. Pepsi refuses to give money to any pro-family organization that opposes the homosexual agenda. Plus, every homosexual organization we know of is overwhelmingly pro-abortion.

Both HRC and PFLAG supported efforts in California to defeat Proposition 8 which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. HRC, the homosexual group financially supported by Pepsi, gave $2.3 million to defeat Prop 8.

Pepsi forces all employees to attend sexual orientation and gender identity diversity training where they are taught to accept homosexuality.

Take Action!
• Sign the Boycott Pepsi Pledge. After signing the pledge, please call Pepsi (914-253-2000 or 1-800-433-2652) and tell the company you will boycott their products until they stop promoting the homosexual agenda.

• Call the Pepsi bottler nearest you and ask the bottler to ask Pepsi to stop supporting the homosexual agenda

.• Pepsi’s products include Pepsi soft drinks, Frito-Lay chips (800-352-4477), Quaker Oats (800-367-6287), Tropicana (800-237-7799) and Gatorade (800-367-6287).

• Print out the Boycott Pepsi Pledge and distribute.

• Forward this e-mail to your friends and family so they will know about Pepsi’s support of the homosexual agenda. Millions of people are not aware of Pepsi’s support of homosexual organizations.

Thank you for caring enough to get involved. If you feel our efforts are worthy of support, would you consider making a small tax-deductible contribution to help us continue?
Sincerely, Donald E. Wildmon,Founder and ChairmanAmerican Family Association
Donate with confidence to AFA

(gifts are tax-deductible)
Please take a few minutes and invite your friends to AFA ActionAlert.

It's Not Gay The sanitized version of homosexuality being presented is not the whole truth.
AFA Receives High Marks Please read this information before you decide to give a financial gift to American Family Association.
Spiritual Heritage Tours Join Tim Wildmon and Marvin Sanders for a tour of our nation's capital with a focus on the deep Christian heritage of our country.

In keeping with our privacy policy, AFA may periodically contact you regarding issues of concern to the family. Rest assured that your e-mail address will be kept in the strictest confidence.
You are subscribed as ##Email##. Unsubscribe Update E-mail Address
If you are a Federal Civilian, Postal or Military Employee, please consider AFA (#12037) for your annual CFC participation.
American Family Association P O Drawer 2440 Tupelo, MS 38803 1-662-844-5036 Copyright ©2009 All Rights Reserved

Time for an Amrican Recovery and Reinvestment Plan!

Hear today's show by clicking here (runtime 47:02)

I promise you that I'm not a cheerleader for Obama. I have no doubt that he'll do things that I vehemently disagree with and, when he does, you'll hear about them here.

But today, I was extremely impressed with his speech. It was billed as a "major speech on the economy" and so I sat here watching it with tape rolling. I had intended to pull some clips from it to play for you today, but was so impressed by the whole thing that I decided to run the entire speech.

In about 15 minutes, the President-elect spelled out the enormity of the situation and, although he didn't give out the nuts and bolts, he made it quite clear that he intended to create new jobs by rebuilding our infrastructure, school and health care system, and creating a green energy system.

I know that many RoN listeners are at work at 11:15am, when the speech began. So, I figured including it in today's show would enable you to hear the whole thing, which is worth listening to!

At the end of the speech, I spoke with Harvey Wasserman, longime anti-nuclear activist and author of Solartopia, who has a piece today on www.freepress.org entitled Obama's stimulus money must NOT be wasted on nuke reactors.

Hear today's show by clicking here (runtime 47:02)

How to achieve peace in the Middle East

Hear today's Radio or Not here (runtime 22:43)

I'm not kidding. Today's podcast tells you how!

No, I'm not a genius. It's not my idea. I posted the article last week, thanks to elkojohn who sent it to me. But today I had an interview set up with Uri Avnery, who wrote "Memo for Obama," which details just how to accomplish that seemingly impossible goal. Unfortunately, our interview was cut very short, though I hope to reconnect with him in the next few days.

But I read his piece on today's show... the reading followed our brief conversation.

It seems so logical, until you take into account that religion, prejudice, hate and war are anything but logical.

Listener Shelley sent me a video that was made at a protest in Ft. Lauderdale last week. On one side of the very busy Broward Blvd. in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, a group of pro-Israel people held their signs, seemingly quietly and orderly (though the video really didn't show much of them). On the other side of the street, a much larger and louder group of pro-Hamas protesters held their signs and shouted the most hateful, violent, awful things at the other group.

Before watching this video, I thought peace had a chance; now I'm not so sure.



But I know we can't just give in to the hate. Check out Uri Avnery's writings here. And read about the peace movement in Israel, Gush Shalom (translated means "peace bloc", which he founded in 1993. You might feel some hope too.

Hear today's Radio or Not here (runtime 22:43)

The 111th Congress Convenes, and More...

Click here for today's show (runtime 12:44)

It's a busy day in the neighborhood. The 111th Congress convened today, and Dick Cheney swore in the new and re-elected Senators. Well, except for two... Roland Buriss wasn't allowed in, showing that Harry Reid is a joke. And Al Franken didn't even attempt to enter the Senate today as, per our expectations, Norm Coleman filed a lawsuit today contesting the results of the recount. With any luck, Minnesota will have a second senator by the end of February!

Today was a stream of consciousness-type day on Radio or Not.

Tomorrow morning, I hope to speak with a man named Uri Avnery. If you scroll down a couple of days, you'll find an article of his that was reprinted in The Nation magazine last week entitled "A Memo to Obama". In it, he gives our President-elect some great advice on how to fix the Israel-Gaza mess.

I tried to get him on Air America last week when I filled in for Ron Kuby. That didn't work, but hopefully we'll hook up tomorrow, and you'll hear it here on Radio or Not.

Click here for today's show (runtime 12:44)

Back to school, back to work...

Click here to listen to today's RoN episode (runtime 36:20)

Today, my daughter Alison had something in common with Sasha and Melia Obama- they all started new schools! Yes, I'm no longer a felon, as I moved my kid to the school she's supposed to attend.

Oh, it's a long story, but she's now at a brand new, state of the art school. Unfortunately, the economy in Miami-Dade County is so bad that they're looking at a 4-day school week! Here in Florida, our not so brilliant legislature keeps taking the money they need out of the education budget, making Florida 50th our of 50 states in per-capita spending per student! Nice, huh?

So, the fact that all three kids started a new school today is where the similarity ends. The Obama girls are going to a very exclusive private school in DC, and Alison is going to a better school than the one I originally lied about my address to keep her out of.

On to the news of the day: Richardson withdraws from contention for the Secretary of Commerce cabinet position, claiming innocence combined with magnanimity so as not to hold up the Obama administration from doing the necessary work while waiting on the results of his grand jury investigation. I hope I'm wrong on this one! But this story gives me good enough reason to once again plead for campaign finance reform and getting the money out of elections! There will always be an appearance of impropriety when money is involved!

We have the current DNC Chair, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, stepping down in a couple of weeks. The new DNC Chair will be the soon to be former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. The hopeful new Virginia Governor is former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe, who just announced he'll run form Kaine's seat in 2010. Got that? It's gubernatorial chair chairs.

There's a competition of sorts up at www.change.gov/openforquestions, where people submit questions for the PE, and we vote to see which questions he'll answer. Log in, and click on "Additional Issues" and you'll see Bob Fertik's (of democrats.com) question currently in the lead: "Will you appoint a Special Prosecutor - ideally Patrick Fitzgerald - to independently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping?" Vote for it. Let's get an answer.

I spoke with Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, on New Years Eve day while filling in for Ron Kuby on Air America Radio. I asked him about that possibility, along with the legality of Harry Reid's claim that they don't have to seat Blago's choice for Obama's former Senate seat when the new class is sworn in tomorrow. I included that interview at the end of today's Radio or Not episode.

Lots more to come... we've only just begun....

Click here to listen to today's RoN episode (runtime 36:20)

Back to Business...soon....

It's Sunday, January 3, and I'm not fully back yet. Just dropped in to post the Marianne Williamson and Michael Ratner interviews, as I think they're both important interviews to hear.

First up, Marianne. My intro was a bit long-winded because Marianne was a few minutes late. But I think what she had to say was worth the wait.

Happy 2009,
Nicole