A Citizen's Voice: Fred Flannigan

The Trouble With Eddie

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 20:35:14 GMT

As many of you already know Elroy Reed, editor and publisher of The People's Voice newspaper appeared on A Citizen's Voice last evening to discuss the very scathing editorial he wrote about Rep. Eddie Washington in the January edition of his newspaper.

With Mr. Reed's permission we are making his editorial available on A Citizen's Voice website. A Citizen's Voice makes no claims as to the veracity or accuracy of Mr. Reed's accusations and opinions. The opinions expressed in this editorial are solely the opinions of Mr. Reed and in no way reflect the opinions of A Citizen's Voice or Fred Flannigan. To view the article click here.

Guest Blog: Larry from McHenry

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Mon, 07 May 2007 13:01:16 GMT

Kudos Young Cho, Your Writing is Finally Getting the Attention it Doesn’t Deserve
Larry from McHenry (Faithhealer@ameritech.net)
Submitted on: 4/22/07

Truth seeking reader, allow me to be the first to congratulate Cho Seung-Hui on his stunning, perfectly executed public relations campaign to make the world aware of his life and writings. The first thing you have to admire about Cho is his passion to see his work and, for that matter, his name indelibly seared upon the consciousness of the people of the Western World. I am loath to make a generalization about Oriental people, but the young man did the Oriental thing -- he was cunning. Cho succeeded in creating an international appetite for his writings and an interest in his life. Sure, he had to step on a few toes in his quest for success, sure he had to find a way to avoid the wrath of the living relatives of the men and woman he was obligated to sacrifice in his quest for the gold, so he chose suicide. It is a sad but logical ending, but let me make a couple of suggestions and predictions.

I certainly hope that his parents will get the proper legal advice and copyright all of his writings, images, and his entire life story, from baby pictures to high school, all the mementos that can be turned into gold. There’s much money to be made on his short violent, lonely life. He has a sister who graduated from Princeton University, so the immigrant family should not be without access to people and proper connections to make him seem like a sympathetic figure instead of the sorry excuse for a human being he was.

To the average beer-swilling, McBurger-eating, church-attending Joe or Jane, Cho’s memory at this point in time may seem tainted, but the American people will forget the carnage, the personal deaths, the gore, and profound loss. It will take about three months, and we will have found in Mr. Cho, if handled properly by the media, a Korean hero.

I would personally love to be hired by the family as their public relations counselor. The first thing that just about guarantees long term success is that Cho had the cold cunning to kill an aged Holocaust survivor. Now the Jewish Holocaust industry will keep the story alive for decades. This will only add value to Cho’s images and writings, because the way the system works, every mention of his name or use of his image, if copyrighted correctly, demands a royalty payment and that can be a lot of gold.

The second angle that should be explored is the poor immigrant story. White people were mean to him, he couldn’t get a date to save his life, and his life, which didn’t last that long, was filled with so much sadness because of the way mean, bigoted White, American Christians treated him. The media can generalize this to elicit sympathy from all recent immigrant groups. Illegal Mexicans, Pole’s, Haitians, they all have been, at least in their minds, screwed over by evil, mostly White American Christians. One is left with more articles and liberal stories about his life of quiet desperation and victimization. Can you think of a better plot for a tearjerker television movie? Sure he killed a Holocaust survivor, sure he killed 32 regular people, but look on the bright side -- he practiced diversity. In this movie, he accidentally killed the old Jewish guy, and the others had it coming (they were mean to him). Take my word on this, the literary and media whores in New York and California would love to cook up this twisted version of Cho’s life story, because they know a lot of you will eat it up.

This essay would not be complete if I didn’t mention a few suggestions for the inevitable biography. Start the book by showing starving Koreans, hungry for freedom in America, complete with Cho’s baby pictures, a piece about his sister graduating from Princeton University, then lather on all the loneliness and grief that you’re feeling. Forget the people who lost their lives, they’re only bit players; your son is the star. There are tens of thousands of English majors out there; most of them will never be published. They will, along with their writing, sink into the quicksand of time, without ever generating much interest in themselves or their work. So I offer my congratulations, because as unfortunate and despicable as it may be, your son will be the ultimate winner.

Want to comment directly to Fred?
E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

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This blog is published by and reflects the personal views of Fred Flannigan and other guest contributors. It does not represent the views of WKRS 1220AM NEXT Media, WLIP 1050AM NEXT Media, or WRLR 98.3FM RONDARADIO and is not sponsored or endorsed by these organizations, its clients or partners. The purpose of this site is to assist in dissemination and discussion of information about local, national and world issues from Lenny Palmer's perspective. The information contained in this site is provided only as general information for educational and entertainment purposes, and topics may or may not be updated subsequent to their initial posting. By using this site you understand and agree to this disclaimer.

The Biggest Winner

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 01:06:44 GMT

The Biggest Winner
Fred Flannigan
4/19/07

The votes are cast and totaled, winners and losers declared, and yet it strikes me that no one has yet realized who the biggest winner really was last Tuesday. You won’t find the name on the ballot, or on the county clerks list of registered candidates but the winners’ name is obvious. Think about it. Have it yet? And the winner is………………………?

APATHY

Yes, unfortunately the biggest winner, as is always the case on election day, was apathy. Lake County voters turned out in “dribbles”, 17.06% to be exact. That’s right, out of 376,000 registered voters in Lake County, only 64,000 brave souls managed to negotiate that treacherous, harrowing, trip to the polls yesterday. Take heart though gentle souls, in an act of what can only be considered true heroism, 38 million brave Americans managed to cast their vote for tonight’s American Idol competition.

I wonder what the truly heroic individuals in this video think about our choices?

Want to comment directly to Fred?
E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

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This blog is published by and reflects the personal views of Fred Flannigan and other guest contributors. It does not represent the views of WKRS 1220AM NEXT Media, WLIP 1050AM NEXT Media, or WRLR 98.3FM RONDARADIO and is not sponsored or endorsed by these organizations, its clients or partners. The purpose of this site is to assist in dissemination and discussion of information about local, national and world issues from Lenny Palmer's perspective. The information contained in this site is provided only as general information for educational and entertainment purposes, and topics may or may not be updated subsequent to their initial posting. By using this site you understand and agree to this disclaimer.

Time for a Change WAUKEGAN!

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 12:16:00 GMT

Time for a Change WAUKEGAN!
Fred Flannigan
4/15/07

When you walk into that voting booth in Waukegan on Tuesday and view the choices for the Waukegan School Board your decision should be simple. It’s time for a change, and the only way to effect that change is to vote for Mark Hawn, Sonny Garza, and Rita May-Field Wilkins for the Waukegan School Board.

Mr. Shipley, Mr. McBride, and Mr. Reddick, the current incumbents up for election, have proven themselves to be incompetent, arrogant, and unresponsive to the Waukegan taxpayers. While I could give you a laundry list of problems associated with this board, I think the overriding concern for the community should be their lack of anything close to a vision for Waukegan Public Schools, and the absence of the management skills required to implement one.

These individuals were presented with a sacred trust when they were elected to this school board. They were entrusted with the education, and therefore the future of your children, and at the same time they were given the very serious responsibility of looking after your hard earned taxpayer dollars. They have failed on both accounts.

School boards across this state operate in near anonymity, which has always struck me as odd when you consider how precious the resources are, over which we give them governance. We allow school boards to set the course for our children’s education and we have to make sure they get it right because it is the only chance we ever get to educate them. School boards are also responsible for spending more of your personal tax dollars then almost any other governmental entity and it is incumbent upon taxpayers to become involved and stay involved to make sure this resource is not wasted.

This may be the last chance to right the education ship in the City of Waukegan, and the current incumbents are not fit for that task. The only logical choice on Tuesday is to vote for Mark Hawn, Sonny Garza, and Rita May-Field Wilkins for the Waukegan School Board. I strongly urge all Waukegan residents not only to vote on Tuesday, but to vote for change. Send a message that the status quo will no longer be tolerated. Send the message that you will no longer stand by idly in the face of nepotism, financial irresponsibility, and business as usual. Send the message that this election is about competence not color. Send the message that the education of your children is your number 1 priority. Send these board members your petition for change by voting them out of office on Tuesday, April 17th.

Want to comment directly to Fred?
E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Did you know?
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This blog is published by and reflects the personal views of Fred Flannigan and other guest contributors. It does not represent the views of WKRS 1220AM NEXT Media, WLIP 1050AM NEXT Media, or WRLR 98.3FM RONDARADIO and is not sponsored or endorsed by these organizations, its clients or partners. The purpose of this site is to assist in dissemination and discussion of information about local, national and world issues from Lenny Palmer's perspective. The information contained in this site is provided only as general information for educational and entertainment purposes, and topics may or may not be updated subsequent to their initial posting. By using this site you understand and agree to this disclaimer.

Time for a Change ZION!

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 11:26:33 GMT

Time for a Change ZION!
Fred Flannigan
4/15/07

On Tuesday, April 17th, Zion voters will be given a rare opportunity. You will have the chance to vote a man into the Zion Mayor’s office who is neither, career politician, or career government bureaucrat.

Our elective political offices have for too long been controlled by individuals with no qualifications other then a padded political resume’s or plodding lifelong careers as government employees. This has led to a total disregard of the public trust by these elected officials, and in my opinion contributed greatly to the voter apathy we labor under today. It’s time to elect people to office who live and work in the real world, citizen leaders. On Tuesday you will be given that chance. I urge all Zion residents to take advantage of this rare opportunity and vote for David Ratliff for the office of Mayor of Zion.

The current Zion administration has been completely unresponsive to its citizens, and has only made changes after candidate Ratliff proposed them publicly. Almost every issue that David Ratliff has brought the attention of Zion residents, was at some point appropriated and put into effect by a Zion administration that is apparently devoid of ideas.

Zion faces real problems, deficit spending, one of the highest crime rates in Lake County, the threat of new tax increases, and a declining quality of life, are all staring Zion citizen’s in the face. Ask yourselves if 4 more years of Lane Harrison will do anything to increase or insure the safety of your children and your neighborhoods? Will 4 more years of Lane Harrison do anything to protect your pocketbook? If your answer to either of these questions is no then there is only one logical choice for Mayor, David Ratliff.

Zion is so much more then that grand thoroughfare, Sheridan road. Many of you I’m sure are already acutely aware of this, but the current administration in Zion has spent a considerable amount of political capital trying to convince others among you that Sheridan road progress meant progress for all the citizens of Zion. It doesn’t. The citizens of Zion can’t afford 4 more years of an administration bent on chasing fast food franchises, economic development grants to failing businesses, and financial incentives to big box chains. This isn’t progress. Progress is clean safe neighborhoods, an affordable tax burden, and an administration that is responsive to “ALL” of its citizens.

David Ratliff’s lack of political experience will actually make him a more effective leader for the City of Zion and his business experience, a conservative steward of your tax dollars. David Ratliff as Mayor will be uniquely positioned to end the financial and political network of nepotism that exists in Zion today, and he will be beholding to no one except the citizens of Zion.

A true Citizen Leader.

Want to comment directly to Fred?
E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Did you know?
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This blog is published by and reflects the personal views of Fred Flannigan and other guest contributors. It does not represent the views of WKRS 1220AM NEXT Media, WLIP 1050AM NEXT Media, or WRLR 98.3FM RONDARADIO and is not sponsored or endorsed by these organizations, its clients or partners. The purpose of this site is to assist in dissemination and discussion of information about local, national and world issues from Lenny Palmer's perspective. The information contained in this site is provided only as general information for educational and entertainment purposes, and topics may or may not be updated subsequent to their initial posting. By using this site you understand and agree to this disclaimer.

The Aztec Al-Qaeda

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:48:04 GMT

The Aztec Al-Qaeda
Posted by WatchDog on YouTube.com
www.immigrationwatchdog.com
3/29/07

This video illustrates what we legal U.S. citizens are up against. Are you ready to put boots to the street and fight back? Click the "more" link to watch this video!

Want to comment directly to Fred?
E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Did you know?
The "A Citizen's Voice" website has FREE online chat and forums, podcasts and more!

This blog is published by and reflects the personal views of Fred Flannigan and other guest contributors. It does not represent the views of WKRS 1220AM NEXT Media, WLIP 1050AM NEXT Media, or WRLR 98.3FM RONDARADIO and is not sponsored or endorsed by these organizations, its clients or partners. The purpose of this site is to assist in dissemination and discussion of information about local, national and world issues from Lenny Palmer's perspective. The information contained in this site is provided only as general information for educational and entertainment purposes, and topics may or may not be updated subsequent to their initial posting. By using this site you understand and agree to this disclaimer.

A Nice Bit of Justifiable Anger

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 15:50:50 GMT

A Nice Bit of Justifiable Anger
Article written by Rick Biesada, Co-Founder Chicago Minutenan Project
3/25/07

While in Mexico two weeks ago, President Bush parroted a speech to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and foreign nationals, about "America being a nation of laws, but family values don't stop at the Rio Grande."

The Rio what?

Last week George Bush invoked his Constitutional authority in a speech to protesting legislators who want to put an end to his bogus adventure in Iraq.

Last year this president called the United States Constitution, a God Damn piece of paper.

Well Pee-Wee, which way is it going to be... you fucking psychopath!

Am I mad?

HELL NO!

I'm outraged over the pestilence coming out of this White House and it is just too indescribable for words. There are no two ways about it when your rights are concerned, and if we were truly a nation of laws, then stand up and protect them; show some resolve instead of cowardice and weakness like a sniveling little turd. As my friend, Terry Anderson, of Los Angeles, KRLA's most popular radio program exclaims; "If you ain't mad, you ain't paying attention!" Well, I've been paying attention and I'm pissed off at the arrogance of this tyrannical government. Every day it's a new infringement, or we are being thrust into another laughing stock jackpot through the ineptness, or deviousness, of our out of control government.

A diseased government that cohabitates with the criminal elements of Mexico's government in a diabolical scheme to lock up American Border Patrol Agents and Law Enforcement Officers for performing their jobs, while rewarding criminals with immunity and tax payer funded benefits for committing crimes upon our soil. You want to talk about the United States Constitution? Okay...lets talk about original intent and the Federalist Papers. At one time these papers were consulted by judges and law makers to decide the meaning of any provision of the Constitution. As men became power hungry, this work was forsaken because these papers stressed that the Federal Government has "Limited" and "defined" powers. It taught that the Constitution was to "govern" the Government.

No wonder why this president considers it a God Damned piece of paper-- it limits his subversiveness. This should illustrate to the sheople that the Patriot Act is just subterfuge against the rights of American citizens as this globalist regime tries to waltz off with our liberty, for free. They talk about a Comprehensive Immigration Reform scheme, when instead they should be enforcing our current immigration law.

The only Comprehensive Plan that we need is the Comprehensive Plan to boot these provocateurs out of office. They tried to dazzle the sheople with immigration reform last year, which only proved to be a stall tactic to get these weasels through an election cycle. Now they are at it again, pandering and discriminating against American citizens with talk of more unconstitutional and unlawful pie in the sky immigration schemes at the expense of American tax-payer dollars, and at the expense of American sovereignty.

Our so called leaders are pandering to the exploitive immigration rights groups instead of performing their primary duty of protecting the American people through enforcement of our laws. When we the people talk about the rule our governments response is diarrhea of the mouth. Instead of appeasing law breakers and pandering to illegal alien rights groups, they should start putting them on trial for sabotage against our National Security during a time of war. When a government can't control it's borders, it can't govern. It is out of control and that is exactly the condition, which we are living under now. No wonder why there is talk circulating about impeachment. The sooner the better I say, and if the charges happen to be treason, for trying to undermine the country which these venomous tyrants swore allegiance to, then follow the remedy in the Constitution, and let that God damned piece of paper bite them in the ass while they're swinging.

It appears that the American people are being gamed by an administration that can't walk and chew gum at the same time.
It sure looks as though Mr. Conover’s analogy was correct about lawless administrations learning from Clinton. This War on Terrorism, which is making the banksters, big oil, and the elitist global war profiteers, very rich off of American blood, is George Bush's Monica Lewinsky. As we all know, while our simple minded nation was being enamored with the soap opera atmosphere of Slick Willy's adulterous love story, the Communist Chinese were stealing our nuclear secrets out the back door, advancing their technology 50 years. Now George Bush try's to gain sympathy for his plunderous War On Terrorism, in which the real terrorists reside right here at home, in our own government, we are being invaded across our porous borders by illegal aliens, drug smugglers, and enemies of the state, while the domestic terrorists in government are engaging in treason, in an attempt to abolish our liberty.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick of acting tolerant. I'm getting tired of writing letters to the editor or calling and faxing my Congressman to effect any change. They all seem mute, and beholden to foreign special interests. There doesn't seem to be any leadership on the horizon and this administration’s answer to solve our problems, is to go shopping.
Wow, now that's a consoling revelation to secure our liberty. Go shopping to improve our economy, which is chugging along despite millions of American citizens being laid off, then replaced by illegal foreign invaders.

Okay George, I'm going to take your advice.

I'm going to run right out and buy me a brand new Chevy... then I'm going to try and ram it up your ass - just like you are trying to ram your Comprehensive Immigration Reform scheme up the ass of American citizens.

Federal Observer contributing columnist Rick Biesada hosts Perspectives On Our Heritage - The Angry White Male Hour over Radio Station WJJG 1530 AM, Chicago's Hometown station, Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM Central Time. Send Rick an email at Rickb@angry-white-male.com. Rick is the co-founder of The Chicago Minuteman Project.
way.

Want to comment directly to Fred?
E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Did you know?
The "A Citizen's Voice" website has FREE online chat and forums, podcasts and more!

This blog is published by and reflects the personal views of Fred Flannigan and other guest contributors. It does not represent the views of WKRS 1220AM NEXT Media, WLIP 1050AM NEXT Media, or WRLR 98.3FM RONDARADIO and is not sponsored or endorsed by these organizations, its clients or partners. The purpose of this site is to assist in dissemination and discussion of information about local, national and world issues from Lenny Palmer's perspective. The information contained in this site is provided only as general information for educational and entertainment purposes, and topics may or may not be updated subsequent to their initial posting. By using this site you understand and agree to this disclaimer.

FOX Snooze

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:51:46 GMT

FOX Snooze
Fred Flannigan
3/19/07

Apparently the world has now discovered that the inappropriately named FOX News is in reality, FOX Views. You’re surprised? I thought so.

Yes, sadly I must report that FOX News really isn’t a news organization at all; it is simply the propaganda arm of the RNC. FOX Views employees are distraught at their outing, in fact rumor has it that Roger Ailes, Reich minister for Propaganda, er I mean Fox Views president, in the days following this discovery, aimlessly wandered the Fox Views corridors, openly weeping on his autographed pic of old Joe Goebbels. Poor Roger, he has even been reduced to begging candidates not to back out of debates sponsored by FOX Views, and as a show of good faith has promised to refrain from any jokes equating Osama to Obama.

There can be no questioning the impact FOX Views has had on television news. Executives at competing networks began the process of dumbing down newsrooms at almost the same time FOX Views ratings began to skyrocket. In fact most news executives will admit openly that they prefer to employ second rate hack reporters, news anchors who can make the news up as they go, and pundits who couldn’t predict rain in the middle of the monsoon season. They have concluded that this is the only way to compete for the FOX Views demographic. This begs a question however. Why would anyone want to appeal to the Fox Views demographic?

None of this is news to anyone who has followed media in this country over the last decade. Fox earned its’ reputation by preaching to the choir, but Fox has picked up the scent of hard times ahead and suddenly Roger Ailes wants to talk about journalistic responsibility. I certainly applaud his sentiment; journalistic integrity is paramount in a free and democratic society. Let’s hope that Mr. Ailes, will begin to practice what he preaches by requiring a bit of integrity from his very own Fox Views staff, I just might listen to his sermon then.

For your viewing pleasure and enjoyment feel free to browse a bit of Fox Views videos:

www.welcome-to-pottersville.blogspot.com/2007/03/fox-news-at-its-finest.html

www.foxattacks.com/obama/

Want to comment directly to Fred?
E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Did you know?
The "A Citizen's Voice" website has FREE online chat and forums, podcasts and more!

This blog is published by and reflects the personal views of Fred Flannigan and other guest contributors. It does not represent the views of WKRS 1220AM NEXT Media, WLIP 1050AM NEXT Media, or WRLR 98.3FM RONDARADIO and is not sponsored or endorsed by these organizations, its clients or partners. The purpose of this site is to assist in dissemination and discussion of information about local, national and world issues from Lenny Palmer's perspective. The information contained in this site is provided only as general information for educational and entertainment purposes, and topics may or may not be updated subsequent to their initial posting. By using this site you understand and agree to this disclaimer.

Neo-Con Watch

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 23:17:50 GMT

Neo-Con Watch

Fred Flannigan
3/13/07

Thanks to Bob from Lake for the many neo-con pieces he sends me. The latest piece from salon.com, gives you some indication of who and what these policy smurfs really are. It’s frightening to me that anyone listens to these rosy cheeked, gray flannel wearing, little panty boys. Even more frightening though is that our President not only listens to, but implements many of the policy initiatives these “legacy” lizards come up with. The Neo Cons, led by people like Robert Kagan, Bill Kristol, and their daddy’s have, through publications such as the Weekly Standard, (a must read for all wannabe rosy cheeked chicken-hawk internationalists), and policy mills like the American Enterprise Institute, (short for I suffer from societal dysfunction), have managed to influence foreign policy for the better part of a decade now, much to the detriment of my country.

These are men, and in all sincerity I use that term very-very loosely, who live in a world dominated by their concern for profit. Key of course to these potential profits is the exporting of democracy by force, (seems a contradiction to me), in order to spur even longer term business investment and profit potential for American corporations. It matters little to them that real Americans pay with real blood for their skewed and treasonous visions.

The coup de grace of course, is the creation of an imperial Presidency. They much prefer a system of government where all power comes from, and emanates to the executive, preferably an executive of their choosing. This isn’t conjecture, read the bios of the leading Neo-Cons in this county, and judge their works. They care little for American sovereignty, their patriotism is an open question, and their allegiances seem to be to everything and everyone but America and its’ citizens.

While they have been exposed by their dysfunctional and dangerous policies, its time to discredit and destroy these malevolent little pricks before they regroup. Maybe we could ask them to show us how much they really support the “Surge” by spending a few months with an U.S. Army unit patrolling the streets of Baghdad, instead of sending our sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers to do it for them, fortunately for the Neo-Cons, that would require something they have in short supply, COURAGE.

Want to comment directly to Fred?
E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Did you know?
The "A Citizen's Voice" website has FREE online chat and forums, podcasts and more!

This blog is published by and reflects the personal views of Lenny Palmer and other guest contributors. It does not represent the views of WKRS 1220AM NEXT Media, WLIP 1050AM NEXT Media, or WRLR 98.3FM RONDARADIO and is not sponsored or endorsed by these organizations, its clients or partners. The purpose of this site is to assist in dissemination and discussion of information about local, national and world issues from Lenny Palmer's perspective. The information contained in this site is provided only as general information for educational and entertainment purposes, and topics may or may not be updated subsequent to their initial posting. By using this site you understand and agree to this disclaimer.

Good Shows, Great Guests

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:05:11 GMT

Good Shows, Great Guests
Fred Flannigan
1/2/07

This week will find two great guests appearing on A Citizens Voice. Tuesday night we will have Greg Davis who directed and produced the movie; "Islam: What the West Needs to Know", he has also written a new book titled; "Religion of Peace? Islam's War Aginst the World" You can check Greg's work out at http://www.whatthewestneedstoknow.com/

Greg will join us Tuesday night for your questions.

Thursday we will have on Jerome Corsi. Mr. Corsi is probably the the pre-emininet authority on the implementatrion of the North American Union and has written exhaustavely on both the NAU and illegal immigration. Mr. Corsi has also written and co-authored several books and writes regularly for World Net Daily and Human Events. His biography is much too long to list here so I have included his Wikipedia link for you to check out www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Corsi

Stay tuned to A Citizens Voice on WKRS 1220 for these and other important guests. I will continue work hard in getting guests on who can discuss the issues that affect American citizens. Again thats WKRS 1220 am on your radio dial, and on the internet at www.WKRS.com from 6-8pm Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Want to comment directly to Fred? E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

The Bi-Polar Express

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:04:52 GMT

THE BI-POLAR EXPRESS
Fred Flannigan
1/1/07

I have always been a strong proponent of the old maxim: "You don’t always get what you want but you usually get what you need", and the last ten days of holiday celebration have served to prove to me once again just how true this is. I’m way past the point in my life where I long for material goodies; I find myself, more then anything, longing for quiet time. Time to reflect, time to veg out, time to catch up, time to de-stress, time to remember just who the hell I am and what the hell I’m doing. By the middle of December the anticipation of "my time" was unbearable. I could no longer concentrate on work, I begged off as my wife discussed menus, gifts, and last minute details, choosing instead to plan this long awaited downtime... enter reality.

December, usually the slowest month of the year in my industry, instead turned into one of the busiest. Plans for a few days off before the Christmas weekend turned into trying to steal a few hours on Thursday and Friday as we tried to cover for several co-workers who were smart enough to plan their vacation time a year ago. With out of town house guests scheduled to arrive early Sunday morning our house cleaning logistics were firmly in place, ooops, I forgot about the two-day babysitting marathon for our two year old granddaughter and a last minute trip to the grocery store. We managed to get a few rooms cleaned Friday night, before putting baby Emma to bed and then collapsing beside her. Oh well, it was only Friday night and I would manage to find some down time on Saturday. The thought lasted a few glorious seconds before I remembered, with some "relative" dread, Saturday was my in-laws annual Christmas party.

A word about baby Emma, I love that little girl to death, but she keeps the hours of a drunken dairy farmer. Up at the crack of dawn and to bed at last call if you’re lucky. So of course, we were up at the crack of dawn on Saturday, right to the kitchen for Emma’s daily waffle and to baking and cooking for my wife. We managed to get to the party 30 minutes late, but it was within an hour of the start time so I like to say we were on time. Proceed to perfunctory party stuff with the in-laws, packed the car up and home by 5pm. Still time to clean.

It never ceases to amaze me at how dirty a house can get with just two people and a dog living there. We cleaned floors, woodwork, bathrooms, blinds and even a few windows, and we managed to get it all done by 3am. Ahhh, my bed and finally some sweet, sweet, downtime, until I realized after climbing into bed that baby Emma was sleeping between my wife and I. Sleep came quickly and I barely noticed as baby Emma practiced Tai-Bo in her sleep for the next 3 hours, landing almost every kick squarely between my shoulder blades.

Sunday morning, Christmas Eve, we actually slept late; I don’t think we dragged ourselves out of bed until 7. Our house guests, "my daughter and her family", had arrived early and the house was already full when we got up. But no time to think about that now, we had Christmas Eve dinner to prepare, food to pick up at Milena’s and last minute gifts to wrap. Baby Emma was back with mom, and on her way to visit her other grandpa, my other three grandchildren were busy doing whatever it is that 9, 10, and 13 year-olds do, the house was clean, food was ready and a houseful of guests were here and presumably happy, all of a sudden I have some time to myself... now if I could just decide what to do with it. Unfortunately that had already been determined.

My wife is seldom if ever sick, but hey it was Christmas and the flu after all had been absent from our home for many years. By 10pm Christmas Eve, my wife was in full sick mode, bucket and towels nearby, lights off in her room, Tylenol at the ready, and a well worn path to the bathroom already noticeable. The rest of the house was quiet, three bedrooms full of guests, and all prepared for Christmas morning, I was actually able to get to bed by midnight.

Christmas morning arrives, my wife still sick in bed, four grandchildren waiting to rip through the wrapping paper, and me trying to figure out how the hell dinner for 20 was going to get done. Up to the family room, gifts at the ready, the kids had a blast, gift cards and skate boards flying, Emma wandering off to a corner with her new favorite toy, my other granddaughter Summer in another corner checking out the newest i-pod accessory, grandsons River and Levi, ready to head out the door for some winter skateboarding. Everyone of course was saddened a bit by Mom and Granma’s absence from the Christmas morning ritual, but overall they all seemed happy and content.

Christmas dinner turned out to be a model of efficiency, no disasters; it actually went smoothly and arrived on the dining room table by 5pm as promised. With everyone well fed and relaxed I stood in the kitchen cleaning up, with an ear to the dining room. As I listened to the arguments, the laughter, those short silent pauses in conversations where a breath is taken and a thought is gathered, and most of all as I listened with great joy to the voices of happy-giggling children running through the house I realized that I was getting what I needed, not what I wanted, but what I needed.

Four generations under foot, sharing the love, the warmth, the thoughts, and the memories we all have and enjoying the "time" our family had together. It wasn’t some abstract self contemplative quiet retreat from the world that I sought, it was the much too crazy, way too harried, grandkids are screaming, wife is sick, children arguing again, house bursting at the seams, dinner late, breakfast cold, laughing, loving, caring family "time" that I have missed so much over the last year.

Its News Years day now, and for most of the last ten days my whole family had been home and together again. Our house is once again quiet and back to normal, and I am today engaged in that weird emotional tug of war between great relief and mild despair because once again, the house is quiet and back to normal.

Want to comment directly to Fred? E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

A New Alliance

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:05:45 GMT

A New Alliance
by Fred Flannigan

Given the current miserable state of party politics in this country I may have to recalibrate my distaste/mistrust-o-meter if the Democrats, as suggested in the following article from The New Republic, and figure out a way to make their current courtship of Libertarians blossom into full fledged romance. I certainly don’t hold out much hope that the Democratic Party, whose governing style is based on guilt and blame, can form a legitimate alliance with Libertarians for whom personal responsibility is a mantra, but it is at least an interesting possibility and one that should worry even the most hard core religio-Republican adherents. The New Republic should have re-titled this article,” How the West was Lost”.

The Republican establishment, which at this point consists almost exclusively of Neo-Clowns and Evangelicals will simply file this useful bit of intelligence under “They’ll Come Home Soon”. What the Republican establishment hasn’t figured out is that Libertarians no longer feel welcome in “your” home. At 13% of the electorate, 14,000,000-16,000,000 strong and growing, Libertarians will decide the fate of both parties in future elections and won’t go where they're not wanted. I know Republicans will pooh pooh the suggestion of such an alliance, but go ahead... ignore it and then call me in 10 years when your party has been reduced to permanent minority status. Enjoy the article and remember, “It’s the principles stupid”.

Liberaltarians
by Brink Lindsey

Brink Lindsey is vice president for research and author of The Age of Abundance: How Prosperity Transformed America's Politics and Culture, which will be published this spring.

The conservative movement--and, with it, the GOP--is in disarray. Specifically, the movement's "fusionist" alliance between traditionalists and libertarians appears, at long last, to be falling apart. To understand what's happening, look at the Democratic gains made in previously Republican strongholds on Election Day. In "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire, both House seats--as well as control of both houses of the state legislature--flipped from the GOP to the Democratic column. Out in the interior West, Jon Tester squeaked past Conrad Burns in the Montana Senate race, while other Democrats picked up a House seat in Colorado (along with the governorship) and two more in Arizona. These parts of the country are all known for their individualism and suspicion of officialdom--in short, for their libertarian sympathies.

Libertarian disaffection should come as no surprise. Despite the GOP's rhetorical commitment to limited government, the actual record of unified Republican rule in Washington has been an unmitigated disaster from a libertarian perspective: runaway federal spending at a clip unmatched since Lyndon Johnson; the creation of a massive new prescription-drug entitlement with hardly any thought as to how to pay for it; expansion of federal control over education through the No Child Left Behind Act; a big run-up in farm subsidies; extremist assertions of executive power under cover of fighting terrorism; and, to top it all off, an atrociously bungled war in Iraq.

This woeful record cannot simply be blamed on politicians failing to live up to their conservative principles. Conservatism itself has changed markedly in recent years, forsaking the old fusionist synthesis in favor of a new and altogether unattractive species of populism. The old formulation defined conservatism as the desire to protect traditional values from the intrusion of big government; the new one seeks to promote traditional values through the intrusion of big government. Just look at the causes that have been generating the real energy in the conservative movement of late: building walls to keep out immigrants, amending the Constitution to keep gays from marrying, and imposing sectarian beliefs on medical researchers and families struggling with end-of-life decisions.

As a string of recent books attests, the conservative embrace of a right-wing Leviathan has left libertarian-minded intellectuals feeling left out in the cold. Bruce Bartlett, a Treasury Department official in the Reagan and Bush I administrations, blasted Bush II in Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (and got fired from his conservative think tank for his efforts). Cato Institute scholar Stephen Slivinski followed up with Buck Wild, an exposé of GOP fiscal incontinence. In The Elephant in the Room, New York Post columnist Ryan Sager bemoaned the rise of big-government conservatism and warned that excessive pandering to evangelicals would rupture the movement. And, most recently, The New Republic's own Andrew Sullivan denounced the right's fundamentalist turn in The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back.

Libertarian-leaning voters started drifting away from the GOP even before Katrina, civil war in Iraq, and Mark Foley launched the general stampede. In their recent Cato-published study "The Libertarian Vote," David Boaz and David Kirby analyzed polling data from Gallup, the American National Election Studies, and the Pew Research Center and concluded that 13 percent of the population, or 28 million voting-age Americans, can be fairly classified as libertarian-leaning. Back in 2000, this group voted overwhelmingly for Bush, supporting him over Al Gore by a 72-20 margin. By 2004, however, John Kerry--whose only discernible libertarian credential was that he wasn't George W. Bush--got 38 percent of the libertarian vote, while Bush's support fell to 59 percent. Congressional races showed a similar trend. In 2002, libertarians favored Republican House candidates by a 70-23 spread and Republican Senate candidates by a 74-15 margin. Things tightened up considerably in 2004, though, as the GOP edge fell to 53-44 in House races and 54-43 in Senate contests.

To date, Democrats have made inroads with libertarian voters primarily by default. Yes, it's true that Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos fame caused something of a stir by proposing the term "Libertarian Democrat" to describe his favored breed of progressive. And the most prominent examples of his would-be movement--first-term Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana, fellow Montanan Tester, and Virginia Senator-elect Jim Webb--have sounded some libertarian themes by being simultaneously pro-choice and pro-gun rights. At the same time, however, their anti-nafta, Wal-Mart-bashing economic populism is anathema to free-market supporters.

In short, if Democrats hope to continue appealing to libertarian-leaning voters, they are going to have to up their game. They need to ask themselves: Are we content with being a brief rebound fling for jilted libertarians, or do we want to form a lasting relationship? Let me make a case for the second option.

Since the late '60s, and especially the mid-'80s, torrents of words have been spilled urging Democrats to move toward the center of the political spectrum. Most such efforts, however, have advanced one compromise or another between progressivism-as-usual and conservatism-as-usual--a few more items from Menu A here, a few more from Menu B there.

But the real problem with our politics today is that the prevailing ideological categories are intellectually exhausted. Conservatism has risen to power only to become squalid and corrupt, a Nixonian mélange of pandering to populist prejudices and distributing patronage to well-off cronies and Red Team constituencies. Liberalism, meanwhile, has never recovered from its fall from grace in the mid-'60s. Ever since, it has lacked the vitality to do more than check conservative excesses--and obstruct legitimate, conservative-led progress. As a governing philosophy, liberalism has been moribund: When Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton managed to win the White House, they did so only by successfully avoiding the liberal stigma.

Today's ideological turmoil, however, has created an opening for ideological renewal--specifically, liberalism's renewal as a vital governing philosophy. A refashioned liberalism that incorporated key libertarian concerns and insights could make possible a truly progressive politics once again--not progressive in the sense of hewing to a particular set of preexisting left-wing commitments, but rather in the sense of attuning itself to the objective dynamics of U.S. social development. In other words, a politics that joins together under one banner the causes of both cultural and economic progress.

Conservative fusionism, the defining ideology of the American right for a half-century, was premised on the idea that libertarian policies and traditional values are complementary goods. That idea still retains at least an intermittent plausibility--for example, in the case for school choice as providing a refuge for socially conservative families. But an honest survey of the past half-century shows a much better match between libertarian means and progressive ends. Most obviously, many of the great libertarian breakthroughs of the era--the fall of Jim Crow, the end of censorship, the legalization of abortion, the liberalization of divorce laws, the increased protection of the rights of the accused, the reopening of immigration--were championed by the political left.

Furthermore, it has become increasingly clear that capitalism's relentless dynamism and wealth-creation--the institutional safeguarding of which lies at the heart of libertarian concerns--have been pushing U.S. society in a decidedly progressive direction. The civil rights movement was made possible by the mechanization of agriculture, which pushed blacks off the farm and out of the South with immense consequences. Likewise, feminism was encouraged by the mechanization of housework. Greater sexual openness, as well as heightened interest in the natural environment, are among the luxury goods that mass affluence has purchased. So, too, are secularization and the general decline in reverence for authority, as rising education levels (prompted by the economy's growing demand for knowledge workers) have promoted increasing independence of mind.

Yet progressives remain stubbornly resistant to embracing capitalism, their great natural ally. In particular, they are unable to make their peace with the more competitive, more entrepreneurial, more globalized U.S. economy that emerged out of the stagflationary mess of the 1970s. Knee-jerk antipathy to markets and the creative destruction they bring continues to be widespread, and bitter denunciations of the unfairness of the system, mixed with nostalgia for the good old days of the Big Government/Big Labor/Big Business triumvirate, too often substitute for clear thinking about realistic policy options.

Hence today's reactionary politics. Here, in the first decade of the twenty-first century, the rival ideologies of left and right are both pining for the '50s. The only difference is that liberals want to work there, while conservatives want to go home there.

Can a new, progressive fusionism break out of the current rut? Liberals and libertarians already share considerable common ground, if they could just see past their differences to recognize it. Both generally support a more open immigration policy. Both reject the religious right's homophobia and blastocystophilia. Both are open to rethinking the country's draconian drug policies. Both seek to protect the United States from terrorism without gratuitous encroachments on civil liberties or extensions of executive power. And underlying all these policy positions is a shared philosophical commitment to individual autonomy as a core political value.

The central challenge in cementing a new fusionist alliance--and, make no mistake, it is a daunting one--is to elaborate a vision of economic policy, and policy reform, that both liberals and libertarians can support. Here, again, both sides seek to promote individual autonomy; but their conceptions differ as to the chief threats to that autonomy. Libertarians worry primarily about constraints imposed by government, while liberals worry most about constraints imposed by birth and the play of economic forces.

The basic outlines of a viable compromise are clear enough. On the one hand, restrictions on competition and burdens on private initiative would be lifted to encourage vigorous economic growth and development. At the same time, some of the resulting wealth-creation would be used to improve safety-net policies that help those at the bottom and ameliorate the hardships inflicted by economic change. Translating such abstractions into workable policy doubtlessly would be contentious. But the most difficult thing here is not working out details--it is agreeing to try. And, as part of that, agreeing on how to make the attempt: namely, by treating economic policy issues as technical, empirical questions about what does and doesn't work, rather than as tests of ideological commitment.

Allow me to hazard a few more specific suggestions about what a liberal-libertarian entente on economics might look like. Let's start with the comparatively easy stuff: farm subsidies and other corporate welfare. Progressive organizations like Oxfam and the Environmental Working Group have already joined with free-market groups in pushing for ag-policy reform. And it's no wonder, since the current subsidy programs act as a regressive tax on low-income families here at home while depressing prices for exporters in poor countries abroad--and, to top it off, the lion's share of the loot goes to big agribusiness, not family farmers. Meanwhile, the president of Cato and the executive director of the Sierra Club have come out together in favor of a zero-subsidy energy policy. A nascent fusionism on these issues already exists; it merely needs encouragement and emphasis.

Tax reform also offers the possibility of win-win bargains. The basic idea is simple: Shift taxes away from things we want more of and onto things we want less of. Specifically, cut taxes on savings and investment, cut payroll taxes on labor, and make up the shortfall with increased taxation of consumption. Go ahead, tax the rich, but don't do it when they're being productive. Tax them instead when they're splurging--by capping the deductibility of home-mortgage interest and tax incentives for purchasing health insurance. And tax everybody's energy consumption. All taxes impose costs on the economy, but at least energy taxes carry the silver lining of encouraging conservation--plus, because such taxes exert downward pressure on world oil prices, foreign oil monopolies would wind up getting stuck with part of the bill. Here again, fusionism is already in the air. Gore has proposed a straight-up swap of payroll taxes for carbon taxes, while Harvard economist (and former chairman of George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers) Greg Mankiw has been pushing for an increase in the gasoline tax.

Entitlement reform is probably the most difficult problem facing would-be fusionists. Here, libertarians' core commitments to personal responsibility and economy in government run headlong into progressives' core commitments to social insurance and an adequate safety net. Yet a fusionist synthesis is possible nevertheless, for the simple reason that some kind of compromise is ultimately unavoidable.

With millions already dependent on the current programs, and with baby boomers beginning to retire in just a couple of years, libertarians' dreams of dramatically shrinking federal spending are flatly unrealizable for many years to come. But liberals must face some hard facts as well. Spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security is now projected to increase from about 9 percent of GDP today to approximately 15 percent by 2030. Already, spending on the elderly consumes more than a third of the federal budget, and the fun is just getting started. If a fiscal crisis is to be averted, if economic growth is to be sustained, and if there is to be any money left to fund domestic programs for people under 65, the federal safety net is going to have to be recast.

One possible path toward constructive compromise lies in taking the concept of social insurance seriously. Insurance, to be worthy of the name, involves the pooling of funds to protect against risky contingencies; "social" insurance fulfills the same basic function but makes the government the insurer. Unemployment insurance is a species of legitimate social insurance; wage insurance, much talked about, would also qualify. But Social Security and Medicare as currently administered are not social insurance in any meaningful sense, because reaching retirement age and having health care expenses in old age are not risky, insurable events. On the contrary, in our affluent society, they are near certainties.

We can have true social insurance while maintaining fiscal soundness and economic vibrancy: We can fund the Earned Income Tax Credit and other programs for the poor; we can fund unemployment insurance and other programs for people dislocated by capitalism's creative destruction; we can fund public pensions for the indigent elderly; we can fund public health care for the poor and those faced with catastrophic expenses. What we cannot do is continue to fund universal entitlement programs that slosh money from one section of the middle class (people of working age) to another (the elderly)--not when most Americans are fully capable of saving for their own retirement needs. Instead, we need to move from the current pay-as-you-go approach to a system in which private savings would provide primary funding for the costs of old age.

These are only suggestions, meant to start conversations and debates. If a new kind of fusionism is to have any chance for success, it must aim beyond the specifics of particular, present-day controversies. It must be based on a real intellectual movement, with intellectual coherence. A movement that, at the philosophical level, seeks some kind of reconciliation between Hayek and Rawls.

If such an exploration could be launched, liberal and libertarian thinkers would begin talking with one another and engaging one another regularly. Over time, they would come to see themselves as joined in a common endeavor. And, in the shared identity that would emerge, there would be plenty of room for continuing disagreements, even sharp ones, just as there is in any robust political movement.

Can liberals and libertarians really learn to work together? I don't know, but their alternative is most probably to languish separately.

This article appeared in the New Republic online on December 4, 2006.

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Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Thursday Nights Guest

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:06:43 GMT

A Citizens Voice

Thursday nights guest

You have to check this one out

Kevin Barrett, prominent, and now infamous member of Scholars for 9/11 truth, will be a guest on “A Citizens Voice”, Thursday, November 30^th from 6-8 pm. Hang on to your hats for this one. It promises to be raucous and I’m sure infuriating to some. Check it out at WKRS 1220 AM or at WKRS.com

Kevin Barretts bio, courtesy of Wikipedia follows:

Kevin James Barrett (born February 1959) is an associate lecturer and 9/11 conspiracy theorist.^[1]

Barrett currently holds a one-semester appointment as an associate lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.^[2] He is scheduled to teach an introductory class on Islam, in which he plans to spend one week or two weeks of the 16-week class teaching about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack and the War on Terrorism. Controversy erupted when it became known Barrett was planning to incorporate conspiracy theories into his lectures.^[3] It has since been determined by an internal university probe that "although Mr. Barrett presented a variety of viewpoints, he had not discussed his personal opinions in the classroom." ^[4] Kevin Barrett is a member of the Scholars for 9/11 Truth.^[5]

Early life

Barrett was born in 1959 to Peter Barrett, an Olympic athlete (sailing: silver medal in Finns in 1964, gold medal in Stars in 1968), one of the founders of North Sails (then and now a world leader in sail-making technology) and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater professor in business and accounting.^[6] In the early 1990s, Kevin Barrett received master's degrees in both English literature and French from the San Francisco State University and married a Moroccan-born Muslim woman.^[7] He converted to Islam in 1992.^[8]

Barrett returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995. He received a Fulbright Scholarship in 1999 to study a year in Morocco. He received a Ph.D. in African languages and literature with a minor in folklore from the University of Wisconin-Madison in 2004, focusing his dissertation on the topic of Moroccan legend.^[7][2] ^[9] Barrett has taught English, French, Arabic, American Civilization, Humanities, African Literature, Folklore, and Islam at colleges and universities in the San Francisco Bay area, Paris, and Madison, Wisconsin.^[8]

Controversy

Barrett first drew attention to his views by writing letters to the editor of the Madison Capital Times and Wisconsin State Journal, in which he claimed that Muslims had nothing to do with the attacks: "As a Ph.D. Islamologist and Arabist I really hate to say this, but I'll say it anyway: 9/11 had nothing to do with Islam. The war on terror is as phony as the latest Osama bin Laden tape."^[10] Barrett has also asserted that other purported terrorist attacks, including the July 7, 2005, London bombing, and the March 11, 2004, Madrid bombing, were the actions of a "special wing of, probably, U.S. or western military intelligence," and not Islamic terrorists.

Following a June 28, 2006 talk radio segment on WTMJ, Barrett's views came to the attention of Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, U.S. Representative Mark Green, and State Representative Stephen L. Nass. After conducting a 10-day review of Barrett's past teaching and plans for the class, UW-Madison Provost Patrick Farrell determined that Barrett was fit to teach. Barrett told the Provost that his course will spend one week examining current issues, such as viewpoints on the war on terror which will be based on the discussion on readings representing a variety of viewpoints.^[2]

On July 11, 2006, Barrett appeared on the television show "The O'Reilly Factor", and the show's host, Bill O'Reilly, said about Barrett, "This guy would have been gone at Boston University, my alma mater, in a heartbeat. The Chancellor there, John Silber, would have--would have--this guy'd be in the Charles River floating down, you know, toward the harbor." In response, Barrett filed a complaint with the FCC.^[11] Barrett has written a largely autobiographical book covering the controversy, entitled "Truth Jihad: My Epic Struggle against the 9/11 Big Lie," scheduled for release by Progressive Press in early 2007.

Want to comment directly to Fred? E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Time To Wake Up

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:07:10 GMT

Time To Wake Up

My month long sabbatical, actually my month long bout of lethargy, has officially ended. I am rejuvenated, refreshed, reinvigorated, reassembled, and recommitted. Yes, yes, I know I’ve been slacking for a while but its time to get back to work. I am putting an, ( in my estimation), impressive list of guests together for “A Citizens Voice” radio show, I am in the process of getting guest bloggers to post daily on the website, and just today I was given a 3^rd day each week on the radio, (Mondays). In addition to all that, I am writing a short collection of sonnets that will rival anything Will Shakespeare ever penned, and I am currently putting the finishing touches on a new automobile engine that runs on hot air.

Ok, I’m lying about the engine thing, oh yeah, I’m lying about the sonnet thing too, but everything else is gospel.

I will once again fire up that justifiable anger and I hope it shines through, both here and on the radio show. Let me clarify, anger is not the same as hatred, I don’t hate, but I am damn mad about the direction our country is headed in, mad about the collection of inept liars, losers, and crooks who run our country, angry at a citizenry that refuses to use the one hammer they have been given to fight back against this national malaise, their voice, angry about the pundits and panderers who contribute to, then profit from this malaise, angry at the special interest butt kissers and bootlickers who have chosen profit over patriotism, and finally I’m angry at all those, (including myself), who while away precious time and creativity engaging in ridiculous abstract political arguments, leaving real issues untouched. Its time to get one thing, just one thing accomplished one thing that will somehow improve our country, our culture, or our lives. To that end I am going to continue to use my time, my voice, my energy, my anger, and what little bit of creativity I have to change just “one thing”.

Wake up America, put your remotes down, kick your Play Stations under the couch, forget the “things” and start to focus on issues. Let’s change something, anything, just “one thing”.

Want to comment directly to Fred? E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

They Don't Know How to Deal With It

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:07:37 GMT

Dobbs: I'm a populist, deal with it

By Lou Dobbs

CNN

Editor's note: Lou Dobbs' commentary appears every Wednesday on CNN.com.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- The Democratic victory last week has our political elites in both parties and in the national media squealing like stuck pigs. Way to go, America, we may be on the way.

It seems nothing frightens our free trade and pro-illegal immigration orthodoxies more than putting the common good and the national interest above dominant special interests, corporate America and, of course, our darling elites in both political parties and the media.

The Bush administration long ago took polemics and false choices to a high art form. On the issue of the war in Iraq, this administration has starkly defined our choices, until recently, as "stay the course" or "cut and run." Any critic of our conduct of this war, like me, has been declared unpatriotic. Any critic of this administration's faith-based economic policies that drive its free-trade agenda, like me, has been labeled an economic isolationist.

But now the name-calling and labeling is reaching a new level, and from all quarters. The political, business and media elites have called me a "table-thumping protectionist" because I want balanced and mutual trade, because I want this country to export as much as it imports. They've called me a racist, nativist xenophobe because, in order to win the war on terror, the war on drugs and to stop illegal immigration, I want our borders and ports secured.

Over the past week, pundits and savants of both the left and the right have been trying to simultaneously define me and the newly elected Democratic victors in the Senate and the House by accusing us of being populists. What a dirty little word. Horrifying.

I admit to being, among many other things, a proponent of populism. But I do believe my critics should look up the definition before they sling the word at me like a filthy epithet. On second thought, it may be to them, because a populist is, after all, nothing more than "a supporter of the rights and the power of the people." In fact, I'm a damn proud populist.

Since the election, there's been an incredible confluence of one of the nation's most liberal online magazines -- Slate -- with one of the world's most traditional establishment newspapers -- The Financial Times -- to decry what Slate columnist Jacob Weisberg calls the ascension of the "Lou Dobbs Democrats."

Weisberg decries what he sees as my "economic nationalism" and instructs us that such nationalism "begins from the populist premise that working people aren't doing so well. But instead of blaming the rich at home, it focuses its energy on the poor abroad."

The Financial Times also published Weisberg's column, obviously equally unsettled with the possible turnaround in the new Congress, which could inconveniently lead to some mild discomfort for the Times' corporate masters and some marginal improvement in the lives of America's middle class.

Both Slate and The Financial Times resist saying what I've been saying loudly and clearly: We're in a class war, and our middle class is losing, and losing badly. But I do blame and have blamed the rich, corporate America and our political elites in both parties who have permitted the unabated assault on middle-class working men and women and their families. And by God, I hope they're right about the Lou Dobbs Democrats, and I hope they find some Lou Dobbs Republicans in the fight to return our government to the people.

I have never blamed the poor of Mexico, China or India for corporate America's avarice and our political elites' cowardice. I blame us for forgetting that the United States is first a nation, and secondly a marketplace or an economy, and I blame us for being taken as fools by both political parties for far too long. It is not nationalism by any stretch of the imagination for me to remind those in power that our political system, our great democracy, makes possible our free-enterprise economy, and not vice versa as the elites continually propagandize.

From the right, The Weekly Standard lamented that the Lou Dobbs Democrats "didn't just attack the GOP's corruption and malfeasance; they embraced a more thoroughgoing economic populism...." The conservative Standard is obviously more upset that the newly elected Democratic senators and congressmen want to focus not only on the corruption and incompetence of the Republicans, but -- God help us -- many of our new officeholders also actually want to see this great free-enterprise democracy work for all Americans. No wonder the orthodoxies on the left and the right are convulsing.

Human Events Online, another conservative publication, attacks my sincerity and conviction with the bizarre notion that because -- as it says -- I can "afford a bottle of Cristal or Dom Perignon" that my concern for the middle class is really nothing more than crocodile tears. Human Events didn't quite get the fact that as flawed as I am, as many mistakes as I've made in my life, the one thing I haven't done is forget that I was born poor, both parents working, and I've never forgotten those who have made my opportunities in this country possible.

Also disturbed by the perturbation in their political universe and liberal orthodoxy, Newsweek columnists Fareed Zakaria and Jonathan Alter attacked my positions on illegal immigration (I'm against it) and border security (I'm for it).

Zakaria refers to "CNN's Lou Dobbs and his angry band of xenophobes" and Jonathan Alter describes those who agree with me as "nativist Lou Dobbsians." But Alter and Zakaria are far too bright to not know better. I've never once called for a restriction on legal immigration -- in fact, I've called for an increase, if it can be demonstrated that as a matter of public policy the nation requires more than the one million people we bring into this country legally each year.

And what does it mean to be a nativist in the United States in the 21st century when ours is the most ethnically and racially diverse society on the face of the earth? Both Alter and Zakaria are smart enough to know the answer to that question, and they know better than to write such drivel. Neither Zakaria or Alter can substantiate their disappointing attempts at labels with a single thing I've ever said or written. I say what I mean and I mean what I say.

What we all need to be about now is honesty and forthrightness. And the truth is, our political, business and media elites have abandoned the cornerstone of this great nation: equality of rights, equality of economic opportunity and equality of educational opportunity.

And, yes, I'm an ardent and fervent believer in the first three words of that radical populist document, which begins with the words "We the People."

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer.

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Stalking America

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:08:04 GMT

CHINA SUB STALKED U.S. FLEET

By Bill Gertz

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

A Chinese submarine stalked a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group in the Pacific last month and surfaced within firing range of its torpedoes and missiles before being detected, The Washington Times has learned.

The surprise encounter highlights China's continuing efforts to prepare for a future conflict with the U.S., despite Pentagon efforts to try to boost relations with Beijing's communist-ruled military.

The submarine encounter with the USS Kitty Hawk and its accompanying warships also is an embarrassment to the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, Adm. William J. Fallon, who is engaged in an ambitious military exchange program with China aimed at improving relations between the two nations' militaries.

Disclosure of the incident comes as Adm. Gary Roughead, commander of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet, is making his first visit to China. The four-star admiral was scheduled to meet senior Chinese military leaders during the weeklong visit, which began over the weekend.

According to the defense officials, the Chinese Song-class diesel-powered attack submarine shadowed the Kitty Hawk undetected and surfaced within five miles of the carrier Oct. 26.

The surfaced submarine was spotted by a routine surveillance flight by one of the carrier group's planes.

The Kitty Hawk battle group includes an attack submarine and anti-submarine helicopters that are charged with protecting the warships from submarine attack.

According to the officials, the submarine is equipped with Russian-made wake-homing torpedoes and anti-ship cruise missiles.

The Kitty Hawk and several other warships were deployed in ocean waters near Okinawa at the time, as part of a routine fall deployment program. The officials said Chinese submarines rarely have operated in deep water far from Chinese shores or shadowed U.S. vessels.

A Pacific Command spokesman declined to comment on the incident, saying details were classified. Pentagon spokesmen also declined to comment.

The incident is a setback for the aggressive U.S.-China military exchange program being promoted by Adm. Fallon, who has made several visits to China in recent months in an attempt to develop closer ties.

However, critics of the program in the Pentagon say China has not reciprocated and continues to deny U.S. military visitors access to key facilities, including a Beijing command center.

In contrast, Chinese military visitors have been invited to military exercises and sensitive U.S. facilities. Additionally, military intelligence officials said Adm. Fallon has restricted U.S. intelligence-gathering activities against China, fearing that disclosure of the activities would upset relations with Beijing.

The restrictions are hindering efforts to know more about China's military buildup, the officials said. "This is a harbinger of a stronger Chinese reaction to America's military presence in East Asia," said Richard Fisher, a Chinese military specialist with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, who called the submarine incident alarming.

"Given the long range of new Chinese sub-launched anti-ship missiles and those purchased from Russia, this incident is very serious," he said. "It will likely happen again, only because Chinese submarine captains of 40 to 50 new modern submarines entering their navy will want to test their mettle against the 7th Fleet."

Pentagon intelligence officials say China's military buildup in recent years has produced large numbers of submarines and surface ships, seeking to control larger portions of international waters in Asia, a move U.S. officials fear could restrict the flow of oil from the Middle East to Asia in the future.

Between 2002 and last year, China built 14 new submarines, including new Song-class vessels and several other types, both diesel- and nuclear-powered.

Since 1996, when the United States dispatched two aircraft carrier battle groups to waters near Taiwan in a show of force, Beijing also has bought and built weapons designed specifically to attack U.S. aircraft carriers and other warships. "The Chinese have made it clear that they understand the importance of the submarine in any kind of offensive or defensive strategy to deal with a military conflict," an intelligence official said recently.

In late 2004, China dispatched a Han-class submarine to waters near Guam, Taiwan and Japan. Japan's military went on emergency alert after the submarine surfaced in Japanese waters.

Beijing apologized for the incursion. The Pentagon's latest annual report on Chinese military power stated that China is investing heavily in weapons designed "to interdict, at long ranges, aircraft carrier and expeditionary strike groups that might deploy to the western Pacific."

It could not be learned whether the U.S. government lodged a protest with China's government over the incident or otherwise raised the matter in official channels.

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This article was mailed from The Washington Times (http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20061113-121539-3317r.htm)

For more great articles, visit us at http://www.washingtontimes.com

Copyright (c) 2006 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Predictions, Predictions

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:08:28 GMT

OK, I asked for your predictions for Tuesday's elections, now you get mine.

Doyle-Wi. Governor

Blago-IL. Governor

Paul Ryan- 1st Cong. District WI.

Tammy Duckworth-6th Cong. District IL.

Melissa Bean-8th Cong. District IL.

Mark Kirk-10th Cong. District IL.

Mark Curran-Lake County Sheriff

Terry Link-30th District IL State Senate

Nationally:

Jon Tester-Democrat wins in the Montana senate race

Sherrod Brown-Democrat wins in the Ohio senate race

Bob Casey-Democrat wins in the Pennsylvania senate race

Jim Webb-Democrat wins in the Virginia senate race

Bob Corker-Republican wins in the Tennessee senate race

Clair McCaskill-Democrat wins in the Missouri senate race

Sheldon Whitehouse-Democrat wins Rhode Island senate race

The Democrats will control 26 Governorships on Wednesday morning

The Democrats will control 232 house seats on Wednesday morning

The Democrats will control 51 seats and control of the senate, when you include the 1 independent who caucuses with them.

Possible upset specials: Michael Steel Republican in Maryland and Jim Pederson, Democrat in Arizona.

Remember WKRS, 1220 AM for election night coverage and streaming on the internet at WKRS.com.

Want to comment directly to Fred? E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Election Night

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:08:55 GMT

Don't forget election night coverage on WKRS from 6-10pm Tuesday night. Phone lines will be open so call and bitch, call and crow, call and cry. Thats Tuesday night, WKRS, 1220 AM and streaming at WKRS.com. Check it out.

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Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Check out the Contest

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:09:20 GMT

MESSAGE FROM FRED:

OK all you amateur political prognosticators, here's your chance to play with the big boys and earn some cash. Imagine that, an election campaign where you, the citizen, will actually benefit.

The contest is as follows:

I'll give you 6 local races and 6 national senatorial races. Your job is simple, pick the most winners in the local races, and you win a $50.00 gift certificate to a local restaurant of your choice. Pick the most winners in the Senatorial contest and you win another $50.00 gift certificate to a local restaurant of your choice. You can pick in either category or both if you choose, and yes you can win both prizes if you're good enough. Let 'er roll. Just post your responses in the forum.

The races are as follow:

LOCAL RACES

Blago (Dem) (I) vs Topinka (Rep) challenger for Illinois Governor

Peter Roskam (Rep) vs Tammy Duckworth (Dem) open Rep. held seat in the Illinois 6th congressional district

Mark Kirk (Rep) (I) vs Dan Seals (Dem) challenger in the Illinois 10th congressional district

Melissa Bean (Dem) (I) vs David McSweeney (Rep) challenger in the Illinois 8th congressional district

Terry Link (Dem) (I) vs Chuck Fitzgerald (Rep) challenger for the Illinois State Senate, 30th district

Gary DelRe (Rep) (I) vs Mark Curran (Dem) challenger for the office of Lake County Sheriff

NATIONAL SENATORIAL RACES:

Rick Santorum (Rep) (I) vs Bob Casey (Dem) challenger for United States Senate from Pennsylvania

Mike Dewine (Rep) (I) vs Sherrod Brown (Dem) challenger for United States Senate from Ohio

George Allen (Rep) (I) vs Jim Webb (Dem) challenger for the United States Senate from Virginia

Bob Corker (Rep) vs Harold Ford (Dem) for open Republican held seat for the United States Senate from Tennessee

Conrad Burns (Rep) (I) vs Jon Tester (Dem) challenger for the United States Senate from Montana

Jim Talent (Rep) (I) vs Clair McCaskill (Dem) challenger for the United States Senate from Missouri

Dem=Democrat
Rep =Republican
I = Incumbent

Go to forums:Local and Internet Radio/ A Citizens Voice and post your answers there in the contest thread.

The contest ends Monday 11-6-06 at midnight.

Want to comment directly to Fred? E-mail Fred at fred@acitizensvoice.com
Fred Flannigan can be heard on WKRS 1220AM, Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 6-8pm

Why We Vote

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 00:09:06 GMT

Tuesday's Election

courtesy of Frankie Ann White

Stand Up and Be Counted, America's Fate Depends on YOU
Frankie Ann White

What does it mean? What is our destiny? Why is our country so divided and so apathetic? Who controls the voice of the U.S. Congress, both the House and Senate?

Let's take a look at the root of it all.

Big business lobbies control the voice in the U.S. Congress. The American citizen must vote in the November 7 election. It is now or never for us to take our stand. Once the election is over we must continue to voice our opinion and make sure that the elected officials we put in office listen and operate under the direction of the constituency.

When we go the store, whether it be grocery, clothing, hardware, software, computer components or whatever, the large majority of products are from anywhere but the USA. Buy American. It may cost a little more but you are assuring a job to your peers and a society based on capitalism which has survived over 200 years. If America is to survive as a society, as a country, we must quit outsourcing. Big business needs to pay the tab for the millions of illegal aliens that they employ. Support the small businesses that make up the backbone of our economy. Buy American and even better yet, buy local in your community or state.

We must not allow big business to force its agenda on us like the companies that are boldly supporting the gay agenda. Boycott these companies. That is the only way they will know that the public does not approve.

The media presents the negative side of the news and it is controlled by big business. How do we change this aspect? In recent weeks, the major news networks have seen signs of disgruntled patrons in the form of complaints on the news coverage of the election. Nothing changes when we, the citizens, sit by and complacently watch our freedoms legislated out of existence.

Stand up for the morals and ideals that our country was based upon. Yes, religious freedom was one of them but religious fanaticism and terrorism was not. Islam has an agenda which is to destroy us and our way of life. If Americans think it cannot happen, look at France and Spain.

The United States is an English speaking country. If you go to Central or South American countries, or to European ones for that matter you must file documents and take their tests for citizenship, driving and dozens of other necessities in the predominate language of that country. Any person seeking to be a citizen should have a basic knowledge of English to be naturalized.

In this election it is urgent that each of us look at what the candidates represent and vote our conscience, vote American.

Coming Tuesday

fred@acitizensvoice.com (Fred Flannigan) — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 23:55:25 GMT

I'm sure most of you are as excited as I am about Tuesdays elections....... not, or as Borat would say, I'm NOT excited about Tuesdays elections. Speaking of Borat, has anybody seen that movie yet? I saw clips and it looked hilarious. I have heard critics say this is the funniest movie ever made. I'm just not sure of the genre. Is it a docu-drama, a docu-comedy, what?

Anyway back to our own little docu-comedy which will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 7th. It occurs to me that no matter who wins, the citizens lose. We've got Republicans again staking their claim to the conservative and moral high ground, though judging by there works I think that's a claim open to intense debate, and probably deserving of derision. The hypocrisy in the Republican Party would be laughable if they weren't such a danger to this country.

My laundry list of Republican bullshit is long and detailed so I won't bore you with it all but I'll will give you 3 quickies.

The party of less government has doubled our national debt in 6 years, a national debt by the way that had taken our nation 220 years to accumulate. King George and his marionettes have (mis)-managed to double it in just 6. This is in effect a massive tax increase on future generations by the party of lower taxes and less spending.

Iraq. Need I say more? Yes actually I have to. True conservative values dictate a prudent and appropriate use of force, but only when we are presented with a true threat. Iraq was never that threat. Conservative values warn against nation building, exporting of empire, and military adventurism. Sounds sensible, conservative even, apparently King George and his marionettes didn't read that part of the manual.

Finally, and most importantly, a true conservative believes in the institutions and ideals upon which this country was founded. The conservative Republican congress has decided to abdicate power and entrust the King and his Men with complete executive authority. Again fellas it's in the manual, its called separation of power. We no longer have 3 branches of government we have one; it's called the Republican branch. All in all these conservatives are pretty pathetic in my humble estimation.

Lest you think this is an anti-Republican rant, let me remind you that the opposition party's only plan for the country is to shut up until Election Day hope voters miss the fact that they don't have a plan. The Democrats are a spineless bunch, more adept at "Oprah" style intervention and searching out their true spiritual centers, then running a country. With the Democrats in power we can look forward to an increase in taxes, (Charlie Rangel, soon to be head of the Ways and Means committee has already said he will vote against an extension of these cuts). You'll see two years of subpoenas and bureaucratic oversight for anything remotely connected to the Iraq war, while the people's true business takes a back seat. Actually all that needs to be said about the Democrats is Nancy Pelosi. Congresswoman Pelosi will be the new Speaker of the House, which means we should look forward to the full dose of SanFranciso liberalism at its worst. Nancy's skewed ideals will permeate the Democratic house ranks with plans for minimum wage increases, education spending increases, funding for all abortions, national health care, and absolution of all those citizens who don't know what personal responsibility means.

The unfortunate reality for the American citizen is the fact that parties continue to trump country. The biggest danger to our Democracy on Monday, will continue to be the Republican Party. The biggest danger to our Democracy on Wednesday morning, will be the Democratic Party. So many passionate voices raised in the name of their parties, so much energy expended in effort to elect their parties, and yet, so little in return for the American citizen.