LIBERADIO(!)

We’ve posted yesterday’s show (including the interview with Congressman Jim Cooper) as an mp3 (archive & podcast) in two parts:

8-21-2006 Liberadio(!) – The Fightin’ 5th! Part 1
We’re bringing the domestic and foreign policy wonk today with discussions about President Bush’s NSA wiretapping program, the civil war in Iraq, and Chuck Hagel – ADIT (A Democrat in Training). Plus we get our excercise on with a nice long celebratory Snoopy dance. And speaking of Snoopy, the new Liberadio(!) mascot is the “Colbeagle,” a beagle-eagle hybrid with the head of Stephen Colbert. (43:12 20MB) Listen.

8-21-2006 Liberadio(!) – The Fightin’ 5th! Part 2
Stephen Colbert has nothing on us as we welcome Congressman Jim Cooper of Tennessee’s 5th district (The Fightin’ 5th!) to the second hour of the show. The Congressman recently published in book form, The Financial Report of the U.S. aka “The Report the White House Doesn’t Want You to See,” an official government document released by the Bush administration and shrouded in secrecy. The report provides a more accurate picture of the U.S. deficit, which Cooper writes in the foreward of the book, is much greater than President Bush tells us it is. (57:04 26MB). Listen…

Or, listen to our interview with Congressman Cooper.

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Our honored guest this morning was Congressman Jim Cooper of Tennessee’s 5th District (the fighting 5th!). The Congressman recently published in book form, The Financial Report of the U.S. aka “The Report the Government Doesn’t Want You to See,” an official government document released by the Bush administration in the middle of December 2005. The report provides a more accurate picture of the U.S. deficit, which Cooper writes in the foreward of the book, is much greater than President Bush tells us it is. Archive of interview available here.

And Mary gets one degree closer to Stephen Colbert when he mentions the Saginaw Spirit, the hockey team her brother coaches, on The Colbert Report. Email the team and tell them to name their new mascot after Stephen – Stevie Spirit, mini-mascot to their existing mascot, Sammy Spirit! (Please type MASCOT in the email subject line and include name, birthday, phone number, address, and email address)

Must Watch
“The Nexus of Politics and Terror”, Countdown with Keith Olbermann (MSNBC)
MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann updates his top 10 list of occasions that the Bush Administration has gained political benefits around the same time that the public’s fear of terrorism was at a peak.

Must Reads
“Snake Eyes”, by Hendrik Hertzberg (The New Yorker)
“…in this August of 2006 a palpable, ‘68-like shift in sentiment is in the steamy air.”

“What Next?”, By Daniel L. Byman and Kenneth M. Pollack (The Washington Post) The debate is over: By any definition, Iraq is in a state of civil war.

“What Are We Fighting For? Not Democracy”, by William Arkin (washingtonpost.com) Arkin, with among the most incisive commentaries I’ve yet read on the roadmap for Iraq reveals that “adapt to win” is a different animal altogether than “stay the course”. In fact, the Republican strategy is actually “cut and run”… so we can capture bin Laden… in Iraq.

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Congressman Jim Cooper of Tennessee’s 5th District (the fighting 5th!) will be our guest this coming Monday, August 21, at 8am. In Washington, Cooper serves on the Armed Services Committee (including the Terrorism and Special Forces Subcommittee) and the Budget Committee.

The Congressman recently published in book form, The Financial Report of the U.S. aka “The Report the Government Doesn’t Want You to See,” an official government document released by the Bush administration in the middle of December 2005 – a festive time of year when visions of sugarplums keep us from paying attention (“War on Christmas???” It’s more like a “War on Taxpayers” or a “Raid on the National Treasury”). The report provides a more accurate picture of the U.S. deficit, which Cooper writes in the foreward of the book, is much greater than President Bush tells us it is. The sunshine the Congressman invites in exposes a report rife with details that the current administration did their best to bury. For instance, America’s debts and commitments total $49 trillion, and not the $8.3 trillion as commonly reported. Holy Lou Dobbs! We’re being lied to again, Batman!

Congressman Cooper is a thoughtful politican who is often accused by conservative groups of being too “liberal” as well as being “not progressive enough” by those of us on the left. Since we put him on notice in June, we’ve been looking forward to having him in the studio to answer questions about his voting record. But we may be even more excited for him to give us an update on his tireless support of the amendments to strike specific pork-barrel earmarks from House legislation, the President’s aversion to vetos, and that pesky and hidden Financial Report. Oh, and we know he’ll bring the funny.*

*We’re just itching for him to appear with my boyfriend, Stephen Colbert, on The Colbert Report’s 434-part series “Better Know a District.” Watch out, Colbert, Cooper’s not afraid of bears.

They’re counting from the day Germany declared war on the US (December 11, 1941) to VE day (May 8, 1945). The Invasion of Iraq began on March 20, 2003 at 21:34 EST when the US began their first air strike on Baghdad. 1244 days v. 1244 days.

On August 15, 2006 21:30 EST the United States will have been at war in Iraq longer than it was at war with Germany in World War II.

Their disclaimer: “Several astute readers have pointed out that this page makes no mention of the United State’s occupation of Germany following World War II. We are aware that our comparison is largely unfair. We are not attempting to be deceptive, but rather we are trying to make a point and hopefully force people to think about the current state of affairs.”

Please think about it.

Hat tip: John Moira

Congressman Jim Cooper (D, Tennessee) is releasing “a true picture of the U.S. deficit, including the cost of long-term commitments for social security and medicare,” in book form today. The Financial Report for the U.S., released with little fanfare by the Bush administration last December 15, includes a foreward by our Congressman who states that “it flatly contradicts most of the speeches that Washington Politicians make.”

For example, President Bush’s promise to cut the deficit in half in five years does not refer to the true deficit of $760 billion but to the reported deficit of $318.5 billion. This bears repeating…the true deficit is $760 billion. That’s billion with a “b.” The Bush administration is robbing the national treasury and it’s worse than we thought.

For more details, go see the Congressman today at 1:30pm at Davis-Kidd in the Green Hills mall.

UPDATE: Lou Dobbs of CNN to promote Cooper’s release of the report.

How refreshing to see our local daily provide some coverage of an issue that matters and about which it’s not difficult for Nashvillians and Middle Tennesseans to do something about: driving less.

Originally conceived as a piece that would merely cover commuters who have chosen to bike to work, at least occasionally, the piece broadened a little in scope after Ms. Hoang interviewed me. The interview happened after Ms. Hoang was referred to me by the past President of Walk/Bike Nashville, an excellent local advocacy group for bike-ped issues. Apparently, he knew, as some of our regular listeners do, that I have, for the past couple of years, lived intentionally car-free in Nashville. I’m grateful to Ms. Hoang for including some of my comments in her article and for giving attention to this important issue.

While I hadn’t consciously made my decision to live car-free in order to participate in a movement, I do recognize how expensive car ownership is, how polluting driving is, and how complicated our economy and foreign policy become when oil so dominates the landscapes of each. Ms. Hoang doesn’t address most of these issues head on, but her article serves as a good introduction to the notion that driving, even for those who already own a car, is not a necessity in an urban environment. Particularly useful, the article also includes a map of bike lanes, bike routes, and greenways (including planned greenways). There’s a tacit link to the oil issue (via gas prices) in the sub-heading of the article, and she also highlights the health benefits of using one’s own power to get around.

One thing that has surprised me is that several people I know (including Mary and several of her colleagues) have begun walking or biking to work with some regularity. It’s something I’d like to challenge our readers and listeners to do on a more regular basis.

Here are some specific challenges:

• Ride the bus at least once. Nashville’s MTA readily admits that they underserve Nashville’s ridership, but they don’t let that get them down, and neither should you. They’ve created a strong five-year plan that will bring them to average service provision comparative to other major urban transit systems. But they need your help, as well as Metro Council’s to get funding for the plan. So instead of lamenting about how Nashville’s bus system sucks, try taking the bus, figuring out why it sucks, and working constructively with MTA to let them know your thoughts. They’re very open to suggestions. There’s even a group called Partners in Transit that serves as a citizens advisory committee and works directly with MTA to let them vet new ideas or service changes. Let me know if you’re interested in finding out more. MTA, even with its budgetary constraints, has been upgrading its fleet over the past couple of years. The entire fleet now has bike racks, and I always keep a prepaid fare card handy for use with their upgraded fare boxes.
• Join Walk/Bike Nashville as a member. If you don’t ride a bike because you don’t feel safe on Nashville’s streets or don’t think there are enough bike lanes or that your neighborhood’s sidewalks aren’t sufficient, work with other like-minded individuals to ensure that we create a Nashville with true multi-modal transportation options.
• Get a bike. If you already own a car, I can guarantee you that getting, owning, and maintaining a bike will be cheaper. I own a Trek 7100, a hybrid, which I prefer for urban biking. I bought it new at Cumberland Transit, which I think is a great store, but Nashville has many good bike shops. Once you have the bike, I feel reasonably sure that you’ll be compelled to use it, especially with all these greenways!

I’m happy to provide tips for any aspect of getting around Nashville without a car since I do it all the time.

Unmire yourself from the muck of politics and treat yourself. Go see DAVE CLOUD’S GOSPEL OF POWER in-store performance today at 5PM at Grimey’s (1604 8th Ave. South, above the Basement).

As surprised as I’m sure the only man in the country with certified Joementum probably was late last night, and as unsurprised as most folks closely tracking the race were, Ned Lamont bested Joe Lieberman in an unusual underdog upset of an incumbent in yesterday’s Connecticut U.S. Senate primary. Joe, still believing he has Joementum, has declared that he will run as an Independent in the general election.

Most of today’s commentary has focused on the fact that Democrats are declaring this a referendum on Bush and that Republicans are declaring the Democrats “Defeat-o-crats”. But while some commentary has noted that Lamont’s victory could cause trouble for tight house races in Connecticut (since, presumably, Lamont will have to tap heavy-hitter Democrat fundraisers to attempt to win in the general), little commentary has focused on what the outcome will mean for Democrats in the Senate. Regardless of who had won the primary, Democrats would likely have had an easy path to a safe seat. Now, in a mid-term election year where Democrats are fighting to pull off upsets in general elections, not primaries (including here in Tennessee, where Harold Ford, Jr. will demonstrate whether even a moderate Democrat can get elected to the Senate against a Republican of any gradation), a safe seat has become tenuous. If Lieberman does go on to win the general election, he will do the entire party a disservice by reducing the likelihood of Democratic control of the Senate. Even if he graciously decides to caucus with Democrats, a majority is a majority, and a formerly Democratic seat will now be sat in by an Independent. The majority party is the one that sets the agenda, heads the committees, and generally determines how well a particular house of Congress works with the other and the President. Do we really want a final 2 years of both houses of Congress doing the bidding of the Bush administration?

Lieberman, apparently statesmanlier than thou, maintains that he is doing this in an effort to preserve a spirit of bipartisanship. Excuse me, but when has a single Rove-inspired Republican done anything in the name of the spirit of bipartisanship since the Bush administration came to power? From DeLay’s K Street project to Frist’s blackmail campaign against the minimum wage, the Republican Congress has only fostered a stronger polarization among partisans, and it is precisely those partisans who came out to vote in the Democratic primary. Lieberman should do them and Democrats nationwide a favor: stop grandstanding and humbly stand down.

Our show from Monday, July 31, is now posted as both a Podcast and Show Archive. Click on the link below to listen.

8-1-2006 Liberadio(!) – A Thinking Women’s Sex Symbol, Part 1
Our guest during the first hour is Tyson Slocum, Director of Energy Programs for Public Citizen. Tyson comes on the “big shoe” to talk about his tussle with Stossel during his last visit to Scarborough Country, recent heatwaves and the reliablity of our energy grids, and the obscene profits recorded recently by Big Oil. Not to mention his appearance on The Colbert Report. Oh My. Interview begins at the 32:00 minute mark. (49:30 22.7MB) Bumper music provided by Will Kimbrough’s latest release, Americanitis. Listen.

8-1-2006 Liberadio(!) – A Thinking Women’s Sex Symbol, Part 2
We’re lucky to have local political guru and staunch Democrat, Larry Woods, for the entire second hour of the show. Larry’s worked for a number of high-profile candidates and campaigns at just about every level of politics is the current campaign chairman for Bob Clements mayoral bid. He gracioulsy gives us his take on the upcoming election in November, the Presidential race of 2008, and the state of the Democratic party. (52:35 24 MB) Bumper music provided by Will Kimbrough’s latest release, Americanitis. Listen.

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Our guest this morning, Dr. Bob Bowman, Combat veteran against the war and candidate for the Democratic nomination for the US House in District 15, Florida (Brevard, Indian River, Osceola, and Polk Counties). Dr. Bowman is widely ackowledged as the father of the Star Wars missile defense program and has emerged as one of the most credible 9/11 whistleblowers. He was also the keynote speaker at the “American Scholars Symposium: 9/11 + The Neo-Con Agenda” recently aired on C-Span.

Must Reads
“Let’s Start Talking,” by Nicholas D. Kristof
Continued fighting harms Israel, Lebanon and the United States. (If you can’t access it then try googling the article title).

“Election Investigation Underway after Totals Shift,” By Mindy Tate, Editor, Williamson Herald
This is exactly why we need Voter-verified paper records of our votes. Hello?!?

Fatal Strikes: Israel’s Indiscriminate Attacks Against Civilians in Lebanon (Human Rights Watch)
Latest report by Human Rights Watch on the Israel-Lebanon conflict.

“Deal Maker Details the Art of Greasing the Palm,” by David Johnston and David D. Kirkpatrick (NY Times)
In 1992, Brent R. Wilkes rented a suite at the Hyatt Hotel a few blocks from the Capitol. In his briefcase was a stack of envelopes for a half-dozen congressmen, each packet containing up to $10,000 in checks.

“Conn. Race Could Be Democratic Watershed,” By Dan Balz (The Washington Post)
The passion and energy fueling the antiwar challenge to Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in Connecticut’s Senate primary signal a power shift inside the Democratic Party that could reshape the politics of national security and dramatically alter the battle for the party’s 2008 presidential nomination, according to strategists in both political parties.

2006-08-05
“The Day The System Worked,” by Jared Bernstein (TomPaine.com)
For once, Democrats and moderate Republicans stood up to cynical election-year politics and faced down the leadership.

2006-08-03
“Administration Sending US Troops Into Crossfire of Escalating Civil War,” by John Kerry
John Kerry’s remarks on Iraq on the floor of the Senate last week. In his remarks, Kerry spoke about Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“Strong-Arming the Vote,” New York Times Editorial
President Bush’s Justice Department has been criticized for letting partisanship guide its work on voting and elections. And party politics certainly appears to have been a driving force in a legal maneuver it just pulled off in Alabama, where it persuaded a federal judge to take important election powers away from the Democratic secretary of state and give them to a Republican governor.

2006-08-02
“Minimum Wage, Maximum Gall“, by Harold Meyerson (Washington Post)
Meyerson identifies Republican congressional leadership more interested in holding onto power than governing or providing appropriate oversight. During a time when they should be confronting a number of serious issues, Bill Frist’s Senate is on the verge of being in session for precariously few days.