Posted on Categories PBC

12-19-08

Steve Fainaru: is an investigative sportswriter for The Washington Post. He was a reporter for The Boston Globe for eleven years, covering major-league baseball, Wall Street, and Latin America. His newest book is Big Boy Rules: America’s Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq.

Robert Parry: founder of ConsortiumNews.com.  His new book is called “Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush”.

Tom Campbell: is a former congressman from California’s 12th and 15th districts, the former dean of the Haas School of Business, and a professor of business administration at the University of California, Berkeley. He served as the Director of Finance for the State of California in 2004 and 2005, and he previously served five nonconsecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican.

Brad Friedman: self-described election integrity muckraking journalist jerk. You can read his blog at Bradblog.com.

Harvey Wasserman: Free Press Senior Editor. Wasserman is a “Superpower of Peace” columnist and author of a dozen books including SOLARTOPIA! Our Green-Powered Earth, A.D. 2030.

Posted on Categories Blog

Write to Bernie Ward

All my West Coast listeners know Bernie Ward from his years as the Lion of the Left on KGO/San Francisco.

And you all know that he is serving 6+ years in federal prison on a child pornography conviction.  While it’s clear that Bernie broke the law, it is a draconian law that deserves reform.  I, for one, decline to judge him; he is paying a heavy price and is certainly punishing himself.  His deal with the prosecutor included an understanding that Bernie would serve his sentence in California, either in Dublin or Lompoc.  But without warning, he was transferred by plane to Oklahoma City followed by a 12-hour bus ride to “Bloody Beaumont”, in Texas, which is considered one of the worst low security prisons in the nation.  This strikes me as a kind of “rendition” to gratuitous extra punishment, as Bernie’s family can’t afford to travel there very often.  The rates for phone calls from prisons are jacked up, so it really strains family connections.

Bernie did a lot of good work on his late-night show, the Sunday God Talk, and the charity work he devoted so much energy to.  Please take a moment to write him, and include a few stamps so he can write to you and others.  And if you are in a position to make a contribution, he and I would be very grateful.  Just go to www.BOP.gov and use the info below to deposit to his account.

Bernard V. Ward   90569-111

P O Box 26020

Beaumont, TX  77720-6020

Posted on Categories PBC

12-18-08

Faiz Shakir: Research Director at The Center for American Progress and serves as Editor-in-Chief of ThinkProgress.org.

Banafsheh Akhlaghi: is the President and Founder of the National Legal Sanctuary for Community Advancement (NLSCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the human rights and dignity of Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (MEMSA) peoples.

Scott Dick: regular contributor on Military/Vets issues. Dick hosts his own radio broadcast called The Scott Dick Show.

Free Speech Zone

David Cay Johnston: was an investigative journalist for The New York Times now focusing on the subject of taxation. He accepted a buyout offer from the Times in April 2008 and is now an independent reporter. He most recently published Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense and Stick You With The Bill, about hidden subsidies, rigged markets, and corporate socialism.

R J Shulman: political satirist. You can read Shulman’s blog at ptsd1.blogspot.com.               

Posted on Categories PBC

12-17-08

Roy Zimmerman: Comedy Singer and Songwriter. Visit his site at royzimmerman.com

Dick Kay: For 38 years he was Chicago television’s premiere political reporter. He was the longest serving reporter in the history of NBC/WMAQ.

Sea Shepherd Capt. Paul Watson: For 31 years, he has been at the helm of the world’s most active marine non-profit organization – Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Melanie Sloan: serves as CREW’s Executive Director. Prior to starting CREW, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia where, from 1998-2003, she successfully tried cases before dozens of judges and juries.

Medea Benjamin: is a cofounder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization Global Exchange.

Posted on Categories PBC

12-16-08

Dave Aeikens: became president of SPJ in October. He served as president-elect in 2007-2008, winning a President’s Award in 2008.

Mike DeCesare: Spokesperson and communications director for Jim McDermott.

Jonathan Landay: National Security Correspondent for Knight Ridder.

Prof. Bill Drummond: Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley, and has more than forty years experience as a reporter, editor, foreign correspondent, radio producer and journalism educator.

Jason Leopold: investigative journalist. He writes for the online publication The Public Record.

Robert Parry: founder of ConsortiumNews.com.  His new book is called “Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush”.

Jeff Cohen: media critic and lecturer, is founding director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College, where he is an associate professor of journalism. His latest book is Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media.

Posted on Categories PBC

12-15-08

Raed Jarrar: is an Iraqi architect, blogger, and activist resident in the United States. He is currently the Iraq consultant for the American Friends Service Committee.

Paul Brest: is president of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the world.  His latest book is MONEY WELL SPENT: A Strategic Plan for Smart Philanthropy.

Cliff Schecter: political commentator and journalist. His blog is called The Political Carnival. His latest book is called “The Real McCain: Why Conservatives Don’t Trust Him and Why Independents Shouldn’t”.

Jannette Brimmer: staff attorney for Earthjustice.

Dr. Elmo: A.K.A Elmo Shropshire, is best-known for his recording of “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer,” the Christmas classic which has sold more than 10 million copies since it was first broadcasted by a San Francisco radio station in 1979.

Dick Cheney: Vice President of the United States of America

Posted on Categories PBC

12-12-08

Robert Parry: founder of ConsortiumNews.com.  His new book is called “Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush”.

Phil Angelides: Phil Angelides was the former state treasurer of California and the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in the 2006 election.  He is currently the National Board Chair of the Apollo Alliance.

Steve Fainaru: is an investigative sportswriter for The Washington Post. He was a reporter for The Boston Globe for eleven years, covering major-league baseball, Wall Street, and Latin America. His newest book is Big Boy Rules: America’s Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq.

Brad Friedman: self-described election integrity muckraking journalist jerk. You can read his blog at Bradblog.com.

Posted on Categories PBC

12-11-08

Faiz Shakir: Research Director at The Center for American Progress and serves as Editor-in-Chief of ThinkProgress.org.

Tyson Slocum: is the Research Director for Public Citizen’s Energy Program. Public Citizen is a 30-year old group that advocates policies to protect consumers.

Scott Dick: regular contributor on Military/Vets issues. Dick hosts his own radio broadcast called The Scott Dick Show.

Free Speech Zone

R J Shulman: political satirist. You can read Shulman’s blog at ptsd1.blogspot.com.

Gary Chew: regular contributor on film and entertainment issues. Today he reviews “Frost/Nixon.

Posted on Categories PBC

12-10-08

Eric Boehlert: Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America. He is the author of “Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush”.

Heidi Boisvert: is the Multimedia Manager of Breakthrough and is responsible for overseeing production of a wide range of new media including video games, video podcasts, and flash animations, to help raise awareness and transform attitudes to create broader support for human rights.  Heidi designed ICED – I Can End Deportation, the downloadable game created by Breakthrough to spark dialogue and create awareness of unfair U.S. immigration policies.

Tony Browning: A Chrysler worker and member of UAW local 1700 for over 34 years.

Lt. Gov John Garamendi: 46th Lieutenant Governor of California. He brings to the office 32 years of public service.

Debbie Jacobs: from the Discovery Channel has alternative Christmas shopping ideas.

Tommy Panik: special report on Rod Blagojevich.

Nancy Marsden: On TV product placement. Check out truthfulmedia.com.

Posted on Categories PBC

12-09-08

Bob Borosage: president of the Institute for America’s Future and co-director of its sister organization, the Campaign for America’s Future.

Joan Claybrook: is an American lawyer who has served as President of Public Citizen since 1982.

Lisa Hajjar: teaches in the Law and Society Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is the author of Courting Conflict: The Israeli Military Court System in the West Bank and Gaza (California).

Dick Kay: For 38 years he was Chicago television’s premiere political reporter. He was the longest serving reporter in the history of NBC/WMAQ.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives representing the 10th District of Ohio. He has been serving since 1996 and was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2004 and 2008 elections.

Melanie Sloan: serves as CREW’s Executive Director. Prior to starting CREW, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia where, from 1998-2003, she successfully tried cases before dozens of judges and juries.

Free Speech Zone