Hot Potato Mash

VINCENT BUGLIOSI BOOK FACING MEDIA BLACKOUT

Above, CNN covers the mainstream media blackout of Vincent Bugliosi's new book, "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder".

Of course, there is no such blackout on Hot Potato Mash. You can view my video exclusive of Bugliosi giving a 50-minute talk about his new book here. Also see my video exclusive of Bugliosi calling for the compassionate release of Manson Family member Susan Atkins who is suffering from brain cancer.

"The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder" (Vincent Bugliosi)

Democracy In Action... In Korea

The Bush administration fights to prevent meatpackers from testing for mad cow disease:

The Bush administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease.

The Agriculture Department tests fewer than 1 percent of slaughtered cows for the disease, which can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. A beef producer in the western state of Kansas, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, wants to test all of its cows.

Larger meat companies feared that move because, if Creekstone should test its meat and advertised it as safe, they might have to perform the expensive tests on their larger herds as well.

A quarter-million Koreans protest in Seoul during a 72-hour-long marathon candle vigil against the import of US beef...

How great is this story? Here we once again have the Bush administration whoring for industry to the detriment of the American people. Yet, the mainstream media doesn't cover the story and Americans don't have a clue about it. But 250,000 turnout over three days to protest the sick actions of the American government in KOREA!

Of course the media can't report the ginormous protest because that would mean informing Americans about the disgusting actions of the Bush administration.

(h/t Big Dan)

Bush administration, democracy, Korea, mad cow

O'Reilly Attacks Moyers IN BODY LANGUAGE SEGMENT!

By now almost everyone has seen the viral video of Bill Moyers destroying O'Reilly Factor producer, Porter Barry, after being ambushed at the The National Conference for Media Reform. If not, it follows below. But first check out Bill O'Reilly's lame attempt to get back at Moyers via the ridiculous "Body Language" segment.

And the ambush

"Moyers on Democracy" (Bill Moyers)

Bill Moyers, bill o'reilly, Propaganda, Barry Porter

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Dr. William Pepper on James Earl Ray's Innocence, Sirhan Sirhan's Innocence, 9/11 Truth and Prosecuting War Crimes

Dr. William F. Pepper is an internationally acclaimed lawyer who defended James Earl Ray in a 1999 civil trial (supported by Martin Luther King's family) where the jury found Ray not responsible for the MLK assassination. Now Pepper is defending Sirhan Sirhan for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, a case he says is “an easier one than the assassination of Martin King and the innocence of James Earl Ray”.

Last Wednesday Pepper spoke about all of his projects, including 9/11 truth and prosecuting the Bush administration for war crimes, to a packed celebrity filled house in Los Angeles. Among those in attendance were Ed Asner, Gina Belafonte, Judd Nelson and 9/11 author Professor David Ray Griffin. Videos of his talk follow below... 

Part 1 (6:21) - Introduction 

In Part 1 Pepper talks about his background, childhood and motivation. He also speaks about the time he spent in Cuba playing baseball where he got to know Fidel Castro. According to Pepper, Castro foresaw much of what is happening in the United States today:

“When, in that massive country to the north, the masses of the people ever understand what it is that their ruling class has done to them and is doing to them, there will be such a torrent of opposition. They will rise like never before and then there will be the world’s greatest social revolution, the American second revolution.”

The video concludes with Pepper explaining how he came to work for Robert F. Kennedy and Martin King: 

 

Part 2 (5:36) - Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassination/James Earl Ray Innocence 

“Took me ten years to convince myself that [James Earl Ray] was an absolute patsy” - Dr. William Pepper 

In Part 2 Pepper begins with the Martin King assassination and explains how he became involved with James Earl Ray's defense some nine years later. He also goes into detail about the 30 day civil trial against Loyd Jowers, et al, where a jury found Ray not responsible for King's assassination after listening to 70 witnesses under oath. 

Pepper believes that Ray's civil trial should serve as a template for getting out the truth in a wide range of cover-ups including the Robert F. Kennedy assassination and 9/11. He thinks using the courts is an effective way to get the truth into the public record despite the efforts by the mainstream media to prevent its dissemination to the public.

 

Part 3 (9:56) - Robert F. Kennedy Assassination/Sirhan Sirhan Innocence 

“I found from just a preliminary examination of the record that [the Sirhan Sirhan case] on the law, on the facts of the case, was an easier one than the assassination of Martin King and the innocence of James Earl Ray” - Dr. William Pepper 

In the first half of Part 3 Pepper details the startling evidence that necessitates a second shooter in the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. For starters the medical examiner states that Kennedy was shot four times from the rear including one shot about an inch behind his right ear which conflicts with all the witness testimony that Sirhan was always three to five feet in front of the likely Democratic presidential nominee.

Secondly, the analysis of audio recordings from the assassination with formerly unavailable new technology has led to the determination that 13 shots were fired at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Sirhan's gun only held 8 bullets. In other words: 

“There had to be a second shooter there” - Dr. William Pepper

In the second half of Part 3 Pepper details the efforts taken by the prison and the Department of Corrections to prevent his legal team from psychoanalyzing Sirhan Sirhan.

Part 4 (4:59) - Robert F. Kennedy Assassination (Continued) 

In Part 4 Pepper continues the RFK assassination discussion and his efforts to clear Sirhan Sirhan whom he says is innocent:

“The problem we face is if we get our client clearly innocent of the killing of Bob Kennedy – which he is, clearly innocent of that killing – he has five other counts of attempted murder” - Dr. William Pepper

In addition to the belief in Sirhan's innocence Pepper believes the case is important because it is representative of a larger problem facing the country:

“Each of the things I’m talking about are symptomatic of a pervasive sickness in this country. This is not the country we were all led to believe it was or should have been. This is what has emerged because we have had a small group of criminals grab power over a period of time following the orders of the people in the shadows who really do dominate life and justice and the injustices that exist in the society.” - Dr. William Pepper

Part 5 (8:36) - 9/11 

“The 9/11 matter is, in my lifetime, the most traumatic assault on democracy and the safety of this Republic.” - Dr. William Pepper

Part 5 is dedicated to finding out the truth about 9/11. Pepper supports two different ways for accomplishing this goal. First, he backs an effort to create a new commission to investigate 9/11 by New York state referendum. Volunteers are currently trying to get the necessary 30,000 signatures from registered New York voters to get the measure on the ballot.

The second approach is to once again file a lawsuit in the courts. Pepper is leading this effort on behalf of the Jersey Girls and plans to sue, among others, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who is widely believed to have sent $100,000 to lead 9/11 hijacker, Mohammed Atta.

Part 6 (8:03) - War Crimes 

“I’m determined that what I saw in Vietnam and what is happening in Iraq will not go unpunished. Absolutely determined that that’s the case. What that means is this entire gang of war criminals in Washington are going to have to be prosecuted” - Dr. William Pepper

Part 6 covers what Pepper believes is his most important project -- the prosecution of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, David Addington, Doug Feith and Richard Pearl, et al, for war crimes.

Pepper plans to accomplish this monumental task by following the precedent set in the case of Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet. In that case, a Spanish judge issued an international arrest warrant for Pinochet whose charges including 94 counts of torture.

Ultimately Pepper hopes for a conviction in absentia of the American war criminals which would prevent the guilty from ever stepping foot outside of the United States.

NOTE: To order a DVD of the night's entire programming, which includes a lively Q & A session with Dr. William Pepper and a talk by Professor David Ray Griffin on new 9/11 evidence, please contact Kathleen at quantumysticKFR@gmail.com to request a copy.

“An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King, New and Updated Edition” (William F. Pepper)

“Orders to Kill: The Truth Behind the Murder of Martin Luther King, Jr” (William F. Pepper)

Technorati Tags: 11, administration, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Dr. WIlliam Pepper, Fidel Castro, George W. Bush, iraq, James Earl Ray, Jersey Girls, Martin Luther King Jr., puppy, Robert F. Kennedy, september11, Sirhan Sirhan, torture, war crimes

The Liberal Media Myth

How great is Glenn Greenwald?

"Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics" (Glenn Greenwald)

L.A. Times Issues Correction But What About AOL?

The L.A. Times did the right thing and corrected its grossly misleading headline in reference to Karl Rove's refusal to deny involvement in the Don Siegelman prosecution. However, Mark Impomeni at AOL News is refusing to correct his similarly misleading headline, "Rove Denies Tampering With Investigation", and even sites the L.A. Times in his defense when I confronted him in comments below the article.

This blog encourages others to further prod Mr. Impomeni to do the right thing, like the L.A. Times, and correct his currently propagandistic headline.

Visit the AOL article

UPDATE: I have unsuccessfully lobbied (see comments section) Mark Impomeni to issue a correction (along with 99) and have now turned to the editors at AOL's "Political Machine" to fix the propaganda:

I have unsuccessfully tried to compel author MARK IMPOMENI to change his false and misleading headline, "Rove Denies Tampering With Investigation", which is pure unadulterated propaganda. The fact -- picked up by the blogospehere, news outlets around the internet and now the mainstream media (MSNBC) -- is that Rove refused to deny involvement in the Siegelman prosecution during an interview with George Stephanopoulos Sunday.

This was evidenced by the three attempts by Stephanopoulos to get Rove to make such a denial. Each time Rove refused and gave an unrelated answer. Stephanopoulos even stated at one point, "But that's not a denial." Stephanopoulos picked up on the obvious, something which Impomeni still has failed to do.

Also troubling was Impomeni's clear bias as evidenced by this line: "But what [Democrats] really want is the headline grabbing subpoena and [Rove's] refusal to testify in public". There are endless reasons for Democrats (and American citizens) to want Rove to testify. Not the least of which was the call from 52 former attorney's general for an investigation and the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals which found "substantial questions of fact and law" in the Siegelman case.

But to Impomeni it is really just a matter of Democrats scoring points!

Finally, in his defense, Impomeni twice sited the L.A. Times which ran a similar headline. And I can't help but agree that the L.A. Times should serve as an example. Today, the L.A. Times recognized its error and rectified the situation by running a correction. I encourage AOL to do the same.

Will AOL do the right thing?

Scandalous L.A. Times Headline Regarding Karl Rove Interview

UPDATED BELOW

Yesterday the blogosphere and many news outlets wrote about Karl Rove's shocking interview with George Stephanopoulos because Rove refused to deny his involvement in the Don Siegelman prosecution. As such, I was more than a bit surprised to read the L.A. Times headline about the interview:

"Karl Rove denies meddling in Siegelman investigation: Bush's former advisor says he didn't even know that the Justice Department had been pursuing the former Alabama governor, a Democrat since convicted for bribery, until he read of it in the paper."

This morning I wrote the following to the author of the piece, Richard B. Schmitt, and will update this if he replies.

Richard,

I am a blogger who has been covering the Siegelman case and the politicization of the Justice Department for some time. As such, I found Karl Rove's interview with George Stephanopoulos yesterday intriguing, as did many bloggers and news outlets, because Rove refused to deny involvement in the Siegelman prosecution.

However, that impression is exactly the opposite of the headline of your article in the L.A. Times. Rove, in fact, never "denie[d] meddling in [the] Siegelman investigation" and only admitted that he learned about the "prosecution" in the newspaper. The fact that Rove was evading this essential question was clear as day which is why Stephanopoulos followed up his question by stating, "But that's not a denial". And once again Rove refused to deny his involvement in the Siegelman prosecution.

Thus, your headline is not only false but extremely prejudicial and beneficial to Rove as it wrongly concludes and disseminates to the public the impression that Rove is answering all the pertinent questions and being straight forward. Will you please elaborate on how the headline was chosen and let me know if you will be issuing a correction.

Thank you,

Alan Breslauer

Read the article at the L.A. Times

UPDATE: Rick Schmitt replies and admits that Rove's answers were not a denial that preclude his potential involvement in the Siegelman case:

"Think he said he learned abt invest + indictment in papers -- which means he could have been involved somehow pre-invest.
Dunno abt headlines. U shd forward to our reader's rep. Tnks r"

I will now follow-up with the "reader's rep" and report back any further correspondence.

UPDATE 2: The L.A. Times Readers' Representative forwards my complaint to the headlines editor:

Dear Sir or Madame:

The headline to the article today about Karl Rove by Richard Schmitt is false and misleading which he has so much as admitted to me in email. Please see our email exchange below and inform me of if and when you plan to run a correction. Thank you, Alan Breslauer

Jamie Gold (L.A. Times):

Thanks, Mr. Breslauer, I'll send this to the editors who write the headlines now for their attention.
Jamie Gold
Readers' Representative

UPDATE 3: The L.A. Times issues a correction! Even though they misquote their own headline in the correction:

Karl Rove: In Section A on Monday, an article about Karl Rove said he brushed off suggestions that he attempted to influence a Justice Department investigation and prosecution of Don Siegelman, former Democratic governor of Alabama. The headline went further than the article by saying, "Rove says he didn't intervene in probe."

Bill Moyers On The Jeremiah Wright Controversy

Bill Moyers eloquent and thoughtful essay (6:26) about the Jeremiah Wright controversy. Note that Moyers references the double standard in the media between black preachers like Jeremiah Wright and white ones like John Hagee with whom I recently spoke to and asked about the controversy surrounding his endorsement of John McCain. When speaking to me at a lunch attended by mostly Jews Hagee blamed everything on his support for Israel. You can read a transcript of our conversation and listen to the audio here.

UPDATE: Frank Rich on the Jeremiah Wright/John Hagee-White Christian Evangelist double standard.

Technorati Tags: Bill Moyers, Reverend Jeremiah Wright

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: ABC News Democratic Debate Protest In Los Angeles

UPDATE: Face The Nation's Bob Schieffer on Patriotism and Flag Pins (h/t Think On These Things)

Technorati Tags: ABC News, Barack Obama, Charlie Gibson, coporatism, Disney, George Stephanopolous, mashup, media, msm, news, Propaganda, public opinion

MUST WATCH: Glenn Greenwald On Democracy Now

Part 1 (9:53)

Part 2 (8:02)

Democracy Now mashup of ABC debate questions (3:09)

“Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics” (Glenn Greenwald)

Technorati Tags: amy goodman, democracy now, media, Glenn Greenwald

HARDBALL Slams Obama For NOT 'Taking Down His Opponent' During Debate

Much has already been made about the horror show performance of ABC News moderators Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos who spent the first 42 minutes of last night's democratic debate pummeling Obama “entirely on specious and gossipy trivia”. The two alleged newsmen spent half the debate on such pressing issues as Obama's “bitter” comment, the patriotism of Obama's pastor, Obama serving on a board with a member of the Weather Underground and Obama's decision not to wear a flag lapel pin.

With the above absurdity in mind, it was particularly refreshing to see Obama refuse to attack Clinton for her sniper fire lies despite being baited repeatedly by Stephanopoulos:

“I think Senator Clinton deserves the right to make some errors once in a while”

Refreshing that is unless you are a member of the mainstream media which clearly takes offense to Obama's above the fray tactics. For evidence of this one need not look any further than Chris Matthews, Chuck Todd and Bob Herbert's inanity on Hardball this afternoon.

One hopes that Obama learns a lesson here and next time slams Clinton or McCain or whoever for completely superficial non-issues in order to please our media whores!

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, hardball, Hillary, MSNBC, Chris Matthews

New York Times Jumps The Shark

The NY Times public editor explains why the paper of record failed to cover last month's Winter Soldier hearings:

Dear Reader,

Thank you for writing about the Winter Soldier event in Maryland last month and its lack of coverage by the Times.

My assistant checked with various editors at the Times to see if there was any discussion about covering the Winter Soldier meeting. The editor in the Washington bureau who oversees national security coverage said he had not been aware of the group or its meeting. The Times normally has three Pentagon reporters. The meeting fell within their area of coverage, and one of them probably would have been assigned had editors chosen to staff the event. But one is on book leave, one was traveling with the secretary of defense, and one was in Iraq covering the war. The Times also did not cover an announcement the following day by Vets for Freedom, a group supporting the war and claiming more than 13 times the membership of Iraq Veterans Against the War, the group which organized Winter Soldier.

One group was emphasizing what it charged were war crimes, war profiteering and war mismanagement. The other group was protesting what it charged was the failure of the media to report more fully on signs of progress in Iraq, such as rebuilt schools and infrastructure.

News organizations like the Times, with its own substantial investment in independent reporting from Iraq tend to prefer their own on-scene accounts of the war, rather than relying on charges and counter-charges at home by organizations with strongly held political viewpoints about the war.

Sincerely,
Clark Hoyt

Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting covers this unbelievable letter in full but it is worth highlighting the absurdity of the statement that the Times was unaware of the hearings. The Times D.C. bureau received three press releases about Winter Soldier, 150 Times staffers were also sent press releases, Democracy Now covered the hearings in full and the progressive blogosphere devoted much space to the hearings. And we are asked to believe that the Times didn't know about it? Wow!

Clearly the Times would rather the public believe that it is merely inept, grossly uninformed and unprofessional rather than simply doing the bidding for the pro-war political elite.

Below is the Winter Soldier testimony of Jon Michael Turner. See Hot Potato Mash's entire coverage (14 videos) of this heartbreaking event here.

UPDATE: Check out Winter Soldier: Rules of the Game by Bhc for a comprehensive look at Winter Soldier and the corporate media and how they relate to the first rule of fight club.

Technorati Tags: New York Times, Propaganda, Winter Soldier

Americans Overwhelmingly Want Out Of Iraq

Glenn Greenwald explains these numbers and how the pro-war political establishment continuously lies by saying that Americans only want out of Iraq once “victory” is achieved.

Technorati Tags: iraq, public opinion, puppy, war

Danny Schechter Takes On CNBC In Never-To-Be-Broadcasted Interview

Visit Danny Schechter's News Dissector blog.

Technorati Tags: CNBC, Danny Schechter

Anyone Know If We Are Still At War?

It appears that Hot Potato Mash has more Iraq war coverage than the mainstream media. From today's New York Times:

The three broadcast networks’ nightly newscasts devoted more than 4,100 minutes to Iraq in 2003 and 3,000 in 2004, before leveling off at about 2,000 a year, according to Andrew Tyndall, who monitors the broadcasts and posts detailed breakdowns at tyndallreport.com. And by the last months of 2007, he said, the broadcasts were spending half as much time on Iraq as earlier in the year.

Since the start of last year, the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a part of the nonprofit Pew Research Center, has tracked reporting by several dozen major newspapers, cable stations, broadcast television networks, Web sites and radio programs. Iraq accounted for 18 percent of their prominent news coverage in the first nine months of 2007, but only 9 percent in the following three months, and 3 percent so far this year. (emphasis is mine)

The policy debate in Washington that dominated last year’s Iraq coverage has almost disappeared from the news. And reporting on events in Iraq has fallen by more than two-thirds from a year ago.

Clearly the MSM just doesn't care about our soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq. Soldiers like Tomas Young seen in the two videos below and the soon to be released documentary “Body of War”. For more on Young see my post at Brad Blog.

Part 1 (9:03)

Part 2 (5:30)


(h/t Dredd)

Technorati Tags: iraq, msm, Tomas Young