Bush Admin. abandons public health and safety

Bush Admin. abandons public health and safety!

---

http://www.publicintegrity.org/GreatLakes/index.htm

Quote:

For more than seven months, the nation’s top public health agency has blocked the publication of an exhaustive federal study of environmental hazards in the eight Great Lakes states, reportedly because it contains such potentially “alarming information” as evidence of elevated infant mortality and cancer rates.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world...eferrer=google

Quote:

NASA grudgingly released some results yesterday from an $11.3 million federal air safety study it previously withheld from the public over concerns it would upset travelers and hurt airline profits. The data reflect hundreds of cases where pilots flew too close to other planes, plunged from altitude, or landed at airports without clearance. NASA published the findings - contained in 16,208 pages - but did not provide a road map to understanding them, making it cumbersome for any thorough analysis by outsiders.

By all means, don't scare the public with bad news or dangers...unless, of course, there's a chance to push terra, terra, terra!

And of course, leave agencies tasked with consumer safety unable to fulfill their missions:


http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/02/cpsc-shut-down.htm

Quote:

On Monday, the CSPC lost virtually all its power to protect U.S. consumers from hazardous products in the marketplace. ...the panel has been absent one person since the departure of the former Chairman back in July of 2006. Congress quickly moved to give the remaining commissioners the ability to make decisions, or quorum, but the President hasn’t nominated a replacement for the vacant seat. The temporary authority Congress gave the remaining CSPC members expired Monday, leaving the beleaguered Commission unable to order mandatory recalls.

Republicans "aren't sure," "can't tell you" about Rendell's stimulus plan

Why oh why can't we have a better press corps?

Rendell presents proposal to boost state economy

By Amy Worden
Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau

.
.
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"We have been looking at how we both can provide stimulus to the economy and at the same time provide some assistance to those people affected by the downturn," Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware) said. "I'm not sure that simply sending checks out to a defined group of people accomplishes either one of those objectives."
.
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"I certainly can't tell you that $130 million going to low-income households is going to do what we are looking for," said Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati (R., Jefferson).

Ms. Worden, do you think you could locate someone to speak with some certainty, perhaps an economist, about effective stimulus, instead of just steno reporting uncertain FUD from politicians?

Is that anything like a male lesbian?

"I am African-American," said the witness, explaining that he was born in Africa but later admitting his race is white

Wow, that's a new one. Renting to a white guy from Africa shows you don't discriminate against - wink wink - African-Americans.

Landlord Accused Of Housing Descrimination Has Hearing

Glenda Brown recalled what happened May 5 when she met Emanuel Hertzler to tour the house he was renting.

"He asked me if my husband was colored," said Brown, adding that the question stunned her.

But a message Hertzler admits to leaving on her home phone later that night devastated her.

The message said: "Mrs. Brown, this is Emanuel calling. We talked it over with the neighbors there, my other tenants right there in the house right beside you. And I'm sorry to tell you this, but they do not want a colored family living next door. They are very choosing. They said they would move and it would cost me lots to go looking for new people to move in, so I'm sorry."
.
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In his defense Thursday, Hertzler called a witness to the stand who said Hertzler has rented to an African-American before.

But the witness gave a seemingly confusing response to the examiner's question, Hairston reported.

"How do you know that?" the examiner asked.

"I am African-American," said the witness, explaining that he was born in Africa but later admitting his race is white.

Wow. NH turnout jumps 1/3, with 40% of the population voting!

That's stunning.

CONCORD, N.H. - Hot races and unseasonably warm weather helped produce record voter turnout in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

With all but one of the state's 301 voting precincts reporting, unofficial tallies by the Associated Press found that 526,571 ballots were cast, breaking the previous record for a presidential primary of 396,385 in 2000. Fifty-five percent of the ballots cast Tuesday were in the Democratic race, and 45 percent in the Republican.

Matched against New Hampshire's population of 1.3 million, an unofficial reckoning found that 40 percent of the state voted Tuesday. The springlike temperatures helped, officials said.

Dean Lacy, a government professor at Dartmouth College in Hanover, called the turnout "astronomical."

UPDATE: that's 40% turnout of the entire population of the state! Turnout matched against the 850,836 registered voters in the state yields a breathtaking 62% turnout. Nearly two-thirds of the registered voters participated. That's just amazing.

More home grown terrorism?

A NE PA man has been arrested for arms smuggling. Including other individuals mentioned in the case, potential destinations for these and other smuggled arms included Kuwait and Liberia.

Considering the US military and other US based entities like private security firms (Blackwater types) likely have virtual free reign to bring in the arms necessary for their missions in and near Kuwait, to whom were these arms headed? And would they end up being used against US personnel?

Say what you meme, meme what you say

So, Clinton came in third, even though she won more actual delegates to the convention than Edwards, and the vote difference between she and Edwards is virtually the same as establishment darlings Thompson and McCain, which is called a tie? (.28% to .24%)

I see where this media narative is going...

(note: if voting in a primary today, Clinton would likely be my third or forth choice, so I'm not sticking up for her as a strong supporter, but c'mon: the Clinton bashing vs the kumbaya singing with the republicans is painfully obvious.)

the Ghost of Murder City...

three for the road...

on hiatus

That's it...I can't take it anymore! Everytime I turn around, everytime I take another incredulous look at this shithole of a political/media farce, I find myself less and less able to even complain anymore. The utter contempt, disdain, ineptitude and narcissism displayed by both politicians and media 'darlings' leaves me broken and stunned.

This is the final straw...

"I was panicked a bit because I really don't know about . . . the Cuban Missile Crisis," said [White House press secretary Dana] Perino, who at 35 was born about a decade after the 1962 U.S.-Soviet nuclear showdown. "It had to do with Cuba and missiles, I'm pretty sure."

So she consulted her best source. "I came home and I asked my husband," she recalled. "I said, 'Wasn't that like the Bay of Pigs thing?' And he said, 'Oh, Dana.' "

How do you get a high profile job at the White House without knowing some basics about the Cuban Missle Crisis? HOW?!?

So, I'm not going to be writing about politics for a while...I'd guess not until at least January, when perhaps results in Iowa and New Hampshire will provide something worth discussing.

It's been almost four years I started this on again - off again blog...and my trip to New Hampshire to canvass for Howard Dean.

So, Happy Holidays (BillO), Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. Be safe.

Northern Liberties neighbors get some attention from Neil Young

Our song was added to Neil Young's website

Our song "Follow Me" has been selected for Neil Young's "Living With War Today" song site!

Neil's site: http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/

You can download "Follow Me" for FREE at http://www.theparsniprevolt.com
You can listen and read the lyrics at http://www.myspace.com/theparsniprevolt

The Party of Cain

Natasha Chart at Booman

While I know immigrants do other jobs, anyone who's being honest will admit that their presence in agriculture is so pervasive as to be institutionalized, and therefore unavoidable. And it isn't a secret.

Everybody knows that our food is cheap because it's tended and picked largely by immigrants from Mexico and Central America who work brutally long hours for substandard wages, often for employers who have no regard for their health or safety. They get doused in vile chemicals, are kept in a state of constant fear, and have no bargaining power whatsoever to ask for better working conditions. And everybody knows it. Everybody. Knows.

This isn't as arcane as the FISA court battle. This isn't about the classification of secret agents. This isn't about constitutional law. This is about a very basic system of commerce that each of us participates in both daily and knowingly.

Yet what does a 'grateful' person like Medved have to say about the people who literally feed him? In the recent immigration debate, he said they were being privileged for bad behavior. He thought it was a good idea for them to have to wait a total of 13 years, the last 5 of those years in their home country, to even be considered worthy to get citizenship.

Why be surprised, though? Medved's attitude has so permeated our nerveless press that they think it's hypocrisy when wealthy Democratic candidates champion the issues of those who are less well off. The right has badgered public discourse for years such that any attitude not premised on 'screw you, I've got mine,' is considered dishonest.

And that's pretty obscene. It makes them, as I've said before, the party of Cain. Cringingly asking the Lord if they're supposed to be their brothers' keepers, they beseech the government to harshly punish all those less fortunate than themselves, and to be let off of helping out presumed deadbeats who expect help outside of church. They're defectors from civilized society who are completely unbothered by the suffering of others, and think that somehow it doesn't affect them, doesn't lessen the world they have to live in.

Degenerates, all.

George Carlin

I'd try to nominate him for some leadership post, but he'd kick me in balls for it...

no more moral high ground

what he said:

As I watched the debate on Mukasey's confirmation Last night on CSPAN and listend to Schumer equivocate and listened to the Republicans praise a man who says he doesn't know if multiple repetitions of artificially induced drowning is torture, I thought...it's over...The United States Senate has formally endorsed torture.

There is no more moral high ground. Through all the searing revelations about Abu Ghraib prison...and the tales of extraordinary renditions and all of it, there was, in my mind, a spark of hope that our elected representatives would rebuke these practices and start us back on the road to once again being a beacon of morality. Not perfect...but at least committed to the just and moral path in the treatment of our fellow human beings.

Last night, The US Senate flushed America down the toilet and invited all the world to the ceremony. And, we gave our enemies carte blanche to treat our loved ones, civilian or military, like pieces of meat if they are captured or taken hostage.

Curt Weldon carried around a prop suitcase nuke?

Did he find it buried in the sand in Iraq?

Some members of Congress remained convinced that the suitcase nuke problem persists. Perhaps chief among these lawmakers was Curt Weldon, a GOP representative from Pennsylvania who lost his seat in 2006.

Weldon was known for carrying around a mock-up of a suitcase nuke made with a briefcase, foil and a pipe.

Apparently he lost his mind long before that.

Here's some important technical notes about suitcase nukes -

it was nowhere near the weight of an actual atomic device

a true suitcase nuke would...not last more than several months because the nuclear core would decompose so quickly

it would take about 22 pounds of plutonium or 130 pounds of uranium to create a nuclear detonation

uranium is considered easier for terrorists to obtain, it would be too heavy for one person to lug around in a suitcase

plutonium requires a highly sophisitcated explosive device consisting of 32 separate identical charges and chemical bath simultaneously detonating

There is one more wrinkle: Nuclear devices require a lot of maintenance because the material that makes them so deadly also can wreak havoc on their electrical systems.

"The more compact the devices are -- guess what? -- the more frequently they need to be maintained. Everything is compactly designed around that radiation source, which damages everything over a period of time," Majidi said.

So, you either need a 150 pound suitcase - like that's not going to be a curiosity- that requires routine maintainence or a difficult to produce and even more difficult to maintain 40 lb suitcase.

Basically, the likelyhood that even one of these units is sitting around in a hidden dead drop somewhere, waiting for the Soviets to return and use it or sell it to some terrorists is nil.

Oh, COME ON

Aren't there any real scandals about which to obsess ??

MSNBC: Still not a political victim of Comcast

it's a new zombie: Comcast Decreases Customers' Access to MSNBC



What I wrote a month ago:

this is starting to pop up in a few places, so I thought I'd try to set the record straight...

I first noticed via America Blog, that the Colorado Democratic Party is expressing Concerns Over Comcast.

[We] have received a number of complaints over actions by Comcast TV. Apparently they are only providing CNN and Fox news in their basic package. The recent move of MSNBC to digital has created great concern on the part of Democrats that the news is slanted toward a more conservative message.

The bottom line is that this has virtually no chance of being motivated by politcal interests...

first, if you take a look at Comcasts political spending over on Open Secrets, you'll see they're close to 50-50, with a slight lean towards the left, and bigger lean towards PACs rather than individual candidates.

So as middle of the road as a giant telecommunications company could be...they're close to it

(a side note, one of their most senior and influential executives, David Cohen, was Ed Rendell's chief-of-staff)

second, as comments at the Colorado dems blog explain, this is about technological limits, and possibly money...

I said:

>>This is just Comcast trying to get a digital converter in everyone’s house.

>>and CSPANs arent included in basic???? Arent they virtually free channels for Comcast?

#1, Yes.

#2, moving a channel to digital has nothing to do with its cost to the cable company. It has to do with the bandwidth it takes up distributing it to the households.

an analog channel (one that doesn’t require a set top box; just plug the cable into the tv and you can view it) takes up about as much bandwidth as six digital channels

if they move lesser viewed channels (like CSPAN, and even MSNBC to some extent) to digital, it gives them more bandwidth to provide other channels, or higher end services, like HD, VOD, etc.

This is happening throughout the Comcast system; because they are trying to add more HD (people are demanding things like TBS HD to see the baseball playoff, etc), they are squeezing as much on their systems as they can by moving some channels to digital only.

Yes, you will need a box; yes it’ll probably cost more; no it’s not ‘fair’, but it is a techical reality: only so much stuff fits on the cable, and they have to pick and choose what goes where. Sometimes, the channel you like gets moved.

Other subscribers are complaining that some pay channels like HBO have been removed from the basic (analog) service. Even though with digital you get much more for the same monthly fee - HBO2, HBO3, HBO Signature, HBO Comedy, etc - some people just wanted regular old HBO on their TV without any set top box. Again, Comcast needed the room, and off it went to digital only.

So, one last time, it’s not political; it’s based on techical limits, and viewership, that’s all.

and Jonathon said, which I thought interesting, and quite possible:

I doubt this actually has anything to do with politics and everything to do with money. They have probably noticed MSNBC’s ratings going up, and some guy in marketing targeted that as something to move to digital. The company I work for did that with a number of channels. It is all about the cash.

So Comcast might be trying to pull in more money because of MSNBC's growing popularity? Interesting.

Still, from what I know about the bandwidth squeeze in cable systems all over the country, I still believe it's primarily related to the limits of cable bandwidth and technology.

AT&T wiretapping issue in two minutes

Did you?

Bush admin prepared to accept torture of Americans

Meanwhile Democrats crap on us to appease Mr. 24%

Mr Bellinger made his remarks during a Guardian debate with Philippe Sands QC, professor of international law at University College London. Mr Sands asked whether he could imagine any circumstances in which waterboarding could be justified on an American national by a foreign intelligence service. “One would have to apply the facts to the law to determine whether any technique, whatever happened, would cause severe physical pain or suffering,” Mr Bellinger said.

Note the depravity to which the Bush Administration is now descending. It is prepared to accept the torture of American intelligence personnel as legal . . . just so long as it gets to torture whenever it would like.

This years douchebag of liberty award goes to...

wait, we have a tie!

Senate Judiciary Approves Mukasey Nomination
posted by Melissa McEwan Tuesday, November 06, 2007

The vote was 11-8. If Schumer (D-Asshole) and Feinstein (D-Idiot) hadn't voted with the nine Republicans on the panel, it would have been 10-9 blocking the nomination instead. So thanks a lot, douchebags.

The nomination now goes before the full Senate for a vote.

A strong leader?

Schumer: I...support Michael B. Mukasey for attorney general for one critical reason: the Department of Justice...is in desperate need of a strong leader...

Me: I no longer support Chuck Schumer because the Senate is in desperate need of a strong leader.

South Jersey will rise again

South Jersey Mayor Victim Of Hate Crime For Second Time

South Harrison Township Mayor Charles Tyson said he found racial slurs scrawled on his campaign signs that someone left on his front lawn.

"(It's) very painful," Tyson said. "On the one side it had KKK, on the other side it had (the N word)."

There's no such thing as an asterisk in baseball

But there is an ass:

Bonds says he'll boycott Hall if record-setting ball has asterisk

George Bush says WE should spend more time heeding the warnings from OBL?

um, WHAT?!?

Supposedly, just after a CIA briefer presents President Bush the later infamous PDB (Presidential Daily Briefing) entitled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US”(see August 6, 2001), Bush tells the briefer, “You’ve covered your ass, now.”

Hey, at least 'moveon.org bloggers' (whatever that means) and codepink got a presidential shoutout...

When it comes to funding our troops, some in Washington should spend more time responding to the warnings of terrorists like Osama bin Laden and the requests of our commanders on the ground, and less time responding to the demands of MoveOn.org bloggers and Code Pink protesters.

I'll take none at all for fourteen months, Alex

It couldn't be worse with no AG than it would be with a guy who has indicated he won't persue malfeasance by senior administration officials.

Bush: Mukasey for Attorney General or none at all

Geez, this president is like my THREE-YEAR-OLD: Did he stomp his feet while theatening to take his AG-nominee and go home?

it's a red country

No, not politically. That's the map of all the television designated market areas - markets - that will be watching the New England Patriots visit the Indianapolis Colts Sunday afternoon.

A game being dubbed $uperb0wl 41 1/2 (odd characters to avoid attention to trademark infringment for the vigorously defended big game, but big game 41 1/2 just won't cut it) matching two undefeated teams, featuring two prolific quarterbacks (one or both of which will eventually wind up holding a parcel of statistical records), two stables-worth of thoroughbred caliber players, plus a recent history of high-import matchups make this one of the best in-season games in recent memory.

If you're a football fan--and I am--this game's hype has the gravitational pull of a black hole. Except this one will have light eminating from it: the television broadcast of the matchup of the year.

I'm glad I didn't get tickets to go see these guys Sunday night...

condolences

Officer dies

Veteran policeman Charles Cassidy loses fight for life

By Dwight Ott, Jennifer Lin and Thomas Fitzgerald, Inquirer Staff Writers

Officer Charles Cassidy, shot yesterday in a robbery in North Philadelphia, has died, CBS 3 reported, citing sources at the Fraternal Order of Police.
He was pronounced dead at 9:40 a.m., KYW NewsRadio reported.
Cassidy, 54, a married father of three, was taken to nearby Einstein Medical Center for emergency surgery to relieve swelling in his brain and was listed in critical condition through the night.

screw Clear Channel - listen to something interesting for a change

To paraphrase Paul Hewson: Clear Channel stole our radio, WXPN is stealing it back!

WXPN radio (listener supported from the University of Pennsylvania) offers four streams for your listening pleasure:

WXPN 88.5 FM - the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots, and folk.

XPoNential Radio - embark on a journey of great music discovery 24/7. With a unique mix of emerging and heritage contemporary musicians, XPoNential Radio serves up an eclectic blend of blues, rock, world, folk, and alternative country.

Y-Rock On XPN - If you like Alternative Rock, Y-Rock on XPN is for you.

Folk Alley - Hear exclusive interviews, concerts, recordings, segments, stories, and songs from Folk Music's best.


And check out these podcasts find out more about music and artists Clear Channel would likely never promote:

Subscribe to WXPN Podcasts - general info about the various XPN podcasts, including links for iTunes and My Yahoo specific feeds...

direct links to the podcasts...

World Cafe Next from WXPN - Hear tomorrow's breakthough artists today on World Cafe Next from WXPN. Each week, host David Dye checks out a new, under-the-radar artist, and showcases tracks from their independent releases. Subscribe now, and you'll be the first to know new music.

World Cafe Words and Music Podcast from WXPN - Hosted by David Dye, the World Cafe Words and Music podcast is a great way to take a compact version of WXPN's World Cafe along with you wherever you go. A new episode is produced each week! Subscribe to this podcast and get unique interview & performance segments by some of today's most amazing musicians.

The Blues File from WXPN - The XPN Blues File is a weekly look into the world of blues, keeping you up-to-date on the latest developments in this essential musical form, as well as exploring the long and rich history behind them.

The Kids Corner Podcast - A byte-size edition of Kids Corner.

Music Notes from the XPN Morning Show - Music Notes from WXPN, a weekly digest of music news and information presented by Bob Bumbera from the XPN Morning Show.

A Musician's Life - WXPN presents our Musicians Life podcast where your favorite artists discuss their daily lives. These intimate conversations are a rare glimpse into the daily habits of major artists! Liten to what they do both on the road and at home. Episodes include Brandi Carlile, Martin Sexton, Shawn Colvin, Alexi Murdoch, Michael Franti and many more!

Musicians On The Record Podcast from WXPN - WXPN presents our Musicians On The Record podcast where your favorite artists discuss the impact of their favorite albums. These intimate weekly conversations are a treat for any music lover and give you a glimpse of major artists as music fans just like you! Episodes include David Gray, Richard Thompson, Erin McKeown, Ted Leo and much more! (Please note this podcast series has finished, but archived episodes are available for download at iTunes!)

yPod - The yPod podcast is brought to you by Y-Rock On XPN, featuring an exciting mix of artist interviews and live sessions. [Y-Rock on XPN is an alternative music genre station that decended from alternative rock ancestors WDRE and Y-100; it is available 24/7 online, and via HD-Radio, and selected broadcast slots on good ol' FM radio. Learn more: The evolution of alternative rock radio in philadelphia...]

Hot Pod Picks - The best in music podcasting, curated by WXPN's Bruce Warren.

Surprise Her This Holiday...

So I get an email ad from Costco, which is okay, we're members.

But the subject is 'Surprise Her This Holiday' and the offer includes suggestions for

and

which really makes me wonder just what the surpise is...

Uh, ewww: “the toothpaste was already out of the tube.”

Screwed out of your pay for hire payment?

advice: if you get into a payment dispute with the guy you paid to have sex with you, contacting the authorities to get them involved to hassle the guy is a very bad idea.

Also, some metaphors just won't take you to a good place. From the Columbian's new article on Washington state legislator Richard Curtis (R) ...

Spokane Police Detective Tim Madsen wrote in his report that Curtis wanted to keep the whole incident quiet. At one point, Madsen told Curtis that “the toothpaste was already out of the tube.”

Try Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr Deni :

She dropped all the sexual assault and assault charges against Dominique Gindraw, even though he stood accused of forcing a prostitute to have sex with him and three other men.

At gunpoint.

But Deni didn't let Gindraw entirely off the hook. Because he didn't pay her what he'd agreed to pay her for sex, and since she was in the business of providing sex for money, Deni let stand a charge of theft of services.

What a real radio station does

We're blessed here in Philadelphia to have WXPN in our own backyard. While not perfect, XPN certainly bests anything available on commercial OTA radio for variety, ingenuity, respect and support. From their free concerts and music festivals to their up-and-coming artist support and genre programs, they can not be beat.

Here's two examples of how they excel as commercial radio fades away into oblivion:

Stream some songs to I'm Not There

Today for New Release Tuesday one of the albums we're featuring is the new double disc album of Bob Dylan covers that is the soundtrack to the new Todd Haynes movie, I'm Not There. There are lots of XPN faves on this album including Iron & Wine, Calexico, The Hold Steady, Jeff Tweedy, Jack Johnson, Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Cat Power. If you want to stream a few songs from the album, click here.

Featured Album of the Week


Bruce Springsteen - "Magic" (Columbia)

Ya wanna know what "magic" is? It's what happens to his fans every time Bruce Springsteen releases a new album. From the initial response to this new album - Magic - from these aforementioned fans (yeah, I'm one, too...), it sounds like everybody's satisfied.

It's only Springsteen's second album in the last 15 years with his beloved E Street Band - 2002's The Rising was the other - and this time the music, and indeed the whole scope of the album, is much more passionate. Magic isn't going to make anyone forget Born To Run (or even Born In The USA, for that matter), but - at 58 years old - Springsteen still has it... he's still a true believer in the power and possibilities of rock and roll. Still a master storyteller, songs like "Girls In Their Summer Clothes", the "10th Avenue Freeze Out"-esque "Livin' In The Future", and the political "Last To Die" all paint a vivid picture in your mind. The album's lead track "Radio Nowhere" rocks pretty righteously with Max Weinberg's drums mixed way up.

Producer Brendan O'Brien did a fine job in capturing the emotions, and Springsteen's voice really sounds great. If this guy's your musical hero, you could certainly do much worse...

Written by Dan Reed

update: I almost forgot: Today is Zappaween. Most Clear Channel stations would probably fire any jock that tried to program a day of Frank Zappa!

Listen here: XPN.org

F&ck commercial radio: Clear Channel tells its stations not to play the new Bruce Springsteen release.

"Just wait and see what happens if Springsteen tries this."

Media conglomeration is just about the worst part of modern American capitalism:

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2007/10/clear-channel-republican-propaganda.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,306164,00.html

DWT:

"When you have artists like the Dixie Chicks and Bruce Springsteen who have overtly spoken out against this Administration, they are taken to task in spite the clear and undeniable indications from the marketplace that people want to hear their music. What seems to be happening-- if sales are any kind of a barometer of what the marketplace is-- is that these politically-connected radio networks like Clear Channel are not looking to succeed as radio stations as much as pushing forward some political agenda.

FOX News:

Bruce Springsteen should be very happy. He has the No. 1 album, a possible Grammy for Best Album of the Year for "Magic," an album full of singles and a sold-out concert tour.

Alas, there’s a hitch: Radio will not play "Magic." In fact, sources tell me that Clear Channel has sent an edict to its classic rock stations not to play tracks from "Magic." But it’s OK to play old Springsteen tracks such as "Dancing in the Dark," "Born to Run" and "Born in the USA."

As DWT says, "Clear Channel...a watertight case for the need to break the media companies up into a thousand pieces."