TalkJunkie

I’ve expressed my opinion. Have you? Here are some contact tools for phoning and e-mailing.

FirstGov

US House

Contact “Map”

Well I finally got my new sports program schedule started. There are a few dozen shows to begin with and hopefully a lot more to come. Also I’ve now loaded the new category system to the left, which will organize specialty radio programs. Topics range from beer and cigar radio to shows about religion, pets and money.

Most of these niche programs are broadcast on the weekend and I’ve tried to put a good variety on the weekend schedule grid. If you’d like to suggest a show that I’ve missed, and I’m sure that there are plenty, just contact me here. And if I’ve screwed up any links or missed a programming change, let me know that too.

I hope this is helpful for you to discover some new shows.

Would you believe Iraq. Well, Northern Iraq – Kurdistan. “In no country are Kurds closer to realizing their dream of freedom and independence than they are in Iraq,” explains Michael Totten. “Kurdish people think like Americans in ways that surprised me again and again.”

Totten recently returned from a few weeks in this part of the world which is escaping the hell that still pervades areas just an hour to the south. You’ve got to see his photos and read his on-going account to appreciate what these people are accomplishing.

You can also read this interview in NRO about his experience. And if you feel crazily adventurous you can call Flying Carpet Airlines.

The [expletive] port sale that I commented on a few days ago is still being reviewed by the administration. I find it incredible that this issue is getting only scattered attention, though press coverage has picked up over the past two days. Rep. Peter King of New York has expressed his concerns to the White House today.

from Newsday – Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., said, “If our ports are the most vulnerable targets for terrorism and if we are at war, as the president says, we should be overly critical of handing over management of our ports to any foreign countries, post 9/11.”

Mark Levin briefly addressed the issue on his show today saying flat out, “this should not go through . . . this is a clear-cut national security issue.”

today From WEBCommentary by Diane Grassi –

A New York Post opinion piece yesterday began, “Do the feds really want to place the ports of New York and New Jersey in the hands of a Middle East country with ties to the Sept. 11 hijackers?” And in an ironic twist we have Sen. Charles Schumer appearing to take the same side as Mark Levin, saying, “this is a case where it’s better to be safe than sorry.” He added that, “we should be very careful before we outsource such sensitive homeland security duties.” He’s probably been diligently searching for an issue to utilize the recent “outsourcing” talking point.

And the New York Daily News yesterday noted that “ports are considered one of the nation’s weakest security links, with only about 5% of the cargo coming in inspected.’ The article also said that the Port Authority, as landlord, may also have a controlling interest.

Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy, and a frequent contributor to the John Batchelor program weighed in today in an article in the New York Sun. Among other considerations, Gaffney addressed the issue of energy security, noting, “a very large proportion of the nation’s oil imports come through the Atlantic and Gulf State ports that the UAE company hopes to take over.”

He also mentions a potential conflict that has been mentioned in earlier articles. It seems a former director of operations for the Dubai company recently became the administrator of the Tansportation Department’s Maritime Administration.

Another Sun article ended with, “The chairman of Dubai Ports World, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, told the Guardian newspaper that references to terrorism at a general meeting of the British company’s shareholders on Monday were “bad,” and that such stereotyping could not be condoned.” Well I don’t give a god damn about political correctness. And what cannot be condoned is placing diplomatic niceties above security. I asked in my last post, does this help our nation’s security or hinder it?

Other comments from the New York area, which is only one of the six ports involved -

“This shouldn’t happen. It really boggles the mind.”

And in better New Yorkese – “On its face, this looks like [expletive] insanity to me,”

Now that is well stated.

Gee, Sarah Brady thinks Dick Cheney is scary. “I’ve thought Cheney was scary for a long time,” Sarah Brady said. “Now I know I was right to be nervous.”

Thats right Sarah. And thats how how he treats his friends.

Harry Whittington – hmm, is that a real name?

What the hell is this? Some, unfortunately, not those in Washington, are concerned about the possibility of WMD coming through sophisticated border tunnels. Now this country is going to cede major US port operations to Mid-Eastern control? This is lunacy. If you wanted to do everything you could possibly do to improve security, would you allow US ports to be operated by a company from the most unstable part of the world with the highest percentage of people that worship death and want to kill Americans?

According to the AP, the United Arab Emirate company Dubai Ports World is poised to take over port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. The UAE company’s purchase of British P & O may be approved as soon as Monday.

If this happened during a Democratic administration, the Republicans would be screaming about it just like the transfer of missile technology during the Clinton years. Lets hope the Longshoremen’s union is better at security than the government.

from the Press of Atlantic City -“Does this pose a national security risk? I think that’s pushing the envelope,” said Stephen E. Flynn, who studies maritime security at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. “It’s not impossible to imagine one could develop an internal conspiracy, but I’d have to assign it a very low probability.” Okay what probability would he have assigned five years ago for 19 terrorists to hijack four airliners, attack the freaking Pentagon and demolish both towers of the World Trade Center?

We can’t control security leaks in the administration and military. What expectation can there be of any port security measures (if there are any) maintaining confidentiality? Does this help our nation’s security or hinder it? These are not normal times. The worst case scenario is horrific. The best case is simply another question mark. Nuts.

“Fraud has a rich history in Maryland.” It has a rich future too.

You’d think those calling themselves Democrats would have at least a passing interest in protecting the integrity of democracy. There are steps to protect voting integrity in some places, but not in Maryland.

So you want to hear something different from the ordinary. How about a show that is philosophically grounded and deals with every topic you can imagine. Whether its healthcare, electronic surveillance, airline security, parks or drugs, Free Talk Live is a call-in show open to every subject.

The show is promoted as “talk radio where YOU are in control.” You can discuss anything you wish, and you can be sure the hosts will entertain the topic with a “freemarketeer” pro-freedom approach. On the air every weekday evening plus Saturday, this show provides 18 hours of programming each week. The website offers a detailed archive for listening to recent and not-so-recent shows.

The website also has a pretty good discussion forum and has even introduced a show Wiki. The website is at freetalklive.com. Check out this list of last months topics in the wiki.

The show currently has about a dozen affiliates throughout the country. You can stream off KCXL, Kansas City or from the show’s website which offers listening with most major players. Free Talk is on the program grid at the live hours of 7 till 10pm est. If you’re tired of angry radio rants or just want to hear a fresh and positive approach to today’s issues give a listen. As one of the hosts offered on this evening’s show, “Libertarians believe in the good in man.”

Michael Savage had plenty to say about today’s political rally which also included a service for Coretta Scott King. When I first heard about what went on there, I immediately thought of the Wellstone debacle. Perhaps it will be equally effective.

Savage particularly savaged the peanut farmer along with the other “undignified cowards” who used a funeral service to attack the attending Bush and his policies, knowing he would not join them in the gutter. “He’s a disgrace,” Savage said of Carter, “he always has been.” Carter, whose own presidency was an abject failure, used the occasion to take a swipe at government wiretapping. The Clintons used the event for Shrillary’s own “self-promotion”.

But Savage did not let Bush go unscathed either. “He sat there like a big schmuck,” he said, “he should have walked out.” That, of course, would not have been appropriate. Bush knows its better to let his enemies play, and look, the fools, while he returns to the White House. Savage is right that Bush is looking more and more “like a lame duck punching bag.”

Fine, let the opposition campaign against someone who isn’t running. Let them campaign against tapping the phones of the Islamo-fascists who want to kill us. Let them bet the farm on mocking WMD, a story which has important chapters not yet written. And let them look like classless, undignified cowards.

update: “How low has James Earl Carter sunk?” – well stated by Matt May.

This gem from McQ on QandO Blog - “Funny how such a relatively small island (population 50) has so many politicians and relations of politicians owning as much “worthless land” as they presently own, isn’t it?” McQ discusses a Fund WSJ piece exploring the political connections behind the pork-barrel atrocity.

I have a feeling this is going to become less funny for the brazen porkers in Alaska who enjoy joking about how much they can steal from the taxpayers. What will finish first, the investigations or the construction?

WPHT Philadelphia now has live streaming of their fantastic lineup. This adds an additional stream source for hosts including Glenn Beck, Jay Severin, Bill O’Reilly, Hannity and Rush. But a huge addition is the Michael Smerconish show which had only been available to the early morning Philly broadcast audience. Michael, by the way, is also slated to guest host O’Reilly’s Radio Factor tomorrow. Now the world can listen to Smerconish Mon – Fri., and a number of other great shows.

Susanne LaFrankie fills the hour between Hannity and Severin, Mon-Thurs with discussion of local and national issues. Check out the Dom Giordano show late evenings. Giordano has been listed as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Talk Show Hosts in America by Talkers Magazine. Another great “Big Talker” is Joe Watkins who can be heard Saturday and Sunday mornings. Also on the weekend overnights is Best of Rollye James.

Another one of my favorites offers more spin than talk – record spin – with the Chairman of The Board. Fridays with Frank from 6 til 7, Saturday’s The Sounds of Sinatra from 8 til 10pm and Sunday with Sinatra from 8am til 1pm, all est., are brought to you by Sid Mark. “Sid is my kind of guy… he can separate fact from fiction, and he knows the music business inside and out” – Frank Sinatra

WPHT offers a great listen pretty much any hour of the day or night seven days a week. It ain’t called The Big Talker for nuthin.