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Posts by ZP Heller
Lil' Bill O'Reilly: "We'll Do It Live! F*ck It!"
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on October 7, 2008 at 12:42 PM.
Ever wonder if Bill O'Reilly was always such a bigoted, hate-filled shock jock? Check out Lil' Bill weighing in on the important issues -- the resemblance is uncanny!
The Return of McCain's Keating 5 Scandal
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on October 6, 2008 at 7:25 AM.
John McCain has called his Keating Five experience "the worst mistake of my life." The Obama campaign, however, insists McCain has learned nothing from this mistake. Today at noon Eastern, they are launching a 13-minute documentary highlighting McCain's involvement in the savings-and-loan scandal: www.keatingeconomics.com
In the 1980s, McCain strong-armed federal regulators to protect Charles Keating, the crooked banker at the center of the S&L crisis. McCain had accepted $112,000 in campaign contributions, gifts, and trips from Keating, a McCain family friend. Keating went to prison; McCain was only rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for his "poor judgment."
While McCain has tried to rebrand himself as a reformer since the darkest days of his congressional career, his hand in the current economic crisis echoes his Keating Five experience. McCain and his economic adviser Phil Gramm led the charge on the deregulation that helped cause the financial collapse, and McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis was on Freddie Mac's lobbyist payroll from 2005 until August 2008. And both the 1980's S&L scandal and the current economic meltdown resulted in massive bailouts at the taxpayers' expense.
Check out www.keatingeconomics.com at noon Eastern to learn more about McCain's unethical pattern of pushing for deregulation. Politico has more on this story.
Cancer Expert Discusses Dangers of McCain's Health Record Secrecy
Posted by ZP Heller, Meet the Bloggers on October 4, 2008 at 8:21 AM.
"If there's limitation to the transparency of anybody's medical records, it always raises the suspicion, 'What are they hiding?'..." Those were the words of Dr. Richard Sagebiel, co-director of the UCSF Melanoma Clinic and yesterday's special guest on Meet the Bloggers. Dr. Sagebiel was one of over 2,750 doctors who signed the open letter urging John McCain to provide full disclosure of his medical records. And really, "What are they hiding?" is the question we need to be asking ourselves again and again as this story unfolds.
What is McCain hiding? He released a portion of his medical records back in May under extremely restricted circumstances, allowing a handful of hand-picked reporters to view nearly 1,200 pages for just three hours, without the use of the Internet, cell phones, or copying equipment. As The Nation's Ari Melber pointed out during yesterday's show, most of these journalists were not medical experts. But even if they were, this was an insufficient amount of time to examine so many pages of McCain's health history. That's why CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta--one of the journalists who got to see this portion of medical records--told Sam Stein at The Huffington Post that McCain's lack of candor amounted to "cloak and dagger" secrecy.
And why is the corporate press censoring any discussion about McCain's medical records? Yesterday's Meet the Bloggers came in part because both CNN and MSNBC refused to air Brave New PAC's ad about McCain's record secrecy. Both complained about the graphic images in the ad--images that both networks aired earlier this year. Even more amazingly, MSNBC actually banned the ad after shock jocks Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh self-righteously ranted about it.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
The Hidden Cost of War: Watch How Fast $3 Trillion Adds Up
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on October 3, 2008 at 11:43 AM.
In 2003, Donald Rumsfeld estimated a war with Iraq would cost $60 billion. Five years later, the cost of Iraq war operations is over 10 times that figure. And by the time the war is finished, it will be 50 times that much.
What's behind the ballooning dollar signs?
Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilme's exhaustedly researched book, The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict, breaks down the price tag, from current debts to the unseen costs we'll pay for years to come.
Brought to you by GOOD Magazine.
For more perspective on just how much $3 trillion really is, go on The $3 Shopping Spree.
Savage Attacks Progressive Film Company for Telling the Truth
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on October 3, 2008 at 10:01 AM.
For those of you wondering why the Brave New Films YouTube account was suddenly shut down late yesterday, it was because of Michael Savage. That's right, the notoriously hate-filled shock jock managed to get YouTube to silence us, claiming a copyright violation over our video "Michael Savage Hates Muslims." As a result of Savage's protests, YouTube took the extreme step of removing ALL Brave New Films videos from their site.
Take a look at the e-mail YouTube sent us just prior to disabling our account:
Dear Member:
This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by Original Talk Radio Network, Inc. claiming that this material is infringing:
Michael Savage hates Muslims: www.youtube.com
Please Note: Repeat incidents of copyright infringement will result in the deletion of your account and all videos uploaded to that account. In order to prevent this from happening, please delete any videos to which you do not own the rights, and refrain from uploading additional videos that infringe on the copyrights of others. For more information about YouTube's copyright policy, please read the Copyright Tips guide.
If you elect to send us a counter notice, please go to our Help Center to access the instructions.
Please note that under Section 512(f) of the Copyright Act, any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material or activity was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification may be subject to liability.
Sincerely,
YouTube, Inc.
Rest assured, we are working to resolve this issue. We will NOT yield the airwaves to a hatemonger. Nor will we tolerate being censored by YouTube over a bigot's complaints. We will keep you posted and call upon you for help if this persists.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Homer Simpson's Election Day Nightmare
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on October 2, 2008 at 3:20 PM.
Homer tries to vote for Barack Obama, but ends up voting for John McCain again and again until he's killed by the electronic voting machine. A not so subtle reminder about the all too serious issue of voter fraud from this year's Treehouse of Horrors Halloween Special.
Hilarious: FOX Reporter Calls Overwhelming Obama Support a "Split" for McCain
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on October 1, 2008 at 6:00 AM.
When a show of hands in a Pennsylvania diner yields one vote for McCain and the rest for Obama, FOX's Brian Wilson calls it a "split." Clearly, FOX is desperate to prove Pennsylvania is in play.
More and comments at www.newshounds.us
Van Jones: Green Jobs Can Fix Economic and Ecological Crises
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on September 30, 2008 at 6:32 AM.
The solutions to global warming are also the solutions to a struggling economy and rising unemployment: invest in clean energy solutions that will spur the market and create green jobs. Activist and advocate Van Jones talks about the path to a greener cleaner future that includes us all.
Head of Skate: The Sarah Palin Disney Movie
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on September 29, 2008 at 11:54 AM.
Matt Damon has criticized Sarah Palin for her utter lack of experience, comparing her run to a bad Disney movie. Well, College Humor has put together the trailer for that movie.
AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.
Why Is the Corporate Press Censoring Attempts to Discuss McCain's Health Records?
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on September 29, 2008 at 5:52 AM.
When over 2,500 doctors come forward, urging John McCain to provide full public disclosure of his medical records, it warrants national discussion. McCain severely limited access to his medical records back in May (20 reporters had only 3 hours to review 1,173 pages without any cameras, cell phones, or photocopying), giving rise to serious doubts about his already questionable health history. His secrecy and evasiveness were eerily reminiscent of the egregious dishonesty and manipulation of information we've seen from the Bush administration for the past eight years.
That's why Brave New PAC followed up on Brave New Films' initial video about McCain's health records by creating its own ad featuring two of the 2,500 doctors; they wanted to alert the public to the concerns of these medical experts and stress the importance of this issue. But so far, the possibility of having a frank discussion about McCain's health records has been hampered by attacks from the right and corporate media censorship.
Soon after Brave New PAC and Democracy for America launched their ad, the right countered by unleashing attack hounds like Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. These are two of the most contemptible, bloviating shock jocks on the air. They have attacked Barack Obama with lies and hate and bigotry, not to mention the other liberals they have slandered in the past, and their smears have spread like a virus to other mainstream outlets, warping public opinion. And yet they have the gall to go after Brave New PAC and Democracy for America with a holier-than-thou attitude!
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Nancy Pelosi Doesn't Need a Timeout to Fix the Economy
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on September 25, 2008 at 11:58 AM.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's appearance on a special Meet the Bloggers yesterday proved two things: not only can politicians work together to fix one of the worst economic crises in our nation's history, but they can do this while continuing to speak to the American people, keeping us informed about what's happening in the halls of Congress.
Unlike Senator John McCain, who suspended his campaign and public appearances yesterday because he claimed Washington couldn't fix this financial crisis without his "economic expertise," Speaker Pelosi spoke candidly with show host Cenk Uygur about whether the Bush-Paulson bailout plan would work. Though Speaker Pelosi stressed the need for a bipartisan solution to solve the current crisis, she said the "party is over" for Republicans like McCain who have pushed for the deregulation that led to this mess in the first place. Speaker Pelosi called the expansive power for Treasury Secretary Paulson laid out by the bailout plan "almost laughable"; she questioned the price tag and time frame of the bailout; and she claimed President Bush ought to give the American people an apology for his bankrupt economic policies during his nationally televised speech last night.
McCain, meanwhile, was busy incurring the mocking wrath of David Letterman for canceling his appearance on "The Late Show" yesterday, only to appear in an interview with CBS's Katie Couric instead. (Perhaps McCain could have continued conducting interviews from Washington via the Internet like Pelosi, if only he knew how to use it!) McCain's "suspension" of his campaign was a cheap political ploy, clearly aimed at preventing him from slipping further in the polls because of a crisis he and his aides like Rick Davis and Phil Gramm helped create. Why else would he suddenly be so inclined to show up in Congress when he has been the most absent member of the Senate?
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Letterman Brutally Mocks McCain for Late Show Cancellation
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on September 25, 2008 at 7:34 AM.
John McCain canceled his appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman" yesterday. He claimed it was part of the plan to suspend his campaign in order to return to Washington and "fix the economy"--a desperate move considering McCain was slipping in the polls in the last few days over an economic crisis his campaign helped cause, not to mention the fact that McCain has spent so little time actually voting in Congress recently.
But as it turned out, a funny thing happened to McCain on the way to the airport because he turned up for an interview with CBS's Katie Couric. Relentless mocking ensues!
CNN's Campbell Brown Rails Against McCain's Sexist Treatment of Palin
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on September 24, 2008 at 8:15 AM.
CNN anchor Campbell Brown ripped into the McCain campaign for its sexist treatment of Sarah Palin. Brown accused the McCain camp of treating Palin like "a delicate flower" for refusing to allow Palin to hold press conferences or field questions from reporters during her UN meetings yesterday. (h/t Jezebel)
I was already impressed with Brown last month when she stuck it to McCain toady Tucker Bounds when he was unable to speak to Palin's "foreign policy credentials." Here's hoping we see more rants like this one!
Chris Rock on Hillary Clinton: "The Patriots got a lot of points too, but they lost to the Giants!"
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on September 23, 2008 at 2:36 PM.
On last night's Late Show with David Letterman, Rock stuck it to Bill Clinton for what he said earlier in the show about Hillary and the economy—and what he didn't say about Barack Obama!
McCain's Costly Environmental Flip-Flops
Posted by ZP Heller, Meet the Bloggers on September 23, 2008 at 1:00 PM.
While soaring gas prices and the energy crisis are major concerns for Americans, this economic debate is inextricably linked to the environment. How can we get our country off a crippling dependence on costly oil without considering environmentally safe energy alternatives? This was the topic of Friday's Meet the Bloggers, in which environmental journalist Simran Sethi spoke with show host Cenk Uygur about sustainability, as well as the battle between Big Oil and innovation.
Sethi addressed the urgent need to create a green economy, and she recommended tapping into the diversity of natural resources in our country. Sethi suggested that energy independence is possible if adequate measures are taken immediately, which is why the upcoming election is all the more crucial.
Friday's show came in conjunction with the launch of our video, McCain's Green Economy: Drill, Baby, Drill, which we partnered with the League of Conservation Voters to produce. As the title suggests, Drill, Baby, Drill reveals McCain's deep ties to Big Oil. Specifically, McCain has over 22 Big Oil lobbyists advising him, and he received over $1 million dollars from Big Oil for his recent flip-flop on off-shore drilling. But as Meet the Bloggers guests Kevin Grandia (DeSmogBlog.com), Brad Johnson (ThinkProgress.org) and Kate Sheppard (Grist.org) pointed out, McCain's abysmal environmental record goes far beyond his recent flip-flops.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
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