Guest blogged by Winter Patriot
The First Annual BRAD BLOGATHON has been running for just over a hundred hours, and as you probably know, our primary motivation was to raise some much-needed funds for The BRAD SHOW and Brad’s other very important work. We’ve been asking, and you’ve been responding. Thank you very much for that. We cannot say Brad’s cup runneth over, but at least his cupboard is no longer quite so bare.
We hope you’ll continue to make the occasional donation via Credit Card or PayPal or Snail Mail and that you’ll make a habit of shopping at The BRAD STORE, but we’re going to stop pestering you about it, at least for a while. We agree that The BRAD BLOG is much better with Brad here than without him, and we’re ready to give him back his keys. So we’ve reached the point where we need to say “thanks”… to a lot of people!
To all who have contributed financially, with cash donations or by shopping at The BRAD STORE, or both: Your support is sincerely appreciated, and we thank you very much. Brad’s work could not continue without your support, and we wish there were more of you. So go forth and multiply, will you? 😉
To our excellent guest bloggers: to Josh Mitteldorf, Bernie Ellis, Chris Floyd, Gandhi, David Cobb, Larisa Alexandrovna, John Amato, Bob Koehler, Bob Fitrakis, and Clint Curtis: Many thanks to all of you! What an incredible lineup! We are very grateful for you support, as well as your blogging! And we hope you’ve enjoyed the time you’ve spent here with us.
To the loyal BRAD BLOG readers who contributed their time and their skills and their ideas and their enthusiasm to make all this possible; to Tracy, Peg, Joan and Robert for their very generous contributions; to Torqued, who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes on any technical thing anyone asked him to do; to Steve, who conceived the idea, and who worked so hard to make sure it happened; to all these people and to many others whose names I cannot possibly mention here [including some whose names I do not even know!], we offer our deepest gratitude.
And now, as we turn to the man of the hour … or the man of the blog… I have so much to say … and so few words … I was thinking clearly — or at least I was thinking a bit more clearly than I am now — when I wrote this entry in please don’t read my blog:
It’s always an honor to sit in for him while he’s gone. A great digger, a very good writer, a brave and honest patriot, and a very, very funny man, Brad’s my choice: there’s nobody in the world I would rather help.
That was back in May, and although I wouldn’t take any of those words back, I no longer see them as adequate. There’s more … there’s so much more … that I want to say … but … shucks, folks … I get so tongue-tied sometimes … oh, you know … hey, listen: Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin said it better than I ever could, way back in 1961:
You know what, Brad?
Bomp bah bah bomp, bah bomp bah bomp bomp.
Yes, my friend, rama lama ding dong forever.
And when I say, dip da dip da dip da dip
You know I mean it from the bottom
of my boogity boogity boogity shoo.
And so … without further doo-wop …
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Brad Friedman!
Welcome home, Brad! We’ve missed you!!
He doesn’t look like Dick Cheney at all. I’m relieved.
NOW do you believe me?
I have this disturbing re-occurring vision of Winter and Steve slinking around town in a black SUV with a brief case containing Brad’s secret permissions handcuffed to one of their wrists!
No Winter, wrong codes……that was the nuclear missile launch sequence………….BUGGER, sorry China!
Welcome back Brad 🙂
There were a few other names that WP missed that need to be recognized for helping pull this thing off:
Bradbloggers Shadowtwinchaos and Eternalchaosinc really put in a lot of time in the beginning to get this thing going- so much so that they burned their computers out and were left to hang out at the library for internet access! (Probably why I haven’t seen posts from them during the Blogathon- anybody seen them?)
Nana (where are you, I miss you) was there with enthusiasm and many good suggestions in the planning process.
Kira, as always, was a source of encouragement and motivation, and, as usual, performed, with aplomb, her job as sort of unofficial hostess and go to commenter of the Bradblog on many threads during the Blogathon.
I should also mention Bushw@cker, MMIIXX and Dawookie who, despite time zone differences and strange accents, lent their ideas and sent their "good vibrations" from across the seas.
Thank you to all of you and to anyone else who helped but was missed in the credit roll here by Winter Patriot or myself! You all made a difference.
Well Done Dr Steve, Winter and the other heavy lifters (they know who!) for organizing this sensational inaugural Brad Blogathon with its stellar cast of guest bloggers!
I was out of town for part of it and as KIRA posted, the head is hurting with the extent and quality of the posts I’m yet to read!
You’ve all done a great thing pulling this off!
THREE CHEERS!
Many thanks to everyone for working so hard on this. Sorry I wasn’t there for y’all, but at least Winter Patriot’s Whispering Campaign got some exposure during my travels. Hopefully the next one will hit at a time when things are a little more settled here and I’m not being pulled between three states and don’t have a tribe of kids camping out in my living room floor (although my keyboard is getting some much needed rest).
Um..there is gonna be a "next one", isn’t there?
I’m extremely proud to be a (sometimes silent) part of this group. It’s nice to be associated with people who pay more than lip service to the cause of liberty and free press.
In the words of my favorite former high school substitute teacher: "Y’all done good"
Soooo…y’all gettin all geared up for the impeachment parties?
BTW, we now know for sure who BRAD is…but where’s the photo of Winter Patriot?
Congrats to one and all!
Great posts. Lots to catch up on.
Hey Brad, can you put the cool pic on the website (instead of the tobacco cause one)?
I like the tobacco cause one. It makes Brad look like an old time PI.
I, too, was absent for much of the Blogathon…life just got in the way big-time…most annoying.
I really hope there is a next time!
I am inexpressibly grateful for people like Brad, Steve, WP, Larisa, John Conyers, Fitrakis, Koehler et al, who are out there fighting for us, for ME!! as I stumble through my crazy little life.
Thankyou. Thank you. Thank you.
Bring on the impeachment parties!
Oh and, even though it was certifiably nuts to change french fries to freedom fries, how bad an idea is it to pursue…I dunno…maybe some leftist coffee shop in DC?…changing peach pie to IMpeach Pie???
Too absurd=rightwing-ish?? Or does anybody know of a nice leftie establishment with a sense of humor?
Just a thought.
Welcome home, Brad! This was fun, but we’ve missed you!
You folks are all amazing! What an incredibly nice thing you have done. Makes me want to cry!
Welcome back, Brad. Get to work, huh?
No conspicuous British and American Tobacco product placement in this pic!
Geez, what a handsome devil!
Wow! There was one big name left off that thank you list. Winter Patriot, you are THE MAN! Most people out there can only have an inkling of how hard you worked before and during this event to make it what it was. You gave it all a touch of class (not to mention one heck of a lot of elbow grease), that even the Big Man himself must have been impressed by.
I certainly realized one thing. Winter Patriot is a VERY big part of what makes this Blog so special and why people would be motivated to "beat their heads against the walls" to try to earn some money to keep it going. I won’t pretend we did as well as I’d hoped we would (really, not nearly). But I will hope that people that haven’t contributed so far (and maybe even a few that have) will take a look at what we put together for this Blogathon and MORE IMPORTANTLY, what Brad has created here and what he is trying to do for our democracy (with FAR TOO LITTLE COMPENSATION) and they will be motivated to help him, as he so deserves, to move forward in his efforts. PLEASE DONATE TO THIS BLOG TODAY!
I sent the following note to ideas@sirius-radio.com
(the email request line for Sirius radio)
I tried to listen to Radio left on Wednesday at 1 pm Central and all I could get was Lynn Samuals (CHOKE) on both 143 and 144 so off I went to local FM radio.
Somebody should be listening to the Archives of The Brad Show which can be found at https://bradblog.com/BradShow/
Brad Friedman has the best progressive talk radio show on the airwaves and we should be able to pick him up on Sirius Radio.
For more news, Internet muckraking, and all around trouble making, please see http://www.BradBlog.com
*** The BRAD SHOW On the Air via RAW RADIO!
*** Now LIVE on Saturday Nights from 7p – 11p ET!
Perhaps if 6 or 7 others would find there own way to contact the likes of Sirius Radio, XM Satellite radio and Air America we might shake some trees and see some apples fall.
I love this blog. Thanks, Brad.
Slicer #15 —
Helluva good idea you have there! Lets help get Brad on Air America or similar (non-IBC) network. Maybe if a few 6 or 7 of us bugged them until…
#15 & #17
Here’s my request to Air America Radio :
Thank you soooo much for your really great shows. I love Al Franken, Majority Report, Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy — who am I leaving out???
Oh yes, that brings me to my request … I would be thrilled beyond belief if I could hear Brad Friedman — https://bradblog.com/BradShow/ — (The Brad Show) on Air America.
Please consider my request. The link above has archives of Brad’s excellent interviews with many extremely important people for our cause.
Sincerely,
=====================
Any other ideas?
Brad, I know you’re a handsome actor, etc…etc….
…but we need more great journalists, not more actors!!!! (lol) Stick with the journalism, you’re one of the all-time best!