- The economic collapse and who would benefit from it was determined decades ago.

- Libertarians and others have been detailing the coming economic catastrophe for just as long.

- The Lame-Stream Media, the media that is soooo last century, has been a willing tool in the greatest bank robbery of all time.

- The educational system produced a populace educated just enough to sign documents that allowed for the bank robbery.

- That it is much worse than realized and that the bailout attempt of $700 billion is just _this_ week's demand.

- There is no "saving" the financial system, and all of the proposals to do so is just making sure that it is the American Taxpayers that are left without a chair when the music stops.

 

During the entire interview it was clear that they wanted even 5 seconds of audio that could be edited in such a way that would have me saying that it was the stupid taxpayers that were responsible for this entire mess and therefore must be the ones held totally responsible for the "Greatest Depression of all time".

The closest they could get out of me was, "Where do you think the American people have learned about economics over the last few decades? The Educational system did everything possible to make certain that we were oblivious to what was happening, why and by whom. The media was the PR department for the theft and only now with the Internet are we educating ourselves,... which has made the Olde' Media irrelevant,... Blah Blah etc. etc.

 

My wife thought to take a couple of pictures but I should have known better and asked her to use a video camera.

The Anchor/Reporter, Syleste Rodriguez, called and asked that I give my perspective on air. This has happened over the years on various issues and I am certainly in their Rolodex for just such occasions, but in what capacity? Am I being interviewed as a r3VOLutionary, a candidate for Maricopa County Recorder, a well known libertarian with an opinion, publisher of FreedomsPhoenix,… what? They know of my role in all of these efforts and can always count on my having something to say.

 

Also of note is that Channel 12 is owned by the same company that owns The Arizona Republic, Gannett Company Inc. The Arizona Republic and KPNX TV12 have a symbiotic relationship in their coverage in the newspaper, on TV and on the Internet with the locally popular www.azcentral.com. I wasn’t surprised that it would be Channel 12 wanting to chat.

 

On September 11th here in Phoenix, Jesse Ventura did a great job pointing the finger at the media (and The Arizona Republic got some special attention) for not doing their job and for being part of the problem. While taping Jesse during a lunch in the Arizona Capitol Senate building I would get a call from the Arizona Republic. Immediately after realizing that it had nothing to do with the activities of that day I asked that they call back the next day (Friday) when I had time to talk to them (they didn’t like that).

 

Friday came along with the call and an invitation to speak to the Arizona Republic’s editorial board with my opponent, Helen Purcell. Helen is the incumbent Maricopa County Recorder and we are the only two candidates on the ballot. Election integrity is what I am well known for here in Arizona but since 2002 my rhetoric has changed to include my opinion that the option of voting in our freedom has long passed. In 2006 I refused to cooperate with any Arizona Republic reporters for any coverage.

 

They knew me well and anything that they needed was all over the Internet, on FreedomsPhoenix, my campaign website and Google. Hundreds of hours of radio shows archived and categorized in detail were available along with many videos. So the only benefit of my participation was to lend legitimacy to _them_. I couldn’t do that. I’ve understood the power of legitimacy from early on (Detailed in an article I originally wrote in 1994).

 

I was to participate in the Editorial Board on Tuesday. First thing Monday morning I called the Editorial Page editor, Ken Western, to inform him that I would not be participating. Ken and I get along fine, but we both know which side each of us are on and the roles that we play. Ken does his job to,…  keep his job, and he knows that I understand that. Ken has always been respectful of my positions and opinions, but knows where his bread is buttered.

 

Often these editorial board events are a waste of time and the end result is always predetermined, “while the challenger brings up some interesting points, we endorse the incumbent 'tyranny supporter' because,… that’s what will maintain our employment (it really is that simple). In 2004 towards the end of the election cycle, John McCain, the Democrat ‘Starkey’ and I would appear before The Arizona Republic’s editorial board as candidates for Arizona’s US Senate race. When asked my opinion about John McCain,… “John, you ‘da man,… you ‘da freaking man. We are at war with two countries,… ( and rattled of issues of concern like the economy, the federal debt, tyrannical acts of a government gone crazy etc.) and you ‘da man because you have been able to go an entire election cycle without facing your constituents or your opponents until today after Early Voting has already started. But you!!,,, (as I gestured to the over two dozen editors, reporters and photographers there for ‘the show’) Do you think I blame John as much as I blame you for allowing him to get away with it? You SUCK!” (so, do you think I got their endorsement?)

 

Ken Western made my participation conditional. I couldn’t record the event like I had done for the Tucson editorial board with John McCain. I had just bought a new digital recorder that morning that also had a camera in it so it looked like a small digital camera. I started the recording at the beginning in HiDef so it only recorded 45 minutes of an hour event (missed my impassioned closing), but the recording went on my website, for all to hear just how these shams are perpetrated,… and Ken didn’t want the same thing to happen to the Arizona Republic. I agreed.

 

It is starting to become standard practice for many newspapers to video record these events and place the unedited video on their websites (sure as hell not the Arizona Republic though :)

 

Ken said that they would go ahead with the editorial board in hopes that I would change my mind and attend the next day. I made it clear that it would be very unlikely. While my only encouragement would be that he would be in the room, I couldn’t bring myself to add any legitimacy to an organization that I knew played such a role in the coming suffering of the people in Arizona. I am certain that Ken knew that I meant what I said and understand my reasoning (as I am certain most at the Arizona Republic do – dozens receive FreedomsPhoenix daily,.. as does many at TV 12).

 

I always keep in mind a quote from the end of the Al Pacino and Kenu Reeves movie, “The Devil’s Advocate”, when the devil says, “Vanity,… my Favorite Sin”. The point being made was the use of vanity (willingness to appear on TV when given the opportunity etc.) to have an opportunity to editorially twist comments to further the agenda of those _behind_ the camera. With this always in mind I am very careful what I say,.. but I am not perfect. We’ll see what comes of this interview.

 

The best technique is to entertain with either humor and/or with indignation so that your comments don’t wind up on the cutting room floor with all of the other boring material on the subject that they are likely accumulating. But in this case I did everything I could to bring the interview around to how much distain I had for the Olde’ Media’s coverage of,… everything. If that part comes across then I will be happy with the result.

 

My wife Donna also rolled out this sign we produced for the Libertarian National Convention in Denver this summer. I hope it makes the coverage :)