Andy Martin went to Illinois to play football. He ended up tackling the corrupt political footballs of Chicago and Illinois politics. Today he celebrates fifty (50) years as a corruption foe and delivers his own “State of the City” and “State of the State” overview. Monday he carries on with new inquiries in a Chicago news conference before returning to New Hampshire where he now makes his home.
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ContrarianCommentary.com
“The Internet Powerhouse”
Andy Martin, J. D.
Adjunct professor of law
Executive editor
One of America’s most respected
independent authors/investigators
“Factually Correct, Not Politically Correct”
You can call Andy:
National (866) 706-2639
Cell (917) 664-9329
You can email Andy:
AndyNewHampshire@aol.com
You can write Andy by
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Announcement of Chicago news conference Sunday, October 22
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Attention: daybook/assignment and Political editors
October 22 Chicago news conference details:
Who:
Illinois, national and New Hampshire corruption fighter and conservative columnist/blogger Andy Martin celebrates fifty (50) years fighting government abuses in Chicago
What:
Andy Martin celebrates a fiftieth anniversary of corruption fighting in Chicago and Illinois
Where:
Sidewalk news conference, SE corner of Huron and Wabash Streets, Chicago (weather permitting; otherwise indoors)
When:
Sunday, October 22, 2017; 5:00 P.M.
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Andy Martin reminisces on half a century fighting corruption in Chicago and Illinois politics
Andy says that the momentum created by reformers and corruption fighters of the 1950’s and 1960’s is all gone
Andy continues his efforts on behalf of public integrity, primarily in New Hampshire but also nationally and in Chicago/Illinois
(CHICAGO) (October 22, 2017) Andy Martin came from New England to play football at Illinois. He has stayed for over half a century helping fight corruption and broadening his base into a national and international campaign for public integrity. Sunday he celebrates fifty (50) years of fighting Chicago and Illinois state corruption.
“When I came to Illinois on a short visit I did not envision the state and city of Chicago would gobble up so much of my early life. Until I returned to my New England roots almost a decade ago I was actively involved in fighting the endless run of bad guys in city and state politics. On relocating my home, I promised to keep a presence in the city and state to keep an eye out for egregious abuses, and we continue to do so,” Andy says.
“The landscape has changed radically. When I went to the Illinois General Assembly in 1965 as an intern to work on a senior thesis there was an identifiable group of legislators who actively were against Daley Machine asphyxiation of the state. These great American became my heroes and my eventually colleagues, and motivated me to work for the public good, not just for private advancement.
“Sadly, today the ranks of corruption fighters and reformers in the legislature has dwindled to the point of disappearance. The citizens of Illinois are poorer because of that fact.
“Later in the summer of 1965 I went to the U. S. Senate as an intern to work on an esoteric project: an analysis of the conference committee. From there in 1966 I joined the reelection campaign of Senator Paul Douglas. Douglas was the greatest inspiration to me, and his efforts on my behalf changed the direction of my life.
“Finally, by 1967 I was ready (intemperate enough?) to stand up and stand out on my own and challenge the Daley Machine. When I joined the team fighting to expose corruption on the Illinois Supreme Court (the Klingbiel/Solfisburg bank stock scandal) that signaled the end of my prospects as a lawyer in private practice. And yet I kept moving ahead, working for legal reform and exposing the bad guys year after year and decade after decade. I have not won every battle; indeed, every battle was a loser from the start and had to be converted, occasionally, into a winner, such is the hydraulic power of corruption in Chicago.
“What I find most interesting is that you make no friends even successfully fighting corruption. The good people hide, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral-style, afraid of becoming exposed or associated with active as opposed to token opposition to the power structure, and the bad people just keep on going. There were a few genuine reformers in the legislature: Paul Simon, Abner Mikva, Anthony Scariano, Leland Rayson, Dan Pierce, Bob Mann come to mind initially. Who are the reformers today? In 1967, the “lakefront liberals” had yet to be born (Hyde Park was an outlier enclave); today the term is a hollow phrase in so far as opposition to Rahm Emanuel is concerned.
“Ironically, the media, which enjoy promoting the exposure of corruption, because it adds viewers and sells papers, have been sadly ambivalent against the people who are actually in the trenches fighting the crooks in public office. Media operate from the perspective that bad public officials are entrenched, and anyone who stands up to them is what Mike Royko called a ‘googoo.’ Now that the media are in decline, we don’t even get the kind of corruption investigations we got in the 70’s and 80’s. ‘Media money’ is gone.
“Even though I have lived in New Hampshire since 2010, I still get requests for assistance from Illinois. We are working on a couple of projects at present. Later today I will be leading a tour of the Obama ‘presidential library’ site, and addressing that matter on Monday.
“In 2009, I predicted the relentless escalating violence that plagues Chicago. I was a prophet without honor, but my prediction was unfortunately 100% correct. Violence at a level that was inconceivable in 2009 is routine today, and no end is in sight. Rahm Emanuel thinks he can laminate a glossy surface on the corrupt underlayment of Chicago, and tax his way to a prosperous city. Never in history has such a policy succeeded. So, there is a lot of opportunity for reformers and corruption fighters to take my place and that of the others who came before. Welcome to the fray. There is always new work to be done.”
—–
LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):
[1]
New citations after emailing:
ANDY MARTIN – A BRIEF BIO:
Andy Martin is a legendary New Hampshire-based muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. With forty-nine years of background in radio and television and with five decades of intelligence, investigative and analytical experience in Washington, the USA and around the world, Andy provides insight on politics, foreign policy, military and intelligence matters. For a full bio, go to: http://www.AndyMartin.com; also see http://www.BoycottABC.com/executive_director.htm
Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for fifty years and is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. See also http://www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; http://www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.
He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).
He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and produced the Internet film “Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” blogging at http://www.contrariancommentary.wordpress.com and http://www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester, New Hampshire over 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He is New Hampshire’s leading corruption fighter and Republican Party reformer.
UPDATES:
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Andy’s opinion columns are posted at ContrarianCommentary.com, ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com and ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
[NOTE: We try to correct any typographical errors in our stories; find the latest version on our blogs and don’t hesitate to let us know if you find an error.]
———-
© Copyright by Andy Martin 2017 – All Rights Reserved
NEW S FROM:
ContrarianCommentary.com
“The Internet Powerhouse”
Andy Martin, J. D.
adjunct professor of law
executive editor
one of America’s most respected
independent authors/investigators
“Factually Correct, Not Politically Correct”
you can call Andy:
National (866) 706-2639
Cell (917) 664-9329
you can email Andy:
AndyNewHampshire@aol.com
you can write Andy by
faxing (866) 214-3210
Blogs/web sites (partial):
ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com
ContrarianCommentary.typepad.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Attention, New York City daybook/assignment editors
Announcement of New York news conference today, Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Andy Martin says the Nation of Islam may have played a role in the mysterious death of New York Judge Sheila Abdus Salaam
Veteran investigator Andy Martin looks at the “suspicious” death of a prominent New York Judge and starts asking questions
Andy delves into the “secret life of Sheila Abdus Salaam”
Andy says there is circumstantial evidence that Abdus Salaam retained ties to the Nation of Islam even after her divorce from her first husband
Andy questions why one of Abdus Salaam’s husbands was “lost” in news reporting after her death, and why major NYC media could not even agree on her religious affiliation
Did Governor Andrew Cuomo appoint a closeted Nation of Islam adherent to New York State’s highest court?
(New York, NY) (May 10, 2017) Andy Martin, an internationally known investigative author and columnist, will hold a New York City news conference today, May 10th, to question whether the Nation of Islam may be linked to the disputed death of New York Court of Appeals Judge Sheila Abdus Salaam.
“I knew of Judge Abdus Salaam,” Andy says, “but not a great deal. I saw the initial reports of her ‘suicide’ and accepted the NYPD view that she had killed herself. But as I followed the muddled and contradictory reporting which followed, I came to believe we might have a ‘murder mystery’ on our hands. I opened an independent investigation and today I will discuss my initial findings. I will also discuss my ‘theory’ as to why she may have been killed; and I want to clearly label my theory as a theory, not fact.”
Andy states:
“1. Initial reports of Abdus Salaam’s death did not prompt any particular questions on my part. I knew of her only on a second-hand basis from a colleague who had appeared before her and was critical of her impartiality and legal judgment. The NYPD’s ‘suicide’ theory seemed plausible.
“2. My suspicious were triggered when I read reports in different newspapers and they could not even agree on whether Abdus Salaam was a Muslim or not. (See links below). I found it strange that someone who had been appointed by Governor Cuomo to the state’s highest court appeared to lead a ‘secret life.’
“3. It was not until I read a two-page report in the Sunday New York Post that I opened my own independent investigation into what I now call a ‘disputed’ death. The Post found four marriages, not three; how could the other media ‘lose’ a husband?
“4. I found the protestations of Abdus Salaam’s latest husband, an Episcopal priest, particularly challenging since he repeatedly stated his wife had not killed herself. That was also the consensus in African-American media. Did the husband ‘know something’ the police did not? Why was he so steadfast in his belief that she had not committed suicide?
“5. Once the many mysteries in Abdus Salaam’s life started to reveal themselves, I started to question everything about her past. If the media could be so wrong in the present, how could we trust their reports of her former life? Had Abdus Salaam really left the Nation of Islam? Were claims that she had abandoned the faith merely self-serving statements to advance her judicial career? How would the headlines have looked if they had read ‘Governor Cuomo appoints former Nation of Islam member to state’s highest court?’ While she was alive no one ever mentioned Abdus Salaam knew Louis Farrakhan and that he had supposedly counseled her. Only after her death was the Islam/Farrakhan link disclosed. If the Farrakhan relationship, even an old one, had been highlighted when she was nominated to the Court of Appeals, would she have been confirmed? Would a more thorough investigation have been conducted? I am absolutely convinced there is much we do not know about Abdus Salaam and her continuing links to the Nation of Islam.
“6. I kept returning to the certitude of the husband that she had not committed suicide. Was this misplaced spousal loyalty? Or was he aware of facts hat gave him such certitude?
“7. If Abdus Salaam had actually left the Nation of Islam, why did she retain an openly Islamic name in a city and state where Islam is especially suspect? Was this a religious statement or a political statement, or something deeper?
“8. The family knew that Abdus Salaam was taking medication, but still remained resolute that she had not killed herself. (To date there have not been any reports that she overdosed at the time of her death.) Sometimes families refuse to acknowledge suicide because of insurance considerations (a suicide may negate an insurance payment). Was there insurance? How much? For her fourth marriage, Abdus Salaam had a somewhat unusual arrangement; they lived separate lives in different cities, with only occasional cohabitation. Was there some significance to the marriage that could explain a suicide?
“9. Tying all of my leads together I came up with a theory as to why she might have been killed if she was killed. My views and conclusions are only a far-fetched synthesis at this point, but I have been investigating scandals and occasionally even mysterious deaths, for over a half century. I feel comfortable labeling Abdus Salaam’s death a ‘disputed’ one at this time.
“10. I believe there is much we do not know, and much that we have to learn about the mysterious and secret life of Abdus Salaam. She was clearly a congenial person; her successful judicial career and advancement confirm that fact. But how deep and how extensive was her ‘secret life?’ I think the NYPD needs to dig deeper. My investigation is open and continuing,” Andy says. “Her death could have been a suicide, but there is an evolving and equally plausible possibility it was not.”
Another interesting footnote to Andy’s investigation:
He studied to be an Episcopal priest (Institute of Theology) at the Cathedral where Abdus Salaam’s memorial service will be held. Small world.
May 19th New York news conference details:
Who:
Investigative columnist and author Andy Martin
What:
Andy Martin says the Nation of Islam may be linked to the disputed death of New York Judge Sheila Abdus Salaam
Where:
195 Broadway, New York City (by the commemorative plaque on the building)
When:
Wednesday, May 10, 2017; 5:30 P.M.
LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2017/4/26/questions-persist-death-prominent-new-york-judge
http://nypost.com/2017/04/23/loved-ones-mourn-wonderful-judge-found-dead-in-hudson/
http://nypost.com/2017/04/12/judge-washes-up-dead-along-the-hudson-river/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Abdus-Salaam
ANDY MARTIN – A BRIEF BIO:
Andy Martin is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. With forty-nine years of background in radio and television and with five decades of investigative and analytical experience in Washington, the USA and around the world, Andy provides insight on politics, foreign policy, intelligence and military matters. For a full bio, go to: www.AndyMartin.com; also see http://www.BoycottABC.com/executive_director.htm
Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over fifty years and is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.
He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).
He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and produced the Internet film “Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” blogging at www.contrariancommentary.wordpress.com and www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester, New Hampshire 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He is New Hampshire’s leading corruption fighter and Republican Party reformer.
UPDATES:
www.twitter.com/AndyMartinUSA
www.Facebook.com/AndyMartin
Andy’s columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
[NOTE: We try to correct any typographical errors in our stories; find the latest version on our blogs.]
———-
© Copyright by Andy Martin 2017 – All Rights Reserved
NEWS FROM:
ContrarianCommentary.com
“The Internet Powerhouse”
Andy Martin, J. D.
adjunct professor of law
executive editor
one of America’s most respected
independent authors/investigators
“Factually Correct, Not Politically Correct”
you can call Andy:
National (866) 706-2639
Cell (917) 664-9329
you can email Andy:
AndyNewHampshire@aol.com
you can write Andy by
faxing (866) 214-3210
Blogs/web sites (partial):
ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com
ContrarianCommentary.typepad.com
To become a regular subscriber to our emails please send an email to andynewhampshire@aol.com and place “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject line.
Please feel free to forward and/or post this email, with proper attribution
Please sign up for our enhanced Twitter feed with enhanced, original coverage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Andy Martin defends Fox News against attacks from Democrats and leftist extremists
Andy says he had a bad experience with Fox, where they abused him and stabbed him in the back but, as a matter of constitutional principle, he still defends the network
Andy says we cannot return to the social mores and practices of the 1950’s and 60’s; society has moved on
Andy also says Bill O’Reilly got a raw deal from Rupert Murdoch’s sons, who are in the process of dismembering Fox News; allegations of “sexual harassment” are only the visible aspects of a clandestine agenda to neuter the conservative network
Andy says Sean Hannity is only the latest victim of what is going to be a protracted “War Against Fox News”
(New York, NY) (April 25 2017)
Dear American:
Sixty-five years ago U. S. Senator Joe McCarthy terrorized the media and liberals in general by accusing them of being infiltrated by “communists.” McCarthy’s supporters tried to remove individuals and reporters from appearing on TV and radio, and threatened media that refused to bend to their demands. They also used pressure tactics against advertisers, many of whom quickly caved.
When CBS refused to be intimidated, the network became a liberal icon for staring down and standing up to McCarthy’s accusations.
Today the tables are reversed.
Liberals are trying to intimidate the media and seeking to force the removal of conservative voices by threatening boycotts against sponsors. A demonization campaign again Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, based on stale accusations of sexual harassment, caused the sons of Rupert Murdoch to panic and remove O’Reilly.
As I made clear in my earlier column on O’Reilly, I strongly oppose sexual harassment and condemn abusive behavior by men or women seeking to extort sexual favors based on their positions of corporate or media authority. Almost fifty years ago I stood up at the Federal Communications Commission for the equal employment rights of women.
But I believe Murdoch’s sons are hell bent on destroying the legacy of their father. Rupert Murdoch was a swashbuckling and often abrasive corporate operator who built a worldwide media empire. I have followed him since the 1970’s. Rupert was “good” and “bad” and “in between.” His own moral behavior was immoral.
But in 1996 he gave conservatives a voice in the United States, the Fox News Network, conceived by Roger Ailes. Murdoch’s sons have not built anything; they are destroying their father’s legacy and trying to dismember Fox News as a conservative voice. O’Reilly was only the first casualty.
O’Reilly became a victim of McCarthyism of the left, liberals using the same sorts of malignant tactics they had condemned when they were employed by Senator McCarthy in the 1950’s. Instead of “doing a CBS” and standing up for O’Reilly, the Murdoch boys panicked at the first sign of sponsor resistance. I don’t know what O’Reilly did or didn’t do with the various women who accused him. They said he had engaged in boorish behavior; no one ever said O’Reilly attacked them or physically manhandled them. If the allegations were proven, they were still stale, long out of date and stretching back a decade in some instances, during an era when standards of corporate behavior were steadily strengthened to condemn aggressive behavior.
Some form of discipline against O’Reilly may have been appropriate; dismissal was not. But I knew the attacks on O’Reilly were only the first stage in a liberal/leftist plan to destroy Fox News. I said to myself, “How long before Sean Hannity is next?” I didn’t have long to wait. Over the weekend a woman surfaced and denounced Hannity.
I have to be honest and state that while I have no hesitation to defend Fox News, I was treated badly by the network. They took advantage of my research, used me as a guest, and then smeared me when I became the target of leftist attacks (sound familiar?). Rupert Murdoch and his minions have no loyalty to anyone but themselves. Hannity stood by silently and failed to defend me, so his defense of free speech ends where his paycheck begins. But despite my own personal experience with Fox, I see an important constitutional principle in the way the network has been targeted for destruction by leftist activists and agitators.
Democrats are in a bind. They lost an election for the White House to someone they considered a clown. Congress is in the hands of Republicans, especially conservatives. In the days ahead, Democratic cities are going to lose massive amounts of federal funding as they persist in the nonsense that they are “sanctuary cities” free to defy federal law. And so Democrats have chosen to try to win with the media some sense of power that they have not been able to obtain from voters.
“The media” are only too happy to accommodate Democrats/leftists, because the media are marbled with liberals and extreme leftists. And so we have the War Against Fox News, breathlessly covered by also-ran competitors CNN and MSNBC.
Hannity has denounced his accuser and says he has assembled a powerful legal team to fight back against false accusations. Hannity’s accuser has already walked back her claims and says they do not amount to sexual harassment (please see links [1] and [2] below). Where does all of this end?
When I went to college in the 1960’s, men and women could only meet on the first floor of dorms, with three feet on the floor. Later, doors had to be open when a male visitor was on the floor a women’s dorm. Within a few years, everything was topsy turvy and social morals had radically changed. Are we about to return to the moral standards and practices of the 1950’s? I hope not.
Women have made unbelievable strides in the workplace in the past decades. Will businessmen and businesswomen only be able to meet in glass rooms?
I don’t think sexual harassment is a joke. I take it seriously. Ironically I went to Capitol Hill, initially as an intern, soon after “sex” had been added –as a joke– to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Over a lifetime I have seen the progress women have made. I also grew up in a single-parent home where we depended on mom’s paycheck from “The Aircraft” every two weeks.
But we need to distinguish between genuine workplace harassment and the types of accusations that were hurled against O’Reilly and are now being asserted against Hannity. How can anyone distinguish fact from fiction years later, when two adults met alone? And, when sexual accusations are proffered as part of a coordinated campaign against a news organization to destroy that entity, are we are straight back in the 1950’s, with leftists now using the same tactics they condemned when Joe McCarthy was terrorizing America and abusing public figures?
Fox News is not a sympathetic organization, as I know from personal experience and the manner in which they abused me. But I have no hesitation to defend Fox from a campaign to destroy conservative speech and free speech in America. The left lost the 2016 election. Democrats are trying to win back on TV what they lost on the political battlefield. We can’t let them do that. Attention must be paid.
Andy
LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):
[1]
[2]
ANDY MARTIN – A BRIEF BIO:
Andy Martin is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. With forty-nine years of background in radio and television and with five decades of investigative and analytical experience in Washington, the USA and around the world, Andy provides insight on politics, foreign policy, intelligence and military matters. For a full bio, go to: www.AndyMartin.com; also see http://www.BoycottABC.com/executive_director.htm
Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over fifty years and is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.
He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).
He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and produced the Internet film “Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” blogging at www.contrariancommentary.wordpress.com and www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester, New Hampshire 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He is New Hampshire’s leading corruption fighter and Republican Party reformer.
UPDATES:
www.twitter.com/AndyMartinUSA
www.Facebook.com/AndyMartin
Andy’s columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
[NOTE: We try to correct any typographical errors in our stories; find the latest version on our blogs.]
———-
© Copyright by Andy Martin 2017 – All Rights Reserved
NEWS FROM:
ContrarianCommentary.com
“The Internet Powerhouse”
Andy Martin, J. D.
adjunct professor of law
executive editor
one of America’s most respected
independent authors/investigators
“Factually Correct, Not Politically Correct”
you can call Andy:
National (866) 706-2639
Cell (917) 664-9329
you can email Andy:
AndyNewHampshire@aol.com
you can write Andy by
faxing (866) 214-3210
Blogs/web sites (partial):
ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com
ContrarianCommentary.typepad.com
To become a regular subscriber to our emails please send an email to andynewhampshire@aol.com and place “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject line.
Please feel free to forward and/or post this email, with proper attribution
Please sign up for our enhanced Twitter feed with enhanced, original coverage
Announcement of New York, NY news conference today, Wednesday, April 19th
Columnist/broadcaster Andy Martin will hold two news conferences to call for a boycott of Fox News because of the “ugly manner” in which Fox News dismissed Bill O’Reilly
April 19 New York news conference details:
Who:
Andy Martin, the independent Internet columnist and blogger who began in broadcasting forty-nine years ago
What:
Andy Martin says viewers should boycott Fox News; Rupert Murdoch’s children are destroying what their father created
Where:
Sidewalk in front of Forest Hills, NY Post Office, 10628 Queens Boulevard, Forest Hills, NY 11375 (Andy is also available at 9:00 P.M. at JFK Airport, Terminal 8)
When:
Wednesday, April 19, 2017; 5:30 P.M. (Forest Hills); 9:00 P.M. JFK Terminal 8
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Andy Martin comes to the defense of Bill O’Reilly
Andy says Rupert Murdoch may be functionally senile and unable to fend off the liberal deconstructionist policies of his two sons who are dismantling Fox News
(New York, NY) (April 19, 2017) Andy Martin, who began in broadcasting forty-nine years ago and is committed to media diversity as well as conservative principles, says viewers should boycott Fox News because of the “ugly manner” in which Bill O’Reilly was dismissed by the Murdoch Family.
Andy assisted Fox News from Palm Beach, Florida during the early days of the network and once appeared on the O’Reilly Factor.
“Bill O’Reilly has never been formally accused of any misconduct in a court of law, or before any administrative agency. Instead, the Murdoch Family has taken to lynching a man who helped build the Fox News franchise. A pox on the Murdoch Family which is in the process of deconstructing Fox News to serve the liberal attitudes of Murdoch’s sons.
“I watched the competing media Tuesday night and what I saw was a disgrace to American law and American media. The daughter of Gloria Allred, who is one of the most obnoxious media hounds in the legal profession, was attacking Bill O’Reilly without making a legal claim and without filing an administrative claim and without affording Bill O’Reilly any due process whatsoever.
“I condemn the Murdoch Family’s malignant behavior on two grounds.
“First, as a broadcaster with forty-nine years of television experience, I feel the network is engaging in self-destruction. I bear no host/employee any ill will. But the ‘revised lineup’ promulgated by Fox management is a blueprint for audience capitulation. I have no hesitation to call for a boycott of Fox News (see http://www.boycottabc.com/)
“Second, the way O’Reilly was treated by the Murdoch Family was despicable. The Murdochs run Fox as though it is their family fiefdom. But there are public shareholders and there are many stakeholders. Yet O’Reilly was assassinated by a cabal of one old man, Rupert, who appears to be functionally senile and his two craven sons that are desperate for social acceptance in liberal New York society and are willing to jettison the proud history of Fox News. What a disgrace.
“When Fox was just beginning I was asked to help out, at least once and maybe more, by a producer that needed a correspondent in West Palm Beach. I was a guest on many occasions on the original Hannity and Colmes show. I was a pioneer in ‘talk television’ as it evolved in the early 1990’s. My roots in television go back to 1968 when the FCC approved my ownership of a TV station.
“A couple of points need to be made. In a career spanning over half a century, I have always fought for the right of women to be treated with equality and respect. The Federal Communications Commission designated me as a party in the great AT&T case that established workplace equality (Docket No. 19801). I have never engaged in and never condoned sexual harassment or aggressive behavior, quite the opposite.
“I do not know what Bill O’Reilly actually did. But I saw clear evidence of the sexual extortion racket Gloria Allred and her daughter Lisa Bloom have been running for years. Why Fox management would allow these hucksters to attack O’Reilly is beyond me.
“If O’Reilly acted inappropriately, he could and should have been disciplined in some manner. He paid large sums of money for whatever reasons prompted him to settle claims. Part of what made O’Reilly O’Reilly was his extreme energy and volatile temperament in his early years. Keith Olbermann used to delight in playing and replaying an old videotape of O’Reilly exploding on set. But no one is perfect and no one should be crucified for isolated misdeeds in a career spanning decades.
“It is easy to advocate for a viewer boycott because Fox News has removed its strongest presence on TV and substituted a weak lineup. I have never found ‘The Five’ watchable, and while I like Tucker Carlson in the abstract he does not have the gravitas to replace O’Reilly. Fox will be hemorrhaging viewers even without my boycott. But as a matter of honor and integrity I call for viewers to engage in an ‘extreme boycott’ because the Murdoch Family has mistreated one of its loyal employees and expressed contempt for its audience and the American people. The Murdochs will pay a heavy price in lost business and viewership for their malicious behavior.”
LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):
ANDY MARTIN – A BRIEF BIO:
Andy Martin is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. With forty-nine years of background in radio and television and with five decades of investigative and analytical experience in Washington, the USA and around the world, Andy provides insight on politics, foreign policy, intelligence and military matters. For a full bio, go to: www.AndyMartin.com; also see http://www.BoycottABC.com/executive_director.htm
Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over fifty years and is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.
He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).
He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and produced the Internet film “Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” blogging at www.contrariancommentary.wordpress.com and www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester, New Hampshire 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He is New Hampshire’s leading corruption fighter and Republican Party reformer.
UPDATES:
www.twitter.com/AndyMartinUSA
www.Facebook.com/AndyMartin
Andy’s columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
[NOTE: We try to correct any typographical errors in our stories; find the latest version on our blogs.]
———-
© Copyright by Andy Martin 2017 – All Rights Reserved
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ContrarianCommentary.com
“The Internet Powerhouse”
Andy Martin, J. D.
adjunct professor of law
executive editor
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“Factually Correct, Not Politically Correct”
you can call Andy:
National (866) 706-2639
Cell (917) 664-9329
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Andy Martin defends United Airlines and says the obstreperous doctor who caused a flight disturbance in Chicago should have been removed from a United flight
Andy says social media are corrupting common sense and public discourse to the point of anarchy
Andy says the offending Kentucky doctor should be arrested and charged for resisting a law enforcement officer
Andy also says the Chicago Police Department or airport security acted lawfully and properly
Andy says the United Airlines “leggings controversy” was also more social media-inspired nonsense
(Near the Winter White House, Palm Beach, Florida) (April 11 2017)
Dear American:
I may be the only person in the entire United States defending United Airlines and the Chicago police or O’Hare Airport security, but I believe the airline acted lawfully and properly in removing an obstreperous passenger from a Chicago-Louisville flight on Sunday. As someone who is both familiar with United and its policies I think the firestorm of criticism on social media is just so much blather. Social media and the morons who pop and toot without any information, let alone informed information, are creating social anarchy in our public square.
We’ve had arguments at my own home over the removal incident which has received widespread publicity on cable TV and other mainstream media. But when the New York Times started printing the opinions of morons who should know better, I felt and feel it was time for some sanity to be injected into the debate.
I am an active member of several frequent flyer programs, including United’s, and fly regularly, particularly now that President Trump is on a regular Washington/Florida schedule. I also used United’s “buddy passes” for many years and am familiar with the corporate programs affording friends of employees reduced fares.
Let’s start with the crazy doctor who thinks he is the most important person in the world.
There have been many cell-phone videos posted on the Internet, shown in an endless loop on cable TV, with whackos in the background screaming “Oh God” even though they were not threatened. But one of the passengers, perhaps the individual closest to the unruly passenger, confirmed on, I believe, CNN that airline staff acted courteously, and Chicago police or airport security staff also acted with extreme restraint and courtesy before removing the passenger. When the passenger started acting belligerently, police or security staff had every right to remove the individual from the plane.
First, some background for those who do not fly regularly or ignore the messages given at the beginning of every flight. Federal law requires all passengers to obey crew instructions. A commercial airliner is not a democracy and it is not a public forum where people have “rights” to make fools of themselves or conduct protests. One moron who should know better, Andrew D Gilman of CommCore Consulting Group, was quoted in the New York Times as saying “it was my seat.” Uhh, no. It is the airlines’ seat.
Second, overbooking used to be a major problem. But airlines today have refined and sophisticated their reservations programs to the point where overbooking is a rare issue. I seldom hear airline employees asking for “volunteers” because flights almost always have sufficient seats for those who actually show up. But when the aviation system is disrupted, as it was last week because of strange weather patterns, problems arise (Delta Airlines, not United, had the worst). Nevertheless, it is critical to keep in mind we are dealing not with a widespread problem but rather an extremely unusual one.
Third, federal law gives airline employees virtually dictatorial powers because of the inherent dangers and closeness of air travel. A plane’s “captain” is called a captain for a reason. Aviation law derives from maritime law.
Fourth, when a crew member seeks assistance from local law enforcement (I am not sure whether the guards were Chicago Police Officers or airport security officers) law enforcement has a duty respond. In every state of the United States, refusal to obey a law enforcement officer is grounds for the officer to physically remove someone from a premises. Usually people go willingly. But when they do not, such as by going “limp” to obstruct an officer during a protest, force may be employed.
The doctor in question acted as though he was the law and everyone was answerable to him, not vice versa. That is simply not the case. There is no question that air crew and the police initially acted courteously and with restraint. But once he refused to move after a request to do so, he could be removed forcibly and he was. His display of crazy behavior marks him as someone who should not be allowed on an airplane ever again.
Fifth, what do I think should happen? The doctor should be criminally charged and prosecuted for his outrageous behavior and disruption. If he is senile that should be taken into consideration, but then why is someone with such an emotional response pattern allowed to practice medicine in Kentucky?
The Chicago police and the airline staff should be commended for their initial restraint.
The airline has a right to randomly chose passengers for removal when flight conditions mandate urgent action. Perhaps United Airlines should review whether staff should have been allowed to keep “upping the ante” until some passenger grabbed at the opportunity for free travel (I’d support that approach. Whenever an airline announces my own fight is looking for “volunteers,” I always volunteer, though I set a high dollar point for reimbursement.)
I would urge the public to stop responding like idiots to every video posted on social media. The videos of the crazy passenger did not carry with them any disclosure that the crew and security staff had initially acted with restraint and with extreme courtesy to all passengers. It was only when the crazy doctor provoked the police that direct action was taken as a last resort.
Finally, this is not the only social mediagasm United has experienced in recent weeks. When two guests of the airline traveling on a “buddy pass” were removed from the flight there was another firestorm of stupidity and misleading commentary. Because I flew for many years on discounted United passes I know all about the matter.
Every airline gives free travel to family members of its employees, as well as offering a limited numbers of “passes” to employees so friends can join them. One of my pilot buddies flew for United and while he was a pilot every year he offered me use of some of the discounted passes. I don’t remember the exact amount but the airline offered either an 85% or 90% discount from regular fares as well as other very liberal benefits (e.g. free upgrades). But, United Airlines has a dress code. When you travel on an employee pass, you are subject to the airlines dress code for discounted travel. Seems like a “fare” deal to me.
From the firestorm of moronic social media criticism of United you would have thought the airline was imposing a draconian dress code on all of its passengers. Since when did it become bad form for a business to impose reasonable conditions on a discounted employee benefit?
Social media are creating a situation where every minor matter gets escalated into a national hysteria without any factual basis or application of common sense.
I am not against all social media. Phone cameras and social media have pioneered in exposing police brutality and other forms of abuse. But if social media are allowed to create a bogus conflagration every time some public or airline employee acts properly in response to a recalcitrant passenger, the use of social media will be degraded and ultimately curtailed.
United Airlines, its employees and the Chicago Police (or airport security) are entitled to an apology from the millions of know-nothings and media jerks who have sensationalized boorish and unlawful behavior by the Kentucky crazy doctor and others who were taking advantage of airline “buddy pass” benefits.
There are two sides to every story. Sadly, social media and mainstream media following in the wake of social eruptions, often provide only one perspective, a mistaken and misleading one.
Andy
LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):
[1]
ANDY MARTIN – A BRIEF BIO:
Andy Martin is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. With forty-nine years of background in radio and television and with five decades of investigative and analytical experience in Washington, the USA and around the world, Andy provides insight on politics, foreign policy, intelligence and military matters. For a full bio, go to: www.AndyMartin.com; also see http://www.BoycottABC.com/executive_director.htm
Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over fifty years and is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.
He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).
He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and produced the Internet film “Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” blogging at www.contrariancommentary.wordpress.com and www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester, New Hampshire 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He is New Hampshire’s leading corruption fighter and Republican Party reformer.
UPDATES:
www.twitter.com/AndyMartinUSA
www.Facebook.com/AndyMartin
Andy’s columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
[NOTE: We try to correct any typographical errors in our stories; find the latest version on our blogs.]
———-
© Copyright by Andy Martin 2017 – All Rights Reserved
NEWS FROM:
ContrarianCommentary.com
“The Internet Powerhouse”
Andy Martin, J. D.
adjunct professor of law
executive editor
one of America’s most respected
independent authors/investigators
“Factually Correct, Not Politically Correct”
you can call Andy:
National (866) 706-2639
Cell (917) 664-9329
you can email Andy:
AndyNewHampshire@aol.com
you can write Andy by
faxing (866) 214-3210
Blogs/web sites (partial):
ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com
ContrarianCommentary.typepad.com
To become a regular subscriber to our emails please send an email to andynewhampshire@aol.com and place “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject line.
Please feel free to forward and/or post this email, with proper attribution
Please sign up for our enhanced Twitter feed with enhanced, original coverage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Trump Takes Command: War Changes Everything
Andy Martin arrived in Florida to cover the U. S. /China Summit, which is suddenly irrelevant
Andy says the CBS Television Network was quick to realize Trump’s status had changed
Andy says Trump must now show wisdom and cunning to retain his broad based public support
(Near the Winter White House, Palm Beach, Florida) (April 7, 2017)
Dear American:
One of my favorite Broadway tunes is “Love Changes Everything.” War also changes everything.
When my team landed in Palm Beach, Florida Tuesday morning we were here to observe the U.S./China summit later in the week. I was working on an analytical piece which would juxtapose the conflict between the “globalist” and “nationalist” advocates in our American conversation. Wednesday, the local society newspaper, the Palm Beach Daily News, featured a story on SEAL supporters meeting at Mar-A-Lago for a SEAL demonstration and fundraising benefit (please see link #1 below). Thursday night I shared a leisurely dinner with family and friends. An MSNBC crew interviewing Republican/Trump operative Roger Stone walked by on the sidewalk. There was a gentle sea breeze.
Later, when Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly program was interrupted by a bulletin, I said, “This feels eerie. I think we are going to war.” Before the thought had left my mouth, the Syria attack was announced. Later Thursday night I sampled (watched) the late night shows. The Late Show had its usual searing portrayal of President Trump; but now the program carried a disclaimer: “Tonight’s show was recorded before the Syria attack.”
War changes everything.
Everything I planned to write would have to wait, maybe for the weekend.
Donald Trump has taken command.
Where to begin?
Trump has assembled one of the most powerful and experienced national security teams in recent history, marbled with retired generals and global leaders. America, and the world, are in good hands. Trump is not an experienced national and international leader, and certainly no wartime president. But he will have to become one. He has the team to succeed.
- The Chinese are angry and paranoid. Planning a major summit takes time. Some Chinese will believe that Trump orchestrated the bombing of Syria to send a message to China and North Korea, in effect to humiliate China. They would be mistaken, although the Chinese leader will take notice that Donald Trump (surprise!) is no Barack Obama. But the U. S. /China summit has been reduced to a nothingburger. Maybe next time.
- Trump has energized the anti-ISIS coalition “bigly.” I do not want to start an argument about what Barack Obama did but in practical terms, he started ISIS. Obama’s premature withdrawal from Iraq, based on George Bush’s incompetent agreement to withdraw on a prearranged schedule, allowed Iran to take effective control of Iraq. The result: Sunnis fled to the “safety” of ISIS and a new round of war began before the old one had ended.
- Beneath the surface, Trump did “inherit a mess” in the Middle East. Obama had staved off dealing with Middle East problems and planned to dump the situation in the hands of his successor, Hillary Clinton. Surprise, again. Trump succeeded Obama.
- Last week Trump’s representatives added to the mess in Syria by essentially surrendering that nation to the Assad regime. I do not believe the command-and-control apparatus in Damascus is so sophisticated that this week’s poison gas attack was triggered by the Trump Administration’s casual remarks about leaving Assad in place. But Assad has been committing mayhem on his own people for years. His number finally came up when he least expected. Surprise again.
- Although Trump has spent much of his life as a bully, and not a very pleasant one, he also has a soft and decent side that is not often exposed to public view. I believe he was sincerely moved by the slaughter of small children being murdered in their sleep by Assad’s poison gas. Trump’s critics like to insult him for watching their own cable TV programs! But the Syrian slaughter could not be avoided this week. A moment in history arose spontaneously out of the ether. Yes, there have/had been earlier poison gas attacks. But this one clicked. Trump was meeting in the White House with Middle East leaders. How would he respond? Trump immediately grasped the significance of the challenge he faced.
- We know the missile attacks on Syria were not planned Thursday. The background work of targeting and analysis began yesterday.
- Trump’s attack has received support from every political viewpoint. He has Nick Kristof of the New York Times backing air strikes against Assad’s air force. CBS makes a fortune broadcasting caustic comedy every night as Steven Colbert ridicules Trump. Thursday night CBS added a disclaimer to the Colbert show that the program had been taped before the attack on Syria. War changes everything. Trump is a new man. And Friday will find us in a new world.
- My regular readers know that I first met Trump in the late 1970’s and our paths have crossed in every subsequent decade. I know Trump inside and outside. Trump is not a deep thinker, but he has a deep sense of history and the flow of history. In conjunction with his national security team Trump grasped that decisive action was necessary, and Trump took command.
- Sadly, my life has been defined by war and warfare. I can quickly count to four generations of my family that have fought in the Middle East in the last 100 years. As a college student and later a private security operator I was trained to be a Cold Warrior (http://www.andymartin.com/cert.htm). I saw the horrors of Viet-Nam, Cambodia and Laos. In 2003 I lived in Baghdad after the U. S. invasion. Last summer I was in the Eastern Panhandle of Jordan, variously surrounded by Jordanian Special Forces and regular army troops, CIA operatives, British SAS, U. S. Special Forces, Russians, Syrians, rebels, refugees, ISIS and anyone else that operates in that intersection of Syrian, Jordanian and Iraqi borders.
- But I am confident we are not at risk of a broader war right now. Military men are the most anti-war people you will ever meet. They have seen the horrors, the mangled bodies, the victimized civilians. There will be men and women on the ground, again, as there are already U. S. troops in Syria and Iraq. But there will be no mass mobilization and no massive land army in the desert. Donald Trump will not repeat the mistakes of George w. Bush. Trump has a far superior team of advisers than Bush. Bush was advised by ideologues. Trump has chosen a “team of technocrats,” technocrats of war.
- Trump has been excoriated for his response to the Syrian refugee crisis. But that crisis was created by Assad, not Trump. Trump will not budge on admitting Syrian refugees to the United States. But because the refugee crisis is destabilizing both the United States and Europe, Trump will take decisive action to end the source of the problem, Assad’s regime for the Shiites and ISIS’ redoubt for the Sunnis. Men, and women, here and abroad, follow power. Trump’s team will deliver power to the battlefield. Even reluctant nations will follow.
- On the other side of the world, if you have a tendency to paranoia you can almost believe Trump orchestrated the Syria attack to intimidate and humiliate the president of China while the Chinese leader was visiting Mar-A-Lago. His entourage was and will continue to be intimidated. Korea was the “forgotten war.” For almost seventy years a mess has existed as Korea remained separated. As long as the North Korean dictators were a nuisance they could be tolerated; the risk of dealing with a nuisance was far less than the risk of restarting a war. But with Korea developing nuclear weapons and ICBMs the regime can no longer be ignored or tolerated. Trump and Tillotson have said the time for negotiations is “over.” Trump also said if China won’t restrain North Korea, he will.
- The U. S. /China summit, which was to have been a subdued meeting, has both been eclipsed by the attack in Syria and also become the last opportunity China has to tame the North Korean tiger. Trump does not have to threaten China; the cruise missiles flying of the decks of our navy’s destroyers send an unmistakable message.
I will still write later about the “war” between the “globalist” and “nationalist” factions in the Trump Administration.
But today we are all globalists. Or, if you prefer, nationalist globalists. The accidental president has become the reluctant leader of an unstable world. History is beckoning. Where history will lead us we will have to wait and see.
Best wishes from the Palm Beach summit,
Andy
LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):
[1]
ANDY MARTIN – A BRIEF BIO:
Andy Martin is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. With forty-nine years of background in radio and television and with five decades of investigative and analytical experience in Washington, the USA and around the world, Andy provides insight on politics, foreign policy, intelligence and military matters. For a full bio, go to: www.AndyMartin.com; also see http://www.BoycottABC.com/executive_director.htm
Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over fifty years and is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.
He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).
He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and produced the Internet film “Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” blogging at www.contrariancommentary.wordpress.com and www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester, New Hampshire 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He is New Hampshire’s leading corruption fighter and Republican Party reformer.
UPDATES:
www.twitter.com/AndyMartinUSA
www.Facebook.com/AndyMartin
Andy’s columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
[NOTE: We try to correct any typographical errors in our stories; find the latest version on our blogs.]
———-
© Copyright by Andy Martin 2017 – All Rights Reserved
Andy Martin was supposed to attend the University of New Hampshire, where his mother and uncle had graduated. But when Andy got the chance to play Big ten football at the University of Illinois he grabbed for the brass ring, eventually ending up as a corruption fighter in Illinois. Today Andy lives in Manchester, near the Merrimack River. But this year, 2017, he celebrates fifty years as a corruption fighter in Chicago and Illinois, and forty years as the last surviving reform mayoral candidate in the historic election to succeed “The Boss,” Mayor Richard J. Daley. Andy continues to fight political corruption from Hanover to Honolulu, and he remains an “honest broker” in explaining why martial law is the only approach that will succeed in quelling the violence in Chicago. Andy endorses President Trump’s promise to “send in the feds” if Chicago leaders cannot stop the killing; eight years ago in a blunt, landmark prediction, Andy said Chicago’s leaders were incapable of regaining control of the city. Andy was right. The failed political leadership in Chicago was wrong. And today President Trump is also right. Will Trump right Chicago’s wrongs?
NEWS FROM:
ContrarianCommentary.com
“The Internet Powerhouse”
Andy Martin, J. D.
adjunct professor of law
executive editor
one of America’s most respected
independent authors/investigators
“Factually Correct, Not Politically Correct”
you can call Andy:
National (866) 706-2639
Cell (917) 664-9329
you can email Andy:
AndyNewHampshire@aol.com
you can write Andy by
faxing (866) 214-3210
Blogs/web sites (partial):
ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com
ContrarianCommentary.typepad.com
To become a regular subscriber to our emails please send an email to andynewhampshire@aol.com and place “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject line.
Please feel free to forward and/or post this email, with proper attribution
Please sign up for our enhanced Twitter feed with enhanced, original coverage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Andy says that without a declaration of martial law, Chicago violence cannot be stopped
“Illinois and Chicago politicians lack the guts to act,” Andy says; “Only President Trump has the willpower to succeed”
In 2017 Andy celebrates fifty years as an Illinois and national corruption fighter, and forty years since he led a reform movement after the death of “Boss” Richard J. Daley in 1977
Andy Martin was once a modern day successor to “Eliot Ness and the Untouchables” in Chicago; today Andy lives in New Hampshire but occasionally takes on a Chicago corruption battle
(Near the Winter White House, Florida) (February 6, 2017)
Dear American:
Eight years ago I called for the imposition of martial law in Chicago, to stem the relentless tide of murder and violence (please see link #1 below). History has confirmed the accuracy and wisdom of my predictions. Since 2009 thousands have been murdered in Chicago, and tens of thousands have been shot. Local authorities remain unwilling and unable to stop the violence. In 2012 I again predicted that martial law was the only solution (please see link #2 below).
Since my original prediction both national personalities such as Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly and local public officials have joined my call for emergency action (please see link #3 below).
Now that President Trump has promised to “send in the feds” (please see link #4), it is time to understand why Chicago continues to fail to provide public safety for its citizens, and why only drastic measures can succeed.
First, a little personal history. I grew up in New England, not the Midwest. Because both my mom and uncle had graduated from the University of New Hampshire I was expected to attend there. But I got the chance to play football at the University of Illinois and the siren call of the Big Ten took me to Illinois. I come from a military family; the last thing on my mind was becoming a corruption fighter. But through a series of accidental opportunities I ended up working for a U. S. Senator who himself had been a legendary corruption fighter in Chicago, as well as a friend of the great lawyer Clarence Darrow.
As a college senior I went to the Illinois General Assembly (legislature) as an intern where I encountered the Mafia, which enjoyed its own state senate seat from Chicago. The machine politics of the 1950’s-1970’s Daley Machine was operating with little hindrance. And, somehow, fifty years ago the die was cast. The people who supported and encouraged me became an informal version of “Eliot Ness and the Untouchables.” We were a team that could not be bossed or bullied or bought and had a steadfast commitment to public integrity and fighting political corruption. I was the public face and took the brunt of the counterattacks and abuse.
Forty years ago in 1977 I participated in the historic mayoral primary election to succeed “Boss” Richard J. Daley. Today I am the only surviving candidate from that election. But I have just as much energy and commitment today as I did fifty years ago.
I moved back to New Hampshire in 2010 (please see link #5 below). But because of my national corruption fighting activity from Hanover (NH) to Honolulu (HI) we still get involved with Illinois and Chicago corruption from time to time. Why do I mention my long history of experience with political corruption and public integrity? Because many political leaders have a “here today, gone tomorrow” attitude and lack any institutional memory.
Forty years ago Governor “Big Jim” Thompson of Illinois passed “Class X felony” legislation to rid Chicago of gang violence. Thompson is long gone (but still alive); Class X felonies still remain on the law books. But the gangs are more powerful than ever. Everything the politicians have tried has failed. That’s why it’s time for the Donald Trumps and Andy Martins to offer solutions and in the case of President Trump to take action.
If you go back and read what I suggested in 2009 (link #1) you’ll think it sounds pretty mild. But in 2009 I was considered “way out” for proposing a massive campaign to end gang violence through an initial declaration of martial law. Since my original proposals, thousands have died and tens of thousands have been permanently maimed and wounded by violence. Obama has come and gone in the White House. The killing continues unabated. Significantly, Obama has not moved back “home” to Chicago.
Recently some of us went on a ride through the most dangerous neighborhoods. They are barely a stone’s throw from President Barack Obama’s mansion on the South Side. I first went to the South Side long, long ago. But the bombed out neighborhoods of the 1960’s are still largely bombed out.
Chicago is composed of good people who are held hostage by crooked politicians. Both the State of Illinois and City of Chicago are bankrupt. Taxes skyrocket, services are curtailed and the “death spiral” that caused me to move away in 2010 has gotten progressively worse. Can Chicago and Illinois be saved? I believe they can. But I also believe that neither Mayor Emanuel nor Governor Bruce Rauner is going to take action. So President Trump must act.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said he wants President Trump to “help.” But Emanuel doesn’t really want Trump’s help. Emanuel wants to continue the same old failed liberal Democratic Party solutions, while trying to shift the blame for failure to Trump. Trump is too smart to fall for that snare.
My 2009 proposals are strikingly current. But stronger action is needed today because of the deteriorated situation.
In 1957, President Eisenhower sent in a contingent of the 101st Airborne Division (U S Army) to support the Arkansas National Guard which the president had federalized. (While the National Guard remains under the control of a state’s governor, a president can “federalize” state troops and place them under national command). Thus, there is a precedent for federal action to protect constitutional rights when local officials fail or refuse to act.
The federal ATF agency supposedly will send twenty (20) more agents to Chicago, a claim the agency denies (please see link # 7 below). But “20 agents” is a drop in the bucket. In 2014 more ATF agents were sent to Chicago with no noticeable impact (please see link #8 below).
Drastic and dramatic gestures are necessary. Which is why local politicians prefer to do nothing and pray for cold weather to keep people indoors. Mayor Emanuel has claimed he is “hiring more police,” but that is a typical Emanuel smokescreen. Emanuel’s hires would bring the police force back to where it was when he took office (please see link #9 below).
In November Chicago voters chose to continue the chaos when they rejected Trump and elected to continue the state’s relentless decline into insolvency and mediocrity. So Trump doesn’t owe Illinoisans anything. He could let the people who voted against him stew in their own juices and it would be a condign response since he is under no immediate obligation to do anything.
Nevertheless if Trump could succeed in stemming violence in Chicago – and he can – that would send a message to every American, “Law and order is back, anarchy will not be tolerated, and if local officials refuse to act, we will.”
The tragedy is that African-Americans, who remain laminated to the failed Democratic Party policies of the last half century, and laminated to the failed political leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus, are the ones who are betrayed by their local and national leaders every day in every way. Trump could redeem his campaign promise to African-Americans by “making Chicago safe again.”
Eight years ago I laid out a rational and reasonable program to bring peace to the embattled streets of Chicago (#1). That program can easily be updated, as I have done in these few paragraphs.
The cost of bringing peace is far less than the ongoing cost of the bleeding which the city and region are enduring. While “Chicago hating” is a time-tested electoral strategy in Illinois, particularly downstate, Chicago is an economic engine that powers the entire Midwest. If Chicago dies, citizens across the region, from Indiana to Wisconsin and beyond will be impacted.
Martial law would not have to last very long. But it would involve an initial “shock,” followed by a precinct-by-precinct effort to regain control of lawless neighborhoods. Instead of seeking to regulate the police, as President Obama did, Trump could work to encourage and professionalize local law enforcement.
If politicians simply allow the same failed policies to continue, and allow the same failed leaders to persist with the same failed programs, the Midwest will eventually suffer irreversible injury.
Demanding “jobs” and “education” and other federal giveaways, which is what Emanuel and Black leaders expect from Trump, is a pathway to oblivion. Without public safety in the streets, no program can succeed. I have known Chicago for more than a half century. The trend has been down, down, down. There is no local leadership and no local initiative. The demands for justice and giveaways have been relentless and irrelevant. Nationally, trillions of dollars in “poverty programs” have accomplished little.
If Trump wants to tackle the problems with real solutions, he knows where to reach me. In Manchester, New Hampshire.
LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):
[1]
http://andyforussenator.blogspot.com/2009/09/us-senate-candidate-martial-law-needed.html
[2]
[3]
http://crooksandliars.com/2016/05/bill-o-reilly-blames-black-crime-chicago
[4]
[5]
http://www.AndyMartinNewHampshire100.com
[6]
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0925.html
[7]
Twenty more ATF agents on their way to Chicago
http://abc7chicago.com/news/atf-denies-reports-its-sending-20-agents-to-chicago/1736921/
[8]
[9]
THE WATCHDOGS: Rahm’s police hiring will barely make up for drop
http://www.cwbchicago.com/2016/09/police-manpower-dips-rahms-promise.html
ANDY MARTIN – A BRIEF BIO:
Andy Martin is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. With forty-nine years of background in radio and television and with five decades of investigative and analytical experience in Washington, the USA and around the world, Andy provides insight on politics, foreign policy, intelligence and military matters. For a full bio, go to: www.AndyMartin.com; also see http://www.BoycottABC.com/executive_director.htm
Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over fifty years and is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.
He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).
He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and produced the Internet film “Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” blogging at www.contrariancommentary.wordpress.com and www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester, New Hampshire 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He is New Hampshire’s leading corruption fighter and Republican Party reformer.
UPDATES:
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Andy’s columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
[NOTE: We try to correct any typographical errors in our stories; find the latest version on our blogs.]
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© Copyright by Andy Martin 2017 – All Rights Reserved
San Francisco News Conference today – “Why I would vote for Judge Roy Moore” – Consevatve columnist Andy Martin
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Announcement of San Francisco news conference Monday, November 13
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Attention: national daybook/assignment and political editors
November 13 San Francisco news conference details:
Who:
Conservative columnist/blogger Andy Martin explains why if he lived in Alabama he could vote for Judge Roy Moore for U. S. Senator
What:
Andy says that Alabamians can safely vote for Judge Roy Moore for U. S. Senator
Where:
San Francisco sidewalk news conference, location pending, details from Andy cell phone at (917) 664-9329
When:
Monday, November 13, 2017; 5:00 P.M.
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Andy Martin says Judge Roy Moore’s behavior must be understood in the cultural context of rural Alabama forty years ago
Andy says that while deplorable and reprehensible by modern urban standards, Moore’s behavior forty years ago was not unusual for rural communities across the nation
Andy “writes a letter” to Alabama voters
(San Francisco, CA) (November 13, 2017) New Hampshire and national corruption fighter Andy Martin, who is in San Francisco to celebrate fifty years as an independent national security and intelligence analyst, will hold a San Francisco news conference today to explain the Judge Roy More “sex” scandal in the context of rural Alabama cultural norms forty and fifty years ago. Andy writes a letter to Alabamians to help them place the allegations against Judge Moore in cultural context:
Dear Alabamian:
The most difficult assignment today is to defend Judge Roy Moore against the attacks lodged against him by several women and published by the Washington Post. I don’t have any special or secret knowledge about the truth, and I will leave it to others to raise the issue of the political motivation of the Washington Post. But I am qualified to make a defense of Judge Moore on cultural grounds. “Culture” places events and actions in historical context.
In the past several months we have seen attacks on Christopher Columbus, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson for their actions hundreds of years ago. When we try to interpret events hundreds of years ago through a modern cultural prism the result is total distortion and inaccuracy.
First, let’s start with two basic principles: what is acceptable behavior in one era may become unacceptable years later.
Second, let’s start with our own common knowledge as to place and time. Here are some representative examples: (i) when I went to college in the 1960’s it was not at all unusual for professors in their 30’s or 40’s or even older to date students. They were not punished for their behavior. (ii) In my high school it was not unusual for college freshmen and juniors to date high school girls who were seniors and sometimes even juniors; I went to high school in Middletown, Connecticut. (iii) When I was a law student in the 1960’s and began watching the local legal community in a small town in Illinois, it was not unheard of for young attorneys to hang out with older teenagers.
Third, let’s take a look at the cultural norms in small town Alabama forty or fifty years ago. It was not unheard of or unusual for men in their twenties or early thirties to date much younger women. The “revolution” of the 1960’s came much more slowly to the rural South. Even when I drove through the south, stopping in small towns, in the 1980’s, the “culture” of modern America was slow in arriving.
Today we have a “national” culture and national cultural norms which flow from a national media headquartered in New York and Washington. People in big cities and small towns see and hear the same media, whereas forty or fifty years ago both media and cultural norms and attitudes varied widely from urban areas to small towns and from region to region of the nation. No longer.
Now, let’s look at the accusations against Judge Moore. Let’s divide the accusers into two (2) groups, the older teenagers and the 14 year-old girl.
If the accusers themselves are to be believed, Judge Moore did nothing wrong with the three older women. They were past the age of consent and they do not even allege any improper physical activity. It is difficult today to imagine a lawyer playing around with teenagers, but I saw it coming up as a law student in more than one small town.
So what do we convict Moore of? Being a small town lawyer that “dated” several younger women. I wouldn’t have done it, even back fifty years ago, but it was not uncommon in the legal and medical profession. When you place Roy Moore in the cultural context of rural Alabama forty years ago, Moore comes off as a bit of a gentleman. If anything unlawful “took place” the women have not even alleged any such behavior.
The accusations lodged by the underage girl are more problematic. But even there, placing her accusations in the context of her own unsettled life raises serious doubts about the truth of her allegations. I do not want to attack the girl personally because she is a victim whether her charges are true or false. She has led an unsettled life and that could well affect her recollection of events forty years ago. My guess (and it is only a guess) is that Moore dated her but that he did so after she was sixteen. Moore was quite careful to confine his “dating” to women over 16; as a lawyer, he knew better.
So what are we left with? Three women with whom Moore’s behavior was quite lawful and, in the cultural context of 1970’s rural Alabama not that unusual. We are left with one accuser who has had a troubled life and whose time-line may not be accurate even if the events are.
The Washington politicians make several accusations of their own: (i) The accusations against Moore are so scandalous that an accusation is enough to convict; (ii) The accusations against Moore are so scandalous that he can be thrown out of the senate, see Powell v. McCormick, 395 U. S. 486 (1969). The claim is nonsense. (iii) I really hate to raise the specter of Ted Kennedy in this context but if we reflect on his behavior, the “morals of the senate” are a lot lower than senators pretend. I know. I worked in the U. S. Senate and have worked in Washington for half a century.
Judge Moore has not been the best witness in his own behalf. “Defendants” seldom are. And Moore does not comport with my own cultural behavior, forty and fifty ears ago (I was fighting for women’s equality at the Federal Communications Commission). So my standards have always been immeasurably higher. But my standards were and are my own; I am not preaching to rural Alabama of the 60’s and 70’s. I do, however, have vast experience in cultural analysis because culture is often critical to foreign policy and intelligence analysis.
I am also a congressional candidate in New Hampshire, and I know that attitudes, behavior and practices have always varied noticeably even among the New England states. But what I have always deplored, and what I deplore today is the hypocrisy of our national leaders and our national media trying to sit in judgment on events that may have taken place forty years ago.
Mitt Romney has said that the “presumption of innocence” does not apply in the political arena, and he’s right. But the benefit of the doubt always applies, and I chose to give the benefit of the doubt to Roy Moore. Even as a Republican candidate myself I don’t necessarily agree with many of Moore’s views and political opinions. But he deserves a fair hearing and he has not received one.
Finally, as a Republican, you cannot ignore that your vote would tip the balance of the senate against President Trump at a time when he is struggling to make reforms.
I know it is not an easy task to go against the common wisdom of the moment, as ginned up by the national media, but if you balance what Moore is accused of doing forty years ago against the potential damage to our national political agenda, I do not find it difficult to vote for Judge Moore. There is a reason the accusations against him have been sitting fallow for forty years. They do not survive the scrutiny of searching and impartial inquiry, and he should not be judged on the basis of the hypocrisy-of-the-moment in Washington today.
Respectfully,
Andy Martin
To contact Andy in San Francisco: (917) 664-9329
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LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):
[1]
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/11/in_defense_of_judge_roy_moore.html
New citations after emailing:
ANDY MARTIN – A BRIEF BIO:
Andy Martin is a legendary New Hampshire-based muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. With forty-nine years of background in radio and television and with five decades of intelligence, investigative and analytical experience in Washington, the USA and around the world, Andy provides insight on politics, foreign policy, military and intelligence matters. For a full bio, go to: http://www.AndyMartin.com; also see http://www.BoycottABC.com/executive_director.htm
Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for fifty years and is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. See also http://www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; http://www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.
He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).
He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and produced the Internet film “Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” blogging at http://www.contrariancommentary.wordpress.com and http://www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester, New Hampshire over 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He is New Hampshire’s leading corruption fighter and Republican Party reformer.
UPDATES:
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Andy’s opinion columns are posted at ContrarianCommentary.com, ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com and ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
[NOTE: We try to correct any typographical errors in our stories; find the latest version on our blogs and don’t hesitate to let us know if you find an error.]
———-
© Copyright by Andy Martin 2017 – All Rights Reserved