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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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
Chicago news conference: New Hampshire congressional candidate Andy Martin charges the “Obama Presidential Center” is a Chicago scam and a “fake presidential library”
Andy Martin, the political columnist and blogger who first exposed Barack Obama as a Chicago fraud in 2004, will hold a news conference today in Chicago to charge that the National Archives and American, Chicago and Illinois taxpayers are being bamboozled by the phony “Obama Presidential Center.” Andy charges that Obama is trying to make it difficult for researchers and scholars to examine the original documents in Obama’s administration by providing delayed and confused access and by allowing the Archives to delay an explanation of where and when Obama’s records will actually be made available to the public. “Obama came in as a scam artist, and he’s leaving as a scam artist,” Andy says. “The public is the poorer, as the Obama family profiteers from his failed residency.”
Andy is a New Hampshire congressional candidate.
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):
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Announcement of Chicago news conference Monday, October 23
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Attention: daybook/assignment and Political editors
October 23 Chicago news conference details:
Who:
New Hampshire corruption fighter and conservative columnist/blogger Andy Martin charges that the “Obama Presidential Center” is a scam designed to delay public access to Obama administration records
What:
Andy says that Chicago and Illinois taxpayers were bamboozled when the city agreed to transfer precious parkland for an “Obama theme park”
Where:
Sidewalk news conference, SE corner of Huron and Wabash Streets, Chicago (weather permitting; otherwise indoors)
When:
Monday, October 23, 2017; 5:00 P.M.
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
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Andy Martin says the National Archives are failing American taxpayers by failing to explain how Obama presidential archives will be displayed and made available
Andy says that Chicago, Illinois and American taxpayers have been bamboozled by yet another scam designed to conceal the inner workings of the Obama administration
Andy calls for Chicago to reopen the grant of precious parkland for what amounts to nothing more than an “Obama theme park” of no historical or presidential value; the parkland was obtained through trickery and artifice, Andy says
(Manchester, NH) (October 23, 2017) New Hampshire congressional candidate and corruption fighter Andy Martin, who is in Chicago to celebrate fifty years of working on behalf of public integrity, will hold a Chicago news conference today to charge that the “Obama Presidential Center” in Chicago is a scam designed to delay access to the original records of the Barack Obama administration.
“Chicago’s taxpayers have been fooled,” Andy charges. “Friends of the Parks have been fooled, and the National Archives and Records Administration (“NARA”) is being bamboozled and manipulated to continue the secrecy which characterized Obama’s eight years of opaque leadership in the White House. (please see links #1 and #2 below)
“I am launching today am effort to force the City of Chicago and State of Illinois to reconsider granting park land for what is essentially a tax-exempt ‘Obama theme park’ having virtually no historical or scholarly value.
“I will be asking NARA: when did you know that Obama’s ‘Presidential Center’ was not going to be a ‘library?’ Why did you waste millions of dollars shipping and storing documents in a location where they would not be used as intended? Given that you now know that there is no ‘there’ there, how are you preparing to make the actual hard documents and records available for scholarly and media research?
“I see no evidence NARA has announced the time and plans when Obama’s actual records are being curated for display. No evidence of a time and place where scholars can show up to see the original hard copies.
“Bottom line: precious parkland was turned over to Obama for what amounts to a personal, tax-exempt ‘Obama Theme Park.’ The public will have no control and very little input. But, in return for a great big, but typical, Obama nothing, roads will be closed, causing traffic chaos, all to glorify the narcissistic ‘emperor’ of Hyde Park.
“If the City and Park District had known there would be no actual library there (please see link #5 below), the balance might have tipped against destroying a lovely park area, (please see link # 4 below) merely to allow Obama to obstruct a monument to himself and not a genuine repository of American history. The fact that Obama is already promoting his typical type of small bore activity (please see link #3 below), ‘community organizing,’ shows what he has in mind for the facility.
“NARA is letting American taxpayers down. They are misusing the tax dollars of every state from New Hampshire as well as the other 49 states. There are no publicly announced plans for the actual ‘library’ where the actual documents will be displayed. Why? Why is NARA stalling? Taxpayers deserve answers. What did NARA know and when did NARA know that NARA would have to create and construct an actual Obama library 700 miles away, and that shipping records to Chicago was just another Obama boondoggle?
“Let me be clear that I am not against online access as an additional option. But every museum in the world considers online access a supplement for and not a substitute for availability of the original, archival material.
“This is just another Obama scam, a typical Chicago scam and a worthless misuse of taxpayer dollars and precious parkland that explains why the city and state are bankrupt. They allow themselves to be fooled, they willingly abuse the public trust and play games with valuable public property. Finding out where the original documents will be available at a presidential library should not be a game of three-card monte. All we know now is that they rubberized the actual role of the OBC and schemed to create an actual library 700 miles from Chicago.
“Obama wants to delay the release of his actual records and erect a ‘pyramid’ exalting himself on the south side. But, with the library gone, traffic is going to fall precipitously. When you factor in the reduced traffic because the library is 700 miles away, the balance tips decidedly against misappropriating park land for Obama’s glorification. Friends of the Parks please take notice. We deserve answers. I am going to start demanding them.”
Andy will resume his Obama investigation and ‘excavations” in Hawai’i in November.
—–
LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):
[1]
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obamacenter/ct-met-obama-archives-20171004-story.html
[2]
http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/10/obamas-500-million-presidential-library-will-skirt-federal-standards-to-save-money/
[3]
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/obama-teaches-organizing-101-in-surprise-foundation-appearance/
[4]
http://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-met-0727-obama-library-jackson-park-map-gfc-graphic.html
[5]
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/park-district-agrees-to-transfer-land-for-obama-presidential-library-bid/
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:
http://www.twitter.com/AndyMartinUSA
http://www.Facebook.com/AndyMartin
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