If there is a picture out there that sums up Martha Coakley better than this one, I haven’t seen it. That smug look on her face has been wiped away by the thought, the horror actually, of having to campaign for the seat she feels is hers, by default.
We always have a good time when Red Mass Group editor Garrett Quinn joins us in studio, as he did last night. These are exciting times for political junkies like us. In our lifetimes, we may never have a greater opportunity to send a message to Washington than we do on january 19.
We talked about the campaign, the candidates and the polls, including so-called “push polls” which have started within the past day or so.
The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here. Follow Pundit Review on Twitter.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 8-10pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match.
This week Bruce told us about Staff Sgt. Omar Hernandez,
Silver Star Medal and Purple Heart recipient Staff Sgt. Omar Hernandez showed extraordinary bravery on 6 June 2007, when his team was attacked by insurgents during a dismount patrol in Iraq. When the two members of the Iraqi National Police who he was mentoring were hit and wounded by enemy fire, he risked his life to pull them to safety despite his own injuries. Staff Sgt. Hernandez suffered a bullet wound to the leg which caused nerve damage and a 30% loss of muscle mass in his thigh.
He was medically evacuated from the battlefield in Iraq to Germany and then back to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he underwent seven months of rehabilitation and physical therapy.
Staff Sgt. Hernandez, who has served three tours of duty in Iraq since joining the Army nine years ago as a Reservist, is currently on Active Duty status and stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. Though he began his Army career as a carpentry masonry engineer, he elected to become an infantryman after returning from his first deployment in 2004.
Another significant milestone Staff Sgt. Hernandez experienced while wearing the Army uniform was becoming a U.S. citizen. He was officially naturalized while in theater during his second deployment to Iraq in 2005.
A native of Houston, Texas, Staff Sgt. Hernandez says that when he returns to his hometown he strives to be a role model for kids in the neighborhood where he grew up. He recalls the adversity he overcame as a young person in an environment where many of his friends went to jail or were killed and wants others to see that the future holds great possibilities.
The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce does an incredible job with the series every week. The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 8-10pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
…from his 10-day vacation at an undisclosed Carribean location…
![DSCN7375_2[1]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4261187640_e56fe132c6_o.jpg)
…so I have a present waiting for him on Sunday night…
Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match.
This week Bruce told us about SSG Matthew Ritenour. From his Silver Star citation,
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Matthew Ritenour, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving the 2d Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, during combat operations in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, on 4 September 2007, in Afghanistan. On that date Staff Sergeant Ritenour and his unit fought against 180 Taliban fighters who attacked Forward Operating Base (FOB) BAYLOUGH, in southern Afghanistan. Although he was shot in the head and partially paralyzed during the battle, Staff Sergeant Ritenour fought on, encouraging nearby soldiers and using a radio to call in mortar fire on the enemy.
The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce does an incredible job with the series every week. The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 8-10pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
Scott Brown (Follow on Twitter) has created quite a stir with his new campaign commercial. Martha Coakley was left muttering “George W. Bush” and the state Democratic party was offended at the use of JFK’s image.
In my opinion, the truth hurts. What they were was embarrassed to have such a stark reminder of how far left the party has gone.
Massachusetts has such an amazing opportunity to send a message to Washington DC by electing a common sense conservative to the United States Senate. The stakes in Washington could hardly be any higher. This is the 41st vote against Obamacare, higher taxes and a law enforcement approach to the war on terror.
The truly sleazy way Washington has operated this year, with the outright bribery for votes, lobbyists writing and nobody reading the thousand page bills, has been a disgrace. It is especially appalling in the wake of candidate Obama’s repeated promises of transparency and fiscal responsibilty. Independents, unenrolled and disaffected Democrats are giving Scott Brown a serious look.
Scott stayed with us for about twenty five minutes and went through a whole bunch of phone calls. This is getting really interesting.
The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here. Follow Pundit Review on Twitter.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 8-10pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
Two of our favorite and most frequent guests over the years have been independent citizen journalist Michael Yon and Bruce McQuain from QandO and the #1 milblog Blackfive. He’s also the man behind the Someone You Should Know series.
When I have Michael on, I always invite Bruce because of his decades of experience in the Army. Tonight, when Michael made a comment about the reasons surrounding the rules of engagement in Afghanistan, Bruce was there to talk about the implications for the soldiers carrying our those rules.
We caught up with Michael in Hong Kong where he welcomed the New Year. He was heading to the airport then home to the U.S. for a little rest and recovery. Michael has spent the past five years covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq like no other. He estimated spending about half of that time reporting from the front lines both embedded with military units and freelance, on his own. (I would add, from some of the nastiest places on the planet, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the streets of Mosil).
We talked about expectations for Afghanistan in 2010, the impact of the surge decision on the troops he was with and the challenges ahead.
Michael is truly independent. His work is supported by his readers. I made a donation recently becuase I value what he is doing. If you do, and can afford to, you can do so at his website
The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 8-10pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
A lot of things are used as political weapons including cyberspace, civilians and the environment to name a few. In my lifetime, terrorism has always been used as a political weapon. It’s been a highly successful one, after all it got Yasar Arafat a Nobel Peace Prize.
What we haven’t seen, for the most part in the West, is assassination used as a political weapon. In the Muslim world, yes, it has been a tactic in recent years, from Harari in Lebanon to Benazir Bhutto. In the West however, we had two major assassination attempts within three months in the spring of 1981 with President Reagan and Pope John Paul II both being shot.
I write this out of a sense of dread that I got watching this video of the Christmas Eve attack on the Pope. The video is pretty terrifying and it made me realize that there have been a series of recent incidents that could have had tragic consequences.
December 24
AP: Raw Video: Pope Knocked Down at Christmas Mass
This woman tried to do the same thing at this mass last year and yet Father Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said, “Ms Maiolo is known to the Vatican, but she was never thought to have been of any serious danger. If anything, the poor woman needs treatment, which is what she is getting.”
What if she had a gun? Incredible.
Italian PM Berlusconi has fractured nose, broken teeth after attack
December 13
According to CNN, “The attack at a campaign rally Sunday in Milan left Berlusconi bleeding profusely from his left upper lip and cheek.”
Feds: Couple crashed Obama’s state dinner
November 24
Sure, who could argue that Tarq and Michaele Salahi are pathetic fame whores. Still, the security angle of their reality TV inspired stunt has been underappreciated by the media and the public. If they had intentions beyond 12 episodes on Bravo, who knows what could have happened.
I wasn’t sure if I should even do this post. It should go without saying, but it doesn’t, that although I oppose his policies, I wish this president, any president, absolute security and safety. We (the civilized world) have been lucky that these have all been minor incidents. Hopefully, this is just a phase and not a sign of things to come, a bad omen.