Howard Stern mentioned that John Ashcroft...

[skypilot]

...stopped taking commmercial aircraft in July 2001. He didn't talk about if for very long but he did express outrage and suggest that something was being cover up. Glad to see that he knows about this. Do you think people are e-mailing him information? Can that be done?

[linazelle]

1. I mailed him my extra copy of "The Best Democracy Money

Can Buy" with a note that we at DU support him in his fight against BushCo. I hope he reads it.

[RoundRockD]

2. John Ashcroft stopped flying?

Where is the story on this. I keep hearing it mentioned but I'm not aware of the specifics. Can someone enlighten me, please?

[leftchick]

4. here is the story....

from July 26, 2001...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/26/national/main303601.shtml

<snip>
In response to inquiries from CBS News over why Ashcroft was traveling exclusively by leased jet aircraft instead of commercial airlines, the Justice Department cited what it called a "threat assessment" by the FBI, and said Ashcroft has been advised to travel only by private jet for the remainder of his term.

"There was a threat assessment and there are guidelines. He is acting under the guidelines," an FBI spokesman said. Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department, however, would identify what the threat was, when it was detected or who made it.

A senior official at the CIA said he was unaware of specific threats against any Cabinet member, and Ashcroft himself, in a speech in California, seemed unsure of the nature of the threat.

[RoundRockD]

12. Thanks. Wow, that is truly amazing.

Why isn't more made of this story?

[JohnyCanuck]

16. BECAUSE THE CORPORATE MEDIA ARE WHORES

who are scared shitless of stepping on the wrong set of toes.

n/t

[leftchick]

23. simple....

we have a corporate (read republican) owned media which will not allow questioning of our own modern day hitler*.

[Skittles]

35. why isn't more made of EVERY SCANDAL

involving Bush Inc - there are too many to list.

[NicoleM]

5. The FBI

advised him to stop flying commercial in July 2001 due to an unspecified "threat." Ashcroft said at the time that he didn't know what the threat was. I don't think they've ever said what the threat was.

[skypilot]

10. I think we've all since figured out what the threat was.

:-(

[NicoleM]

11. I know.

Just sayin'.

[deportivoI]

19. He Knew

it had something to do with airplanes. Seems specific enough.

[aquart]

6. He did NOT stop flying.

He simply used government money to hire private jets.

Because there was a "credible threat" that HE might not be safe. To bloody hell with the rest of us.

That bastard let me fly american Airlines non-stop cross country in August with no idea how dangerous it might be.

I hope those gallstones hurt BAD.

Try googling Ashcroft and "private jet".

[Bozita]

3. No mention of this during 2 days of 911 hearings

Why?

[leftchick]

8. perhaps it may be brought up in April hearings..

Isn't that when they will be question the DOJ?

[Zinfandel]

7. Someone should turn Stern onto DU!

[Bombtrack]

30. Sorry, but the guy has a million side projects and watches alot of TIVO

and this is his girlfriend
I don't think he's gonna start chatting on message boards, when he's got a ton more important things and people to do.

[rocktivity]

9. A couple of weeks ago, I e-mailed him about fifty links

With DU on top, of course! I've also sent him the link to the 237 Bush lies documents, and I've suggested that he get in touch with Mike Malloy--imagine the two of them having an on-air phone chat once or twice a week! In fact, he should have the authors to all the anti-Bush books calling in!

At any rate, we should all be sending him any information or links that he ought to see. You can use [email protected] or go to http://www.krockradio.com/feedback and select "The Howard Stern Show" from the dropdown menu.

:headbang:
rocknation

P.S. You can (legally) listen to Howard online at http://www.streamerp2p.com if you have Windows.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

31. Lots of FORMER Bush Supporters now on the warpath!

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1485869/20040319/index.jhtml?headlines=true

-snip-

Hundreds of Howard Stern listeners and free-speech supporters gathered in front of the Federal Building on Friday (March 19) to protest the Federal Communications Commission's indecency crackdown and support the shock jock's radio assault on President George W. Bush....More than 500 demonstrators held signs and chanted "Free Howard."

Stern, who has supported Bush in the past, is blaming the fine's timing on his recent verbal onslaughts criticizing Bush for his stand on such issues as same-sex marriage (see "Does Howard Stern Have More Political Muscle Than Ralph Nader?").

-snip-

Eclectic indeed. Stern advocates of various sexes, races and ages — ......encouraging drivers-by to honk in support. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jay Leno impersonators joined the Stern look-alikes. There was a man in Kiss makeup and a dog covered in "Free Speech" stickers. A group of entrepreneurs sold T-shirts bearing the slogan "Got Freedom of Speech?" and Stern's mug on a milk carton.

-snip-

As Rock the Vote workers registered voters, numerous Stern supporters said they planned to go to the polls against Bush. "There's a lot of people out there, including myself, who probably wouldn't vote," said Garver, who has worked for Stern's show for 12 years. "But now — guess what? — we're all gonna be voting. There's going to be a snowball effect. It's only March. Come November, watch out." Tanya Volz, a 20-something Republican from Orange County, said she's considering voting Democrat in the election.

[BabsSong]

13. skypilot---if you are listening to Stern have you heard him say

anything about Clarke's revelations yet?? He's apparently been on a real rant against Bush and just today I was wondering if he's used any of Clarke's points to go after Bush. I pray he isn't starting to calm down---this is the guy who can reach a whole bunch of the repukes "stupid white men". Please fill me in on what you have heard. Thanks.

[RedSock]

14. pentagon brass cancelled flights on september 10

don't forget this one:

Two days after 9/11, Newsweek reports: "The state of alert had been high during the past two weeks, and a particularly urgent warning may have been received the night before the attacks, causing some top Pentagon brass to cancel a trip. Why that same information was not available to the 266 people who died aboard the four hijacked commercial aircraft may become a hot topic on the Hill." (Newsweek, 9/13/01)

The only additional media mention of this story is in the next issue of Newsweek: "a group of top Pentagon officials suddenly canceled travel plans for the next morning, apparently because of security concerns." (Newsweek, 9/17/01)

[skypilot]

18. I only get to hear Stern for about a half an hour...

...as I'm getting ready for work. So far I haven't heard him say anything about the Clarke controversy but I somehow doubt that he is going to let it go without comment.

I actually just started listening to Stern again last week after not listening to him for over ten years. It's only because of things I saw posted here at DU that I resumed listening to him.

[bkcc]

20. let's not forget....

Howard Stern is definitely into bashing the Bush administration these days, but his main focus is still bathroom humor and naked women.

He's turned into a great and unexpected ally in the campaign to oust *, but let's not expect too much more than we're already getting from the guy. Fact of the matter is: if it comes down to Stern choosing between a porn video that someone sent him, or a list of links indicting the GOP on 9/11, he's probably going to go with the porn.

[bhunt70]

24. I disagree, I think he knows his livelyhood is in the process of being

taken away, and without that, he has no forum for bathroom humor.

One affects his personal life, the other is an effect of his professional life.

[bigmonkey]

25. Nice use of affect and effect!

I bet you don't spell lose "loose" either :-)

[bkcc]

26. your point is well-taken

But I think the two go hand-in-hand.

If he turns his show completely into a forum for bashing the government, he'll lose a huge chunk of his audience. The majority of his listeners are not tuning in for political talk radio. They want to hear porn stars talk about their escapades and the "Wack Pack" embarrass themselves.

However, if he goes back to the type of show he used to air, he'll draw the wrath of the FCC.

He's painted himself into a corner. He really has to do both at this point (air his typical shows, with a healthy dose of * bashing) in order to maintain his livelihood.

Which raises another question:
Does anyone happen to know what Stern's ratings have been like since this trouble with the FCC began?
(I wonder if all the anti-* talk has helped or hurt him.)

[THUNDER HANDS]

29. radio ratings come out quarterly

we won't know for some time.

[rinsd]

32. I disagree with that...

Stern bashing Bush works for him and I am not going to cast doubt on his conviction in that matter....but the "I've had it, I'm leaving" and the "FCC is gonna shut me down" schtick is almost as old as the naked lesbians schtick for Stern.

[rocktivity]

27. I don't expect Howard to bash Bush five hours a day

But if enough of us keep sending him information, he'll know that a sizeable portion of the audience is still interested, he'll have fresh material to use every day, and if he doesn't have to rely on name-calling (he called Bush a pussy the other day), he'll look less self-serving and mean-spirited. No one expects Howard to bash Bush for five hours day, but he definitely ought to do it for the next eight months!

:headbang:
rocknation

[rinsd]

34. Ahhhh...

"he'll look less self-serving and mean-spirited"

Are you kidding? That's when he gets some of his best ratings.

[tandot]

15. I've never heard about that story

Maybe they asked that questions in the "secret" part of the 9/11 commission hearings?

Someone must have suspected a threat involving commercial airplanes. And I agree with one of the other posts:

I hope those gallstones hurt really, really bad.

[still_one]

17. They did know of a 9/11 attack

Rice indicated no one could have imagined, she is lying.

Is there anyway we could send this story to the 9/11 commission?

[truthspeaker]

22. sure, they have a mailing address

[sam sarrha]

21. They didn't respond to the threat to keep profits up for the airlines they

didn't want to slow the money flow down that was backing up the runway for hours, there were more planes on the runways than could take off in a day. higher security would have cost too much

greed and corporate control by campaign contributions allowed 911

Asscroft denied warrants for phone taps on over a dozen of the hijackers including Mohamed Atta and his computer months before the attack

the attitude in the Justice Dept was ..'don't bother with the paper work trying to get a warrant because Asscroft wont give them'

[sadiesworld]

28. OMG

I hadn't heard of the warrants for phone taps. They knew.

[ignatius]

33. Don't forget that Willie Brown,the mayor of San Fran who was

supposed to fly to NYC on 9-11, was told by his staff not to fly that day. Supposedly someone in airport security told them.

Why no follow up on that story?