Hey Alabama, Progressive Radio Exists!

You might have to go to Oregon or California to find its physical location, but progressive radio does speak loud and clear. And thanks to the wonders of the Web, even those of us who live in Karl Rove's Alabama can listen to insightful folks like Thom Hartmann and Peter B. Collins.

I was honored to be on both shows yesterday, and it was refreshing to drink deeply from the progressive cup.

After partaking in the Hartmann and Collins shows, and being interviewed in depth by the very sharp and talented Lindsay Beyerstein of Raw Story, I have renewed hope for our democracy. And I'm deeply appreciative for the many messages of support I've received from readers and listeners both near and far.

The Hartmann segment was about seven minutes, and since I was able to get word out about that pretty well in advance, I think a lot of people got to listen to it. For those who missed it, you can listen to a tape of the program's third hour here by going to 7/15/08 and clicking on "listen" for Hour 3. Author Naomi Klein (Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism) starts off the hour, and I come in at about the 15-minute mark.

I didn't find out about the possibility of an appearance on the Peter B. Collins Show until late yesterday afternoon, so was not able to let many folks know about it. Collins is an excellent interviewer, and I was impressed how well read he was on all aspects of the Alabama/Siegelman/Bush Justice Department story. His segment with me lasted about 30 minutes, and I got a kick out of his "bumper music" for my slot--"Take This Job and Shove It" by Johnny Paycheck and "The South's Gonna Do It Again" by Charlie Daniels. Collins' show is a nice mix of the serious and the humorous, and I encourage Legal Schnauzer readers to check it out on a regular basis.

You can find information about the Peter B. Collins Show at his Web site. The site has an archives, and it looks like the July 15 segment will be available in three or four days. I will alert folks when the Schnauzer segment appears.

A few highlights that come to mind from the Collins interview:

* Collins asked if I thought the key to breaking the Justice Department scandal lies in Alabama--I said I thought that was possible. I noted the state's importance because of Karl Rove's activities here in the 1990s, turning our state appellate courts from Democratic control to Republican control. I also noted Rove's strong ties to Mississippi, where the Paul Minor case has been a highly questionable prosecution. I pointed out that it's probably not an accident that an Alabama native, Scott Horton of Harper's magazine, has played a critical role in bringing the scandal to public awareness. And I noted the importance of Raw Story, which has had more than one reporter spend considerable time in Alabama and Mississippi.

* Collins asked if I thought people should be hopeful that justice ultimately will be served--I admitted that I sometimes get blue about the thought that GOP rascals will get away with their crimes. But I told him that a contact of mine, a Birmingham-area attorney who has a strong understanding of how the Justice Department works, recently gave me hope. My contact said he thinks that come about August, career employees in the Justice Department will see that a new administration (hopefully Obama's) soon will be coming on board. At about that point, my contact says, career employees will see that it is in their best interest to point out wrongdoing rather than to help cover it up. So this fall could be a key time for the scandal to truly unfold. We might not know about it until well into 2009 or beyond, but my contact thinks August/September/October of 2008 will be a critical time.