by David Seaman

This is breaking news. More information will be added in subsequent videos as it becomes available. Journalist David Seaman calls for a nationwide boycott of News Corporation, Fox News, and Fox Business Network following the channel’s cancellation of Judge Andrew Napolitano‘s prime-time show, Freedom Watch.

Judge Napolitano was one of the few mainstream television anchors covering NDAA, economic unrest, and political corruption. The cancellation of his show is a major blow to free speech in the mainstream media, and the final nail in the coffin of our bought and sold press. He’s one of the TRULY good ones, even though we don’t always agree with his libertarian take on things.



Disobedience is civil. Disobedience is called for. Support Judge Napolitano. Say no to fuax news. Cancel Fox News and Fox Business on your cable or satellite package.

UPDATE
Here’s a clip of the fearless Judge Napolitano telling us how it is – and a fine example of what you’ll be missing. (Thanks to @Lymski for forwarding this link.)

David Seaman is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.

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by David Seaman

Fresh from my week-long trip to New York, I’m back in South Florida – and seething. Here’s the Top 10 reasons why…

1. When I fly, the choice is “microwave oven” or multiple full-body gropedowns. I’ve flown for many years, and only recently is this happening to travelers on a regular basis. It’s unconstitutional and scary.

2. The President, in collusion with a fascist Congress, literally signed away a large part of our Bill of Rights, ending our right to due process, trial, attorney, etc and opening the door to outright military dictatorship.

3. This has received very little media coverage.

4. When I report on this, I receive personal attacks and all kinds of online harassment.

5. Congress also tried very hard to push through fascist Internet censorship bills, which would curtail online freedom and innovation around the world. Now they’re trying to pass similar legislation under the guise of a different bill name. No one will notice this time.

6. When people here in the U.S. protest this corruption and total tyrannical insanity, they are met with “less than lethal” rubber-coated shotgun bullets, tear gas, and other chemical agents. I’ve heard people say some protesters have been covered in so much chemical agent it has led to seizures and other serious health problems. Protesters have also allegedly been forced to urinate on each other, and have been kept in inhumane conditions for hours.

7. This has also received very little media coverage.

8. Congress thinks its OK to literally profit from insider knowledge, and have been blatantly doing so, at a time when many Americans are out of work, in foreclosure, and genuinely hurting.

9. This has also received very little media coverage.

10. Most of the people you forward this article to won’t care, and won’t take action. Stop distracting me from Super Bowl post-whatever, bro.

David Seaman is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.

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by David Seaman

RT America asks SG’s Political Contributor David Seaman if he thinks that the embedded GOP reporters have got a little too close for comfort with the candidates they’re supposed to be reporting on. Can journalists working with their subjects in such close quarters ever be truly objective? And what happens when the media gets a little too cosy with the likes of Mitt Romney. Is the GOP frontrunner –– who (accidentally?) admitted on CNN last week that he’s “not concerned about the very poor” and spent more on negative ads in Florida than ‎John McCain did during his entire presidential campaign – able to buy good press by taking them along for the ride? – Nicole Powers, SG Ed.

David Seaman is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.

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by David Seaman

SG political contributor David Seaman is in New York this week. When he asked if there was anyone we’d like him to chat to, the first name that came to mind, without hesitation, was Patrick Bruner from Occupy Wall Street. We were first introduced to him last November at NYC’s New School, when he participated in a panel discussion alongside Michael Moore, Naomi Klein, The Nation‘s national affairs correspondent William Greider, and Colorlines publisher Rinku Sen. The event, sponsored by The Nation and moderated by the magazine’s executive editor Richard Kim, was called Occupy Everywhere. It aimed to explore the new political paradigm brought about by Occupy, and the possibilities presented by the movement to redress the overbearing reach of corporate power.

Though the caliber of intellects assembled on the New School stage that evening was undeniably high, we were actually most impressed and inspired by what Bruner had to say. We are therefore thrilled that we got a chance to reconnect with him via Seaman and his video post above (which was produced with the help of Lindsey June Miller). We have a feeling we’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more from Bruner in the future, both as a skilled orator within this proudly leaderless movement, and as someone with great potential as a next generation politician.

During the course of their conversation, Seaman and Bruner discuss the misnomer that Occupy doesn’t have a message, how much of what those in the mainstream know about the movement is framed by just a handful of media conglomerates, and how the real issues are being buried by their propaganda. The pair also talk about the future of Occupy and some of the key agenda items the movement needs to bring to the fore – such as the fact that student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt, or that there are 24 foreclosed homes standing empty for every one homeless person in America.

We’ve also embedded the full Occupy Everywhere panel discussion below, which we highly recommend you view. – Nicole Powers, SG Ed.

David Seaman is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.

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by Blogbot

Millionaire Matchmaker, glam-goth reality TV star, mother, all round awesome person, and longtime friend of SG, Rachel Federoff recently became a spokesperson to raise awareness for the dangers of the choking game. It’s estimated that between 250 and 1,000 children die each year from the practice, however hard statistics are difficult to come by since many coroners record such deaths as suicide. This is one the reasons Federoff got involved and reached out to SG, since she’s currently championing a petition and letter writing campaign to persuade our government to devote resources to the issue so it can be properly investigated. Though numbers a hard to come by, the choking game seems to be especially prevalent in middle school aged children, with the median age of death from it being just thirteen. We checked in with Federoff to find out more.

Question: What inspired you to get involved in raising awareness for the dangers of the choking game?

Rachel Federoff: I met two ladies on Twitter who are uber fans of me, Barb Dibben and Neecy Jarman. Neecy lost her 13-year old son from this awful act and told me about it [see ABC News report]. Being a mom, I was, of course, devastated to hear about it, and knew exactly what he died from as I had a close childhood friend die from it in high school. I felt it was so important to help spread the word on this and, as of Monday, the ladies asked me to be the spokesperson for this. I was so honored and touched to help be a part of making the world aware and hopefully stop more children from dying.

Q: Can you tell us more about the organization you’ll be acting as spokesperson for?

RF: I will be working with Neecy and Barb and other non profit organizations such as the DB Foundation (Dangerous Behaviors). Both ladies received grant money from Pepsi Co. and we are looking at having the first national conference.

Q: It’s shocking that kids are playing this “game” at such a young age. Why do you think that is?

RF: It’s so crazy to me that people are so unaware of this as it’s been going on forever. I knew plenty of kids that did it growing up. I think kids are always looking at new ways to get “high.” If it’s not whip-its, it’s pot or whatever. Now it’s getting high by strangulation. They think it’s harmless but it’s not. They really do think it’s just a game, and when you’re young you have that “I’m going to live forever” mentality.

Q: And I guess kids being kids, there’s a lot of peer pressure involved…

RF: Absolutely, especially at middle school age like Neecy’s son. He was just thirteen. That’s why it’s so important that parents are aware of this behavior and have open relationships with their kids. Parents need to teach their kids that it’s not a game and will not make them “cool” if they participate. When I saw friends doing it I thought it was stupid and dangerous so I stayed away from playing.

Q: What resources are out there to give parents a better understanding of this issue? Are there any websites you could recommend?

RF: Sadly there just isn’t enough and that’s why people have no idea this exists and what it is. But there are some: GaspInfo.com and ChokingGame.net.

Q: What can people do to help?

RF: We are currently asking everyone we can to sign a petition and send letters to congress to make them open their eyes that the choking game needs to be addressed seriously. The more signatures and letters we send the better. All you have to do is go here. Also we’re asking people to post the link on their Twitters and Facebooks and anywhere else. We have over 1000 letters already! I also created a cause page people can join for more info and support.

Q: Finally, you know I have to ask; Millionaire Matchmaker is my guilty pleasure for many of us at SG. I’m totally addicted. What can we expect from the new season and when will it air?

RF: LOL Well it looks like we are scheduled to start filming Season 6 in March or April. As for when it airs, I have no idea yet. So many people are having Millionaire Matchmaker withdrawal. We’re coming back, so hang in there!

Related Posts:

SG Interview with Rachel Federoff – Millionaire Matchmaker
SG Interview with Destin Pfaff: Millionaire Matchmaker

by David Seaman

Wil Wheaton wrote of his unpleasant TSA experience right on this very blog back in April, 2011:

“I believe that the choice we are currently given by the American government when we need to fly is morally wrong, unconstitutional, and does nothing to enhance passenger safety.

I further believe that when I choose to fly, I should not be forced to choose between submitting myself to a virtually-nude scan (and exposing myself to uncertain health risks due to radiation exposure*), or enduring an aggressive, invasive patdown where a stranger puts his hands in my pants, and makes any contact at all with my genitals.

When I left the security screening yesterday, I didn’t feel safe. I felt violated, humiliated, assaulted, and angry. I felt like I never wanted to fly again. I was so furious and upset, my hands shook for quite some time after the ordeal was over. I felt sick to my stomach for hours.”

Why write something original when Wheaton’s feelings mirror my own so precisely?

On a January 31st flight to New York for business (the videocast), I turned down the backscatter x-ray machine. I did so because, as I’ve written about before, the safety of these new machines is entirely up for debate: they’ve been banned in the European Union, and there’s some evidence the TSA and others have been lying (or simply don’t know) the true level of radiation exposure one experiences when going through the zapper, or “rape-scan” machine, as it’s affectionately known by frequent business travelers.

As per TSA regulations, I was subjected to an “alternative” — a full-body patdown, which fell somewhere on the scale from extremely thorough to molestation. Did a male stranger rub my groin? Yup.

Then the TSA agent swabbed my clothes and fed it into some Idiocracy machine; the machine started buzzing and coughed up a print-out. My clothes had, according to the agent, come back positive for explosive chemicals. Umm, okay. I challenged this, and he shrugged, saying they don’t know what I do in my spare time*. Zing!

At this point, I was escorted (along with my belongings) to a dark, small TSA “screening” room for a second patdown: more invasive than the first one, firmer rubbing on my privates, and not by a Victoria’s Secret angel or Suicide Girl, either.

Thoroughly humiliated and de-humanized, I was given the all-clear. The agent noticed my MacBook and helpfully noted that there was free wi-fi in the airport.

This needs to end. This is un-American. This is unconstitutional, on a variety of levels. This makes us look bad on the global stage. This doesn’t make us safer. This makes me angry. This makes me feel powerless. This makes me want to travel less (after my New York visit ends, I don’t plan to travel by air for the rest of the year — voting with your wallet is one way to vote).

And the only thing that makes me shake with anger and humiliation more than my private TSA screening room experience are the handful of Americans who believe TSA is a “necessary evil,” or even a GOOD thing. Yesterday wasn’t the first time I’ve been groped by TSA agents. But it was the last. I just can’t stomach flying until this agency is de-funded, dismantled, and scrapped. We can do better as a nation**.

I’ll leave you with this oft-quoted Ben Franklin insight: “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

* [This happened to a friend whom I was traveling with, who was a singer with a well known band, and clearly not a terrorist. She had recently put on hand cream before going through enhanced “smart” security, and was flagged for further screening after the handle of her bag was swabbed and electronically sniffed. The TSA officer on hand, who was rather polite and helpful, apologetically explained that their chemical sniffer machines can’t tell the difference between glycerin (as used in common garden hand creams and soaps) and nitroglycerin (as used in common garden explosives), and thus she’d been picked out for additional screening because she was guilty of moisturizing. The moral of this story: moisturize (or wash for that matter) at your own risk before flying. – Ed!]

** Even the TSA’s founder, Rep. John Mica (R. -Fla.), has gone on record as saying “the whole thing is a complete fiasco” and should be scrapped (source).

David Seaman is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.

Related Posts:
Obama’s YouTube/Google+ Hangout Not Only Kinda Sucked – It Was Positively Orwellian
SG Political Contributor David Seaman Discusses Ron Paul/Mitt Romney Media Bias
Interview: Gov. Buddy Roemer on Barack Obama, NDAA, SOPA, Corruption, Ron Paul, and More
Is Obama Avoiding Awkward Questions About The NDAA?
Senator Rand Paul Detained by TSA Agents – Plus NDAA & ACTA Updates
SG Political Contributor David Seaman Discusses SOPA and NDAA
NDAA And Occupy Congress: What If You Now Live In A Dictatorship, And No One Told You?
NDAA 101: Fact Vs. Fiction

by David Seaman & Ashley Carey

DavidSeamanOnline contributor Ashley Carey wasn’t thrilled with President Obama’s recent YouTube/Google+ hangout on January 30th. Neither was I!

It was an epic fail, in my opinion.

But hey, this isn’t Google’s fault. They gave the President an awesome global platform, and his administration chose to use it to peddle the same old cult of personality, instead of allowing him to engage citizens — thousands asked about NDAA and marijuana policy, yet these two 600 gazillion ton elephants in the room were carefully sidestepped.

Positively Orwellian, if you ask me.

That’s not what social media is supposed to be about.

David Seaman is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.

Related Posts:

SG Political Contributor David Seaman Discusses Ron Paul/Mitt Romney Media Bias
Interview: Gov. Buddy Roemer on Barack Obama, NDAA, SOPA, Corruption, Ron Paul, and More
Is Obama Avoiding Awkward Questions About The NDAA?
Senator Rand Paul Detained by TSA Agents – Plus NDAA & ACTA Updates
SG Political Contributor David Seaman Discusses SOPA and NDAA
NDAA And Occupy Congress: What If You Now Live In A Dictatorship, And No One Told You?
NDAA 101: Fact Vs. Fiction