March 29, 2005 by s.z.

Swank o' the Day Brad of Superhappyfun Blog advised us that Pastor Swank was extra-busy yesterday (we suspect that heroine might be the reason), and penned six new columns.  Brad sent us an assortment, and we chose this one as our favorite. From God Speaks Through Earthquakes: God speaks through earthquakes. God made the Earth. The Earth will answer to God. [...] This Christ ushered in the Church Age. This Christ will take out the Church Age. Remember when Christ told his apostles, "Listen, I brought you into this world, and I can take you out"?  No, wait, that wasn't Christ, that was Bill Cosby! Earthquakes now are messages from God for human beings to repent of their sins, find salvation in the coming Christ, and live the holy life. Those who do not will answer to the "fierce wrath" of the divine. God is not only everlasting love. He is also everlasting anger. Both are in perfect eternal balance. There is not one without the other in the person of God. So, God is bi-polar.  That explains a lot. Oh, okay, one more Swank.  This one comes from NEW IRAQ: CLEAN OUT KILLERS INFILTRATING SECURITY FORCES: That's first on the agenda of those seeking to purify the security units of bad apples. Therefore, no mercy for those who could stage mutiny on the democracy planting. The untrustworthy will be found out, cleaned out and shut out. Too many freedom endearing citizens have no patience whatsoever with those who may seek to undermine the liberties come upon. I have no idea what the last sentence means, but I really like the part about purifying the security units of bad apples so they don't stage mutiny on the democracy planting.  In fact, I can hear George Bush saying it as I read it.  Hey, if Crazy Peggy could get a job writing speeches for Reagan, I see no reason why Pastor Swank shouldn't be writing for George Bush.  Swank is patriotic, he's prolific, he's fast, and I bet he'd work for apples. 6:32:45 AM

Ghouls Remember when I said that I was cynical enough to believe if you signed a petition or donated money at RightMarch to "save Terri," you would be added to Phil Sheldon's mailing list, which he rents out to other groups and to politicians? Well, per the NY Times, this has already happened. List of Schiavo Donors Will Be Sold by Direct-Marketing Firm The parents of Terri Schiavo have authorized a conservative direct-mailing firm to sell a list of their financial supporters, making it likely that thousands of strangers moved by her plight will receive a steady stream of solicitations from anti-abortion and conservative groups. "These compassionate pro-lifers donated toward Bob Schindler's legal battle to keep Terri's estranged husband from removing the feeding tube from Terri," says a description of the list on the Web site of the firm, Response Unlimited, which is asking $150 a month for 6,000 names and $500 a month for 4,000 e-mail addresses of people who responded last month to an e-mail plea from Ms. Schiavo's father. [Note: I have been advised that it looks like the NYT read the Response Unlimited info wrong, and RU is actually charging $150 per thousand names for a one time use, so  to rent the entire Terri list list for one mailing would set you back about $6570.] "These individuals are passionate about the way they value human life, adamantly oppose euthanasia and are pro-life in every sense of the word!" Privacy experts said the sale of the list was legal and even predictable, if ghoulish. [...] Gary McCullough, director of the Christian Communication Network and a spokesman for Ms. Schiavo's parents, confirmed that Mr. Schindler had agreed to let Response Unlimited rent out the list as part of a deal for the firm to send an e-mail solicitation raising money on the family's behalf. You recall Gary McCullough, don't you?  He's the one who defended murderer Michael Griffin by claiming that killing an abortion provider is "justifiable homicide," was closely associated with double-murderer Paul Hill; funneled money to Clayton Waagner, the anti-abortion "terrorist" who sent those anthrax hoax letters to abortion clincs; and has been arrested 30 times (he says) for his involvement in disruptive abortion protests.  (I find it interesting that nobody in the media has brought up Gary's past, even though he's been in the spotlight for days now in connection with his position as a "Schindler family spokesman.)  Anyway, there was a bit more info about Gary in a recent Wash Post article about the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation, which was set up by Terri's parents to raise money for their legal fight. One early volunteer is now paid by the parents' foundation. Gary McCullough, 46, is the bearded Floridian who can be spotted on cable news stations updating reporters about the timing of family statements and introducing Schiavo's mother at the camera stand before her tearful pleas. McCullough owns a service called the Christian News Wire and said he learned about Schiavo through Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, and another of his clients, former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes As you may recall, Keyes is also a client of William Greene's Strategic Internet Campaign Management group -- and Greene is the one of the two guys behind RightMarch, the group that was collecting money "for Terri" under the auspices of Schindler family spokesman Randall Terry. Anyway, it just seems pretty creepy the way that all of these people are making money off Terri Schiavo. But back to the NY Times story: Mr. McCullough said he was present when Mr. Schindler agreed to the arrangement in a conversation with Phil Sheldon, the co-founder of a conservative online marketing organization,RightMarch.com, who acted as a broker for Response Unlimited. And, as you also might recall, Phil Sheldon was reportedly paid $30,000 for doing little more than renting out his mailing list to Bill Simon, who was running for governor in California in 2002.  So, I'm sure Phil is very familiar with such a broker role. "So the Schindlers do know the details," Mr. McCullough said on Monday. How much attention they paid to the matter is hard to assess, he added. "The Schindlers right now know that their daughter is starving to death, and if I ask about anything else, they say, 'I don't want to hear about it.' " Direct mail and mass e-mailings are ubiquitous fund-raising tools of interest groups on the left as well as the right, and others in the direct-mail business defended the sale of lists like the roster of donors to the Schindlers as a useful way for potential donors to learn of causes that might appeal to them. And those involved in direct-mail also say that such lists are useful to those who prey on suckers.  So, it's a win/win situation. And, even though Terri is near death, the appeals for funds continue. "This time, we have a real chance to break through the 'roadblocks' that the enemies of life have been putting up in front of us," said a mass e-mailing from RightMarch.com, asking supporters to urge Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene somehow. The message added: "We're asking you to give a donation to help with our activism efforts to save Terri's life. Battles cost money; resources cost money; media costs money; we could go on, but you get the picture." And media consultants cost money.  So, won't you give so that Randall Terry, Gary McCullough, William Greene, and Phil Sheldon can live the kind of lives that Terri would want for them? Mr. Sheldon - whose father, the Rev. Lou Sheldon, founder of the Traditional Values Coalition, has also sent appeals urging support for Ms. Schiavo - apparently played a dual role as a partner in RightMarch.com, which is working with the anti-abortion activist Randall Terry, and as a broker for Response Unlimited. Mr. Sheldon did not respond to phone calls yesterday. "Dual role."  "Conflict of interest"  It's all good. "I think it sounds a little unusual right now because of the situation where she is in the process of dying," said Richard Viguerie, another major conservative direct-mail operator. "If you came across this information six months or a year from now, I don't think you would give it too much thought." What Viguerie (William Greene's old boss) meant was, "You weren't supposed to find out about the donor list being sold for another six months or so, when you wouldn't give it too much thought.  Damn." Oh, and a little research reveals that Response Unlimited has many other intersting mailing lists available for rent. For instance, the Randall Terry list: This unique masterfile allows you to target donors to Randall Terry, the best-selling author/activist/musician/politician that The New York Times has referred to as an "icon of the pro-life movement." Randall Terry is best-known for passionately defending the unborn for more than a decade and a half. In more recent years, Randall has been a vocal critic of special rights for homosexuals, gay marriage and any other radical positions of the homosexual agenda. You can rent the file of 73,465 names for $90 a month per thousand names, for one mailing.  [Thanks for the correction, Sabin Speiser and BStu.] And then there's the list of those who donated to Alan Keyes' '96 presidential campaign: These are hard-core donors and supporters who believe America is in the process of self-destructing because of the loss of moral principle.  74,871 Total file.............$85/M And Lou Sheldon's  Traditional Values Coalition: [P]robably the nation's most effective organization in lobbying Congress and state capitols in opposition to the radical gay rights agenda as well as against the acceptance of degrading social concerns to traditional Americans like abortion, pornography, pedophilia, and lowering the age of sexual consent. 142,862 Total File..............$70/M You probably won't be shocked to learn that Philip Zodhiates, president of Response Unlimited, is the co-founder of ConservativePetitions, that side business of Phil Sheldon's that we told you about before.  It's almost enough to make you believe when they begged you to sign a petition to Spare Terri, they were just trying to add your name to a mailing list! 5:10:29 AM

I Wonder What His Rate for This Event Will Be? Editor & Publisher reports that JimJeff GuckertGannon will be included in a panel to be held at the National Press Club on April 8th.  Yes, the same day that the prestigious Washington, D.C., journalism organization plans to present a lunch talk by former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee, it will also allow the former White House reporter/sex site operator to be on a panel discussing bloggers and online journalism.   [...]   Gannon told E&P today that he always considered himself a legitimate journalist, and "perhaps their invitation is recognition of that." Bwah ha ha! ... I mean, possibly so.  Or maybe the organizers just recognized that somebody needs a bit of the old Jeff Gannon to relieve some of that pent up whatever, and thought that JimJeff was just the man to provide it.   Or possibly he was included just for the publicity value (because nothing sells like sex!) Per E&P: [Press Club President Rick] Dunham, said "journalists should be given a chance to question him." Reminded that many reporters had interviewed Gannon in the past month, Dunham still believed his presence would be good for the event. "I want us to be on the news," he said. Yes, Dennis Miller had a chimp on his show for much the same purpose. The Press Club's Web site, however, does not tout the event as focusing on Gannon but rather the differences between "bloggers" and "journalists." John Aravosis at Americablog, which first reported the Press Club event, wrote: "What is GannonGuckert doing there at all? Like he's an expert on the difference between blogging and journalism? How so? He thinks journalism means parroting press releases and transcripts. As for blogging, again, he started a so-called blog 3 weeks ago and now he's representative of all bloggers?" Gannon told E&P he "thinks it is a good opportunity for me to speak to issues related to bloggers." He also added that he was, "trying to stay out there where people can see me." Of course he is.  Because he REALLY wants that job as Sean Hannity's policial analyst, and believes that more time in the spotlight is all it will take to get it.   Anyway, JimJeff doesn't much appreciate Aravosis's comments, or the E&P story, or something somebody on the Left is doing to repress him, because here's what he wrote at JeffGannon.com:   March 28, 2005 The Left continues its mission to keep me quiet It seems the National Press Club shouldn't be allowed to bring in whatever panelist it wants.  So much for the First Amendment.  STORY   IMHO, it's insights like that which prove that JimJeff is indeed a legitimate journalist.  See, while most people think that the First Amendment merely forbids the government from abridging protected free speech, Jeff knows that it actually forbids anybody from saying mean things about him in their blogs -- a thought worthy of the great newswoman Ann Coulter!   And that's why we hope this panel is covered by C-SPAN, so that everyone can see (and hear) Jeff is all of his journalistic splendor.   Oh, and we also hope that somebody on the panel asks JimJeff about that military service that he, the Conservative Guy, bragged about.  As you will recall, he said:  I enlisted in the military more as a challenge to myself than anything, but got so much more than I ever expected.  I learned the importance of self-discipline and self-reliance. And he also learned some special skills that he touted at his USMCPT site, and which he, in his Bulldog persona, sold for $200 an hour.   But, as AnntiChrist Coulter reminds us, it turns out that there are no records of Jeff's service.  U.P.I even had an article about it: James Guckert, the scandalized former conservative blogger known as Jeff Gannon, has no military records despite online claims, DailyKos.com reported. [...] The Web log DailyKos.com reported Thursday, the U.S. Marine Corps has no record of his service, nor does the U.S. military central records division. Inquiries into the Military Personnel Records at the National Personnel Records Center at St. Louis and to the Marines at Quantico, Va., came up empty, the blog said. And here's the link to the Daily Kos Diary entry about the records search. So, yes, I think it's great that JimJeff will be on this panel.  After all, the president of the Press Club said about Gannon's inclusion in the panel, "I think it is better to have people ask any question they can ask."  So, I just hope that somebody can ask JimJeff about his time in the Marine Corps.  Or maybe Gannon will release his whole military file!  Because JimJeff, whose February 25 blog entry said of John Kerry that he "has yet to put a pen to a Form 180 that would release the rest of his military records," surely wouldn't want to be seen as a hypocrite now that the National Press Club has recognized him as a legitimate journalist. 4:00:51 AM