Before Randi Rhodes does her daily show on Air America, she puts on her boxing gloves -- and then she doesn't stop throwing punches until the "on air" sign goes off.
Rhodes served in the military, so she already has more credibility than most of the people running the Bush Administration. But it's not her past that makes her so formidable: it's her comprehensive knowledge of what is going on in politics today combined with a take no prisoners attitude.
The BuzzFlash reader who nominated Randi, lauded her "for being out front every day in telling the truth about Iraq, Bush, the White House, etc. Caring enough to be informed every day and never letting up on getting the truth out. Also for working hard on getting people out to vote...even though there was a chance the midterm elections would be stolen, she was relentless on getting across how important it was to vote in huge numbers so that could not happen."
Randi is a larger than life radio presence. She's got an on-air personality that's a combination of guts, brilliance, irreverence, and butt-kicking.
There is an inner passion and concern for our nation that drives Randi Rhodes. For that, she merits this week's BuzzFlash "Wings of Justice Award."

About a month ago, someone leaked an ABC radio internal memo listing some 90 advertisers who did not want their commercials aired on any Air America Radio programming. It caused a minor ripple in the mainstream media, but the story spent most of its short life on internet websites and blogs.
ABC's response was, basically, "Yeah? So? It happens all the time" However, it refused to discuss other instances.
Anyway, several Dallas Air America Radio Groups members ( special thanks to Arlene and Albert ) began blasting away at the listed groups wanting to know what was up. A full listing can be found here.
However, here are some of the responses. I'll begin with a couple of our locals represented in the memo.
JC Penney said - "Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your comments about JCPenney's recent advertising. Very specifically, we attempt to avoid themes that would be considered offensive to JCPenney Customers. We sincerely regret that our ad has offended you. It was not our intent." I am not sure they read the memo or got the point.
Pier 1 had a very interesting response that was repeated by several other companies on the list.
"Pier 1 did not request to be included in the memo," the Fort Worth-based company wrote one AAR fan, "nor were we aware of or notified of its existence, as we have not advertised on any network radio programming, including ABC, since December 2005."
"Actually, in the past three years BMW Motorrad USA has not created or run any radio spots whatsoever." BMW Motorcycles wrote, "we would call into question whether the memo is itself genuine. At any rate, we should not be on that list."
Bayer says it has advertised on AAR this year, but adds - "While there may always be reasonable differences over what constitutes acceptable programming, we do try to exercise good judgement in selecting programs on which to advertise." Huh? So is that a yes or a no?
Sherwin Williams didn't try to paint over or gloss anything.
"Advertising on these programs is an implied endorsement.," the company wrote. "The Sherwin-Williams Company is in the paint business, not the political business. "In addition to Air America, we also refrain from advertising on programming like Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, Don Imus and others."
Johnson & Johnson took much the same stand, saying it spends little on radio ads . . . "And our policy is not to advertise on any political program. It is not that we are boycotting Air America or have a view on the opinions expressed. We simply do not do much radio advertising, and what little might be done is not used on programs with any political content."
"We direct the network not to run Michelin advertising in programming that positions itself against any religious or political group, because these programs are not the right environment for our message," writes Michelin. "From these instructions, the ABC Radio Network added our name to its unauthorized memo about advertisers who want to avoid 'Air America'.
"Michelin has no judgement about the views expressed on Air America.
However, like all similar radio programs positioned negatively against a political group, it is not the right environment for our advertising."
So, what is going on? ABC does not dispute the memo being authentic. You have to wonder who put it together.
"Red Lobster has made no decision to not advertise on Air America Radio," the seafood giant says. "In fact, our current marketing does not include any radio advertising."
So, is here really a list? Travelocity says there is, but it shouldn't have been on it.
"There was a simple misunderstanding," Travelocity wrote. "We did not intentionally pull our advertising from this program and Travelocity has been removed from that list."
We will keep monitoring the responses, and appreciate all that you share with us.

This weeks sponsor for our newsletter is Dr. Errington Thompson who is the host of the Asheville North Carolina’s Air America Radio station local program called Where’s the outrage ?
880 am Website He also has a wonderful blog by that title and a book entitled Letter to America. He is also a great friend of mine and supporter of our group! Errington C. Thompson, MD, is a surgeon, scholar, fulltime sports fan and part-time political activist. He is active in a number of community projects and initiatives. Through medicine, he strives to improve the physical health of all he treats. ( He may now live in NC but he was raised in Dallas !!!) ( you can listen live to Erringtons show ( 8 am – 9 am ) or podcast ) You can order his book- A letter to America: Is President Bush leading us in the right direction ?

While Air America Radio struggles for just basic survival. There still is hope here locally that it will return to the Metroplex airwaves. This hope is shown in the following excerpts from our petitions.
More than hope for one radio voice, these words echo a commitment that there is a solid group of people devoted to truth, fairness and hope.
With or without Air America Radio, there are people who will speak truth to the lies of Fox News and the drug offenders, panderers, convicted felons and bald-faced liars of talk radio shovel out to their zithead listensers.
We will stand up to the Bush Administration and say:
"You are wrong. You are liars. You have failed us."
We can do it without Air America Radio writing the script for us or telling us what to do.
Unlike the other side, we are pledged to think, reason, question and then act.
 

• I pledge to listen to Air America when it returns to a new local affiliate, plus to support the advertisers who advertise there. Sandy Ward
• Please bring AAR back, It is a shame that Midland neocons were able to censor what we here in DFW can listen to. We are losing our freedoms one at a time!!! George Womack
• I Love Air America please bring it back. Or maybe the first Dallas branch of the Nova M radio network? we just have to have at least one liberal radio station here in Dallas. Steven Ivy
• We need choices in our thinking. Not only the brainwashing of conservative voices. America is FREE. Forcing us to listen to only conservative opinions is taking away the freedom of the American People. Randi Holloway
• It seems as if all of the liberal or progressive talk has been stripped from the airwaves. If this was done by the conservatives to keep us from voting with knowledge of the truth it's too late for that. Air America needs to come back on the air, but it's not coming back will not keep the truth from us. Anonymous