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The Political Cesspool

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The Political Cesspool
The Political Cesspool's logo
Other names"The South's Foremost Conservative Populist Radio Program"
GenreTalk Show
Running time3 hours
Country of originUnited States United States
Language(s)English
Home stationWLRM
SyndicatesLiberty News Radio Network [1][2], Stormfront[3] and Accent Radio Network [4]
StarringJames Edwards, Bill Rolen, Winston Smith, Eddie "The Bombardier" Miller[5]
Created byJames Edwards, Austin Farley [5]
Produced byArt Frith
Recording studioMillington, Tennessee
Original releaseOctober 26, 2004 –
present
No. of episodesOne per week (formerly nightly)
Sponsored byListener-supported
Websitethepoliticalcesspool.org
PodcastPodbean

The Political Cesspool is a white nationalist, white supremacist, conspiracy theorist, and extreme right-wing radio show broadcast from Millington, Tennessee at radio station WLRM.[6] It is hosted by James Edwards.[7] Co-hosts include Bill Rolen, Winston Smith,[8] Eddie "The Bombardier" Miller, along with production engineer Art Frith and booking agent Gaurav Ahuja. Other contributors to the show include Keith Alexander, Peter "Scoop" Stanton, along with Jess Bonds and Goeff Melton, both of whom have left the show. Former co-founder of the show Austin Farley left the show in 2006 as well.[5]

According to its statement of principles, "The Political Cesspool Radio Program stands for the The Dispossessed Majority. We represent a philosophy that is pro-White and are against political centralization."[9]

Foundation and history

In 2000, James Edwards volunteered for Pat Buchanan's presidential campaign. He later said that this experience inspired him to become politically active, and he wrote an essay called "Why I Love Pat Buchanan" in which he stated that he "loves" Buchanan because "he tells it like it is".[10] Edwards ran for the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2002 and lost. He met fellow right-wing political activist Austin Farley during that campaign.[2]

They established Political Cesspool on October 26, 2004, intending to create a paleoconservative alternative to Republican Party radio hosts such as Sean Hannity. They then took in friends Bill Rolen and Jess Bonds as guest hosts and radio technician Art Frith. The group moved to AM 1380 WLRM in March 2005. Austin Farley left the program in 2006 and was replaced by Winston Smith. Eddie "The Bombardier" Miller joined the group in mid-2006. Geoff Melton was brought in to set up their website in early 2007. As of August 2009, Jess Bonds and Geoff Melton are no longer affiliated with the program.[5]

James Edwards is active in the Council of Conservative Citizens (COfCC), and the show has hosted several leaders from the CofCC and publications affiliated with it as guests.[11] He has also described Jared Taylor of American Renaissance as his "good friend". The Nation has written that Edwards "has leveraged sponsorship from neo-Nazi and Holocaust denial groups to become America's most popular white supremacist radio host." [5][12][13]

Edwards is a former contributor to the American Free Press, and is also licensed as a private pilot.[14]

Guests

File:Jared Taylor.jpg
Journalist Jared Taylor is friends with Edwards and is a frequent guest.

The Political Cesspool has featured appearances from many guests over the years, including:

Author Jerome Corsi caused controversy after scheduling an appearance on the show in August 2009 to promote his New York Times #1 bestselling book, The Obama Nation. Corsi later cancelled this planned appearance. Corsi stated that the cancellation was the result of "travel plans that changed". James Edwards, on the other hand, said that he believed the incident "just goes to show what incredible pressure everyone in public life is under to never have anything to do with anyone who speaks up for the interests of white people." Corsi had already been featured as a guest on the show once before, in July 2009.[16][17][13]

Constitution Party nominee Michael Peroutka appeared on the show to promote his presidential campaign in 2004. A party member described the show as "Christian/Constitutionalist", and "a great blessing to our cause".[18] Thomas Naylor of the Vermont secessionist organization Second Vermont Republic, appeared on the show to celebrate Confederate History Month in April 2007.[19]

On May 8, 2006, Minuteman Project leader Jim Gilchrist was featured as a guest on the show. Cohost Bill Rolen agreed with Gilchrist's view that illegal immigrants' intentions are to "just squat here and plunder whatever social benefits our programs provide them." However, Rolen's neo-Confederate views led him to disagree with Gilchrist's view that illegal immigration was "the 21st century slave trade".[20]

Paleoconservative activist and former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan has appeared on the show twice as of May 2009. In June 2008 he appeared on the show to promote his book Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War, an appearance which was initiated and arranged by Buchanan's publicist. During this interview, Buchanan also stated that he plans to write a book detailing the possibility of future race wars. At the end of this interview, James Edwards said, "Mr. Buchanan, thank you so much for coming back on our program, for fighting for our people." Previously, in September 2006, Buchanan had appeared on the show to promote State of Emergency; in this interview, Buchanan claimed that "we are being invaded by people of different cultures" and that Americans “cannot survive a bifurcated culture or a heavily Hispanicized culture, tilted towards Mexico…I think that's the beginning of the end of the United States.” [21][10][22]

Despite describing itself as "America First" [23], the show has also hosted guests from outside the United States, including Croatian white nationalist Tomislav Sunic, Australian white nationalist Drew Fraser, Russian-Austrian economist Yuri Maltsev, British lawyer Adrian Davies, Canadian conservative blogger Kathy Shaidle, and British National Party leaders Simon Darby and Nick Griffin; Griffin appeared on the show both before and after his election as a Member of the European Parliament.[11]

Statement of principles

It describes its philosophy as "pro-White and against political centralization", and its statement of principles is as follows:

1. The United States government should be independent of any international organization of governments and American law should not be imposed by organizations such as the United Nations.
2. America would not be as prosperous, ruggedly individualistic, and a land of opportunity if the founding stock were not Europeans.
3. Since family is the foundation of any strong society, we are against feminism, abortion, and primitivism.
4. Private property rights are inviolable. They come from our God-given right to life.
5. We wish to revive the White birthrate above replacement level fertility and beyond to grow the percentage of Whites in the world relative to other races.
6. Issues such as education, environmental law, and police should be decentralized down to the lowest level to insure natural rights and efficiency.
7. Secession is a right of all people and individuals. It was successful in 1776 and this show honors those who tried to make it successful in 1865. (Note: The Confederate States of America actually seceded from the Union in 1860.)
8. We are cultural conservatives because we have certain morals to which we adhere. We are against homosexuality, vulgarity, loveless sex, and masochism.
9. We wish for American government to stop interfering politically, militarily, and socially outside of the borders of the United States of America. We want non-interventionism.[9]

Host James Edwards has also described the show as "politically incorrect".[6] Winston Smith has said, looking back, "[t]he emphasis is different now. We don't talk as much about what blacks have done to us; we're more focused on ourselves and our own culture."[8]

Views on race

Edwards has stated that he believes "most Jews ... regard[] Jews and whites as two different races. Of course, when I do it, I'm called all sorts of rude names" and that President Obama chooses to identify as black "because it makes him, of course, invincible to scrutiny with -- from the media."

In response to a caller who said people asked him if he was prejudiced, Edwards said: "Well, if they say it, if they say, "Are we prejudiced?" Well, you answered them exactly the way they should be answered: "Of course I am, and here's why." If they ask, "Are you a racist or a neo-Nazi?" Well, first, ask them for a definition of that, and if they can't give you one, say, "Well, if you're using the ADL's (the Anti-Defamation League's) version of a neo-Nazi, meaning that I'm a white man proud of my heritage, then you're damn right I am. If that's what a neo-Nazi is, then that's what I am, and I'm proud to be, and you should be too, if you had any courage." Edwards has also referred to the ADL as "America's most powerful hate group". [24]

Co-host Winston Smith has stated that "there are legions of black people, there are legions of mestizos out there who are more than happy to exclude white people from the mass of humanity" and has accused President Obama of "associat(ing) with radical, violent groups whose purpose in existence is to kill white people." [25]

Association with Stormfront

The Political Cesspool is syndicated live by Stormfront Radio.

According to senior moderator Jamie Kelso, Edwards joined Stormfront in 2004 under the screen name "ElectEdwards". As ElectEdwards, Edwards said that he was a "proud member" of Stormfront and that "[w]hile I rarely have had the time to post on Stormfront, there is never a day that passes that I don't visit this site." ElectEdwards credited Don Black with giving him "support". [25]

Controversy and criticism

The Political Cesspool was added to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)'s hate group watch list in 2006. James Edwards was "ecstatic", saying "I don't think you've arrived in the conservative movement until you've made it to the Southern Poverty Law Center's Hate Watch". Edwards describes the SPLC as a group composed of "communists and civil rights hustlers".[6] As the SPLC has noted, Edwards has denounced Jews, claiming that they "hate Christianity" and "are using pornography as a subversive tool against us". Edwards has also argued that mainstream Christianity has been infiltrated by "Zionist influence and perverse leftist ideology" since the 1950s.[26] The SPLC's Hatewatch has referred to The Political Cesspool as "an overtly racist, anti-Semitic radio show hosted by [a] self-avowed white nationalist." [12]

Award-winning investigative journalist Max Blumenthal, who reported on an attempt by a Political Cesspool staffer to advertise at a Sarah Palin rally, has described the show as having a "racist ideology", and highlighted anti-Semitic, racist, and homophobic comments that Edwards had made on his blog. James Edwards had written "Jews are the ones who are always speaking in code; when they use words like ‘racists’, ‘bigots’, ‘anti-semites’, they simply mean white people", "Hollywood promotes white genocide"[13], “For blacks in the Americas, slavery is the greatest thing that ever happened to them. Unfortunately, it’s the worst thing that ever happened to white Americans" (a claim that was also reported on by The Times)[27], and “If the WNBA Women's National Basketball Association is so hell bent on diversity, why don’t they hire a couple of heterosexual players or coaches?” [28]

The Stephen Roth Institute has also commented on the show, noting that "[James] Edwards openly espoused many of his guests’ views and during speeches to extremist audiences, including members of the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens and the racist League of the South, he gained the support of a wide array of extremists." [29] It has also commented on the show's interview with Filip Dewinter, a member of the Belgian Parliament who is a leader in that country's extremist Vlaams Belang movement.[30]

Edwards also referred to journalist Timothy Noah as "Jew Timothy Noah" on his blog, and stated that he was "pretty sure" that Michelle Obama "hate(s) whitey...just like her husband, just like about 90% of blacks". [31] [3]

Activism

In 2005, the Cesspool staff organized a rally at Confederate Park in downtown Memphis. The park had earlier come under criticism by a black county official, which attracted the notice of Al Sharpton. Sharpton planned a march from downtown Memphis to Nathan Bedford Forrest Park, but he canceled the march after Edwards and the Political Cesspool staff obtained a permit to demonstrate in Confederate Park, which is located along Sharpton's planned march route. Sharpton settled for a protest at Forrest Park, which attracted a few dozen, mostly black demonstrators, whom Edwards referred to as "rabble". Edwards attracted about 200 white counter-demonstrators to the Confederate Park vigil.[2]

In 2007, James Edwards was part of a four-member panel that appeared on an episode of CNN's now-discontinued Paula Zahn Now show, along with Roland S. Martin and Jesse Lee Peterson. The purpose of the panel was to discuss self-segregation in American cities. Edwards stated that "Whites are in for the fight of their lives",[2] and that white children should seek out those who share "the same values and traditions and heroes", and that "forced integration" was a "march toward totalitarianism". He criticized the American civil rights movement as "failed" and "cultural Marxism", and suggested that white liberals should "spend a week on the mean streets of South Memphis". Roland S. Martin denounced Edwards's remarks as "offensive" and unfit for national television.[32]

Awards

In 2005, Memphis city councilman E. C. Jones awarded Edwards and Austin Farley (a then-co-host of the show who later left the staff in 2006 to run for the Tennessee House of Representatives, an election he ended up losing) with a certificate "in appreciation of outstanding contributions to the community". Jones also awarded Edwards and Farley with an honorary city council membership. Prior to this, Jones had been a featured guest on the show.[2]

In the aftermath of the city park controversy, Cesspool affiliates James Edwards, Austin Farley, Jess Bonds, and Bill Rolen received the 'Dixie Defender Award' from the Sons of Confederate Veterans.[5]

Radio stations that air the show

Note: The Accent Radio Network-affiliated stations KHQN, KOHI and KNAK-AM currently air a shortened version of the show (two hours), in contrast to the three-hour Liberty News Radio Network (WLRM) version. Galaxy 19 airs the full programming lineups of both ARN and Liberty News Radio Network on separate channels, and as such it airs both the full-length version and shortened version of the show.

micro1650am is a 100 milliwatt FCC Part 15 station, and as such it has no call letters.

References

  1. ^ "Liberty News Radio: Hosts". Liberty News Radio. Retrieved May 1, 2009. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f Holthouse, David (Fall 2007). "Memphis Sewage". Southern Poverty Law Center: Intelligence Report. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Does MSNBC approve of Pat Buchanan's appearances on a "pro-White" radio show?". Retrieved October 27, 2009.
  4. ^ "Accent Radio Network". Retrieved October 1, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "The Political Cesspool: About". The Political Cesspool. Retrieved May 1, 2009. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b c "Mid-South radio show added to hate group watch list". Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  7. ^ "Pat Buchanan Appears On Political Cesspool, a White Supremacist Radio Show". Anti-Defamation League. June 30, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  8. ^ a b Conant, Eve (April 25, 2009). "Rebranding Hate In The Age Of Obama". Newsweek. Retrieved May 1, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b ""Statement of Principles"". Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  10. ^ a b "Patrick Buchanan: Unrepentant Bigot". Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c "The Political Cesspool: Guest List". Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  12. ^ a b "Why the Buchanan double standard?". Retrieved August 20, 2009.
  13. ^ a b c "Obama Nation Author Jerome Corsi's Racist History Exposed". Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  14. ^ "James Edwards". Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  15. ^ "Holocaust Denial: A Global Survey" (PDF). Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  16. ^ "Despite "all my apologies" for bigoted comments, Corsi reportedly scheduled to appear on "pro-White" radio show". Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  17. ^ "Jerome Corsi Appears on White Supremacist Radio". Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  18. ^ "The Political Cesspool w/James Edwards and Austin Farley". Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  19. ^ "North Meets South: Vermont Secessionists Meet with Racist League of the South". Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  20. ^ "White Hot". Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  21. ^ "Pat Buchanan Promotes New Book On Racist Radio Show". Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  22. ^ "Extremism hiding under a veneer of respectability". Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  23. ^ ""The Political Cesspool Donations Page"". Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  24. ^ "The extreme-right way to make a buck". Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  25. ^ a b "Corsi's previous appearance on "pro-White" radio show was streamed live on "White Nationalist" Stormfront.org". Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  26. ^ "In His Own Words". Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  27. ^ "Shock jocks: Tuning in to Radio GaGa". Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  28. ^ "Obama, the Neo-Nazis, and the Republican Base". Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  29. ^ "Anti-Semitism in the United States". Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  30. ^ "Anti-Semitism in Belgium". Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  31. ^ "Mary Matalin, Publisher". Retrieved September 26, 2009.
  32. ^ "Into the Mainstream". Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  33. ^ ""KHQN Program Schedule"". Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  34. ^ ""KNAC Program Schedule". Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  35. ^ ""Accent Radio Network program schedule"". Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  36. ^ "micro1650am Schedule". Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  37. ^ "Here's our KOHI program schedule". Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  38. ^ "Satellite Galaxy 19 Located at 97 Degrees West". Retrieved October 1, 2009.
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