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The Political Cesspool

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The Political Cesspool Black silhouette of a man wearing a white-and-red striped hat, then a vertical bar, then "POLITICAL CESSPOOL"
Other names"The South's Foremost Conservative Populist Radio Program"[1]
GenreTalk Show
Running time3 hours
Country of originUnited States United States
Language(s)English
Home stationWLRM
SyndicatesLiberty News Radio Network,[2][3] Stormfront,[4] and Accent Radio Network[5]
StarringJames Edwards, Bill Rolen, Winston Smith, Eddie "The Bombardier" Miller[6]
Created byJames Edwards, Austin Farley [6]
Produced byArt Frith
Recording studioMillington, Tennessee, USA
Original releaseOctober 26, 2004 –
present
No. of episodesOne per week (formerly nightly)
Sponsored byListener-supported
Websitethepoliticalcesspool.org
PodcastPodbean

The Political Cesspool is a weekly radio show currently broadcast from Millington, Tennessee, USA at radio station WLRM on Saturday nights.[7] It was founded in 2004 (initially broadcasting twice a week from radio station WMQM) and currently features founder and main host James Edwards, co-hosts Bill Rolen, Winston Smith, and Eddie Miller, and producer Art Frith; former staffers include Jess Bonds and co-founder Austin Farley. Its guests have included Jerome Corsi, Jim Gilchrist, Michael Peroutka, Sonny Landham, Nick Griffin, Thomas Naylor, and Pat Buchanan.

The show is currently syndicated by Liberty News Radio Network, Accent Radio Network, and Stormfront Radio (a service of the white nationalist and supremacist website Stormfront.org[4]), and is carried by at least four licensed terrestrial radio stations in the United States, in addition to one unlicensed Part 15 station and the satellite Galaxy 19. 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."[8] Publications such as Blogcritics[9] and The Nation,[10] as well as organizations including the Stephen Roth Institute, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Anti-Defamation League believe that it promotes extreme right-wing white nationalist, white supremacist, and conspiracy theorist views.[11][3]

Foundation and history

James Edwards and Austin Farley established The Political Cesspool on October 26, 2004, as a paleoconservative alternative to GOP radio hosts such as Sean Hannity. It was initially broadcast on AM 1600 WMQM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Edwards and Farley then took in friends Bill Rolen and Jess Bonds as guest hosts, as well as radio technician Art Frith. Prior to joining the show's staff, Frith had worked for a number of other radio stations including AFRTS (in Keflavik, Iceland; Anchorage, Alaska; and Nea Makri, Greece), KFQD, KANC, and WBCK.[12] An official "kickoff" party for the show was held at a local barbecue restaurant, at which actor Sonny Landham was the keynote speaker.[6]

In 2005, the group moved to WMQM's sister station, AM 1380 WLRM, and switched to a nightly schedule, Monday through Friday. Austin Farley left the program in November 2005 to spend more time with his wife and four children; he was replaced by Winston Smith. Farley remains on good terms with Edwards and the show's other staff members, and in 2006 he ran unsuccessfully for the Tennessee House of Representatives in District 97.[3] In 2007, Goeff Melton joined to help set up the show's official website. In December of that year, the show entered syndication with Dixie Broadcasting Radio Network, but went on hiatus on February 15, 2008, because the staff said they "needed a break".[6]

In June 2008, the show returned to the airwaves on WLRM, but airing only on Saturday nights (its current schedule). As of August 2009, Jess Bonds and Goeff Melton are no longer affiliated with the program.[6] Art Frith now lives in Nashville, Michigan, but remains a part of the show's staff and continues to visit the WLRM studios on occasion.[12] Since WLRM is not audited by Arbitron, the show's ratings are unknown.[3]

Staff

The current staff of The Political Cesspool include primary host James Edwards, co-hosts Bill Rolen, Winston Smith, and Eddie Miller, and producer Art Frith. Most of the show's staff claim descent from Confederate soldiers. [6][12]

James Edwards

Main article: James Edwards (radio host)

James Edwards, a lifelong resident of Memphis, Tennessee, is the founder and primary host of The Political Cesspool. He is a lifelong resident of Memphis, Tennessee. In 2000, 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".[13] Edwards ran for the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2002 and lost. He met fellow right-wing political activist Austin Farley during that campaign; Farley later became a cohost of The Political Cesspool.[3]

James Edwards joined Stormfront in 2004 under the screen name "ElectEdwards", according to the website's senior moderator, Jamie Kelso. 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".[14]

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.[15] 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."[6][16][10]

Guests

A photographic portrait of an elderly Caucasian man, about 70, with gray hair and brown eyes. The man has a serious expression on his face and is wearing a suit and tie.
Author Pat Buchanan, whom James Edwards has cited as an influence, has appeared on the show to promote his books State of Emergency and Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War.
For a more complete listing, see List of Political Cesspool guests.

The Political Cesspool has featured appearances from many guests over the years, including political activists, economists, and musicians.

Author Jerome Corsi caused controversy after scheduling an appearance on the show in August 2008 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 2008; during that appearance, he discussed his financial newsletter and promoted his book.[17][18][19][10]

Constitution Party nominee Michael Peroutka appeared on the show to promote his presidential campaign in 2004. A party member, Michael Goza, described the show as "Christian/Constitutionalist", and "a great blessing to our cause".[20] Thomas Naylor of the Vermont secessionist organization Second Vermont Republic, appeared on the show to celebrate Confederate History Month in April 2007.[21]

On May 8, 2006, Minuteman Project leader Jim Gilchrist appeared as a guest on the show. Cohost Bill Rolen, who is a board member of the Council of Conservative Citizens,[12] 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".[22] Fellow Minuteman leader Chris Simcox has also appeared on the show.[23]

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."[24][13][25]

Although describing itself as "America First",[26] 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. During his post-election appearance, Griffin attributed the BNP's electoral successes to a fear of "creeping process of Islamification." He also stated his view that "We in the BNP have been very clear that we think Islam and our traditional Western values are incompatible ... Islam must leave the West, and the West must leave the traditional lands of Islam."[15][27]

Statement of principles

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

The Political Cesspool Radio Program stands for the The Dispossessed Majority. We represent a philosophy that is pro-White and are against political centralization. You can trust The Political Cesspool to give you the "other side of the news"—to report on events which are vital to your welfare but which would otherwise be hushed up or distorted by the controlled press.

We make no attempt to give you "both sides." We'll leave the establishment side to your daily newspaper, television and other radio shows. We will bring to you some of the most renowned thinkers, writers, pundits, activists, entertainers and elected officials each broadcast as our guests. Furthermore, we pledge that The Political Cesspool will correct any meaningful error or fact. Make up your own mind who is being honest with you: the establishment media or The Political Cesspool Radio Program.

  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.
  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.[8]

Host James Edwards has also described the show as "politically incorrect".[7] 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."[28]

Controversy and criticism

Because of the show's stated ideology, it has frequently come under criticism from anti-racist groups and individuals, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Stephen Roth Institute, and journalist Max Blumenthal. The Political Cesspool was added to the Southern Poverty Law Center'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".[7] 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." [16]

The Anti-Defamation League, like the Southern Poverty Law Center, has frequently criticized The Political Cesspool and its ideology.[24][6]

Investigative journalist Max Blumenthal, who reported on an attempt by one of the show's staffers to advertise at a Sarah Palin rally, has described The Political Cesspool as having a "racist ideology", and highlighted anti-Semitic, racist, and homophobic comments that Edwards had made on his blog. [29] [10]

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."[30] 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.[31]

City Park demonstration

In 2005, the staff of The Political Cesspool organized a rally at Confederate Park in downtown Memphis. The park had been criticized earlier 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.[3] In the aftermath of the city park controversy, show affiliates James Edwards, Austin Farley, Jess Bonds, and Bill Rolen received the 'Dixie Defender Award' from the Sons of Confederate Veterans.[6]

Later that year, Memphis city councilman E. C. Jones awarded Edwards and Austin Farley 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.[3]

Radio stations that air the show

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.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Official Website". The Political Cesspool. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  2. ^ "Liberty News Radio: Hosts". Liberty News Radio. Retrieved May 1, 2009. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Holthouse, David (Fall 2007). "Memphis Sewage". Southern Poverty Law Center: Intelligence Report. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Does MSNBC approve of Pat Buchanan's appearances on a "pro-White" radio show?". Media Matters for America. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
  5. ^ "Accent Radio Network". Accent Radio Network. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Political Cesspool: About". The Political Cesspool. Retrieved May 1, 2009. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b c "Mid-South radio show added to hate group watch list". WMC-TV. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  8. ^ a b ""Statement of Principles"". The Political Cesspool. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  9. ^ "GOP could be in 'bigotry' trouble with Witherspoon candidacy". The Palmetto Scoop. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  10. ^ a b c d "Obama Nation Author Jerome Corsi's Racist History Exposed". The Nation. Retrieved September 7, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Following a Four-Month Absence, White Supremacist James Edwards and the Political Cesspool Return to the Airwaves". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  12. ^ a b c d "The Crew". The Political Cesspool. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
  13. ^ a b "Patrick Buchanan: Unrepentant Bigot". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  14. ^ "Corsi's previous appearance on "pro-White" radio show was streamed live on "White Nationalist" Stormfront.org". Media Matters for America. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  15. ^ a b "The Political Cesspool: Guest List". The Political Cesspool. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  16. ^ a b "Why the Buchanan double standard?". Philadelphia Weekly. Retrieved August 20, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Rage Grows in America: Anti‑Government Conspiracies: The "Birther" Movement". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  18. ^ "Despite "all my apologies" for bigoted comments, Corsi reportedly scheduled to appear on "pro-White" radio show". Media Matters for America. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  19. ^ "Jerome Corsi Appears on White Supremacist Radio". Southern Poverty Law Center: Intelligence Report. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  20. ^ "The Political Cesspool w/James Edwards and Austin Farley". Constitution Party. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  21. ^ "North Meets South: Vermont Secessionists Meet with Racist League of the South". Global Policy Forum. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  22. ^ "White Hot". Southern Poverty Law Center: Intelligence Report. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  23. ^ Webster, Michael (June 23, 2009). "Minuteman imposter Shawna Ford charged in double murder". American Chronicle. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  24. ^ a b "Pat Buchanan Promotes New Book On Racist Radio Show". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  25. ^ "Extremism hiding under a veneer of respectability". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  26. ^ ""The Political Cesspool Donations Page"". The Political Cesspool. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  27. ^ "Racist British Party Wins Euro-Seats". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  28. ^ 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)
  29. ^ "Obama, the Neo-Nazis, and the Republican Base". Max Blumenthal. Retrieved April 28, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ "Anti-Semitism in the United States". Stephen Roth Institute. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  31. ^ "Anti-Semitism in Belgium". Stephen Roth Institute. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  32. ^ ""KHQN Program Schedule"". KHQN. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  33. ^ ""KNAC Program Schedule". KNAC. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  34. ^ ""Accent Radio Network program schedule"". Accent Radio Network. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  35. ^ "micro1650am Schedule". micro1650am. Retrieved August 10, 2009. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  36. ^ "Here's our KOHI program schedule". KOHI. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  37. ^ "Satellite Galaxy 19 Located at 97 Degrees West". Galaxy. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
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