Sunday Morning Comin’ Down

Signal to Noise.

Genuine, investigative issue and political reporting conducted in the public interest is expensive.

And since networks are cheap and really don’t give a shit about the public interest, instead of genuine, investigative issue and political reporting, we get pundits.

When pundits are put in a room with politicians, their “style” consists (as Atriot Neponset put it so eloquently) “…of dropping out of a tree onto someone with a ten year old quote…”.

When pundits are put in a room with each other? Well when the only tool you have is a pundit, every issue looks like this…

(This is a shameless and unfair commingling of direct [if viciously fragged] quotes from Punkin Haid Russert ("Meet the Press") from both this week and last, interspersed with citations from this article on “Numbers Stations”)

Short wave radio enthusiasts worldwide have heard of the strange and elusive Numbers Channels.

Punkin Haid: Here’s the latest poll from Iowa, The Washington Post. Democratic side first: Obama, 30; Clinton, 26; Edwards, 22; Richardson, 11.

It is a name that refers to any one of several of unusual broadcasts that usually start at a very specific time, though often from different locations.

Punkin Haid: Who’s your second choice? Obama, again on top 26; Edwards, 24; Clinton, 19; Richardson, 13.

The broadcasts contain some odd elements like excerpts of music, a regular attention message, and a string of phonetic letters or numbers—for which they are named. For the most part, the signals make no sense—

Punkin Haid: Division between men and women: Men, Obama, 28; Clinton, 19; Edwards, 25. Women, Obama, 32; Clinton, 31; Edwards, 19.

-- at least not to most people—the messages are fairly random, and there is not enough information in the broadcast itself to allow one to decipher it.

Punkin Haid: And what about Democrats and independents? Amongst Democrats, Obama, 28; Clinton, 28; Edwards, 22. Independents, Obama, 35; Clinton, 18; Edwards, 24.

Such transmissions are fairly common. They are most often reported in Europe, but can be found anywhere…

Punkin Haid: Let me show you some of those issues and follow up with what Bob said. Most experience to be president? Iowans say Clinton, 38; Edwards, 16; Richardson, 16; Obama just 11.

Each adheres to a strict schedule, and often begin at either the hour or half-after. Most of the time the voice reading these letters is female, though sometimes male or a child’s.

Punkin Haid: But most honest and trustworthy, Obama, 31; Edwards, 20; Clinton, 15; Richardson, 13.

Despite being without any obvious function,

Punkin Haid: And then this question, is willing to say what he or she really thinks: Obama is willing, 76; is not, 20. Edwards is willing, 73; not, 21. Hillary Clinton 50 to 45.

they seem pretty harmless.

Punkin Haid: This question, the next one, best chance of electing—being elected president, however, Hillary Clinton, 39 percent; Obama, 25; Edwards, 22; Richardson, 2. And then this last one that Bob referred to, do you want—which is more important? Strength and experience, 33; a new direction and new ideas, 55 percent of the Democrats in Iowa.

So why does no licensed radio station admit to sending them, no government will admit to sanctioning them, and no one will confess to being responsible for them?

Punkin Haid: So, at this stage of the campaign, 70 percent plus have opted not to embrace any of the candidates,

According to The Conet Project, a group which has taken to sampling and distributing recordings of these stations, this type of transmission has been observed since World War I, making them one of the first and oldest of all radio broadcasts.

Punkin Haid: Eighty percent of the Democratic caucus-goers said they’ve been contacted by a candidate.

With no evident source or purpose for these signals, imaginations have taken reign, and a wide number of ideas have spawned ranging from plausible to tittering-alone-in-the-woods-wacky.

Punkin Haid: A third said they’ve met a candidate personally.

Among the most popular and most viable theories is that the Numbers Stations are a covert means by which government spy agencies use to maintain contact with their operatives.

Punkin Haid: Sixty percent said—can you imagine?

That would explain the need for the official obfuscation of their source, and why the messages are so cryptic;

Punkin Haid: Let’s go to the Republicans. Here’s the latest poll, again from Iowa, Washington Post: Romney, 28; Huckabee, 24; Fred Thompson, 15; Rudy Giuliani, 13.

an extremely high level of coding would be required for spies.

Punkin Haid: Will you definitely support your first candidate choice? Look at this, Romney supporters, 29 percent say yes; Huckabee, 48 percent. That’s strong evangelical Christian support primarily.

Perhaps the transmitters must occasionally move as the field agents relocate in the course of their duties.

Punkin Haid: Then this, the best experience to be president. They say Romney, 31; Giuliani, 21; McCain, 13; Huckabee, 12; Thompson, 9.

Another theory is that these are the messages of drug smugglers.

Punkin Haid: And this: most honest and trustworthy, Huckabee, 26; Romney, 25; Thompson, 13; McCain, 8; Giuliani, just 4.

They too have reason to prevent unwanted listeners from hearing what they have to say, and there is no reason to think that these operations are less organized than a government job.

Punkin Haid: Which is most important in a presidential candidate? Strength and experience, 70; new direction and ideas, 22. Remember the Republican—the Democratic numbers?

Some propose that the garbled information is purely disinformation…

Punkin Haid: One last poll number...

…and if that is the case it is working brilliantly.

Punkin Haid: New information this morning. The Des Moines Register, everybody, has their new poll out. First the Democrats. Look at these numbers: Barack Obama now at 28; in October he was at 22. Hillary Clinton, 25; in October she was at 29.

Perhaps it's just an ongoing joke perpetuated by a small group (with) malformed senses of humor.

Punkin Haid: John Edwards has stayed the same, 23. Barack Obama, the new front-runner in Iowa, according to The Des Moines Register.

There are also tales of these being messages from those lost in the Bermuda Triangle,

Punkin Haid: Amongst women, look at this, 10 point increase from October amongst women.

or MiB telling each other who to harass,

Punkin Haid: Hillary Clinton dropped eight points. David Gregory, what do you make of it?

David Gregory: …You have undecided Iowans, as, as you were saying a minute ago, of 49 percent. …

Punkin Haid: Most interesting.

In fact, only the theory about communication with spies has ever garnered any official support,

Punkin Haid: Let me show you New Hampshire. After Iowa comes New Hampshire on January 8th, and here’s the latest numbers from New Hampshire. Barack Obama in the Fox News Opinion Poll is at 23; Hillary Clinton is at 30; John Edwards, 17; Bill Richardson, 17.

The case included having found one of the spies' laptop computers, and the decryption program thereon.

Punkin Haid: In the Suffolk University, it’s Clinton, 34; Obama, 22; Edwards, 15; Richardson, 9. Hillary Clinton hopes to make that her firewall…

With that program they were able to understand

Punkin Haid: On to South Carolina, and look at these numbers: Clinton, 19; Obama, 17; Edwards, 12; Richardson, 1; undecided, 49. Clinton is down seven from August. Some of the other candidates are up a bit.

the otherwise befuddling messages.

Punkin Haid: But the undecideds have gone up from 35 to 49.

Further—if empirical—evidence of this theory is that since the end of the cold war the occurrences of Numbers Stations have greatly reduced.

Punkin Haid: And look at African-Americans. They will count for half of the turnout at—in the primary in South Carolina. Obama is now in the lead at 25; Clinton, 21; Edwards, 3; don’t know, 50 percent.

When a Numbers Station is found there are some diligent souls who take it upon themselves to break out their radio gear

Punkin Haid: Mike Huckabee is now the front-runner in Iowa at 29, up from 12 in October. Mitt Romney’s at 24, down from 29 in October.

and attempt to track the broadcast to its origin,

Punkin Haid: Rudy Giuliani at 13. Fred Thompson at 9, down from 18. I wanted to underscore that Mike Huckabee has spent $300,000 in Iowa. Mitt Romney spent seven million...

but few are ever found.

Punkin Haid: After Iowa comes New Hampshire. And let me pick up on what Michele was saying about John McCain. This is the state McCain is trying to make his claim. And look at this, it’s Romney, 29; Giuliani, 19; McCain, 21;

In the cases where a suspect site is located

Punkin Haid: Huckabee, 7; Ron Paul, 4; Thompson, 4 in one poll.

no one has been waiting there to claim responsibility.

Punkin Haid: The other, 34, Romney; 20, Giuliani; 13, McCain; Huckabee, 7; Ron Paul, 8; Thompson, 2. After that, we go on to South Carolina. Here’s the Republican now. Look at this. Thompson is at 15; Giuliani, 9; McCain, 11; Romney, 17; Huckabee, 13; Paul, 6; undecided, 28.

So the search continues.

Punkin Haid: This is wide open.

On the teevee, what passes for news, commentary, analysis and expertise are largely empty calories, or toxins which are slowly killing us.

Our airwaves. Our resources. Our nation. Our future. All being slowly frittered away into a blizzard of white noise designed to deafen us to the sound of what is going on off-camera -- our country being dismantled and sold to our new Feudal Lords at remaindered prices.

Which is why we are all called upon to fight back against the rising tide of the Stoopid and the Trivial however, wherever and whenever we can.

Oh, and sing of course (thanks anonymous benefactor)

We must also not forget to sing.