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Corporate Radio Raising Thousands for "Capture" of Window Breaker
by pjd
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 at 12:47 PM
A close source has revealed that a Pittsburgh area radio show has obtained "thousands" of dollars for offering to the person providing information.
A Merton Center supporter and activist has obtained startling information from a close source, a co-worker, that a corporate radio station, presumubly via a right-wing talk show, has collected contributions amounting to "thousands" of dollars for use as a reward for the person providing information leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for the breakage of a window at a Marine Corp's recruiting station in Oakland this last Sunday.
The source would not reveal the station call sign or specific program where this appeal for "reward" money was taking place. The source said, half-jokingly: "Maybe the Merton Center should turn the person in and make some money ".
Additionally, the source implied that the "broken window incident" is a major topic of conversation among the right-wing of the Pittsburgh area. Few other aspects of the successful past weekend actions are being discussed in these circles. Suprisingly, further inquiry indicated the source had never heard the expression "no blood for oil". S/He expressed the belief that oil had nothing to do with this war. Rather "this has to do with enforcing existing UN sanctions and building a democratic middle east with the already relatively secular Iraq as a building point for this project" S/He said..
Nonetheless, the source also expresses a belief that Saddam Hussein may have been involved in the Sept. 11 WTC and Pentagon attacks.
Assistance is requested from any IMC reader who knows which radio station and program this "reward" appeal is taking place, so this story can be completed.
Radio Station offering reward
by Anthony
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 at 6:53 PM
anotaro@libcom.com
The Pittsburgh radio personality that is trying to raise money for information leading to the 'capture' of the person responsible for breaking the window at the Marine Recruting Station in Oakland is Jim Quinn who is on WRRK, Channel 97 every weekday morning. This can be heard in his archived show from Tuesday morning at the following place...the mention I found comes about 1 hour and 9 minutes into the broadcast.
Tueshttp://archives.warroom.com/getfile.php?showdate=20030128&format=ram&server=lightband
I am currently listening to the archived Monday show and I will report back as to the time in that show that he mentions the reward money.
Here is the link to the Monday show
Here is the link to the Tuesday show
More Quinn Info
by Anthony
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 at 7:04 PM
anotaro@libcom.com
On Monday's show, Jim Quinn mentions the incident at the Marine Recruiting Station at about 39 minutes in to the show. He repeatedly taunts the protesters and the anarchists as 'little punks'.
He also confusedly claims that the protesters in Pittsburgh have been duped into following ANSWER and the Worker's World Party when in fact the protests in Pittsburgh were organized by the POG and the Thomas Merton Center.
Jim Quinn seems to rely heavily on this assumption.
Jim Quinn offered $500 of his own money and called for others to donate more. Callers began calling in and offering up more money. Some claimed to be former Marines.
Quinn Quote: "Everyone's got their price...maybe one of his buddies will turn him in."
Here is the link to the Monday show
More Quinn Info
by Anthony
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 at 7:29 PM
anotaro@libcom.com
I am currently downloading and will edit MP3s of the Quinn broadcast so that sections relevant to this post may be easily accessed.
Let me say for the record that I do not personally agree with the tactics of the person or people that broke that window. I believe that it reflects poorly on the rest of the people involved in the protests. I feel that it is unnecessary and immature vandalism that is of the same destructive mentality that is leading this nation and the world on the path to war.
That said, I would add that I find the overwhelming emphasis in the Pittsburgh conservative community on this isolated incident to be completely overstated and an obvious ploy to direct attention away from what was otherwise a legal and peaceful gathering of Americans exercising their basic constitutional rights to assembly and speech.
But it is the modus operandi of conservative pundits to whip their listeners into a frenzy over small acts of civil disobedience by decrying the 'communist anarchists' who have regrouped to take over America. Quinn in particular blames the Marxist professors in University's who wish to revive the ideals of the Soviet Union which he claims they regard as a failed experiment which should be attempted again and again until perfected. This is familiar rhetoric and remarkably lacking historical and factual nuances.
I will post the abridged MP3s before turning in for the night.
Radio clips
by Anthony
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 at 8:08 PM
audio link: 
MP3 at 598.9 kibibytes
MP3 at 598.9 kibibytes
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Here are the MP3 clips from the Quinn show.
Radio clips
by Anthony
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 at 8:09 PM
anotaro@libcom.com
audio link: MP3 at 89.0 kibibytes
MP3 at 89.0 kibibytes
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Here's another:
Radio clips
by Anthony
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 at 8:10 PM
anotaro@libcom.com
audio link: MP3 at 169.2 kibibytes
MP3 at 169.2 kibibytes
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One more from Tuesday morning...the previous two were from Monday....
Awesome
by Nathan
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 at 8:27 PM
nds6@pitt.edu
Thanks Anthony ... I was in the process of doing this when I saw your article ... thanks for doing it. It's amazing how this fellow can call protestors brainless in the same breath he spouts a bunch of bigoted stereotypes and obvious lies ... interesting. Hey, whatever gets the ratings, right?
Oh, The irony
by Quinten
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 at 8:38 PM
quinten@andrew.cmu.edu
The irony of this mis-informed demagogue, rallying the conservative masses for a mis-guided cause, saying that the protestors are idiots. Milking money from these poor veterans and working class folks who can probably put it to much better use than defending a window. Too much.
Thanks for posting these audio clips, Anthony. I also strongly disagreed with the property damage caused by the one protestor, but this man is just using it as an excuse to put forth his disgusting brand of politics that replaces critical thought with blind obedience and disinformation. To say that a pole shoved through the window of a government propaganda and exploitation center is equivalent to an attack on the folks who, misguided or not, are willing to risk their lives for what they believe is ours, is over the top.
Quinn Confronted
by Anthony
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 at 3:09 AM
anotaro@libcom.com
This morning I called Quinn on his radio show and confronted him about the disinformation he is spreading about the peace protests this weekend. I got in a few questions but then he muted me and just kept talking as if I had no response to the statements he was making. Check out the MP3 later today after it is posted on their site....
rocknroll dude!
by andy
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 at 5:18 AM
arm58@pitt.edu
that guy's totally out of line, always has been . . . way to go, confronting him like that, even if he shut you off. can't wait to hear the mp3 :]
Amazing and Disgusting...
by pjd
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 at 9:18 AM
Thanks, Anthony.
I've heard of Quinn, but this was the first time I actually lestened to him. I didn't know the continuous reporting of so many untruths was possible! The idea that many, perhaps a majority of SW Pennsylvanians get their political education from this fanatic is at once astounding, disgusting, and frightening.
Quinn this Morning Clip
by Anthony
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 at 12:44 PM
anotaro@libcom.com
audio link: MP3 at 592.6 kibibytes
MP3 at 592.6 kibibytes
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So here is the clip from this morning when I called up the Quinn show to confront him about some of the misinformation he was spreading regarding the convergence this weekend. As I suspected he cut me off and continued his diatribe for over a minute without giving me the opportunity to respond. It would be so nice to get this guy into a fair debate because he doesn't have much to stand on factually.
I will say this, I do believe that this guy has convictions and strongly believes all of the things that he is saying. He is just one of the most closed-minded people with whom I have ever had the dubious pleasure of being in a one-sided debate. He has every right to say the things that he says. That is the nature of freedom of speech of course. The real shame is that his brand of brow-beating irrationalism has become the standard of mainstream political discussion in the mainstream media today. There are so few other voices being heard.
Quin Sucks
by right wing radio makes me puke
Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003 at 6:08 AM
One of my favorite Quin quotes is that the
animals in Alaska want the pipeline to
keep them warm..! can you believe that?
He also is a total racist, reffering to people as
towel heads and is totally sexist.
some anarchists i know listen to him regularly
and call often.
We should...
by Junkyard
Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003 at 7:46 AM
We should forward him the communique from the black bloc... anyone know this guy's email address at work, or someone general address of the station?
Contacting Quinn
by Anthony
Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003 at 10:33 AM
Email: quinn@warroom.com
Phone Number: 412-333-WRRK (9775)
a better sugestion
by Jeff
Friday, Jan. 31, 2003 at 6:09 AM
Instead of flooding his email box with a bunch of email that he won't pay attention to anyway, I sugest people email the station and voice your concerns about his show. I would also tell them in the email that you won't suport any sponsors on thier station. Then I would listen to thier station, make a note of who thier sponsors are and email or snail mail them and tell them you won't buy thier products and services untill they drop sponsorship of his show to put presure on the station to stop airing his show.
that's a good idea
by andy
Friday, Jan. 31, 2003 at 7:57 AM
but also, i think most of his sponsors are sports bars and harley davidson dealers, so i dunno if a great deal of their business is done with radicals and progressives anyway . . . but getting in touch with the station isn't a bad idea.
and, as i believe someone said above, most of the people who listen to quinn are already reactionary crazies, so i wouldn't worry TOO much about his effect on the people of Pittsburgh. but at the same time there is some semblance of infotainment at work in his show too (he plays neato songs before every story he reads off, ie, "quit your bitchin and get back in the kitchen," or whatever that donny iris song is, before stories about women/women's rights), and that's dangerous. ugh.
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