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As a recent disciple of search engine optimization, I had briefly considered livening up the cover of this book with the claim, “Forward by Osama Bin Laden and Barack Obama!” Osama couldn’t dispute it, he’s fish food, and 40% of Americans don’t believe anything that Kenyan, Muslim, Socialist in the White House says. Think what it would have done for my Twitter clout.

The material you are about to thoroughly enjoy was presented on Radio Free Oz between September 2010 and July 2011, a perilous period in our history that encapsulates the confused rebellion of angry white people, the further polarization of a Congress made up of Just Say “No” Dolls on the right and faint hearted egg heads on the left and the grinding to a halt of an economy already wounded by Wall Street shysters, bought and sold politicians and other odious boosters of American Exceptionalism.

What a target rich environment for a political junkie with a sense of humor, a huge attitude and a Web based radio show. I don’t know what I would have done without “Evita” Palin, Karl “The Flymaster” Rove, John “The Tan Woodman” Boehner, Mitch “The Treacherous Turtle” McConnell, Joe “Big Fucking Deal” Biden and, of course, the “Great Not Me” in the Oval Office.

Radio Free Oz is a team effort, and I wish to thank David Ossman, my co-host and brother of four plus decades, whose poetry adorns this book; Dave Malony our extraordinary engineer, whose Blue Ewe Studios in the heart of Whidbey Island’s elven forests has been home to Oz; Phil Fountain our multi-talented artist and illustrator, whose keen eye and ready wit are always at our disposal, Scott Wild our Web designer and social network guru, Tom Gedwillo our trusty Webmaster and Chas Glass our forensic accountant and songsmith.

So, plug in, and flash back to those whacky, troubled times when we woke up from the American Dream and found ourselves on the slippery slopes of Mt. Doom.