Buffalo Beast Website Goes Down Following Walker, Koch Prank Call

The online news site Buffalo Beast has gone offline after publishing a prank phone call between Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and a Buffalo Beast editor who posed as David Koch.

Buffalo Beast Publisher Paul Fallon told The Huffington Post that the audio is "absolutely legit" (listen to it here).

The Buffalo Beast website seems to be suffering from traffic overload, causing many to see this message: "Error establishing a database connection." Some pages also say, "The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable."

It's not the first time the Web has made the news in the Wisconsin protests. A pro-union website was blocked at the Capitol Building in Madison.

The Buffalo Beast was founded in 2002 as an alternative biweekly newspaper in Buffalo, N.Y. It became an online-only news operation in 2009.

Comments

[revue]

01:07 PM on 03/01/2011

A republican that hates America. not shocked

[Q45]

08:09 PM on 02/28/2011

The other day, a blogger reports, Wisconsin fascist governor Scott Walker went to a restaurant and the people in the restaurant raised such a ruckus, yelling at him, that the restaurant's management asked him to leave. I'd liken that to shunning. . . .

Walker was shunned.

[yoyodyne666]

03:59 AM on 02/27/2011

I heard part of the phone call but not the bit about seeding the crowd with troublemakers ....

[southingtonian]

12:23 AM on 02/27/2011

AOL I'm going to have to find another site. Huffpo has become toQic to free exchange of thought.

[nevermime]

05:36 PM on 02/25/2011

I guess its not much different here than in China.

[southingtonian]

12:21 AM on 02/27/2011

i get the posts emailed before they are 'removed' how is an apology against the guidelines?

[Erik Deerly]

05:45 AM on 02/25/2011

Educators dedicate their lives in the service of their country, at the expense of fortune and often without appreciation. Many who seem eager to share their thoughts on this issue unwittingly demonstrate the need in this country for more education centered around critical thinking. This Governor could stand lessons in history, civics and ethics.

[shelagh63]

10:53 AM on 02/27/2011

Well said. F&F'd

[BMVB]

11:35 PM on 02/24/2011

www.sportbloggers.com

[Honey Tuanto]

09:01 PM on 02/24/2011

http://www.crunchynews.com/jeff-green-kendrick-perkins-nate-robinson.html

[Honey Tuanto]

09:00 PM on 02/24/2011

really good information for more information:
http://tinyurl.com/6gkqg88

[NonCon]

07:54 PM on 02/24/2011

I hope they're only getting slashdotted. Are the recordings available on YouTube?

[drzoon]

05:47 PM on 02/24/2011

its getting so hard to see this liars face on tv every night.

i hope it all blows up in his face and he and blago become cell block buddies

[Rightbrainedleftwinged]

03:39 PM on 02/24/2011

All things considered, for finding a good job, but living in a place that is affordable, I think Minneapolis would be the city I would choose. It is a cold place to live, but the state has a lot to offer.

[drzoon]

05:48 PM on 02/24/2011

they tend to be a little "small town'ish" there. and in this case... that's not a compliment.

i have relatives there.... and i worked there last year on a project for three months. Never going back again.

the whole "minnesota nice" thing? its what the rest of us like to call "passive aggressive".

[shelagh63]

11:13 AM on 02/27/2011

Nice way to trash a place that you spent three months in & "have relatives." In point of fact, your argument is quite "small towni'sh." I agree that the CORPORATE world here could use a little lesson in straight talk. You cannot define a place based on such limited knowledge. No? I love it when out of towners come here (usually for rehab) peg us all as hicks because they refuse to understand the culture, take some hot shot jobs, get canned after verbally abusing their subordinates, get a televison program eating bugs and so on. Or take a job as CEO of a large Minnesota grown retailer, give a ton of money to a shadow republican organization in order to bust unions and erode workers rights, to name a couple of examples. I'd gladly insult you in person sunshine, But I guess I'd have to find you in a thriving and classy part of the country...

[Thomas 1980]

12:21 PM on 02/24/2011

I've listened to the whole conversation, and the guy seems to be sincere at keeping his ideals and the interest of he country in mind when dealing with politics. It appears clear that he weights the importance of this political actions as he clearly said that his inspired by President Reagan's fight against the communists.
Listen to the whole conversation before judge it!!!!

[drzoon]

05:51 PM on 02/24/2011

he CONTEMPLATED planting "troublemakers" among the protesters!

are you kidding me?

He's more like Nixon than RR.

and TRICKING the Dems back to the Legislature .... under the "i'll talk to you guys (while i get the republicans to vote the vote we are "talking" about?)

where is YOUR moral compass?

[heartsmindsvision]

07:00 PM on 02/24/2011

Oh Please Thomas 1980.................SW wants to take us back to the early 19 hundreds. Destroy the unions in which case destroys the middle class. He wants to welcome the barons again and the corporatist, child labor and the .75 cents per hour and the 80 hour work week with no overtime nor benefits. He is being bribed by the Kock brothers. SW wants government to be run by corporations that are not for the people. Yes I know RR started the second breath of f@$cism all over again in the country but we must revolt for the protection of our people.

[exhale09]

09:55 AM on 02/24/2011

Big surprise...a Republican lies to Americans about his "real" intentions.

[drzoon]

05:53 PM on 02/24/2011

i know.

i've been saying this for some time now... but SOMEHOW their party has become the party of lying and liars.

they do it at the drop of a hat now. it used to be considered WRONG. But now? Now its just like sitting down at their desk... its that EASY and expected as part of their day

[farmilyman]

09:23 AM on 02/24/2011

I wonder what the connect is between the Koch brothers, Westboro Baptist Church, and the murdur of Dr Tiller? All in Witchita..........coincidence???