I’m gonna try to distract myself from thinking about tomorrow (and now get that stupid Fleetwood Mac song out of my head) with a little thread on the deplatforming of another controversial media figure from an earlier day: Dr. J.R Brinkley, the “goat gland doctor”. 1/ 
John Romulus Brinkley was a real doctor. Or at least he had a certificate from something called the Kansas City Eclectic Medical University and in 1915 that was good enough to practice medicine in eight states. Dr. Brinkley was in business. 2/
In 1918, he moved to Milford, Kansas and set up a fairly large clinic during the Spanish Flu epidemic. But it wasn’t until the following year that he hit upon his genius idea of grafting bits of goat balls onto human testicles to increase virility. 3/
When I say “genius”, I mean “totally insane”. But he had a couple of things going for him. He had early attention from the media, and realizing it’s potential as a marketing tool, started his own radio station in 1923, KFKB (Kansas First, Kansas Best). 4/
All the while the AMA is breathing down his neck because SOME people just happen to be dying after having strips of goat nads sewn on to their balls. Meanwhile, Milford, Kansas is booming. Hotels opening up. Brinkley’s building a planned community. So much $$$ in goat balls. 5/
By the late ‘20’s Brinkley’s incorporated advertising for medicine sold through a network of affiliated pharmacies on his radio show, raking in scads more cash. Also, drawing the ire of the KS Board of Medicine, which revoked his license in 1930. 6/
Three days after losing his ability to practice medicine in Kansas, Brinkley launched his campaign for governor. Oddly enough, not on a platform of “goat nads for all”. He came in a respectable somewhat controversial third after tens of thousands of write in votes were tossed. 7/
He lost his radio license six months after he lost his medical license, and after losing his 2nd bid for governor in 1932, Brinkley decides to leave Kansas for the border town of Del Rio, TX. It would be his Depression-era empire. 8/
The decision to move his base of operations began in 1931, during his second run for governor. He needed a media outlet as an independent, but couldn’t get an FCC license. What he could get, however, was a license for a 50,000 watt Mexican radio station in Villa Acuna. 9/
XER-AM went on the air in October of 1931, and served both as a platform to sell the virtues of his full scale medical clinic and spa in Del Rio, the splendor and affordability of the Rio Grande Valley, or his candidacy for governor, millions were listening. 10/
By 1934, XER has gone from 50,000 watts to 1,000,000 watts. A US show originating on the Mexican border can now be heard across all of America. And there’s not much the US government can do about it. 11/
At some point I’ll tell the story of Mexican radio in the 1930’s, because it’s incredible (ahem @derekwaterss) but suffice it to say speech bans, even the worst speech paired with the best of intentions, tends to empower that speech instead of weakening it. And #FuckCancer 12/12
