Rotten to the core

Conservative Talk Radio and Fox News Channel (CTR&FNC)

Hannity, Limbaugh, Boortz, Beck, Cunningham, Levine, Ingram and an assortment of other drooling and salivating mouth pieces of the Conservative party are turning up the propaganda machine on Americans. Joseph Goebbels, the august and celebrated propagandist of the Hitler regime would be proud of these folks. They have become the mouthpiece of one of the two major political parties in the US.  The grand old party of Lincoln has been hijacked. Michael Steele, head of the Republican Party (RNC), words means nothing. Limbaugh caused him to scratch when nothing itched and grin when nothing was funny.

These power-hungry and self-serving folks have wrested control of the Republican Party from levelheaded and thoughtful party members-all in the name of rescuing this nation from a bunch of socialists under the leadership of President Obama. The Republican Party sought to use Conservative Talk Radio and Fox News Channel to do its dirty work. Lott, Gingrich and other party loyalists did not have a clue to how viscous these folk were. They thought CTR&FNC would destroy the Clintons and Obama, destroy or weaken the Democratic Party, get rich and ride off into the sunset. Republicans misjudged how far these folks would go and what means they would undertake to get what they desired-namely wealth, recognition and power. Leadership in the Republican Party is virtually faceless and the void filled with CTR&FNC propagandists.  CTR&FNC are like runaway trains and no one from either party is willing to put forth real effort to reel either in. 

Absolutely nothing is off-limits to these folks as they go about the business of trying to destroy the Obama presidency and the Democratic Party. In their quest to destroy the Democratic Party, they miscalculated measurable and immeasurable damage and consequences. For instance, they sought to destroy unions and were for the most part very successful. Someone forgot to tell them that many union members are card carrying Republicans. CTR&FNC folks rejoiced when GM went under. Guess who bought the Hummer vehicle line from GM. Guess who needs Hummers. You got it-American Solders. I guess our solders will have to appeal to the good folks of China for Hummers in the future. They rejoice when American manufacturing moves overseas and brag about the great deals Americans get when purchasing cheap and substandard products from China.  

When liability for actions taken by some whose behavior is fuel by rhetoric and propaganda heard on these outlets is mentioned, freedom of speech is quickly thrown into the equation. What in their physic makes them think they bear no responsibility for actions resulting from what they advocate? Though much of what they espouse is thinly veiled as freedom of speech, it goes much further. The power of suggestion is played to the hilt. Preying on the fears of listeners is just one way of causing people to react in an illogical and careless manner. Freedom to say what you wish has a little brother. He is call responsibility for your words and consequences thereof. You cannot have one without the other.

CTR&F (Conservative Talk Radio & Fox) folks show their true colors

 It is disgusting to listen to the likes of Hannity, Limbaugh, Boortz, Beck, Cunningham and an assortment of other mouth pieces of the Conservative party espousing and haranguing about salary caps being imposed on people running businesses that received money taken from taxpayers. Yes, I said taken. Why do I say taken? Were American taxpayers allowed to vote on the matter? Hell no! These are the same folks that raised all kinds of hell when the minimum wage was raised to its present level-it is less than eight dollars per hour. CTR&F folk have made it plain that they think there is a portion of American workers whose labor is not worth seven + dollars an hour. Think for a moment-they have made it clear, without reservation, a segment of American workers do not deserve a livable wage, while at the same time being plainly and overtly upset that people making millions are told to moderate their demands for compensation until the US economy rebounds. What really stinks up the place is, many people working for substandard wages, have made huge wage and benefit concessions as a prerequisite for keeping their jobs. To make matters worse, tax dollars paid by people, barely getting by on a meager salary, was used to prop up financial institutions that in turn, continue to pass it on to the people that caused the financial meltdown. Something is badly wrong with this picture. Many Americans are in dire straits. They are losing their homes, vehicles, jobs, access to medical care and higher education due to the current recession. Is it asking too much of those in high places to be a part of the solution and not continue to exacerbate the problem? Surely, they can make it on a couple of million dollars per year for a few years. Are these huge bonuses but another form of welfare when the money comes from taxpayers? Are these folks getting something that is not available to all Americans? Should I be able to ask the government to chip in a few dollars so I can maintain a lifestyle I have grown accustomed too, knowing that the government can ill afford it? This what is happening in some of our financial institutions? Wonder what these overpaid bullies would have gotten if their employers were allowed to fail-certainly not what they think they deserve. Why you ask, do they think they are worth so much? What do they do that warrants such outlandish and excessive salaries? The current condition of many American financial institutions suggests many of these folks did not, and will never have a clue how to run a successful business. Actions, taken by these folks border on criminality and warranted some form of prosecution. Many are cut from the same mold as Kenneth Lay and Maddoff. They just used different techniques to accomplish the same thing-rob the banks. In the mean time, CTR&F continue to support the activities of swindlers and smoking mirror artists-now you see it, now you do not. CTR&F are not blameless in this matter. They must share culpability in this matter. They assisted the swindlers by deflecting criticism away from CEO’s and others powerbrokers in many financial institutions. Callers to CTR&F complaining about overpaid CEO’s and questionable practices were quickly beaten down and called wealth enviers. The mere fact that CTR&F talking heads continue to support these swindlers and wealth grabbers should be enough of an incentive for many of their low wage listeners to seek advice and guidance elsewhere.

What are you looking at

What do we see when we see? This question must be answered!

Tell me “what do we really see?” “Do we look, yet not see?”

I continue to struggle to gain some insight into the thinking of young black men that rob, maim and kill at will. Is there one ounce of rational in their thinking as they go about the business of robbing, maiming and killing?  What goes through their minds as they seek out potential victims? What are they thinking when selling drugs?

When surveying a possible hijack victim, do they just see the automobile? Do they really see the individual they intend to hijack, or do they only see themselves driving the automobile they are about to take? Can they see far enough in the future to see a picture of the hard time they will face in a penal system when apprehended and convicted?  Is the family of the victim ever considered? Is one second devoted to considering how hard and how long the intended victim worked to get the automobile they are about to take possession of in a few minutes, at the point of a gun? Have they ever considered getting an automobile the same way their intended victim got it?

When preparing to invade homes, do thieves take into consideration, the lives of homeowners, their children and other occupants? What possess them to think that all they have to do to have wide screen televisions, computers, cameras, jewelry and an assortment of other nicites is just wait until someone else buys and then take them. To them it is just that simple-just take them at the point of a gun. To make matters worse, many criminals are not satisfied with just taking stuff; they see a need to take lives at the same time.

What do we see when we see drug dealers openly plying their wares on street corners? Do we see the dealers riding around in expensive cars, or do we see those who use their wares walking the streets, seemingly in another world? Do we see the dealers sauntering around with large gold chains dangling from their necks, or do we see the users wandering the streets, looking for a way to get a few dollars to support their habits? Do we see substances sold in our neighborhood that sucks the life out of them? What does the drug dealer see when a buyer looks to score. Is one thought ever given to how the buyer got the money? Does the dealer ever see, or think about children going hungry because the few dollars their mothers get is spent on crack cocaine? What do drug dealers see when they see people high on the drugs, sleeping on cardboard, in the streets and under bridges?  What do drug dealers see when they see mothers and little sisters selling their bodies to support crack cocaine habits?  What do they see when a mother tries to sell a child to get money to buy crack cocaine?  Do drug dealers, for a fleeting moment, look into the bleary, bloodshot, and sometimes pleading eyes of crack addicts? Are drug peddlers harden to the point that they cannot see the carnage and devastation they and their wares inflict on communities?

What does crack dealers and gang members see when they walk and loiter on streets littered with all kinds of trash?  What do they see when they observe buildings and signs defaced with all kinds of graffiti, including gang signs?   What do they see when they see convenience stores and other businesses in their communities heavily shuttered and protected with Plexiglas, metal shutters and razor wire? What do drug dealers and gang bangers see when they see businesses pack up and leave neighborhoods that become gang and drug infested.

What do we see, when you see black men wandering the streets with their pants dangling off their butts? Do we see a segment of society that has forgotten how to put their pants on correctly? Maybe we see a segment of society whose main claim to fame is to wear their pants so low that their belt line is dangerously close to their knees. What do we see, when we see young ladies, scantly dressed, parading around for all to see?  Maybe we see a segment of society that is lost in every sense of the word. When we take a real good look, do we see a segment of society who has lost their ability to discern what are generally construed as societal norms, relating to proper and improper dress?

What do we see, when we see young girls standing in lines at grocery store checkout counters, having to put back baby supplies because they do not have enough money to pay for them? What do we see, when we see these same young ladies getting in their cars-cars frequently occupied by young black men all laid back in the passenger’s seat?

What do you see when you see? Have you given up and stopped looking? Is the sight to unsightly to look at? Are you afraid to look because you may see something that you disagree with, are unwilling to tolerate any longer, and might try to do something about it? Are you afraid to look, because you might see you son, daughter, husband, wife, sibling, best friend, enemy or others you know doing things that damages the community?

What do we see when we see entirely too many of our black men behaving in ways counter-productive, destructive, and immature at best. Do we see the future of the black race in black men? Do we see something that society, especially black folks, unwittingly created through a lack of oversight and or unwillingness to get involved in community activities?

Tell me brother, tell me sister, tell me mother, tell me father, what do you see when you see?

What’s next

Deception taken to a higher level

While researching information to include in an article describing what is taking place in Conservative Talk Radio (CTR) I came across this snippet from Adolph Hitler’s Mein Kampf. As noted in the article, Hitler devoted two chapters to the study and practice of Propaganda.  Propaganda means to misinform and spread half-truths along party lines.

When one listens to the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Shawn Hannity, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingram, Neil Boortz, and other purveyors of thinly disguised hate and misinformation along party lines, one can not ignore the likeness of their rhetoric to what Hitler espoused.  How Hitler saw the masses is exactly how the above mentioned folks see them-a group of people, who, for the most part, are just waiting to be misinformed and mislead.

The two chapters devoted to the art of Propaganda should make clear to the average individual, what motivates CTR jocks behavior.  CTR jocks know most of their listeners are easily led and unlikely to seek information that might conflict with CTR position on almost anything. These jocks also know the majority of their listeners are extremely devout and are reluctant to take opposite positions on any matter, even if they disbelieve what spews from the mouths of CTR locks.

Many CTR jocks have gotten extremely rich while producing nothing of value-unless one assesses the value of damaging misinformation and foolishness.  Maybe it is time to put a value on the damage these folks are wreaking on society. The cost must be tremendous. Many people, following, their advice and logic are making tragic and costly decisions based on what CTR jocks are spouting.  CTR jocks are especially effective during times of a downturn in the economy. Many people are searching for someone to blame for their misery and CTR jocks are quick to give them someone or a segment of society to blame for their misfortunes.

Anyone remotely interested in looking into the inner workings of Conservative Talk Radio (CTR) should take a minute and read the two chapters of Mein Kampf mentioned in this article. It is certainly enlightening and informative. CTR jocks behavior, demeanor and messages have the flavoring of Mein Kampf and the folks that put its propaganda blueprint into action.    Is it possible that Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Ingram, Boortz and a host of other unnamed CTR jocks are regurgitated and resurrected examples of folks like Otto Dietrich, Hermann Esse, Joseph Goebbels, Max Blokzijl and Fred W. Kaltenbach?

Mein Kampf contains the blueprint of later Nazi propaganda efforts. Assessing his audience, Hitler writes in chapter IV:

“Propaganda must always address itself to the broad masses of the people. (…) All propaganda must be presented in a popular form and must fix its intellectual level so as not to be above the heads of the least intellectual of those to whom it is directed. (…) The art of propaganda consists precisely in being able to awaken the imagination of the public through an appeal to their feelings, in finding the appropriate psychological form that will arrest the attention and appeal to the hearts of the national masses. The broad masses of the people are not made up of diplomats or professors of public jurisprudence nor simply of persons who are able to form reasoned judgment in given cases, but a vacillating crowd of human children who are constantly wavering between one idea and another. (…) The great majority of a nation is so feminine in its character and outlook that its thought and conduct are ruled by sentiment rather than by sober reasoning. This sentiment, however, is not complex, but simple and consistent. It is not highly differentiated, but has only the negative and positive notions of love and hatred, right and wrong, truth and falsehood.”^[5]

As to the methods to be employed, he explains:

“Propaganda must not investigate the truth objectively and, in so far as it is favourable to the other side, present it according to the theoretical rules of justice; yet it must present only that aspect of the truth which is favourable to its own side. (…) The receptive powers of the masses are very restricted, and their understanding is feeble. On the other hand, they quickly forget. Such being the case, all effective propaganda must be confined to a few bare essentials and those must be expressed as far as possible in stereotyped formulas. These slogans should be persistently repeated until the very last individual has come to grasp the idea that has been put forward. (…) Every change that is made in the subject of a propagandist message must always emphasize the same conclusion. The leading slogan must of course be illustrated in many ways and from several angles, but in the end one must always return to the assertion of the same formula.”

Mahem in the Hood

Gangs have been in our midst for a very long time, especially in large cites. Gangs of old, were not above committing acts of violence. However, today’s street gangs and local thugs are of a difference breed. They are more prone to violence, extremely aggressive, and quick to resort to physical force and intimidation. Most gang members carry guns and use them with little or no provocation. They make many neighborhoods extremely unsafe-even to themselves. The question must be asked; do they know what they do? Is it possible that they really do not have any idea how their behavior affect neighborhoods? I am hard-pressed to believe young men, capable of thinking rationally, would deliberately make neighborhoods unsafe for their mothers, grandmothers, fathers, grandfathers, siblings and other relatives. How can young men in their right minds deliberately make it unsafe for their parents to shop, go to work, attend worship and enjoy walking the streets where they live? The same applies to kids going to and from school. How can young thugs, in good conscious make it unsafe for kids, including their kin, to attend school? Why would street thugs, behaving at their worst, create an environment in communities so dangerous, many kids are afraid to take the trip, to and from school? This is very important, because getting a proper education is one of the surest ways to have an opportunity to get out of the environment young thugs create in many neighborhoods. Some people attribute the behavior of many of the youngsters to being born of Crack mothers. I have no way of proving or disproving this hypothesis, nor have I have seen studies that agree or disagree with this supposition. I do know it is time we make up our minds to stop what is taking place in our neighborhoods. Why are we sitting back, hoping, and praying that change for the better is around the corner and will come about without the input and effort of citizens in neighborhoods under siege? Parents of these thugs are not blameless. They see their kids dressed in gang garb, and hanging out with street gangs. Parents of these thugs know that they hang out on the streets late at night and cause trouble. They know that they are troublemakers in school. Many parents are afraid to search their kids’ rooms for fear they might find guns and or drugs. Thing is, when and if they do find something irregular, do they have guts enough to do something about it? I talk about people of a neighborhood taking back the streets. When will parents take back the homes? When will parents allow the teachers to take back the schools? After all, much of what we talk and complain about regarding young children, emanate from the home.

 In her book titled Your Negro Tour Guide, Kathy Y, Wilson writes about how proud street thugs appear as they push death on to whites and blacks. She wonders why they choose this lifestyle. It is as if they will trade their souls for cash, rims, for babies, for mommas. Moreover, maybe, just maybe, it is all they know. Kathy then makes this searing statement: they know better but cannot do better. If this is true, it is a painful and scathing condemnation of the state of mind of many of our black youth. I asked an elderly gentleman the following question. What is wrong with young black young men? He said the following: when our young men lost respect for their mothers, they lost respect for everything. When males stop respecting the very women that birth them into the world, what is left for them to respect? Is there anyone or anything more important and demands more respect than one’s mother does?

I truly think our young men know what they do is wrong, but do not know how to correct their behavior. They know selling drugs to get money is wrong, but do not have the skills nor knowledge to get money legally. They know killing someone is not the right way to resolve a dispute, but do not have the communication skills necessary to resolve a conflict or argument without a violent and potential life-threatening confrontation. Our young men become what they cultivate. They chose to travel paths they think offer little obvious resistance. These paths are fraught with danger, ignorance and disappoint. They cultivate ignorance, indolence, disrespect, violence, irresponsibility, and other foolish, demeaning and destructible characteristics. Society, including parents, law enforcement and public officials bears some responsibility because they allow our young men to cultivate and exhibit behavioral patterns contrary to sensible and societal norms. Many of them will die at a very young age because of the life they chose and the life society allows them to live. Given the fact that entirely too many young black men have put down books and picked up Ipods, cell phones, game boys, the only learning they get is what they see and not what they read. This is having a devastating effect on our young men. To make matters worse, the things they see in their neighborhoods are of little help. They see grown men sauntering around with their pants dangling off their butts. They see these same men sitting at home watching television and drinking beer, while women are working and bringing home the bacon. They see men disrespecting and abusing women. They see women taking care of men. If this is all they see, what are they learning? Are they seeing anything that helps prepare them for this thing called manhood? What is taking place in our neighborhoods is extremely troubling and disheartening-especially in black neighborhoods. The differences between right and wrong, good and bad, and correct and incorrect, is blurred and in many instances insignificant. Entirely too many people have decided that the end justifies the mean. For instance-an individual needs money. Robbing and killing, to get it is not a problem because the end-getting the money is what counts. The same applies to owning an automobile-just take one, and do what you have to do to get it, including killing the owner.

When will be mayhem end? What actions are necessary to change the behavior of our young men? Is society willing to do whatever is necessary to get the desired results? Safe homes, streets, schools and other public infrastructures are reasonable expectations in any neighborhood.

Elected VS Selected

Obama and Biden elected, Limbaugh and Hannity selected!

 

Recent events leads me to believe we now have in place what many American have been clamoring for-a viable Third political party. Fact is; immediately after the 2008 Presidential elections were completed, CTR listeners selected their Third Party President and Vice President. Why do I make the above-mentioned assertion? Have we forgotten what happened when Mr. Steele, the recently appointed head of the RNC (Republican National Convention) said something that implied the influence Limbaugh has in the Republican Party is overblown? Steele simply repeated what is often said about Rush Limbaugh-He is often referred to as an entertainer.  This assertion upset Mr. Limbaugh to no end.  To appease him, Mr. Steele rush to Limbaugh with hat in hand, got down on his knees, literally kissed Limbaugh’s butt and begged for forgiveness. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee and a seasoned and influential politician, made the same mistake-he criticized Limbaugh. Phil rushed to make amends to Limbaugh by going on national media and making a public apology for saying something, Limbaugh disagrees with. His weak-kneed and pathetic apology to Limbaugh on the Neil Boortz Conservative Talk Radio show was something to behold. Boortz apparently enjoyed the way Gingrey buttered up to Limbaugh and generally made a complete ass of himself. Gingrey kept talking about putting his foot in his mouth when he criticized Limbaugh.

Such weak-kneed and pathetic exhibition by republican leaders to Limbaugh severely damages the party.  If Steele and  Phil Gingrey are representatives of the Republican Party, it is easy to see why many usually loyal followers abandoned the party in the last election. If they bow down to Limbaugh, one man-how can they be expected to seriously challenge a Democratic congress and President Obama? 

Limbaugh was selected to be President of this newly formed third party, with Hannity filling the Vice President role and Boortz bringing up the rear as Speaker Of The House. Though written with tongue in cheek, the above assertion must not be taken lightly. These purveyors of hours of senseless and useless rhetoric, warmed over, and continually repeated baseless assertions and general hijacking of the minds of many of their loyal and unquestioning listeners, reminds me of a gnat crawling up an elephant’s leg with rape on its mind.  An irritant but little else-The last election proved that.  

CTR talking heads (Conservative Talk Radio) are certainly more than a passing annoyance and gets under the skin of many politicians. Conservative politicians once saw these folks as attack dogs that did a lot of the dirty work for the party by giving them several thousand hours of free campaign time. They ignored the fact that these folks have an insatiable appetite for power and publicity.  It was also foolhardy for Republicans to think they were getting all of this support and free time from CTR and not have to give something in return. Now that these attack dogs have turned on the hands that fed them for several years, the Republican Party is unsure how to handle the situation.  In the final analysis, I guess the Republican Party got what it asked for and paid for.

Righting The Ship

These are extremely troublesome times. United States President Obama and his administration struggles to upright the US economic ship and at the same time set a course towards economic stability.  President Obama’s administration has opened several proactive fronts in an effort to stabilize the economy and lower the deficit.

Much of the initial costs associated with Obama’s plan is designed to right the ship. The initial TARP funds (350 billion dollars) doled out to banks in 2008 was the initial venture designed to shore up the banking industry. Congress authorized an additional 350 billion dollars available for use in 2009, if needed. Spending associated with his budgetary plans is staggering and defies most Americans ability to ascertain exactly how much money is actually involved. 

Congress, President Obama and Americans at large, struggle to make sense of the current economic quandary.  Most people are of the mindset that drastic actions must be undertaken to stave off further deterioration of our economy. The only way this nation and the world can truly fix the current economic problem is, they must define the problem in totality. Much of the conversation relating to greed, outright thievery and corruption is conspicuously missing from public discourse.  Most politicians, Republicans and Democrats continually dance around the greed, corruption and outright thievery problems facing this nation-a problem that has contributed mightily to the current situation.  One thing is perfectly clear-if this nation and the rest of the world are not willing to take on the above-mentioned problems, head-on, and untrustworthy people in positions that control our capitalistic system are not removed from the equation, the recession and possible depression will linger for the near future.

Defending President Obama’s administration current course of action without question is counter-productive and risky.  To be against everything the administration proposes-good or bad is worse-especially when most positions are carbon copies of Conservative Talk Radio.

Much of what really goes on in Washington is reserved for the privileged few.   How many of you remember when President George Bush invited Conservative Talk Radio hosts to come to the White House and have a private chat with him?  What gave them the right to information that not all American could access?  The same is true regarding the current banking system. There are the privileged few that have access to Wall Street information and data that the public will never see. This allows them to enrich themselves and their friends at the expense of other people. Access to this information allows them to make critical monetary decisions-decisions others cannot make because of denial of access to like information.

Hinton R. Helper published a book in 1857 titled the Impending crisis in the south.  In his writings, he penned the following: Never were the poorer classes of a people, and those classes so largely in the majority, and all inhabiting the same country, so basely duped, so adroitly swindled, or so damnadly outraged.  Economic Indicators suggests most Americans have been duped for a very long time.

Just keep on talking

Talked Republicans right out of office

Talking heads of CTR (Conservative Talk Radio) are really tripping. They are trying to convince their listeners that liberals are attacking the content of their programs. Airwaves are filled with talking heads ranting and raving about something called the Fairness Doctrine.  It is their position that liberals are trying to re-institute what they deem is an obstruction to free speech. President Regan’s administration removed a policy/rule that implied media broadcasts should have a sense of balance.  Conservatives saw its removal as a victory and begin to act accordingly. CTR started slowly, but gained momentum when the likes of Limbaugh, Hannity, Boortz, O’Riley, and a host of other talking heads joined in daily barrages of virtually useless banter.

What is CTR anyway? Is it entertainment or a political wing of the Republican Party? I have often wondered why the many thousands of hours devoted to pushing the agenda of The Republican Party and its candidates should not have a dollar value directly related to the candidates and or party. Republicans get untold millions of dollars in free campaign advertisement each election cycle without having to contribute one single dime to the effort.   This is one of the reasons why it has so much influence in the Republican Party.  CTR was instrumental in Republicans losing the House, Senate and eventually the White House.  I am hesitant to reveal what took place. However, for the good of this nation, I feel it is necessary.

1. CTR jocks gave several reasons why many young people supported Obama and not McCain. The real reasons are simple! When the likes of Limbaugh, Hannity, Boortz, O’Riley and other mouth-pieces of the Republican party made assertions, young folks took the time to look for information that either supported or disproved what CRT alleged.  Many young folks were reading and surfing the Internet for information while their parents and grandparents glued themselves to radio stations pushing CTR entertainment. Lets not forget the millions glued to Fox News Channel.
2. CTR spent too much time preaching about how their medium was under attack by liberals. Anyone that has followed CTR for several years know who and what has really been constantly under attack. The mere fact that many of these talking heads invoked the name of God as they went about the business of spouting untruths, innuendos, and inflammatory rhetoric turned many people off-especially young people. Some older Republicans, who shape their lives around the teachings of the bible, could not bring themselves to support something that was contrary to how they think Christians should behave. 
3. The selfishness and greedy platform supported and championed by CTR turned many people away from the Republican Party. CTR folks, for some selfish reason, thought listeners, under their influence would support the Republican Party no matter what direction it took. Wrong?
4. CTR underestimated the impact their constant disparaging remarks about how unlearned people are, who attend public schools. This assertion had a chilling affect on the public-especially young folks and many parents of American solders. Imagine for a moment, young American Solders in a battle zone, hearing Limbaugh, Hannity, Boortz and the likes telling them how stupid they are because they attended public school.  Talk about an insult to the tenth degree!  Not one of these talking head spent one hour serving the country they claim to love so much.
5. CTR’s Continued claims that Iraq had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction even after it was generally proved the assertion was wrong mystified many of their loyal listeners.   President Bush, himself, said the US did not find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.  One has to ask why CTR continued to make the claim.  Was it a calculated risk to inflame and deliberately misinform their listeners?

Is it possible CTR makes the claim of stupidity and ignorance against people who attend public school based on the fact how easily CTR jocks bamboozle them? Does the mere fact that most of their loyal listeners support and believe everything they say, give credibility to their allegations that publicly educated people are not well learned? It is certainly plausible for CTR jocks to think that the people, who make them rich, doing what they do and buying what they sell in totality, must not be too smart.

As more people start to pay more attention to what CTR is saying and question what it stands for, CTR must take the conservation elsewhere. This is where the fairness doctrine comes into play. According to CTR definition, I have liberal leanings. Having said that, I would not support any medium with liberal leanings that remotely resembles CTR programming. One destructive, divisive and polarizing outlet is enough. In fact, it, by itself, is too much. Factor in 24-hour sports programming, and we have nothing but entertainment all day long. It is extremely important that people get away from constant entertainment-especially now. These are terrible times and deserve careful and deliberate conversation- with substance, and clear factual meaning flowing over the airwaves.

Conservative Talk Radio Talked all right! It talked the Republican Party right out of office and will continue to keep the party out of office, until the Party of Lincoln distance themselves from this scourge of incivility and divisiveness. The rapacious behavior of those involved in Conservative Talk Radio deserves more scrutiny-scrutiny by the Republican Party. Left to its own devices, it is recklessness in what it promulgates. It did what Democrats could not do–weaken the Republican Party to the extent it could not retain control of either House or the President. Many on the Left suggest ignoring CTR.  Left alone, it will eventually self-destruct under its own weight.

Land of Plenty?

Signs of things to come

Is there hope for the hopeless? Who are the hopeless? Many people have thrown in the towel and feel there is no way out of the current economic crisis?  This hopeless feeling encompasses a wide spectrum of American society. In fact, this helpless feeling spans borders and oceans.  Many in congress are busy pointing fingers and doing little to address the current economic crisis. Entirely too many feel they are obligated to obstruct constructive dialogue and not contribute anything of substance to solving the problem. To them, everything is wrong that they do not support.

The current economic crisis produces uncertainty, suspicion and distrust, fueled by actions taken by those charged with managing Wall Street, and our banking industry. It has also produced poverty and misery. Through all of this, some have gotten rich-some riches gained by taking from others.

Many individuals, who thought they had their financial situation well in hand in 2004, now find themselves in a financial crisis. The current economic situation has a humbling affect on many people. It has brought them back to earth and made them take actions supposedly reserved for the lazy, ignorant and welfare recipients. Many have swallowed their pride and now seek social services, relief from financial obligations and outright poverty.   One only have to look at photos taken during the great depression to get a glimpse of what happens when a nation’s economic system collapse.  People in three-piece suits and nice hats in soup lines with cups in hand, trying to get a bite to eat, paints a sobering picture.  Is it possible we will see more of this in the coming months? Yes, it is possible. Fact is, soup lines are already forming in some cities.

President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) said the following in his inaugural address: if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. President Kennedy’s remark rings loud and clear today. Many who looked down from their ivory towers and sneered at the downtrodden and less fortunate, now find themselves being one of the lowly and practically broke.  President Kennedy also made the following statement: And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. Finally President Kennedy said: my fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what we together can do for the freedom of man.  If he were alive today, he would be making the same argument. He would implore those of who have much to share with the less fortunate and down trodden. He would remind us what happens when the vast majority of a nation’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of a chosen few.  

Pass the mike

The inner workings of Conservative Talk Radio 

CRT, an acronym for Conservative Talk Radio in this article. Has adequate time been devoted to taking an in-depth look into the workings of CTR? What motivates people to buy the stuff these folks sell? Limbaugh, Hannity, Boortz, and a host of up, and coming talking heads, through hook and crook, have convince their loyal listeners and followers that all kinds of ill fortunes will befall all who do not follow and adhere to their logic. When will one of their loyal followers ask a CTR jock why he or she is blessed to be better learned and smarter than the average person is? Other questions come to mind. In what way are CTR jocks different, so superior brainpower and the ability to discern fact from fiction, naturally flow their way? What draws people with superior knowledge, intellect and wisdom to talk radio jock jobs? Is superior knowledge and comprehension a reality or have their listeners elevated them to this pedestal?

If one listens carefully to most of what CTR jocks talk about, it is apparent that most of what they say is nothing but pseudoinformation.   Pseudoinformation is information that is apparent rather than useful. CTR fill the airwaves with this stuff. CTR jocks know exactly what to say to arouse their audiences. Affirmative action is a big one. Never mind the fact that most who call their shows lamenting about affirmative action have not lost a job because of it, nor do they know anyone who has lost a job because of it. It plays well and deflects conversation from real issues.

If one defines CTR for what it really is (propaganda) rather than entertainment, people are apt to make an effort to differentiate between verifiable assertions and an outright lie. Many CTR jocks make statements filled with abstractions and are very subjective.  If one takes the time to sort through and dissect most of what CTR jocks say, most of it deserves little serious attention and the word frivolous comes to mind. Listening to it continually is a waste of time-time better utilized in a more productive manner.

CTR has devised and perfected ways of polarizing people.  Polarization, utilizing misinformation is what fuels their medium. Programming designed to divide people along racial, economic, gender, political affiliation are some of the wedges utilized by CTR jocks.  Much of what they say is extremely caustic and designed to aggravate, provoke and arouse suspicion in people that generally follow conservative philosophy. CTR preys on the most susceptible essence of man-fear of the unknown. I go back to my original assertion. How does CTR jocks know; yet their audience does not know? Why are CTR jocks so well informed, while their listeners are so ill informed?  CTR jocks know most of their loyal listeners spend several hours each day listening intently, to what jocks say and do not bother to seek information elsewhere. Armed with this fact, CTR jocks know they can get away with saying almost anything with impunity because they know their followers will not challenge it.

Another obvious thing that attracts talking heads to CTR programming is money-plain and simple. Preying on ignorance, stupidity and an unwillingness to seek the truth pays extremely well. Most that pursue this medium make a darn good living-a good living preying on those who can ill afford to dole out money to CTR talking heads.   Ignorance, stupidity and an unwillingness to seek truth is fertile ground for Conservative Talk Radio. 

Many people-devout supporters of CTR are among those who now find themselves jobless, penniless, and soon to be homeless. One would think CTR, purported to have the best interest of these folk in mind would spend some quality time telling their loyal listeners and followers how to find another job, keep their homes and feed their children.  However, they prefer to spend their time fostering more trepidation, and disenchantment among the very people making them rich. 

Riches and notoriety have made CTR jocks heartless and with little regard for the well being of anyone else. You hear it as they brag about owning homes in Florida, New York, airplanes, motor homes, mansions, and mega-million contracts.   In some ways, I put them in the same category as some ministers of mega churches. Both say just keep supporting me by buying my books, tuning into my program and supporting to me in other ways and you will eventually get your reward.  Just keep working hard and contributing.