Talk To Me...

"Dead serious. Not being funny. I'm pretty sure it's too late for all that, though, because talk radio has poisoned this country, and people who are otherwise pretty smart, follow the bright, shiny parade playing their happy-happy music like sheep." - Erudite Redneck, from my comments page.

"You must only listen to Rush, Sean, and Glenn for your information. You need to broaden your information sources." - Jim, from the comments page of Mark, at "Four Rows Back."

I am a regular listener of Talk Radio, but if you read this blog regularly, you have already guessed that.

Here is my lineup.

I have a Sirius Satellite Radio system, which I move from my car to my Big Truck, and back to my car every day, so my day starts out with the first couple of hours of Howard Stern, not because I especially like Howard Stern, but because he usually is the most interesting thing going until 9:00 AM, when Tony Snow comes on one of the local AM stations in my area.

At 9:00, I switch over to Tony, and listen to him until Neal Boortz comes on at 11:00.

I listen to one hour of Boortz, and then switch to the other AM station that I can get with any clarity, and that speaks English, at Noon, and listen to Rush until 3:00.

At 3:00, a local guy named Todd Schnitt comes on the station that Rush was on. He is a Center/Right, common sense Conservative.

I listen to his first hour, and at 4:00, I switch back to the Sirius, and listen to Bubba The Love Sponge throughout the rest of my workday, and on the ride home.

Most of you have probably not heard of Bubba, but he was the recipient of the single largest FCC indecency fine ever handed down. He was fired from Clear Channel Communications, and did not work in radio for over two years before he was hired by Howard Stern to fill space on one of his two Satellite Channels.

He has a stripper pole and a torture rack in his studio, and frequently makes use of both. His main topics are Sex, Racing, Wrestling, and Sex, and I am interested in three of these four topics. He is the poster boy for the people in America who believe that the sole reason for the First Amendment is to allow him to say the "F" word on the radio.

ER and Jim would have you believe that everyone who listens to Talk Radio does it in order to decide what to think, and without it, they would have no opinions. They believe that all Talk Radio listeners march in lock-step, and recieve their marching orders from Rush and Sean Hannity every day, without putting any thought into what they are hearing, and whether or not it makes any sense, or whether or not it is true.

Well, believe it or not, I can tell the truth from Hogwash, and lately I have heard a lot more Hogwash coming from Ted Kennedy, Harry Ried, John Murtha, and John Kerry than I have from Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity.

I listen to Talk Radio from both sides. Some of what I hear, I agree with, and some of it, I don't. (From BOTH sides.)

What I do not hear, from either side is marching orders, or "happy-happy music".

The reason that I listen to "Right Wing" Talk Radio is because the commentators state things that I already believe. I don't listen in order to learn what I should think, but because they say what I already think.

Not because I agree with them, but because THEY agree with ME.

When "Left Wing" Talk Radio commentators begin to say things that make sense, and do it in a compelling way, the balance will shift, and people will listen to them. (I'm not going to hold my breath.)

In the meantime, ask yourself this question.

Why do people who work in the Main Stream Media (I.E. Newspapermen, Television News people, etc...) have such a problem with Talk Radio?

If there is no bias on the part of the Old Media, then they should have nothing to fear from the New Media.

Freedom of speech is all about alternative viewpoints, isn't it?