"But let me ask you all this; Do any of you see any difference between the radical bomb-throwers on the right vs the radical bomb-throwers on the left (M. Savage vs A. Franken)?"
Well, I'd have to say I'm not the best person to make that judgment because I really have paid little attention to both. I've never read a book by Savage or Franken (or any others for that matter) so I can't make a true comparison. The difference I have noticed is the right wing nutjobs are far more available than the left wing nutjobs. What I mean is O'Reilly, Hannity, Rush, and their crowd is in every market across the United States. Even right here in "Liberal" Massachusetts the number one talk radio station is pretty much a right wing slash and burn festival with O'Reilly, Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and our local right wingnut Jay Severin. Where can you find Franken on a daily basis? You can't get him on a radio in Massachusetts at least as far as I know (I'll admit I haven't looked).
In terms of Franken, the other thing I'll say about what I have read and heard from him is that it has mainly been done with a comic edge. You are meant to laugh at it, that's what I took from it. He's not some hardcore political analyst and I've never seen him portray himself as such. Even the titles of his books are comedy. I'd have to say the same thing about Michael Moore. His films are full of laughs and that's his intent. They are not meant to be taken as serious documentaries and anyone with half a brain can clearly see that. The problem is he's poking fun at the wrong crowd, they have no sense of humor about it, and they respond with serious and nasty attacks. I think the worst thing about guys like Franken and Moore is they are held up by the right as poster boys for the left and they are no such thing. The right uses those guys to demonize the left and the two of them, I would think, must understand that.
When O'Reilly, Coulter, Rush, Hannity, Ingraham, and the rest attack the left it's not meant to be funny at all. They are broadcasting a message, daily in every market, that the left is evil, immoral, weak, feeble minded, elitist, and an enemy to anything decent. It's an ugly message and it is, by definition, fascist. It's a message that is not true, and certainly not American, but if you repeat something enough it becomes part of the fabric of society and that is what has happened.
Your replies to Eric and David seem to indicate you think they are both...well...nuts, Dale. I understand how that goes, you were attacked here, you lashed back, the cycle continues and we end up with a shit flinging festival. The interesting thing is that seems to be the way we are being pushed to communicate in this country and I see that as part of the fascist architecture now in place in our nation. Every time we descend to that level we (and I'm not at all saying I'm exempt) become part of the noise and hence part of the problem. The fact that remains in all the bickering is that there is a problem...a giant problem. You know, it's like dealing with any kind of addict...if you want to begin to solve the problem you first gotta get 'em to admit there is one.
I'll admit in this case I see it as the left desperately trying to coach the right to admit there is something wrong and the right fighting them every inch of the way...neither side gives in, it gets heated, and ends in everybody storming off in a miserable mood.
Basically, we all lose.
