You're Right Al Franken!

I have been reading Al Franken's book, "Lies And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right". It is a good read and brings up a lot of questions and good information. But he mentions something about Ann Coulter and the like only writing and appealing to the people who already consume their material, preaching to the choir if you will.

But is Al really doing anything all that different?

From that, I decided that I have to suck it up and read some of the writings from the hysterical right. They always say that it is good to know what the enemy is thinking. I know, I know, I shouldn't necessarily call the opposing side "enemies" but that does seem to be the terminology the current administration is comfortable with. I guess I could change it to the "evil doers", another nod to official administration lingo, and, ultimately, that might actually be more accurate because of what they are doing to systematically to bring down our nation.

I have to read Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and others. To know how they are misrepresenting facts, twisting information and lying to the masses.

My favorite example of Coulter's lying that Al highlights would be the using "any words written in a newspaper can be attributed to that newspaper" technique.

Coulter wrote in her book:

"For decades, The New York Times had allowed loose association between Nazis and Christians to be made in its pages. Statements like these were not uncommon: "Did the Nazi crimes draw on Christian tradition?" ... "the church is 'co-responsible' for the holocaust...."

Team Franken researched the bejeezus out of this book and found that the first quote was actually from a 2001 book review that was in the Times in which the reviewer was framing a question posed by the book he was reviewing. The second quote is actually a quote of a quote from a 1998 Times article called "John Paul's Jewish Dilemma." In which the author of the article is quoting a critic of the church.

Nice technique, huh?

So, how much of this is going on? Not just in published works, but on TV, radio and newspapers? How much of the nation's media does Rupert Murdoch own? How much personal, political philosophy finds its way into what we view, read, listen?

So, that is my most recent charge, to read the shrill works of the right. But I don't want to buy them in the mainstream (don't want any money going to them) so will have to look for them used and library (I guess, but wouldn't that be an embarrassing checkout history? I will have to check out the Satanic Bible and The Communist Manifesto just to balance it out).

Awhile back I saw Clerks II and there was a funny part about reclaiming a phrase that is commonly regarded as a racial slur (has to do with a tailed primate and a, ummm..."deck"). There is another word that in recent history has been made out to be a dirty word. I think we should reclaim it.

Liberal.

Okay, off to tackle my neo-con book challenge! If I don't post up for long periods of time it is probably because I am rocking myself in the corner, confused and mumbling nonsensically.

Wish you happy everyday and happy reading if you choose to take the book-con challenge with me!