In the last few days, talk show hosts have demonized and attacked their own listeners for voting Democratically. They have accused conservatives of betraying their country and aiding the terrorists. They have sizzled out bombastic indictment after acidic recrimination like spots of bacon fat spitting on a skillet.
Except they're spitting into their microphones, spitting and hissing scalding hatred into the ears of anyone who is still listening to these ministers of anger. At contest is the soul of our country, and they hope that that soul is willing to cast out love and patience for sinful hatred. They're betting that Americans will let monstrous black clouds of hate blot out God's light from their souls with the intent that in the ensuing darkness, Big Oil and Halliburton can steal past our sentries and raid and plunder our country before we can awake, put aside our differences and defend ourselves.
Their character execution of conservatives who disagreed with them in this past election is reminiscent of the Stalinist purges, the NKVD paranoiac executions of supposed traitors and everything that is counter-productive and corrosive to the well being of a democracy.
More and more every day, conservatives are realizing that they empathize more with the Democrat who shops at the same grocery store, waits in the same unforgiving line at the Post Office, and cheers for the same football team than with the Halliburton executive getting blown in the backseat of his limousine on taxpayer dollars.
The Republican company spokespeople have tried to divide this country brother from brother, Virginian from Virginian, San Francisco man from North Lawrence, Kansas man, but it's all America. It's all one beautiful ribbon of land, home to the greatest liberty and democracy in the world, fountain of the grandest ideals ever snatched from the stratosphere of dreams and incarnated in governmental polity.
Listen to these conservatives when a caller tries to impress them with a new way of bashing Democrats. The host will rarely agree completely, instead they will assert their own opinion as if it is the only possible conclusion.
As you listen to these company spokespeople spit hatred at you and every American who doesn't fall in line with their ideology, think about the countries in which the people follow a religious or secular leader mindlessly.
If you want to live in a country run by people as heartless, callous, paranoid, and indoctrinating as the Talliban, then form your own country where you can be a mindless slave to Mark Levin or Rush Limbaugh. This country is for people who think for themselves. And that means doing some work. Talk radio is like a drug: it's easy to use, mindless and corrosive to your soul. The rush of anger that you derive from it only damages your soul.
Conservative talk show hosts are continuing to pollute the airwaves with their venomous sales pitches on Halliburton's behalf, but a backlash, however small, is emerging with every new paranoid and vindictive meltdown in conservative Radioland.
