Bring it, you ill-tempered, foul-mouthed Father-Coughlin–wannabe who’s so fucking pathetic you have to get your creepy-ass deep-pocket think-tank buddies to bulk-buy your book up the bestseller lists.
A certain bigot (and those on the right who want to claim him as their own, a necessary corrective to the liberal American mediasphere, be my guest; every time he opens his mouth he makes rain for us) with a brand spankin’ new MSNBC TV contract (whose fingerprints are those on the knife in Donahue’s back?) is making some waves by calling for the arrest of the leaders of the anti-war movement once the Shock and Awe start raining down. (A link to his front page is provided as reference, should you need to verify this fact yourself. Be warned: ugly type and blinking graphics await.) —Savage (whose bearded mug glares at me on my commute every morning, since the local talk-radio outlet has a deal that splatters him and Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly and Savage and local wannabe Lars Larson on the backs of busses, and there’s an irony in there, somewhere, a sick, stunted little thing that’s the best we can do, these days) also demonstrates an utter lack of familiarity with the middle school American History curriculum by linking favorably to the text of the 1918 US Sedition Act, repealed in 1921 and since repudiated as a grimy nadir, along with the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts. We can giggle, if we like, at his historical ignorance (doubtless he would wail and moan about goddless, communist NEA teachers slandering American history—much as he will twenty years from now, the four years of Bush 43’s term long since rubbing elbows with Harding’s and Grant’s at the bottom of the presidential barrel, the odious USA PATRIOT Act having been repealed, joining the US Sedition Act and the Alien and Sedition Acts down there with the slimy fear-mongering stuff that honestly, we see it now, it’s a bad idea, we’ll never do it again, promise); certainly, giggling is better for the health than glowering worrisomely at the millions of nativist brownshirts who presumably hang from his every slaver-drenched word. But I say what the hell. Let him have his Sedition Act. Go back and read it. Forget the latter “willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States, or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States” language; these are all gimmes, as no one on the anti-war side is mocking the First through Fourth Amendments like Ashcroft, or insulting drafted servicefolks like Rumsfeld. Nah. Check out the opening lines of the act Savage wants to champion:
Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success of its enemies…
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what’s known in the biz as a “money quote.” (Thanks, Sully. Oy.)
- Given that the Bush administration has made and conveyed false reports and false statements regarding Iraq at every turn;
- Given that “such systematic distortion of intelligence, such systematic manipulation of the American people” is to directly interfere with the operation and success of the military and naval forces of the United States, sending them into a conflict without the international support we require;
- Given that by every sober, informed estimation of the situation, the coming conflict will destabilize the Middle East to an unprecedented degree, providing new waves of recruits and new sources of arms to Al Qaeda, thereby promoting the success of our ostensible enemies, and putting this country in the path of a danger for which we are criminally unprepared;
- Well.
—I think it’s quite clear that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Wolfowitz, et al, would be the first to face charges of sedition under the renewal of this act, by golly.
Hey. It could happen. It could.
(Aw, forget the Father Coughlin ref. Father Coughlin’s too good for the likes of Savage.)
Commenting is closed for this article.
Well, I already don't have cable (why did Phil's show have to be on cable ?), and only tune in Fox for a certain block of shows Sunday Night. So I guess my main question would be: Would it be possible to boycott every brand-name that advertises on the NBC channels without having to give up eating, drinking and certain crucial bathroom products altogether ?
Probably not. More's the pity.
I was surprised to learn Donahue's show was so popular, considering Matthews is a well-regarded mainstay. And considering that Donahue had format problems: first he tried the O'Reilly bring 'em in and beat 'em up strategy, which failed cuz Donahue, for all his bluster, is a very nice man; and then he tried reverting to the classic format he pioneered and that served Oprah so well. Unfortunately, it didn't work this time around. Still, gotta give him props for trying.
As for Savage, his show will last as long as Alan Keyes' did. Believe it or not, nakedly right wing nutso TV doesn't fair too well. Hannity is softened (I won't say balanced, cuz he ain't) by Colmes. O'reilly pretends to be neither left-or-right (fooling no one, but the fans appreciate the pose.) Brett Hume will defer to Mara Lyasson and Juan Williams. Although Crossfire marginalizes the truly Left, with the exception of Pat Buchannan, the truly Right is more often represented by squishy establishment types like Novak and Tucker—with Paul Begala ready to shoot 'em down if they get wacky. I think Buchannan survives because his populism has qualities that labor-minded lefties and anti-imperialists can identify with—at a nose-holding distance, of course. Anyway, Savage won't last long. Fear not.
Ya know, I think of myself as a fairly toughminded broad, but the whole Sullivan/faceful of rhetorical spunk thing just really makes me want to clutch my pearls and go lie down.
cause, like, ew.
I'm with julia. Pearls. Clutch.
Boy, you weren't kidding about the graphics of Savage's site. It's been awhile since I've seen anything even approaching that level of monumentally bad design and layout. Proof positive that Viagra should be a controlled substance.
Considering the generally odious nature of the subject(s) at hand, I think pearl-clutching is an entirely appropriate response.
This Week's Cartoon 3/3/03
The temptation to interpret this week’s cartoon for the reader, and in so doing “pre-empt” (sorry) any possible misreading or
Mike Savage is a great resource and a true American. Lets Stand behind him in a fight against
the coummist that are trying to take over this great nation. Rise up arms and slay the Bastards,
that are against our President.
Rise, up and slay the baStards who, don't no hwo to spel *&or to yo use punxatawny Marx. Or something.
Um look at the ratings of fox news see hannity and savage are at the top of their game . Um where do you guys live in the dark basements of hell.
Um look corporate interests run the media and corporate media doesn't like anyone who criticizes them and hence racist, sexist, classist fuckwits like savage and hannity make huge wads of money kissing corporate ass and why don't you get off the internet until such time as you gain more than two brain cells to rub togther ? Dumbass.
I would note that Phil Donohue's tiring tactic of first describing his guest in a negative manner and attributing a motive to them they may or may not have held BEFORE posing a question or letting them utter a word ...just got old. Donohue's demagoguery of every politically correct notion conceived was no longer winning anyone over. It's true Savage is a bit raw ... but at least he loves America. He rejects the 'anti-nationalism' and the 'ridicule the patriot' crowd ... and so do I.