I Listen to Conservative Radio

[ Edited for corrections aplenty ]

I listen to conservative radio. I also listen to "liberal" radio, but that doesn't seem to a problem for some.

Of course, for others, listening to "liberal" radio is a problem. But that's not what this is all about. What this is about is responding to the idea, to me, that listening to conservative talk radio is a "bad thing".

So, if I listen to conservative radio, does that mean I, therefore, am not able to think for my self?

Lord forbid I should happen to want to formulate ideas based "pro and
con" vs. just based on knee jerk reaction. Lord forbid I should happen to want to be logical about what I base my beliefs upon.

I guess if I was to follow the "logic" that since I listen to
conservative radio, I'm brainwashed, then that means those who listen
to liberal radio are brainwashed. What an interesting concept. And
what a condenscending concept. [Let's ignore that I listen to left leaning talk radio as well].

I listen to conservative radio, therefore, I am beholden to conservative thought.

Let's see, I believe in low taxes. Of course that could only mean I
believe that way because I listen to conservative radio, not because I feel abused when I look at my year ending tax statements and see about 40% of my money going to taxes. Should I mention all of the regular people who buy homes for the reason of the tax deduction? Isn't that trying to keep as much money as possible from the government?

I believe the size of government is too big and mostly ineffective and wasteful. That must be because I listen to conservative radio, not because in my dealing as contractor I've seen government employees read the newspapers, walk the halls, visit their friends, shop in the on site stores, and take care of a lot of personal business during the day, instead of doing their jobs. My belief has to be that way just because I listen to conservative radio, not because I've seen the waste in government money when the end of the government fiscal year nears and organizations rush to spend all of their money for fear that next year's budget will be less if they don't spend all of the money. Or, when I've witnessed contracts let based on internal politics and "empire building," not the job required or who is best qualified to do the work.

I guess it's easy to forget that I had an inspector tell me that I had
to have wired electrical smoke detectors installed in the bedrooms
upstairs, otherwise he would fail the last inspection for having a
bathroom installed, and storage room finished _in the BASEMENT_. I
guess it's easy to forget that I had to challenge the inspector and
threaten legal action before it was said that all I had to do was show that I had smoke detectors in the bedrooms. I don't think I told you all the inpsector did was ask if the detectors were installed. He
didn't do a verification. But believing that government is wasteful
and ineffective is based not on experience, but based on conservative
radio.

My support of school vouchers must be because I listen to conservative radio, not from seeing lousy teachers protected by the school system by sending them to minority majority schools instead of firing them. Or from seeing Black students overwhelmingly placed in "special education classes" to get more federal aid instead of properly assessing their capabilities. Or from seeing school systems like the Baltimore City Public School System have the worst performance in the state of Maryland, while having the highest administration costs in the state of Maryland. Or from seeing the Baltimore City Public School System know they have a problem with lead in the water but still letting kids drink from the fountains. This was until the school system was sued. Then, the system used bottled water for 1 1/2 years before turning on the water fountains again, but NOT FIXING the lead problem. Or from seeing public school teachers send their children to private schools at a rate that is higher than the rest of the community. Or finding out how a private school makes their book selection with 3 telephone calls, but never being able to find out how a "good public school system" makes their academic book selection. Who cares if I recognize that school vouchers
are backed by some who want the end of government schools but the
situation in some areas is so bad that parents of the children need
more options, not less. Who cares if I recognize that charter schools
are a public school option that may fail but why point them out when other public school failures get a pass.

The fact that I think Bill Clinton is a "cracka in a suit" is because
of conservative radio, not because he hung Lani Guinier out to dry
when he claimed he didn't know about her views. Or when he hung
Joyclen Elders out to dry just because she said that the idea of
teaching masturbation could be discussed. Or when he signed the
cocaine vs. crack sentencing disparity into permanent law, instead of
letting it sunset like the CBC wanted. Or when he did nothing about
racial profiling. Or when he took time away from campaigning for
president to go back to Arkansas to oversee(!) the execution of a
retarded Black man convicted of murder. Or when he signed the welfare
reform act even though the CBC was against it.

The fact that I think that the CBC is ineffective, lacks political
skill, and suck up to the Democratic Party power structure comes from
listening to conservative radio not the fact that Bill Clinton signed
bills into law that the CBC was against. Or that the CBC, in a
Democratic controlled congress, seemed to get little of what they
wanted.

But at least the CBC throws one helluva party.

The fact that I think the Democratic party takes the Black voted for
granted comes from listening to conservative radio, not from the fact
that the Democratic party promised to back McCall in the governor's
race in New York, instead did nothing. Or that Charlie Rangel said
that he wished their were more J.C. Watts' in congress so that he
could get more consessions from his party.

The fact that I think "Global Warming" is not proven comes from
listening to conservative radio, not from the fact that scientists
disagree if the warming is a result of human actiivites, or if the
warming is not normal when the long range is taken into account, or
even if it really is occuring. The fact that I think "Global Warming"
is not proven can't be based on my engineering background that compels me to ask how they are determining global warming exists when a baseline is not discussed or how the baseline was derrived.

But we all know that liberal radio is much better to listen to for
Black folks, right?

How about those liberals, who clearly love us Black folk, when Air
America displaced Black talk radio in New York? You don't know what I
mean? Read this about Air America and Black radio.

Let's pick on more liberal radio some more. How about when Air America got a "loan" from a New York Boys and Girls Club? So what you say? How about how the loan was given and by whom? You don't know what I mean?
Read this. This one
has more.

On September 5, 2005, I wrote this about what's being said in the
media

Those are 5 simple questions. Need I mention that the conservative AND
liberal media were reporting things that didn't happen in NOLA?

The attempt to use the fact that I listen to conservative media to
attempt to shut me down is nothing but intellectual weakness.

When we were on soc.culture.africanl.american and
soc.culture.africanl.american.moderated, I remember noticing that with
each wave of conserva-kook attack, the regular posters refinded and
enhanced their responses to the same tiring wave of garbage. I also
remember Michael Bowen mentioning that very same fact.

I went searching, and here's something I wrote back in August 1998,
concerning Clarence Thomas:

http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.african.american.moderated/msg/ffdcc9bb0b995fff?dmode=source&hl=en
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.african.american.moderated/msg/e7dc3c339626e731?dmode=source&hl=en

"Next, by making all of the negative comments about him, without
attacking his views in a purely intellectual manner, Thomas is
being built up, not torn down! People in the 'liberal media,' are now
saying 'It's a shame those Black people are calling Justice Thomas all of those mean names.'"

Meaning, if all you are going to do is call the man a "sellout" or
uncle tom, shut the hell up! If you are going to pick his views apart,
intellectually, do it. Then the labels aren't necessary.

I caught hell for writing that, but I was proven correct when Judge
Higginbotham wound up saying the same thing and wrote a piece
attacking Clarence Thomas' on his understanding and application of law.

Just deal with the information presented. If you don't like it, argue against it. If you do like it, then so be it. But if you disagree because of the source, and attack that only, then it looks like you can't argue otherwise.

Or, at least, that's how I see it.

Comments

[Sirc_Valence]

I think that what you do is fair. I like to give people who disagree with me a fair hearing, too.