A Most Uncivil War

by Steve Young

The election is over...but not much. The attacks from the right continue to drill a hole into anything left of...well, left of anything. In their latest effusive assault, they won't let us forget that most of the country voted for Bush. I mean just look at that big ole red map. Such a little bit left for the blues. But wait. Perhaps there's less to this latest "we like God more than you" minutia that Talk Radio loves to throw around like so much sanctimonious sacrilegion.

Where is this all leading us as a country? National Lampoon has taken a look back at the future and while it could be funny...it ain't pretty.   (LINK)

Just how much of the red land that they speak of so proudly is actually covered with people? Is this the right's way of saying that land is more important than people? Interesting that such people interested in people seem more interested in perpetrating the will of...dirt (which is what land is without people), than they are in the will of the people.

Now I do understand that more people voted for President Bush this time than his opponent. One out of two elections ain't bad. In fact, more people voted for the President than have ever voted for a president before. Forget the fact that more also voted against a president than ever before. Does this mean we have to demean the vanquished? You bet!

The Lords of Loud have been pushing a (reform) school of thought that Democrats consider the red states to be a scary, lock-step Jesusland. Not as clever as Hollyweird (Get it? They changed the spelling to make it funny) or California nuts or New York, The Big Rotten Apple, but you get the point: the Left just despises those who care about religion and/or God. But for Christ's sake, neither is true. But if the demonizing were as ardent and divisive as Talk Radio's dandy and successful jihad to characterize liberals as anti-American, anti-military, anti-everything good and patriotic, the United States may soon find its name being sued by one of them there communist ACLU trial lawyers for libelous misrepresentation.

As you will hear 24/7 on the AM dial, there's a cultural war going on; a battle for the hearts and mind of America. Problem is, if one side wins the battle, then half of the country loses. Just fine if you've got the good and godly half embellishing your ratings and book sales.

This is the problem with Talk Radio and the rest of the God-fearing pundits today, Right or Left, is that it only works if the country is split. It builds anger and self-righteousness. Both of those passions sell. Check Amazon. Or the O'Reilly bank account. And what is the difference between those histrionic evangelicals who employ God to build their estates and the political commentators and infotainers who use shrill divisiveness (and their witness to God) to build theirs?

Do those who are different or want to exercise their creative muscles in areas where they can be employed deemed to be deviant? You would think that every gay child was born in a blue state. Despite what Dr Dobson assures us, there may be some who are born gay...or blue. Does this not also take place in red states, or is it that when the amniocentesis shows that the baby might be gay that the mother is rushed to a blue state for the demon's birth?

Anecdotal stories from callers supported by high-profile Michael Moore and Hollyweird (it always gets me) antics do not equate to fact nor gospel. The reason you hear the Lords of Loud repeat ad infinitum their same litany of wrongs of their opponent, is that repetition works...in advertising and politics. In Talk Radio it means you've got nothing else. And, oh the profit from those premium website memberships.