Savage Nation Frightens Me

As some of you know, I tend to be a non-music radio listener. I started with just listening to NPR on the way to work, but during the day the NPR station here in Huntsville never plays anything but classical music. So to get my fix, I switch over to AM radio during those times.

For those who don't listen to AM radio, it is a interesting sort of listen. Most know that the rank of talk show host typically only goes to folks who are pretty hard-core right-wing conservative. Interestingly, there is actually a relationship between how early you are on in the day and how conservative you are required to be. For example, here in Huntsville the AM 770 station plays the following shows:

Noon - Rush Limbaugh - Rush is better than the rest of them, although he will still resort to name calling, scare tactics, and general twisting of words whenever it suits the point he is trying to make. However, he at least has some good points to make. I can usually listen to this for about 30 minutes or so before I want to call the station. The worst thing about this show is that he makes some fine points, but always seems to take them too far.

3:00 pm - Sean Hannity - Way more conservative. Interestingly, this guy is a complete dick when hosting the show alone, but is always very nice to any guest he has; even the Democrat ones (probably because he needs them to actually come back once in a while). I can only listen to this one for about 10 minutes before I have to turn it off.

7:00 pm - Michael Savage - Worst of the whole lot. He is a Pat Buchanan conservative ( just like regular conservative, except he also adds in a fear of foreigners and is in favor of isolationism). I swear this next part is true and that I heard it with my own ears: last week he said anyone who was not in favor of the words "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance must be a "sexual deviant". Usually I cannot make it home before this guy makes me yell at the radio.

Of course, the people who call into these shows are amusing as well:) Yesterday I was listening and someone called in to say the answer to the problems in Iraq was to just wipe out various cities one at a time until the population comes under control... and host thought it was a good idea! I've heard the same idea floated around about the Palestine/Israel problem as well on talk radio. Wow.... That would be like the government telling us that every time someone was convicted of a murder, they would wipe out everyone on the same block... Scary stuff man...