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I try – I really do – to not get into the New Year retrospective frame of mind around this time of year. Usually it’s terminally infected with opinions of meaningless things, or major events tainted with spin. I generally despise anyone who writes about “The Best of..” or “The Worst of…” virtually anything. In most cases they are people completely out of touch, and writing about things no one has ever heard of, just to be trendy.

That being said, I cannot resist the elephant in the living room of 2009. Now, don’t misunderstand me. I think hypocrisy is one of the joys of observing the world. It’s like a previously unknown flower that blooms before your eyes, causing a near fatal allergic reaction. But as cynical (realistic) as I am about human society in general, I marvel to this very moment at the wholesale refusal on the part of the American so-called “Conservative underground” to acknowledge the gigantic travesty hoisted upon Independent radio talk show host Dr. Michael Savage.

For those of you victims of the propagandizing of the media – both Conservative and government-owned – Michael Savage, host of the 3rd largest radio talk show in the nation “The Savage Nation”, was banned from entering Britain. Why? Because they felt he incited violence. Anyone with the simple gift of sight knows that’s nowhere near the truth, and anyone who has listened to him knows that it’s worse than untrue.

Now, before I go on, let me clarify something I said above. Propaganda is not always aggressive. Just as effective is the practice of not mentioning something. This, then, has been the modus operandi of the American so-called media toward Savage. This is a conscious, obvious effort to promote ignoring someone. Those who know what I mean by “sympathetic contempt” should have the hairs on the back of their neck sticking up. Yet the silence from Conservative “colleagues” is deafening.

Day in an day out we hear the railings of Conservative talk shows bemoaning the death of the Constitution, free speech and such. They howl against Obama and the perceived ruination of this country. Yet, they knowingly ignore, right before their eyes, the blatant and outrageous discrimination against Michael Savage: the denial of free travel to one of our biggest allies based on absolute lies. Then, lo and behold, we find out through the release of emails through British government, that Savage was put on the banned list because he was white and they wanted to balance out the list, ethnically speaking.

The deprivation of free speech is, to me, the single most vital concern today. As a writer, I confess I am anxious to write what I think for fear the thugs that run the US today will put an end to it. Or me.

The single most disgusting thing about Savage’s dilemma is that these uneducated blowhards of talk radio, who have every truck driver’s attention, will not recognize the ultimate symbol for what they are fighting to retain. This smacks of high school popular kids thinking.

Is there no one who doesn’t see how pathetic this is?

I have moments of what I can only describe as despair, thinking that the utterly blatant displays of hypocrisy on the part of the media, let alone our worst Congress in history, are just being eaten up without the beat of an eyelash.

But then I think about what really is going on here. I mean, if you strip the emotion from it, the intellectual investment in what is going on, you understand the pattern that is happening. I have the good fortune of being a true Independent. I love it when someone tells me “I’m a registered Independent”. No, you’re not. You can’t register as Independent. You can register with the Independence Party. To be an Independent, you register as NO PARTY.

Anyway, the pattern that is going on is this: The Conservative media were deeply complicit in the election of Obama. This ensured ratings. Limbaugh and his lapdog Hannity would have nothing to do were it not for Obama. That’s why they spent the entire election year talking about him, preaching to the choir. The bitch is that there is no one to run in 2012. And PLEASE do not talk to me about the Pawlenty nobody.

Dr. Michael Savage sees himself as an Independent. Limbaugh and Hannity have both declared the intent of political genocide on Independents and moderates. In other words, they have declared war on free thinking people. What does that sound like to you?

Folks, the only way out of this mess we’re in is free thinking people, not Democrats or Republicans. That’s over.

Do this: Walk into the bathroom and splash some cold water on your face, look in the mirror and ask yourself – to your own face – where the hell did that get us?

You know what comes next.

Andrew T. Durham

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Biography - Andrew T. Durham

Andrew T.Durham is a graduate of State University at Albany, with a degree in Psychology/Philosophy. In the late 80's to mid 90's he was instrumental in creating ground-breaking outreach/prevention programs, as well as being a highly successful public speaker. A former acupuncturist and clinician (primarily to inner city adolescents), he has also been a consultant to the Massachusetts State Department of Public Health and several non-profit organizations. He is an accomplished musician - proficient in 7 instruments - ,actor and author of 10 plays, 5 of which have been produced. He is currently a consultant for small non-profit agencies and lives in Rochester, NY

Copyright © 2010 by Andrew T. Durham
All Rights Reserved.

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