There are limits even to free speech (hate radio)

Portland Tribune ^ | 03/21/03 | John Calhoun

[Andy from Beaverton]

Here's his e-mail if you want to tell him how you feel: John Calhoun

[Mind-numbed Robot]

I don't care to share my emotions with him but is any of this at all believable. I, personal;ly, don't think so.

[Zipporah]

"Challenging KXL’s broadcasts of Michael Savage is not an attack on free speech."

Oh really?

[John Lenin]

What about Alec Baldwin ?

"And I have come back from Africa to stained dressed and cigars and this and impeachment. I am thinking to myself, in other countries they are laughing at us 24 hours a day and I’m thinking to myself, if we were in other countries, we would all right now, all of us together, [starts to shout] all of us together would go down to Washington and we would stone Henry Hyde to death! We would stone him to death! [crowd cheers] Wait! Shut up! Shut up! No shut up! I’m not finished. We would stone Henry Hyde to death and we would go to their homes and we’d kill their wives and their children. We would kill their families. [stands up, yelling] What is happening in this country? What is happening?

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Targeting Savage will only make Savage stronger. He's like those people in those games, where they get stronger and stronger with each challenge. That's Savage. CAHR has been targeting Savage for ages, and since then he's gone national, gotten more stations and is now on television! I say bring it on! Savage is brilliant and intense and loves a challenge!

[CyberAnt]

Maybe you should remind Mr. Calhoun.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Jew-Baiting Leftists Denounce "Hate Radio"

By Richard Poe

June 7, 2002

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AN UNHOLY ALLIANCE of leftists, Democrats and Muslims has joined forces to muzzle talk radio. Its weapons are advertiser boycotts, smear campaigns, calls for repressive legislation… and Jew-baiting.

Talk radio has always antagonized leftists. It allows grassroots Americans to speak out -- and grassroots America despises the Left.

For many years, the "Fairness Doctrine" silenced talk radio. It required stations to provide "equal time" for opposing views. If honestly observed, the rule would have required stations to fill every minute of available airtime with a parade of dissenters, from Save the Whale activists to Holocaust revisionists. Most stations found it easier to avoid political controversy altogether.

In 1987, the Fairness Doctrine was repealed. This opened the door for both leftists and rightists to speak their minds freely. In practice, though, no one wanted to hear leftwing commentary. There was simply no market for it.

Between 1990 and 2001, the number of all-talk radio stations in the U.S. grew from 200 to over 1,300, reaching tens of millions of Americans each day with commentary that was overwhelmingly conservative.

Unable to compete in the marketplace, the Left responded with political attacks. After the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the Clintons blamed "hate radio" for the slaughter, and darkly implied that censorship might be needed.

Now a new coalition of Democrats, Muslims and leftwing activists has taken up the Clinton cause. They have targeted San Francisco talk show host Mike Savage, whose program airs on 350 stations nationally.

In April, a Portland, Oregon group calling itself the "Coalition Against Hate Radio" announced a boycott of Savage’s advertisers and called on KXL radio to drop his show.

"[Savage’s] content is an unbroken stream of hate and chauvinism directed against women, people of color, liberals, immigrants and in particular people of Middle Eastern heritage and people of the Muslim faith," said coalition spokesman Tom Nelson.

Among its 20-odd member organizations, the Coalition includes the Muslim Educational Trust, Islamic Societies of Southwest Washington and Portland, Jews for Global Justice and the Multnomah County Democratic Party.

It’s plain enough why Muslim and leftwing religious groups would oppose Savage. But why the Multnomah County Democratic Party?

An April 26 article in NewsMax.com offers one theory. In a NewsMax column of March 8, Savage exposed Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer of New York and Ron Wyden of Oregon as the principal opponents of a bill requiring photo IDs for voters. Such a bill would deprive Democrats of one of their favorite political tools – voter fraud.

A similar law worked brilliantly in Mexico, as Allan Wall – an American writer living in Mexico – described in FrontPageMagazine.com:

"In contrast to ours, the Mexican election [of 2000] went quite smoothly. Decades of rigged elections, which had become a highly-developed art form, had been overcome… The presidential election passed with no major incidents nor disputes, and resulted in a peaceful change of regime after 71 years of one-party rule."

Perhaps Senators Schumer and Wyden fear a similar upset, should America clean up its voting system. In any case, Savage’s March 8 column gave Oregon Democrats plenty of reason to fear him.

The campaign against "hate radio" does not rely on boycotts alone. It also pushes government repression, in the form of a new "Fairness Doctrine."

Talk-show host Neal Boortz reports that "at a recent meeting of the Democratic Party of Oregon a resolution was adopted to use the power of government and the `fairness doctrine’ to rein in … talk show hosts." The Wisdom Fund – an Islamic advocacy group – also favors restoring the Fairness Doctrine.

Some of Savage’s critics have resorted to crude Jew-baiting.

One site, posted by the so-called Coalition for Human Decency, makes a point of calling Savage "Michael Weiner" and taunts him for hiding his alleged Jewish background.

"On his show, he tries to portray himself as a Christian, who has incredibly strong feelings about Jewish issues," it sneers. But the alert Jew hunters at MichaelSavageSucks.com are not fooled.

"He almost comes unglued every time a Palestinian kills a Jew, but not vice versa…" the essay continues. "If you listen to his show, for even an hour, you will surely realize he is Jewish."

Personally, I have no idea whether Savage is Jewish. If he chooses to keep his background private, that’s his business, not mine.

Far more interesting to me is the rank hypocrisy of the Coalition Against Hate Radio, its fellow travelers and its spiritual role models, the Clintons – people who will stop at nothing, absolutely nothing, to silence any opposing voice.

Click here for Poe's upcoming media appearances.

Click here to view this article at NewsMax.com and FreeRepublic.com.

Richard Poe is a New-York-Times bestselling author and cyberjournalist. His latest book is The New Underground: How Conservatives Conquered the Internet. His previous book is The Seven Myths of Gun Control.

[Reactionary]

The liberals are losing it, and as usual they're lying through their teeth to keep the morons in line.

I hope they keep it up. Savage will roll them over like the fools they are.

[Anti-Bubba182]

"Challenging KXL’s broadcasts of Michael Savage is not an attack on free speech."

Comparing him to Tom Metzger is pretty close to actionable. This entire screed is pretty close, but as a public figure the bar is high and Savage is a figure who thrives on controversy. I don't think he would sue, but I kinda wish he would

[M Kehoe]

I guess the easiest way to say this is, if John Calhoun doesn't like Mr. Savage, then I will have to listen to him and buy his advertiser's products.

Thanks Calhoun for steering me in the right direction.

;^)

5.56mm

[isthisnickcool]

On a daily basis he denigrates gays, Muslims, women, Mexicans, the poor and most immigrants. He also advocates violence against some of these groups.

Really? I've listened to Savage numerous times. I'd say that sometimes he practices what some might call "politically incorrect pissed speech".

Savage is a bright guy that has a clear-headed way of looking at some things. On gays? I don't recall what Savage says about them. On Muslims I've never heard him say anything negative except about the radical Islamic-Facist types. He has said positive things about Islam and has had numerous Muslims speak on his show. On women? I don't know what this guy is talking about. The poor? Savage rants on what he calls "bums". On immigrants? Savage speaks about illegals.

The guy that wrote this doesn't listen to Savage.

[lizma]

Based on this article I would say Savage (who I have never listened to) is over the top.

Based on the fact this comes from the Portland Tribune (who I have read and found borderline fascist) I'd say I should start listening to him and get back to you all later.

[The Lake City Gar]

Savage is a clown...

I came to that conclusion after I heard him say: And I paraphrase: "Liberal reporters covering the middle east should be shot for treason".

Michael Savage is a blight on conservative radio. He's an embarrassment at best, a liability at worst. He's our Michael Moore.

[mdittmar]

Wow,white guys in Oregon are lucky,they're never killed in a hate crime,I may move there.

Thanks,John Calhoun

[litany_of_lies]

Please do, and give him a fair shot.

[Jolly Rodgers]

Michael Savage is a blight on conservative radio. He's an embarrassment at best, a liability at worst. He's our Michael Moore.

I would say he is in competition with Mike Gallagher for that distinction. They both are downright embarrassing.

[Mark Turbo]

KXL is in a ratings war with other radio stations, and Savage attracts listeners. Listeners attract advertisers. This makes money for KXL, which is owned by Paul Allen. That’s right, the owner of the Portland Trail Blazers is the No. 1 promoter of hate speech in the Pacific Northwest.

Rasheed Wallace served a seven-game suspension this season for threatening an official after a Blazers game. Teammate Bonzi Wells spit on Danny Ferry of the San Antonio Spurs early this season and was suspended as well. Paul Allen does more to "promote" their "hate speech" than he does Savage's.

I won't hold my breath waiting for Calhoun to demand that Wallace and Wells be cut from the Blazers. Paul Allen didn't become a billionaire by turning his nose up at winning ball games, Arbitron ratings, and software market share.

[WOSG]

Muslim terrorists beliefs casued them to kill. should we outlaw that whole religion?
What about eco-terrorists? Outlaw extreme environmentalist views?

He chooses his cases selectively.

[BRL]

With all the rape , murder assaults and robberies this author chooses to focus on just two crimes. These crimes were supposedly hate driven. This supposed hate is because Savage has a radio program. What a moron.

BTW, hate tends to form within the human soul all by itself and generally does not require help from something so trivial as a talk radio host. What a moron this guy is.