Free Republic

Most election years, uninspired voters have little choice but to follow the example of W.C. Fields who said, “I never vote for anyone; I always vote against.” But not this year, and not in the GOP. Watching “Rudy McRomney” (as the frontrunners have sometimes been dubbed) debate in New Hampshire, it was hard to believe that as recently as 1996, the major contenders for the Republican nomination were Bob Dole and Pat Buchanan. If either of them had approached the stage Tuesday night, they would have been tackled by security and dragged from the building. The GOP field for 2008...

Want more examples from talk radio’s not-so-distant scandalous past? Click through our rogue’s gallery of talk show hosts that have gotten into trouble for letting their mouths outrun their better judgment. ...Sharpton was unimpressed: 'You ought to be fired.' On April 12 CBS did just that, firing Imus a day after MSNBC announced it would no longer broadcast his radio show. ...'(Michael J. Fox is) moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act,' said Limbaugh. ...Savage was fired from his MSNBC talk show in 2003 for calling an openly gay caller a 'sodomite,' adding that 'you should only...

Alright, I'm in. You can turn off CNN, stop emailing me the NYTimes editorials and stuff a sock in Keith Olbermann's piehole. You've done it. You've closed the deal. I'm ready to vote Democrat. I am prepared to walk into that elementary school gymnasium on November 7th and pull a straight "D" ticket (at the federal level, anyway). The man who proudly ran Pat Buchanan's campaign in South Carolina in 1992 is ready, willing and able to vote Democrat early and, in the proud Democratic tradition, often. Speaker Pelosi? No problem. Majority Leader Reid? Absolutely. I don't care how much...

Ladies, if you were at a social gathering and met a gentleman who refused to shake your hand because you are a woman, would you be offended? Well, don't be. It's only because he's a Muslim. And Professor, if you were giving a lecture on World History and one of your students jumped up in the middle of your class and began screaming death threats because you accurately quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor, would you be offended? Please, professor, relax. It's only because that student is a Muslim. My gay friends, let's say you were at Harvard a few...

A year ago this month, our columnist was booted off the air for claiming that "Islam is a terrorist organization." Was the punishment justified? One year ago this month, I was fired from my talk radio job by ABC/Disney for saying on the air — and in these pages — that "Islam is a terrorist organization." My argument was very simple. Any organization that allows terrorists to operate freely in its name; whose ideology is, rightly or wrongly, used to justify and promote terrorism; and whose membership includes, according to every international poll, hundreds of millions of devotees who support...

Forget the warplanes in the skies of Iraq or the Special Forces in the Afghan mountains. Our entire national security strategy — your security from getting gassed in a subway or bombed in an office building — has been reduced to this: begging. The Secretary of the Treasury, John Snow, had to go to the New York Times and literally beg for your life. The Times had found out about yet another successful and legal spy program, and they were planning on letting Al Qaeda know about it, too, by putting it on the front page. Secretary Snow begged the...

I know, I know. Ann Coulter is Satan. She's vicious. She's outrageous. She is not to be tolerated. I understand. But I have a quick question for you: Have you actually read her book? I mean, as you're gathering your ropes and lighting your torches and looking for a well-placed tree limb, don't you think you should take an hour or two and, you know, read what Coulter actually said? "But Michael, who would ever read such filth? Such hateful extremism! She's a witch! Burn! Burn!" And so goes the debate with the American Left... Call me crazy, but before...

Al Gore's Force of Nature "We [humans] are the most powerful force in nature." ‹ Al Gore Chances are, you're way too cool for global warming. As the reader of a hip, indie-rock, alt-lifestyle mag like this one, I'm guessing the whole "climate change crisis" thing just doesn't do it for you. Well, don't feel bad, because you're right: This really IS your father's global warming crisis. Without baby boomers, there is no global warming. Not because boomers are uniquely gaseous, but because they are uniquely egotistical. The notion that, as Al Gore put it on my radio station last...

On Thursday there was a large gathering at the State House in Boston to support legal immigration and to show state lawmakers that there is a large group of underrepresented people opposed to granting amnesty to criminals and to letting this country's border security remain a joke. Why was there not one word about this rally in the Globe? I can't think of a bigger news story than a large group of patriotic, taxpaying Americans gathering (in the middle of the work day) to stand up and defend this country, especially in a city known for its liberal position on...

Personally, I blame Bill Clinton Bill Clinton was an incredibly skilled politician. He mastered the five "D"s of political dodgeball (deny, deceive, denounce, distract, and deny) better than any national figure in my lifetime. He redefined what it means to be great at politics. He also convinced an entire American generation of the uselessness of politicians. The one-two punch of the irrelevance of the Clinton presidency, followed so closely by the profound power of 9/11, has created a climate in which being good at politics is a political negative. We don't want Huey Longs or LBJs or even Ronald Reagans....

There was a time when being a newspaper editor in South Carolina took guts. And there was a time when local editors had guts, too. During the Civil War, there were newspapers in South Carolina that opposed secession and yet continued printing even as the war (and the mobs outside their buildings) raged. In 1924, the editor of the Charleston Daily News faced what historians euphemistically call "a violent physical encounter" in his newsroom after editorializing against the race-baiting politics of Gov. Cole Blease and his local ally, Charleston Mayor John P. Grace. In the '60s, the editor of the...

I offer the following recent news items, in no particular order: The Council on American-Islamic Relations is demanding an apology from a Los Angeles talk show host for making fun of Muslims. In reference to the oft-repeated spectacle of Muslim pilgrims stampeding each other to death during the Hajj, KFI’s Bill Handel suggested the annual Hajj should feature a “Hajj In The Sky” traffic copter. This is a joke. It is not allowed. On Monday, armed Muslim gunmen stormed an office of the European Union in Gaza, in protest of a series of editorial cartoons in a Danish newspaper. The...

"I have only one firm political belief about the American political system, and that is this: God is a Republican and Santa Claus is a Democrat." -- P.J. O'Rourke Though it is impossible to get Bill O'Reilly to shut up about it, the idea that there is a liberal war on Christmas is absolute fantasy. American liberals don't hate Christmas. They live it. If Narnia is a land where "it is always winter but never Christmas," American liberals live in a place where it is always Christmas Eve but never the end of the month. They sit, waiting for the...

The secret of being a good American is learning to hate the right things. Yes, hate is a sin, and thus would seem to run against the Puritan principles upon which this nation was founded. But don't forget that one reason Puritans came to these shores was for the opportunity to enjoy the full and unhindered hatred of Catholics. In fact, Americans have never been against sin in and of itself. Rather, we've always believed in sinning the right way. Racism, for example, is utterly evil, unless it involves denying slots at Ivy League schools to people who've made the...

Radio host axed for Islam slam lands a Hub gig By Jay Fitzgerald Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - Updated: 11:41 AM EST A Virginia talk-show host who was fired from his last full-time radio gig for calling Islam a “terrorist organization” was tapped yesterday to replace bad-boy Jay Severin as host of WTKK (96.9-FM)’s coveted afternoon drive-time show. Michael Graham, who was canned this summer by WMAL in Washington, D.C. for repeatedly making the anti-Muslim remarks and refusing to apologize for them, said yesterday he believes his controversial comments reflected reality – and still do in the wake of recent...

It's official: New WTKK afternoon/ drivetime guy is Michael Graham. (More below) Jay Severin? Still in limbo. Apparently WTKK's owner, Greater Media, has exclusive rights to _negotiate with him_ in the hope of carrying his new show, Jay Severin has Issues; this "window" runs till the end of the year, and Jay's new show starts nationwide in Jan. Could be on WTKK, WBZ, who knows. ALLACCESS.COM reports: Graham Takes Afternoons At WTKK/Boston Michael Graham As previously tipped on ALL ACCESS, former WMAL-A/WASHINGTON midday host MICHAEL GRAHAM is taking over afternoons on GREATER MEDIA Talk WTKK (96.9 FM TALK)/BOSTON, effective TODAY...

My "Dear George" Letter Sorry, George, but you lost me at Harriet. When a reporter asked you Oct. 4 if Harriet Miers was the most qualified possible candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court and you answered, "Yes þ I picked the best person I could find" ‹ and you did it with a straight face ‹ that was it. I'm done. Check, please! I'm outta here. I am no longer a George W. Bush supporter. As a conservative, I have been bitch-slapped by this man for the last time. Those suffering from "Battered Conservative's Syndrome" will no doubt make excuses...

They were poor. They lived in homes that, to some Americans, would appear no more than shacks. They've suffered discrimination at the hands of their fellow Americans. And when the hurricane came, it seemed to veer out of its way, just to hit them.

Listen While You Freep! All programs are replayed for 23 hours and again on weekends so tune in when it’s convenient for YOU! Call In Number - 866-884-TALK (8255) Heating the EDGE of a New Media! Noon EST – Michael Graham UNLEASHED! 1pm EST - Straight Talk - In August the spokesman for the muslim group CAIR appeared on my show. When pressed to be forthcoming about what they stood for; he emoted and hung-up. My guest this week will do what Ibrahim Hooper was unwilling to do. This week's guest will shed the light of truth on CAIR. Are...

<p>I am heading down to the Rally site now, to help with setting up - which began at 5am today. I didn't know if someone would post a live thread later. My apologies if I have stepped on any toes.</p>