MICHAEL SAVAGE: ILLEGAL ALIEN SUPPORTERS WANT HIM SILENCED
"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it" Voltaire
Before political correctness became enshrined in this country, Voltaire was often quoted as an assurance of free speech for anyone. An exception that was also often quoted was that of the freedom to yell “fire” in a theater. This was the sensible approach to free speech.
Talk show host Michael Savage certainly does not need people such as me to defend his right to free speech. He is one of the toughest guys out there on the air. Therein lies part of his popular appeal. Some citizens are fed up with namby-pamby, politically correct commentators and welcome his free wheeling programs. Aside from his educational efforts, his discussions about family, customs and love of country are endearing to many people. He is also one of only a few who will discuss religion with his callers. He is always courteous and respectful of most religions. The wide range of issues he discusses keeps people coming back to hear him.
Because of the threats of the Democrats in Congress to bring back the “fairness doctrine”, however, it should prod everyone who values free speech to go to the defense of Savage and any other commentator in the sights of these Democrats.
There is the right of any liberal person or group of persons to forward their own programs and commentators. In fact, that is what they have been trying to do. However, audiences have evidently found them to be dull, not entertaining, and devoid of information a lot of people want.
The recent, scarcely lamented, downhill slide of Air America, for instance, is one of the more prominent failures. But there are others. Some hosts who didn’t cut it were Mario Cuomo, Alan Dershowitz, and Al Franken. Even though Franken was considered the leading light of Air America, his career there was less than sterling.
The latest group of people mad at Savage is a group of “immigrants” who fasted in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza in support of the “comprehensive” amnesty bill before the Senate. According to the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Bay Area immigrant advocates say radio host Michael Savage should be fired for using hateful language when suggesting supporters of an immigration reform bill who fasted in San Francisco’s Civic Center last week should starve to death.’
During a July 5 broadcast of “The Savage Nation‘, his nationally syndicated talk show, Savage said, ‘I would say let them fast till they starve to death…because then we won’t have a problem about giving them green cards because they’re illegal aliens'.”
Harsh? Perhaps, but free speech often is.
Some coming from the other side:
An exchange between Tina Gulland and Nina Totenberg:
Host Tina: “I don’t think I have any Jesse Helms defenders here, Nina?”
ABC News/NPR Reporter Nina Totenberg: “Not me, I think he ought to be worried about what’s going on in the Good Lord’s mind, because if there is retributive justice, he’ll get AIDS from a transfusion or one of his grandchildren will get it”.
And this from USA Today Columnist/Pacifica Radio Talk Show Host Julianne Malveaux, regarding Justice Clarence Thomas: “You know I hope his wife feeds him lots of eggs and butter and he dies early like many black men do, of heart disease. Well, that’s how I feel. He is an absolutely reprehensible person”.
Sounds like death wishes to me.
Pretty hateful speech, but conservatives did not whine about it and ask for equal time to rebut it. None of their bosses ever compelled them to apologize, at the least, and certainly no networks took any action against them.
According to the Chronicle, the immigrant students fasted to show support for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. The DREAM act has been hanging around for a long time, but Congress sensibly had never passed it. This act would give preferential treatment to illegal alien students in the form of in-state tuition. That is, if someone in California wanted to go to a school of higher learning in Iowa, for instance, that student would be granted the right to pay what a citizen of Iowa pays in tuition. However, citizens living in other states would have to pay out of state tuition, a difference of several thousands of dollars, in most cases. Also, since they would most likely be considered as minority status, they could receive preferential treatment in slots available. Slots are becoming more limited all the time, and a citizen could find herself/himself crowded out of a slot by a person in the country illegally.
Since Michael Savage was one of the steadiest voices against the amnesty bill, with all its goodies for illegals, he had a right to be angry at the gall of these “immigrants”. Students in this country illegally are provided education free. At an
average cost of $10,000 per student per year, (and this doesn’t even include the very expensive English as a second language tutors involved), those who have gone through the elementary and secondary schools in the country have taken
approximately $120,000 each from the taxpayers. Instead of publicly thanking the same taxpayers for their generosity, they hold out their hands for more and demonstrate for their “rights”.
Savage’s voice is loud and heard by many people and that is what drives the liberals, (who he describes in his book, “Liberalism is a Mental Disorder”), over the edge. They would like to shut him up. Their idea of playing the political game is, if you don’t like the game, change the rules.
Another quote which would probably appeal to Michael Savage:
“I have only ever made one prayer to God, a very short one: O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it”. Voltaire
Barbara regularly writes for CapitolHillCoffeeHouse. She also appears in California Chronicle, Border Patrol, and Citizens Caucus. Her primary interest is illegal immigration, but she writes about other subjects as well.
Barbara lives in a large city on the West Coast. Her loyalties are with God, family, country, heritage and borders.
She enjoys music, painting, poetry and song writing.