Ignoble Savage

Recently, I tuned into "conservative" talk radio host Michael Savage. This is not something I normally do, nor would I recommend anyone else to do it regularly, but every once in a while I do listen to the warmongering, state-worshiping blowhards, just to count the numerous logical fallacies I hear. Also, listening to his stupidity and illogic affirms my libertarian beliefs. Mostly, I do it in the spirit of Don Corleone from The Godfather. I'm "keeping my enemies closer."

On this particular day he decided to inform his audience – composed mostly of religious-right warmongers, I presume – that he had recently viewed a disgusting documentary on HBO. The documentary, which I personally haven't seen, apparently consisted of following about and telling the stories of a few homeless New York City drug addicts.

Savage, always humble as a peacock after mating season, couldn't understand the purpose of the documentary. He mused that its purpose might have been to instill feelings of sympathy for the homeless addicts into the viewer. As for him, "I wanted to shoot these people." He found it unfathomable that people are, and are expected to be, polite to, or show any kind of dignity or remorse for "people who had reduced themselves to the level of animals." Savage, I took it, was not one much for compassion.

The next day, everything in the news was about the Schiavo fiasco. Everyone except Terri Schiavo understood the facts about her case; therefore, I will not bore you with the details.

Knowing, however: 1) the height of Savage's as well as the Republican's hypocrisy, 2) how often he kowtows to the Republicans, and 3) the fact that everything I presumed he'd say would contradict everything he'd said the day prior, I decided to again tune into his program. Naturally, Savage came down on the side of Congress and the Republicans who sought to do anything in their power to keep this lady alive. Savage's opinion was that anyone who agreed with the rule of law in this case was a Nazi death-worshipper, devoid of any moral sense. He made numerous Christ allusions to Terri Schiavo. In his opinion, God had chosen her as a Christ figure during a time so close to Easter Sunday.

What a difference a day makes. The day before, he wanted to shoot homeless people, today, he is a staunch pro-Christian, preaching the sanctity of life. The day before, the weak were considered parasitic strains on society; today government's obligation is protect the weak at any expense. The day before, the desire to kill homeless parasites was completely rational; today the people who think that a person in a vegetative state should be allowed to die are irrational. The day before, Savage was in favor of mandatory euthanasia, today people who are in favor of no extraordinary means if that is the person's wish are Nazi death-worshipers.

Also, after all the Nazi comparisons to judges in the Schiavo case, as well as people who agreed with them, Savage first recommended, and later scorned George Bush for not taking executive (i.e., dictatorial) action and inserting the feeding tube.

Yet obvious as this all may seem to any rational thinking being, not one caller discussed Savage's contradictions, nor his hypocrisy. The majority agreed, and the minority who disagreed with his position failed to mention the fact that the Savage leopard had suddenly changed his spots.

I guess it's no coincidence that the idiots in talk radio closely resemble the idiots in government.

April 9, 2005