In Other Zac's blog he commented on conservative writers such as Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly. Here is my response:
I'm gonna say this up-front.
I like Ann Coulter. I like Sean Hannity. I... know of and will watch Bill O'Reilly.
That being said, it's not because I AGREE with them, it's just that they have powerful voices expressing a side of politics that you don't often see in the media. Let's face it, your average news broadcast (from MSNBC and CNN down to The Daily Show) is packed with liberal bias. It has to be. It's the mainstream "feel-good" political picture.
I enjoy hearing the other side too, just so that I can try to weed through the bullshit-propaganda. Yes, Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly are wayyy too religious for my tastes, but they represent the thinking that many people have. I hate to keep repeating this, but it's the Book of the 5 Rings, baby. KNOW THY ENEMY. Don't just write them off as stupid conservatives. Read some of their books and then see how you feel.
My father has a few of those Ann Coulter books, you mentioned, and I've read bits and pieces. They're not bad. She uses PAGES of facts and statistics to back up what she says. Yes, it's biased. But so is Michael Moore. They make illogical or un-founded leaps sometimes. It's propaganda.
I'm one of those people who thinks that every piece of media you hear about anything political is biased to some extent. To me, it seems they get more biased as they get more local. CURSE YOU CHANNEL 6 NEWS!
So in short, conservative writers, like Texas, have their place. I'm a moderate person. I use Texas to balance out Massachusetts; Ann Coulter to balance Michael Moore.
The lesson to be learned? Watch the movie, Fahrenheit 911, guys, but don't ever think for a second that it's the whole story. Take it for what it is: one piece of a larger picture. You wouldn't look at HALF of a Monet.
