I love talk radio. While on summer vacation I am able to indulge more often that those months when I have to act as the usual working stiff with limited time. In June and July it is Dr, Laura, Rush, Lars Larson, Glen Beck and Michael Savage—the latter of course in small does. Savage is clearly a madman and a misanthrope, but he is a rather entertaining one.
While working the other months of the year I have only the time to listen to Rush. I have respected this man since he began on radio. The service Rush has provided to the conservative movement cannot be calculated. He is cool and respectful toward his audience. Besides, the Left absolutely hates the guy—yet another reason to love him.
I have met many who say things like “I hate Limbaugh!” but when pressed they cannot even name the local radio station he appears on. No doubt my loyal readers have had a similar experience with those shrill and ignorant dogmatists who hate this and hate that about Rush but who cannot come up with any actual thing said by him.
But such is our tolerant Left.
And please spare me the charges of ‘bigotry, homophobia, racism’ because I listen to conservative talk radio. I have heard all of them before. If I am to be charged by the Left with some thought-crime, at least it could be an original one. How about the latest heinous offence of the Left, being a ‘global warming denier’? Alas, I am guilty! You will have to come to my home and arrest me. You had better be armed if you do so because I will be. And you had better be a good shot because I am one.
You will of course notice that I omitted the name of one guy on conservative talk radio. He is popular too. His name is Sean Hannity. I do not much listen to him because he is a punk. And an arrogant and condescending one too. And he is yappy, like one of those little dogs rich women in Manhattan carry around with them all day. Hannity is exactly the sort of guy who everyone in high school wished to punch in the chops.
And I have no doubt that many of Hannity’s school chums did exactly that—and may God bless them for it.
Hannity pretends sweetness and light to all who call in. In fact the fellow is quite rude and intolerant. He allows liberals on, not to hear them make their case but rather to cut them off, ridicule them, laugh at them and then brag about his own heroics in doing so. In 18 years of Limbaugh I have never heard Rush do anything of the sort.
Hannity is also a lightweight. He cannot command enough interest or knowledge about ‘Life, the Universe and Everything’ to have a complete show without guests. His regulars include Ann Coulter, Oliver North and that Clinton pal and sexual pervert—sorry for the redundancy—Dick Morris.
Hannity seems to have it out for that silly Hollywood creep Alec Baldwin. They had a run in some time ago. That must have been some conversation, as they seem very much alike in their treatment of their fellows—except that Baldwin is stupid and Hannity is not.
Anyway, Hannity plays again and again the tapes of his encounters with Baldwin. Why? Such bragging about a victory over a mental midget is hardly heroic. It is adolescent—a group of guys and girls I understand very well, as I make my living understanding them. In this childishness Hannity reminds one of some video arcade habitué who bores all who know him with his expertise at this or that game.
What really bothers me about this radio punk is his parading of his Catholicism. I never thought he was Christian, to say nothing of being a Catholic. I have been around the Church, oh, since my Baptism, and can tell if someone really believes what the Church says or if he is a pretender.
Hannity is a pretender. A fake. A fraud. A heretic, even. Or perhaps he is just ignorant. But what is particularly Christian about him, anyway? I only bring this up because Hannity does.
These thoughts intrude this calm morning because of an article I read from the conservative American Spectator. Hannity had yet another run-in with a guest on Hannity & Colmes, a Catholic priest no less, Father Thomas Euteneuer of Human Life International. It was not pretty. It was Hannity in his purest and most arrogant form.
The dispute centered on Mr. Hannity’s public endorsement of artificial birth control and Fr. Euteneuer’s charge that he is a “heretic” because he claims to be a Catholic in good standing while rejecting the significant moral teaching of the Catholic Church on the subject. What followed really wasn’t pleasant.
From the start, Hannity was clearly perturbed and this was evident in his refusal to address Euteneuer by the title of “Father,” as would any good Catholic under ordinary circumstances. He then delivered a rapid series of questions intimating that Fr. Euteneuer should not “judge” him without knowing his religious background, as if that had anything to do with the controversy.
To read the entire article is to know that Hannity, the self-professed Catholic, is actually either ignorant or a liar.
As badly as Fr. Euteneuer’s charge of heresy may have stung, Hannity’s response was no less scathing. One is not accustomed to hearing a self-professed “devout Catholic” address a member of the clergy — albeit one who was attempting to correct a grievous moral error — in such an angry manner. Yet, at no time did Fr. Euteneuer raise his voice or lose his temper.
So there you have it, Sean Hannity treating a Catholic priest just as he has treated countless other guests. Now, what would the Church say about that? Hannity’s rants against Catholic Doctrine could have come right from the pages of Planned Parenthood.
Anyway, I listen to Hannity from time to time in the same way that I would stop while walking downtown to watch a circus monkey perform a series of clever antics. But the man is mere fluff, a sneering bully, in love with himself and not at all hesitant to let us know it. He is also a fool and daily reminds us of that fact.
I would rather that Sean Hannity were not known as a conservative spokesman, but I suppose it would be worse if he were on the other side. But the best thing for him to do would be to either learn true humility or shut up.
Update: Here is the YouTube video of Hannity and Father Euteneuer. It is far worse than I thought. It shows Hannity at his most arrogant, his most heretical. What a fool he is—a damned fool. And a tip of the hat to The Other McCain and to Amy Welborn.
Update: The fallout over Hannity continues. Here is a comparison of the arrogant and heretical Hannity with General Pace. Hannity needs to be told that his sin is one of Pride, the sin of Lucifer.
31 Comments;
“In fact the fellow is quite rude and intolerant. He allows liberals on, not to hear them make their case but rather to cut them off, ridicule them, laugh at them and then brag about his own heroics in doing so.”
Hmm, that sounds familiar. I wonder why?
I note that you STILL will not post my reply to our previous encounter.
Pity party for Dionne? My dear Dionne, in whose universe is it said that our host has to post everything you have to say?
Oh no! Not her again. Sven does have a good point. Dionne, you are quite entertaining but yet annoying. It’s a beautiful irony. I know you’re not intellectually lacking much but you are a stubborn fool to come back on this blog with such fervor. I think you need some THC or MDMA to chill out or perhaps you need psilocybin to find yourself. It is quite effective. The Native Americans in the southwest used mescaline to do the samething albeit it was a relgious practice of the Native American Church.
Good idea Andrew, I might take your advice! Maybe then I wouldn’t obect quite so much to being censored. Just kind of annoys me that our host is happy to let such a one-sided argument hang about on his blog. It also makes me wonder if he is a little bit embarressed by the reply I wrote.
Sven – apparently in Mike’s universe the decent thing to do is let everyone have a fair say.
I expect this to disappear soon too!
BTW, I know just what you mean by entertaining yet annoying – that’s the very reason I’m still reading this blog. It’s like the car-crash syndrome; awful to look at but you just can’t take your eyes away!
Dear Dionne: Greetings! I am glad to see that you drop in from time to time to catch up on my latest ramblings.
You of course understand that I am under no obligation moral or otherwise to allow you to post on my blog whatever strikes your fancy. Your last missive was simply inappropriate. There was no need to keep sending it time after time after time. Such a perverse dedication was unusual and entirely wasted. I would imagine—I would certainly hope—that you have far better things to do than pester me.
And the decision to allow a post is mine and mine alone. There is no appeal.
You need not yelp ‘Censorship!’ when a normal human being refuses to allow you to invade and intrude into his space. I would no sooner allow you to hector me on my blog than I would allow you to hector me in my living room.
You were not censored at all. None of your rights were taken away. The fact of the matter is that you have no right to reveal your thoughts in my space. And I did not wish to subject my students to yet another outpouring of irrationality and slander.
If you really wish to allow the world to read your thoughts I of course encourage you to start your own blog. It is fun, and obviously attracts an interesting mix of readers.
OK, fair point that you are not under any obligation to post what I had to say, but surely you can see some irony or twisted logic when you read the comment you made earlier about Hannity’s treatment of his callers?
And by the way, there really was no irrationality in what I had to say, I suspect that you just didn’t want to subject your students to an opinion that might help them see through the fog.
Dear Sven and Andrew: Yes, Dionne is back. I am amazed and even flattered that she still reads my thoughts. Odd, yes? If something disturbs then should not one wish to leave it alone? Go figure, guys!
But I do encourage her to comment. She does entertain after all, and she is not a complete idiot.
I’m sure you’d agree that ignoring things which disturb you is not a healthy approach to life!
But then maybe that’s why you chose to ignore me??
Ms. Dionne,
I am one of Mr. Austin’s students. I had the opportunity of reading your comment that you sent to Mr. Austin. You see, I wasn’t able to attend school the day you posted the comment. I did not like how you referred to Mr. Austin’s students “Austin Youth” that reminds me of something called Hitler Youth -that was around from 1922 to 1945-… You know about World War II don’t you? Terrible things happened, its almost even too sad to think about. I agree completely with Mr. Austin on his decision to not let your comment stay on his blog. Also about what you said in comment number one “In fact the fellow is quite rude and intolerant. He allows liberals on, not to hear them make their case but rather to cut them off, ridicule them, laugh at them and then brag about his own heroics in doing so. Hmm, that sounds familiar. I wonder why?” If you referring to Mr. Austin about how he rude and intolerant, and how he ridicule’s people then laughs and then brags about his own heroics in
doing so. That comment is completely WRONG! Mr. Austin listens to everyone’s point and then discusses the groups point and his point with the group. Just thought I should put my two cents in. Thank you for your time.
Have a Nice Day,
Mary Katherine
Dear Mary Katherine,
Thanks for pointing that out. I am shocked. There was a World War II and terrible things happened? Does that mean there was a World War I as well? How could this knowledge have passed me by all these years?
And this ‘Hitler Youth’ you speak of – I had no idea!! It seems they were young people indoctrinated from a very early age by a dogmatic and uber right-wing leader, holding views about their superiority that the rest of the free-thinking world found utterly reprehensible. If only I’d known this I’d have never referred to your teacher’s students as the Austin Youth – if only I’d thought about the unfortunate parallels that name might imply!
Dear Dionne: I allowed your latest rant—your final one here—so that all could see your utter despicability. How dare you so snidely, so arrogantly, so condescendingly insult Mary Katherine? You are a grown woman yet you feel the need to attack an adolescent girl—and one of the finest young women I have ever had the honor of knowing.
What a monster you are. And a cheap little bully as well.
And what an empty and shallow shell of humanity you are, wallowing in your blind arrogance and worshipping the creature who stares back at you when you gaze into the mirror. In your complete self-conceit you imagine that anyone is at all impressed when you use your writing to batter down and insult those young women who have graciously taken the time to respond to you.
Dionne, you are a beast without shame, and more than a little creepy.
Dear Scipio,
I just watched the clip. Hannity is being Hannity. If he did go to seminary he didn’t learn how to engage in a civil discussion with someone with whom he disagrees. He simply will not allow his antagonist a chance to complete his statements. He’s a verbal bully, a Cafeteria Catholic, a moral relavist and his manner defeats his argument.
He cites “the good book” and “Judge not lest ye be judge.” He ignores “Cast not your pearls…”, “…kick the dust from your feet…”, “you vipers…”, “you white-washed tombstones…”, and other pronouncements of obvious judgement on the part of Jesus.
It appears that the good Father touched a very sensative lesion in Hannity’s psyche. If Sean did attend a chatholic seminary is there any doubt why he didn’t complete his education?
Dear Sven: What you say about Hannity is so very true. I was shocked at the arrogance and condescension. How did this man get his reputation? And I loved how Jesus called those Pharisees. My favorites are those you mentioned.
I wonder how Hannity is doing, if he has seen his error and will apologize publicly. I wonder if has seen how he looked to the entire world.
I tell you Sven, I myself have played the arrogant fool many times, but almost entirely in front of my students, all of whom forgive me seven times seven times seven. They are a great blessing, and they help me to see myself as I am rather than as I pretend to be. I wonder if Hannity has anyone in his life that does this for him?
Hannity doesn’t have the gumption to actually stand up for what the Catholic Church teaches, he wants to have his cake and eat it to. Fr. Euteneuer was very courageous in his defense of the Faith, props to him. I have totally lost respect for Hannity.
How right that we should be indignant about a self proclaimed Catholic being so disrespectful of the clergy.
It reminds me of something else I read recently, by another self proclaimed Catholic. To read his work is to know that he is either a liar or ignorant.
“May God forgive me for saying that the sermons at Saint Eugene’s here in Oklahoma City are puerile, silly, goo-goo and oh-so-politically correct. They are guaranteed not to offend. Certainly Satan is not offended by anything said from the altar during a homily.
But perhaps God will see that I need no forgiveness because He is also outraged at what is being presented in His name.
I have heard the priests yammer on about global warming, those poor oppressed Palestinians, the evil of Israel and George Bush, how the US is a warmongering nation, and on and on.
What tiresome tripe. What annoying pap. What worthless bromides. If these sermons were presented as experiments in logic by my 8th graders I would fail those who wrote them.”
Dear Adi: Thank you for taking the time to read my writings. I am honored.
Dear Bro Robin: When I saw how decently Father Euteneuer treated Hannity I realized he had the patience of Job. He was the perfect apologist, and Hannity the perfect bully.
Dionne really should take a chill pill. Man, I certainly don’t agree with Mr Austin all the time.. but the Austin youth? That’s insulting. A lot of us did have Mr. Austin as a teacher in the past, but most of us went on our own routes in life. But to insult a student he has… that’s just low.
Austin’s youth. LOL Thats funny. Hahaha. Both ya’ll tale chill pills. There is much worse things in the world that one can be called. French is among them. Cheers!
I was once a Student of Mr. Austin WAAAAY back when Pluto was still a planet, the World Trade Center was still standing, and democrats were not exactly sure or aware that Iraqis existed. Yes way back in 1997 or 1998. I have since graduated Highschool and gone onto to other things. be they better or not is not for any of us here to decide. It was many years since we saw or communicated with eachother when i happened upon his website one night working late in the Admin Office. That was 2003 sometime. And to this day the man still teaches me stuff about God, History, life, and whatever else. I do not take it as an insult to be called “Austin’s Youth.”
Dear Spartan: As always you show what it means to live ‘semper fi.’
Dear Giancarlo: Thank you kindly. We have seen the last of Dionne. I do not mind anyone insulting me, but insulting all of my students past and present, including you and Spartan and many others, some of whom keep in touch with me regularly? Not on my dime!
Always Faithful Sir. Insult me, I don’t care. Insult my exes I might buy you a beer. Insult my mentors, and anything else I hold dear; Stop, Duck, and Run. HAHA. Fighting is overated I would rather just ignore the ignaramus. I have better things I spend my attention on.
Dear Spartan: Arguing with fools and the deluded is a waste of time. God has given us the gift of Life. He did not mean for us to spend it wrapped in discussion with those who hate Him.
There is no way in Hell I am going to get into a discussion with a supporter of Hillary or any other hero of the Left. Just the simple fact that they favor such flotsam is a perfect signal that I am in the presence of a madman.
I was not aware the Left had heroes.
Dear Spartan: They do, though they are not the type one normally associates with such an exalted status. Their heroes are the outspoken sodomite, the aborter, the traitor and the race hustler.
Isn’t that a rthaer loose usage of the term ‘Hero’?
Dear Spartan: Yes. But the Left takes what it can get.