Radio talk show hosts amuse me. They'll speak on their shows about all number of issues, then allow in callers to support their position. They will, with varying degrees, allow in the opposing side, but even then it will be carefully vetted callers that they have a reasonable certainty of destroying in open debate.

Michael Medved is one of the worst. Many of his callers do disagree with him, but they're usually monosyllabic wonders, conspiracy theorists, or others that Michael and his sound effects guys can dismiss with a sound bite from their extensive library of pathetic noises.

Michael, you see, is on a mission. Michael is a complete and total Republican shill, more so than Rush Limbaugh, who does occasionally target the Bush regime, and even more so than Bill O'Reilly who will point out he's not a Republican because of his self perceived "lone wolf" status standing against the oil companies.

I have gotten through to Medved's show twice, both times on "disagreement day", when he invites callers to disagree with him on "anything". I have tried to address Michael's purely distilled hatred for third parties (and yes, it IS a hatred, he speaks in absolutely venomous terms about third party and independent supporters), a topic he has allowed other dissenters to address. I have not made it past the screener.

But the biggie came the other day when Bill O'Reilly issued an invitation for anyone opposing Orrin Hatch's proposed national child abuse registry to call in. Call in, he said, and we'll get you on the air immediately. Because O'Reilly's show is tape delayed on our station, I was unable to call. I did, however, send him an email promptly the following morning explaining that I was opposed to the legislation and why, and telling him that I could provide enough documentation to support my position. The response was utter silence from the O'Reilly camp, he of the "Fair and balanced" network.

You cannot call yourself "fair and balanced" when you refuse to give air to the opposing viewpoint. While these commentators have grandstanded before the American public to convince them of their greatness, they've avoided the hard topics, the hard issues. There are compelling reasons why this registry should NOT be allowed to go forward, but the mainstream media will not give attention to these reasons.

These pundits, especially O'Reilly, are intellectual cowards who insulate themselves from any real debate on the topics they deem important. They smugly and self righteously label themselves "culture warriors" and "cultural crusaders" to convince the American public that they are the only ones looking out for them. They do a disservice to the American public by presenting their views as fact, when many of their "facts" can be disputed with little difficulty by anyone with a brain. We deserve better.

Unfortunately, until I can get someone to install my car CD player, I'm STUCK with these imbeciles!