Customer Reviews

Bloodthirsty Bitches and Pious Pimps of Power: The Rise and Risks of the New Conservative Hate Culture

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Spence argues persuasively that America and its government is owned lock, stock and barrel by the corporate King. The average American is little more than a corporate slave, his alienation and despair exploited by the hate mongering right wing media stars. Spence points out the uncomfortably similarities of modern day America to the rise of the Third Reich.

Following on the heels of books such as What's the Matter with Kansas?, Bloodthirsty Bitches makes a strong case that the self perpetuating nature of hatred, particularly when done in the name of patriotism and Christianity, is destroying the country.

This is a thoughtful look at the current situation in America that merits reading. Spence sees little differences between the conservatives and the hapless Democrats, both being in the pocket of corporate America, but this book deserves close consideration and personal soulsearching.

"Hate sells" - declares Spence as he explains how Nancy Grace increased CNN's ratings overnight, despite stretching the truth about her fiancée's murder (motivated her to become a prosecutor) and her being reprimanded three times for unethical/overzealous prosecuting. Grace's evening rants regularly include trying to turn the Constitution upside down so that the accused would be forced to prove their innocence.

As for Ann Colter, Spence sees her as a media creature who's learned that intelligent dialogue doesn't sell, and doesn't mind being a hypocrite (eg. dating a porn-publishing scion).

Laura Ingraham's thing is being anti-elite, like Mao's persecution of professors; other elite include those who dislike conservatives. Spence sees shades of 1984 in COlter and Ingraham - in the book party members were subject to "Two Minute Hate" periods everyday and sometimes entire Hate Weeks. "Hate," Spence points out, was the basis of Big Brother's Control, along with unconditioned blind loyalty (patriotism).

Bill O'Reilly is a conservative - he offers no solutions for the major issues confronting those in the working class he claims to champion. Spence also points out that O'Reilly is a hypocrite for maligning Clinton on sex/family values while he has the same problems. Spence also sees O'Reilly as hypocritical for working on Fox - despite Murdoch's ownership of a large porn business.

After similarly scorning Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson, Spence asserts that these right-wing nut-jobs madden the masses to the point where they lynch themselves at the polls.

Why do we hate so much? Spence says it's easy to jump on the patriotic bandwagon to blow the hell out of half the innocent people in Baghdad if one has been blown into some sort of economic hell (eg. lost one's job, and/or benefits or former salary/security level) and is equally innocent - "when people hurt they hurt back." As for why the right-wing is more effective on talk shows, Spence sees it because liberals see shades of grey instead of black and white, and it therefore are much more tolerant.

An interesting aside: We, who preach democracy, rank 35th in rate of turnout (54%); Italy is #1 (90%).

One of Spence's more worrisome themes is the parallel between Nazi Germany and the U.S. today. Goebels' primary rules were: "Never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; focus on a few simple points and repeat them over and over; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one (it only has to seem true), and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it." Spence also points out that Hitler's verbiage emphasized his being a Christian and hatred for liberals.

As for those those attacking lawyers vs. malpractice premiums (eg. Bush): Spence cites a New York Times article reporting that from '90-'02, 5%of doctors were involved in 54% of payouts; of the 35,000 with at least 2 payouts, only 8% were disciplined by state medical boards, and of the 2,774 with at least 5 payouts, only 17% were disciplined. Therefore, the emphasis on malpractice rates is misplaced. (Me - Why don't the insurance companies simply raise the rates on problem doctors?)

Then Spence also rebuts the wailing over the multi-million dollar award for the spilled McDonald's coffee - the award was reduced to less than half a million, the victim originally offered to settle for $20,000, McDonald's had already incurred 700+ claims and done nothing, the victim underwent several painful surgeries and spent over 6 days in the hospital, and burn experts testified that the temperature of McDonald's coffee was inherently dangerous.

Finally, Spence offers an interesting means of avoiding all the corporate influence on elections and those elected - appoint members of the House via random drawing (no felons or crazies), and then have those members select Senators.

Chapter 1 compares Nancy Grace to a pagan priestess who sacrifices victims for thrills. Is her audience composed of oppressed people who are thrilled to see other people getting hurt (p.4)? Is she a witch-hunter (p.12)? Spence says Ann Coulter is a "media creature" who shrieks "poisonous stuff" (p.18). Does hatefulness show a deep-seated emotional problem (p.20)? Laura Ingraham attacks "the elitists" (p.26), but has an odd definition (p.27). Laura claims the corporate media is left-wing, but can never prove it (p.31). Spence identifies the real anti-people élite (pp.34-37). Spence likes Bill O'Reilly because they both distrust the élite (Chapter 4). O'Reilly will never criticize corporate rulers (p.43), he is in their keep. The problems in the justice system is that corporations control it (p.51). Does Pat Robertson really speak for Christ (p.141) or big corporations? Do corporations control churches against the best interest of their members (p.147)? [Spence needs to learn more about the history of Nazi Germany.]

Chapter 10 discusses the corporate propaganda and lies against trial lawyers, the only group that can directly fight for people's rights in court. This is the best chapter in the book, you should read this if nothing else. The purpose of `tort reform' is to further oppress innocent victims, raise insurance rates (guaranteed), and enrich insurance corporations. Spence explains it all. Limiting payments violates people's rights to equal protection under the law, and the right to a jury trial. It treats children, housewives, and the elderly as worthless (just like in Nazi concentration camps). Doctors don't pay insurance costs, they collect it from their patients and pass it on as tribute to powerful corporations as the cost of doing business. The claims of a crisis is a fraud! More people die from improper medical conduct than from heart attacks or cancer (p.167). Spence explains what is perverse about that "English system" (p.169). It would prevent the average person from even trying to get justice for their damages by corporations. Spence says some judges are former insurance company lawyers who are appointed to delay or deny justice to people. (Do you really know what is going on in England and their National Health System?) Spence explains why insurance companies are "clogging the courts" (pp.171-172); it is for their own benefit to deny compensation to innocent victims!

Heard about the scalding hot cup of coffee from McDonalds? Spence explains why McDonalds was "reckless, callous, and willful" (pp.176-178); and so they changed their business practices. The adoption of good seat belts in automobiles resulted from suits by trial lawyers. Other hazards were also eliminated. Spence tells how asbestos and tobacco caused lung cancer even after corporations knew of these dangers. Punitive damage suits are needed to prevent continued criminal action by corrupt and powerful corporations against ordinary people. Corporate controlled legislators and corrupt judges will never act to protect the American people. But you already knew that. Spence explains the politics of lawyer jokes: they are an attack on ordinary people (p.185). Do you want to live in a world where you can't get justice for the wrongs done to you?

Spence says the massive debt load carried by today's Americans causes their anger and hate (Chapter 11). He criticizes advertising, but does not tell how this controls newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, and films. The propaganda there is the "tool of oppression" (p.199). In Chapter 12 Spence says democracy has "failed" but it requires more economic equality which has been damaged by the new class of corporations since the 1870s. Breaking up corporations by enforcing the anti-trust laws is the method; start with the broadcasting business. Giving up liberty for security results in neither (p.207). Guantanamo is like Dachau, internment camps. Who could have predicted that an American President would advocate torture (p.213)? Spence says democracy began to decline through the power of the Federal judiciary (p.235). [That is why the judiciary needs to be elected for a limited term.] Spence has a solution to corporate crime (p.239). [It is better to ban any corporation created for private gain, they do not deserve the privilege of limited liability. Cancel the private banking cartel (the Federal Reserve), just like Andrew Jackson did. Jackson was the only President who had no National Debt, a scheme to tax the money to enrich the wealthy.]

Often those who argue from the left are ineffective communicators, unwilling to play as mean as their counterparts on the right. We don't take the advice of Sean Connery's character in The Untouchables, that if they kill on of yours kill two of theirs. Because of this the Ann Coulter's and Rush Limbaugh's of the world are allowed to define the nature of political debate. Because no one besides Carville ever can match their rhetoric and vitriol they always seems to win.

Enter Gerry Spence. One of the most effective trial lawyers of the last 20 years he applies those skills to skewering the mouthpieces of the right. The title alone shows that Spence is ready to play the same kind of political hardball the subjects of the book play. But more importantly he shows how all of these people are playing a great shell game with the american people. If we pay attention to the sideshow they create we don't notice that corporations have grown increasingly powerful and that we are losing our freedom.

Spence takes several mouthpieces of the right-Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Pat Robertson, Sean Hannity, Bill O'reilly (who he actually seems to halfway like), and Limbaugh and demonstrates their lack of real independence at least in part because they are primarily revenue producers, whose revenues come from corporations. He shows how honest debate has largely disappeared due to the concentration of media outlets in a few hands, and shows how the tort system has become rigged in favor of insurance companies due to the buying of the court system thru campaign contributions.

While he is not always convincing, he is always entertaining and engaging. I would love to hear him and O'Reilly go at each other.

I recently saw Gerry Spence speak at the Commonwealth Club. He delivered his message in an almost hypnotic fashion. This man is amazing. I wasn't planning on buying his book. But after the presentation, I bought it and read it nonstop the next day.

He relies on deep truths and does not play the 'right-wing pig' game. The game the talking heads on FOX demand, in which any decent person starts out on the defensive. Gerry Spence is someone with a pure heart. He appears very vigorous and healthy for his age which proves what love can do (as opposed to those like Limbaugh who continue to bloat up from gluttony and ego and physically deteriorate from abuse of drugs).

This is a book I would highly recommend. It is well written and easy to follow. I totally agree with his assessment of these "elite" and their followers demonizing everyone these days. If someone disagrees with them the opponent is called hateful names and are wrongly accused as to their intent. These talk shows on television, radio and internet become shouting matches so no one gets any real value out of any of it. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing and in fact, good ideas come out of the combination of ideas many times. It, like everything else, has gotten so totally out of hand these days nothing is meant to make sense! One excellent book!

Gerry Spence, the best trial lawyer in the country, shows what is wrong with our current political environment. The problem is simple: our political enviornment is full of hate. Hate, says Spence, sells, so it is pushed on us by the media, including the so called news media. The long term consequence of selling hate is the destruction of American democracy, which is based on the assumption that people of good faith will have differerent points of view, and will disagree with each other about political and social issues. Democracy cannot survive when this basic assumption is lost, and we are in the process of losing it.

There are too many haters of just about everything and this book helps us understand them and the damage they are doing.
Since the murder of the Democratic Chairman of Arkansas and the killings in Knoxville, TN it is more important than ever to realize who these people listen to and what makes their hatred so deadly.
Recommended

This book was excellently written and very informative. Any college or university professor who doesn't add this book to any syllabus for courses involving politics or government is not worth his/her salt.
Actually, it should be required reading in any civics course.
Gives new meaning to the phrase - "Know thy Enemy".
Can't wait for Gerry Spence's next book.

Once again Gerry Spence has crafted a very logical, factual and well organized indictment of our public media which is neither democratic nor unbiased. Our media provides a highly processed and hate filled product that most Americans consume eagerly and without question. In this book Spence tackles each of the most popular right-wing, talking heads of hate offering a myriad of well documented quotes and statements of each. He then explains in his uniquely factual yet brutal style why their positions are flawed and their message breeds only hate, distrust and a vicious yearning for revenge on many levels.
The title of this book should be a foreshadowing of what's to be found inside. It does not disappoint.