Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism [Paperback]

Sean Hannity (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 17, 2004

As Americans, we face two fundamental questions:

First, are we truly prepared to fight this new war to wipe out terrorism and terrorist regimes, and win it decisively -- no matter what sacrifices it requires or how long it takes?

Second, are we once again prepared to teach our children the fundamental principles and values that make this country great -- the values that make this country worth fighting for, living for, and dying for?

Sean Hannity is the hottest new phenomenon in TV and talk radio today. His gutsy, take-no-prisoners interviews and commentary on the Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes have made him one of cable television's most popular personalities. And his ascendance to the top of the talk radio world with ABC Radio's The Sean Hannity Show has won him a huge and devoted following that includes not only conservatives but anyone else who values straight talk over pandering and excuses.

Now, in Let Freedom Ring, Sean Hannity offers a survey of the world -- political, social, and cultural -- as he sees it. Devoting special attention to 9/11, the war on terror, and the continuing threat we face at home and abroad, he makes clear that the greatest challenge we have to overcome may not be an attack from overseas, but the slow compromising of our national character. And he asks why, particularly in this time of war, should we entrust our future to the voices of the Left -- the very people who have spent decades ravaging so many of our core values and traditions?

Our nation, as Hannity reminds us, was founded on the idea of freedom. And in order to protect our freedoms, he argues, we must stand vigilant against liberal attempts to compromise our strengths. From our military and intelligence forces, to our borders and airports, to our unified commitment to root out terrorists at home and abroad, he reveals how our strongest lines of defense have come under attack -- by left-wing voices within our government, media, schools, and elsewhere. And he shows how even domestic issues like taxation, education, patriotism, and the family have been exploited by liberals with their own agendas -- with potentially disastrous results.

Filled with the commonsense commentary and passionate argument that have made Sean Hannity the most compelling conservative voice since Rush Limbaugh, Let Freedom Ring is an urgent call to arms. For, as Hannity warns, "We are engaged in a war of ideas. And civilization is at stake."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sean Hannity is the host of radio's The Sean Hannity Show and TV's Hannity, and the author of the New York Times bestsellers Deliver Us from Evil and Let Freedom Ring. His radio show is heard by roughly 13.5 million loyal listeners on 500 stations nationwide.

From AudioFile

Hannity is a younger, East Coast version of Rush Limbaugh. Like Limbaugh, he has strongly conservative political views and forceful communication skills. As host of a radio show on WCBS in New York and co-host of a program on Fox News, Hannity has an excellent sense of how his audience hears his words. While that can be seen in this work, the production seems more like highlights from radio broadcasts than the reading of a formal text. Throughout the work, he reads comfortably and conversationally. As for content, the book defends the Bush Administration on most matters and is, in general, a compendium of conservative political views with some biographical details thrown in for good measure. M.L.C. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1 edition (February 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060735651
• ISBN-13: 978-0060735654
• Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 6 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (644 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 119 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars I caught a fish this big! July 10, 2006

By Edwin C. Pauzer VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

In Let Freedom Ring, Sean Hannity sends out the subliminal message that he and his writing are about truth, justice, and the American way. The cover is cloaked in red, white and blue, and the title represents everything true and good about him and America. Liberals he concedes are loving parents, good people, hard workers, but misguided. (He actually is far kinder than Savage here.) But they just don't know how to defend or lead a country. For his five-star reviewers his message reinforces any pre-conceived beliefs and Hannity's words, not his sources, validate those beliefs.

If this was written by a ghost writer, he should have withheld payment. If it wasn't written by a ghostwriter, Hannity should have one for his next attempt at literary hyperbole because this reads like a collection of poorly constructed arguments based on faulty, unwarranted assumptions.

The first chapter is written in a maudlin, "those-were-the-good-old-days" wistfulness of his immigrant grandfather whom he describes as an honest man of integrity, and a believer in the American dream. But before you can say "Erin Go Braugh" he is talking about the courage of George W. Bush for standing up to terrorism. Exactly how G.W. does, he doesn't elaborate. How he morphs from grandfather to Dubbya is almost magical.

Hannity's next trick is to impugn Clinton and Gore as being soft on terrorism. His source for this is, of all people, Dick Morris who knew the Clintons and now works for the Fox Republican Advocacy Network. He quotes Morris who makes such vague statements as "It seemed they were afraid of talking about terrorism," or "they seemed to be indifferent to terrorism." These "Morris mind-reads" are conjectural, but Hannity quotes them as if they are undisputed fact....

Let's take a closer look at Hannity's unimpeachable source for a moment. It was Dick Morris who quit the Clintons shortly after the second election. It was Morris who had a penchant for streetwalkers, did some jail time, and entered alcohol rehab. You'd think SH could find a better source if he expects freedom to ring!

But, Hannity doesn't skip a beat. He points out how democrats such as Senators Kerry and Daschle voted against certain defense-spending bills. What he neglects to inform his readers are the reasons they did because of riders that were attached to the bills, or the number of republicans who also voted against the same bills, or the many defense bills that Kerry and Daschle did vote for. He never once advises his reader of the defense spending programs that were killed by Dick Cheney when he was Secretary of Defense. Such deception is called propaganda.

Propaganda is something that Hannity has no compunction using here. This he does in continuing to tell a tale that has long since been debunked. Namely, it is the story of President Clinton being offered Osama bin Laden by the Sudanese government. Again, it's what he doesn't say that misdirects the reader. Sudan made the offer in the hope of having the economic sanctions against them for slave-trading, lifted. However, the FBI determined that the Sudanese were playing us because they had neither the ability nor the intent of handing over bin Laden. The Sudanese also made the offer to Saudi Arabia, but the Saudis had revoked bin Laden's citizenship, and refused to take him.

He also states that Clinton should have gone after Osama bin Laden employing overt or covert operations. In fact, Clinton tried (and failed) several times to get bin Laden. Unfortunately, the President of the United States forgot to consult or advise this conservative pundit each time he tried. The fact that Bush failed on a grander scale seems to be of little consequence.

Benjamin Franklin said "Statistics is a liar." Hannity uses charts for the same purpose. He shows how under Reagan, the army bought over 500 tanks. Under Clinton, the army bought none. This leads one to the assumption that Clinton did nothing for the services. He doesn't mention that the army buys tanks, not presidents. He doesn't mention the army had all the tanks they needed for armored warfare against the Soviet Union that never came. He doesn't mention that the army began changing its warfare strategies which would include more transportable fighting vehicles.

Be grateful that Hannity cannot rewrite famous works of literature as he attempts to do with history. If he could, instead of seeing a dead Captain Ahab being killed by the whale in "Moby Dick," we might just see a grinning captain standing next to a tethered whale with the caption: "I caught a fish this big!"

There's something very fishy about his facts, his historical parallels which aren't parallel, and what he chooses to tell you, and what he chooses to leave out.

In this book, he tells whale-sized whoppers! Read more ›

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful November 16, 2002

By Harry Johnson

Format:Hardcover

While Hannity does write from the right side of the spectrum, books like these are essential to offset the twist that the
liberal media puts on what it calls "news". You don't have to agree with all he says, or even all of everything he says to get a different view that lets you develop your own balance perspective

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the better books in the crowded "talking head" genre September 19, 2002

By Jon Eric Davidson

Format:Hardcover

In writing "Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism", Sean Hannity has ventured down the same path of Rush Limbaugh, Ken Hamblin, et al, who created a popular talk radio and/or television show, then capitalize on the fan base by writing a book about the current political scene. As with those that preceded him, Mr. Hannity is sure to have a bestseller on his hands, but it will be justified, as he has crafted one of the better works in the "talking head" genre.

A very definite theme in Mr. Hannity's book - and perhaps due to fortuitous timing - is the September 11 terror attacks. A good portion of the book is devoted to, or can be tied to, that tragic day. Mr. Hannity documents his feelings about the attack, and then opens the book with chapters citing numerous cases of liberal/Democratic influence on poor security and intelligence functions. Through this, Mr. Hannity lays the groundwork to show how liberal thinking and policy has compromised our freedoms and security.

Taking this argument further, Mr. Hannity then ventures into other political topics, such as taxes, abortion, and patriotic displays to further prove a liberal attack on our freedoms. His documentation of quotes - taken from speeches, articles in the media, and even his own radio and Fox News Channel show - are plentiful and strong, damning evidence of how the liberal mindset works. However, these citations are a double-edged sword. In places, they are used appropriately in laying out his convincing arguments. Other times, he tends to use it in what I can only describe as a style of an avalanche; he fires off so many citations and quotations that his ultimate point gets lost in the deluge.

...... But more importantly, he portrays a nicer, kinder, "average guy" image that translates very well in his writing as it does over the airwaves. ...

A larger issue to consider in review of this book is its long-range viability. That is, how will Mr. Hannity's book stand up over the test of time? In most cases of authors in the "talking head" genre, the books have a relatively short shelf-life. To get a year of interest out of them is largely considered an overwhelming success. But even with those successes, the lion's share of books in this genre quickly find themselves on the sale racks of bargain book outlet stores and even more rapidly disappear from the public mindset. It may be too early to determine how viable Mr. Hannity's book will remain in the long-term, but I would tend to think it will be a success because it could remain popular for that one-year window. Further, I think that, given its link to the September 11 attacks, it may be more viable and useful over a number of years as the debate and reflection continues on that important date in American history.

In whole, I give this book a four-star rating, and would recommend it to conservatives, moderates, and liberals alike. It is not a preachy work, it doesn't "talk down" to the reader, and nor is it full of the egomania found in other books of the genre. Mr. Hannity should be credited for authoring a work that stands above an otherwise crowded field. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read October 10, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This is a must read book. Read it, then look around. Pay close attention and you will find that Sean is right on. It will make you sick to your stomach and then angry at how the liberal left is taking this country on a rapid spiral down into the cesspool of their liberal agenda. It's time to put a stop to it now before it is too late. We owe Sean a huge THANK YOU for his dedication and perservence in exposing what is really going on.

21 of 28 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Liberty & Liberalism not at odds with each other. May 12, 2004

By W. GAZITANO

Format:Hardcover

Hannity fosters an either or scenario that is too simplistic. He misses the point of what true democracy is. Like other talk radio / TV pundits, he tries to limit the scope of the debate, by trying to discredit those with opposing opinions. He forgets that people with liberal opinions are patriotic Americans, too. They just disagree. Stick to the facts, make your best case, but drop the intolerance.

28 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Let Character Leadership Education Ring October 19, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Hi! I just wanted to say, though a little biased himself, Sean Hannity seems to be honest, and seems to be trying to tell it like it is. He's much like Michael Moore, but on the opposite side of the same coin, and not as funny, or outrageous. This is a book that everyone who has read Michael Moore's, "Stupid White Men", should read. And, maybe it's just my small "i" independent thinking, but I really do think both sides ought to get their values back into perspective -- re-institute the standard -- by reading Norman Thomas Remick's metaphore of what it means to be an American, "West Point: Character Leadership Education, A Book Developed From The Readings And Writings Of Thomas Jefferson". Thank you.