Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right (Paperback)

Comedian, Harvard Fellow and Liberal commentator Al Franken is a man who has the courage, wit, and smarts to not just stand up to the Conservative Right, but to do so intelligently, and with a sense of humor (something the right is wholly devoid of). In this book, he blows the lid off of the selective editing, obfuscation, and downright untruth often used by the Right Wing when it comes to advancing their political and social agenda. He uses factual reasoning and extensive bibliographical resources to illustrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Right...hardly ever is.

He reserves particular vitriol for Conservative media figureheads like Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Bernie Goldberg and Sean Hannity, punching holes in their inflated facades, and letting the air out of their needlessly overblown egoes. But it's not as though the Bush administration gets off light, either. He takes the Bush team to task on the economy, environment, foreign policy, and education. His chapter on pre-9/11 intelligence failings is seriously eye-opening, and worth the price of admission alone; as are his views on the Wellstone Memorial (or lack thereof), Fox News, and "liberal bias in the media."

Franken also dismisses the "with us or against us" domestic policy of the Bush administration, wherein voices of dissent are universally (and incorrectly) colored as being borne of anti-American sentiment, by drawing an apt analogy: Liberals don't hate America, Liberals love America just as much as conservatives do. It's just that Conservatives love America like a four-year-old loves her mommy: Totally, completely, and without question. Mommy is Wonder Woman. She is perfect, beautiful, and can do no wrong. Liberals, however, love America like a spouse: Affectionately, but with maturity; and with an understanding that he or she is human, and will have faults that must be overcome or overlooked in the larger picture.

All in all, "Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" is a necessary thorn in the flesh of the blustery bullies who would rather shout down than debate, rather win an argument than state the facts, and tell only part of the story rather than admit their dearly-held "truths" are actually cut from whole cloth.

If you're offended, then it likely means you're part of the problem.

As a conservative American, I do not want to be associated with the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, or, for that matter, George W. Bush and his cronies. Since 9/11, these demagogues have spearheaded a national movement of lies, deceit, fear mongering, phony patriotism, and propaganda to rally unwitting Americans behind Bush's completely irresponsible and self-serving political agenda. And as Frankin so adeptly points out, these people will shamelessly resort to name calling, distortions, verbal abuse, and guilt (e.g., "If you don't agree with me you aren't a good American") to coerce Americans to step in line with their own ill-conceived agendas. People, what we are witnessing here isn't about conservatism, and it isn't about patriotism -- it's borderline Fascism.

What really scares me is that millions of "patriotic" Americans have put on their blinders and eagerly jumped on to this impending train wreck without giving the first moment's thought as to where it is leading this country. It just doesn't seem to bother them that "W" is shackling us and our children with trillions of dollars in deficits while placing tens of thousands of Americans in harm's way waging an overseas war that has nothing to do with counter-terrorism. And if you suggest that the money being squandered on this fruitless and counter productive war effort might be better spent on efforts to revive a sick economy and putting millions of displaced American workers back on the payroll, these "patriots" angrily accuse you of being an Al Qaeda wannabe. Is it time to break out the brown shirts yet?

For my money, Frankin is right on target with this one. To my way of thinking he is a true patriot because he openly goes against the grain of the "conventional" wisdom and questions the motives and integrity of the self-anointed political pundits, as well as exposing the sorry state of our current political leadership. And lest anyone has forgotten, in a democratic society the freedom to question our government is not only our right, it is also our responsibility. The day we forget that is the day we all give up our freedom.

This book is well worth reading regardless of whether your political leanings are to the left or the right. It is an easy read, it is humorous, and it is timely. And it should be read keeping in mind the principles on which this country was founded, not one's political party preference.