Liberal political commentary skewering Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter. If you've heard of it, you probably want to read it; if you're not a US voter, you probably aren't interested.

Received in the mail Friday, 12/05

Will read ASAP, journal, and mail to MarciNYC

I am very impressed with the checklist and mailing labels that BunRab included with the book!

From the inside cover flap:
"Al Franken, one of our 'savviest satirists,' has been studying the rhetoric of the Right. He has listened to their cries of 'slander,' 'bias,' and even 'treason.' He has examined the Bush administration's policies of squandering our surplus, ravaging the environment, and alienating the rest of the world. He's even watched Fox News. A lot.

And, in this fair and balanced report, Al bravely and candidly exposes them all for what they are: liars. Lying, lying liars.

Al destroys the liberal media bias myth by doing what his targets seem incapable of: getting his facts straight. Using the Right's own words against them, he takes on the pundits, the politicians, and the issues.

Timely, provocative, unfailingly honest, and always funny, [Franken] sticks it to the most right-wing administration in memory, and to the right-wing media hacks who do its bidding."

Amazing what knowledge one can aquire when there’s a research team at one’s disposal. But what of the working class types who may not have enough time left in their day after the routine of work, errands, and commute? Well, I guess we can thank people like Franken, Ivins, and Hightower for compiling what we need to know and for getting us angry enough to find ways to keep up with (and pass on) the continuing horror story that is the Bush administration.

Before reading this book, I had not heard much of Coulter or O’Reilly (I knew that O’Reilly was published via my stint at the library). Allowing for Franken’s personal leanings, I believe he’s justified in his assessment of their (non-) fitness to dispense news as fact. I am operating with the notion that, in Franken’s (or anyone’s) presentation of fact, “balance” is more like a gymnast’s sense, not a scale’s [visualize on that for a moment, it might make sense, if not, chalk it up to “a Pisces thing” and move on].

It’s rare that I get can get through a non-fiction book in two sittings worth of reading. In this case, I believe that Franken’s writing style/presentation had a lot to do with it. Franken gives the reader a lot of information and commentary in each (mostly short) chapter, but in a way that doesn’t overload the retention process. I suppose his comedy training [how long do SNL skits last, anyway? It’s been *mumble-mumble* years since I’ve watched the show] and this reader’s assimilation to the 10-minute attention span block that TV has established. [*sigh*--I hate my programming...please excuse the pun!]

http://www.Al-Franken.com
http://www.alternet.org/index.html

on its way to MarciNYC on Tuesday

It's here! Just in time for a snow day? I will read this as quickly as possible and get it out the door to LaRue, who's next on the list. Looking forward to the read!

Whew! I'm finished. When I started reading this book, the lyrics from a song by a favourite band of mine (The Waifs) popped into my head and haven't left yet:

You read the paper, watch the news and think you're well informed / Well, I’ve got some news for you my friend
That headline that you read, the story that broke / Was a scandal and a scam, a political master stroke
They tell you what they want you to hear/ So close your eyes and open your ears

While I don't disagree with Franken that the Lying Liars on Fox News Channel etc. have manipulated the truth, I found myself wondering just what his agenda was/is. (I'm one whose blood starts boiling in the evenings when I have to listen to Hannity's diatribe! Must find a new station for traffic reports!)

I laughed so hard that I cried reading the chapter about the Bob Jones University excursion - I really wish he had a hidden camera to capture that whole experience. Wonder if Weezer is scheduling a gig in Greenville anytime soon!

A fantastic read - eye-opening and disturbing at the same time. One of my favourite quotes int he book was near the end (page 348 to be precise): "But to be fair to Bush, there's more to being president than simply being articulate, intelligent, and knowledgeable." Hear, hear!

I look forward to Campaign 2004 - bring on the sound bites! This one's off to LaRue as soon as I get to the post office.

Just arrived today. I so looking forward to reading this - I've always loved Al Franken, and one of my friends and I have been screaming about the horror that is Fox News Channel, the idiocy of Anne Coulter, etc., for years. Should be fun.

I received this in the mail today from LaRue in NY ... as part of a bookring. I have 3 ahead of it and received another one today also. I will do my best to read it asap and mail it on to the next person.

c. 2003 -- 375 pages -- Hardcover -- 6 weeks on the USA Today top 10 Bestseller list: #2 (8/31+9/7) #5 (9/14+9/21) #8 (9/28) #10 (10/5) -- Nonfiction: Liberal satirist lampoons the righteous right; Fox news unsuccessfully challenged the "Fair and Balanced" subtitle as a copyright violation.

Back Cover: "We have to fight back. But we can't fight like they do. The Right's entertainment value comes from their willingness to ie and distort. Ours will have to come from being funny and attractive." Al Franken on
* Weapons of Mass Destruction -- The question must be asked: What did the President know? And, if not, why didn't he know it? If, as may e the case, the President did not understand his intelligence briefings, why didn't he ask to have them explained to him? And did he know that he didn't understand them?
* Homeland Security -- Ashcroft spent $8,000 to drape the naked breast of the Spirit of Justice statue because he didn't like being photographed in front of another boob. I have a better idea for what to do with that money: use it to fight terrorism!!!
* Patriotism -- I've gone overseas to entertain the troops on 3 separate occasions. And when I say the troops, I mean our troops. Whatever Ann Coulter would have you beieve, I would never entertain any of our enemies. Besides, I doubt very much my stuff would transate to the North Koreans or Hamas.
* The Bush Tax Cut -- Bush said repeatedly during the ampaign, "The vast majority of my tax cuts go to those at the bottom." The press said nothing. Is it because there's a conservative bias in the media? I don't think so. I think their attitude was: "He doesn't know! Leave the man aone, he doesn't know!"
* The No-Spin Zone -- Bill O'Reily was an avowed independent when he joined Fox. I say "avowed" because he was actually a registered Repubican. He lied about it. That's one of the reasons he's one of the lying liars featured on the cover of this very book. Take a look! There he is. Looking at you and lying. He should be called Bill O'Lie-lly.
* The Environment -- Perhaps there is someone reading this who is saying, "Give me a break, Al. I don't care about the environment." To you, I have this to say: You were not legitimately elected president, sir. But I respect the office you hold, and I'm honored that you're reading my book.

UPDATE (4/23/04): I'm sorry I have had this book for so long. I got swamped with a bunch of rings/rays at the same time. I'm doing my best to read them as fast as I can. I will start this one next. You can check my bookshelf profile to see how it's progressing.

I finally finished reading this today. It's just not my cup of tea. I rated this a 4 for "Maybe somebody else would like this. I didn't." It leaves me wondering who / what can anybody believe. Franken justifies his own form of lying under the label of 'comedy.' Even a few of his statements on corrected in the Sources and Notes in the back of the book (who reads these?!?!). I didn't care for the Supply-Side Jesus chapter. But thought the one on Barbara Bush was amusing and eye-opening. The chapter on Paul Wellstone was heart-breaking. I just heard last night on CNN that Franken is considering running for Senate. BUT can we believe that!!! I can imagine all the moans on Capital Hill if he wins. I get the impression that politicians hate to see him coming their direction.

I must forewarn anyone with cats. My two could not stop sniffing at the binding of this book. I've read that there's a certain fish glue that drive cats crazy. I don't know if this is the case or not. I kept the book inside the envelope at all time (except when I was reading it) so my cats wouldn't attack it. I'm happy to report no damage has been done ... the book is still in excellent condition. I'm interested in hearing if anybody else's cats are intrigued?

Released on Tuesday, May 04, 2004 at book ring in Mailed to fellow bookcrosser, Postal Release Controlled Releases.

I'm mailing this today to Seferim in MD ... as part of the bookring.

Received today--thanks for sending it on. I will get to it as soon as possible!

Will update my thoughts on the book soon. Thanks BunRab!

Mysteryfan03 has already read this book, so the book was mailed to Lorelei03 last week! Enjoy! :)

Fantastic book! made me very angry but also made me laugh out loud.

9/2/04 - sending out from midtown NYC at the end of this week to the next on the list (The Republicans are blocking my post office entrance right now!).

Just recieved this, looking forward to reading it!

Released on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 at about 9:00:00 AM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at sent to fellow bookcrosser in Lake Worth, Florida USA.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sorry for the late release notes, I sent this on awhile ago to pashmack in Florida! I never read it, couldn't bear to after the election, I was depressed enough!

Yay! The book arrived today along with two other bookring books. Looks like I'd better get busy reading!

It's amazing that a book can be so incredibly entertaining, while fueling anger/disgust/disappointment (toward Bush and his cronies, of course) at the same time! In one of my favorite passages, Franken responds to conservatives who claim that liberals hate America:

"They don't get it. We love America just as much as they do. But in a different way. You see, they love America the way a four-year-old loves her mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups. To a four-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad, and helping your loved ones grow. Love takes attention and is the best thing in the world....
...When liberals look back on history, we see things we're very proud of. And we also see some things, which might have seemed like good ideas at the time, but turned out to be mistakes. And some things we did, well, they were just bad. That doesn't beep us from loving our country- it's part of loving our country. It's called honesty. What do you think is more important to a loving relationship: honesty or lies? (p. 24)

Franken mentions Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. a couple times in his chapter dealing with the environment ("Vast Lagoons of Pig Feces: The Bush Environmental Record"). I have Kennedy's book, Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy on my TBR stack. If anyone is interested in this book, PM me and I'll organize a ring or ray once I've read it.

Lies and the Lying Liars will be hitting the road tomorrow, off to wyldanthem, as Rampallion has already read the book. Thanks, BunRab!

Arrived safe and sound! I'm in the middle of a book at the moment, but will start this one as soon as I'm done. Thanks!

UPDATE: Started reading 2/9.

First, let me admit my bias upfront: I love Al Franken. What's more, I love the way he takes people to task. I love that he calls them out when they’re wrong and makes fun of them when they won’t admit it. Because I think we have a serious problem with accountability.

Point:

I think we're too ready to blame Karl Rove, or Dick Cheney, or Ari Fleischer, or Gale Norton, or Donald Rumsfeld, or John Ashcroft when this administration does something despicable. When South Carolinians get push polls saying John McCain fathered an illegitimate black child, you know Karl Rove had something to do with it. But it's really Bush. When our energy policy is set by cronies from the oil, coal, and automobile industries, you can shake your fist at Dick Cheney. But it's Bush. ... When this administration reinterprets the Clean Water Act to allow polluters to dump into creeks and streams, you can blame Gale Norton or Christie Todd Whitman all you like. But it's Bush (emphasis mine).

It's said that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. But what if he'd convinced the world he was a moron instead? We're all so quick to dismiss Bush as stupid, inarticulate, and incompetent, but what we don't do is hold him responsible for what he's done (and hasn't done) with his time at the White House.

Accountability. We need it in our media just as much as we need it in our politics. Journalists, a term used very loosely in some cases, including Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, others fingered in Lies, and the many left out, need to be called out, as much -- if not more than -- politicians. That's not to say I care about whether Inside Edition won any Emmy/Peabodys while O'Reilly was on staff or what political party he's registered with, or that I give a hoot about when Ann Coulter’s birthday really is (though voter fraud is a serious offense), or am interested in who Al challenges to a fight -- these are all petty cases used mostly for laughs by Franken to keep readers entertained while illustrating his grander point: Journalists should not be allowed to lie and get away with it. And as amusing as I found Supply-Side Jesus and the revisited Chickenhawk escapade, I could've done without them for a few extra pages of meaty testimony against the "liberal" media.

I'll get off my soap-box now. :o) In case I missed something the first go-round, though, I am re-reading Coulter's Slander, and recommend it to anyone who's interested in the other side's point of view (I've also checked out Hannity's Let Freedom Ring and O'Reilly's The No Spin Zone from the library). Coulter makes one point that, I think, Al would agree strongly with: "When arguments are premised on lies, there is no foundation for debate." Lies sets the defrauding stage, even if it does go after the easiest targets -- I just hope I won't have to wait for Franken's next book to find out more about what our talking heads are and are not doing right.

Sent Lies on its way to illinicheme this morning. Thanks, BunRab, for starting this 'ring! :o)

Delivery Confirmation Number:
0303 3430 0001 4346 2149

Arrived today. I'll journal again when finished.

Reading this book made me realize how tired I am of politics in this country. I struggled to make it through to the end because it's so long after the elections and I know how it all turned out. Some funny stuff, but mostly just depressing.

(sigh)

But thanks to BunRab for sharing! The book is on its way back home.