I Didn’t Quit Drinking to Get High On Hope and Change

With the holidays fast approaching, I thought it might be a good time to jot down some thoughts on drinking.  Or, more specifically, not drinking – booze or Kool Aid.

Recently, I celebrated my eighth year of sobriety.  I have 9/11 to thank for that; it was shortly after the attacks that I began attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous with regularity.  I’d been to AA once before, at 25, when a DUI arrest landed me in “the rooms.”  But at the time, I still had 15+ years of drinking to get out of my system, plus a mid-life crisis to go through that sent me flying out to La-La Land (which is where I was when the towers fell back in my home town).

I’m proud I haven’t had a drink since 2001.  After spending decades trying to flee my “issues” like an adolescent hamster on an existential wheel, the fog gradually lifted from my brain and I stopped running.

They say when you drink, you stop growing emotionally, that you’re almost in a state of suspended animation – normal on the outside, stunted on the inside.  Sobriety gets the spiritual gears moving again.  Suddenly, years of pent-up, delayed maturation caught up with me – real fast. (more…)

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Tags: 9/11, Alcoholics Anonymous, BDS, Big Book, Bill Wilson
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 at 5:03 am in Culture, Featured Story, Politics | 21587871 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cwinecoff/2009/11/23/i-didnt-quit-drinking-to-get-high-on-hope-and-change/I+Didn%27t+Quit+Drinking+to+Get+High+On+Hope+and+Change2009-11-23+13%3A03%3A43Charles+Winecoff

Burnt Offering: Artists Must Unite to Protect Free Speech

So I wake up groggy and after getting my morning green tea –- yeah, I seem to be going through that phase — coffee doesn’t go well with global warming. Anyway, I start the computer and begin my ritual of clearing out emails; a daunting but necessary task where depending on my time and interest I sometimes randomly open something to read.  

If your mailbox is like mine you receive an overwhelming amount of political stuff and reading it all can be a time-suck of enormous proportions. Let’s face it, if you don’t derive your living from this stuff, no matter how much of a concerned citizen you may be, there comes a point where you have to say, “Ah, is this paying my mortgage?” That’s reality biting you in the ass and so the knee-jerk reaction is to press delete and move on to something that may add a few more dollars to your already crumbling retirement fund. But, and I stress BUT, like the” pusher man” (remember that song, G** D**** the Pusher Man?) who you cannot seem to get away from, the sheer volume of political noise coming at you can’t be ignored and after just one peek … aaahhh your fix takes hold.   (more…)

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Tags: David Axelrod, Fox News, Free Speech, MSNBC, nancy pelosi
Posted Oct 26th 2009 at 2:28 pm in Art, Culture, Featured Story, Media Criticism, Politics | 25301063 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/rdavi/2009/10/26/burnt-offering-artists-must-unite-to-protect-free-speech/Burnt+Offering%3A+Artists+Must+Unite+to+Protect+Free+Speech2009-10-26+21%3A28%3A31Robert+Davi

Michael Savage to Debate Free Speech at Cambridge Union Oct. 15th

(San Francisco, CA) Michael Savage, ’shock-jock’ author of over 25 books with a radio audience of 10 million listeners who was banned from entering the United Kingdom in May by Gordon Brown will argue against the insanity of ‘political correctness’ on Thursday, October 15 at 8:00pm GMT. Savage will appear via internet link to argue his case for freedom of speech.

Quoting Winston Churchill, who said, “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police. They are afraid of words and thoughts! Words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home, all the more powerful because they are forbidden. These terrify them. A little mouse – a little tiny mouse! -of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic…” Savage will attempt to ’save England from a descent into mental slavery where petty bureaucrats dictate what can and cannot be discussed.” (more…)

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Tags: Cambridge, Churchill, debate, England, Free Speech
Posted Oct 6th 2009 at 5:01 pm in Politics | 24142622 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/06/michael-savage-to-debate-free-speech-at-cambridge-union-oct-15th/Michael+Savage+to+Debate+Free+Speech+at+Cambridge+Union+Oct.+15th2009-10-07+00%3A01%3A23Big+Hollywood

Acceptable Hate Mongering?

Yeah-I think I get it? If you’re a media personality of mediocre talent and dubious intelligence like…uh…gee, there’s so many to choose from? Oh, I know, let’s go with Janeane Garofalo now that she’s decided to be a spokesperson for the party of “love, openness and diversity” again. Anyway, apart from proving you’re not smart enough to keep your mouth shut, what happens if you’re a media personality of mediocre talent and dubious intelligence and you openly preach the most vile form of inflammatory hatred towards an entire group/race of people in today’s politically correct climate? 

You get a pass and high-fives from the MSM of course, but why? (more…)

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Tags: Al Franken, ann coulter, artists, Bill O'Reilly, constitution
Posted May 11th 2009 at 6:10 pm in Celebrity News, Politics | 1276505 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/aalvillar/2009/05/11/acceptable-hate-mongering/Acceptable+Hate+Mongering%3F2009-05-12+01%3A10%3A01Alvaro+Alvillar

Jon Stewart Courageously Defends His Bottom Flank

It takes a big man to admit he screwed up and take a principled stand. It takes a phony liberal elitist to apologize for the sake of protecting his television ratings.

Jon Stewart makes Arlen Specter look principled.

Like Pee Wee Herman, Jon Stewart launched his intercontinental ballistic missile, and he could not put the missile back on the launching pad. In his case, the only thing that seeped out was stupidity.

Jon Stewart, for those who are not “trendy,” “hip,” or “cool” (brie-cheese-eating-elitist-snobs according to the Tygrrrr Express dictionary), has a nightly political television show where he presents the news with all the accuracy and fairness of the Jayson Blair Times. (more…)

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Tags: "Crank Yankers", Al Queda, Arlen Specter, Bill Clinton, Cliff May
Posted May 7th 2009 at 8:03 am in Celebrity News, Entertainment, Media Criticism, News, Politics | 1272622 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/egolub/2009/05/07/jon-stewart-courageously-defending-his-bottom-flank/Jon+Stewart+Courageously+Defends+His+Bottom+Flank2009-05-07+15%3A03%3A36Eric+Golub

Eye on the Ball Conservatives: Free Speech

Because I am a conservative, I am obviously a racist.  Because I am a conservative, I am a homophobe.  Because I am a conservative, I am Islamaphobic.  Because I am a conservative, I am hateful.  And, Homeland Security says I’m a right wing extremist.  B.S.  If conservatives were endangered by global warming, the left would abandon their hysteria about it.  The last few weeks have been incredible in terms of the left exerting their new found power.  They are punch drunk with sinister goals.

Hillary Clinton laughs during an interview about Somali pirates.  Obama wants to consider prosecution of those who used torture tactics that Karl Rove says saved Los Angeles from a World Trade Center type attack.  Nancy Pelosi says those of us who spoke and participated in the Tea Bag parties were astro-turfers.  Harry Reid told KKOH radio in Reno that only 250 people showed up in Carson City for a rally when there were thousands.  Janeane Garofalo says anyone who showed up to the Tea Parties was a racist.  Miss California is a homophobe.  She put her convictions above winning.  David Letterman and Jon Stewart insult us on TV.  Where does it stop? (more…)

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Tags: Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio, Fairness Doctrine, FCC, Free Speech, Limbaugh
Posted Apr 22nd 2009 at 8:41 am in Politics | 1128382 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/04/22/conservatives-and-endangered-species/Eye+on+the+Ball+Conservatives%3A+Free+Speech2009-04-22+15%3A41%3A57Brian+Jennings

“I’m Geert Wilders!”

Saturday, I saw the most honest and courageous politician on earth give a speech about Islam’s threat to the civilized world after a screening of his short film, “Fitna.” It was just another reminder of how important strong leadership is in a dangerous world. In light of that, it is disheartening to see that the greatest and most powerful country in the history of the world, The United States of America, goes small against jihad and big against its own citizens, post 9/11. And further, that Washington P.C. is led by the weakest leaders it has ever had at a time when it needs the strongest. (more…)

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Tags: "fitna", America, bosch fawstin, Free Speech, Geert Wilders
Posted Apr 6th 2009 at 9:34 am in Politics, Religion | 9787835 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bfawstin/2009/04/06/im-geert-wilders/%22I%27m+Geert+Wilders%21%222009-04-06+16%3A34%3A11Bosch+Fawstin

Why Air America Sucks

As a talk radio pro who defends and cherishes free speech, it’s time for me to weigh in on why Air America sucks.  It’s not that I want them to fail – they already have once.  As a free speech advocate, I cheer for their success – unlike what many liberals hope for conservative talk which I helped establish in America.  But, since its inception, Air America has been a failure.  After its first financial disaster, it is attempting to make a comeback and has new and credible leadership in industry veterans Bennett Zier and Bill Hess.  But, it’s a long climb out of a deep hole.

Air America’s newest ace is none other than former TV huckster Montel Williams.  He follows Jerry Springer who followed none other than…..Al Franken.  Now, there is some name value in all three, but the first two failed in radio.  Franken was an absolute disaster.  As I wrote in my upcoming book “Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio,” Franken didn’t know he had to have something between the ears to do a three-hour radio talk show each day.  And, that’s what so many of these non-radio personalities don’t get.  Doing a three-hour radio talk show takes hours of prep time.  Most hosts spend about three hours of prep time for each hour of on-air time.  These guys just walked into the studio and thought it would happen automatically.  Listeners would flock to them….they were superstars…NOT!  There are no teleprompters in radio! (more…)

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Tags: Air America, Al Franken, Bennet Zier, Bill Hess, Ed Schultz
Posted Mar 27th 2009 at 2:04 pm in Media Criticism | 90358No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/03/27/why-air-head-america-sucks/Why+Air+America+Sucks2009-03-27+21%3A04%3A20Brian+Jennings

Talk Radio = Hate Speech?

I have been accused of promoting hate speech more than once as a talk radio programmer.  In fact, I’ve been accused of it for over 25 years.  Who defines hate speech?  Many who accuse talk radio of promoting hate want the FCC to regulate it.  To suggest regulation suggests censorship.  As Voltaire said:  “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” 

In researching my book “Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio,” to be published May 5th by Simon & Schuster, I used excerpts of what some groups claim is hate speech.  So, I throw this out for discussion.  Is the following excerpt taken from the “Michael Savage Show” hateful?  In the general context of on-going terrorism, beheadings, car-bombings, and other atrocities by radical Islamists, Savage exploded on October 29, 2007.  In challenging Muslims to demonstrate their religion is one of peace, Savage issued these words: (more…)

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Tags: "America Alone", Fairness Doctrine, Free Speech, Lou Dobbs, Mark Steyn
Posted Mar 21st 2009 at 7:04 am in Media Criticism, Politics | 84882179 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/03/21/talk-radio-hate-speech/Talk+Radio+%3D+Hate+Speech%3F2009-03-21+14%3A04%3A03Brian+Jennings

Rumbling For Rush

Fade In:

Exterior: An old building somewhere in downtown Austin, TX.

Cut To: Close up: A sign which reads “The Austin American-Statesman”

Cut to Interior: A small squalid desk covered with trash. At the desk sits a man from Maine who pretends to be a Texan named John Kelso. He is a frustrated small time liberal writer who wonders how he came to such a low end. Sitting here inside the belly of a dying dinosaur newspaper with the end of his career in sight he comes up with a plan. He will attack the number one media personality in America, Rush Limbaugh. He will challenge Rush to a fistfight. (more…)

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Tags: Austin Statesman American, double standard, Free Speech, John Kelso, Rush Limbaugh
Posted Mar 15th 2009 at 9:15 am in Media Criticism, Political Humor, Politics | 7956677 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/03/15/i-got-your-back-rush-the-sequel/Rumbling+For+Rush2009-03-15+16%3A15%3A34Jeffrey+Jena

Bush had “people banished to a free speech gulags”

A lot of you here in Big Hollywood live in the real Hollywood so maybe you have a map to this alternative reality Steven Weber lives in? As I saw the last eight years, whether it was at a convention, in Crawford, on the Mall, or even in Iraq, there were always people speaking freely and often crassly (or with shoes) about the president. And right until the end — George W. Bush was shamefully mocked this morning at the Capitol. Perhaps his Wings allow Weber to travel to Stalin’s Russia or Hitler’s Germany, or, contemporarily, Chinese Laogais. Otherwise, his reality is a mystery to me.

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Tags: Add new tag, Free Speech, george w. bush, Hollywood Delusions, Huffington Post
Posted Jan 20th 2009 at 2:03 pm in Celebrity News | 2597373 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kjlopez/2009/01/20/bush-had-people-banished-to-a-free-speech-gulags/Bush+had+%22people+banished+to+a+free+speech+gulags%222009-01-20+22%3A03%3A33Kathryn+Jean+Lopez

‘Village Voice’ Layoffs Exemplify Decline of Mainstream Counterculture

Continuing the beneficial meltdown of the mainstream media, including bastions of the erstwhile counterculture (which long ago swallowed up the mainstream culture), Village Voice magazine has laid off three editors, including longtime columnist/editor Nat Hentoff.

Hentoff, who wrote about jazz and then civil liberties for the newspaper for the past fifty years, was a staunch leftist and counter-culturalist, but he showed some intellectual integrity on the subject of freedom of speech in recent years, exemplified by his book, Free Speech for Me—But Not for Thee: How the American Left and Right Relentlessly Censor Each Other.

The premise of the book is rather skewed, given that the right has had virtually no power in either academia or the culture for several decades, especially the elite culture. Nevertheless, the fact that a well-known leftist and ACLU-style civil liberties advocate (meaning those who use the subject as a stalking horse for the left’s agenda) would acknowledge the left’s illiberalism was an important cultural event.

Another policy position that made Hentoff unusual—and particularly unwanted—among the left was his opposition to legalized abortion. It was indeed a very courageous stand for a Village Voice writer to take. (more…)

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Tags: abortion, Free Speech, Hentoff, liberty, new media
Posted Jan 19th 2009 at 5:15 am in Media Criticism, News | 2234542 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/01/19/village-voice-layoffs-exemplify-decline-of-mainstream-counterculture/%27Village+Voice%27+Layoffs+Exemplify+Decline+of+Mainstream+Counterculture2009-01-19+13%3A15%3A41S.T.+Karnick