Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them_ A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right - Al Franken [36]
Throughout Let Freedom Ring, amid the half-truths about tax policy and the pabulum about national security, we find page upon page of denunciations of homosexuals, homosexuality, and homosexual practices—including, believe it or not, on page 158, a graphic description of what he calls “fisting.”
Speaking of formative experiences, Hannity tells us about one of his great early inspirations. On page 43, he outlines the life story of his embattled hero. He’s talking about how his champion was keyed in to the gravity of the terrorist threat even back in the eighties. He says:
Ollie North—decorated for courage and bravery in Vietnam with the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and three Navy Commendation medals—helped plan the Reagan administration’s liberation of Grenada. He helped plan the raid against Libya, in response to repeated rounds of Libyan terrorism. He helped the President wage a relentless campaign for freedom and democracy in Central America. And for his efforts, Ollie and his family were not heralded as American heroes. They were targeted—first by Libyan terrorists, and then by liberal Democrats.
On page 263, he tells the full story:
Ollie North—decorated for courage and bravery in Vietnam with the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts and three Navy Commendation medals—was also keyed in to the gravity of the terrorist threat. He helped plan the Reagan administration’s liberation of Grenada. He helped plan the raid against Libya, in response to repeated rounds of Libyan terrorism. He helped the Reagan-Bush administration wage a relentless campaign for freedom and democracy in Central America. And for his efforts, Ollie and his family were not heralded as American heroes. They were targeted—first by Libyan terrorists (physically) and then by liberal Democrats (politically and legally).
From this, I gleaned a couple of things. First, that Oliver North was decorated with the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and three Navy Commendation medals, was involved in the military actions in Grenada, Libya, and throughout Central America, and was targeted both by Libyan terrorists and by liberal Democrats. Secondly, that Hannity must have been paid by the word. As I am. Look for more on Oliver North’s medals throughout this book.
Why, exactly, was North targeted by liberal Democrats (and moderate Democrats, and moderate Republicans) in the 1980s? Was it for his bravery and courage, which won him the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and three Navy Commendation medals? No, it was because he broke the law and then lied to Congress about it.
It was the Iran-Contra hearings that first got Hannity excited about politics. “Like nothing before it,” he says, “the Iran-Contra hearings struck a chord of discontent and urgency in me. It was as if they were calling me to action.”
You’ve got to wonder about a guy whose interest in politics was inspired by the illegal funding of terrorists.
Back to our book-rating system. The initial idea, if you recall, had been to separate the analysis into three categories: obnoxiousness, “Why would any sane person buy this book?” and lies. I now realize the hubris of this approach, since there’s so much overlap between these categories. So far, I’ve tried my best to maintain a laserlike focus on incredibly obnoxious material, though I’ve perforce slipped into instances of naked dishonesty and strong reasons to question the sanity of anyone who bought this thing.
Similarly, as I move into the “lying” section, I will be unable to strictly adhere to the rigid boundaries of our initial model. I apologize.
LIE #1: I CAN’T “VOUCHER” FOR HIS EXAMPLES OF VOUCHER SCHOOLS.
Where New York State Education Commissioner Mills noted that there is “no simple fix” to the problems of New York City schools, Hannity has found one—and not just for New York, but for every school in the country. Vouchers. It’s about competition. If the government gives every