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Illuminator
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- May 15, 2002
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Driving home I had on a local talk radio host by the name of Michael Berry. He was giving some news stories of criminal acts (such as someone who tried to break into a police officer's house and was shot by said officer). He would end each story with, "I think we know who that person (the criminal) voted for...Barack Obama."
After a few examples of this I decided to call him. I talked to the screener and said I wanted to dispute Berry's partisan crystal ball. After being on hold for commercials I was the next caller on the air. I'll paraphrase as close to recall as I can. There was a bit more give and take but I will give the gist of things:
ME: Michael, I take exception with your use of your partisan crystal ball to divine who someone voted for. You really have no idea who they voted for. In the case of the one in the newspaper who engaged in multiple voter fraud you said because the paper did not specify who that person voted for it was safe to conclude that the liberal newspaper would protect their own and we could assume they voted five times for Obama. I would point out that while it is known that a person votes, the actual vote is not available so the paper would have no way to report who they voted for.
MICHAEL BERRY: I know who they voted for.
ME: What evidence do you have?
MICHAEL BERRY: We know who they voted for...I have the evidence.
ME: Where is the evidence? Evidence, Michael, I want evidence.
MICHAEL BERRY: I have evidence.
ME: See, you are trying to tie criminals with voting for Obama. I wonder who Vitters voted for?
MICHAEL BERRY: Who?
ME: Republican Congressman Vitters. Tell me who he voted for after he visted his prostitutes?
MICHAEL BERRY: McCain.
ME: Or what about Republican congressman Cunningham who used his embezzled funds to pay for a yacht. Who did he vote for?
MICHAEL BERRY: McCain.
ME: My point is criminals from both sides of the aisle exist but you are attempting to portray one side as being tied to criminal activity more.
MICHAEL BERRY: No, that is not what I am doing. But hey, look I am getting them all right on predicting who they voted for so I must be right.
He mentioned ACORN and I stated the difference between voter registration fraud and voter fraud which he dismissed. I said that ACORN employees earning $8/hour you are going to get some cheaters. He caricatured my point. I tried explaining that if Mcdonald's has some bad eomplyees that does not make McDonald's itself a bad corportaion but I was probably potted down at that point as he was talking. I should have challenged him on who turned in the voter registration fraud and told him it was ACORN who did so. He also went into teh O'Keefe pimp thing and I advised him that in the ACORN offices O'Keefe was not dressed as a pimp. He clearly did not believe me but I pointed out that the video itself never shows O'Keefe dressed as a pimp inside an ACORN office. He asked what O'Keefe was dressed as and I said just an ordinary guy.
He then started fishing around asking what I did for a living. I am sure he was hoping I would say "unemployed" so he was disappointed. He went on to ask where I was from. I told him my local community and he said that I wasn't from around here and asked where I was from originally, obviously detecting my non-TX accent. I hesitated, saying he was attempting to change the subject and I was not the subject. He asked why I am ashamed to tell. I told him I grew up in WI and he accused me of lying (although it is true).
MICHAEL BERRY: Who did you vote for?
ME: I voted for Obama.
MICHAEL BERRY: And you think he is doing a great job, don't you?
ME: I think he is doing fairly well. He has accomplished a pretty good amount.
MICHAEL BERRY: What has he accomplished? Tell me what you like.
ME: I think his financial reform legislation is good.
MICHAEL BERRY: What else?
ME: I think his health care is a good start.
We then had a fairly lengthy discussion about health care where I pointed out that Japan and Germany paid half the costs of what we pay. Michael went on to talk about how great our health care was and asked why that Canadien PM came to America for his health care. He went on a rant about how everyone comes here for the best care. He characterized Japan's and Germany's health care as substandard, saying it was fine if you stubbed your toe but if you wanted the best you came here.
Unfortunately, by this time I was talking to dead air as he went on and on. He specifically called me an ass-clown warning his listeners that I would be at the polls so they better get out there. He called me anti-American. Said I felt that there was nothing good about America. Said that I felt that America's health care was not as good as others. He went on to ascribe a whole lot of positions to me that I do not hold but since he had already hung up on me I could not respond.
After the next commerical he said that my call had generated a lot of email. The next caller said that a friend of hers got great medical care (emergency type of course) and did not pay for it due to not being able to afford the care. She then complained how she had to pay high costs for her own medical care when she had some operation. She was not begrudging her frioend's medical care but was complaining about the high cost of her own. I thought it was a good argument for my point but the caller did not realize it and Michael Berry went into a rant how we should seize assets of those who don't pay their medical bills. I wonder how the caller would explain that to her friend?
Anyway, it was an interesting experience. I may call back to discuss Michael Berry's subtle racism. He uses a stereotypical ghetto accent when talking about blacks. He plays The Jefferson theme song in the background when talking to blacks or about them. In the past I have hear him dent racism, sometimes using the fact that he has an Hispanic wife to inoculate himself. I was thinking of asking why he only uses that voice for blacks. Or why he does not play some ridiculous hispanic music or effect a bad mexican accent whenever a hispanic caller calls or over a discussion of a hispanic. I would follow up with how would his wife feel if he did that every time he talked with or about a hispanic? Should I?
After a few examples of this I decided to call him. I talked to the screener and said I wanted to dispute Berry's partisan crystal ball. After being on hold for commercials I was the next caller on the air. I'll paraphrase as close to recall as I can. There was a bit more give and take but I will give the gist of things:
ME: Michael, I take exception with your use of your partisan crystal ball to divine who someone voted for. You really have no idea who they voted for. In the case of the one in the newspaper who engaged in multiple voter fraud you said because the paper did not specify who that person voted for it was safe to conclude that the liberal newspaper would protect their own and we could assume they voted five times for Obama. I would point out that while it is known that a person votes, the actual vote is not available so the paper would have no way to report who they voted for.
MICHAEL BERRY: I know who they voted for.
ME: What evidence do you have?
MICHAEL BERRY: We know who they voted for...I have the evidence.
ME: Where is the evidence? Evidence, Michael, I want evidence.
MICHAEL BERRY: I have evidence.
ME: See, you are trying to tie criminals with voting for Obama. I wonder who Vitters voted for?
MICHAEL BERRY: Who?
ME: Republican Congressman Vitters. Tell me who he voted for after he visted his prostitutes?
MICHAEL BERRY: McCain.
ME: Or what about Republican congressman Cunningham who used his embezzled funds to pay for a yacht. Who did he vote for?
MICHAEL BERRY: McCain.
ME: My point is criminals from both sides of the aisle exist but you are attempting to portray one side as being tied to criminal activity more.
MICHAEL BERRY: No, that is not what I am doing. But hey, look I am getting them all right on predicting who they voted for so I must be right.
He mentioned ACORN and I stated the difference between voter registration fraud and voter fraud which he dismissed. I said that ACORN employees earning $8/hour you are going to get some cheaters. He caricatured my point. I tried explaining that if Mcdonald's has some bad eomplyees that does not make McDonald's itself a bad corportaion but I was probably potted down at that point as he was talking. I should have challenged him on who turned in the voter registration fraud and told him it was ACORN who did so. He also went into teh O'Keefe pimp thing and I advised him that in the ACORN offices O'Keefe was not dressed as a pimp. He clearly did not believe me but I pointed out that the video itself never shows O'Keefe dressed as a pimp inside an ACORN office. He asked what O'Keefe was dressed as and I said just an ordinary guy.
He then started fishing around asking what I did for a living. I am sure he was hoping I would say "unemployed" so he was disappointed. He went on to ask where I was from. I told him my local community and he said that I wasn't from around here and asked where I was from originally, obviously detecting my non-TX accent. I hesitated, saying he was attempting to change the subject and I was not the subject. He asked why I am ashamed to tell. I told him I grew up in WI and he accused me of lying (although it is true).
MICHAEL BERRY: Who did you vote for?
ME: I voted for Obama.
MICHAEL BERRY: And you think he is doing a great job, don't you?
ME: I think he is doing fairly well. He has accomplished a pretty good amount.
MICHAEL BERRY: What has he accomplished? Tell me what you like.
ME: I think his financial reform legislation is good.
MICHAEL BERRY: What else?
ME: I think his health care is a good start.
We then had a fairly lengthy discussion about health care where I pointed out that Japan and Germany paid half the costs of what we pay. Michael went on to talk about how great our health care was and asked why that Canadien PM came to America for his health care. He went on a rant about how everyone comes here for the best care. He characterized Japan's and Germany's health care as substandard, saying it was fine if you stubbed your toe but if you wanted the best you came here.
Unfortunately, by this time I was talking to dead air as he went on and on. He specifically called me an ass-clown warning his listeners that I would be at the polls so they better get out there. He called me anti-American. Said I felt that there was nothing good about America. Said that I felt that America's health care was not as good as others. He went on to ascribe a whole lot of positions to me that I do not hold but since he had already hung up on me I could not respond.
After the next commerical he said that my call had generated a lot of email. The next caller said that a friend of hers got great medical care (emergency type of course) and did not pay for it due to not being able to afford the care. She then complained how she had to pay high costs for her own medical care when she had some operation. She was not begrudging her frioend's medical care but was complaining about the high cost of her own. I thought it was a good argument for my point but the caller did not realize it and Michael Berry went into a rant how we should seize assets of those who don't pay their medical bills. I wonder how the caller would explain that to her friend?
Anyway, it was an interesting experience. I may call back to discuss Michael Berry's subtle racism. He uses a stereotypical ghetto accent when talking about blacks. He plays The Jefferson theme song in the background when talking to blacks or about them. In the past I have hear him dent racism, sometimes using the fact that he has an Hispanic wife to inoculate himself. I was thinking of asking why he only uses that voice for blacks. Or why he does not play some ridiculous hispanic music or effect a bad mexican accent whenever a hispanic caller calls or over a discussion of a hispanic. I would follow up with how would his wife feel if he did that every time he talked with or about a hispanic? Should I?
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