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10/19/2005: We have trouble brewing in the Bluff City....
I don't listen to the local "progressive talk" station here--WWTQ AM 680--mostly because I wanted Air America from the beginning (or as close as I could get to the beginning), so I subscribed to XM Satellite Radio. By the time WWTQ affiliated with Air America, I was quite satisfied with my XM, thank you--and besides, as I've noted elsewhere here, I don't consider myself a Memphian; I'm a St. Louisan in exile. For that reason I really don't have any great motivation to support the local radio station just because it's local, and I would much rather listen to XM, because I'm paying for it anyway.
WWTQ pre-empts the last couple hours or so of Randi Rhodes (I think) for a local host, Leon Gray. Leon's sort of an interesting choice to host a "progressive" talk show (or so I understand; keep in mind I don't listen to him, myself)--apparently he does have "mostly" liberal views, but in a few areas he apparently makes common cause with the social conservatives. For example (again, from what I've heard), Leon has come out in support of school prayer and of the teaching of either creationism or intelligent design in the public schools.
And then we have the latest crisis.
Apparently, Leon's been voicing his opinion on the air that homosexuality is objectively wrong, and a lifestyle choice. I've not heard the broadcasts in question (as I said, I don't tune in to WWTQ), but we can get an idea of the subject matter from a recent blog entry at the WWTQ blog that's universally attributed to Leon (for pretty obvious reasons):
We defend the rights of the KKK to march, rally and spew hatred in the streets, it’s that first amendment thing, which now-a-days gives folks the right to do wrong… talk about an oxymoron!Anyway, the Liberal Memphis Blogetariat is in a bit of a tizzy over that one, as you might imagine.
I will now cut my own throat… Gays and Lesbians wanted feel free to flaunt their sexuality, excuse me their sexual orientation, which without any doubt is a personal choice, and now have managed to force society to see it their way (meaning that their right)… or at least act like it.
The truth is, most of us have chosen to do wrong in our lives and now just don’t feel comfortable openly pointing out the wrongs of others. We’re missing the boat! At this rate, our society will change its position to accommodate any and all wrongs based on a person having the alleged right to choose to do wrong. Folks Free-Will is not a right!!! It’s only a decision…
We the people, for the most part, don’t believe there is anyone who is not doing something wrong and therefore have disqualified almost everyone from being able to hold anyone to higher moral standards.
Do we really want our children and grandchildren to grow up with an involuntary tolerance for everyone else’s behavior, in exchange for everyone else’s acceptance of theirs? If not, the time to change that is now!
For some pretty good posts on the issue, check out:
autoegocrat at The Flypaper Theory. He first jumped all over Leon for his suggestion that homosexuality is genocide, but he's being more forgiving than I think I'd be, and he's not going to give up on Leon's show yet.
The Left Wing Cracker thinks it's time for a "come to Jesus meeting" over at WWTQ:
I've always liked Leon personally, and known him as a Democratic stalwart. However, I would expect to hear that kind of homophobic bullshit on WREC or WCRV, but not on 680! I'm not yet ready to say he should be canned, but Jerry Dean needs to have a talk with him about this, because he ran off a hell of a lot of listeners today.Polar Donkey isn't at all surprised:
Am I surprised he said something like this. Well, to be honest, no. He talks about school prayer and such things so I already knew he was a social conservative. That’s why I haven’t listened to 680 between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., I just don’t like the religious talk.
Len on 10.19.05 @ 08:08 PM CST
