Now that Dr. Laura is making headlines and speaking of not renewing her contract, I remembered why I stopped listening to her radio show years ago.
I unburied the note below, faxed October 25th, 2001, after Dr. Laura’s interview with David Horowitz. Previous to this, I found her advice strict but sensible, even a voice of reason in the wilderness of popular opinion about relationships, child rearing, and other topics. Around this time, she became a bit overzealous about the Palestinian issue, being one-sided with no middle ground to the point of extremism, which was not even the point of her program.
Dear Dr: Laura:
HELP!
I don’t care what Horowitz represents, and I’m too young to know him in his past life. However, from your show today alone, I can easily conclude: once an extremist, always an extremist.
He raises his voice to prove his point.
He doesn’t answer the questions, and the caller gets ridiculed with no chance of rebuttal.
He uses glaring generalities at every turn, creating the dissension he speaks against.
He does not represent the voice of reason, and brings your high standards low. All I hear is a personal axe to grind disguised in timely rhetoric.
And you, whom I respect, are the enabler?
My education is in Philosophy and Psychology. I don’t disagree with him in general, but with every vague (but emotionally pointed) argument and accusation, I raise the question:
Is he the best you could do to open people’s eyes? You may think he’s a top gun for a cause, but he’s a loose cannon. Again, it’s not what side he’s on that I’m against. It’s HIM PERSONALLY, based solely on today’s show.
Together both of you have criticized other media for not presenting alternate viewpoints – HUH? Today, your show has stepped over the line. This is not fighting ignorance. This is lack of tolerance for real discussion, and makes today’s show just like any other talk radio program, Right or Left.
I would have hoped you could keep close to the truth in the middle, but with someone like Horowitz, there is no room for discussion, reducing your show from Talk Radio to an infomercial.
PLEASE!
Don’t ever give him carte blanche on the airwaves if you can help it. He needs to be tested against educated, thinking people, in a truly open forum, before I can see him as anything more than a crackpot who switched political extremes.