For some, the greatest controversy surrounding the Air America radio network is its name, as most conservatives claim that �Air America� is far from American. But these critics targeted the wrong half of that title � Air America is almost off the air, thanks to a few financial oversights that might cost �liberal talk radio� its very reputation. But this ship was sinking before it left the port, for all of the same reasons the Democratic Party as a whole is flailing like a fish out of water. We call it �Sandbox Politics� � the politics of grown men acting like bratty, blubbering kids.
Think about it. When Al Franken promoted Air America on The Daily Show with John Stewart, he claimed that liberals were �tired of taking it.� So retaliation is a valid reason for starting a nationwide talk radio network, eh? Such ambiguous victimization suits the bully in the sandbox . . . not elected politicians. And consider the latest liberal bid to publicize the flag-draped coffins of fallen American soldiers in Iraq. These spotlight-hungry soapbox saps � the same ones that claimed the footage of September 11th was insensitively overplayed � want to use these shots of dead soldiers to proclaim, �Look! Look what Bush did!� This isn�t concern for our troops so much as it�s a veiled threat toward the administration, in a �cut it out or I�ll tell your mommy� sort of way. The problem is, in this analogy, we � the American people � are �Mommy,� with an earful of useless tattling every time libs �take it� from the right.
And what is �it,� exactly? Having to answer for their own shortsightedness? Recently, John Kerry corrected his thirty-year-old claim that he discarded the metals he eared in Vietnam, stating that he actually gave up his ribbons, a protest supposedly less offensive, I guess. Kerry claims he misspoke thirty years ago, that the terms �ribbons� and �metals� were interchangeable then, despite not meaning the same thing. How does one earn a ribbon in wartime, anyway? What, was Kerry almost shot? Did he stand close enough to a burning village? Ribbons are awards for participating, but metals are rewards for winning, so it�s no wonder he didn�t discard those little trophies. Like a child playing a game of basketball, winning is all Kerry is concerned about.
�Sandbox Politics� simply acknowledges that liberals and children have one fatal flaw in common � the need for validation. And sometimes, that validation is sought through acting out, or with negative behavior tendencies. Like children, liberals need a good time out, and some redirection, so that energy is spent in more productive ways. Li�l Johnny Kerry, please stop playing the blame game. Shouldn�t that energy help find alternative solutions to the War on Terror, instead? Hey, when you say America might benefit from a different strategy, you might be on the right track! But at this point in history, you�ve inched up one rung on the ladder, and you�ve stopped to enjoy the view. Keep climbing, man! Any child knows, you wanna be king of the mountain, you gotta climb up all the way. Tired of taking it? Why not give it for a change? |
