Published:  July 26, 2016

I, Vincent Frank De Benedetto, the owner of this website, am a social conservative, and like popular radio talk show host Michael Alan Weiner (stage name "Michael Savage") a general adherent of the socio-political philosophy of borders, language, and culture. However, I'm chagrined that Mr. Savage is the de facto public face of this philosophy.

Having listened to his radio program The Savage Nation on many occasions, I had initially wondered which pejorative adjectives, which particular terms of opprobrium I would employ here to describe Mr. Savage. In fairly short order I realized that he possesses and displays a number of unpleasant behavioral and personality characteristics, and that my word choices were accordingly unlimited.

Mr. Savage, variously or concomitantly:

1. Is ill mannered and coarse.

2. Proffers rants that are often profligate and ugly. If he is not some form of bigot, his remarks make it easy to conclude or presume that he is.

3. Is both confused, and confusing.

4. Possesses an almost categorical lack of charity, sympathy or empathy in interpreting the actions of people. And not just in regard to the worst-of-the-worst such as members or sympathizers of terror groups such as Daesh, but everyone.

5. Additionally, and incredibly, especially for a conservative, he routinely proffers remarks easily construed as explicitly anti-American. For example, on Thursday, July 28, 2016, he referred to the United States Department of Homeland Security the "Department of Homeland Stupidity." About a day or two earlier he disparaged the United States military.

6. Consistently mispronounces common words vaguely in the manner perhaps of someone with a spasticity.

   On his Thursday, July 28, 2016 airing at about 3 pm, he pronounced "Muslims" as "Mooslims," apparently not doing it for jocular effect. Similarly, on the same program, in a radio commercial for the Ghost line of mattresses, he pronounced the word comfortable as camfortable (i.e. "cumf' ter bl" as "camf' ter bl").

7. Though his callers routinely treat him with great respect and deference, often greeting him as "Dr." Savage, for example, Michael Savage routinely treats his callers more shabbily than I've heard from any other talk host. He provides them precious little time to speak, routinely usurping their remarks that they've only barely began to speak, with his own opinion, analysis, or declarations. The occasional caller whose remarks he finds especially germaine or interesting gets discernibly better treatment, including latitude to speak at some length.

8. Is an apparent hypocrite. His theme music is that of historic heavy metal band Judas Priest, whose lead vocalist Rob Halford is publicly and widely known as a homosexual. While aggressively promoting arch-conservative social values, Mr. Savage airs music several times per day, every day, sung by an open homosexual, indeed, one of the black-leather, East Village biker variety, no less. Note that this writer is an enthusiastic fan, selectively, of heavy metal. Regarding Mr. Halford, I apprise or remind all that he, as each of us, is a member of our human family, his self-reported gender orientation, notwithstanding.

My critique of the words and behavior of Mr. Savage are rooted in the important tagline of this very website "Toward Wisdom & Love in our Global Society." Mr. Savage's deportment in communicating the conservative philosophy is certainly not one of wisdom and love.

Another odd and frankly unacceptable element in Mr. Savage's on-air behavior is his interminable and vitriolic diatribe against President Obama. This writer did not vote for the President, but finds Savage's interminable savaging of President Obama queer, inappropriate, and ultimately unpatriotic. It demeans not just the man but the office, undermining our projection of strength to the world. Accordingly, and given all this, I'd preliminarily call Savage a traitor. He is a shouting, ignoble lout who often directs his venom at the President; he can't seem to help himself. His inability to find anything at all that President Obama has done right is shared by most other right-wing talk show hosts, but Savage proffers invective on steroids. Sample his show for a few months if you can stomach it, and you'll experience it firsthand.

Here are a small set of examples, from one relatively short segment of just one of his broadcasts, that of Tuesday, July 26, 2016:

1. He proffered a diatribe against the Pope.

2. At 4:43 pm EST, he proffered vitriolic criticism against Bernie Sanders, frenetically screaming "Communist Rat!," because during Senator Sander's address at the Democratic National Convention he was advocating for the sick, the elderly, and the poor.

3. At 4:44 pm, he said that the platform of the United States Democratic Party was the same as that of the Communist Party, USA.

4. And at 4:46 pm, in regard to Senator Diane Feinstein, he pronounced fein STYNE as fineSTEEN.

5. He stated that in contradistinction to the popular 1960s slogan "Tune in, turn on, drop out," his philosophy was "tune in, turn on--and load your Glock." Yet he feigns loyalty to, and solicitude toward, Christianity.

It's not that Mr. Savage's themes, subjects, points, and emotions are wrong. They are often right, and sometimes very right, as was, for example, his pointed anger expressed on his July 26, 2016 program upon learning that a Catholic priest had just been decapitated in Normandy, France. Generally, however, it's the way Mr. Savage expresses his themes and opinions. There is nothing wrong with standing up for a philosophy that comprises the effort to preserve one's culture. This is arguably a natural impulse common to all. That such an effort can be good public policy, as well, makes the endeavor even more attractive, and ultimately it is reasonable, just, and necessary.

But the manner in which this effort is clothed need not be tattered and stained with the detritus of hate, vitriol, insensitivity, hypocrisy, and moral illogic, which seems to be just about the only lingua franca Mr. Savage knows.

I continue to listen to Mr. Savage, intermittently, in part for want of a better alternative, in part because there are few public figures explicitly articulating the tri-partite philosophy of borders, language, and culture, and in part because as a political junkie I remain interested in his subject matter. However, I will also maintain my critique of his ugly and unsettling personal style and manner of communicating, and perhaps even conceptualizing, this philosophy.

And when a more articulate, responsible, and indeed loving advocate for the 3-part philosophy appears, I will readily reach for the tuning knob on my AM radio.