Iowans:  Don't Be Hornswoggled

The following is an excerpt from an article by Gene Lyons on Salon.com.  Below, please see our local Iowa action alert.

Salon.com

Over the past few decades, America's “mainstream media” has been hornswoggled by one big falsehood after another

Sometimes, when two sources tell very different stories, the truth doesn't lie somewhere between them. Often, somebody's lying.  [Italics BFIA's]

Historian Rick Perlstein (“Nixonland”) applied himself to one recent example: polls showing that most voters in the last congressional election believed President Obama had raised their taxes, although he'd cut them.

Led by Rush Limbaugh, “conservative commentators told them Barack Obama was a tax-mad lunatic. They lied. The mainstream media did not do their job and correct them. The White House was too polite — 'civil,' just like Obama promised — to say much. So people believed the lie. From this all else follows.”

…Confronting a faker like Limbaugh, people pretend, only empowers him. Perlstein argues that the failure also belongs to “mainstream media that acts as if anything [Limbaugh's] millions of followers believe is a priori deserving of respect as heartland folk wisdom.”

“When one side breaks the social contract, and the other side makes a virtue of never calling them out on it,” he observes, “the liar always wins. When it becomes 'uncivil' to call out liars, lying becomes free.”  [Italics BFIA's]

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist Gene Lyons is a National Magazine Award winner and co-author of “The Hunting of the President” (St. Martin's Press, 2000).

(click here to read the entire article)

Speaking of Limbaugh, let's smack down the lies locally.  Below is a list of Limbaugh-carrying stations in Iowa.  If you live in the broadcast area of any of these stations, call them and ask them to give some balance-time to progressive talk.  Suggest the Stephanie Miller Show, Thom Hartmann, Jim Hightower, Ed Schultz.  Remind the station that Iowa is evenly divided as far as Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.  Not everyone wants to listen to all conservative talk radio all the time.  Good luck!

Burlington Talk Radio KCPS
 KCPS 1150
205 S. Gear Avenue
W. Burlington, Iowa 52655  
Phone (319) 754-6698
E-mail kcps@aol.com
Glenn Beck, 9-11a; Limbaugh 11a-2p;Dennis Miller 2-5p; O'reilly 5-6p; Michael Savage 7-9p;

Cedar Rapids WMT 600
600 Old Marion Road
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Phone: 319-365-0600
Toll free: 800-332-5401
*600 on your US Cellular Phone
johnlaton@clearchannel.com
Limbaugh 1p-4p; Jim Bohannon 9p-12a

WOC Quad Cities
1420 AM
563-344-7025
news@woc1420.com
Limbaugh 11a-2p; Hannity 6-9p;Dennis Miller 9-12a;
 
Des Moines WHO Radio
 1040 AM
2141 Grand Ave
Des Moines, IA 50312
Phone: 515-245-8900
vanharden@clearchannel.com,  Program Director
joelmccrea@clearchannel.com, General Manager
Jan Mickelson,9a-11:30;Limbaugh 1-4p;Steve Deace 4-7p;Michael Medved 9-10p;Michael Reagan 10p-1a; Jim Bohannon 4-5a.

Dubuque WDBQ(no website)
1490 AM
5490 Saratoga Road Dubuque
Phone: (563) 557-1040
Limbaugh 11a-2p
 
Estherville KILR          
1070 AM (no website)
Phone: 712-362-2644
Limbaugh 11a-2p
 
Mason City  KGLO
AM 1300
341 S Yorktown Pike
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 423-1300
Tim Fleming, tfleming@kglo.threeeagles.com
Brian Fancher, bfancher@kglo.threeeagles.com
Limbaugh 1p-4p M-F
 
Sheldon KIWA  (has advertiser list on website!)
1550 AM
411 9th Street
Sheldon, IA 51201
Phone: 712-324-5377
E-mail: Walt Pruiksma, Station Mgr., at walt@kiwaradio.com (good luck…there is a picture on the website of Walt with Bush)
E-mail:  Wayne Barahona, Program Director, at wayne@kiwaradio.com
Limbaugh 11a-2p; Hannity 2-5p; L & H Saturdays also

Sioux City KSCJ
 1360
2000 Indian Hills Dr
Sioux City, IA 51104
(712) 239-2100
sarthur@powelliowa.com
Limbaugh, 11a-2p; Hannity, O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Dennis Miller, Bohannon

Waterloo KXEL
 AM 1540
514 Jefferson Street
Waterloo, IA  50701
General Manager:  Tim Mathews tim@radiogroup.net
Phone:  319-234-2200 or 800-584-7024
Coverage Area:  Waterloo-Cedar Falls-Cedar Rapids-Iowa City
5-6a Jim Bohannon; 8-11a Glenn Beck; 11a-2p Limbaugh; 2-5p Hannity