Yes, Mike has been much discussed on this board, but it is worth repeating here. Mike is a real pro; and, when I discovered his show, not too long after 9-11 it seems, I found a real source of comfort and sustanance, as most of the world rallied around the chimp in chief. Some of us knew better. And we met as a group when his show was on the air.
Mike's show was entertaining and informative, extemely well produced -especially given the production circumstances. But most of all it was a place to go to be "with" like-minded people five days a week. When I couldn't listen, and when he went to evenings and I was not able to listen as much, and now that he's not on, I felt and feel a palpatable emptiness.
The great Robert Jensen wrote about such alienation and this desire for community in a column I sent to Mike, who read it on the air.
snip
I have lived in the United States all my life, and for personal and political reasons I expect to live out my life here. It is my home.
But after the U.S. attack on Iraq, I feel more alienated from my “homeland” than ever before. Judging from my mail and conversations I have had around the country, many antiwar activists feel the same.
This is a serious problem, not just personally for individuals but for the movement. For those of us trying to oppose the U.S. empire, our primary task is organizing people in the United States to resist these imperial policies. That will be difficult if we feel increasingly alienated, and become more isolated, from “ordinary” Americans.
But that is exactly how I feel -- alienated and isolated, and I see no reason to pretend otherwise. Since 9/11, the number of people in my daily life with whom I can talk honestly has dwindled to a handful. I have been less interested in attending routine social gatherings outside of my political circle. I have found myself more frequently communicating over email with like-minded people in other cities rather than chatting with colleagues in the hallway. Instead of looking for ways to expand my social circle, I have let it contract.
None of this is because I’m inherently anti-social; it’s a distinct change since 9/11. I have not been doing any of these things consciously, but instead have been drifting away from ways I used to interact with others because it has become more and more difficult to fit into these “normal” situations. I have struggled much of my adult life with the realization that my values were at odds with most of the people around me, but after 9/11 those awkward gaps began to feel like unbridgeable gulfs.
<
http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/freelance/attack60.htm>
Yes AirAmerica needs to hire Mike, a real in-your-face liberal talk show pro, not a comedian with a schtick. We need his passionate voice, telling the truth and bringing people together.
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