Bloodthirsty Bitches and Pious Pimps of Power: The Rise and Risks of the New Conservative Hate Culture

By Gerry Spence

Book Overview

Ann Coulter. Laura Ingraham. Nancy Grace. Bill O'Reilly. Sean Hannity. Pat Robertson. Their faces and voices are ubiquitous: the shrill shrieks and strident bellowings that drown out all debate and set every listener on edge, using God's and Jesus's names to justify oppression and ignorance, and spread falsehoods as if they were facts. They occupy the bully pulpit of the new American hate culture: the television and radio programs watched and heard by millions of people that shape the opinions and set the agendas of churches, school boards, political action groups, and ultimately those we have elected to represent all of us. Gerry Spence takes dead aim at the media demagogues who wield their power with such virulent effect. Using the full force of his own rhetorical skill - developed through decades as a legendary defense attorney - Spence exposes the people behind the words, and carves their arguments with the rough edge of his tongue. Anyone who has had it up to here will cheer to see these bullies met and conquered on their own turf.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031236153X
• ISBN13: 9780312361532
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.7" x 1.0" x 5.6"

Customer Reviews

A truthful tell all book

In this tell all book Gerry Spence let's you know how Nancy Grace and Anne Coulter, amount other's, have boldfaced lied to the public. He has stated their lies and then states the actual truths. A brilliant work that everyone should read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who values the truth. These women lawyers are a disgrace to the legal profession and should be permanently disbarred

Mesmerizing Presentation

I recently saw Gerry Spence speak at the Commonwealth Club. He delivered his message in an almost hypnotic fashion. This man is amazing. I wasn't planning on buying his book. But after the presentation, I bought it and read it nonstop the next day. He relies on deep truths and does not play the 'right-wing pig' game. The game the talking heads on FOX demand, in which any decent person starts out on the defensive. Gerry Spence is someone with a pure heart. He appears very vigorous and healthy for his age which proves what love can do (as opposed to those like Limbaugh who continue to bloat up from gluttony and ego and physically deteriorate from abuse of drugs).

Too true!!

This is a book I would highly recommend. It is well written and easy to follow. I totally agree with his assessment of these "elite" and their followers demonizing everyone these days. If someone disagrees with them the opponent is called hateful names and are wrongly accused as to their intent. These talk shows on television, radio and internet become shouting matches so no one gets any real value out of any of it. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing and in fact, good ideas come out of the combination of ideas many times. It, like everything else, has gotten so totally out of hand these days nothing is meant to make sense! One excellent book!

Speaking Against Bombastic Reactionaries

Chapter 1 compares Nancy Grace to a pagan priestess who sacrifices victims for thrills. Is her audience composed of oppressed people who are thrilled to see other people getting hurt (p.4)? Is she a witch-hunter (p.12)? Spence says Ann Coulter is a "media creature" who shrieks "poisonous stuff" (p.18). Does hatefulness show a deep-seated emotional problem (p.20)? Laura Ingraham attacks "the elitists" (p.26), but has an odd definition (p.27). Laura claims the corporate media is left-wing, but can never prove it (p.31). Spence identifies the real anti-people élite (pp.34-37). Spence likes Bill O'Reilly because they both distrust the élite (Chapter 4). O'Reilly will never criticize corporate rulers (p.43), he is in their keep. The problems in the justice system is that corporations control it (p.51). Does Pat Robertson really speak for Christ (p.141) or big corporations? Do corporations control churches against the best interest of their members (p.147)? [Spence needs to learn more about the history of Nazi Germany.] Chapter 10 discusses the corporate propaganda and lies against trial lawyers, the only group that can directly fight for people's rights in court. This is the best chapter in the book, you should read this if nothing else. The purpose of `tort reform' is to further oppress innocent victims, raise insurance rates (guaranteed), and enrich insurance corporations. Spence explains it all. Limiting payments violates people's rights to equal protection under the law, and the right to a jury trial. It treats children, housewives, and the elderly as worthless (just like in Nazi concentration camps). Doctors don't pay insurance costs, they collect it from their patients and pass it on as tribute to powerful corporations as the cost of doing business. The claims of a crisis is a fraud! More people die from improper medical conduct than from heart attacks or cancer (p.167). Spence explains what is perverse about that "English system" (p.169). It would prevent the average person from even trying to get justice for their damages by corporations. Spence says some judges are former insurance company lawyers who are appointed to delay or deny justice to people. (Do you really know what is going on in England and their National Health System?) Spence explains why insurance companies are "clogging the courts" (pp.171-172); it is for their own benefit to deny compensation to innocent victims! Heard about the scalding hot cup of coffee from McDonalds? Spence explains why McDonalds was "reckless, callous, and willful" (pp.176-178); and so they changed their business practices. The adoption of good seat belts in automobiles resulted from suits by trial lawyers. Other hazards were also eliminated. Spence tells how asbestos and tobacco caused lung cancer even after corporations knew of these dangers. Punitive damage suits are needed to prevent continued criminal action by corrupt and powerful corporations against ordinary people. Corporate controlled legislat

Insightful!

"Hate sells" - declares Spence as he explains how Nancy Grace increased CNN's ratings overnight, despite stretching the truth about her fiancée's murder (motivated her to become a prosecutor) and her being reprimanded three times for unethical/overzealous prosecuting. Grace's evening rants regularly include trying to turn the Constitution upside down so that the accused would be forced to prove their innocence. As for Ann Colter, Spence sees her as a media creature who's learned that intelligent dialogue doesn't sell, and doesn't mind being a hypocrite (eg. dating a porn-publishing scion). Laura Ingraham's thing is being anti-elite, like Mao's persecution of professors; other elite include those who dislike conservatives. Spence sees shades of 1984 in COlter and Ingraham - in the book party members were subject to "Two Minute Hate" periods everyday and sometimes entire Hate Weeks. "Hate," Spence points out, was the basis of Big Brother's Control, along with unconditioned blind loyalty (patriotism). Bill O'Reilly is a conservative - he offers no solutions for the major issues confronting those in the working class he claims to champion. Spence also points out that O'Reilly is a hypocrite for maligning Clinton on sex/family values while he has the same problems. Spence also sees O'Reilly as hypocritical for working on Fox - despite Murdoch's ownership of a large porn business. After similarly scorning Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson, Spence asserts that these right-wing nut-jobs madden the masses to the point where they lynch themselves at the polls. Why do we hate so much? Spence says it's easy to jump on the patriotic bandwagon to blow the hell out of half the innocent people in Baghdad if one has been blown into some sort of economic hell (eg. lost one's job, and/or benefits or former salary/security level) and is equally innocent - "when people hurt they hurt back." As for why the right-wing is more effective on talk shows, Spence sees it because liberals see shades of grey instead of black and white, and it therefore are much more tolerant. An interesting aside: We, who preach democracy, rank 35th in rate of turnout (54%); Italy is #1 (90%). One of Spence's more worrisome themes is the parallel between Nazi Germany and the U.S. today. Goebels' primary rules were: "Never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; focus on a few simple points and repeat them over and over; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one (it only has to seem true), and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it." Spence also points out that Hitler's verbiage emphasized his being a Christian and hatred for liberals. As for those those attacking lawyers vs. malpractice premiums (eg. Bush): Spence cites a New York Times article reporting that from '90-'02, 5%o

How Hate is taking over America

Spence argues persuasively that America and its government is owned lock, stock and barrel by the corporate King. The average American is little more than a corporate slave, his alienation and despair exploited by the hate mongering right wing media stars. Spence points out the uncomfortably similarities of modern day America to the rise of the Third Reich. Following on the heels of books such as What's the Matter with Kansas?, Bloodthirsty Bitches makes a strong case that the self perpetuating nature of hatred, particularly when done in the name of patriotism and Christianity, is destroying the country. This is a thoughtful look at the current situation in America that merits reading. Spence sees little differences between the conservatives and the hapless Democrats, both being in the pocket of corporate America, but this book deserves close consideration and personal soulsearching.