With the USA in uncertain economic straits, you would think American parents would be looking more closely at their children's civic education. Despite an ever increasing availability of data, media and technology, however, our kids often develop warped perspectives because they are not being exposed to the range of views present in "reality". This will affect their health, wealth, well-being and political views and will shape America's future.





The problem is that "learning" today is less about going to school or reading and more like negotiating a super-barrage of media inundation where money trumps accuracy. Fake news and slanted discussion is churned out to sell us on political narratives using the emotion-tugging methods perfected by the manipulative geniuses in advertising, marketing, mass-messaging and mutant hybrids thereof.





Many Americans don't realize the effect the multimillionaires secretly exert on public debate of issues. Today's talk radio industry has made propaganda a part of everyday life, expanding political speech we used to see only in campaign ads fully into the content of three-hour shows. But unlike truth-in-advertising regulations that mandate accuracy or balance (as in pharmaceutical ads), nothing compels hosts, producers or execs to be honest - there are no industry guidelines and no legal requirements anymore.





So America's top-rated talkers exaggerate, obfuscate and deceive our citizens every day as they ironically claim both patriotic and spiritual high ground, contradicting not only America's noblest responsibility, but updated "sin" canons issued by the Pope in 2008 including "social injustice which causes[s] poverty or the excessive accumulation of wealth by a few."





During the Bush era, many of the biggest debates concerning our security and domestic policy have been hijacked by monied minorities with hidden agendas buying high-visibility messaging from friendly media surrogates. Corporate cash translates very easily into air time, whether it's George Soros or the secret financiers behind the Swift Boat ads.





Ping Pong Politics





There is no question the right and left battle for the hearts and minds of the electorate using propaganda instead of open discussion. Each accuses the other of it, but neither admits any fault. There is a difference for the critical thinker, however, and especially for responsible, no-nonsense parents.





We can either accept the current climate of dueling right vs. left spin machines, or start to insist on a shared open dialogue where accusations can be corrected - on the record - where they originated.





When Sean Hannity stacks the deck by arguing important issues without taking on any qualified adversaries, he weaves a daily narrative that assaults my morals as a citizen, teacher and a dad. Because Hannity's broadcasts lack basic journalistic balance, kids who listen are getting short-changed -- if not brainwashed. With Hannity and Rush Limbaugh representing the most listened-to talk radio hosts (by far), we must consider our minimums for ethics-in-broadcasting because, shamefully, these industry leaders have shaped political discourse to deeply divide the U.S., while reducing our ability to make sound decisions because available facts are missing. This, at a time when we need our best-ever ideas.





Hannity is clear in stating he believes in tax breaks for the wealthy so they can create jobs for the rest of us. Thus, Hannity is a never-ending infomercial for those in the highest tax brackets, sharing his airwaves with Karl Rove, Oliver North, Newt Gingrich, Dick Morris, Jerome Corsi and a parade of the hottest neocon luminaries, but shuns all guests he knows will pop his fake plastic "torpedos of truth".





Hannity's core sponsors include the radically partisan Heritage Foundation (one could easily mistake a Hannity rant for a paid ad on his show). Heritage founder Paul Weyrich memorably stated: "I don't want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people, they never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down..."





Hannity's artful genius is the way he gets so many middle class listeners to vote to actually lower taxes for the extremely rich, but this may not be so easy if pressure was brought onto Hannity to allow calls and guests in realistic proportion to the actual population. No, Hannity's show is about repetition and moving along quickly when someone tries to bring facts into this neocon bubble.





How is this different from Keith Olbermann or the left? It's very different for the critical thinking American parent. If one pundit includes the perspective of his opponent to openly make a case against it, it is not the same as another pundit who plays dumb, pretending counter-arguments simply don't exist. Whether it's about the economy, terrorism, war, health care, national polls or the real grit and criminality behind American politics, Hannity cherry-picks and hides key facts all day.





include Hannity's statements in point-by-point, openly reasoned arguments against them for all to see online. Hannity never discusses these reports on air, hoping listeners will not notice. If informed, articulate callers do get by his By contrast, Hannity-watchers such as Fox Hounds or Media MattersHannity's statements in point-by-point, openly reasoned arguments against them for all to see online. Hannity never discusses these reports on air, hoping listeners will not notice. If informed, articulate callers do get by his picky screeners to challenge him, he shifts the discussion, conveniently goes to a break, cuts them off , drowns them out, shouts over them, hangs up , interrupts them or just deletes them entirely using the delay button.





This is why you've never heard any of a number of scandals or important stories on Hannity's broadcasts: the Downing Street memos, the orders to illegally torture and sexually humiliate detainees, the Italian letter , the Ohio 2004 election fraud case, vote caging lists, violations of the Presidential Records Act, the DC Madam call lists, Abramoff's payoffs, Halliburton's fraud/negligence and countless other major stories which completely expose Hannity as a loyal neocon stooge, floating on a raft of glaring political hypocrisies .





Frequent guest Karl Rove, George Bush, Dick Cheney and other Administration cronies find comfort with Sean because he doesn't bring up the criminal accusations. Worst of all, Hannity advocates expanding war today without taking a grain of responsibility for hard-selling it for over eight years based on "bad intel", even after top-level defectors have confirmed Bush's Iraq team deliberately perpetrated a hoax on the USA.





The Fake Equivalency Trick





Left-wingers Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann therefore do not "do it too" as these talk radio hosts assert. There is a huge difference between Hannity and Maddow's methodology, the way she provides relevant background on issues before introducing opinion or analysis, or airs corrections when proven wrong . Rachel Maddow also has made multiple open calls for right-wingers to appear as guests in civil debate on her MSNBC show and airs their refusals to appear as proof of greater journalistic even-handedness.









Even Ann Coulter deserves more credit for courage than Hannity or Limbaugh who cower from smart liberals. In this rare unscripted exchange you'll see Bill Maher coaxing Ann Coulter to admit George Bush's presidency had "big problems" to the delight of the liberal audience. As a concerned parent, I want my children to witness balanced discussion like this so they can learn and make their minds up.