A law suit brought on by me against right-wing radio commentator, Charlie Sykes, was settled this past week. The settlement calls for Sykes’ employer, Journal Communications, to pay $5,000 - the maximum amount allowed in small-claims court - to South Division High School for a scholarship to help a student, who wants to study journalism, go on to college.

This settlement was reached by me after I came to the conclusion that the time has come for me to move on and continue the work that I have taken upon myself to do, and that is to fight against anti-democratic ideals and hate speech promoted by right-wing neo-cons using free speech as a cover to hide their racist and anti-worker political attacks against Americans who believe in diversity, the American way of life and democracy.

We live in interesting times. It is an age where right-wing radio commentators have scared left-wingers into thinking that they’re anti-American when they speak of social justice and participatory democracy.

Many left-wing intellectuals have chosen to “avoid confrontation” and run from engaging in war of words with right-wing intellectuals, and white progressives have abandoned their African-American political alliances in order to pursue “silver rights” at the expense of civil rights.

Rather than making a stand to face the political imbalance created by the right, the left has taken to moving along with the flow, grabbing what it can for its own self-indulgence, waiting for that spontaneous revolution which eludes them year after year. And while the left waits for the next MLK, Cesar E. Chavez, or JFK, the nation moves steadily to the right, marching to the tune of Clear Channel, Bush Inc., and Wall Street.

Failing to block the increasing influence and power of the government, the right has been able to achieve for itself the creation of a police-state bureaucracy (Homeland Security) designed to encroach upon our civil liberties and rights, stepping on the Bill of Rights, making it an obsolete document disdained to be displayed at some privatized museum.

It is the left that has failed to make a concerted and organized stand against the right and its efforts to privatize public education, public libraries, public museums, and government itself. The forces who profess themselves to be against right-wing neo-con politics must take direct action when the time for such action presents itself.

Standing against the hypocritical mantra of rightist leaders is one way of taking action. Challenging the lies they publish is another.

Charlie Sykes wrote in his book, A Nation of Victims, that America has become a nation where “…the irresistible search for someone or something to blame colliding with the unmovable unwillingness to accept responsibility” (Sykes, p.15). Strong words coming from Sykes, especially after he faulted his sloppy journalist work on the information provided to him by unnamed sources.

Sykes attempted to spin public debate away from his lazy and sloppy journalistic work by raising the issue of my whereabouts at the time of the rally. This action on his part was simplistic. All Sykes had to do was send me an e-mail or call me to verify if in fact I had been involved in organizing the “anti-American” rally. I could have verified for him that I was not at the rally, nor was I an organizer of the rally. This would have saved him months of research and legal fees. But as it stands, Sykes was not interested in the truth; his interest centered more on politics and ideological victory for his right-wing cause.

When Sykes validated the misinformation he received from these unknown sources, he told his readers in that November 12, 2004 posting, “For stories and pictures, check out the UWM Times student newspaper from October and November 1991.” Sykes validated the lie with another lie. The lie in this instance is his inference to the reader that he actually read the articles and saw the pictures supposedly published in the UWM Times.

Sykes was after a political knock out punch. He wanted to paint me as an anti-free speech and anti-American liberal activist. His effort failed.

In retrospect, the Bellings and Sykes of the world want to paint anyone who goes against their conservative ideology and opinions as being anti-American and opposed to free speech. This constant effort to paint themselves as victims exposes their hypocrisy and proves them bankrupt of their beliefs.

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Publishers Note: Over the past year it has become a tactic of GOP and GOP shills to attack both Progressives and Centrists who are unwilling to go along with their agenda. Such was the case a few months ago when CRG attempted to use the legal system to bully Watchdog Milwaukee into removing a graphic that exposed them as GOP shills. We salute columnist Robert Miranda for having the courage to stand up to WTMJ radio and their GOP mouthpiece Charlie Sykes.