Somebody's Gotta Say It.

• Author: Fischer, Raymond L.
• Position: Book review

SOMEBODY'S GOTTA SAY IT

BY NEAL BOORTZ HARPERCOLUNS, NEW YORK 2007, 322 PAGES, $25.95

Host of "The Neal Boortz Show," a radio program syndicated in nearly 200 markets coast to coast, Neal Boortz started in 1970 at WRNG in Atlanta, which makes him one of radio's longest-running talk show hosts. Airing his show four hours daily, he provides 16 eight-and-one-half-minute segments sufficiently compelling to attract listeners from predefined demographic groups. Boortz seeks to entertain, inform, and retain his audience through the commercials.

A "no-holds-barred" host, Boortz considers himself "an equal opportunity offender" and favors callers who disagree with him as long as the conversation entertains. He makes no attempt to win converts to any political ideology or to garner support for specific candidates or propositions. Boortz terms it a bad day if he fails to offend at least one group of people as he "rants and raves" about things that please, irritate, amuse, or outrage him. He encourages discussions on race, gender, religion, national origin, and political persuasion--all fair game; however, he does mention that he avoids the topic of abortion.

Boortz begins each show with a "basic truth": people who do "dangerous, stupid, sometimes hilarious, and often strange things" have "no right not to be offended"; he feels compelled to identify and offend these "idiots." With no concern for political correctness, Boortz can make things known that most people fear to say but have long wanted to utter.

The book examines issues and ideas discussed in some of his more interesting radio conversations--from poverty to prayer in schools, race relations to religion, the UN to war in Iraq, and the "gay agenda" to the fight against Islamic terrorism. His two major themes concern the evaporation of individualism ("We have become a nation of people who care little for [its] freedom and who have grown completely dependent on [its] government."), and on the country's school system ("Schools are run as a government operation staffed by government agents?).

According to Boortz, liberals assume the government must relieve people of the "oppressive responsibilities" of functioning as individuals. He believes liberals in government are waging a "war on individuals" because "left-wing collectivist liberals in the Ted Kennedy mold" think in terms of groups. That individuals should sacrifice for the greater good sounds to Boortz "like communism? He believes we must...