A MESSAGE FROM MIKE America has been hijacked, and it's not by any terrorist organization. Arguably, the conservative movement now poses a more serious threat to our long-term security and prosperity than any fedayeen warrior. Ronald Reagan's anti-government rhetoric started the conservative revolution, and it has become right-wing gospel. Their contempt and disdain for our great institution of American government have sown seeds of hate.

Is it any wonder that Timothy McVeigh, Osama bin Laden and extremists across the globe have joined their choir? Perhaps the Berlin Wall has fallen, but so too have the World Trade Centers.

Words matter, both spoken and written. Dialogue and discourse are, after all, the hallmarks of our democracy. However, when rancor and rhetoric prevail, our esteemed institutions become threatened.

For far too long conservatives have unilaterally dominated the radio airwaves. I have listened attentively and critically. I, like many in Arizona and America, do not subscribe to their views. A view unopposed ipso facto is perceived as truth. More importantly, unopposed views that promote social, political and economic injustices are direct threats to our freedom, liberty and prosperity. Thus the need for liberal talk radio.
Liberal talk radio serves as a platform to deconstruct the myths propagated by the right. Many in the conservative movement hide behind the cross and cloak themselves in the flag. Yet they are perhaps the most un-Christian and un-patriotic group we have ever seen. As a Christian myself, I can't imagine Jesus Christ telling someone born into welfare that he must pull himself up by his bootstraps and that the path to salvation is through tax cuts. Yet this social Darwinism and free-market fanaticism pervades the conservative agenda.

Conservative ideology seeks to undermine the values and principles upon which this country was founded. The opening of the Constitution reads, "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union," but when seen through the lens of a conservative reads, "I the individual, in order to form a more perfect Me." It is this rugged individualism and callousness toward our fellow brothers and sisters that pervades conservative radio and ideology.

Having run for governor of Arizona in the 2002 Democratic primary, I had the fortune to meet individuals from all corners of this great state. Amidst the vast cultural, racial and socioeconomic spectrum one theme rang true: that the majority of Arizonans believed we are team and that we are in this together. Many were willing to sacrifice selfish personal aggrandizement for the collective good of the whole. This, I believe, is the fundamental difference between conservative and liberal ideologies. Liberals are individuals within the framework of “We the People”. Conservatives are a group within the framework of “I, myself”.

Such being the case, the need for a liberal venue to promote these ideas became a paramount endeavor. My program, The Mike Newcomb Show, which airs from 5 to 7 a.m. (MST), Monday through Friday on KXXT-AM (1010), has done just that. The response has been overwhelming. Countless e-mails and calls have been received echoing people's desire and thirst for an alternative point of view.

The political winds are shifting in America. Liberals and progressives now have a voice that must not remain silent. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "It is not the words of my enemies that I fear; it is the silence of my friends”. That's why we need a liberal voice!