It may be unreasonable to expect Bob Edwards, Carl Kasell, Linda Wertheimer, Nina Totenberg, and other NPR staffers to come around to our way of thinking. No doubt, they will continue to promote the socialistic aims that make National Public Radio repugnant to all conservatives. But, even if they are on the wrong side, the folks at NPR do recognize what’s important in this world. Conservatives know what they’re after, what makes them tick. What we can’t comprehend is that vast majority of people in the middle who don’t even know what’s going on, or don’t even care. — “Different Sides, Same War,” F.R. Duplantier
The peculiarity of a person of my political persuasion listening to National Public Radio inspired the column excerpted above, originally published in 1990. I was naive enough to think that the folks at NPR might be flattered, or at least amused, by my listenership, so I sent a copy of the column to Bob Edwards — and soon received an utterly graceless response. Genuinely surprised by his rebuff, I replied, assuring him that I had made my overture with the best of intentions — and got an even nastier response. My professional courtesy was not to be reciprocated.
I resisted the impulse to tweak this pompous ass as long as I could, but eventually succumbed to temptation, reprising the unappreciated column in 1998 as a Behind The Headlines commentary entitled “Bob Edwards, You’re Being Monitored.” Knowing that it would be broadcast nationally on 100+ radio stations, and published in 500+ newspapers, I refrained from forwarding a copy.