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Dennis Prager speaks most Saturday mornings at the liberal Bel Air synagogue Stephen S. Wise.

Last week he made two main points on the week's Torah portion (opening chapters of Deuteronomy). One. He disagreed with the commentary of Cassutto that a verse should be read "blessing or curse." Prager says that all blessings carry curses with them. It's "blessings and curse."

Point two. Rituals protect ethics. They train us to do right, and they accustom us to saying no to our inclinations. Rituals provide a buffer against us acting naturally and unethically.

With temperatues reaching 100 degrees outside, Prager spoke today (8/29) for 45 minutes to about 150 persons. Prager said that he reads the Torah to seek wisdom on how to live today, not because he's fascinated with the ancient Near East. Today's Torah portion warns kings (rulers) about seeking women, power and money. Prager noted that is why most people in modern democracies seek power - fame - public office - to pursue above three. Good people generally want to spend their time with family, community and friends, and shun public office. The parallels to Clinton are obvious.

On Friday, 8/28/98, Prager hosted Kim and Jay Warburton on his show. During April-June, 1995, Prager talked about their Baby Richard case incessantly.

Friday's was a highly emotional show. The Warburton's proved themselves articulate and Prager was over the top with emotion for their cause.

Dennis Prager's radio show was simulcast by CSPAN 8/17/98.

Prager appeared in a collared shirt (Lands End) and tie, which he does most workdays. His grey hair is cut short above his ears. His skin is white.

His producer Manya appears. She looks in her 30s, sharp, attractive with reddish-brown hair. I believe that she received an MA in Political Science from UCLA and has taken calls for Dennis for over ten years.

Prager's engineer is a long-haired hippie (in a wheelchair?).

After 16 years at KABC, Prager is clearly comfortable with his role. What primarily struck me today was the minimal difference between Prager the talkshow host and Prager the person. There is so little affectation with him. He dramatizes little.

He appears deeply grounded and happy. At 50, his skin is smooth and his face unlined.

Most of the calls came from out of state, evidencing that CSPAN's viewers (about one million?) outnumber KABC's (about 500,000?).

Camera shows two Prager duffel bags weighing about 40 pounds each, full of newspapers.

Doug Wilson writes on the Prager List: "Does anyone have an idea of how we can help Dennis get syndicated nationally?

I think Dennis is such an important thinker, and quite frankly, I think he could be one of the most influential men in history. In history, since America is so important to mankind, and I believe that Dennis' role as a moral thinker can be invaluable to this great nation.

So does anyone have any ideas?

Luke: These are great points and great suggestions. I agree totally.

IMHO, the primary reason that Dennis Prager is not nationally syndicated is Dennis Prager. The primary reason that his ideas don't have more influence is Dennis Prager. The primary reason that Dennis does not have more influence in Jewish life is Dennis.

He is far more deep than any other talk show host of which I am aware. In part because of this, however, his show is not particularly entertaining or profitable.

Dennis represents the triumph of substance over style. His show is ponderous, repetitive, awkward and far more important than anything else out there.

Dennis believes that his ideas won't get their due until he's dead. He's probably right. He conducts himself in a manner to insure that he's right, simultaneously producing important thoughts while insuring that he does not become 'big.'

Quoted from SIngleMom's post to alt.radio.talk:

Opinions in brackets are mine.

"This week, KABC shock jock Dennis Prager opened up and shared with his listeners that he just couldn't... just couldn't possibly at all, have any guest debating him in the studio who challenged his moral, erudite, perfect opinions. He said that to destroy his opposition on-air would be bad manners and he just.. couldn't do it. He couldn't show bad manners on-air! He claimed that that was his idiosyncracy.

[I agree that at times Prager is a shock jock...and that he did not across well above.]

(One must take a moment and pause and think a second time about a radio talk show host who refuses to have in-studio guests with differing points of view because he would feel bad about "destroying them".)

Following that touchy/feely announcement Prager began mowing down, with extreme prejudice, the many callers who challenged his recent, bizarre ultra-anti-Clinton assaults. One challenging caller shouted over Prager's interruption of her statement, "Quit twisting my words and let me talk!" Prager set a new low in on-air manners.

[P is usually courteous.]

The next caller found hersef drowned out by his barrage of interruptions. Prager finally asked the caller if he could have a minute "to take a deep breath, I'm serious" so he could understand the caller and the majority of Americans who do not share Prager's distrust of Clinton. And he stopped, on-air, dead-air and took a long, long, deep breath! One is reminded of Jack Nicholsen - "You can't handle the truth!" Prager screamed at the caller - "He hasn't asked for forgiveness! How could you forgive him?" The caller said that she forgave him and Prager responded that his religion demanded that one ask for forgiveness to be forgiven.

Prager might have (and usually does) overlooked the fact that Clinton and the majority of Americans do not subscribe to Prager's religion.

(KABC - Get this guy to a GOOD doctor. If he croaks on-air due to shock from his perceived less than perfect morality of the majority of Americans, his Century City attorneys will be at your door guaranteed. After all, he is fat and fifty plus. Check your actuarial tables.)

Prager bleated that he has let 6 years pass without attacking Bill Clinton. He pointed out that he even defended him when disturbed religious psychos like Jerry Falwell and the Christian Coalition accused Clinton of murder and endorsed "The Clinton Chronicles".

[Prager should quit his "I never attack Bill Clinton line." It's not true.]

Prager carefully neglected to add that he has regularly and vociferously attacked policies of this administration starting with Year (Day?) 1 "Gays in the Military" through anti-tobacco legislation. He carefully neglected to add that he has regularly and vociferously attacked Bill Clinton's Democratic party for the last 6 years. He carefully neglected to add that he has attacked Clinton's Vice President Al Gore for the last 6 years, expressing his extreme distate with him - "He is a true believer".

Prager, Falwell and their ilk are the "true believers". They use their US Government subsidized bully pulpits to deceptively scare Americans to believe their twisted, voodoo superstitions. Life after death with Jerry and Dennis floating on a cloud wearing white robes.

[I disagree with most of post but found it funny.]

8/31/98

Dennis spent his first two hours discussing how a number of school have banned peanut butter because some kids are allergic to it. P. says the majority is bending too often to the sensitivities of minorities.

In his last hour, he talked about the recent study which says that using the internet causes depression. P was agnostic on the question. Several callers said the internet attracts nerds and social retards.

I phoned up four different times during the hour, using my name, and the screener Manya hung up on me each time.