Ok so everyone hates Sean Hannity but what does anyone really know about him?
We have used the new tools at our disposal to look deeper into Jeff Gannon/Guckert but haven't used them (to my knowledge) to investigate bigger media mouthpieces yet.
I'm writing this Diary to plead that we take on Sean Hannity.
What do we really know about him? I'd like this diary to be used as a place to deposit useful information about Hannity or avenues of investigation we should pursue.
Wouldn't you love to see him eat crow?
more...
Here's what I've found on the Internets. (I haven't had the courage to read either of his craptastic books)
Here is an interesting interview from April 2001
Roberts: How did you get your start in talk radio?
Hannity: It's a long story. I did very well in college, got good grades, and made the dean's list off and on, but I ran out of money. My parents wanted to help me out, but I had conservative leanings even then and I wanted to do it myself. I decided to go work for a year. I moved to Rhode Island and started a contracting business, painting and wallpapering and eventually building houses and doing renovation work.
I was 20 years old, had a ton of people working for me, and was making more money than I ever dreamed of. Then I decided to move the company to California. I remember distinctly it was in the middle of the Iran-contra hearings and I was riveted to those hearings. I would tune in to local talk radio during the breaks and see how people were reacting. So I would get on the phone and start rattling on about how unjust it was, and people would start calling and reacting to me. I said, "That's what I want to do."
Two thing about that quote...
- The college he mentions might be NYU as his Wikipedia entry mentions a stint there.
- Iran Contra star Oliver North and Sean Hannity have developed a strong friendship over the years and seem to have partnered to produce last years Freedom concerts.
All of the online Bios read like they have been cut and pasted from the same script. There is little evidence or dates to back up any of his stories.
Legend has it Sean got his start in radio when he placed a 'Job Wanted' ad in a radio industry magazine. However, even this is unsupported by dates or refrences on the Alabama stations own website.
His role in the Gannon affair has yet to be explained.
Media Matters has documented Sean discussing the RatherGate memos with Gannon.
# HANNITY: Now, Jeff Gannon, who is a terrific Washington bureau chief and White House correspondent for Talon News, actually shot me an e-mail today, and he's about to break a story in an exclusive about these CBS documents. [The Sean Hannity Show, 9/10/04]
Before Talon News closed shop they hired Jen Ohman to handle all media inquiries.
Jen Ohman is an interesting character. She also did work for Hannity and works for Oliver North.
So what does all this mean?
I think Sean Hannity is a military plant.
The same way Gannon/Gukert claims Sept 11 caused him to change his life, Hannity claims it was his good buddy Oliver North's unjust humiliation during Iran Contra that caused him to become the Righteous rightwing talking head he has.
I'm not buying it.
One day during the Gannon affair Hannity had a congressman on his show that was trying to tie the Rather memos and Gannon to Karl Rove.
Have a listen. Consider it a motivational speech.
The other day when thinking about what I'd like to come from an investigation by Kossaks I had a day dream I was listening to Hannity's radio show and heard this.....
"Hi this is Sean and Welcome to today's program. I've got a few announcements first off today so bare with me. Let me ask before I get into this... if you are driving, pull over...if you should otherwise be concentrating on something else, put it down for a minute.
Ok??? Well...here goes...
In 1996 I created the character Sean Hannity the `All American' liberal killer. I was quickly assigned a small station in Alabama and began honing my skills. Skills ladies and gentleman that help me lie to you each day. Lie to spin one hopelessly horrific truth after another into sanitized insanity.
On Sept 10 2001 I began nationally syndicating my radio show on ABC. The very next day I found out why.
Although I wasn't privy to the warnings others got of the attack I knew right away why I had gone national the day before, and, what my new role was to be. Blackmail was never an issue for me because before September 11 I was moronic enough to believe my own bull shit.
After September 11, shamefully, I was too afraid to stand up for my country.
Although I know I am in good company in this department, I feel extraordinary shame and remorse for having offered ideas and strategy that were used to humiliate and oppress patriotic Americans. I offered these knowing that they helped enable the murder, mutilation, torture, and rape of uncounted innocents around the world.
Earlier today I was deposed by lawyers from the firm Truth, Justice & Freedom on 5th avenue here in New York City. In that deposition I disclosed my intimate knowledge of the workings inside the propaganda wing of Karl Rove's White House and my involvement in the dissemination of false information in the run up to the illegal Iraq war.
I detailed my participation in a campaign of character assignation that included political opponents from both parties and employed the use of lies, bribes, and patronage to achieve its objectives.
I presented what I think is the most conclusive evidence to date of national election tampering and detailed a plan within the White House to eliminate the house of representatives altogether.
After I'm done here this afternoon my family and I will be entering the federal witness protection program. Leading Democrats have been faxed copies of the deposition and some have offered initial support and protection although understandably they are suspicious.
I would like to ask your forgiveness and offer myself to the mercy of the world knowing I am deserving of none.
Thank you for listening... I'm sorry."
Dare to dream I say.
...
Update [2005-4-11 15:13:3 by AnonymousArmy]: Thank you to everyone that offered support or advice on this thread.
Several great ideas have been suggested and I’ll list them here to make it easy to organize.
I've received lots of email from people wishing to help and there have been a couple offers of cash rewards and money for private investigators.
I will respond to every email and start a discussion group for those interested. A few people suggested doing this in a private forum to avoid disruption and I'd be happy to host such a forum on my site.
The majority of respondents have suggested we look into Sean’s education and contracting company.
Sean claims to have dropped out of NYU due to financial difficulties but somehow had the means to get a wildly successful contracting company up and flourishing by the time he was 20yrs old.
Many people have suggested inquiring in state forums (where he is alleged to have worked in) asking for anyone with information about Hannity to please come forward. Those states are NY, CA, and AL.
If anyone has an account at any of the online person finder or alumni sites it would be useful to find out if Sean Hannity is even his real name. Some legitimate questions have been raised about this fundamental requirement for any background check.
So again thanks for all the input and support. I hope this post motivated some journalists to spend a few minutes with the resources available to them to help this cause.
I am neither an investigator nor a journalist. I'm just a pissed of guy willing to fight fire with fire and spend some of my free time doing it. Hannity is just a 'tool' as many have rightly pointed out, however, as one excellent post below suggested...
It strikes me as amazing that at several points along the thread, people comment that we shouldn't attack Hannity because "he's just a tool." The correct word is weapon, not tool. You go after your adversary's weapons or you lose. Sure they'll get another weapon, and then you try to counter that. That's how it works. There are even people saying "our energies would be better spent educating the people who listen to him". WTF?
Once Hannity eats humble pie I think the rest like him will think twice about being so aggressive.
