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Larry Flynt SEX, LIES AND POLITICS: The Naked Truth Kensington (256 pp.) July 2004 From "a smut peddler who cares," a vigorous broadside against American hypocrisy. "They call me a bottom feeder, and it's true, but look what I found at the bottom," declares Hustler magazine publisher Flynt. What he found-and backs up with the best checkbook journalism-is a pit of sexual, political, and ethical hypocrisy in which the guardians of our moral purity can often enough be found egregiously transgressing, from Bob Livingston to Henry Hyde, Bob Barr to Dan Burton to independent counsel Kenneth Starr. Flynt made his boodle in the sex trade, so he is open to conflict-of-interest charges when he spouts such comments as, "People who have a nice, healthy connection to their crotch have a better connection between the head and their heart," or, "in a land of sexually healthy people we'd have less crime, less poverty, less divorce, less drug use-and fewer right-wing Republicans," but he is spot-on when he points out that tirades about sexual depravity have drawn attention away from the politics of vested interests to the folderol of George Bush's tax cuts. Readers don't have to subscribe to Flynt's lifestyle to appreciate that his money can dig up the dirt on the hypocrites. The author comes across as a well-read citizen, as adroit in damning and praising the New York Times as he is in dismissing more obvious targets like Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham. His thoughts on the incompetence of intelligence agencies were written long before the recent revelations, and he is equally astute on the crony capitalism saturating the war in Iraq and the make-believe politics of the Bush presidency, which started with a make-believe election and has brought us the make-believe liberation of a nation. Flynt's rude, but he's got the goods. - KIRKUS REVIEWS "Tough, funny, profane, sensible and full of terrific information. You can put me down as one feminist who thinks this is a man who has literally put his life into the First Amendment and gets it in a more profound way than many constitutional scholars." Molly Ivins, nationally syndicated columnist & bestselling author of Bushwacked "Larry Flynt is a fierce foe of hypocrisy and a political truth-teller.." Erica Jong "I personally think this very complicated man is a true patriot... he is the kind of 'other' voice America always needs!" Liz Smith "Bless Larry Flynt for delivering the bare-assed truth." Greg Palast, bestselling author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy "Fasten your seat belts-this is the book that official Washington does not want you to read." Cody Shearer, nationally syndicated columnist "Larry Flynt reminds us we cannot be prudish with the First Amendment. He'd be welcome in my court anytime." Catherine Crier "Flynt is the Tom Paine of our time, skewering the pompous asses who dare to presume that they know what's best for us." Robert Scheer, nationally syndicated columnist, co-author of The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq "Larry Flynt has had his most noble triumph in the halls of the Supreme Court, in one of the finest hours of recent American legal history." Oliver Stone "As long as I live, I will always admire Larry Flynt: his life, his courage, and his tenacity." Milos Forman "Sex, Lies & Politics is an articulate cri du coeur for personal freedom. Larry Flynt took a bullet in his back for his beliefs, but he still has more spine than all the Bush-league pundits in America." Walter Marks, author/playwright "Provocative . . .Flynt's sharp edge keeps this polemic moving." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY |