Don't make me look

I've had a pretty rough time with the whole 'media as sheep' thing recently.  I just don't want to believe that our country has been so usurped by the conservatives.  I want to believe that our country is run by fairly decent people; people who have made mistakes but are honestly trying to keep things fair and just for everyone.
 
I have since realized that I was wrong.  Our country has been sideswiped by a fairly small group of elite, wealthy, and privileged people.  It's impossible to describe how thoroughly these people have taken over our government, corporations, and media.  I didn't want to admit that our media is also part of the takeover.  I still don't want to admit it but, after today, I can't run away from it anymore. 
 
No matter how I try to be fair and reasonable and say stuff like "It's a free country, they can say what they want", it's become glaringly obvious that the media is the mouthpiece of the conservative perspective.  I think what brought this home so abruptly was listening to Al Franken's show on Friday, July 14th.
 
Listening to the clip from O'Reilly's show where he viciously attacked and disrespected Jeremy Glick; refusing to even listen to him or think about what he was saying.  It wasn't that he disagreed with Glick or was aggressive in his comments, it was the sheer, unadultered venom he unleashed.  I can't believe this guy has a show, on a tv station (even though it is Fox), and he gets paid to demonstrate hateful, despicable behavior.
 
What's even worse is that he has enough viewers that the station can keep him on.  What has our country come to that these hatemongers are the major voices most people hear?  Why is it that people are willing to hear it - that they listen to such vitrol and think it's normal, warranted, and acceptable?  I realize this is probably a pretty foregone conclusion for almost anyone who's been following politics for the last few years but it took me a while to really accept it.
 
One more note - why do people act like the liberal response to all this venom is an overreaction?  If anyone has ever listened to O'Reilly, Limbaugh, or Hannity and heard the absolute jaw-dropping hatred they spew, their questions about whether or not liberals have a right to be angry would be answered.