OUT OF THE NORM

But then, Norm Resnick is more conservative than many of his neighbors. When one of his guests failed to show up for the April 12 KHNC show, Dr. Norm delivered an hour-long harangue about Jews and gun control. "Jews who support gun control," he told his audience that day, "endorse a moral perversion so profound as to be frightening. And to the extent that this perversion prevails, it will arouse righteous anger against those who support it. To the extent that Jews are, or seem to be, among its supporters, the anger will damage all of us."

Gathering steam, he added, "Jewish gun-control advocates create ill will against Jews. Jewish gun-control advocates are self-destructive. And gun control makes Jews vulnerable to those who hate us. What do you think about that? How many friends do you think I'm going to get by talking about this?"

Not many--and he's likely to lose still more. "Agitation--that's what concerns people," says Richard Bear. "There are some people who feel it's rather dangerous. Others say he has some kind of identification with Alan Berg."

Bear, who has known Resnick socially because of their wives' friendship, says Resnick "used to have a card saying, `Shalom' and a very positive little saying on it. Now he's just become very extreme, very hard, very insensitive. The show has cut him off from people."

But unfortunately, not from all people, Bear adds.
"I think he's being used by the religious right," he says. "He gets a lot of support from them and a lot of accolades. He's a hero to some of them. That probably feels really good to him. I don't think that's something he's experienced a lot of."

Resnick insists he's not doing radio as an ego trip but acknowledges that his KHNC job feels good. "I get a lot of friends out of it," he says, "but I've been crapped on for so long at the university and then with my battle with cancer, I've been humbled."

Dr. Norm even bills himself as "your humble servant--with a big mouth."
"His current orientation is alien to me," says Rick Silverman, "but he spent a lot of years being good and doing good things for people."

Silverman thinks Resnick's combative style at UNC not only made him a "lightning rod" for controversy but also may have had a cumulative effect on him.

"Norm had a lot of years to cultivate a very deep anger," says Silverman, "and I think a lot of that anger comes out on his radio show. I would hope that streak of doing good is still part of his wiring. It's awfully hard to discern any streak of kindness, but that doesn't mean it's not still there."

end of part 1