Now this group which labels itself the resistance say nothing about U.S. sanctions that kill Venezuelans and Iranians by depriving their governments of the ability to conduct transactions needed to secure food and medicines. When their favorite news outlets proclaim Evo Morales to be a “strongman” and make the case for the coup that ousted him they go right along and make the case for imperialism carried out by the president they allegedly dislike so much.
The latest example of the liberal herd mentality comes in the form of love for the military. Liberals don’t associate with this institution themselves. They wouldn’t think of sending their kids to the army or the navy. But suddenly they have a love for senior officers if they voice disgust with Trump.
“Donald Trump is dangerously undermining the military chain of command,” cries Slate.com . Apparently the people at Slate missed the day in school which taught that we have a civilian government with the president as commander in chief of the military. No president can undermine the military chain of command. He is the military chain of command. The generals and admirals must follow his direction and they always do so quite happily.
They dropped napalm on Korea when ordered to do so. They did the same in Vietnam. They invaded Iraq and as Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange revealed, they mow down innocent people and laugh about their slaughter. This is not a group that liberals usually admire.
-- Margaret Kimberley, "Freedom Rider: Liberals Love the Military" (BLACK AGENDA REPORT).
Monday, December 09, 2019
Truest statement of the week II
Gloria Steinem was an iconic leader of the American feminist movement and co-founded Ms. Magazine. In March 1967, Ramparts
magazine broke one of the first major exposes in the CIA’s history.
From the early 1950s until 1967, the international program of the
National Student Association and some of its domestic activities were
secretly underwritten by clandestine funding from the Central
Intelligence Agency.
During the years 1958-67, Steinem accepted a paid position with the CIA when she went undercover with the “Independent Research Service” as she infiltrated the student-based NSA, not the other super-secret NSA—the National Security Agency. In her covert capacity, she attended the World Youth Festival of Students and Youth, first in 1959 in Vienna, Austria, attended by 18,000 delegates coming from 112 nations, and secondly in Helsinki, Finland, attended by 18,000 delegates from 137 countries. While claiming that her CIA collaboration ended in 1962, new data suggest that her secret work lasted until 1967.
To view a revealing interview of Steinem by journalist Cory Morningstar about her CIA adventures, see link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HRUEqyZ7p8. [↩]
-- footnote to Michael Steven Smith and Heidi Boghosian's "Inside the Organized Crime Syndicate Known as the CIA: Interview with Douglas Valentine" (LAW & DISORDER transcript posted at DISSIDENT VOICE).
During the years 1958-67, Steinem accepted a paid position with the CIA when she went undercover with the “Independent Research Service” as she infiltrated the student-based NSA, not the other super-secret NSA—the National Security Agency. In her covert capacity, she attended the World Youth Festival of Students and Youth, first in 1959 in Vienna, Austria, attended by 18,000 delegates coming from 112 nations, and secondly in Helsinki, Finland, attended by 18,000 delegates from 137 countries. While claiming that her CIA collaboration ended in 1962, new data suggest that her secret work lasted until 1967.
To view a revealing interview of Steinem by journalist Cory Morningstar about her CIA adventures, see link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HRUEqyZ7p8. [↩]
-- footnote to Michael Steven Smith and Heidi Boghosian's "Inside the Organized Crime Syndicate Known as the CIA: Interview with Douglas Valentine" (LAW & DISORDER transcript posted at DISSIDENT VOICE).
A note to our readers
Hey --
Sunday night here in California. Monday morning on the east coast.
Let's thank all who participated this edition which includes Dallas and the following:
And what did we come up with?
Peace,
-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.
Sunday night here in California. Monday morning on the east coast.
Let's thank all who participated this edition which includes Dallas and the following:
The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.
And what did we come up with?
Margaret Kimberley gets another truest.
DISSIDENT VOICE gets a truest.
The protests continue in Iraq -- as do the attacks on the protesters.
Ava and C.I. cover a lot: Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley and the CMA special as well as Joe Biden and THE MOODYS.
Another roundtable on a number of topics.
Book coverage in the community.
Next up? Four pieces on music. A groundrule: Each decade an artist only gets one album on the list. Sorry. Elaine pointed out that, for the sixties, she'd be voting every Beatles album ever. It made sense to limit to one an artist for each decade. Second, these are our picks. Disagree? Great. You should have heard all the yelling and arguing we went through to come up with these lists. Third, we didn't do this decade. It has 22 days left in it and we didn't want to jump the gun. Here are our five music pieces:
- 50 essential albums of the 90s
- 50 essential albums of the 00s
- 50 essential albums of the 80s
- 50 Essential Albums of the 70s
- 50 essential albums of the 60s
This actually inspired us to do the five pieces on essential albums.
Important topic.
Video to watch.
What we listened to while writing this edition.
Important press release from Senator Gillibrand's office.
Green Party coverage.
IAVA press release.
Libertarian Party coverage.
Green Party coverage.
Press release from Senator Patty Murray's office.
Press release from Senator Tammy Baldwin's office.
Mike and the gang wrote this and we thank them for it.Peace,
-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.
Editorial: The slaughter continues in Iraq
My dear brother Ahmed was murdered tonight, stabbed in the back. He participated in many battles against ISIS as a photojournalist. He covered the protests in Baghdad. Tonight he joins with the other young Iraqis who lost their lives in the protests.
#iraq
The protests continue in Iraq. The American media seems immune to them. Not one journalist has bothered to ask self-proclaimed Iraq 'expert' Joe Biden about the protests or the government killing protesters.
A prominent civil society activist was shot dead late Sunday in Iraq's shrine city of Karbala while returning home from anti-government protests
#prominent #Dead #Iraq #protest #Iranpress
Shouldn't it matter?
Protesters in #Iraq demand end to corruption, deficiency, unemployment and poverty.
#IraqProtests
Shouldn't we all be on board with this struggle?
Sometimes, it seems that in the US, so many turn away from what's going on in Iraq because they can't or won't admit that they were conned and tricked by Barack Obama who promised, in 2008, to get all US troops out of Iraq but left office in 2017 with US troops still on the ground in Iraq.
TV: 'Tis the season for what exactly?
On December 25th, there are a few basic ground rules. The biggest one? Whatever gets handed to you, you swear -- whether it was wrapped or not -- "I love it, I really, really love it." You swear that with a big, smile on your face. Fortunately, it's not December 25th and, regardless, we don't follow ground rules.
Last week, ABC offered CMA'S COUNTRY CHRISTMAS and it was a depressing and disappointing affair. The disaster commenced the moment Trisha Yearwood, the host, stepped on stage. Trisha's a large woman. That's not the problem. The problem was that this was a Christmas special and she showed up wearing what looked like a long, trailing feed sack. There was nothing about the outfit that screamed either "Special!" or "Christmas!" Things only got worse when she opened her mouth to sing. She wasn't prepared on the first number to sing and it wasn't until "Winter Wonderland" that her voice finally warmed up and she was hitting more than two notes. However, the larger range was undercut by her poor enunciation -- "winder" wonderland? "Winder"?
It was a dull and off-putting special and none of the guests could improve on it. Not Dierks Bentley, not Lady Antebellum, not Chris Janson, not anyone.
Maybe the three we named had tired themselves out?
They were in much better form the week prior on NBC's DOLLY PARTON: 50 YEARS AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY. Or maybe it was just that the host there, Dolly, knew how to set a mood?
Dolly was informal and funny. She told stories about her family and her career and about addressing sexism. It was always funny, always warm. She never spoke out of hate or anger. She was warm and made the special warm as well. She honored those who supported her including Minnie Pearl, Loretta Lynn, Dottie West, She shared her memory of meeting Johnny Cash.
She performed songs throughout -- including "Jolene," "9 To 5," "Coat of Many Colors," "Joshua," "My Tennessee Mountain Home" (which she played dulcimer on) and "I Will Always Love You" -- and her guests performed as well. Lady Antebellum really cooked on "Islands In The Stream," for example. Candi Carpenter nailed "Little Sparrow." Dierks Bentley brought his mother (Cathy Childs Bentley) onstage "She didn't come for me, she came because of Dolly Parton. That's why we're all here." He then did a wonderful bluegrass version of "Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You." Chris Janson he performed a blistering version of "Mule Skinner Blues." Emmylou Harris did a tender version of "To Daddy."
Now, yes, they were singing songs Dolly recorded (many of which she also wrote). But it's really past time for people doing Christmas songs to buy a damn clue. No one's done a reinvention of a traditional Christmas song since Stevie Nicks' "Silent Night" on A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS back in the 80s. On that same special, Chrissie Hynde did what everyone thinks they can do -- but they can't -- she took a well known song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and made it her own.
Most do not have that gift and no one on the ABC special did. More to the point, don't bring on Kirstin Chenoweth to sing one Christmas song, let alone two. She can't. It might play on a Broadway stage but the bulk of America never wanted to see Ethel Merman singing on the small screen (or the big screen, for that matter). She was a Broadway talent, like Kirstin, who reached out across the aisles. But in front of a camera? She, like Kirstin, was just grotesque.
Another tip? These songs can be carried off during caroling because it's a group of people. So maybe stop the 'star turns' (that aren't) and have four guests top -- just have the four guests and the host sing together on the Christmas songs. And when you do that, don't invite a Kirstin to join in because her singing and range did not blend well with Trisha Yearwood, Tori Kelly, Hillary Scott and CeCe Winans -- or even later when more people joined. Kirstin is not a popular recording artist. She is a howls and hollers on Broadway. She's not fit for an intimate occasion.
Joe Biden's pretty grotesque himself and he spent last week, apparently warming up with his version of the Christmas spirit, attacking others.
Maybe he was still smarting over the Iowa farmer who ignored him at the diner?
Whatever the reason, Joe was raging last week. LZ Granderson (CNN) explains:
Take his recent confrontation with a voter at a campaign event in Iowa. The man accused Biden of placing his son, Hunter, with a Ukrainian gas company "in order to get access to the president" (he was referring to Barack Obama) — an accusation for which there is zero evidence. The way Biden handled the moment was Trumpian. He called him a "damn liar" and later said, "You're too old to vote for me." He even challenged the man to a pushup contest. I repeat: a pushup contest.
Dan Mangan (CNBC) also covered the incident:
Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden on Thursday called a man in Iowa a “damn liar,” “fat” and “too old to vote for me” after the man accused Biden without any evidence of getting his son Hunter a job with a Ukrainian gas company in exchange for access to the Obama administration.
NPR reported on it:
Voters say they felt Biden's tone was off-putting, especially from a candidate who talks a lot about restoring civility. Biden argues he was just telling it like it is.
"That's not civil?" Biden said. "To call someone who lied a liar?"
One woman, Mary Clark, who is 94, told NPR before a Biden event Friday in Elkader, Iowa, that she was "so disappointed in Biden. That is not the Joe I know. He sounded like Donald Trump in that clip."
Biden wholly dismissed that comparison. "Donald Trump, he makes fun of people. He belittles people. He lies. I don't do any of those things. Period."
Everybody reported on it -- because it was outrageous.
Saturday on WEEKEND EDITION (NPR), Rachel Martin's interview with Joe Biden aired. Excerpt:
MARTIN: I want to switch gears and ask you...
BIDEN: Sure you do (laughter).
MARTIN: ...What happened the other day at your town hall because...
BIDEN: Yep.
MARTIN: ...You got a lot of attention for it. A man stood up and started throwing false allegations your way about your son, Hunter Biden, and his work in Ukraine and your work as vice president then in Ukraine. And you responded by calling him a damn liar.
BIDEN: Because he lied.
MARTIN: And then you challenged him to pushups.
BIDEN: I was joking with him because he...
MARTIN: And then you asked him for an IQ test.
BIDEN: No. He came along. And he - well, he's saying - he said he's entitled to do this. He said, you're too old - said, you're too old. I can't vote for somebody as old as you - I said, OK. And I was challenging what kind of shape - so I kidded. I said, want to do a pushup contest? I was joking. Look. I'm in pretty good shape.
MARTIN: Which is what Donald Trump says a lot - hey. You can't take a joke. I was joking. The point...
BIDEN: No, no, no, no, no.
MARTIN: But the point I bring it up...
BIDEN: Don't compare me to Donald Trump.
MARTIN: But people did.
BIDEN: Don't do that.
MARTIN: At the town hall I was just at, they...
BIDEN: No, they didn't.
MARTIN: Yes, they did.
BIDEN: Well, I...
MARTIN: They said to me - the woman you met at the end said to me, I was so disappointed in him. This is a direct quote. "That is not the Joe I know. He sounded like Donald Trump in that clip."
BIDEN: Well, look. Donald - what Donald Trump says - he makes fun of people. He belittles people. He lies. I don't do any of those things - period. The fact of the matter is this guy stood up, and he was, in fact, lying. And I just pointed out, you're a liar. It's a fact. He lied - period. And so, you know, maybe I shouldn't be kidded with him about that - you know, let's do pushups. It's like I was out here in a parade, a Fourth of July parade.
MARTIN: But I think people's point was, in this time, when you talk about needing to restore civility, it's so important to so many people...
BIDEN: That's not civil, to call someone who lied a liar?
MARTIN: To call someone a damn liar, a voter. This isn't Trump - President Trump.
BIDEN: But he's lying. You acknowledge what he said wasn't even true. None of the mainstream media believes any of that was true.
MARTIN: I think it was the tone.
BIDEN: Well...
MARTIN: I think it was the tone that was off-putting to people.
He was rude and confrontational. Yes, with the voter; however, we're referring to his exchange with Rachel Martin above. As Connor Mannion (MEDIAITE) observed, "2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden got testy with NPR about his confrontation with a voter in Iowa after host Rachel Martin said his behavior was not unlike President Donald Trump." Madison Dibble (WASHINGTON EXAMINER) terms it "a fiery exchange."
Joe's not fit for the holidays, let alone for the presidency.
THE MOODYS isn't fit for the holidays or TV. It's FOX's sitcom mini-series -- a genre that should have died with 1986's FRESNO. Instead, it's been brought back and it's just not funny.
Nor will it suddenly become funny. Last week, we noted NETFLIX's holiday sitcom HAPPY MERRY WHATEVER and that it started off badly but got better. That's not going to happen here. Instead, the acting and humor gets worse with each episode. HAPPY MERRY WHATEVER is filmed before a live studio audience. That provides feedback and actors can ponder why this or that didn't work or generate a laugh. There's no audience watching a taping of THE MOODYS so there's no way it's ever going to improve.
And it's awful.
Elizabeth Perkins is the only one who knows a thing about comedy on the show. She sometimes generates a laugh or two. Denis Leary is a supposed comic so he should at least have timing down. Watching him flounder with even something that basic, we're left to assume that he didn't just steal Bill Hicks' jokes, he also stole Bill's delivery and, with no one to steal from anymore, he's not capable of being funny.
Francois Arnaud plays the oldest son and he's got a big problem: He thinks he's in a drama. If he were, he'd be wonderful. But this is a sitcom which is supposed to make you laugh. Chelsea Frei plays the oldest daughter and she's pretty awful too. In her case, we will note, the writers have gone over the top but not over the top enough. If they're going to write crass storylines for her, fine, but make them funny. A live audience would have demonstrated to the writers that they needed to punch up every line they've given her. And then there's the youngest son voiced by Jay Braruchel. Does Jay not realize he's playing the joke of the family? That he's supposed to be outrageous? He has no energy to bring to any scene and no sense of timing or comedy.
It's just an awful show and, again, it does not get better because there was no feedback during the filming. A live studio audience could have aided the show. Instead, it's another floundering single-cam sitcom that never takes off.
ABC's holiday offerings last week included Brad Paisley's BRAD PAISLEY THINKS HE'S SPECIAL which was a holiday variety special (not a music special like Dolly's). He sang a little, did a lot of pre-filmed segments and was amiable. Peyton Manning may have been needed to draw in viewers (maybe not) but he wasn't needed on the show. He was a dour presence whose insults about Brad were supposed to be funny. We've been there before. CBS in the sixties, insisting on Jerry Van Dyke as a second banana on THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW. All he did was insult her and put her down. Audiences didn't like him -- which is why he was fired.
If Brad does another variety special -- and we'd suggest he should, he demonstrated a natural talent -- let's hope Peyton is either completely absent or better utilized.
And let's hope that before December 25th, the networks offer more like Dolly and Brad's specials and less nonsense like THE MOODYS.
Last week, ABC offered CMA'S COUNTRY CHRISTMAS and it was a depressing and disappointing affair. The disaster commenced the moment Trisha Yearwood, the host, stepped on stage. Trisha's a large woman. That's not the problem. The problem was that this was a Christmas special and she showed up wearing what looked like a long, trailing feed sack. There was nothing about the outfit that screamed either "Special!" or "Christmas!" Things only got worse when she opened her mouth to sing. She wasn't prepared on the first number to sing and it wasn't until "Winter Wonderland" that her voice finally warmed up and she was hitting more than two notes. However, the larger range was undercut by her poor enunciation -- "winder" wonderland? "Winder"?
It was a dull and off-putting special and none of the guests could improve on it. Not Dierks Bentley, not Lady Antebellum, not Chris Janson, not anyone.
Maybe the three we named had tired themselves out?
They were in much better form the week prior on NBC's DOLLY PARTON: 50 YEARS AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY. Or maybe it was just that the host there, Dolly, knew how to set a mood?
Dolly was informal and funny. She told stories about her family and her career and about addressing sexism. It was always funny, always warm. She never spoke out of hate or anger. She was warm and made the special warm as well. She honored those who supported her including Minnie Pearl, Loretta Lynn, Dottie West, She shared her memory of meeting Johnny Cash.
She performed songs throughout -- including "Jolene," "9 To 5," "Coat of Many Colors," "Joshua," "My Tennessee Mountain Home" (which she played dulcimer on) and "I Will Always Love You" -- and her guests performed as well. Lady Antebellum really cooked on "Islands In The Stream," for example. Candi Carpenter nailed "Little Sparrow." Dierks Bentley brought his mother (Cathy Childs Bentley) onstage "She didn't come for me, she came because of Dolly Parton. That's why we're all here." He then did a wonderful bluegrass version of "Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You." Chris Janson he performed a blistering version of "Mule Skinner Blues." Emmylou Harris did a tender version of "To Daddy."
Now, yes, they were singing songs Dolly recorded (many of which she also wrote). But it's really past time for people doing Christmas songs to buy a damn clue. No one's done a reinvention of a traditional Christmas song since Stevie Nicks' "Silent Night" on A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS back in the 80s. On that same special, Chrissie Hynde did what everyone thinks they can do -- but they can't -- she took a well known song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and made it her own.
Most do not have that gift and no one on the ABC special did. More to the point, don't bring on Kirstin Chenoweth to sing one Christmas song, let alone two. She can't. It might play on a Broadway stage but the bulk of America never wanted to see Ethel Merman singing on the small screen (or the big screen, for that matter). She was a Broadway talent, like Kirstin, who reached out across the aisles. But in front of a camera? She, like Kirstin, was just grotesque.
Another tip? These songs can be carried off during caroling because it's a group of people. So maybe stop the 'star turns' (that aren't) and have four guests top -- just have the four guests and the host sing together on the Christmas songs. And when you do that, don't invite a Kirstin to join in because her singing and range did not blend well with Trisha Yearwood, Tori Kelly, Hillary Scott and CeCe Winans -- or even later when more people joined. Kirstin is not a popular recording artist. She is a howls and hollers on Broadway. She's not fit for an intimate occasion.
Joe Biden's pretty grotesque himself and he spent last week, apparently warming up with his version of the Christmas spirit, attacking others.
Maybe he was still smarting over the Iowa farmer who ignored him at the diner?
That time when former VP @joebiden is standing right next to you at the Corn Stalk Cafe and you just don’t care.
Whatever the reason, Joe was raging last week. LZ Granderson (CNN) explains:
Take his recent confrontation with a voter at a campaign event in Iowa. The man accused Biden of placing his son, Hunter, with a Ukrainian gas company "in order to get access to the president" (he was referring to Barack Obama) — an accusation for which there is zero evidence. The way Biden handled the moment was Trumpian. He called him a "damn liar" and later said, "You're too old to vote for me." He even challenged the man to a pushup contest. I repeat: a pushup contest.
Dan Mangan (CNBC) also covered the incident:
Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden on Thursday called a man in Iowa a “damn liar,” “fat” and “too old to vote for me” after the man accused Biden without any evidence of getting his son Hunter a job with a Ukrainian gas company in exchange for access to the Obama administration.
NPR reported on it:
Voters say they felt Biden's tone was off-putting, especially from a candidate who talks a lot about restoring civility. Biden argues he was just telling it like it is.
"That's not civil?" Biden said. "To call someone who lied a liar?"
One woman, Mary Clark, who is 94, told NPR before a Biden event Friday in Elkader, Iowa, that she was "so disappointed in Biden. That is not the Joe I know. He sounded like Donald Trump in that clip."
Biden wholly dismissed that comparison. "Donald Trump, he makes fun of people. He belittles people. He lies. I don't do any of those things. Period."
Everybody reported on it -- because it was outrageous.
Saturday on WEEKEND EDITION (NPR), Rachel Martin's interview with Joe Biden aired. Excerpt:
MARTIN: I want to switch gears and ask you...
BIDEN: Sure you do (laughter).
MARTIN: ...What happened the other day at your town hall because...
BIDEN: Yep.
MARTIN: ...You got a lot of attention for it. A man stood up and started throwing false allegations your way about your son, Hunter Biden, and his work in Ukraine and your work as vice president then in Ukraine. And you responded by calling him a damn liar.
BIDEN: Because he lied.
MARTIN: And then you challenged him to pushups.
BIDEN: I was joking with him because he...
MARTIN: And then you asked him for an IQ test.
BIDEN: No. He came along. And he - well, he's saying - he said he's entitled to do this. He said, you're too old - said, you're too old. I can't vote for somebody as old as you - I said, OK. And I was challenging what kind of shape - so I kidded. I said, want to do a pushup contest? I was joking. Look. I'm in pretty good shape.
MARTIN: Which is what Donald Trump says a lot - hey. You can't take a joke. I was joking. The point...
BIDEN: No, no, no, no, no.
MARTIN: But the point I bring it up...
BIDEN: Don't compare me to Donald Trump.
MARTIN: But people did.
BIDEN: Don't do that.
MARTIN: At the town hall I was just at, they...
BIDEN: No, they didn't.
MARTIN: Yes, they did.
BIDEN: Well, I...
MARTIN: They said to me - the woman you met at the end said to me, I was so disappointed in him. This is a direct quote. "That is not the Joe I know. He sounded like Donald Trump in that clip."
BIDEN: Well, look. Donald - what Donald Trump says - he makes fun of people. He belittles people. He lies. I don't do any of those things - period. The fact of the matter is this guy stood up, and he was, in fact, lying. And I just pointed out, you're a liar. It's a fact. He lied - period. And so, you know, maybe I shouldn't be kidded with him about that - you know, let's do pushups. It's like I was out here in a parade, a Fourth of July parade.
MARTIN: But I think people's point was, in this time, when you talk about needing to restore civility, it's so important to so many people...
BIDEN: That's not civil, to call someone who lied a liar?
MARTIN: To call someone a damn liar, a voter. This isn't Trump - President Trump.
BIDEN: But he's lying. You acknowledge what he said wasn't even true. None of the mainstream media believes any of that was true.
MARTIN: I think it was the tone.
BIDEN: Well...
MARTIN: I think it was the tone that was off-putting to people.
He was rude and confrontational. Yes, with the voter; however, we're referring to his exchange with Rachel Martin above. As Connor Mannion (MEDIAITE) observed, "2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden got testy with NPR about his confrontation with a voter in Iowa after host Rachel Martin said his behavior was not unlike President Donald Trump." Madison Dibble (WASHINGTON EXAMINER) terms it "a fiery exchange."
Joe's not fit for the holidays, let alone for the presidency.
THE MOODYS isn't fit for the holidays or TV. It's FOX's sitcom mini-series -- a genre that should have died with 1986's FRESNO. Instead, it's been brought back and it's just not funny.
Nor will it suddenly become funny. Last week, we noted NETFLIX's holiday sitcom HAPPY MERRY WHATEVER and that it started off badly but got better. That's not going to happen here. Instead, the acting and humor gets worse with each episode. HAPPY MERRY WHATEVER is filmed before a live studio audience. That provides feedback and actors can ponder why this or that didn't work or generate a laugh. There's no audience watching a taping of THE MOODYS so there's no way it's ever going to improve.
And it's awful.
Elizabeth Perkins is the only one who knows a thing about comedy on the show. She sometimes generates a laugh or two. Denis Leary is a supposed comic so he should at least have timing down. Watching him flounder with even something that basic, we're left to assume that he didn't just steal Bill Hicks' jokes, he also stole Bill's delivery and, with no one to steal from anymore, he's not capable of being funny.
Francois Arnaud plays the oldest son and he's got a big problem: He thinks he's in a drama. If he were, he'd be wonderful. But this is a sitcom which is supposed to make you laugh. Chelsea Frei plays the oldest daughter and she's pretty awful too. In her case, we will note, the writers have gone over the top but not over the top enough. If they're going to write crass storylines for her, fine, but make them funny. A live audience would have demonstrated to the writers that they needed to punch up every line they've given her. And then there's the youngest son voiced by Jay Braruchel. Does Jay not realize he's playing the joke of the family? That he's supposed to be outrageous? He has no energy to bring to any scene and no sense of timing or comedy.
It's just an awful show and, again, it does not get better because there was no feedback during the filming. A live studio audience could have aided the show. Instead, it's another floundering single-cam sitcom that never takes off.
ABC's holiday offerings last week included Brad Paisley's BRAD PAISLEY THINKS HE'S SPECIAL which was a holiday variety special (not a music special like Dolly's). He sang a little, did a lot of pre-filmed segments and was amiable. Peyton Manning may have been needed to draw in viewers (maybe not) but he wasn't needed on the show. He was a dour presence whose insults about Brad were supposed to be funny. We've been there before. CBS in the sixties, insisting on Jerry Van Dyke as a second banana on THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW. All he did was insult her and put her down. Audiences didn't like him -- which is why he was fired.
If Brad does another variety special -- and we'd suggest he should, he demonstrated a natural talent -- let's hope Peyton is either completely absent or better utilized.
And let's hope that before December 25th, the networks offer more like Dolly and Brad's specials and less nonsense like THE MOODYS.
Roundtable
Jim: Again with a roundtable. Remember our e-mail
address is thethirdestatesundayreview@yahoo.com and we can also be reached at common_ills@yahoo.com. Participating in our roundtable are The Third Estate Sunday Review's Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava, and me, Jim; Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude; Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man; C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review; Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills); Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix; Mike of Mikey Likes It!; Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz); Ruth of Ruth's Report; Trina of Trina's Kitchen; Wally of The Daily Jot; Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ; Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends; Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub. Betty's kids did the
illustration. You are reading a rush transcript.
Jim (Con't): So what would we like to talk about?
Marcia: First off, thanks for Friday's snapshot -- thanks to C.I. She said what needed to be said on a topic a lot of people looked the other way on -- Hillary Clinton's troubled relationship with lesbians. It needed to be said. Too often, especially among straight feminists, it doesn't get said. Maybe it makes them uncomfortable, maybe they don't want to call out Hillary, I have no idea. But her remarks were insulting and they did pass on the negative stereotype that we hate men. She was wrong. And she needed to be called out. I saw some LGBTQs calling her out but I didn't see anyone but C.I. address it from a feminist issue. Rebecca called it out from an LGBTQ angle and that's also appreciated when non-LGBTQ people call this nonsense out. I did see a few more do what Rebecca did online; however, there weren't a lot of them either.
Betty: I applaud Rebecca and C.I. as well. I would like to bring in a point C.I. raised that she noted wasn't time to explore in that snapshot: When straight women who are seen as less then feminine by society's standards -- or fear that they might be -- refuse to defends attacks on lesbians.
Trina: That really does exist. That's been true, sadly, throughout second wave feminism on to today. I hope it's less so. I see a lot less hysteria over that among young feminists. But, yes, some do go nervous and wobbly if they fear defending a lesbian will make them appear gay.
Cedric: And I'd argue that's a thing in the straight culture as well. For a lot of us males, it's something we fear as boys but grow out of as men. And, let's remember, Stan had to come out as straight.
Stan: That remains the hardest thing I had to do online and I'm not joking. I am Marcia's cousin and I defended her for that reason alone, yes. But I also addressed LGBTQ issues and it was about a year into blogging that I realized people thought I was gay. I didn't correct it because it didn't matter to me. It's not an insult or anything. But when I started seeing one woman, she would ask, "Why do you never mention me?" I'd act like I went to a movie alone, if you read my post. So, after this had gone on for about six months, I mentioned I'd gone to the movies with my girlfriend. And I got three e-mails asking did I mean a girl who was a friend or had I gone bi or straight? Again, I was fine if people thought I was gay, it wasn't an issue for me. It was an issue when I had to come out as straight because I felt like I was letting people down. I really wish I could have been this community's gay blogger.
Cedric: And there was a time where there was a rumor that Wally and Mike were lovers.
Mike: I loved that rumor. I encouraged it with jokes at my site.
Wally: And this is something that, as Cedric notes, some of us fear as boys -- I did fear being seen that way when I was 12. My voice hadn't dropped yet and there was a horrifying day at the grocery store one summer when an old man said, "Excuse me, Miss," as he walked past me.
Kat: It's 'cause you're so pretty.
Wally: Ha-ha. So, yes, at 12 it was a panic. But long before I hit 18, I was comfortable enough with myself and also aware enough of what it could be like -- the scary parts -- to be gay at a young age -- that's because we had an awareness effort in my high school.
Ruth: And this is Marcia's point, what everyone's talking about, that the discomfort goes to what is going on with the individual. It is an internal issue. It has to do with someone's own discomfort or hang up. As part of the second wave of feminists, I am aware that there were some who had huge reluctance to include lesbians. And there were some who would argue that it would harm the movement and how 'we' were seen if they were included. That was nonsense then and it is nonsense now. But I agree with Trina, I think it is less of an issue for the younger generation who are more comfortable with themselves.
Betty: And that's so true, it's their discomfort. And it's because of something like what happened with Wally where he was confused with a girl. But, unlike Wally, they weren't able to get over it. But they need to. We all love Marcia, she's our friend. And Ruth has a gay grandson, I've got a gay brother. We are all related and I'm sure if you step out far enough in your family or circle of friends, you will find someone who is gay. We are all God's children, as Whitney Houston said when she was performing at some benefit -- AIDS? -- and MTV asked her why she was there. It's true. We are all God's children and we are all worthy of love. I do not believe in tolerance. I believe in acceptance. You don't tolerate a human being, you accept them. I have been hugely disappointed in Hillary on the issue of inclusion. She did not lead on marriage equality. Her recent trans remarks were appalling insensitive and now she's going on Howard Stern to say she's not one of those 'man hating' lesbians. That is what her remarks were saying, C.I. called it correctly.
Ty: I want to note that there were complaints about what C.I. wrote to the public account of THE COMMON ILLS. Three different people e-mailed to gripe that this had nothing to do with Iraq and it took up time and there were other things to cover.
Rebecca: What a load of nonsense.
Ty: Agreed but Martha and Shirley asked me to bring it up if we had a roundtable -- Martha and Shirley work the bulk of the e-mails in the public account for THE COMMON ILLS. C.I.?
C.I.: As a feminist, I have to address topics that others may not. The Hillary thing had to be called out. Joe Biden groping young girls and women has to be called out. Both Hillary and Joe voted for the Iraq War and continued to support it long after it started. They are Iraq related as a result. I don't have the luxury of silence. If I could go on another minute?
Jim: Please do. I think I know what you're about to bring up.
C.I.: Kamala Harris, right? There were gleeful people just bashing her over and over. Michael Tracey was one of them. I don't hate Michael Tracey. I don't even dislike him. But he is the reason -- an example of the reason -- that I have to stop to address Hillary's remarks. He's not going to. Not in a serious way. He'll get serious on what he considers 'big' issues. But issues like this he'll ignore. As a feminist, I can't ignore them. I can't and I shouldn't. But there are so many issues that certain men define as non-important.
Rebecca: Their point of view. And they're wrong.
Elaine: I would agree with that. Time and again though there is a thing that bothers me online. Either we have men ignoring issues if the issues impact women or we have women ignoring war, peace and every other topic so that they can focus solely on issues of sexism in the workplace or whatever. I wish that men and women online would enlarge their scope.
Dona: I don't think I've ever agreed with anyone more than I do with Elaine right now at this moment. It's like a large number of us take ourselves out of the discussion. We abdicate our right to speak on issues and then we get dismissed as someone who just covers 'women's issues.' Women's issues are every issue in the world and we need to remember that. War is a woman's issue. Peace is a woman's issue.
Kat: You know for a very brief moment in recent time, it was as though we could grasp that and we could act on that. Kim Gandy was the president of NOW and she made these issues ones that NOW addressed. I praise her for that. I fault her for other things, but I praise her for that.
Jess: For me, Iraq remains a big issue. And I look around and it's not just women that are ignoring the topic. It's disappointing, at best. I'm tired of them, I'm tired of fake asses. But that's everywhere you look these days. "Hunter Biden did nothing wrong!" The hell he didn't. He may not have done anything illegal but what he did was unethical. No one in the family of a government official is supposed to profit off ties or to give the appearance of it. This happened while Barack was president. During this same time, Hillary had to agree that Bill's actions would not be connected to her so there would be no appearance of conflict. Why would that rule apply to Hilary but not to Joe in the same administration? It applied to Joe, it applied to everyone. It's not new. What was done was unethical. Quit lying. Jim: Jess is absolutely right. How about we note any other unethical things that are getting on our nerves?
Isaiah: Let me start. I listened to FAIR -- or it's radio program COUNTERSPIN. And they called out the revolving door of members of the press becoming officials in the Bully Boy Bush administration. But it was never an issue when it came to Barack Obama. I'm tired of it. But COUNTERPSIN, I also remember, refused to call out sexism in 2008. Ava and C.I. noted that their entire coverage of the sexism aimed at Hillary Clinton in 2008 was one sentence. One sentence. And they don't understand why we don't take them seriously. They think they can just pretend that didn't happen. Or that they didn't whore for Barack. I'd love to listen to COUNTERSPIN. I'd love to be able to donate to them again. But they abused my trust and they have never done anything to acknowledge that. Smartest thing would have been to have cleared house and started over. Smartest thing would have been to have owned up to their mistake but, barring that, smartest thing would have been for them to have cleared house and started over. Jim and Janine, I won't take you seriously until the time you get honest about the way you and FAIR whored throughout 2008.
Dona: I've got to jump in, sorry. But they want the corporate media to admit when they've made a mistake but they won't admit their own mistakes. If they would, I think people would respect them more. Instead, they act like they never whored and never made a mistake. It's nonsense. "Looking back at 2008, we see that we were a little too zealous in our support of one candidate and that led us to make mistakes." That's what you say. Don't play like your media watchdog concerned with fairness if you're not going to practice fairness yourself. And don't ask others to be accountable for their mistakes if you're unable to be accountable for your own.
Kat: I would go with it is unethical to keep lying that Russia screwed up the 2016 US election and playing like you care about election interference if you have not -- even to this day -- called out the 2010 move by the US government to overturn the Iraq election. Refusing to stand with the voters, the people of Iraq, refusing to stand with them did not help democracy take root and it gave thug Nouri al-Maliki a second term which led to the rise of ISIS.
Wally: Exactly. Completely unethical. And we don't need to hear from Tommy Vietor or this or that official from Barack's administration when they lie constantly and to this day cannot get honest about Iraq.
Ann: I agree with Kat and Wally about Iraq. I think though, my opinion, a number of people on the left began lying about Iraq the moment Barack was elected to the White House and they're in too deep to ever get honest at this point.
Mike: I think Ann's exactly right. These liars think no one is going to realize they lied. We know they lied. We know they're liars. Amy Goodman, I'm looking at you. They lie and lie and get worse and worse every day. Then some idiot airhead -- like Patricia Arquette -- who never kept up with reality, thinks it's 2002 and Amy's outstanding. She's worse than corporate media at this point.
Jess: Credit to Aaron Mate for calling Goodman out on a number of things. I'm sure that hasn't been easy for him. So let's give him some recognition for that.
Jim: Good point, Jess. Mate has earned praise so let's give that to him. It's rare that anyone does what he has so applause for him.
Ruth: I remember when Bully Boy Bush was in office and we could listen to multiple programs because people were telling the truth. Of course, looking back, they were only truth telling because a Republican was in the White House.
Trina: Weren't those the days? Now I just watch PBS which tilts right or listen to NPR which also tilts right. They're the closest I can find to fair and that is sad but that's what we've got. I can't take PACIFICA anymore. They lied way too much. I would listen to, for example, KPFA and I'd stream it constantly. I loved that they were truthful and looked at the whole country. When Mitt Romney was my governor and pushed through RomneyCare, they called it out on San Francisco-based KPFA. But when Barack took that same plan and forced it off on America, they acted as though that was a gift. Forcing people to buy insurance or pay a fine is not and never will be universal health care.
Kat: I specifically miss Laura Flanders. No one whored for Barack more. She might have been the first to run from the Iraq War as well. But she used to be worth listening to. Although she did make fun of a community member on air. But I miss being able to listen to her.
Ty: I still can't get over KPFA calling for publications to be burned. That to me was when it was clear that they had lost their way and would probably never find their way back. For those who missed that, THE MORNING SHOW co-host Aimee Allison didn't like a cartoon of Barack and Michelle on the cover of THE NEW YORKER and called for the magazine to be burned. She was hideous.
Ava: Let's also remember that she couldn't defend -- or wouldn't defend -- Helen Thomas.
Jim: Which you and C.I. covered in "Let's Kill Helen!" That really was a telling moment, when supposed lefties couldn't stand up for Helen and couldn't call out Barack Obama for his attack on her.
Rebecca: I hope to God that wouldn't happen today. I'm so sorry Helen got attacked and lost a job but I think she would appreciate that the incident really did have impact on the issue of Palestinians. It was more step of awareness in the long climb to equality for the Palestinians. A lot of people have been attacked for daring to call out apartheid and the targeting of the Palestinians. Helen Thomas got attacked for it. But those attacks only reveal the hatred and bigotry of the people attacking. Helen Thomas was a good lady and she is sorely missed.
Jim: Agreed and, on that note, let's go out. This is a rush transcript.
Jim (Con't): So what would we like to talk about?
Marcia: First off, thanks for Friday's snapshot -- thanks to C.I. She said what needed to be said on a topic a lot of people looked the other way on -- Hillary Clinton's troubled relationship with lesbians. It needed to be said. Too often, especially among straight feminists, it doesn't get said. Maybe it makes them uncomfortable, maybe they don't want to call out Hillary, I have no idea. But her remarks were insulting and they did pass on the negative stereotype that we hate men. She was wrong. And she needed to be called out. I saw some LGBTQs calling her out but I didn't see anyone but C.I. address it from a feminist issue. Rebecca called it out from an LGBTQ angle and that's also appreciated when non-LGBTQ people call this nonsense out. I did see a few more do what Rebecca did online; however, there weren't a lot of them either.
Betty: I applaud Rebecca and C.I. as well. I would like to bring in a point C.I. raised that she noted wasn't time to explore in that snapshot: When straight women who are seen as less then feminine by society's standards -- or fear that they might be -- refuse to defends attacks on lesbians.
Trina: That really does exist. That's been true, sadly, throughout second wave feminism on to today. I hope it's less so. I see a lot less hysteria over that among young feminists. But, yes, some do go nervous and wobbly if they fear defending a lesbian will make them appear gay.
Cedric: And I'd argue that's a thing in the straight culture as well. For a lot of us males, it's something we fear as boys but grow out of as men. And, let's remember, Stan had to come out as straight.
Stan: That remains the hardest thing I had to do online and I'm not joking. I am Marcia's cousin and I defended her for that reason alone, yes. But I also addressed LGBTQ issues and it was about a year into blogging that I realized people thought I was gay. I didn't correct it because it didn't matter to me. It's not an insult or anything. But when I started seeing one woman, she would ask, "Why do you never mention me?" I'd act like I went to a movie alone, if you read my post. So, after this had gone on for about six months, I mentioned I'd gone to the movies with my girlfriend. And I got three e-mails asking did I mean a girl who was a friend or had I gone bi or straight? Again, I was fine if people thought I was gay, it wasn't an issue for me. It was an issue when I had to come out as straight because I felt like I was letting people down. I really wish I could have been this community's gay blogger.
Cedric: And there was a time where there was a rumor that Wally and Mike were lovers.
Mike: I loved that rumor. I encouraged it with jokes at my site.
Wally: And this is something that, as Cedric notes, some of us fear as boys -- I did fear being seen that way when I was 12. My voice hadn't dropped yet and there was a horrifying day at the grocery store one summer when an old man said, "Excuse me, Miss," as he walked past me.
Kat: It's 'cause you're so pretty.
Wally: Ha-ha. So, yes, at 12 it was a panic. But long before I hit 18, I was comfortable enough with myself and also aware enough of what it could be like -- the scary parts -- to be gay at a young age -- that's because we had an awareness effort in my high school.
Ruth: And this is Marcia's point, what everyone's talking about, that the discomfort goes to what is going on with the individual. It is an internal issue. It has to do with someone's own discomfort or hang up. As part of the second wave of feminists, I am aware that there were some who had huge reluctance to include lesbians. And there were some who would argue that it would harm the movement and how 'we' were seen if they were included. That was nonsense then and it is nonsense now. But I agree with Trina, I think it is less of an issue for the younger generation who are more comfortable with themselves.
Betty: And that's so true, it's their discomfort. And it's because of something like what happened with Wally where he was confused with a girl. But, unlike Wally, they weren't able to get over it. But they need to. We all love Marcia, she's our friend. And Ruth has a gay grandson, I've got a gay brother. We are all related and I'm sure if you step out far enough in your family or circle of friends, you will find someone who is gay. We are all God's children, as Whitney Houston said when she was performing at some benefit -- AIDS? -- and MTV asked her why she was there. It's true. We are all God's children and we are all worthy of love. I do not believe in tolerance. I believe in acceptance. You don't tolerate a human being, you accept them. I have been hugely disappointed in Hillary on the issue of inclusion. She did not lead on marriage equality. Her recent trans remarks were appalling insensitive and now she's going on Howard Stern to say she's not one of those 'man hating' lesbians. That is what her remarks were saying, C.I. called it correctly.
Ty: I want to note that there were complaints about what C.I. wrote to the public account of THE COMMON ILLS. Three different people e-mailed to gripe that this had nothing to do with Iraq and it took up time and there were other things to cover.
Rebecca: What a load of nonsense.
Ty: Agreed but Martha and Shirley asked me to bring it up if we had a roundtable -- Martha and Shirley work the bulk of the e-mails in the public account for THE COMMON ILLS. C.I.?
C.I.: As a feminist, I have to address topics that others may not. The Hillary thing had to be called out. Joe Biden groping young girls and women has to be called out. Both Hillary and Joe voted for the Iraq War and continued to support it long after it started. They are Iraq related as a result. I don't have the luxury of silence. If I could go on another minute?
Jim: Please do. I think I know what you're about to bring up.
C.I.: Kamala Harris, right? There were gleeful people just bashing her over and over. Michael Tracey was one of them. I don't hate Michael Tracey. I don't even dislike him. But he is the reason -- an example of the reason -- that I have to stop to address Hillary's remarks. He's not going to. Not in a serious way. He'll get serious on what he considers 'big' issues. But issues like this he'll ignore. As a feminist, I can't ignore them. I can't and I shouldn't. But there are so many issues that certain men define as non-important.
Rebecca: Their point of view. And they're wrong.
Elaine: I would agree with that. Time and again though there is a thing that bothers me online. Either we have men ignoring issues if the issues impact women or we have women ignoring war, peace and every other topic so that they can focus solely on issues of sexism in the workplace or whatever. I wish that men and women online would enlarge their scope.
Dona: I don't think I've ever agreed with anyone more than I do with Elaine right now at this moment. It's like a large number of us take ourselves out of the discussion. We abdicate our right to speak on issues and then we get dismissed as someone who just covers 'women's issues.' Women's issues are every issue in the world and we need to remember that. War is a woman's issue. Peace is a woman's issue.
Kat: You know for a very brief moment in recent time, it was as though we could grasp that and we could act on that. Kim Gandy was the president of NOW and she made these issues ones that NOW addressed. I praise her for that. I fault her for other things, but I praise her for that.
Jess: For me, Iraq remains a big issue. And I look around and it's not just women that are ignoring the topic. It's disappointing, at best. I'm tired of them, I'm tired of fake asses. But that's everywhere you look these days. "Hunter Biden did nothing wrong!" The hell he didn't. He may not have done anything illegal but what he did was unethical. No one in the family of a government official is supposed to profit off ties or to give the appearance of it. This happened while Barack was president. During this same time, Hillary had to agree that Bill's actions would not be connected to her so there would be no appearance of conflict. Why would that rule apply to Hilary but not to Joe in the same administration? It applied to Joe, it applied to everyone. It's not new. What was done was unethical. Quit lying. Jim: Jess is absolutely right. How about we note any other unethical things that are getting on our nerves?
Isaiah: Let me start. I listened to FAIR -- or it's radio program COUNTERSPIN. And they called out the revolving door of members of the press becoming officials in the Bully Boy Bush administration. But it was never an issue when it came to Barack Obama. I'm tired of it. But COUNTERPSIN, I also remember, refused to call out sexism in 2008. Ava and C.I. noted that their entire coverage of the sexism aimed at Hillary Clinton in 2008 was one sentence. One sentence. And they don't understand why we don't take them seriously. They think they can just pretend that didn't happen. Or that they didn't whore for Barack. I'd love to listen to COUNTERSPIN. I'd love to be able to donate to them again. But they abused my trust and they have never done anything to acknowledge that. Smartest thing would have been to have cleared house and started over. Smartest thing would have been to have owned up to their mistake but, barring that, smartest thing would have been for them to have cleared house and started over. Jim and Janine, I won't take you seriously until the time you get honest about the way you and FAIR whored throughout 2008.
Dona: I've got to jump in, sorry. But they want the corporate media to admit when they've made a mistake but they won't admit their own mistakes. If they would, I think people would respect them more. Instead, they act like they never whored and never made a mistake. It's nonsense. "Looking back at 2008, we see that we were a little too zealous in our support of one candidate and that led us to make mistakes." That's what you say. Don't play like your media watchdog concerned with fairness if you're not going to practice fairness yourself. And don't ask others to be accountable for their mistakes if you're unable to be accountable for your own.
Kat: I would go with it is unethical to keep lying that Russia screwed up the 2016 US election and playing like you care about election interference if you have not -- even to this day -- called out the 2010 move by the US government to overturn the Iraq election. Refusing to stand with the voters, the people of Iraq, refusing to stand with them did not help democracy take root and it gave thug Nouri al-Maliki a second term which led to the rise of ISIS.
Wally: Exactly. Completely unethical. And we don't need to hear from Tommy Vietor or this or that official from Barack's administration when they lie constantly and to this day cannot get honest about Iraq.
Ann: I agree with Kat and Wally about Iraq. I think though, my opinion, a number of people on the left began lying about Iraq the moment Barack was elected to the White House and they're in too deep to ever get honest at this point.
Mike: I think Ann's exactly right. These liars think no one is going to realize they lied. We know they lied. We know they're liars. Amy Goodman, I'm looking at you. They lie and lie and get worse and worse every day. Then some idiot airhead -- like Patricia Arquette -- who never kept up with reality, thinks it's 2002 and Amy's outstanding. She's worse than corporate media at this point.
Jess: Credit to Aaron Mate for calling Goodman out on a number of things. I'm sure that hasn't been easy for him. So let's give him some recognition for that.
Jim: Good point, Jess. Mate has earned praise so let's give that to him. It's rare that anyone does what he has so applause for him.
Ruth: I remember when Bully Boy Bush was in office and we could listen to multiple programs because people were telling the truth. Of course, looking back, they were only truth telling because a Republican was in the White House.
Trina: Weren't those the days? Now I just watch PBS which tilts right or listen to NPR which also tilts right. They're the closest I can find to fair and that is sad but that's what we've got. I can't take PACIFICA anymore. They lied way too much. I would listen to, for example, KPFA and I'd stream it constantly. I loved that they were truthful and looked at the whole country. When Mitt Romney was my governor and pushed through RomneyCare, they called it out on San Francisco-based KPFA. But when Barack took that same plan and forced it off on America, they acted as though that was a gift. Forcing people to buy insurance or pay a fine is not and never will be universal health care.
Kat: I specifically miss Laura Flanders. No one whored for Barack more. She might have been the first to run from the Iraq War as well. But she used to be worth listening to. Although she did make fun of a community member on air. But I miss being able to listen to her.
Ty: I still can't get over KPFA calling for publications to be burned. That to me was when it was clear that they had lost their way and would probably never find their way back. For those who missed that, THE MORNING SHOW co-host Aimee Allison didn't like a cartoon of Barack and Michelle on the cover of THE NEW YORKER and called for the magazine to be burned. She was hideous.
Ava: Let's also remember that she couldn't defend -- or wouldn't defend -- Helen Thomas.
Jim: Which you and C.I. covered in "Let's Kill Helen!" That really was a telling moment, when supposed lefties couldn't stand up for Helen and couldn't call out Barack Obama for his attack on her.
Rebecca: I hope to God that wouldn't happen today. I'm so sorry Helen got attacked and lost a job but I think she would appreciate that the incident really did have impact on the issue of Palestinians. It was more step of awareness in the long climb to equality for the Palestinians. A lot of people have been attacked for daring to call out apartheid and the targeting of the Palestinians. Helen Thomas got attacked for it. But those attacks only reveal the hatred and bigotry of the people attacking. Helen Thomas was a good lady and she is sorely missed.
Jim: Agreed and, on that note, let's go out. This is a rush transcript.