Every phony leftist that peddled Barack Obama as a “progressive,” and
every knave and fool in “Progressives for Obama” that spread rose petals
at his feet in 2008, should do penance through five years of silence.
-- Glen Ford, "Obama Rams Through TPP With Little Democratic Support, Even from Black Caucus" (Black Agenda Report).
Monday, June 29, 2015
Truest statement of the week II
Krugman’s column, headlined “Hooray for Obamacare,” consists of one
cynical lie after another aimed at convincing the public that Obama’s
right-wing health care overhaul is an historic achievement for
low-income Americans.
-- Andre Damon, "Paul Krugman’s apologia for Obamacare" (WSWS).
-- Andre Damon, "Paul Krugman’s apologia for Obamacare" (WSWS).
A note to our readers
Hey --
A Monday. First, we 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,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
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?
And that's what we came up with.
Peace.
-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.
A Monday. First, we 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,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
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?
- Truest statement of the week
- Truest statement of the week II
- Editorial: Leave It To The Ridiculous Joel Wing
- TV: The Grinch Who Stole The Simpsons
- 10 70's TV Characters We Never Want To See Again
- Where are the girls and women?
- My heroes have always been . . . losers?
- Not a minute too soon
- This edition's playlist
- Ruling Establishes Marriage Equality Nationwide
- Attempts to bring fracker Caudrilla back to Lancas...
- Highlights
And that's what we came up with.
Peace.
-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.
Editorial: Leave It To The Ridiculous Joel Wing
So last week, egghead wanna be Joel Wing found someone equally inane to chat up and the two explored how the Islamic State had done more damage than former prime minister and forever thug Nouri al-Maliki.
The two 'brains' insisted this was true and went out of their way to minimize Nouri's actions and --
Wait a second.
The Islamic State are seen as a terrorist group.
Niceties really aren't an issue for them, right?
But a prime minister?
He or she is not supposed to attack the civilians of the country, right?
Part of being the leader of the country is protecting the citizens -- protecting, not attacking.
It's a point lost on the foolish like Joel Wing.
Joel Wing has a long, long history of minimizing and outright ignoring the crimes of thug Nouri but this was a new pose even for Joel -- insisting that the crimes against civilians carried out by a leader of a country could be given 'context' if compared to the crimes carried out against the same people by a terrorist government.
Context -- a term Joel Wing's never grasped.
The two 'brains' insisted this was true and went out of their way to minimize Nouri's actions and --
Wait a second.
The Islamic State are seen as a terrorist group.
Niceties really aren't an issue for them, right?
But a prime minister?
He or she is not supposed to attack the civilians of the country, right?
Part of being the leader of the country is protecting the citizens -- protecting, not attacking.
It's a point lost on the foolish like Joel Wing.
Joel Wing has a long, long history of minimizing and outright ignoring the crimes of thug Nouri but this was a new pose even for Joel -- insisting that the crimes against civilians carried out by a leader of a country could be given 'context' if compared to the crimes carried out against the same people by a terrorist government.
Context -- a term Joel Wing's never grasped.
TV: The Grinch Who Stole The Simpsons
"TV babies," Matt Dillon snorts dismissively in the film Drugstore Cowboy and, boy, do we hear you, Matt.
TV babies know what they saw on TV, they just don't know a great deal about life.
You can see it with the Saturday Night Live writers.
Once upon a time, skits were based on relateable moments you could identify with. Dating moments, for instance, that were recognizable even if they did have to go over the top to reach the comedy.
If your life was a TV talk show, then SNL captures it for you.
There are some episodes that feel like every skit was a spoof of a talk show.
That's what happens when writers with limited experience and/or limited talent end up 'writing.' They can rewrite what they saw on TV from other television shows, they just can't capture any real life incident.
No where is this failure more apparent than on the shows from Seth MacFarlane.
Seth is funny himself.
The shows he's associated with (American Dad and Family Guy, for example) often are.
But far too often, they're failing to convey real life moments.
"They're cartoons!"
Well, yes, they are.
They are cartoons that rip off Woody Allen's Crimes & Misdemeanors and Sidney Pollack's Tootsie, to offer only two examples.
It makes the shows less and less funny and removes you from the characters as you sit there trying to figure out what film is being spoofed this time.
And that's before you even bring up the Star Wars parodies (Family Guy) or James Bond parodies (American Dad).
Can they tell their own story about their own characters?
Apparently not.
King of the Hill should never have been axed.
That show was rooted in reality and managed to find the jokes every half minute.
Today, Bob's Burgers does the same.
It's a hilarious show and probably one of the best animated ones on prime time television.
One of the best?
Though many keep predicting the death of The Simpsons, the long running show which has now aired 574 episode -- nine more than there are days in a year -- still has a surprising amount of life in it.
The last two years have found the show on something of a creative high and its comments about not only the characters but also the world we live in have been both funny and on the mark.
This year's stand out commentary moment for us, for example, was when Marge wanted Bart to tell her why something happened and he responded, "How can I explain something I know nothing about? I am not cable news."
They, in fact, do so much right of late that it's hard to believe they could be on the verge of a colossal mistake.
Harry Shearer has left the show.
The voice of Mr. Smithers, Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman, Dr. Hibbert, Reverand Lovejoy, Lenny, Principal Skinner and more is no more?
Now you can recast voice actors.
Remember when they made the film of The Jetsons cartoon TV show?
Remember the 'smart' decision to recast Judy Jetson and have her voiced by then-hit maker Tiffany?
If you do remember, you may remember the outrage and the fact that the film crashed and burned.
Meanwhile, how greedy is James L. Brooks?
That's the question circulating these days -- followed by how stupid is James L. Brooks?
He hasn't had a hit film since As Good As It Gets.
And his only two other hits are Terms of Endearment and Broadcast News.
For some reason, he's not interested in working with either Debra Winger or Holly Hunter.
And he's never really recovered from the bomb I'll Do Anything.
But he keeps trying to have a hit film and America keeps making clear they won't be having what he's having.
The Simpsons have made him rich beyond anyone's measure.
But instead of guarding the art involved, Jim's only focused on the coin.
He got into a ridiculous lawsuit with Tracey Ullman (yes, he won, didn't make the lawsuit any less ridiculous) and that really soured a lot of people on him.
Ullman's variety show was where The Simpsons got their TV debut.
Few people want to work with Brooks on a TV show today out of fear that he will pull some similar stunt/betrayal on them.
And, as we pointed out, it's been nearly 20 years since Brooks had a hit film.
His refusal to work with actresses who brought him acclaim (toss Shirley MacLaine on that list) has also soured his image.
And the war on Polly Platt was both tragic and tacky.
All of it has left Brooks with mountains of moolah but not any real friends.
A bunch of lackeys remain, sniffing around the cash. They're the ones who tell the trade publications that Harry Sharar needs to contact Jim Brooks and talk to him.
So Jim Brooks has raked in millions and millions for this show -- for doing nothing really -- and it's not even his job to speak to a voice actor about staying with the show?
Remind us again why Brooks makes even a dime off this show.
Brooks appears to believe that money can replace companions. Well more power to him and lots of luck with that but is that any reason for him to risk the health of his only cash cow (The Simpsons)?
If the show doesn't manage to delight fans this fall in a Harry Shearar-less edition, it may not longer be referred to as "Fox's long-running show."
And if that happens, Brooks will have to explain to the world how his greed managed to kill the Goose that laid the golden egg.
Fortunately for Fox, they'll still have Bob's Burgers.
xx
TV babies know what they saw on TV, they just don't know a great deal about life.
You can see it with the Saturday Night Live writers.
Once upon a time, skits were based on relateable moments you could identify with. Dating moments, for instance, that were recognizable even if they did have to go over the top to reach the comedy.
If your life was a TV talk show, then SNL captures it for you.
There are some episodes that feel like every skit was a spoof of a talk show.
That's what happens when writers with limited experience and/or limited talent end up 'writing.' They can rewrite what they saw on TV from other television shows, they just can't capture any real life incident.
No where is this failure more apparent than on the shows from Seth MacFarlane.
Seth is funny himself.
The shows he's associated with (American Dad and Family Guy, for example) often are.
But far too often, they're failing to convey real life moments.
"They're cartoons!"
Well, yes, they are.
They are cartoons that rip off Woody Allen's Crimes & Misdemeanors and Sidney Pollack's Tootsie, to offer only two examples.
It makes the shows less and less funny and removes you from the characters as you sit there trying to figure out what film is being spoofed this time.
And that's before you even bring up the Star Wars parodies (Family Guy) or James Bond parodies (American Dad).
Can they tell their own story about their own characters?
Apparently not.
King of the Hill should never have been axed.
That show was rooted in reality and managed to find the jokes every half minute.
Today, Bob's Burgers does the same.
It's a hilarious show and probably one of the best animated ones on prime time television.
One of the best?
Though many keep predicting the death of The Simpsons, the long running show which has now aired 574 episode -- nine more than there are days in a year -- still has a surprising amount of life in it.
The last two years have found the show on something of a creative high and its comments about not only the characters but also the world we live in have been both funny and on the mark.
This year's stand out commentary moment for us, for example, was when Marge wanted Bart to tell her why something happened and he responded, "How can I explain something I know nothing about? I am not cable news."
They, in fact, do so much right of late that it's hard to believe they could be on the verge of a colossal mistake.
Harry Shearer has left the show.
The voice of Mr. Smithers, Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman, Dr. Hibbert, Reverand Lovejoy, Lenny, Principal Skinner and more is no more?
Now you can recast voice actors.
Remember when they made the film of The Jetsons cartoon TV show?
Remember the 'smart' decision to recast Judy Jetson and have her voiced by then-hit maker Tiffany?
If you do remember, you may remember the outrage and the fact that the film crashed and burned.
Meanwhile, how greedy is James L. Brooks?
That's the question circulating these days -- followed by how stupid is James L. Brooks?
He hasn't had a hit film since As Good As It Gets.
And his only two other hits are Terms of Endearment and Broadcast News.
For some reason, he's not interested in working with either Debra Winger or Holly Hunter.
And he's never really recovered from the bomb I'll Do Anything.
But he keeps trying to have a hit film and America keeps making clear they won't be having what he's having.
The Simpsons have made him rich beyond anyone's measure.
But instead of guarding the art involved, Jim's only focused on the coin.
He got into a ridiculous lawsuit with Tracey Ullman (yes, he won, didn't make the lawsuit any less ridiculous) and that really soured a lot of people on him.
Ullman's variety show was where The Simpsons got their TV debut.
Few people want to work with Brooks on a TV show today out of fear that he will pull some similar stunt/betrayal on them.
And, as we pointed out, it's been nearly 20 years since Brooks had a hit film.
His refusal to work with actresses who brought him acclaim (toss Shirley MacLaine on that list) has also soured his image.
And the war on Polly Platt was both tragic and tacky.
All of it has left Brooks with mountains of moolah but not any real friends.
A bunch of lackeys remain, sniffing around the cash. They're the ones who tell the trade publications that Harry Sharar needs to contact Jim Brooks and talk to him.
So Jim Brooks has raked in millions and millions for this show -- for doing nothing really -- and it's not even his job to speak to a voice actor about staying with the show?
Remind us again why Brooks makes even a dime off this show.
Brooks appears to believe that money can replace companions. Well more power to him and lots of luck with that but is that any reason for him to risk the health of his only cash cow (The Simpsons)?
If the show doesn't manage to delight fans this fall in a Harry Shearar-less edition, it may not longer be referred to as "Fox's long-running show."
And if that happens, Brooks will have to explain to the world how his greed managed to kill the Goose that laid the golden egg.
Fortunately for Fox, they'll still have Bob's Burgers.
xx
10 70's TV Characters We Never Want To See Again
Here are ten characters the 70's have not recovered from.
1) Cousin Oliver (The Brady Bunch).
2) Maxwell Klinger (M*A*S*H).
3) Spike Fonzarelli (Happy Days).
4) Rhonda Lee (Laverne & Shirley).
5) David Kane (One Day At A Time).
6) Fatso Stavros (Kojak).
7) J.R. (Barnaby Jones)
8) Sheriff Chuck Bevans (Sigmund and the Sea Monsters).
9) Mr. Dingle (The New Zoo Review).
10) Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna (The All New Super Friends Hour).
Where are the girls and women?
Barack yet again frets about the youth of America -- the young boys and men.
Has there ever been a more sexist administration?
My heroes have always been . . . losers?
I've been in this town so long
So long to the city
I'm fit with the stuff
To ride in the rough
And sunny down snuff I'm alright
By the heroes and
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
-- "Heroes and Villains," written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, intended for the album Smile, eventually first appeared on the Beach Boys' album Smiley Smile.
You probably think we mean Barack Obama, right?
Wrong.
We're not talking about Cult of Personality.
Whatever his faults -- which we'll gladly list -- Barack is charasmatic.
The same cannot be said for others.
Take Valerie Plame who has quickly become this century's Loud family.
She just won't take a hint and hit the road.
Many of us on the left supported her when Bully Boy Bush and company outed her as retaliation against her husband Joe Wilson for Wilson writing a column debunking BBB's yellow cake in Africa claim.
The crime was that BBB's administration outed her.
That is a crime -- and BBB can thank his father for that.
But we never mistook Valerie Plame for an angel -- not even one of Charlie's Angels.
She was an undercover CIA operative.
That's not a role of nobility or honor.
In the time since she was outed, over a decade ago, she's taken to Tweeting 'about' Iraq.
It's never about Iraq.
She has no interest in Iraq.
She just wants to work her grudge against BBB.
She was a tool of empire so clearly she's not opposed to empire, she just didn't like the way BBB went about pursuing it.
On the left, we too often rush to celebrate those that we might need to defend but should never celebrate.
Plame is only one example.
[To enjoy The Beach Boys' classic tune "Heroes and Villains," click here.]
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