Republicans and Birth Control
Here are the questions we need to ask all of the current Republican candidates who are running for the office of President:
Did you have sex before you were married?
If not, did you marry the first, and we presume only, woman you've ever had sex with?
If the answer to either one of these questions is no (yeah, right, Newt) then the debate over birth control and abortion is over and they all need to stfu and move on to something else.
All the Other Kids
Rush Limbaugh calls a woman, Sandra Fluke (rhymes with Look) a "slut" and a "prostitute" for daring to voice her opinions on birth control. This is only the latest in a long career of vile slander spouted by Limbaugh, including racist comments directed at the President.
Do we really have the right to protest in this country? Encampent after encampment of "Occupy Wall Street" protestors were simply bulldozed off the map. While the President praised the protestors in public, he quietly gave his sanction to the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate breaking up the protests between local mayors and law enforcement.
Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck label Dr. George Tiller, "Tiller Tiller Baby Killer" for providing late-term abortions. Despite the fact that he provided late term abortions to women carrying fetus with birth defects so severe that they would not be viable outside the womb, they claim he provides abortions "even up to the day before birth for any reason." They disclose where Dr. Tiller worked an lived on television. They later place the blame on a pro-choice Democrat, Kathleen Seibelus when Dr. Tiller, while serving as an usher at his church, is shot and killed
Fox News calls some kids "little bastards" for daring to speak out about bullying.
Two people have committed suicide after being on the show "Hell's Kitchen," but the show continues with steady viewership and Gordon Ramsey continues his tirades week after week.
My home state of Ohio is host to the latest school shooting that leaves three kids dead, one kid paralyzed and another with permanent injuries. The only question anyone seemed to wants to ask was, "Will the shooter be tried as an adult?"
The culture of bullying is in full effect and we only have to look to our media to see how and why.
It's no wonder then that one of the most popular songs of the day is a chipper sounding tune that tells a scary story called Pumped up Kicks by a group called "Foster the People".
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet
My Life and the Economy
After 3 years of hellish job related problems, some of which have been documented on this blog, Ye Old Matey and I both have decent jobs again. By decent I mean steady income, health benefits, paid vacation time and a job that seems as permanent as a job can be in this day and age.
President Obama seems to have the right idea - people can't protest (or have much to protest about) if they have to go to work every day. I finished my journey to my Associates Degree this past November, graduating from Cincinnati State. That same month I completed my year-long internship and after a few months of part-time work, I was recently hired at a full-time job with a printing company.
Unfortunately for us, the economy, among other things, has taken it's toll on our relationship and Ye Olde Matey and I are building our own boats and headed for separate ports. We both have new jobs that have allowed us to pay off our shared debt and support ourselves in our individual lives as we go our separate ways. It's a fairly amiable and weird end to 15 years of sailing together. I guess from now own he'll be referred to here as Ye Ex-Matey. I wish him smooth sailing.
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Why I love Downtown Abbey - Jumping on the Bandwagon
I had bronchitis in January, and I went through a bout of insomnia born of sleeping at odd times during the day. Every time I was up at 2am, there was this lovely show about these British people from another time and I was completely enthralled. I'm glad it comes on at 9pm on Sundays because I was able to stop setting my alarm at 2am just to watch.I love it because the costumes, accents and sets are rich and lovely.
The other actors hold their own and the cast is stellar but I love Maggie Smith. Well before my world became immersed in all things Potter-related, our household loved Maggie Smith. She is older now and has wrinkles and showing her age - and it doesn't matter. She is simply beautiful. Glowingly, achingly, brilliantly beautiful. She is such a refined actress that every word she utters steals the scene. Every move she makes, every turn of her had, flip her wrist weilding her walking stick. She is incredible. It's worth watching the show just to watch her. She gives the younger acresses a run for their money just sitting in a chair. It's incredible to behold.
I love it because it's so heavenly dramatic.
It starts off with the sinking of the Titanic, delves quickly into war time and just as quickly jerks us back out of it. World War I "tis but a handbreath, but a tale" in this series.
Everyone is falling in love all over the place but always keeping the traditional British "stiff upper lip" while trying to hold it all in.
The Lords and Ladies constantly cross lines with the servants in the most unrealistic ways.
The outcome of the drama is nearly always predictable and yet watching it unfold is satisfying.
But most of all: I love watching these delirously rich white people try to hold onto a way of life that we know went the way of the button hook and the phonograph. This world, quite frankyly, is so classist that there is no room for racism. Oh, it's there, but you just can't see it because people of color simply do not exist in this world.
Yet, I still like Downton Abbey and I will continue to watch it, despite the fact that I can't help but feel it's like those dreadful 50's, 60's nostalgia shows about "a kinder, gentler time" that never really existed.
Downton Abbey is, and only ever was, real on TV.
And that's the way it should be, Thank God.
Friday, February 10, 2012
The Elephant in the Room
I don't like any of the Republican Candidates. I don't trust them, I don't like their rhetoric. I hate their narrow-minded view of what America should be: a rewind to an America that is for rich, white only and anyone else who isn't fortunate enough to be on the rich white end of the stick - well you're just out of luck buddy.
And then there's President Barack Obama. Despite the media coverage of anything and everything that comes out of Republicans head or hindquarters 24/7, the GOP has managed to make themselves into the party of hate, death, destruction and just plain all around assholery that has simply guaranteed President Obama another four years.
I just had yet another argument with my mother that ended up with my slamming out of her room and kicking things as if I were a teenager all over again and she had just told me I was grounded. It's odd that sometimes, in our disagreements, I can regress so far as to say things like, "Fine, nobody cares and nobody ever listens to me anyway." It's funny now, but it wasn't five minutes ago.
I was really pissed.
Make no mistake, considering the field of Republican candidates of which Rick Santorum is clearly the best of the worst, you can see why I'm firmly Team Barack. But the same issue I'm having with my mother is the same problem that I'm having with all Barack Obama supporters.
The elephant in the room is that Barack Obama, from here to November 2012, is beyond criticism to those who support him.
Despite having been writing this blog for six years - or hell, maybe because I've been writing a blog for six years, I am not as eloquent at expressing my ideas as I should be so I'm going to try and keep this simple.
I don't completely trust Barack Obama.
When I say this to Barack Obama supporters you would think that my already fairly light skin had suddenly lost the rest of it's melanin and that I joined the Klan or something.
"What do you mean you don't trust Barack Obama?"
"He's doing the best he can, look at everything he's done for the country."
"How can you say that? It's bad enough the Republicans are on his case so hard and all they do is obstruct everything he tries to accomplish. We need to get behind him."
And I am.
To a point.
But I don't think he's perfect and I don't think his presidency is at a point where he defies reasoned, logical and fair-minded criticism.
Please understand that I don't mean the dog-whistle to blatant racist cruelty that the Republicans insist on subjecting this country to.
I also don't mean the constant obstruction and just plain "Party of No" idiocy that has deadlocked Congress to the point where we're quibbling over pennies and tripe instead of solving real problems.
But what I am referring to is how all the noise, arguing and howling over trifles is letting a lot of things that Barack Obama has done and is currently doing slide under the radar unchallenged.
Barack Obama's stance on Civil Liberties, and by correlation, Human Rights, is appalling.
Not one piece of the Patriot Act put into place by Bush and a "please don't call us terrorist-sympathizers" Congress has been repealed. Bush's Warrantles Wiretapping program has been expanded under Barack Obama. We are no closer to closing Gitmo than we were when Obama took office and the other secret prisons aren't even mentioned anymore.
Julian Assange sits on house arrest in another country, pretty much at the whim of our President and Bradley Manning sits in a military prison for providing Julian Assange with information for WikiLeaks that revolutionized the world. Publicly and out of one side of his mouth, Barack Obama praises the liberation movements that have happened in London, Paris,Greece, Egypt, Lybia, Syria. Privately he is persecuting the two men who actually spurred these revolutions along.
Barack Obama has finally sealed the deal with Wall Street and Big Banks that will allow them to escape pretty much untouched from the Robo-Signing scandal. And in what is yet another slap to the face of the Occupy movement, he has allowed the Department of Homeland Security to co-ordinate attacks on encampments across this country. The Arab Spring, The Riots against Austerity in Europe and The Occupy Wall Street movement that started in New York and spread around the globe are all bound together. Barack Obama says he supports the rights of those to protest, but ensures that encampments in his own country are bulldozed, the people arrested and tear-gassed.
Barack Obama also gets a lot of credit for being the first black President. Yet and still things are not better for minorities "Stop and Frisk" has become the tool of gentrification everywhere. The deportation of Latinos is at an all time high. And while whites are enjoying an enjoying an unemployment that hovers around 6-7%, black unemployment is still nearly than double that at 13%, and that's despite the good news that black unemployment is dropping.
Depending on who you talk to, Barack Obama's committment has been tenacious or foolhardy. After three years of watching him get called everything but a child of god to where even he complained, "They talk about me like a dog." And yes, by "They" he mean white folks in the plural and in general.
What was even worse was watching him attempt to put into place the policies he platformed on and to walk back each of those policies, in a spirit of claimed bipartisanship, that was really letting the Republicans piss on each and every last one of his ideas. And it was disheartening to watch him as Charlie Brown run and kick, while the Republicans as Lucy yanked the ball away every time.
After nearly four years of this and we're headed into an election year, I can't help but wonder if the right hand really knows what the left hand is doing.
While the Republicans go chasing after all the usual targets: women's rights, abortion, be afraid of "illegals" and scary black guys (not the president though, despite Jan Brewere feeling 'threatened' by him); I can't help but wonder if this is all a show being put on for our benefit.
Watch the right hand! Watch the hoopla! Watch the noise! Watch the show.
Meanwhile, the left is hand is quietly erroding our rights, handing them over to bankers and large corporations, along with our resources, our dignity and our ability to fight back.
I'm not so sure that this is all a ploy by the GOP. I can't help but wonder just how much the Democrats and the Obama administration play along and then shrug: Well, we tried, but those pesky Republicans foiled us again.
I'm not convinced that, this isn't a problem with the Left and the Right, with the corporate owned media cheerleading whoever gives the biggest paycheck, access and market share for mere bragging rights.
I know this is a very cynical view.
I honestly think that's the way it should be. No one should be required to unthinkingly throw their support behind a candidate. No one should be blind to that candidate's faults.
No one should be asked to sit down and shut up when their sunshiny view is obstructed by a small dose of reality. (that's for you mom)
No one should be asked to ignore the Elephant in the room.
And then there's President Barack Obama. Despite the media coverage of anything and everything that comes out of Republicans head or hindquarters 24/7, the GOP has managed to make themselves into the party of hate, death, destruction and just plain all around assholery that has simply guaranteed President Obama another four years.
I just had yet another argument with my mother that ended up with my slamming out of her room and kicking things as if I were a teenager all over again and she had just told me I was grounded. It's odd that sometimes, in our disagreements, I can regress so far as to say things like, "Fine, nobody cares and nobody ever listens to me anyway." It's funny now, but it wasn't five minutes ago.
I was really pissed.
Make no mistake, considering the field of Republican candidates of which Rick Santorum is clearly the best of the worst, you can see why I'm firmly Team Barack. But the same issue I'm having with my mother is the same problem that I'm having with all Barack Obama supporters.
The elephant in the room is that Barack Obama, from here to November 2012, is beyond criticism to those who support him.
Despite having been writing this blog for six years - or hell, maybe because I've been writing a blog for six years, I am not as eloquent at expressing my ideas as I should be so I'm going to try and keep this simple.
I don't completely trust Barack Obama.
When I say this to Barack Obama supporters you would think that my already fairly light skin had suddenly lost the rest of it's melanin and that I joined the Klan or something.
"What do you mean you don't trust Barack Obama?"
"He's doing the best he can, look at everything he's done for the country."
"How can you say that? It's bad enough the Republicans are on his case so hard and all they do is obstruct everything he tries to accomplish. We need to get behind him."
And I am.
To a point.
But I don't think he's perfect and I don't think his presidency is at a point where he defies reasoned, logical and fair-minded criticism.
Please understand that I don't mean the dog-whistle to blatant racist cruelty that the Republicans insist on subjecting this country to.
I also don't mean the constant obstruction and just plain "Party of No" idiocy that has deadlocked Congress to the point where we're quibbling over pennies and tripe instead of solving real problems.
But what I am referring to is how all the noise, arguing and howling over trifles is letting a lot of things that Barack Obama has done and is currently doing slide under the radar unchallenged.
Barack Obama's stance on Civil Liberties, and by correlation, Human Rights, is appalling.
Not one piece of the Patriot Act put into place by Bush and a "please don't call us terrorist-sympathizers" Congress has been repealed. Bush's Warrantles Wiretapping program has been expanded under Barack Obama. We are no closer to closing Gitmo than we were when Obama took office and the other secret prisons aren't even mentioned anymore.
Julian Assange sits on house arrest in another country, pretty much at the whim of our President and Bradley Manning sits in a military prison for providing Julian Assange with information for WikiLeaks that revolutionized the world. Publicly and out of one side of his mouth, Barack Obama praises the liberation movements that have happened in London, Paris,Greece, Egypt, Lybia, Syria. Privately he is persecuting the two men who actually spurred these revolutions along.
Barack Obama has finally sealed the deal with Wall Street and Big Banks that will allow them to escape pretty much untouched from the Robo-Signing scandal. And in what is yet another slap to the face of the Occupy movement, he has allowed the Department of Homeland Security to co-ordinate attacks on encampments across this country. The Arab Spring, The Riots against Austerity in Europe and The Occupy Wall Street movement that started in New York and spread around the globe are all bound together. Barack Obama says he supports the rights of those to protest, but ensures that encampments in his own country are bulldozed, the people arrested and tear-gassed.
Barack Obama also gets a lot of credit for being the first black President. Yet and still things are not better for minorities "Stop and Frisk" has become the tool of gentrification everywhere. The deportation of Latinos is at an all time high. And while whites are enjoying an enjoying an unemployment that hovers around 6-7%, black unemployment is still nearly than double that at 13%, and that's despite the good news that black unemployment is dropping.
Depending on who you talk to, Barack Obama's committment has been tenacious or foolhardy. After three years of watching him get called everything but a child of god to where even he complained, "They talk about me like a dog." And yes, by "They" he mean white folks in the plural and in general.
What was even worse was watching him attempt to put into place the policies he platformed on and to walk back each of those policies, in a spirit of claimed bipartisanship, that was really letting the Republicans piss on each and every last one of his ideas. And it was disheartening to watch him as Charlie Brown run and kick, while the Republicans as Lucy yanked the ball away every time.
After nearly four years of this and we're headed into an election year, I can't help but wonder if the right hand really knows what the left hand is doing.
While the Republicans go chasing after all the usual targets: women's rights, abortion, be afraid of "illegals" and scary black guys (not the president though, despite Jan Brewere feeling 'threatened' by him); I can't help but wonder if this is all a show being put on for our benefit.
Watch the right hand! Watch the hoopla! Watch the noise! Watch the show.
Meanwhile, the left is hand is quietly erroding our rights, handing them over to bankers and large corporations, along with our resources, our dignity and our ability to fight back.
I'm not so sure that this is all a ploy by the GOP. I can't help but wonder just how much the Democrats and the Obama administration play along and then shrug: Well, we tried, but those pesky Republicans foiled us again.
I'm not convinced that, this isn't a problem with the Left and the Right, with the corporate owned media cheerleading whoever gives the biggest paycheck, access and market share for mere bragging rights.
I know this is a very cynical view.
I honestly think that's the way it should be. No one should be required to unthinkingly throw their support behind a candidate. No one should be blind to that candidate's faults.
No one should be asked to sit down and shut up when their sunshiny view is obstructed by a small dose of reality. (that's for you mom)
No one should be asked to ignore the Elephant in the room.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Thursday, December 22, 2011
You Gotta Fight the Powers That Be: For $40
It was the ultimate freestyle battle in The Shelter aka Washington D.C.
Papa Doc aka John Boehner came hard with his rendition of "I Got 99 Problems But $40 Ain't One." B-Rabbit aka Barack Obama, came back even harder with his "Hashtag This $40 Muthafucka."
The crowd went wild. Every day Americans chimed in with B-Rabbit causing Boehner and his Republican crew to choke. B-Rabbit walked back across 8-Mile, safe, if only for this one night.
This shit is gettin real dawg. I know. I don't normally talk to ya'll like this but some shizz is just too deep for proper grammar.
We already know: Ain't no such thing as halfway crooks and the Republicans are all in. Think I'm lying? Dig this: We just fought the Republicans for $40 dollars, man. $40! Like a pimp trying to to get that last bit of cash out his bottom ho's shoe - the $40 she was probably saving up to buy his punk ass a Christmas gift so she could spend one day without getting pimp-slapped anyhow.
Republicans are determined to wring that "average $40" out of our hands because to them $40 just isn't much money. They have no idea that for the Real Americans they're always talking about, in the economy climate THEY have destroyed, $40 can be the difference between eating, making it to work, taking your kids to the doctor or just plain having a tiny bit of extra cash on hand.
The American People - we give and we give and our government takes and takes. Hell, we aren't even asking for much. And the little bit we do want, the Republicans don't want us to have. Somewhere, somebody on Wall Street is laughing at the idea that $40 can mean so much to so many.
We are being pimped by the 1%. This shows they will fight us for every nickel and dime out of our paychecks. NO amount is to small for them to take - any amount is too much for them to give.
When they take it, it's taxes or bailouts. But when we need foodstamps or college loans or hell, even unemployment that WE EFFING PAY FOR - it's a handout.
They try to embarass us and make us feel small for just existing, being human, and expecting to get back any of what we pay out in taxes - income taxes, payroll taxes or otherwise.
A great man once said - Don't Believe The Hype. I believe he had a clock around his neck when he said it. A sharp reminder that we should all know what time it is by now. It's time we fought back for our $40 and then some.
It's time we realized what is at stake and stop believing that the Republican Party is anything but a bunch of grasping liars who have two goals. To see Barack Obama fail as President and to grab as much of our money as they can.
They will go down swinging for that last $40. Will we?
If Barack Obama is the President he promised he would be, it'll be a fight we can jump in and help him out with so he'll remember who's ass to kick.
Because the flip side of this is that Barack Obama can't pretend now that he doesn't have a way to connect with every day American People. He has proven that through social media, he can hear what we have to say - and it shouldn't just be when he needs us to have his back.
He should listen when we need him to have ours. He could have been listening the last three years when people were telling him that the Republican Party was making good on their promise to be "The Party of 'No'." He could have been listening when we asked him to weigh in Occupy Wall Street. He should be listening to the voices that look at him askance for persecuting Bradley Manning and becoming the first president to sign indefinite detention into law.
Yeah man, this shit is real dawg. And it's not going away. Even this tax relief extension is only for two more months. We will be having this battle again, real soon
Having finally pushed the Republicans into a corner and made them back down, President Obama needs to continue this push - so that people believe that it's not only Candidate Obama who will talk about fighting for them, but that President Obama will actually do it.
***
Papa Doc aka John Boehner came hard with his rendition of "I Got 99 Problems But $40 Ain't One." B-Rabbit aka Barack Obama, came back even harder with his "Hashtag This $40 Muthafucka."
The crowd went wild. Every day Americans chimed in with B-Rabbit causing Boehner and his Republican crew to choke. B-Rabbit walked back across 8-Mile, safe, if only for this one night.
This shit is gettin real dawg. I know. I don't normally talk to ya'll like this but some shizz is just too deep for proper grammar.
We already know: Ain't no such thing as halfway crooks and the Republicans are all in. Think I'm lying? Dig this: We just fought the Republicans for $40 dollars, man. $40! Like a pimp trying to to get that last bit of cash out his bottom ho's shoe - the $40 she was probably saving up to buy his punk ass a Christmas gift so she could spend one day without getting pimp-slapped anyhow.
Republicans are determined to wring that "average $40" out of our hands because to them $40 just isn't much money. They have no idea that for the Real Americans they're always talking about, in the economy climate THEY have destroyed, $40 can be the difference between eating, making it to work, taking your kids to the doctor or just plain having a tiny bit of extra cash on hand.
The American People - we give and we give and our government takes and takes. Hell, we aren't even asking for much. And the little bit we do want, the Republicans don't want us to have. Somewhere, somebody on Wall Street is laughing at the idea that $40 can mean so much to so many.
We are being pimped by the 1%. This shows they will fight us for every nickel and dime out of our paychecks. NO amount is to small for them to take - any amount is too much for them to give.
When they take it, it's taxes or bailouts. But when we need foodstamps or college loans or hell, even unemployment that WE EFFING PAY FOR - it's a handout.
They try to embarass us and make us feel small for just existing, being human, and expecting to get back any of what we pay out in taxes - income taxes, payroll taxes or otherwise.
A great man once said - Don't Believe The Hype. I believe he had a clock around his neck when he said it. A sharp reminder that we should all know what time it is by now. It's time we fought back for our $40 and then some.
It's time we realized what is at stake and stop believing that the Republican Party is anything but a bunch of grasping liars who have two goals. To see Barack Obama fail as President and to grab as much of our money as they can.
They will go down swinging for that last $40. Will we?
If Barack Obama is the President he promised he would be, it'll be a fight we can jump in and help him out with so he'll remember who's ass to kick.
Because the flip side of this is that Barack Obama can't pretend now that he doesn't have a way to connect with every day American People. He has proven that through social media, he can hear what we have to say - and it shouldn't just be when he needs us to have his back.
He should listen when we need him to have ours. He could have been listening the last three years when people were telling him that the Republican Party was making good on their promise to be "The Party of 'No'." He could have been listening when we asked him to weigh in Occupy Wall Street. He should be listening to the voices that look at him askance for persecuting Bradley Manning and becoming the first president to sign indefinite detention into law.
Yeah man, this shit is real dawg. And it's not going away. Even this tax relief extension is only for two more months. We will be having this battle again, real soon
Having finally pushed the Republicans into a corner and made them back down, President Obama needs to continue this push - so that people believe that it's not only Candidate Obama who will talk about fighting for them, but that President Obama will actually do it.
***
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
You're Welcome George Stephanopolous
George Stephanopolous is replacing Christiane Amanpour on ABC's This Week.
I swear, someone at ABC is reading DebLite.
Insane I know, but dig this:
It was only yesterday, nearly 24 hours ago to this minute, that I wrote a post that was born out of my reluctant pity for George Stephanopolous. I'm not a fan, but it was hard to watch a man who used to be a White House Press Secretary shilling tripe on ABC's Good Morning America like "Do Celebrity Men Have a Type".
It was degrading, disheartening and to me, a sign of the media times. If they can take this august personage and make them dance like a monkey on a string, then how bad are things really in this country? If the morning "news" isn't news and even the likes of George Stephanopolous are reduced to "Do Celebrity Men Have a Type" type garbage then our media is so beyond redemption that yesterday, I'd lost all hope.
Again, someone must be reading DebLite or someone else, just like I did, saw that glimmer of pain in George's eyes. Has this been coming for a while, or did someone finally decide they'd made George dance on the end of the stick long enough?
My mother's comments: "You can tell he hasn't been happy for a while. And [GMA] used to sneak some news in now and then but it's really just become a dog and pony show. He deserves better."
I emailed yesterday's article to a couple of people, who I know, in their turn, may have forwarded it to some other people. I can't help but wonder if this minor bit of moving isn't my Pelican Brief moment minus getting hunted down by the FBI. If I'm right, this one should come with a thank you basket. Yes, I know, delusions of grandeur . . . but it is a hell of a coincidence that this should come the day after I wrote that post and emailed it to some folks that I know could pass it on.
You're welcome Mr. Stephanopolous. I'm not much for caviar, but an exotic fruit basket would do nicely.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Morning News, Morning Skunkcabbage
If you haven't seen Morning Glory, I recommend it.
It's a feel-good movie and nice watch if only because it partly
explains why tv sucks, espeically morning "news" shows.
Watching the morning news shows will make you stupid. I spent 20 minutes watching GMA this morning and I feel like I may have lost a couple of IQ points. All that work reading Plato's Republic for the past two years? Gone. I have to start over from scratch. God help those who watch TMZ all day.
I've never been a big fan of George Stephanopolous, but it was heart-rending to watch him have to lead in a bit entitled "Do Celebrity Men Have a Type." It was a bunch of long-winded tripe that pointed out how several celebrity males who had broken up with celebrity females went on to have rebound flings with women who looked like the celebrity female they'd just broken up with. They even interviewed a therapist named Bethany for this one. I suppose to give the story more credibility.
I kid you not, this was a real story this morning on GMA complete with a blonde, buxom therapist. It was given serious minutes of attention, , that you will never see dedicated to lightweight topics like anything to do with our President or Congress or thousands of protestors across this country, Russia or whatever's happning in the rest of the world.
Again, I'm not a George Stephanopolous fan but once upon a time, before his transfer to GMA, you could count this guy as a "serious journalist". Watching him shill crap like this I just want to ask him: Was it worth it? For the mere chance at filling Diane Sawyer's shoes once she retires or evenetually shuffles off this mortal coil? Because Sawyer, thank God, is not a Katie Couric and she will be doing that job for the long haul, regardless of how much ABC wants to have a man in that seat now that they've gotten over the thrill of trying to have women in the big seats at the big three. Only Diane Sawyer remains in a big chair after this experiment tanked at NBC and which CBS ignored, never even giving it a try. And let's face it: even though Robin Roberts deserves better than GMA it will be her glass ceiling, unless and until they find her some specialty show.
Is it worth it George? Women always seem to get the short end of the stick in this sort of thing and we all watched Diane Sawyer suck up her pride for decades, doing what she had to do, knowing she was better and deserving of that #1 spot. But you George? I just don't understand it. Honestly, I'd almost rather see you slinging the psuedo-conservative bull you had to on "This Week" than selling your soul for garbage like "Do Celebrity Men Have a Type."
George does his best to hide it, but today, like any other time I've seen him introduce nonsense like this, I saw a bit of pain behind his eyes, silently begging the question, "Do I really have to do this again? Not again, God. Not again!"
That was hard to watch man.
At least ABC seems to have a plan and they're working the plan. Even Kelly without Regis is beating whatever CBS is doing with their mornings; (I know CBS has a morning show but does anyone watch it?) and even CBS is looking like a well-run, if not fairly anonymous machine, compared to what must be the fiasco that is morning, noon or night over at NBC.
Long past the days of "Must See TV", NBC trashed their late-night line up in a brouhaha that was covered so much it came in only second to coverage of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake at the the time. What NBC has on during the day or in the evening, heaven only knows - I sure don't because I watch other channels or I'm online.
Then there's the Today Show. It would have been kinder to both Katie Couric and Meredith Vieria to just let Matt Lauer have the evening news. Really. Just let him have it. It would have saved us trying to believe that Katie Couric was a "serious journalist," and it would have saved us watching Matt blindside Meredith Vieria on air for years on end. Only when he was sure that she was leaving and that she wasn't replacing Katie Couric did Lauer tearfully admit that he did poke fun at Vieria sometimes.
Katie Couric (impossible to say her first name with the last, isn't it?) learned to take Matt in stride, and somehow he never seemed to really penetrate her bubble after awhile. Katie Couric also had a way of getting Matt back sometimes. But Meredith is a class act, and it was a nasty business to watch Matt Lauer bully her publicly, from day one, morning after morning. Honestly, it got bad enough to make me watch GMA. Not putting Meredith in the big chair was an opportunity missed for NBC. It would have been brilliant; it would have provided a kick right to Matt's deserving balls and it would have proved that a woman could handle the evening gig at NBC, it just takes the right woman.
Well, now that Lauer has been allowed to run off both Couric and Vieria, Lauer is also leaving the Today Show. Say what?! You mean the last person on the island and this year's survivor is Ann Curry? I tell you, it's the person you never expect who's always the last person on the island. She needs to quit speaking so softly, develop some badass attitude and start getting her angle in for the big chair now.
I think it's a testament to how little NBC must care about the Today Show anymore that the man rumored for Matt Lauer's replacement is....*drumroll*....
Ryan Seacrest.
Yep, Mr. I am Famous Because I am The Most Blandly Gorgeous Man Alive and Will Host Anything For Food.
Ryan Seacrest.
Mind you I like Ryan Seacrest. I really do. Don't you? Who doesn't? Disliking Ryan Seacrest is like disliking a pack of puppies for chewing your slippers. In the end, the cuteness is all that matters. It's like Drew Carey being made the host of The Price Is Right. We all came to realize that despite all his years in standup comedy and having a couple of successful tv shows (come to think of it, one of which was as game-show like as possible without actually having to have a budget) and despite whatever else he has done with his life, Drew Carey was born to replace Bob Barker. No one else would do.
Except now I'm thinking they made a mistake. Ryan Seacrest should be the host of The Price Is Right and Drew Carey should be the host of the Today Show.
If I ran the world, this would happen. Immediately. In reality it should happen but it won't because no one wants to give Drew Carey another heart attack and then he and Wayne Brady wouldn't have a matching set of vintage Bob Barker game shows. For every yin, there's a yang. Maybe it's all for the best after all. Or maybe we can take this guy's suggestions. I really think he's on the right track.
Ok. I have digressed into the absurd. Honestly, it's no more absurd than the morning "news" shows and I use that term "news" lightly. More like morning drivel. It's pathetic that they can spend all of three hours every morning telling us nothing except who's the latest missing pretty white woman and who shot Michael Jackson and the latest updates on whatever show Ryan Seacrest is hosting.
Just because they call it a news show, doesn't make what they're peddling news. They call it news, but I call it call it skunk cabbage. It all smells the same.
Hey, just an idea. Maybe they should grab Nick Cannon for the Today Show. After all, he does a great job on America's Got Talent. Makes as much sense as Seacrest anway.
Deblite...out.
***
It's a feel-good movie and nice watch if only because it partly
explains why tv sucks, espeically morning "news" shows.
I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.
-Anne, Anne of Green Gables
Watching the morning news shows will make you stupid. I spent 20 minutes watching GMA this morning and I feel like I may have lost a couple of IQ points. All that work reading Plato's Republic for the past two years? Gone. I have to start over from scratch. God help those who watch TMZ all day.
I've never been a big fan of George Stephanopolous, but it was heart-rending to watch him have to lead in a bit entitled "Do Celebrity Men Have a Type." It was a bunch of long-winded tripe that pointed out how several celebrity males who had broken up with celebrity females went on to have rebound flings with women who looked like the celebrity female they'd just broken up with. They even interviewed a therapist named Bethany for this one. I suppose to give the story more credibility.
I kid you not, this was a real story this morning on GMA complete with a blonde, buxom therapist. It was given serious minutes of attention, , that you will never see dedicated to lightweight topics like anything to do with our President or Congress or thousands of protestors across this country, Russia or whatever's happning in the rest of the world.
Again, I'm not a George Stephanopolous fan but once upon a time, before his transfer to GMA, you could count this guy as a "serious journalist". Watching him shill crap like this I just want to ask him: Was it worth it? For the mere chance at filling Diane Sawyer's shoes once she retires or evenetually shuffles off this mortal coil? Because Sawyer, thank God, is not a Katie Couric and she will be doing that job for the long haul, regardless of how much ABC wants to have a man in that seat now that they've gotten over the thrill of trying to have women in the big seats at the big three. Only Diane Sawyer remains in a big chair after this experiment tanked at NBC and which CBS ignored, never even giving it a try. And let's face it: even though Robin Roberts deserves better than GMA it will be her glass ceiling, unless and until they find her some specialty show.
Is it worth it George? Women always seem to get the short end of the stick in this sort of thing and we all watched Diane Sawyer suck up her pride for decades, doing what she had to do, knowing she was better and deserving of that #1 spot. But you George? I just don't understand it. Honestly, I'd almost rather see you slinging the psuedo-conservative bull you had to on "This Week" than selling your soul for garbage like "Do Celebrity Men Have a Type."
George does his best to hide it, but today, like any other time I've seen him introduce nonsense like this, I saw a bit of pain behind his eyes, silently begging the question, "Do I really have to do this again? Not again, God. Not again!"
That was hard to watch man.
At least ABC seems to have a plan and they're working the plan. Even Kelly without Regis is beating whatever CBS is doing with their mornings; (I know CBS has a morning show but does anyone watch it?) and even CBS is looking like a well-run, if not fairly anonymous machine, compared to what must be the fiasco that is morning, noon or night over at NBC.
Long past the days of "Must See TV", NBC trashed their late-night line up in a brouhaha that was covered so much it came in only second to coverage of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake at the the time. What NBC has on during the day or in the evening, heaven only knows - I sure don't because I watch other channels or I'm online.
Then there's the Today Show. It would have been kinder to both Katie Couric and Meredith Vieria to just let Matt Lauer have the evening news. Really. Just let him have it. It would have saved us trying to believe that Katie Couric was a "serious journalist," and it would have saved us watching Matt blindside Meredith Vieria on air for years on end. Only when he was sure that she was leaving and that she wasn't replacing Katie Couric did Lauer tearfully admit that he did poke fun at Vieria sometimes.
Katie Couric (impossible to say her first name with the last, isn't it?) learned to take Matt in stride, and somehow he never seemed to really penetrate her bubble after awhile. Katie Couric also had a way of getting Matt back sometimes. But Meredith is a class act, and it was a nasty business to watch Matt Lauer bully her publicly, from day one, morning after morning. Honestly, it got bad enough to make me watch GMA. Not putting Meredith in the big chair was an opportunity missed for NBC. It would have been brilliant; it would have provided a kick right to Matt's deserving balls and it would have proved that a woman could handle the evening gig at NBC, it just takes the right woman.
Well, now that Lauer has been allowed to run off both Couric and Vieria, Lauer is also leaving the Today Show. Say what?! You mean the last person on the island and this year's survivor is Ann Curry? I tell you, it's the person you never expect who's always the last person on the island. She needs to quit speaking so softly, develop some badass attitude and start getting her angle in for the big chair now.
I think it's a testament to how little NBC must care about the Today Show anymore that the man rumored for Matt Lauer's replacement is....*drumroll*....
Ryan Seacrest.
Yep, Mr. I am Famous Because I am The Most Blandly Gorgeous Man Alive and Will Host Anything For Food.
Ryan Seacrest.
Mind you I like Ryan Seacrest. I really do. Don't you? Who doesn't? Disliking Ryan Seacrest is like disliking a pack of puppies for chewing your slippers. In the end, the cuteness is all that matters. It's like Drew Carey being made the host of The Price Is Right. We all came to realize that despite all his years in standup comedy and having a couple of successful tv shows (come to think of it, one of which was as game-show like as possible without actually having to have a budget) and despite whatever else he has done with his life, Drew Carey was born to replace Bob Barker. No one else would do.
Except now I'm thinking they made a mistake. Ryan Seacrest should be the host of The Price Is Right and Drew Carey should be the host of the Today Show.
If I ran the world, this would happen. Immediately. In reality it should happen but it won't because no one wants to give Drew Carey another heart attack and then he and Wayne Brady wouldn't have a matching set of vintage Bob Barker game shows. For every yin, there's a yang. Maybe it's all for the best after all. Or maybe we can take this guy's suggestions. I really think he's on the right track.
Ok. I have digressed into the absurd. Honestly, it's no more absurd than the morning "news" shows and I use that term "news" lightly. More like morning drivel. It's pathetic that they can spend all of three hours every morning telling us nothing except who's the latest missing pretty white woman and who shot Michael Jackson and the latest updates on whatever show Ryan Seacrest is hosting.
Just because they call it a news show, doesn't make what they're peddling news. They call it news, but I call it call it skunk cabbage. It all smells the same.
Hey, just an idea. Maybe they should grab Nick Cannon for the Today Show. After all, he does a great job on America's Got Talent. Makes as much sense as Seacrest anway.
Deblite...out.
***
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