Good-bye Oprah…may the next stage be even better

MoonHowler

Wednesday is the final Oprah Winfrey Show.  Talk about a ride!  She started her life in poverty in Mississippi.  Her mother was a single mom.  She survived a broken home, sexual abuse, and not much support at home.  She is now a billionaire several times over and uses her wealth to do good for others.

Following college, Oprah started off her career in Baltimore hosting a talk show and moved on to Chicago.  Her time slot competed with Phil Donahue who later took her under his wing.  She starred in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple (one of my very favorite books and films).  She was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress.  The Oprah Winfrey Show was launched in 1986.  The rest is history. 

Books have been written about the Oprah phenomena.  The most striking thing, in my opinion,  about Oprah is her humility.  She never acts like ‘she has gotten above her raisings.’  She also appears to be one of the most sincere people ever.  She will begin her own network.  How will it go?  If anyone makes it work, Oprah will.  Maybe her departure marks the beginning of the end for the ‘networks.’  Oprah always has been a trend-setter.

Tuesday was the Surprise Show where all Oprah’s buds showed up and paid tribute.  Today at 4 pm, we take in the last Oprah Show.  I wouldn’t miss it for the world.  I will probably cry.  It is the end of an era.

See the Oprah Winfrey tribute in the Washington Post.

 

The Newtster: Urinated inside the family circle? No Way!

MoonHowler

Ewwwwwwww!  Jon Stewart is right.  What is the impolite way of saying that?

Newtster has fully shot himself in the foot.  No Sister Souljah momentfor the Newtster.

Will Newt be forgiven or did he drink the proverbial hemlock of politics.  It seems he is making himself hard to be like d by everyone.   Actually, Newt was able to wrestle the limelight away from Arnold.  That’s quite an accomplishment.  Any time political stupidity steals tawdry sex’s thunder, it must be real stupid political stupidity.

Tailgating Banned At Jiffy Lube Live

MoonHowler

Insidenova.com:

BRISTOW, Va. —

There will be no more tailgating at Jiffy Lube Live.

Spokespeople for Jiffy Lube and its owner Live Nation didn’t return phones and emails late this week. But Prince William County policeconfirm that the Bristow concert venue is cracking down on partying in the parking lot. No pop-up tents, no portable grills and absolutely no alcohol.

There has always been a rule against drinking in the parking lot. But now the outdoor amphitheater is adopting a “no tolerance” policy when it comes to drinking and tailgating.

Fans buying tickets for shows this season were surprised to see “No Tailgating” stamped on their stubs. On its Facebook page, Jiffy Lube Live writes that safety, and abiding by Virginia’s law banning public alcohol consumption, prompted the change.

How is all this to be accomplished?  Gates will open an hour and a half later.  Police security will issue one warning to those tailgating or  drinking and if the offenders do not comply, they will be served with a trespassing notice and removed from the property. 

Read More

Be Still My Heart: O’Reilly vs. Stewart re: Common

MoonHowler

Huffingtonpost.com:

UPDATE: Jon Stewart has accepted Bill O’Reilly’s challenge to debate Common’s White House appearance, Fox News announced Friday. Stewart will debate O’Reilly on Monday’s “O’Reilly Factor.”

ORIGINAL STORY: Bill O’Reilly took exception to Jon Stewart’s takedown of Fox News over President Obama’s invitation of rapper Common to the White House–and he challenged his high-profile frenemy to come on his show and debate the matter.

O’Reilly is just one of many Fox News anchors to object to Common, saying he supports the killing of police officers and the assassination of George W. Bush. (Both claims are, to put it mildly, debatable.)

Read More

The Minutemen: Immigration & Human Rights Cinema

MoonHowler

Announcement:

The season’s final presentation of the Immigration & Human Rights Cinema is scheduled for 2:30 Sunday May 8 in the Verizon Auditorium of George Mason University’s Prince William Campus.    The documentary, “The Minutemen” by Corey Wascinski,  provides startling insights into the motivations and interactions of four Minutemen on the Arizona border. 

As always, the screening is free and open to the public.  Parking is available in the Occoquan Lot across from the Verizon Auditorium.

Was Trump having fun?

MoonHowler

Donald Trump:

“Well, I really understood what I was getting into. I didn’t know that I’d be virtually the sole focus . . . I was certainly in a certain way having a good time listening. I don’t think the American people are having a good time paying $5 gasoline . . . I was thinking to myself as they were doing this, that you know, the American people are really suffering and we’re all having a good time. I thought it was inappropriate in certain respects.

Trump himself is a buffoon. Why wouldn’t he be the butt of all the jokes? He is loud, crude, and looks ridiculous despite his millions. He changes his political sales depending on the direction of the wind.

What would a President Trump do for the face and reputation of America?  All kidding aside, is he really ahead in the polls?  He has been brutal to President Obama and whatever he got in return was deserved.  Did he enjoy all the negative attention?  Was bad attention better than no attention at all?

Trump tried to take it like a man.  I give him a C+.

Glenn Beck watches Glee in horror!

MoonHowler

Huffingtonpost.com:

Glenn Beck set his sights on a new target on his Thursday show: “Glee.”

Speaking before a live studio audience, Beck said that “our whole culture is set up right now for you and the values we grew up with to lose.” He used “Glee” as an example.

“I’ve watched it in stunned horror combined with a sense of admiring awe,” he said. “It is a brilliant brilliant show…but it is a horror show…everybody in here is somebody your kids would want to be like, except everyone is sleeping with everyone else, it’s all about self-gratification…it’s a nightmare.”

However, he said the skill with which the show was made meant that “there is no way to beat this.

 

 

Is Glenn Beck nuts?  Glee is probably one of the most redeeming show there is about young people.  Is Beck naive?   He admits to watching 2 of the shows.  He needs to watch more before commenting.  In the first place, all the Glee kids aren’t beautiful.  They are talented.  Each person represents a demographic of typical high school.  Is there hyberpole?  Yes.  Perhaps the most exaggerated character is Sue Sylvester who is just meaner than a rattle snake.  We have all worked with such people–the person at work who is always trying to ‘get’ someone.

I have never watched Glee that it didn’t teach a strong lesson.   We aren’t going to learn lessons in shows like Pollyanna.  Glee is contemporary and explores current topics.  Beck really needs to get a life.  There is so much worse on TV that has half the talent.  He would bitch and cry if it starred Mother Teresa. 

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

MoonHowler

Jon Stewart points out the fallacy in the lies told about Planned Parenthood.  

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Countdown to the Next Countdown – Jon Kyl’s Planned Parenthood Statistics
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

  Stewart claims that Senator Jon  Kyl (R-AZ) only lied to get his way.  Kyl claims that 90% of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion when the actual number is around 3%.   Easy to get 3% mixed up with 90%. 

 

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Countdown to the Next Countdown – Jon Kyl Lies About Planned Parenthood
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Why do politicians lie?  They want to get their way.  Life is simple.  Now I understand. 

Is lying ever justified in politics?  What if you REALLY believe in something?  Or against something?  Isn’t lying just a little ok?

Fight — Sing — Drink — Pray

MoonHowler

Jim Webb’s Born Fighting made it to TV tonight on the Smithsonian Channel.  Webb traces the history of the Scots Irish in this country.  They are the people who settled past the mountains, past where the landed gentry lived.  The Scots-Irish were the protestants who came from Ireland and really very little has been written about them as an immigration group. 

Dave “Mudcat” Saunders, in the Huffington Post contributed the following that might explain much about our present day politics:

Born Fighting Reveals the Invisible Ink on the Pages of American History

As a Southern Democratic political operative and Scots-Irish hillbilly, I’ve been asked the same question a thousand times in a thousand different ways. In the summer of 2006, the question was condescendingly thrown at me by a sitting U.S. Senator in a luncheon buffet line at a Senate Democratic Caucus retreat. She asked, “How can your people in the South be so ignorant to go against their own economic self-interests and vote Republican?” Huh? I remember thinking that surely, in the name of Jesus, this woman (Senator or not) didn’t call my people “ignorant”.

Since I had been invited to the retreat by Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer, two guys I personally like, I was all cleaned up and on my very best behavior. But candidly, I still had to lock up every brake in my soul to not respond to her question with a bombardment of backwoods, “By God”, profanity. Somewhat to my own surprise, I overcame the urge and answered, “Has it ever crossed your mind that it might not be ignorance, but instead, a more powerful force called culture?”

America at Not-War: The President clarifies our “Squirmish”

MoonHowler

 America at Not-War

There is something for everyone in the Tuesday night Jon Stewart segment. Want to make fun of Joe Biden?  check!    Want to hate Obama?  check!    Criticism America?  check! Salude America?  check!  Make fun of Sarah Palin and her Palinisms?  check! 

 

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
America at Not-War – Obama Defends Military Action in Libya
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Stewart does a great JFK imitation. Palin does a great Palin.  And no, it isn’t an Obama Doctrine.   What president hasn’t been cutting and pasting!   The Delicate Dance of the Presidency is highlighted. 

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
America at Not-War – Obama’s Pragmatic Foreign Policy Decisions
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

 

So was there something here for you?  Stewart even addressed Emma’s concern.  You gotta love a guy who covers everything.   Squirmish?  OMG.  Dan Quayle has returned. 

Checking out the legality of polygamy–Post Big Love

MoonHowler

I never understood the difference in bigamy and polygamy until I went to Utah for the first time about 15 years ago.  I was reading the paper and saw that some man had been arrested for having 2 wives.  Then on the front page there was so big arrest made to a polygamist but it was for beating his daughter.  So naturally I had to give up all my pride and ask my hosts.

And yes, my hosts were all Mormons, but maybe not practicing ones.  After they laughed and carried on over my ignorance, they explained it.  Polygamist only have one state marriage as we saw in Big Love.  Barb was the legal wife.  The others, Margene and Nikki, were ecclesiastical wives.  That is not illegal.  It is taboo, however, in the official Mormon Church, otherwise known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   Barb has been excommunicated because she was living in polygamy.  Bill, Nikki and Margene  had never been in the mainstream Mormon Church so they were  not excommunicated. 

So I got an email from a friends asking me what was the difference in living together and polygamy.  I would say there is none legally.  The legal problems of polygamy center around child abuse and statutory rape.  Amongst consenting adults,  what is the problem?   There has also been a problem with many of the polygamist men not supporting their children and costing the state lots of welfare money.  The Juniper Creek class polygamists ran in their own little world and lived by their own laws.  However, if people are living like the Hendricksons or those seen on the reality show Sister Wives, why does it concern us?

Any opinions or comments?

Sarah Palin not afraid of Jon Stewart

MoonHowler

Well shiver me timbers….Sarah Palin has announced she is not afraid of Jon Stewart.  Then why doesn’t she accept his invitation?  Plenty of Republicans have appeared on the daily show and were treated respectfully–guests like Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich, Tea Party leader Dick Armey and even longtime punching bags like former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former RNC chair Michael Steele — all have appeared and have engaged in lively discussion and debate.  Rumsfeld even tweeted:  “Just wrapped up one of the most thoughtful interviews of book tour with @thedailyshow”).  Stewart typically is a gracious host.

From the Huffington Post:

Read More