It's the kind of gloomy sunless day when, if you walk into a little Main Street Oregon boutique and the cheery proprietor comes up and says, "It's a beautiful day, huh?" leaving you and your spouse exchanging glances in between glancing outside where's it's lightly drizzling as you look at her and try to respond without laughing. If you're not from Oregon which I happen to be, you probably haven't a clue what I'm talking about. If you are, you know. (Please web foots, no nasty responses in the comments section, okay? I know what you endure and love and admire you for it.)
So now it's a post-nap late afternoon of a totally sunless Monday. It's the kind of day that probably inspired Fats Domino to write a song that made him millions of dollars. As I finally got back to the computer to finish my blog I decided to check others blogs to see if anyone had posted that great Jon Stewart video yet! "Oh my God!" From the small circle of blogs I regularly visit, I see several have all ready "scooped" me.
My spirits sink for the moment. So, okay, I'll just post it anyway as an afterthought, a kind of, "In case you haven't already seen Stewart's 'call to arms' somewhere else, you can still catch it here" (below). So there. There is my preamble (and amble and amble) to today's blog. What follows is just as originally written almost 12 hours ago before distractions, late breakfast, nap -- all under gloomy gray skies.
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In Dada's never ending search to bring you the greatest lines of Hollywood's best (and worst) movies ever, I am pleased to upload the latest excellent excerpt in the tradition of "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room" line as spoken by U.S. President, Merkin Muffley in the movie Dr. Strangelove (1964).
Today, another "Great Lines" (No. 37): "Did you know in 1985 Gorbachev tried to eradicate vodka in Russia? People wouldn't have it though." (as spoken by a supermarket checkout clerk to Henry Poole from Henry Poole is Here, 2008)
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So why was I impressed enough by the above line from Henry Poole is Here to post it? Well, apparently Russians take their vodka seriously enough to get really mad when it's threatened by their government. Fortunately for Americans, there is nothing so dear to us as vodka is to the Russians that would cause us to get all huffy, making our government shrivel and recoil.According to Naomi Wolf, the daughter of San Francisco Flower Children and 60's protesters, that's because for Americans to take a stand for something they feel impassioned about (which isn't a whole lot as already noted) it's gotten more and more difficult over the past 30-40 years. For example, just to 'walk the walk' today you need a parade permit. You can no longer walk in the street, block traffic and, "God forbid!" hinder commerce without one.
Likewise, to 'talk the talk' using your right to free speech as your Constitution (formerly) guaranteed, you need to confine yourself to a pre-approved designated *free speech* zone, which most often is far removed and out of sight of the people for whom your message is intended. No longer can you "voice" your opinion within earshot or egg throwing range of your 'targeted audience.'
As protesters, your rights to meaningfully demonstrate, even peacefully, have been gutted. I suspect during Bush's pre-Iraq invasion build-up where millions who protested were ignored, nothing more than amusing chuckling points resulted for the elite powers that be.
But take heart Americans! There are signs that may all be changing. Real policy affecting protests may soon enjoy a revival if Jon Stewart, Rick Santelli and their supporters are any indication. And it won't be over the future of vodka by hordes of Russians. It may be over something the politics of the last 30years haven't succeeded in reigniting. Nay, the protests ahead may be over the result of harsh economics. Econmics now biting at the asses of all Americans.
"In case you haven't already seen Stewart's latest
rant somewhere else, you can still catch it here."
4 comments:
Stewart has been riding Cramer's ass all week. And tonight, Cramer is his guest. I can't wait (just another 15-minutes)!
oh man, it was a sweet interview! hope you saw it. cramer was contrite and stewart kicked his ass. the interview took up the whole show but they still had to edit 8-minutes out. you can watch the full unedited interview Friday on dailyshow.com
to kind of stay within the theme of your post, I thought the best line in tonight's interview was, "you burned the fuckin house down!"
Deke: Thanks for alerting me to the Stewart "interview" of Jim Cramer. Thank god for Comedy Central because, obviously, this is something that could only be viewed on a "comedy show" -- it's just not serious news material.
Alessandra Stanley covered last night's confrontation for the NYTimes. (One has to wonder in view of major newspaper cutbacks in their budgets for serious news reporting if Ms. Stanley isn't a U of Pitt senior mass media major doing her internship at the elite Times for now absent notables such as Judith "I'll regurgitate anything you shove down my throat as 'the truth' news" Miller).
WARNING: Reader discretion is advised beyond this point which may contain material unsuitable for viewing by younger readers and certain immature adults such as conservative extremists.
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I don't know of NYTimes reporter
Alessandra Stanley's credentials, but I am aware of the NYTime's Judith Miller who must at least bear some of the responsibility for the thousands of Americans and Iraqis blood on her hands as the result of the shit on her head from extending it so far up Dick Cheney's ass. I digress -- we've all passed a lot of water under the bridge since then.
I just found Stanley's reporting of last night's exchange between Stewart, who "has always had a messianic streak to his political satire, as when he ripped into Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala on 'Crossfire' for 'hurting America.'"
Well, in that vein, Jon Stewart, according to Stanley, was at it again last night, treating "his guest like a C.E.O. subpoenaed to testify before Congress — his point was not to hear Mr. Cramer out, but to act out a cathartic ritual of indignation and castigation."
Dada is glad Stanley's mother is probably still in her late mid to late 30's with time enough to recoup her retirement savings investing via the 'stay the market "long-term" mantra' advisors like Cramer profess while manipulating the market with selling short (after affecting a stock's price for profit) in the short term which has led us into what Dada fears may turn out to be a very, very long term of ensuing economic chaos.
And maybe Stewart's mom, who is older and doesn't have time enough left to recoup her losses much less her faith in the system and guys like Cramer who have gutted her savings accounts, is just a little more pissed because of that.
I used to watch CNBC daily during those market days of 'irrational exuberance.' I know these guys like Cramer, Kudlow, Bartilomo (not a "guy" per se), and pretty California surfer boy "Joe Kernen."
I recall a late summer 2004 CNBC among some of these hot shot 'boys for bucks' discussion on possible (implied) negative effects on the markets if: the price of oil should continue to rise; interest rates go up; or, (God forbid!) John Kerry should get elected (!), to which Dada can only say, "Be careful should a revolution ever break out boys!"
I'm not familiar with Alessandra Stanley, but her review is NOT in line with others I read last night just after the original show aired. Reuters and Washington Post and Huffington all had the same reaction as I did, which is, it's about fuckin time someone had the cajones to tell these financial guru whores off ... and more than that, to lay some blame on their doorsteps for echo-chambering their sponsors buy-buy-buy-its-all-good-we'll-see-a-Dow-of-36,000-soon, instead of doing some independent research.
And oh yeah, I certainly do remember all the doom & gloom forecasted if John Kerry were to be elected. Same thing was said about Obama. Same thing will be said about anyone who isn't in their rotten little club.
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