Stephen Colbert

Ten Days Away, Coming Back To New Controversies Surrounding Donald Trump! :(

Ronald 19 Comments

This author and blogger took a vacation, visiting my old “haunts” in New York City, where he lived until 1989.

While it was great getting back to “my origins”, for only the third time in the past 36 years, new controversies erupted around Donald Trump and his administration while I was away.

At least ten areas of crisis grew while this author and blogger was away on vacation.

The earlier decision of CBS to cancel Stephen Colbert, occurring days before this author and blogger took a break, just to gain the ability to merge with new ownership accepted by Donald Trump, was just the beginning. And Trump celebrating Colbert’s show ending next May was a moment of total disgust!

Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because she revealed a report of weak employment growth in July, and massive revision downward of May and June figures, numbers she had no control over adjusting.

Trump’s tariffs, which will raise the cost of living dramatically in future months, are due to take place on August 7, with some nations being “punished” more than others, including Canada and Brazil, and all Americans paying the price for this insanity, as tariffs cause economic collapses historically!

Ghislane Maxwell, in prison for 20 years for sexual abuse of young girls, connected with the Jeffrey Epstein Scandal, was moved to a minimum security prison, after being interviewed by Trump’s Deputy Attorney General. This is seen as an attempt to move to pardon her, and avoid revelations of whether Donald Trump was involved in the sexual abuse, another sign of a coverup to protect Trump.

Texas is attempting to use the abuses of gerrymandering to insure possibly five more House seats to go to the Republican Party, an effort to insure Republican control of the House of Representatives, with the support of Donald Trump. Democrats have left the state, to try to avoid such abuses from occurring.

The National Museum of American History, connected with the Smithsonian Institution, temporarly removed an exhibit showing Trump’s two impeachments, although it now claims it will be restored in the future.

The number of ICE arrests is multiplying, including at immigration hearings, when people show up at their required appointments, gain a new court date, but then are grabbed by multiple ICE agents wearing masks, acting like the Nazi Gestapo!

The number of government workers are being decimated, which makes a future set of shortcomings that will affect Americans in many areas of government involvement, most notably the National Weather Serivce and the upcoming hurricane season, as well as air traffic control, which delayed this author and blogger’s flight to New York City by a TEN hour delay! 🙁

Trump has moved nuclear submarines closer to Russia, as relations between Trump and Vladimir Putin worsen, and as the Russian war against Ukraine continues unabated.

The mass starvation of Gaza residents by Israel continues, and Trump’s inability or lack of concern about what is seen by many as a growing Holocaust.

So trying to “escape” from the news really is not truly possible, as the nightmare of Donald Trump continues! 🙁

Stephen Colbert Great Addition To Late Night Television!

Ronald 2 Comments

Comedy Channel’s Stephen Colbert has been chosen to replace David Letterman, when he leaves CBS sometime in 2015.

This is a great selection to replace Letterman, as Colbert is a comedic genius, although he will drop his persona as a conservative Republican, when he takes over the late night show from Letterman.

Predictably, the right wing conservatives and Republicans are condemning the selection of Colbert, as Rush Limbaugh stated that the nation beyond the coastlines, what Limbaugh calls the “heartland”, is being ignored, and that CBS has declared war on this vast part of the nation, and that Colbert is overly “partisan.”

This is such a laughable idea, as what exactly is Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, and all of the rest of the large crowd of right wing talk show hosts on radio and television (Fox News Channel), except totally “partisan”, and also, mostly laughable in their hypocrisy?

Kudos to CBS for defying the right wing, and giving us one of the two most entertaining and creative comedians in cable, with the other being Jon Stewart!

Both know how to “sock it to them” to the right wing, which already has far too much control over media as it is!

The Top Political Comedians Of 2013

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Most political observers are well aware of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert and the Comedy Channel, and find their political humor engaging.

But really, both Stewart and Colbert, and other comedians who do politics, including on Saturday Night Live, have so much material due to the fact that there are people in politics who make total fools of themselves, and seem to have no shame.
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Below are listed the author’s top choices for “Political Comedians of the Year 2013”, but in no special order.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R) of Minnesota
Congressman Steve King (R) of Iowa
Congressman Louie Gohmert (R) of Texas
Congressman Steve Stockman (R) of Texas
Congressman Paul Broun (R) of Georgia
Congressman Tom Price (R) of Georgia
Senator Ted Cruz (R) of Texas
Senator Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky
Mayoral contender and former Congressman Anthony Weiner (D) of New York
Mayor and former Congressman Bob Filner (D) of San Diego
Former Governor Sarah Palin (R) of Alaska

Mark Sanford Vs. Elizabeth Colbert Busch: The Race To Watch On Ability To Overcome A Sex Scandal!

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Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, the center of a lurid sex scandal, is trying to restart his career by going back to the Congressional seat in Charleston which he held before he became Governor.

Once having Presidential ambitions, which fell by the wayside once he was involved with an Argentine beauty, and disappeared for days without explanation, Sanford now faces the challenge of the candidacy of Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of Stephen Colbert, the comedian on Comedy Channel, who is one of the best political comedians in America, along with Jon Stewart of the same channel.

The race is very close, but if Sanford wins, his political career would be revived, and if he loses, he is done with politics, and would go back to his former real estate career.

Can a disgraced politician survive a sex scandal? Well, Senator David Vitter of Louisiana has done so, but that is an exception.

Of course, former President Bill Clinton did so, although not running for office again.

Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner is considering running for Mayor of New York City, which will be another test of ability to come back from a sex scandal.

Realize that in almost all cases, a sex scandal destroys the career of a politician for good, so the Sanford and, possibly, Weiner cases will be very telling to see if the voters are willing to forgive, if not forget, their transgressions.

We shall see regarding Sanford tomorrow night, and Weiner making a decision to run in the next month before the deadline to file for the New York Mayoralty!

The Growing Role Of Political Satire And Comedy In Influencing Public Opinion

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This 2012 political campaign has demonstrated a growing role of political satire and comedy in shaping public opinion, and has emerged as a real challenge to conservative talk radio and Fox News Channel.

Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert have become major players in the media, and the Capitol Steps series conducted every weekend at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC, and in numerous venues all over the nation throughout the year, has also had an effect on how people perceive politics.

Only in a democracy such as ours could this occur, and it is to be applauded, as in the midst of crisis and turmoil, it is good to reflect on personalities and events, and laugh, rather than always be angry!

So we should salute the impact of political satire and comedy as good for public health!

A Path Breaking Week For Gay Rights In America!

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This week in July 2011 will be remembered as the week of path breaking events for gay rights in America!

After a long period of patience, major progress is being made in the following ways:

1. On Sunday, the first gay marriages will be performed in New York City and around the state of New York, a month after the state legislature enacted this basic human rights issue.

2. The Department of Justice under President Obama is now advocating the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, and hearings have been held to move toward repeal, although it is likely that will lead to resistance by Republicans in the House of Representatives.

3. The Defense Department is today certifying that they back the formal end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military, and that they see no problem of gays being openly accepted in the military, and that it will not interfere with the internal cohesion and unity of the armed forces.

4. Additionally, in a very touching manner, comedian Stephen Colbert of the Comedy Channel issued a video in which he talked about children being bullied and called “Queer” in middle school, and how when he was so bullied, although not being gay, a friend reacted in a way that disarmed bullies harrassing his friend. Colbert said, in serious terms, words cannot hurt you if you decide to think of yourself as a person who has value and significance and purpose, and that things will get better if one understands that words should not be allowed to interfere with one’s self esteem, so hang in there, and one’s life will become better with patience. This is a beautiful message that needs to be spread all over America, to prevent bullying from leading to young men and women committing suicide, and was the best possible action Stephen Colbert could possibly have taken to deal with the epidemic of bullying and resultant suicide occurring in America!

So the long road to human rights advancement in a new area of concern has been successful, and the New York legislature, Governor Andrew Cuomo, President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, and comedian Stephen Colbert must be acknowledged and applauded for their courageous efforts in this regard!

Indications That Right Wing Hate Talk Is Losing Its Following: John Avlon

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It could be that the age of Right Wing Hate Talk Radio is starting to decline, as younger people are not drawn to that as much as older white people, who are drawn to it by their fear of Barack Obama and change.

Glenn Beck is losing listeners in key markets as he continues to spread hate and paranoia, making sane people realize how he is unconcerned about promoting hysteria and fear as long as he can make millions of dollars. There are some indications that Fox News Channel is starting to lose its enthusiasm for Beck, as well.

Rush Limbaugh is also losing support, as his maniacal behavior and ridiculous accusations, along with his pure disrespect of public figures, is beginning to turn people off.

Sean Hannity and Mark Levin are also finding less receptive radio audiences, and Hannity is seen as more hypocritical than ever, as he goes to Republican events and ties himself to the GOP propaganda line.

Rather than the propaganda coming from these and other right wing talk show hosts, more than ever those who listen or watch political shows want independent, intelligent analysis and political humor, which helps Jon Stewart gain a great following on Comedy Channel, as he shows the craziness and hypocrisy of these talk show hosts. Stephen Colbert is also very effective in demonstrating the shortcomings and narrow mindedness of Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin and others.

John Avlon, who first came up with the term “wingnuts” to refer to these talk show hosts and many of the Tea Party political candidates, is to be thanked for having uncovered the reality that the right wing propaganda is, seemingly, on a decline and will be far less significant over the next five years!

“Rally For Sanity” A Moment Of Unity!

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The “Rally For Sanity and or Fear” held by comedians John Stewart and Stephen Colbert of the Comedy Channel on the National Mall in Washington, DC on Saturday was a welcome moment of unity, and promoted a sense of purpose!

Too much divisiveness has been the reality in American politics, and unfortunately, the likelihood of GOP control of the House and possibly even the Senate does not encourage belief that anything positive will get done in the next two years, as the Presidential nomination season will open on Wednesday!

The fact that it appears that more than 200,000 people participated in the Saturday rally, however, is a sign that there are those who wish for some civility and some sense of responsibility to occur among our politicians as they face the massive set of problems lying before us over the next two years!

Stephen Colbert And Undocumented Farm Labor: The Truth

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Stephen Colbert of Comedy Channel is famous for being humorous, but he was on Capitol Hill today, testifying on the work conditions and life circumstances of undocumented farm labor, which is responsible for our supplies of fruits and vegetables at cheap prices!

Colbert tried a day of this backbreaking work and came away with an understanding of why very few American citizens are willing to do that kind of work in the broiling sun, with the tremendous physical strain on human bodies as a result!

We all want to buy fruits and vegetables at reasonable prices, and yet we have people who rail against hard working immigrants who pay taxes and Social Security, work for very low wages, and yet complain far less than the average American worker about their work conditions!

If we did not have this immigrant labor, some of it undocumented, we would not have our food supply which is the most varied in the world!

Also, do most Americans want to cut their own lawns and clean their own houses and businesses? The answer is NO, and immigrants, including undocumented ones, do so without complaint!

Many immigrants also are involved in other tough jobs, including construction and taking care of young children, and millions of Americans count on them!

But yet, we have demagogues who keep on telling us that all undocumented immigrants are criminals, and should be deported!

Were we to turn against the reality that we are all immigrants or the descendants of immigrants, and deport millions of undocumented immigrants, we would soon discover how much we need them, and we just might show them respect and allow them to get on the line for future citizenship on the basis of the 2007 McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill backed by President Bush and future President Obama!

But sadly, even Senator McCain has become a demagogue on this issue to win the support of Arizona voters! 🙁

Instead, we allow politicians to exploit the issue and divide us, and give America an ugly image of being a nativist nation! 🙁

A Fantastic Idea: A Public Debate Between Conservative And Progressive Talk Show Hosts For Charity!

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A movement is developing online on Facebook to promote a public affairs debate for charity, to be provided to families of war veterans, between leading conservative talk show hosts and leading progressive talk show hosts, and it should be definitely encouraged!

The debate would pit Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and Glenn Beck from Fox News Channel versus Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC and Jon Stewart of Comedy Channel, with Stephen Colbert of Comedy Channel as the moderator.

This would be a great opportunity for a serious debate on political issues, and would put all six talk shows hosts’ “feet to the fire” to prove that their viewpoints are legitimate on the many political controversies dividing this nation!

The question that arises is whether all of these talk show hosts would be amenable to such a challenging debate. This could be the “debate of the century” in the sense that since none are running for public office, it could be a very productive discussion that would be educational to the millions of Americans that would, hopefully, watch and listen to the debate!

I call on all of these talk show hosts to accept the challenge, and to show the public the abilities and talents they possess, and let the people decide for themselves who is to be believed and trusted!