The Humour Club discussion
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Politically Incorrect
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- is willing to admit global warming is a thing and wants to do something about it.
- plans to spend the next four years doing something besides making life easier for the rich.
That's it. That's all I want..."
Oh, Melki, you poor dear! I did warn you about eating those funny mushrooms!
Global warming will be corrected naturally...by extinction. Haven't you read Darwin?
As to Wall Street viewing 'Mr. President' and 'My Bitch' as synonyms... How can you argue against such a well-established American tradition?
Lastly, most of us are only...mumble, mumble, mumble...years old. There's no possible way that we would remember good ol' Pat.
Still, the entire Humour Club wants to be supportive, and we'll all do what we can for you. How about I make you a nice cup of tea instead?
Can you make me a whiskey hot toddy, Jay? I haven't been able to bring myself to comment on this subject for a while because I'm just gob smacked by the whole US political circus show.
Mod
Absolutely!
I think we've all been watching, and whiskey in any available concoction sounds like the order of the day!
Rodney wrote: "My candidate selection is pretty simple, as I believe we're $cr3w3d no matter what. I'm a rebel, so my one rule is:1. Which candidate will piss off the most people when I tell them I voted for sa..."
Right on, Rodney! I've grown so disillusioned with both parties, as well, and it will be a tough call this November. Having been Democrat most of my life, I realize now that the Republican party is not all wrong all the time, and the Democrats only defecate rainbow colored custard. No.
Love that wanker scale, Jay! Well done! Bravo! Love the téte à téte too! Great fun!
Melki- I agree with you on the global warming issues, and Hollywood/Democrats can spread both cheeks wide at times. And why I chose the 'wanker' term; I was generalizing, in the sense that he seems be somewhat obsessed w/ a certain bit of anatomy (I imagine a water hose flying loose in the oval office) and just calling him a 'dog', a 'pig' or a 'hound' sounds too 'cool' for some men - and it just doesn't quite describe my honest impression of him, besides the fact it's insulting to the canines. Heck, some of those guys wear that as a moniker!
Aaaaand....... just to throw something else on the fan, I have to say- I am happy there is a FOX news out there, to balance things out a bit. If only just to bring a new perspective. Otherwise, everything would be all so one sided, so vanilla, don't you think?
Mod
Okay, sorry for the serious answer here, but you hit on one of my pet peeves, Andre.
WARNING: RANT AHEAD
Proceed at your own risk.
FOX "News" is to news as whorehouse is to abstinence.
Murrow was a newsman. Cronkite was a newsman. There isn't a single FOX anchor or commentator remotely close to that caliber.
PBS Newshour reports on everything, including the arts, and brings on commentators on all sides of an issue. The BBC gets views from around the world. Certainly these organizations are not "vanilla".
FOX does not offer balance, they offer bias and commentary deliberately mixed with news. They pander to a specific demographic, and they have NO CORPORATE INTEREST in giving any new$ $tory 'balance.' Propoganda $imply pay$ better.
For those of you who have a decent selection of public broadcasting stations, you know that the RT News --Russian World News-- is less biased than FOX. Moscow at least has some shame.
Yes, I do want to hear opposing views; and yes, I am interested in astute commentary. FOX offers neither of these. So, no I can't see that an organization devoted to bias, blatant propaganda, and sucking up to their demographic to boost their advertising rates should in any way make me happy.
I'll stick with PBS where the news is presented separately from commentary and opposing views are aired without the speakers being badgered, or belittled, or subjected to personal attacks. I'll watch foreign news programs to broaden my worldview. I'll read articles from the National Review and Mother Jones. And I'll ask neighbors, friends and people I meet what they think on various issues.
Journalism is not what it used to be in the days of Murrow and Cronkite. Balanced news is no longer required by law (FCC regulation) thanks to successful corporate lobbying. Finding balanced news is no longer 'turning on Walter.' It's now a quest for the news consumer.
So, am I happy about FOX "News." Not in the least. They've subverted the ethics of journalism in favor of corporate profits, and I wouldn't trust them to properly report on a little league baseball game.
Other than that, I'll get back to you if I have any thoughts on the issue.
Have no fear, I'll lighten up again soon.
I'm playing catch-up this weekend but look forward to getting back in the mix, Jay. I'm not ignoring you, well, maybe just a bit- ;) Now back to the studio-wait-I am in "the studio"!- back to the drawing board!
So, again, you make some great points but we’ll have to, again,agree to disagree. I believe that the two extremes- NBC-liberals/FOX-conservatives- just seem to balance each other out.Yes, I remember the days of Cronkite and Murrow when there wasn’t these extreme differences, but what did I know of politics at that age. They were the pioneers but those days of non partisan broadcasting, basically 3 networks, they’re gone, the network owners’ political leanings will always be represented. We, as voters, have to hash out the truth, but I want to hear BOTH sides- whatever extreme tactics they employ, I’ll decide if it’s too radical, and anyone trying to tell me who I should listen to, I’ll just quote:
Our Chrome start-up page (refdesk.com) has all the news sources we need (NPR, BBC, UPI, etc. and yes, it includes Fox News. I haven’t read Mother Earth since I wore tie-dyed.
Back to FOX, It’s been listed as the #1 cable news network 14 years running, which rankles many who were already rankling over the unbelievable popularity of conservative radio talk shows, but liberal talk shows just didn’t take off. Americans, had made their choices! NOTE: I think Limbaugh is a dick, and many of his talk show cronies are just as wacko…….. just to get that on record.
Bottom line, our generation (Brinkley) advocated accepting our differences, racial, religious, sexual and ideological. Without diversity, we as a species would soon become extinct, why should conservative thinking not be included? Why the vehement, angry responses toward people who like to choose their own new source?
So, in 2002, CNN had become the only cable news source and nature, as we know, abbhors a vacuum;
CNN had been droning on and on and the conservative network filled that void nicely and many people found it refreshing. And, surprisingly, it remains #1 to this day. God bless America- God bless our differences! I’m coming across as a republican and, again, I am NOT! but I understand some of the people's disillusionment with big government and FOX will speak to it while mainstream media briefly hints at it.
Look at NBC and SNL who are glaringly Democrat. Their humor has become flat and the news segment is so obviously biased I fast forward through most of the show. I do miss those ads with grandma in a wheelchair being pushed off a cliff by some nasty, nefarious republican, that must’ve come from one of those SNL writers….or was that one of yours, JAY?
So, thanks for the suggestions. My wife (a staunch feminist) and I share this computer and check out many of the same sites for our news, we both will continue to check in on FOX and make our own decisions as to whether their stories sound credible or far-fetched.
Vive la différence, mon ami!
Mod
Ah, THERE'S the rub!!!!
FOX "News" has no interest whatsoever in diversity. In fact, they actively rail against it.
You can EASILY find direct FOX "News" recorded broadcasts that you can watch yourself by going to YouTube and typing in the following search terms:
FOX news Anti-Islam:
-303,000 results
FOX news Anti-Atheist:
-about 290,000
FOX news anti-Mexican
-79,100 results
FOX news anti-liberal
-138,000 results
FOX news anti-gay
-285,000 results
FOX news anti-Obama
-1,060,000 results
FOX news anti-black
-255,000 results
FOX news anti-Asian
-35,400 results
FOX news anti-Democrat
-330,000 results
FOX news anti-ANYTHING NOT WHITE, GUN OWNING, RELIGIOUS, CONSERVATIVE AND HATEFUL
- Thousands. and hundreds of thousands of results.
FOX "News" is popular based on simple human psychology. That is, if you tell people that they are right, they'll agree with you.
That includes unreasoning bigotry.
I don't care for propaganda and hate (carefully couched or otherwise), and I certainly have no interest in confusing propaganda with news.
I have no objection to conservative viewpoints. I watch and read them regularly IF they are handled responsibly and fairly presented. Some I agree with. Some I don't.
Yes, FOX "News" has every right to broadcast the "network owners’ political leanings," but is it in any way honest to call it 'NEWS.'
You also asked, "Why the vehement, angry responses toward people who like to choose their own new source?" And I'm afraid here that you've misunderstood me, my friend. I don't care what people watch, as long as they know what their watching. Many people who watch FOX "News" broadcasts are completely confused. They think this crap really is news!!
Lastly, regarding your comment that in "the days of Cronkite and Murrow...there wasn’t these extreme differences..." Might I suggest you research:
-MaCarthyism
-The Vietnam War
-The Women's Movement
-Watergate
-Etc. Etc. Etc.
I stand by my opinion. FOX "News" is NOT in the news business. They are in the entertainment business.
Back to you, Andre. I have to go recharge my rant engine.
Mod
I found a few items of interest from our friend at the BBC:
British PM Trashes Trump
-Calls Trump's remarks 'divisive, stupid and wrong.'
Divisive, stupid and wrong... Sounds about right!
Bill Stumping for Hillary
-But will it do any good??
On the other hand, how can it not hurt her if she's married to a campaign liability?
Does America Need To Change How It Elects A President?
-Yet for sheer entertainment value it is hard to beat the "Road to the White House"...
-...a process with an excess of razzmatazz, and a deficit of reason.
I at least agree with this little article on the "entertainment value." Every four years, it's quite a show!
Mod
I found a few items of interest from our friend at the BBC:
It's always interesting and sometimes quite devastating to see how we're currently being perceived by other countries. This excellent article from The Guardian was brought to my attention yesterday. It bemoans the fact that in the US, it has not only become okay for a Presidential candidate to be stupid, it is now desirable. The truly sad thing? It was written 8 years ago and absolutely NOTHING has changed.
http://www.monbiot.com/2008/10/28/the...
Actually, Melki, things have changed a little. Now out politicians have to be stupid and rude, crass, bullies. E.g.:NJ is still digging out of the storm. For some reason snow plows aren't getting where they need to be (my daughter's school is closed for day 2, my son just had a late opening yesterday) and there are cities at the shore with more damage from this storm than they got from Hurricane Sandy.
Yet, when our not-so-illustrious governor was asked at a town hall meeting by a very young woman why he was campaigning and not in his state making sure it was being run like it should, he asked what the girl she wanted him to do and he added: "Want me to go down there with a mop?"
Is that a quote that will go down in history as an example of good leadership?
http://6abc.com/politics/christie-on-...
On Fox News: a couple of academic studies have found that Fox News is factually wrong over 50% of the time and people who listen to Fox News are more misinformed than if they didn't listen to any news at all.
Lisa that's awful! I hope your area is recovering. Good luck!Back on topic-I think it’s wonderful that you all stick to your convictions, but when you attempt to impose them on someone who may feel differently, it just becomes churlish and, well, childish. I wasted a minute looking up the comment about FOX getting the story wrong half the time and then realized that punditfact.com and politifact.com were merely left-wing set-ups! Good one! Ha-ha!
I didn’t bother with Jay’s 'well researched anti' list because it’s patently obvious that after 12+ years of losing ratings, hundreds of thousands of demeaning pages would’ve been created and cloaked as ‘truth’ by the liberal media.
Racist, Anti-women? If, and I mean IF, I ever heard or saw that, I would’ve changed my viewing habits immediately. But it’s either bullshit, or like in preceding posts, some video edited and noticeably beginning in the middle of a speech or rant. You may be surprised but I just have better things to do with my time, folks.
In previous posts I’ve conceded to certain allegations about conservatism, but I see no reciprocal admissions where it is blatantly obvious the left has it’s own agenda in so many broadcasts. Hence, my ‘custard’ reference.
I’ve tried to make you understand that I’m still on the fence, but your bullying tactic is merely having the opposite effect.
I can almost see you with fingers in your ears trilling- “La-La-La-La-La” when, for instance, the complete truth about Hillary’s deceptions is finally released.
“It’s the server, stupid!” Love that line!
Then, seeing Patricia Smith, mother of Sean Smith, red-faced and in tears, after Hillary accused her and other family of lying was abominable. But I’m sure that you’ll say it’s all scripted right wing propaganda. She’s for women’s rights? Is that what she was doing when helping disparage her husbands accusers?
Watching the left explain the dismantling Gitmo because, for one, it’s a recruiting tool for terrorists? How about the possibility it's becoming a recruiting tool once it’s completely shut down? “Come on over! You can butcher and rape with impunity, now. And get paid for it!” And since the largest sponsor of terrorism is now getting billions, wages are sure go up, more women kidnaapped as slaves for the troops and it will surely be another recruiting tool for the disenfranchised psychopaths, here and abroad.
The Anti-Atheist item was a hoot! In Nothing We Trust- Yeah, that’ll work. The Buddhists have a saying; “This nation can survive because there is Buddhism… If there is no religion to teach and guide the people, we will become a nation of chaos filled with selfish people.” You ridicule Christians but no one can say anything about Islam or Mohammed. The new God is Hollywood and progressive extremism will set no boundaries for young minds. No one’s watching, no one will know, you can do anything, it’s your right!
I’ve gone much further and taken more time than I wanted to. I’ll admit to being somewhat saddened- I’d hoped to find some open-minded people from divergent ideologies, a somewhat balanced give and take. But, not being open to conformity or pressure to acquiesce, I’ll end by saying I sincerely wish you all the best in life and the realization of all your pursuits.
The End
Gary wrote: "On Fox News: a couple of academic studies have found that Fox News is factually wrong over 50% of the time and people who listen to Fox News are more misinformed than if they didn't listen to any n..."Somehow that doesn't surprise me Gary.
Melki wrote: "Jay wrote: "ELECTION UPDATEI found a few items of interest from our friend at the BBC:
It's always interesting and sometimes quite devastating to see how we're currently being perceived by other..."
One wonders if anything will have changed a century from now.
Mod
I sometimes doubt that humans will still be here a century from now.
Melki wrote: "Guy wrote: "One wonders if anything will have changed a century from now."I sometimes doubt that humans will still be here a century from now."
You're not alone.
Melki wrote: "I sometimes doubt that humans will still be here a century from now."I'm certain about it.
Mod
Then again, maybe they're onto something. Considering how little gets done in Washington these days, I wonder if anyone would notice a few corpses missing a congressional vote or two?
Guy wrote: "Gary wrote: "On Fox News: a couple of academic studies have found that Fox News is factually wrong over 50% of the time and people who listen to Fox News are more misinformed than if they didn't li..."It was the Project for Excellence in Journalism that put the data together, under the auspices of the Columbia School of Journalism in 2006, and PEW Research Center in 2010-2011.
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dead p..."
I'm sure the dead politicians can do gridlock just as well as the living.
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Gridlock, rigor mortis. Tomato, Tomah-to.
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Good one!
Mod
Good one, but just to be thorough, we have to look at this situation from all angles.
1. Did the server have proper security clearance? There are still rumors that it failed the polygraph.
2. Hillary's home server is probably more secure than the antiquated junk computers that most of the government is still using for daily business. And let's be realistic, it's certainly questionable whether Atari updates properly address security.
3. Was Bill using the same server to log onto dangerously questionable porn and dating sites--an obvious security risk? And will he share his favorites list?
4. Did her emails deliberately dismiss any hanging chads?
5. Did she, in fact, log onto any secure sites using the handle, "Hot Mama"? What was the classification of such emails as a whole, and are there any Top Secret selfies available?
Until these questions are formally answered by Mrs. Clinton or her staff of overpriced lawyers, I think the press should go back to doing something they're good at, like confirming WMD in Iraq.
Quick Aside: Politicians are notoriously sloppy with classified material, which is why the Pentagon restricts congressional access to Top Secret projects. However, in fairness, politicians are not the only morons when it comes to classified materials. When I was in the navy, I once found an entire set of Top Secret schematics for the sonar system of one of our latest nuclear submarines in a Dumpster. Go figure.
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Aye-yi-yi! Though sadly, I'm not surprised.
Mod
Has anyone been taking note of the...let's call it...'frankness' of the opinion pieces for this presidential campaign?
I want to share one example that is truly dripping with frankness.
Caveats in the interest of fairness:
1. Since I do not have a severely compromised frontal lobe, I'm not a Trump supporter.
2. Trump is not the only candidate to inspire less than flattering opinions.
Article Highlights
From: Don't Discount Donald Trump by Rich Lowry at Politico Magazine (This mag has been accused of both liberal and conservative bias, depending on your views.)
-...Iowa wasn’t just a victory for conservatives, but a loss for the mogul’s routinely low and dishonest style of campaigning...
-...through his absence, briefly elevating the nation’s political discourse a notch or two...
-...Trump, who has a reptilian political conscience...
-...Trump himself is such a disreputable politician...
And there's more.
Has everyone decided to take off the gloves for this campaign???
Won't that be fun!
I feel like this is the campaign where the entire media said "fuck it. We're biased. VERY biased. Deal with that." I'm kinda okay with that.
Maybe even if he doesn't? That looks a hell of a lot better than Boston these days...
Mod
There are numerous possibilities for preemptive action, but I suggest that we take a lesson from the Republican Party's last presidential-election year political strategy (AKA shameless, transparent, disgraceful manipulation) and make our own appropriate adjustments to the voter registration laws.
I've compiled a few modest suggestions.
In order to vote:
• Since the last election, you must have read something not printed on a bumper sticker.
• You must be able to define the word 'LOVE' without reference to the Second Amendment.
• If you insist on voting for Trump... In negotiations broadcast live, you must get Mexico to agree to pay the cost of building a wall BEFORE the election, and you may not suppress or in any way modify or delete the Mexican people's laugh track.
• You must fully understand the connection between a candidate's ridiculous haircut, an overheated brain, and delirium.
• You may not support candidates who declare misogyny a hobby. Misogyny is... Oh hell, if you have to ask...
• You should know that remarks such as, “You know, it really doesn’t matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass,” very rarely impress women voters who are not brain dead.
• You must know that paleontologists have not found a single dinosaur on Noah's Ark.
• You must be able to define 'Science' and 'Conspiracy Theory' without conflating the two. And you may not define 'conflating' as 'who cut the cheese.'
• You must know that the 'Big Bang' did not require a prophylactic.
• You may not ask if Pavlov's dogs 'is good for huntin.'
• You must know that 'Climate Change' is not your annual Florida vacation.
• You must know that 'Armageddon' is a movie, not a basis for foreign policy.
• You must know the difference between 'hate crime' and 'family outing.'
As I said, these are just a few modest suggestions to improve the voter experience. They may not all be constitutional, however it seems to me that common sense dictates that the American voter's 'exceptionalism' should not refer to his\her stupidity.
Additional suggestions welcome.
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Well, I posted several perfectly good rants, all worthy of at least an 'I agree' or a 'go screw yourself', and none of them got a good discussion started.
I think, for some odd reason, this election is generating a great deal of apathy. It's possible that:
1. It's hard to say anything negative about Trump that hasn't already been said.
2. It's hard to say anything positive about Trump that he hasn't already said about himself.
3. The rest of the Republican field is about as exciting as clinical trials for new sedatives.
4. Despite the tinge of dynastic politics and some emails that no one with a brain gives a crap about, Hillary is more qualified than the next three Democrats combined. And it's hard to dig for dirt on a grandmother without alienating most of the women that you'd like to sleep with.
5. Bernie has some genuinely good ideas, but he's a little weak on pretty much everything that's not one of his campaign slogans.
The electorate didn't exactly turn out in droves for Super Tuesday, and most of the upcoming primaries look to be equally blasé.
Basically, I think most of the American public took a good look at congressional gridlock, political shenanigans substituting for progress, entire segments of the population that think the separation of church and state and the Bill of Rights are bad ideas, money buying both candidacy and elections, the gap between rich and poor expanding daily, and...and...and...
Lastly, I think this may finally be the election where the clear winner will be the first politician to legally change his name to Who Gives A Shit.
All the threads have been silent. I'm bummed out about it.Sorry! I can't talk about it...
Mod
That's because you're making sense. It's the kiss of death here at The Humour Club.
Mod
Nonsense!
I maintain that there is nothing funnier than reality. I even wrote a blog on the subject: Modus Operandi: Ridiculous .
I also firmly believe that The Humour Club is perfectly capable of laughing themselves silly on the truth. Nothing is funnier or stranger, with the possible exception of George W. Bush getting a library. (Which I maintain is about as surreal as is humanly possible.)
Mod
I'm horrified beyond belief by the quality of people who are supporting Trump (besides the KKK, there's that prince of a guy who believes that all rapes occurring on private property should be legal), and truly startled that these creatures actually show up to vote for him. Who knew they were even registered? (Other than the ones who are registered sex offenders.)
Jay, you are, hands down, my favorite political commentator.
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And I got a chuckle out of this - http://www.salon.com/2016/03/03/this_...
Christie's face is priceless. And believe me, I NEVER thought I'd say that.
Mod
I can't wait to hear Trump reminding Romney that the latter "begged" for his endorsement in 2012.
Just saw this from NBC's Mark Murray - Cruz is gaining on Trump in the number of delegates:
Updated GOP Super Tuesday delegate totals:
Trump 243
Cruz 220
Rubio 101
Kasich 21
Carson 3
The problem is, everyone hates him, too.
Mod
Relax, Joel. We're your friends. We won't tell anyone that you're a Republican.
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Melki wrote: "Joel wrote: "O.K., so I took time away from my business this morning to listen to Romney bash Trump. Not only was there nothing either new or clever, I'd swear I saw a large, capital "L" on his for..."with good reasons
I thought it was like meeting my aunt at an STD clinic
Mod
Surely we're just a few weeks away from everyone revealing that this was, in fact, a VERY long-running, Andy Kaufman-esque gag, though, right? Not just Trump, but Cruz, the man who looks like he cannot stop smelling his own farts.
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1. Which candidate will piss off the most people when I tell them..."
Pretty much matches my dream.