Jerry Seinfeld writes an obit for George Carlin in the NY Times:
Dying Is Hard. Comedy Is Harder.
JERRY SEINFELD
Published: June 24, 2008
THE honest truth is, for a comedian, even death is just a premise to make jokes about. I know this because I was on the phone with George Carlin nine days ago and we were making some death jokes. We were talking about Tim Russert and Bo Diddley and George said: “I feel safe for a while. There will probably be a break before they come after the next one. I always like to fly on an airline right after they’ve had a crash. It improves your odds.”
I called him to compliment him on his most recent special on HBO. Seventy years old and he cranks out another hour of great new stuff. He was in a hotel room in Las Vegas getting ready for his show. He was a monster.
You could certainly say that George downright invented modern American stand-up comedy in many ways. Every comedian does a little George. I couldn’t even count the number of times I’ve been standing around with some comedians and someone talks about some idea for a joke and another comedian would say, “Carlin does it.” I’ve heard it my whole career: “Carlin does it,” “Carlin already did it,” “Carlin did it eight years ago.”
And he didn’t just “do” it. He worked over an idea like a diamond cutter with facets and angles and refractions of light. He made you sorry you ever thought you wanted to be a comedian. He was like a train hobo with a chicken bone. When he was done there was nothing left for anybody.
But his brilliance fathered dozens of great comedians. I personally never cared about “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” or “FM & AM.” To me, everything he did just had this gleaming wonderful precision and originality.
I became obsessed with him in the ’60s. As a kid it seemed like the whole world was funny because of George Carlin. His performing voice, even laced with profanity, always sounded as if he were trying to amuse a child. It was like the naughtiest, most fun grown-up you ever met was reading you a bedtime story.
I know George didn’t believe in heaven or hell. Like death, they were just more comedy premises. And it just makes me even sadder to think that when I reach my own end, whatever tumbling cataclysmic vortex of existence I’m spinning through, in that moment I will still have to think, “Carlin already did it.”
So, this is where we’re at: The Bush Administration and their supporters claim that we are winning in Iraq, yet we still can’t leave. The issue that creates this paradox for them is simple: empire. They set it up like it was going to be a cakewalk, it wasn’t, so they played up the “we’re winning” game even during the darkest of times when an average of 100 Iraqi’s were dying a day, and now that things have settled down, they can claim it’s working, but that means it’s over, right? Not really. It was never about winning or losing, it was about occupying Iraq for the long term.
It’s about the oil and the structure of power in the Middle East. The neo-con world view depends upon a permanent US military presence in the Middle East to replace the one we lost when we capitulated to the demands of Osama bin Laden and exited Saudi Arabia.
The withdrawal of US troops from Saudi Arabia has been bin Laden’s most persistent demand since the troops entered the country in 1990. For instance, in his 1996 fatwa (see August 1996), he said, “The latest and greatest of these aggressions incurred by Muslims since the death of the Prophet… is the occupation of the land of the two Holy Places… by the armies of the American Crusaders and their allies.” [Daily Telegraph, 4/30/2003] One senior US military official says the decision to leave was made partly to help relieve internal political pressure on the royal family: “The Saudis will be happy when we leave. But they’re concerned that it not look as if it’s precipitous, because it will look like bin Laden won.” [Washington Post, 4/30/2003] One unnamed senior Saudi prince who participated in high-level debates about the withdrawal says, “We are fighting for our lives, and we are going to do what is necessary to save our behinds.” [New York Times, 4/30/2003]
The Iraqi’s are either finally understanding that it’s not about freedom, it’s about empire, or they are finally getting the courage up to fight back.
You remember that old saying about how lies always catch up and bite you in the ass?
In the LA Times, James Kirchick writes that Bush didn’t lie about the run up to war. He was simply given bad intelligence. So, Bush wasn’t lying, he was incompetent? Personally, I think it was both.
Richard Hell writes about Lester Bangs. Stuff to keep the sanity fire burning.
Bush says “Fuck Sadaam!“, starts a war, destroys a country, people die, the world doesn’t like it, and five years later Bush says he regrets that people don’t understand him and mistakenly think he was a “guy really anxious for war”. You can’t make this shit up.
Five years after the fact the media tries to come to terms with it’s complicity in the deceptive run up to war in Iraq while another run up to a war with Iran, also ignored by the media, gets traction for reasons created by those who want perpetual war. Nice job if you can get it.
The wingnut faithful have been amassing a pretty impressive list of what they see as “proof” that Barack Obama is evil incarnate. It’s the usual exercise in what the right wing does best: fear mongering. The concept that Obama is the “antichrist” has been a popular meme for awhile.
It’s rather fascinating, because they can’t go after Obama for being a man of color, (at least not directly, but there are those who do.) so they pretty much throw the kitchen sink at him. Race is always implied and under the surface. The end run on attacking Obama is overkill of the highest order to be sure. And, most of it is guilt by association or basic “Obama is: “——” unless he can prove he is not.” An essential part of the right wing smear machine’s arsenal of propaganda weapons.
So, I’ve decided to keep a running list of it all. Just for fun.
I’m no doubt missing a lot of great examples, so, if you have any, please leave them in the comments with supporting links. Thanks.
Obama is:
An implied drunk who has “fallen off the wagon” with… cigarettes.
Not a “real” American because: – may have been born in Kenya. – middle name might be “Muhammad” and not “Hussein”. – middle name is “Hussein“. – first name was changed from “Barry” to “Barack”, not because he decided he wanted to change to reflect his pride in his ancestry, but to hide something nefarious.
this sign is now posted on a good deal of the construction sites on the upper east side. after the recent spate of crane collapses and tragic and very likely preventable deaths, the sign gave me pause to think.
first, it’s a bit too close to closing the barn door after the cow is gone to my mind. but, it also alarms me. who really thinks a sign will help fix the problem? also, the point of the sign~to quell those who would think they can get by if they have a good alibi~ filled me with sorrow. what is going on? have we fallen that low in this country that it is assumed that fuck ups are acceptable? on a construction site where lives are at risk? and the alibi thing… wow. just. wow. it’s one thing when the guy who bags the groceries at the store is thinking of alibi’s about mess ups. but, on a construction site? I understand that accidents happen, but they should be rare and unacceptable in these environments. the existence of an “alibi culture” in this country is killing us.
more dubya syndrome. the bar is so low, we don’t expect much. even the president of the most powerful nation in the world is a fuck up with lots of alibis.
