Tucker Carlson – The Anti-Tribute

For a certain sort of intellectual in this country, the lesson of September 11th was clear: America was attacked by Muslim extremists, so therefore America must woo, cajole and — above all — send more money to the Muslim world. If only we’re nice enough, maybe they won’t do it again. That was the theory.

-Tucker Carlson

For folks born before 1975 there is a special nerd we refer to as Alex P. Keaton. Alex was the ultra-conservative son of liberal Berklee grads on the 80s sit-com Family Ties who as a rebellious nature became conservative in the face of the baby boomers raising him. Generation X barely survived these assholes. And none represents them better than TV’s Tucker Carlson. A bow-tied anal retentive who reminds me of Ayn Rand with a smaller schlong.

Lashed upon us until his recent firing from CNN on Crossfire and still biting the hand that feeds him on PBS, Tucker guides us thru the facts with a special lack of responsibility and disrespect for those said facts with such feverish aplomb it is nearly impressive. The annoying thing about the asswipe is that he thinks he is funny. People who are not funny who think they are funny are usually the most dangerous aspects of media; look at Bob Hope or Bob Saget.

My most memorable experience came from a report he did on my home state of Vermont and how loud mouthed liberals from the outside were ruining the state by not allowing development of Wal-Marts in land areas that have been protected for centuries for their beauty and natural resources. Forgive Howard Dean and Madeline Kunin for not wanting a dollar days sale in the middle of land that rivals the Swiss Alps. He made fun of our integrity in the face of corporate lies and pretended he was right. He makes Rush Limbaugh look like Thomas Paine.

So when you flip the remote and no longer see Tucker lying to you you can thank any deity you like. But you should also google a conversation he had with Jon Stewart!!!!

The West Wing

How can you not cry?

When you have a real administration like GWs its like watching STAR TREK when THE WEST WING comes on. A fine example of how government could run with people with integrity, it is a theme of duty similar to Gilbert and Sullivan. Martin Sheen plays a well educated Nobel Laureate who runs our fine country with compassion and strength. Which truly makes this a fantasy worthy of Tolkien, but the writing is so sensible and tight that for an hour you feel good to be American. You feel the same feelings you did when you sang “This Land Is Your Land” in school or when you heard that George Washington never told a lie about cherry tree violence.

The ensemble cast includes some of the finest character actors in history. Toby Ziegler is my fave. An uptight New York Jew with no intention of compromise, he shows that a White House writer shouldn’t just be a pen jockey but a concerned and integral part of government.

After the 2004 election, I bonged up to TWW like I did to the aforementioned STAR TREK when the Challenger exploded….

Escapism isn’t all just talking sponges. Sometimes the effort put into poli-fi like TWW is more important than the underpaid teacher who gave you the pro-Columbus textbook.

written previous to election 2008!

A Short Blurb On The Daily Show

Jon Stewart is the Walter Kronkite of our generation’s war. Despite the humorous context of THE DAILY SHOW, you need to look no further for the most pertinent facts combined with keen insight. A show that is hip enough for Ralph Nader and straight enough for Bob Dole is just an amalgam worthy of praise to any available deity.

Jon doesn’t work alone. His supporting “reporters” are stealthily amusing with a near guerrilla vengeance. There are like maybe 5 reasons to own a tv in America. This is one reason to have cable….