Miss America Pageant Metaphor

It’s been all over the news. Miss California giving a politically incorrect answer that cost her the pageant. Perez Hilton video blogging his anger, calling Miss California “a stupid bitch” as an obvious means of keeping the political debate above personal attacks. None of this surprises me. I see the direction our country is headed. One where only mainstream thought is acceptable, and those that disagree are degraded and shut up. But this video made my day:

A few points I think are worth mentioning. Let’s start with Perez. Perez has said that if she would have given an answer along the lines of “let each state decide”, he wouldn’t have marked her off. That it would have been the best answer. Where is the evidence that Perez would have accepted that answer any better than the one she gave? After all, Perez is a huge advocate of abolishing Prop 8. Prop 8 was voted on and passed by the people of California. If he truly believed in federalism, he would support Prop 8 as a staple of a healthy democracy. Instead, he advocates the will of the people be overturned in a courtroom. Not surprising that he supports federalism when it shows results he agrees with (hello Vermont), but despises it when it is against him. What a patriot!

Of course, like most liberals, they don’t afford the same privilege to those who disagree with them. He asked for Miss California’s opinion, but it is obvious he didn’t want her actual opinion. Instead, he wanted the typical politically correct drivel that the left expects from the right, but never expects of themselves (explain to me how “Dumb Bitch” is politically correct).

Of course, like most small scale things, they are a prefect metaphor for what is happening to our country. Liberals, for too long, have been allowed to say what is and isn’t okay to say, do, or think. Now we have reached a tipping point. A point where un-pc speech no longer just results in sharp, scathing looks or gossip behind that persons back. Instead, un-pc behavior results in lost opportunities and destroyed lives. Politically Correct behavior is now expected of any person who operates in the public. This is the soft fascism that people like Ron Paul have warned about.

A final point. Bravo to Miss California. She was asked her opinion and gave it. Even after the attempted destruction of her character, she stands by her statements and thanks God for the trials of her life. This is a girl we could all take a lesson from. She is a true American hero, and my Miss America!

Portrait of the Republican Party

I personally have no problem with any of the McCain’s. John McCain was given his shot, and he blew it. But there is one person who is truly getting through this thick skin of mine and starting to get on my last nerves. His daughter, Meghan McCain.

No matter what you think of her, she is trying to actively help the Republican Party. She has gone on several venues saying the Republicans should accept homosexual marriage and pander to as many groups as possible to get their vote (she is particularly in love with the youth vote). Who can blame her? If you believe in something, you should stand up for her. I don’t agree with her, but I appreciate her vigor. But does she have the clout?

I had completely forgotten that Meghan McCain had admitted to Alan Colmes in an interview (Hannity not available?) that she had voted for Gore and Kerry in previous elections. Now, I don’t care who you vote for, but admitting to voting for the other parties nominee then try to reshape the Republicans? Why should we listen to her? She hurt on her credibility. Well, here’s the problem:

Meghan McCain said Tuesday that she voted for Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 presidential race. But McCain, who was born in 1984, was too young to vote in that race.

The fact is, Meghan McCain doesn’t give a rat’s rear end about the Republican party. She is simply on a one woman crusade to become more excepted by the mainstream media and pals in L.A. (I followed her for a while on Twitter. These were the highlights of her life, far and away). Look at what she’s been doing since John’s loss. Ever since her father’s loss, Meghan McCain has been on every news venue that will waste air time to interview the daughter of the loser. While on these low rating, low content shows, she has taken the opportunity to blame everyone under the sun for her father’s loss. It can hardly be blamed on her. She is just doing what every Republican has been doing for the last few years. Trying to become excepted by those that control the mainstream media: liberals.

Don’t believe me? Look at who she has been criticizing. Has it been Democrats, liberals, television or print media, or her own father? Nope. The only people she has blamed are those that have carried the Republicans to success in previous elections, Conservatives and Talk Radio. The same people that those in the media and pop culture view as the enemy.

She might not know it, but she has become the perfect metaphor for the Republican Party. Running around from media outlet to media outlet without any coherent message. Their only quest is a never ending hide-and-seek of looking for acceptance from the very people that are trying to tear them down. It is sickening to watch.

Edit: Looks like I am not the only person tired of Meghan McCain.

Oh Well, Bye 24

Welp, it happened. Not three days after posting about my displeasure with the direction of 24, this happens:

I tried. I really didn’t want to abandon one of the last television shows I enjoy watching, but I can’t do it anymore. There is nothing more to say except to Garofalo herself.

Typically, I would try to set her straight in an act of charity to the human race. Having such a skanked up, washed out piece of gutter trash with a sense of fashion stuck in the 1960’s and a debate mentality stuck that the average kindergartner could strike down free and wondering the streets hurts all of humanity. Especially when that person is given camera access on many of the increasingly less popular cable shows. So, I find myself attempting to educate and set them straight before they pull the entire world into that hollow, black emptiness of space that an average intellect should occupy. Unfortunately, for Garofalo, I got nothing.

We all know she has no factual information to base her opinions on. She is simply using the consistently recycled, left wing method of ending dissent. A tactic so old, it’s usage by Garofalo probably outnumbers her lifetime usage of soap. I’m talking, of course, about the “you’re a racist” comment. For decades, the left has used this tactic to shut up dissent where ever they find it and deem it appropriate (they do try to at least fit it in situations where it will make sense).

Unfortunately for the left, this is obviously not a viable tactic anymore. You really think the participators of the tea parties didn’t know they might be portrayed this way? Admittedly, we hope for a little more creativity and effort from whose like Garofalo, but we knew what was coming. We knew it would be used before Obama was elected to help push his agenda, and we knew it would be used now. But like a virus whose only treatment is a single antibiotic, we have evolved.

The tea party protesters are angry. Angry over spending, misrepresentation, over bailouts. We think this needs to stop. Calling us racists and stupid is not going to weaken our resolve or change our minds. Garofalo might care what others think of her, but we don’t. Lying about us and misrepresenting us will only make us angrier and strengthen our resolve. Yes, that is right, Janeane. Your stupidity makes us stronger.

BTW: Like most on the left, I find it very telling to see Garofalo’s opinion on dissent change the instant she gets her guy into office.

24… You’re almost there…

There are very few television shows I enjoy watching enough to be sure I am in front of the TV for each episode. Not much comes out of the left wing paradise of L.A. and Hollywood twists my fancy and sparks my intrigue. As a matter of fact, to me, Hollywood has so little talent to point to that the most profitable movies are either recycled 1980’s memorabilia (Transformers, Indiana Jones) or comic books (300, Watchmen). Network television is the only place originality and true creativity can be found. And there are only two shows that I truly enjoy: House and 24.

I have been a 24 fan ever since my dad introduced me to the series 3 years ago. The iconic American cowboy doing what he has to do to defend his country and it’s people from the threat of terrorism. Regardless of whether or not Washington and it’s suits agree with his methods, Jack Bauer is going to do what he has to to protect everyone around him. This is the type of man I want protecting me and my family. But, this past season has started to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

It seems that the show has taken a sharp turn off stage left. The show has taken up a personal crusade against Global Warming, pitted private security companies as the enemy of the show. They even went so far as to cast the left wing radio bomb out and D-lister Janeane Garofalo who has no credible acting talents worth mentioning (trust me, I looked). All of this pales in comparison to what almost pushed me over the edge.

Now, I unfortunately can’t make every episode. Sometimes school, work, my writing, or my wife just seem to take precedent over a TV show, but something Glenn Beck said on one of his radio shows caused me to go back and find the episode on hulu. NOTE: Spoiler Alert!! Skip the next paragraph if you don’t want to spoil anything.

In case you haven’t seen it, the antagonist of this season  is private security company Starkwood (oddly similar to Blackwater, wouldn’t you say?). In true cliche fashion, the real trouble begins when Starkwood gets ahold of some biological weapons. Through a series of twists and turns, Jack is exposed to the biological agent. After talking to an FBI doctor, she tells him about an experimental treatment using…. wait for it…. Stem cells.

Now I don’t really take issue with stem cells per say. Rather my bias is against embryonic stem cell. The stem cells the doctor of 24 referred to were adult stem cells (much like bone marrow transplant) which show much more promise than embryonic stem cells. So, while 24 might be slowly liberalizing its message, they are not quite there yet, but this did make me realize that I have subconsciously put 24 on notice. I was ready to write 24 off after hearing Beck talk about it. Luckily for them, I am known for formulating my own opinions instead of relying on someone else’s.

So be warned 24. You are on notice. Your popularity and success was founded on your portrayal of reality. That evil does exist, and the best way to deal with it is to obliterate it. Not bargain and talk to it. If Jack Bauer talks appeasing and playing nice, you are going to loose your audience. But then again, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it did happen. I forgot to mention one Hollywood’s true talents… taking good, original ideas and, like a fabled anti-alchemist, turn the gold into crap.

Impeccable Timing

I have often thought that the creators of South Park were geniuses of their ability to take your average, most mundane issues and morph them into humorous parodies that always make a point. Now, their resume has been strengthen by their impressive timing on today’s issues.

If you haven’t heard, Vice President Joe Biden has been running his mouth saying:

“I remember President Bush saying to me one time in the Oval Office,” Biden began, “‘Well, Joe,’ he said, ‘I’m a leader.’ And I said: ‘Mr. President, turn and around look behind you. No one is following.'”

Karl Rove has since refuted this assertion, but that is not the point of this post. This is: (The whole clip is good, but start at about 2:35 for the main course.)

Bah, wordpress.com doesn’t support southparkstudios.com videos. I’ll upload a youtube video once I put it together.

Loss of Kutner

My wife and I are huge House fans. Every Monday night, we have our “House date” were one of us makes dinner, and we sit on the couch together and watch House. The build up to last Monday’s episode left our breaths’ bated in anticipation. And we were not let down. Kutner committed suicide.

I thought it was an odd “twist”. Like the show said, he never seemed like he was suicidal. It didn’t make sense. It was obvious that the spontanious death was triggered by something other than the need for a plot device. Our first thought was that he (the actor Kal Penn who played Kutner) died in real life. So, I hit the internet and found this:

“House” star Kal Penn — whose character was killed off on Monday’s episode — is taking a sabbatical from acting to work for President Obama. The 31-year-old actor, first launched to fame as a stoner student in the “Harold and Kumar” movies, is coming to Washington to be associate director in the White House Office of Public Liaison, Entertainment Weekly first reported yesterday.

My wife and I rolled our eyes (we are not Obama supporters in case you can’t tell) and shrugged it off. What was done is done. But then I was reading one of my more favorite blogs and found the blogger, Ed Morrissey, thought this:

Actually, I found the suicide to be the most objectionable part of the story, and I’m not sure why.  Maybe it’s because the series treated suicide as an easy way out of a staffing jam rather than a serious subject.  It seems almost grotesque to concoct a character’s suicide just to get the actor a gig in politics.  Why not just give the character a job somewhere else?

I thought this was profound. Why did they have him commit suicide? There were better ways to do this. He could have taken another job. That job could have been at the White House, actually putting the truth in the plot instead of killing him off. They could have used Kutner’s death as a good plot device. House thought he was murdered at one point. They could have ran with that. I even came up with the theory that Taub killed him because of jealous over the last case (let’s face it, Taub is a train wreck). Instead, they are letting it be. No more investigation into his death. Just, “he’s dead, oh well, except it.”

So why the suicide? Could it be a statement? Could it be a metaphor for Kal Penn’s future with the Fox network or acting in general? Could it be as simple as the writers lashing out over the bomb shell Penn dropped in their storyline? I mean, he is dead. Now there is no way he can come back.

Whatever the reason, I wish Penn the best, and he will be missed as Kutner.