Journal of Post-Ralphaelite Thought

 A friend of mine recently took exception when I mocked people (mostly conservative) who tossed around the term "Cancel Culture." It seems in the opinions of many some (mostly conservative), it's a freedom of speech issue. Not really. And it's not a First Amendment issue either, when Facebook or Twitter cancels your account for praising white supremacists, or neo-fascists, or other right-wing dickheads. " Cancel Culture ," which, according to Wikipedia, was originally an outgrowth of the "MeToo" movement, (so not so much about speech as calling out behavior - specifically against women) has morphed now into the latest right-wing NewSpeak  term for "I'm being punished for expressing my opinion."  Dig a little deeper though and you'll find the issue is not so much about "free speech," as "consequence-free speech." I mean...if you are going to be an opinionated ass, at least have enough self-respect not to be a w...

I'm normally not one to make snap judgments, but I have found that if you use the following phrases in your conversation or in your online opining, it's a sure bet you are an asshole . These should  be so self-evident they need no further discussion but since some disputatious dick-weed is probably composing a response already... Brietbart ( as a source ) - if you have reposted even once, just go fuck yourself. Fake News - the favored insult of a certain serial liar, serial sexual predator, serial bankrupt artist, when hearing something about himself that displeases him. Fox News ( as a source ) - see remarks under Brietbart Gay Agenda - code for "please go back into the closet where you belong, sodomite." MAGA / Make America Great Again - code for "make America white again." Don't even try to deny it, cracker. MSM / Mainstream Media - translated: a bunch of socialist, America-hating, eastern elitists. Second amendment rights - used by ...

" The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. " -- H. L. Mencken , American journalist, essayist and social critic. Consider that next time you find yourself watching anything on the Fox Network.

I've grown weary of posting and arguing various political screeds here, as well as engaging in debate with friends and acquaintances. Across the political spectrum, the current level of rhetoric has entered a particularly shrill and nasty phase. Consider the recent health care discussions. I don't think any of this ranting solves problems.  However we've gone through other periods of bad civic manners, so I have no doubt this one will pass as well. No side is immune from this nastiness and unfortunately it's easy to get sucked into this bullshit. When I do, I find myself quickly turning into a nasty, mean-spirited person I don't much like. So at least for the time being, I've decided I'm going to resist the urge to butt heads. I'd rather find points of agreement than disagreement. Just to get it out of my system once and for all, here are my thoughts on various hot button topics of the day. While I think I'm right, I'm not going to insist ...

The King is dead, long live the King. This is slightly stale, but a recent TIME online survey (we all know how accurate those are) reveals Jon Stewart of the Daily Show is now the most trusted newscaster in America . TIME's handy results page lets you show the numbers state by state. NBC's Brian Williams, a frequent Daily Show guest, takes the number two position. Despite the rampant goofiness of the show, the Daily Show consistently out reports the "mainstream media," in terms of their guests and in the research and preparation for said guests. Don't believe me? Just ask Jim Cramer . And here it is, your moment of Zen .

The Colbert Report's week in Baghdad is over now and by any measure was a great success, from the shout-outs from the likes of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, John McCain, Jim Webb, Joe Biden, Sarah Palin, and Bush father and son to the interviews with the troops and their leaders. Here's a recap for the week, which hardly touches on the funniest bits. The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Recap - Week of 6/8/09 www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Stephen Colbert in Iraq I've already mentioned bits from the first two nights. The funniest from Thursday's show surely had to be Stephen's interview with the commander of the Thunderbirds, and the subsequent film of his joyride. -- Oh my God! Favorite line (as he's strapped into the back of one of the Thunderbirds). Airman : Stephen, if you could just not touch anything back here... Stephen : Does this drop the bombs? While a lot of fun, the show made a number of serious points. S...

Another fab show from Stephen, with a follow up on his "basic training" film from yesterday. More silly and inspired. The drill sergent deserves an Emmy. This was followed on a long riff on "don't ask - don't tell," which was both pointed and funny. The best (though not the funniest bit) was his interview with two of the troops - a woman MP and Arab-American translator.Coupled with the "don't ask/don't tell" references made earlier, the unmissable point was how diverse today's army was. It transcended being a comedy show bit. For even more information, I recommend heading over to the No Fact Zone -- they've got some great content about this trip. I promise a link to tonight's show tomorrow sometime; as soon as it's available.

Just watched the first of the Colbert Reports broadcast from Iraq as part of USO entertainment for the troops stationed over there. Fantastic! I don't want to give anything away, but it was one of the best, with a pointed Word segment that the audience seemed to eat up, a couple of hilarious filmed segments, and some special guest appearances. I'll post a link or embed it when it appears on the ColbertNation.com website. One of the stated reasons for Colbert's doing this is to remind people there are still a bunch of people serving over there; a fact that has slowly been crowded from the front pages by news about the economy. By now you may have heard about Stephen's on-camera buzz cut -- he puts in a quick cameo in this clip as he tells a graduating class to stay strong. Thanks again to No Fact Zone for the tip off! A great American - whether in character or not. Thanks, Stephen! Update: here's the full episode from Monday on ColbertNation.com .

Birthday wishes to America's favorite faux right-wing blowhard. Stephen Colbert turns 45 today. What do you give a man who has everything , including our undying devotion? Head over to the No-Fact Zone for more fan-based adoration. Thanks for all the truthiness, Stephen!

Update! The NASA " Name the Node 3 Page " states they will announce the new Node 3 name on the Colbert Report on April 14! Can they dare call it anything besides Colbert? By choosing this venue to unveil the new name they are practically guaranteeing they've decided to name some part of the Node (if not the Node itself) after Stephen -- a toilet or urine processing unit at the very least. From the press release: NASA TO ANNOUNCE NEW SPACE STATION MODULE NAME APRIL 14 WASHINGTON -- NASA's newest module for the International Space Station will get a new name on April 14. The agency plans to make the announcement with the help of Expedition 14 and 15 astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." The program will air at 11:30 p.m. EDT. The name, which will not be publicly released until the program airs, was selected from thousands of unique suggestions submitted on NASA's Internet site, www.nasa.gov . The ...

Quick update on the Colbert/NASA naming battle. On tonight's Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert put it to NASA: two weeks and no announcement even thought he's the clear winner in NASA's online vote to name Node 3. Despite NASA's tight-lipped reaction to his victory, official support is beginning to surge. Traffic to posts on this site about the vote outcome has included more than a few hits from within NASA, indicating interest is running high within the agency itself. Congressman Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania has come out in support of Colbert, saying, "The people have spoken and Stephen Colbert won it fair and square. We insist on democracy in orbit." NASA, feeling the pressure, has implied its willingness to name Node 3's toilet after Colbert. No word yet on when America can expect an answer. The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Space Module: Colbert - Urine Recycling Room comedycentral.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Na...

By now you've at least heard about Thursday's Daily Show, wherein Jon Stewart pulled off his foolscap and grilled former hedge-fund trader turned business entertainer Jim Cramer about CNBC's (and the business news networks in general) failure to rise above mindlessly parroting the lies and half-truths fed them by the folks who brought you our current financial fiasco. Jon Stewart once again showed his "fake" news show does news better than the "real" news shows: his staff prepped him with a series of clips he rolled anytime his subject protested he was misquoted or hadn't said something. Jim Cramer was left no wiggle room. When was the last time you saw that sort of interview on, say, NBC? It was effective and devastating. By the end, Cramer was contrite and apologetic. Say what you will, Cramer went knowing he was going to get bitch-slapped. He gets marks for doing it anyway - unlike Rick Santelli, who's done little more than whine after Stewar...

The Daily Show and Colbert Report don't have a monopoly on fake news. This just in courtesy of The Onion . Not recommended for the workplace (as if you couldn't tell).