Saw American Sniper this afternoon at an IMAX. A funny thing happened at the end of the movie — nothing. The people, and it was an older crowd, some wearing service ball caps, sat through the credits and said nothing. Then they got up and left. There was none of the usual, “That’s was great,” or “that sucked.” People just left. In fact, we left, got in my friend’s truck and were pulling out of the parking lot before my wife asked what we thought of the movie. I think Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper should win Oscars. The movie was extremely well done. The comaraderie among the troopers seemed natural and genuine. It was also disturbing. Not in a Michael Moore sort of way. He’s a freekin’ idiot. Chris Kyle was a hero and Moore should recognize that. Kyle saved a lot of lives both over there and back here. It’s too bad that in the end he couldn’t save his own.
Gov. Mike Pence (R-Indiana) was on his way to starting a state-run news agency until the media began pointing out that turning Gary into a gulag had to be next. (Maybe not such a bad idea. Gary — not the news agency.) Sources say the governor had not settled on a name for the agency, but was leaning toward Tass with Pravda a close second.
Hey there Slickster fans, both of you, enjoying the new year so far? Yeah, me too, Boko Harem are slaughtering entire towns in Nigeria, and a brand new Congress was sworn in, though most of them really should be committed.
I’ve been hanging out in the kitchen while Slappy has his new feature, on the burner, simmering away. While waiting for some of that shit soufflé to be dished out, I’ve been following the tragedy in France as it unfolded and reached resolution. I really didn’t think I’d be addressing these events because, I find it hard to bring my inner smart ass to what was visited upon the staff of Charlie Hebdo.
HOWEVER, Salman Rushdie has pointed out, nay, drug them out, Team Moral Equivalence, or in his terms, “The ‘but’ Brigade.” Led by team captain Papa Frank, current leader of the Iron Age cult of Rome, who seems to have missed the point entirely,
“If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch,” Francis said, throwing a pretend punch his way. “It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.”
My sweet Irish ass Frank! There is a guy in Kentucky that thinks Jesus rode a goddamn Velociraptor, and he is currently building an Ark, yeah, The Ark! I reserve the right, actually the Bill of Rights grants it to me implicitly, to mock his shambling intellectually bereft beliefs, without being killed!
There are so many people who speak badly about religions or other religions, who make fun of them, who make a game out of the religions of others,” he said. “They are provocateurs. And what happens to them is what would happen to Dr. Gasparri if he says a curse word against my mother. There is a limit.”
No Frank, there is no limit, in a free society, to the scorn that can be heaped upon your belief system, or any belief system. By the way, did I read that right “…there is a limit”? Does that limit lead to, 12 dead, in the conference room, with two AK-47s, by religious fanatics? Because that’s a hardcore game of Clue you’ve got going there, have you spoken to your boss about this, did he sign off on this? Inquiring minds…get back to us.
Getting back to Rushdie, have I mentioned he knows a thing or ten thousand about death threats, he asks what politically correct satire would look like? My first thought was, “anything that comes out of Sarah Palin’s mouth”, I may be confusing that with irony, I’m new to this word stuff. Anyway, Rushdie’s question is rhetorical, satire could not exist in Papa Frank’s world, and the fact that Sarah Palin lives in ours is something Papa Frank’s boss should have to explain, were it possible.
Yeah, we have been slackers. We have been lazy. It’s not that we haven’t been paying attention, it’s just that the holidays means way too much pie is available to lock in on the dumbassery.
(That Kate Upton on a horse commercial was also a bit distracting.)
But Mitch McConnell brought us back to reality with his recent line of garbagio. The Penguin said the country’s economical upswing was due to the public’s confidence that Republicans are now running things.
A real knee slapper, that one.
I could go on an on, but it’s better to get on with this. Sam Damon is waiting in the wings with a new feature. We’re calling it “OK (reluctantly).”
Sam will drop some quick hitters on us which will show the humor and stupidity of The Penguin and his cohorts. Now that they have the majority in both chambers, there are far more targets of opportunity than before.
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