Ramming Neo-Liberalism Down Our Funny Bones

My Sunday Sermon
Is Jon Stewart a Neo-Liberal?
Watching The Daily Show evolve into a mass media phenomenon has been educational, in many ways. While most leftist initially celebrated the show’s hip, smart and clever manner of exposing political lies and hypocrisies, the past two years of serious celebrity have brought about an evolution in the show’s agenda. It’s taken a bit of time to sort out why and what has disturbed me watching JS go through the paces with his guests, but last weeks’ show with William (Bill) Kristol nailed it
It’s a kindlier, friendlier Project Mockingbird.
We don’t want a terse Tom Brokaw telling us his point of view is neutral (unsympathetic), or cheerleader Katie Couric helping us find the “right” emotions to frame the situation (too chick-eee). We want to laugh and feel together in our solitude as extreme leader of Planet Earth. So, we have voted Jon Stewart to be most popular news mouth for the neo-liberal agenda.
Whow, you say! Do you mean Jon Stewart’s need to be popular might exceed his ability to critically assess the impact of his proclamations on viewers? Or, more cynically, could he be distracting us from digging into real issues as he "plays" with his neo-con adversaries? Imposserass!
Well, look at the record.
Going back into the last century, Mr. Stewart was letting such neo-liberal greats as Madeline Albright appear almost pretty on the show, while never turning the heat up one bit for this lady who easily condemns children to death. Perhaps the most embarrassing interview was with Lynn Cheney, out to shill a book but teased, every so coyly by JS for an invite to meet her Darth Vader hubby.
In the category of truly creepy, for the past few days CNN has run a promo for Larry King’s pre-Oscar interview with Jon, who we hear proudly shouting at Larry: “I will be your monkey!” Now that’s someone I’d follow into the hills! Vive, Jon!
Most sickening are the lost opportunities to truly nail Bill Kristol for the cynical, hypocritical, opportunistic slime that he is. Last week the two of them pretended to be pundits and threw down a verbiage of bullshit so awesome and awful I nearly puked. I couldn’t comprehend Stewart’s responses to Kristol on Iraq by agreeing that: “Violence is way down” in Iraq and shrieking: “I believe that unless we keep 150,000 people there they will slaughter each other…”
That’s beyond embarrassing. That’s propaganda.
The interview continued with wild and crazy sound bites worthy of Faux Noise, beefed up with praise for the “Anbar Awakening,” which led to the finale of hand shakes and agreement on how reasonable they both are.
Reasonable, yes, as long as the United States of America controls the world (and beyond!).
Enjoy your Sunday, Citizens!

Charlie's Legacy

So much is happening in Pakistan that I feel compelled to provide links which won’t see coverage in the USA. My emPHAsis is in bold:
U.S. urges Pakistan move ahead with free election
Mon Dec 31, 2007 10:45am http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN3053508920071231
but wait …
Musharraf party halts campaign
THE party backing Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf last night suspended campaigning ahead of parliamentary elections due in nine days, and called for the poll to be delayed for up to four months.
Tariq Azim, information secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), said the elections would lose credibility if they were held on January 8, with the party of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in mourning and other parties threatening a boycott.
[...] While Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema described the situation after three days of rioting as "improving", other government officials yesterday appeared stunned by violence that has swept the country.
[...] Brigadier Cheema said more than 200 banks, many of them government-owned, had been destroyed, while nearly 1000 shops had been razed and 20 railway stations smashed.
Most flights were delayed or cancelled, with airline crews unable to reach airports. Brigadier Cheema said 40 people had been killed and more than 60 injured.
"The situation is very, very bad," a senior official said. "People are nervous and now food supplies are running out. If things don't open up and get moving in the next few days, we could face further catastrophe."
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22989672-2703,00.html
Hospital lawyer: Pakistani police stopped doctors from conducting Bhutto autopsy
John Byrne, Published: Monday December 31, 2007
The police chief of the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi prevented doctors from performing an autopsy on the corpse of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, according to a lawyer on the hospital's board.
The dramatic new revelation emerged as new videotape showed a gunman in close proximity to Bhutto in the moments before her assassination, and a surgeon said he'd felt pressure to conform to the government's official story on Bhutto's killing.
[...] "In the letter," according to CNN, "Minallah said the doctors 'suggested to the officials to perform an autopsy,' but that Rawalpindi police chief Aziz Saud "did not agree." He noted that under the law, police investigators have 'exclusive responsibility' in deciding to have an autopsy."
Minallah told CNN he was voicing his concerns because doctors didn't feel they could speak out, saying they were "threatened."
[...] The police meddling at the hospital would not mark the first time officers' actions have come into question regarding Bhutto's assassination. At the rally where she was killed Thursday, police abandoned their posts before the attack by a gunman and suicide bomber. The scene of the attack was also hosed down within an hour, destroying untold amounts of potential evidence. http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Pakistani_police_stopped_doctors_from_conducting_1231.html
From The New Nation, Bangladesh’s Independent News Source, this op-ed reveals US sticky fingers in the Paki pie:
The plan to topple Pakistan's military? Ahmed Quraishi, December 12, 2007
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say.
Islamabad - On the evening of September 26, 2006, Pakistani strongman Pervez Musharraf walked into the studio of Comedy Central's Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the first sitting president anywhere to dare do this political satire show.
Stewart offered his guest some tea and cookies and played the perfect host by asking, "Is it good?" before springing a surprise: "Where's Osama bin Laden?"
[...] What General Musharraf didn't know then is that he really was being cornered. Some of the smiles that greeted him in Washington and back home gave no hint of the betrayal that awaited him.
[...] A carefully crafted media blitzkrieg launched early this year assailing the Pakistani president from all sides, questioning his power, his role in Washington's "war on terror" and predicting his downfall. Money pumped into the country to pay for organized dissent. Willing activists assigned to mobilize and organize accessible social groups.
[...] Currently, students are being recruited and organized into a street movement. The work is ongoing and urban Pakistani students are being cultivated, especially using popular Internet Web sites and "online hangouts". The people behind this effort are mostly unknown and faceless, limiting themselves to organizing sporadic, small student gatherings in Lahore and Islamabad, complete with banners, placards and little babies with arm bands for maximum media effect. No major student association has announced yet that it is behind these student protests, which is a very interesting fact glossed over by most journalists covering the story.
http://www.nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2007/12/12/news0746.htm
Little babies with armbands? Adorable! Here’s to another year, another war for Charlie.