The Colbert Report.......

Last night on The Colbert Report.

Stephen Colbert is a great entertainer, but the reason he has resonated so strongly with audiences particularly during this administration is because he has a core of earnestness that deeply reflects a strong moral sense and a desire to educate, illuminate, and do good works. If you think I'm being overblown, all you need to do is watch last night's episode of The Colbert Report, which was uniquely inspiring, edifying and touching — all while still managing to be completely hilarious.

It was an amazing television moment. After paying his respects to Monday's debate and busting out a pretty darn good Tom Cruise imitation, Colbert made a segue which, in retrospect, was brilliant: Moving from Clinton and Obama's bickering over who loved Reagan more to the evidence provided by Tom Brokaw's book, Boom! Voices of the Sixties, which, in addition to quoting Hillary Clinton discussing how Ronald Reagan finessed the balance of his role "beautifully" on page 404, contains an early segment devoted to the Reverend Andrew Young, the "last surviving member of Martin Luther King's inner circle at the Southern Christian Leadership Council," and lifelong, steadfast civil rights activist. Colbert got to that — eventually — after first introducing a documentary-style segment (in the style of Brokaw's "1968" documentary, complete with soundtrack) about the Charleston Hospital workers union strike of 1969, which was settled by the young, er, Young, who negotiated with a vice president of the associated Medical University of South Carolina — "the only administrator willing to meet with Young was the newly-appointed vice-president of the medical college, who had taken up the position just days before the strike was called." The two worked behind the scenes to finally end the strike — and on the hundredth day, they came to an agreement, awarding raises to the striking workers.

That administrator? James Colbert — Stephen's father.

Colbert doesn't say so in the episode, but his personal history is a matter of public record, and the story of his father is a sad one: In 1974, when Colbert was ten years old, his father and two of his brothers were killed in a plane crash. As if this wasn't moving enough, Colbert then brings out (or, runs triumphantly over to, as is his wont) Andrew Young himself, his guest on the program. It is pretty poignant even if you don't know the full story, hearing Young explain to Stephen how he worked with his father. More than that, Young tells Stephen — pretty seriously, it seems — that he is his "destiny" and that Stephen has the power to end the writer's strike. In a clip that the WGA should blast to every studio, network and media organization across the country (which we have below, of course), Young said the current striking writers weren't a whole lot different than the striking hospital workers in 1969, fighting to be paid the same wages as their white counterparts — in both cases, said Young, it was about a small amount, fair money for fair work, but more than that it was about respect. He called on Stephen to start the behind-the-scenes work to start settling the strike...just like his father. Even though Colbert is as jovial and joke-cracking as ever during this, it is hard not to respond to all of this — the historical and personal context, the moment of the meeting between Young and Colbert, the fact that Stephen was actually getting a mission from this giant of the civil rights movement and American history. Who turns down Obi Won Kenobe? Probably not Colbert, who has always had a thing for fantasy. Liken Young to Gandalf and it's pretty much a done deal.

You'd think that would be enough for one episode, right? Well, it wouldn't be Colbert if there wasn't a rousing musical finish (think: Guitarmageddon, writing the songs that make the whole world sing with Barry Manilow). This was accomplished with a rousing rendition of...well, watch it yourself. But it's amazing: Stephen, Andrew Young, Malcolm Gladwell, the Harlem Gospel Choir ...and Colbert's writers, who presumably had nothing to do with the creation of that episode. Which people like Jeff Zucker are probably pointing to as evidence that we don't really need writers, which of course makes perfect sense: All they need to do is find TV hosts with the wit and talent and heart of Colbert who happened to have had fathers who negotiated the end to a history-making strike with a giant of the civil rights movement. I know. Hollywood boulevard is crammed with 'em.

Sorry, Malcolm Gladwell, for mentioning you so late — I totally agree with you about that potato-knife thing. Nice haircut!

Watch all three segments below. If you can only watch one, watch the middle one — Andrew Young, who is amazing. The whole thing is amazing, actually.

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=148029&is_large=true

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=148028&is_large=true

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=148027&is_large=true

This Movie Looks Great............

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.........

Selig's term extended through 2012

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Commissioner Bud Selig's contract has been extended by Major League Baseball's 30 owners for three years, taking him through the 2012 season.

The decision was made in an executive council meeting on Wednesday and was ratified by the collective owners on Thursday, making the new deal the biggest news of this year's first quarterly meetings.

Selig was asked to step out of Wednesday's executive council meeting as the select owners on that board voted to secure the new terms of his position. When the doors swung open and Selig returned to the room, he was awarded a loud standing ovation.

The owners endorsed Selig, who replaced the deposed Fay Vincent on an interim basis on Sept. 9, 1992, on the heels of the release last month of the Mitchell Report, the result of an investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. At Tuesday's four-hour Congressional hearing on Capitol Hill, the Commissioner was commended by a number of elected officials for having the foresight to seek former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell to spearhead the investigation.

Selig, 73, just finished his 15th full season as Commissioner. As a business, the sport has never done better, setting records last season in gross revenue ($6.1 billion) and total attendance (79.5 million). Projections right now are for attendance to easily soar over the 80 million ticket mark in 2008.

Selig had said a few years ago that he would retire at the end of his current term, which was set to expire after the 2009 season. But last year he backed off that assessment a bit when asked about it, saying "you never say never about anything."

Similarly, in 2003 he also mused that he would probably retire at the end of his term, but on Aug. 17, 2004, the owners extended him through 2009.

Selig, who once owned the Milwaukee Brewers, was given the job as Commissioner permanently on July 7, 1998, and since then has presided over unparalleled labor peace and an economic sea change in a sport that was barely generating more than $1 billion a year in revenue at the time he took over as baseball's ninth Commissioner.

Under his watch, Selig fought for and won approval for Interleague Play, the consolidation of the American League and National League under one office, the three-division format and a Wild Card berth in each league, the unbalanced schedule, worldwide recognition of the sport, steroids testing of Major League players beginning in 2003 and home-field advantage in the World Series for the winning league in the All-Star Game.

For the third time, MLB is slated to open its regular season in Japan, with the A's set to match the defending World Series champion Red Sox in March at Tokyo Dome. Also in March, the Padres and Dodgers are projected to play exhibition games in Beijing, the first time Major League games will be played in China.

And in 2009, the second World Baseball Classic is scheduled to be played, capitalizing on its popular inaugural in 2006.

To be sure, it hasn't always been sugar and roses. Early on Selig's watch, MLB was fractured by the 1994 player strike that abruptly ended that season, led to the cancellation of the World Series and delayed the start of the 1995 season. But it was the last event of its kind.

In 2002, the owners and players avoided the ninth consecutive work stoppage over three decades when they signed a four-year Basic Agreement that distributed revenue more liberally from the big-revenue clubs to the smaller ones. Likewise in 2006, the two sides extended the agreement for six years, assuring labor peace through 2012, which coincidentally coincides with the expiration of the Commissioner's latest contract.


Just when we thought we were done with Selig he decides to continue for three more years. Good Grief

Luggage...............

Part 1



Part 2





At one point he says that to forgive someone you have to actually wish them well. You have to hope for good things to happen to them. I heard that and thought, wow. That is really hard to do. Hearing that really stuck out and now that I have heard it, it is like duh that makes perfect sense.

Could it finally be happening..............

I hope So!!!!!

Talk about an "OH CRAP" moment.............

LONDON (AFP) - Twins who were separated at birth and adopted by different sets of parents later married each other without realizing they were brother and sister, a peer has told the House of Lords.

David Alton, an independent, pro-life member of the Lords, said the brother and sister were granted an annulment after a high court judge ruled that the marriage had never validly existed.

The identities of the twins and details of their relationship and marriage have been kept secret, but it was known they were separated soon after birth and never told they were twins.

They only discovered they were blood relatives after the wedding.


I read this story today and was thinking those poor people. That would just creep me out if that happened to me.

Ron Paul

I did not personally write what is written below. I do not think I could have written any better.

The next presidential election is approaching rapidly, and I’m writing to let you know that I am strongly supporting the candidacy of Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX).

Congressman Paul is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. Dr. Paul tirelessly works for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies.

For more information on Ron Paul, visit his website at http://www.ronpaul2008.com.

Some highlights of Ron Paul’s record include:

• Ron Paul is in favor of allowing Americans to keep more of their own money by eliminating the IRS.
• Ron Paul is well-known among his colleagues for never having voted for higher taxes or unconstitutional spending.
• Ron Paul is a strong proponent of a secure border and against extending welfare to illegals.
• Ron Paul supports putting doctors and patients back in charge of health care decisions. He is a staunch defender of health freedom and against government-managed medicine.
• Ron Paul adamantly defends our 2nd amendment rights and opposes federal gun regulation.
• Ron Paul is strongly pro-life and in favor of repealing Roe v. Wade.
• Ron Paul does not support a military draft, and strongly opposes going to war with Iran.
• Ron Paul is in favor of capturing Bin Laden and believes that it is critical for the United States to have a strong national defense.
• Ron Paul is for protecting individual rights and opposed to unnecessary violations of our privacy like the “Patriot” Act.
• Ron Paul supports removing troops from Iraq as soon as possible and allowing Iraqis to take responsibility for their own protection.
• Ron Paul believes that it is important to maintaining our national sovereignty by opposing trade organizations like NAFTA, the UN, and the WTO.
• Ron Paul wants to stop corporate and banking interests from controlling the U.S. economy. He supports eliminating out-of-control inflation by getting rid of the Federal Reserve.