This Date ... On The Garlic

3 October 2008... On The Garlic

"So, maverick he is not ..."


3 October 2007... On The Garlic

Breaking News! Burma Junta Contracting Blackwater For Internal Security; Could Mean Exit From Iraq For Embattled Mercenary Firm; Radio's Limbaugh Charges "Phony Monks" Stirring Up Trouble

It's MLB Playoff Time ... That Means Time For The Garlic Baseball Primer Essay

Top Ten Cloves: Reasons Leading To Newt Gingrich Deciding Not To Run For President


3 October 2006... On The Garlic

News In Brief - Snow: “Just, Simply, A Naughty Little Grammar Snafu”; New White House Problem: Held Report Allegedly Says Iraq History Will Have Exclamation Point, Not Comma

Top Ten Cloves: Ways White House Is Thinking About To Help Condoleezza Rice Remember Meetings She Attends


3 October 2005... On The Garlic

Garlic Exclusive! Disney Tosses Hat Into Hurricane Ring; Said To Make Bid To Purchase New Orleans; Multiple Themes Parks Already There; Deal Would Give Disney Channel Exclusive Hurricane Coverage Through 2011

Top Ten Cloves: How Colleagues Will Welcome New Chief Justice To Supreme Court His First Day

What If It Was Your Daughter?

Maybe it's the new Starbucks Instant Coffee, of some other beverage out there.

This story has been percolating all week, and it is, simply, astounding, so many of allegedly intelligent people are, suddenly, swilling down gallons of "stupid juice".

We're going to have to rent a handful of double-decker buses, to bring in this many Ignorant Dolts to pick up their inglorious hardware.



Release Polanski, demands petition by film industry luminaries

Woody Allen, David Lynch and Martin Scorsese today added their names to a petition demanding the immediate release of Roman Polanski from detention in Zurich. The director was arrested on Saturday over a three-decade-old underage sex case when he arrived to receive a lifetime achievement award at the city's film festival.

[snip]

The petition has now been signed by more than 70 film industry luminaries, including Polanski's fellow directors Michael Mann, Wim Wenders, Pedro Almodóvar, Darren Aronofsky, Terry Gilliam, Julian Schnabel, the Dardenne brothers, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Wong Kar-Wai, Walter Salles and Jonathan Demme. Actors Tilda Swinton, Monica Bellucci and Asia Argento, as well as producer Harvey Weinstein, have also put their names on the petition. Yesterday, Weinstein stated he was "calling on every film-maker we can to help fix this terrible situation".

The five members of the jury at the Zurich film festival, headed by the actor Debra Winger, yesterday released a statement protesting that the event "had been exploited in an unfair fashion".

We can take Woody Allen out of the equation right away, we know where his take is, but I wonder how Wim Wenders, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Harvey Weinstein, Michael Mann, Pedro Almodóvar, Terry Gilliam, Jonathan Demme, Debra Winger, and all the other nitwits, would feel, with Roman Polanski being who he is, making the films he has made, if it was their daughter that Polanski, drugged, and raped.

Would they still protest, and sign a petition to get him out of jail?

Read this, from Kate Harding, at Salon, the other day;

Reminder: Roman Polanski raped a child

Wow, OK, let's break that down. First, as blogger Jeff Fecke says, "Fun fact: the age of consent in 1977 in California was 16. It's now 18. But of course, the age of consent isn't like horseshoes or global thermonuclear war; close doesn't count. Even if the age of consent had been 14, the girl wasn't 14." Also, even if the girl had been old enough to consent, she testified that she did not consent. There's that. Though of course everyone makes a bigger deal of her age than her testimony that she did not consent, because if she'd been 18 and kept saying no while he kissed her, licked her, screwed her and sodomized her, this would almost certainly be a whole different story -- most likely one about her past sexual experiences and drug and alcohol use, about her desire to be famous, about what she was wearing, about how easy it would be for Roman Polanski to get consensual sex, so hey, why would he need to rape anyone? It would quite possibly be a story about a wealthy and famous director who pled not guilty to sexual assault, was acquitted on "she wanted it" grounds, and continued to live and work happily in the U.S. Which is to say that 30 years on, it would not be a story at all. So it's much safer to focus on the victim's age removing any legal question of consent than to get tied up in that thorny "he said, she said" stuff about her begging Polanski to stop and being terrified of him.

And there's Whoopi Goldberg.

This sister needs to get a new act, or, at least wake up, pull her head out of her ass;

Goldberg, star of The Color Purple and Sister Act, said: "I know it wasn't rape-rape. I think it was something else, but I don't believe it was rape-rape.

"Don't believe it was rape-rape"?

WTF!

What kind of rape was it Whoopi?

Why don't you enumerate the vast numbers of different kinds rape, so we all can know, how you know, that it wasn't "rape-rape".

Actually, Whoopi may be correct.

When you read the Grand Jury testimony, it wasn't "rape-rape", it was "rape-rape-rape".

And there's Harvey Weinstein, the co-founder of Miramax Films, whose Ignorant Doltness dwarfs his suit size;

"Whatever you think about the so-called crime, Polanski has served his time," Weinstein wrote.

"So-called crime"?

Oh that's right, I almost forgot what we wrote above.

I guess something that is not really "rape-rape" gets classified as a "so-called crime".

I guess the news reports, and court records, are wrong, and that Pedophile Polanski pleaded "so-called guilty" to a plea-bargain deal for having only "so-called sex" with a "so-called 13-year-old girl"

And, I'm not privy to the new DOJ Sentencing Guidelines, that call living a life of luxury in Europe, for over 30-years, can be counted as "serving time".

There's numerous petitions floating around, to free the Pedophile Polanski, to demand that the Swiss do not extradite him back for his Los Angeles judgment day.

How about a new petition?

Maybe, one like, say, how many of those listed above, Debra Winger, Whoopie "Not Rape-Rape" Goldberg, Harvey "So-Called" Weinstein, will rush to sign on to.

"We the undersigned would be perfectly fine with Pedophile Polanski being alone in a room with our own 13-year-old daughters, or nieces"

C'mon there, let's see those hands raised high.

After all, whatever happens, it won't be "rape-rape", or some other "so-called" crime.

Pedophile Polanski "served his time", remember, so he must have a piece of paper that says he's not a pedophile any longer.


Bonus Pedophile Polanski Links

Lauren: Getting Over It

Michael Stickings: Defending Polanski; or, how the Hollywood left has completely lost its marbles

Amanda Hess: Common Roman Polanski Defenses, Refuted

Katha Pollitt: Roman Polanski Has a Lot of Friends

Glenn Greenwald: Post editors should read their own columnists

Kate Dailey: Roman Polanski Raped a Child: A Primer

Gabe: Roman Polanski Might Use Documentary To Continue To Prove That He Raped A 13-Year-Old

This Date ... On The Garlic

2 October 2008... On The Garlic

VP Debate Results: Kick The Can

Palin Defeats Dewey!


2 October 2007... On The Garlic

"They will have flies walking across their eyeballs"

Top Ten Cloves: Things Overheard On First Day of Supreme Court


2 October 2006... On The Garlic

Vote For Who Is The Worst U.S. President

Help Me Mister Wizard! The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll


2 October 2005... On The Garlic

Weekend Special - Sautéed Cloves

He's Still Alive?

I, kind of, did a double-take, when I saw this headline the other day;

Andy Williams accuses Barack Obama of following Marxist theory

WOW!, I thought, Andy Williams is still alive.

I mean, this is the guy that had to be the inspiration for Muzak.



I can remember, even in my youth, during that time of year, when his Christmas Specials would come on, thinking of the untold hundreds-of-thousand diabetics who must be going into shock, hospital emergency rooms flooded, perhaps getting a double whammy, if they had the program on the television in the waiting rooms.

Man, he milked "Moon River" so much, it must be silted by now.

This is what this elderly Flying Monkey has to offer the political discourse;

Williams, a lifelong Republican whose hits include Moon River and Music To Watch Girls By, told the Radio Times he thought Mr Obama wanted to turn the US into a "socialist country".

[snip]

"Don't like him at all," he said, "I think he wants to create a socialist country. The people he associates with are very Left-wing. One is registered as a Communist.

"Obama is following Marxist theory. He's taken over the banks and the car industry. He wants the country to fail."

We assume the interview was lengthy, with Mr. Williams having to stop and work the drool cup.

Michael Stickings, over on The Reaction, called him "Craziest Conservative of the Day."

That about covers it.

This Date ... On The Garlic

1 October 2008... On The Garlic

Court Jesters

Good Post Alert: Leaked Memo of McCain Camp's Future Hail Marys (satire)


1 October 2007 ... On The Garlic

Retro Garlic - Life Imitating Satire ... Again ... Iran Study Group

Another "I'm Shocked ... Shocked To Find Gambling Going On Here" Moment ...


1 October 2006... On The Garlic

Weekend Special - Sautéed Cloves

Checking In ...

Good Evening Garlic Fans

So sorry that we have been empty the past day, or so ...

It's been a bit cumbersome, as we had a day of waiting yesterday, at the hospital, before today, the deal finally coming through, on moving The Aunt, from the hospital to a Rehab facility.

That all went pretty smoothly late this afternoon.

So rather than throwing up something not of good planning, or quality, we'll wait 'til morning (we have a post-in-progress) to put a few things up.

As always, Many Thanks for visiting, and reading, The Garlic.

This Date ... On The Garlic

30 September 2008... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: Reasons Sarah Palin Is Preparing For Debate Outdoors


30 September 2007... On The Garlic

Must Read! Barry Crimmins: Time's up for Thomas L. Freepass

Good (Belated) Post Alert: The Day Louis Armstrong Made Noise

Chopped Garlic: Tinfoil Hats, or Canaries In The Proverbial War Zone?

"For The Debate, Mr. Russert, Will You Be Wearing A Suit, Or The Brown Shirt And Jack Boots?"

Juan Williams: The Long, Hard Climb Back


30 September 2005... On The Garlic

DeLay's Wife Demands To Speak With President; Wants Answers But Not Sure Where To Camp Out - D.C., Crawford or Hurricane Region?

Top Ten Cloves: Reasons Scooter Libby Gave Judith Miller Okay To Reveal Source and Testify

This Date ... On The Garlic

29 September 2008... On The Garlic

Cry Baby


29 September 2006... On The Garlic

Breaking News! President’s Staunch Iraqi Progress Claims Based On Pentagon PR Firm Reports; Second Woodward Bombshell: Holds Back Postscript, Claims Cheney, Rumsfeld Feeding President Lincoln Group Writings; Pentagon PR Firm Reports Masked, As If From Spy Agencies For PDB’s, Other Meetings With President

Top Ten Cloves: Ways White House Will Spin The Over 400 Visits From Convicted Lobbyist Jack Abramoff


29 September 2005... On The Garlic

RNC, Congress Planning 'Support Our Majority Leader' Rally For DeLay; Music, Speakers and Celebes Slated For K Street Parade; President To Attend If Not In Gulf Region Again

New White House Riff As First Lady Forced To Visit Hurricane Zone; Staff Complains To Card, Rove; First Lady Upset With New Relief Role

Top Ten Cloves: Things Overheard In The Senate Before The John Roberts Vote Today

Barry Crimmins on Mackenzie Phillips

With the homefront situation, I have not been nearly as on top of this story, the horrible, sad tale of Mackenzie Phillips' stolen childhood, at the hands of her drugging, raping father, as I would have liked.

Just as sick are the people making jokes about it, calling her a liar, attempting to deny her pain.

One person knows all to well about this subject, and he weighed in, most excellently, this past weekend.

Barry Crimmins "No laughing matter"

For instance, actress and singer Mackenzie Phillips' recent disclosures of her childhood horrors certainly brought up issues that we need to discuss: incest and child abuse. They are nervous subjects and they've resulted in a lot of nervous jesting. I've seen a variety of such jokes from friends and colleagues in the humor rackets, mostly via the Facebook social networking site.

When challenged about compounding this sordid mess with salacious comments, some of the skittish quipsters have been quick to blame the victim. After all, hadn't she "admitted" that she had a consensual sexual relationship with her father, the late musician John Phillips, well into her adulthood? Isn't she at least partly culpable? Besides, she's a celebrity so that makes her fair game, right?

Wrong. Mackenzie Phillips was given about as much of a chance to survive in this world as the average Brazilian street kid. The main difference between Mackenzie and those poor urchins is that they were abandoned to the street while her own father paved a boulevard of depravity right through his daughter's home.

John Phillips began drugging Mackenzie with cocaine when she was 11. Eventually he commenced shooting her up with heroin. On one of those occasions, when Ms Phillips was in her late teens, she "came to" while her father was raping her. After that she said she began to have "consensual sex" with him. But it was not consensual because she did not give informed consent. How could she? The only information she had to go on was that it was apparently appropriate for her to be in a drug-induced stupor as she was sexually and emotionally exploited and abused by her father and whatever other scumbags happened to pass through what should have been her safe childhood home.

Go read the entire piece, it's powerful.

Then again, Mackenzie Phillips may not be as hot in the news now, since Roman Polanski is building a fan club, looking to get him off his 30-year fugitive status, for running away from paying for his child rape crime.

A Footnote, But A Good One ...

Not spending a great deal of time on the computer, due to our current situation, I did catch a link on Twitter, that pointed to Robert Quigley, over on Mediaite, and his "Mediaite Presents: 35 Great SNL News Spoofs".

This, I assume, was in expectation of the season opener for 'Saturday Night Live', coming on Saturday (last).

Okay, reasonable, and I start scrolling down the post, stopping at one of our all-time favorites - Dana Carvey's fall-on-the-floor, side-splitting, take-off on Tom Brokaw, pre-recording death announcements for President Gerald Ford.

We posted that a few times ("Little Russ Gone ..." and "The Brilliance of Tom Brokaw") as it never fails to thoroughly entertain us.

Hats Off to Quigley, for taking the time to compile all those videos, all the copy-and-pasting, formatting his post, lots-and-lots of work.

A note about it is that Carvey's spoof of Brokaw was originally recorded, but not aired, for his own, short-lived ABC show;

Season 1, Episode 8 - The Dana Carvey Show

Sketches Included:
*Charles Gordin on celebrity talk shows
*Bill Clinton on the crisis around the world
*Bob Dole undercover
*Germans Who Say Things That Come Out Wrong
*the Stupid Prankster's biggest mistake of all
*NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw on the death of President Gerald Ford
*Mark Twain starring Stomp
*This Week with David Brinkley

(Another interesting tidbit is that Robert Smigels' hysterical "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" débuted on Carvey's show)

Anyways ...

Here's the bit, again.

The Dana Carvey Show - Episode 8B - Minisode

This Date ... On The Garlic

28 September 2008... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: Reasons John McCain Didn't Look At Barack Obama During Debate


28 September 2007... On The Garlic

Breaking News! GM Cancels UAW In Favor of Adopting Huffington Post Business Model; Celebrities, Auto Enthusiasts and Bloggers To Build Cars For Free; Huge Spike In Profits Forecast

Garlic Exclusive! Congressional Strategy On Dealing With Bush Exposed By Salon Comic!


28 September 2006... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: Things About NY Post’s Page Six and Paula Froelich Making Fun of Keith Olbermann’s Death Threat


28 September 2005... On The Garlic

BROWN BOMBSHELL! - FEMA USED CRYSTAL METH TO AID EVACUATION; Not Sure How Many Used Drug; Says It "Breaks Down Dysfunction"

White House Backtracks To Include '24' President; Haysbert Hastily Invited To Talks; Card Says 'Thought He Was The 'Good Hands' Guy

Top Ten Cloves: Ways The White House Plans On Conserving Energy

A Few Things Lost, Mr. Christian!

Good Morning Garlic Fans

Just wanted to check in, as we are still immersed in our Homefront situation, spending the bulk of our time since Wednesday at the hospital (and, boy, this hospital stay has been full of mishaps, and lost items)

The 96-year-old Aunt that is the subject of this, and the many other Homefront posts, is doing well and resting comfortable, however, it is likely that she will be needing a period of Rehab following this hospital stay.

What is at stake is her ability to continue to walk.

The problem may be physical, however, there are signs that this latest turn may be due to a marked increase in dementia.

So, this means posting new material will continue to be erratic for the next few days (minimum), as our schedule will be unsettled.

If all goes well today, I do plan of getting up a few posts, later in the day

As always, our thanks for visiting, and reading, The Garlic.

Additionally, in the absence of fresh material, there's a bevy of good stuff down the left- hand sidebar, from highlighted, and favorite posts, and links to other great blogs and websites that you should be checking out.

Peace
JTD

This Date ... On The Garlic

27 September 2008... On The Garlic

Paul Newman Dead at 83


27 September 2007... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: If Juan Williams Had Taken President Bush To Sylvia's Restaurant In Harlem


27 September 2006... On The Garlic

Developing Story! White House Fireworks As Cheney Explodes; Cheney Furious, Protests Releasing N.I.E Report Without Smearing Anyone; Fights President; Demands That New CIA Agent Or Spouse Be Exposed, For Either Leak Or Iraqi Assessment


27 September 2005... On The Garlic

Garlic Exclusive! Secret Bush Call For Television Summit with Fictional Leaders Revealed; Meeting Scheduled With Sheen, Davis For Crisis Input; May Reach Out To Other Actors

Top Ten Cloves: What Rafael Palmeiro Is Doing Now That His Season Is Over