I've had several things I wanted to write about, but I've been in a slump and haven't been able to get my fingers moving on the keyboard. So, I'll just start with something easy.
If you're one of the two people who read this, you know we're watching Monk on DVD. A few weeks ago, we made it to the Season 4 Christmas episode. I think it was the first Christmas episode of the series. There were a couple of nice touches. First, at the Christmas party, Captain Stottlemeyer sang "O Holy Night". It's rare to hear a genuine Christian song on any show, so I was pleasantly surprised. Second, there was a brief segment where a nun mentioned that the father of X had said that forgiveness was the greatest revenge. She went on to say that He was Monk's father, too. It was nice to actually hear a reference to God in a Christmas episode.
Last night we watched the Season 5 Christmas episode. Stottlemeyer sang "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and Natalie had a "Happy Holidays" sign, so it was back to political correctness. There was a brief bit of "Silent Night" near the end, though. The ending was charming.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Letter Writing Campaign Update
Just a quick note here.
I have to confess that I haven't been sending out the letters everyday like I thought I would. I have been emailing Mars, Kelloggs and Olive Garden. (There are probably better email addresses to use, but I've been googling the company's name along with contact information). At least I feel like I'm doing something.
I've heard conflicting reports that Olive Garden may have dropped its advertising from the Letterman Show. I'll be away from the computer for a few days. I'll have to see how things are when I get back to it. I'll probably continue emailing Mars and Kelloggs, and possibly adding Johnson and Johnson.
I have to confess that I haven't been sending out the letters everyday like I thought I would. I have been emailing Mars, Kelloggs and Olive Garden. (There are probably better email addresses to use, but I've been googling the company's name along with contact information). At least I feel like I'm doing something.
I've heard conflicting reports that Olive Garden may have dropped its advertising from the Letterman Show. I'll be away from the computer for a few days. I'll have to see how things are when I get back to it. I'll probably continue emailing Mars and Kelloggs, and possibly adding Johnson and Johnson.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Bullies
When we think of bullies, we think of the nasty kids who taunt, push and demand money from the kids without the power. We think of Scut Farkus, from A Christmas Story who relentlessly taunts Ralphie and his friends. They habitually back down.
I've been thinking about bullies this past week. Isn't a comedian who has a show and incessantly pounds at particular individuals, a kind of bully? I mean, if you say anything in response, you come across as being a poor sport who can't take a joke. If you consistently taunt the same person over and over, and hide behind the mask of "comedian", aren't you being a bully? The victim of your taunts can't fight back. Think of Tina Fey's caricatures of Sarah Palin during the campaign. Think of the late night comedians relentless pounding of her character. It would be different if they told the same number and same kind of jokes against liberals. But they don't - it isn't even close.
Letterman, in particular, has not given up smashing Bush/Cheney and Palin, even though Obama has been in office for 6 months. How is that anything other than laziness and mean-spiritedness? In his faux-apology, he implied that he shouldn't have to defend what he said because they're "just jokes". Is that an acceptable standard? Should we be able to say anything we want with impunity, as long as we call it a joke? Or does that standard only apply if you're ridiculing a conservative woman?
Don't get me wrong. It's a free country. Letterman can say whatever he wants. He just doesn't have the right to use the public airwaves to spew his hate and then get paid for it.
If this stands, if bullies can get away with mocking the statutory rape the daughter of a conservative woman, what's next?
It's time to contact CBS and its sponsors. It's time to use our dollars and our time as a weapon. It's time to fight back.*
I've been thinking about bullies this past week. Isn't a comedian who has a show and incessantly pounds at particular individuals, a kind of bully? I mean, if you say anything in response, you come across as being a poor sport who can't take a joke. If you consistently taunt the same person over and over, and hide behind the mask of "comedian", aren't you being a bully? The victim of your taunts can't fight back. Think of Tina Fey's caricatures of Sarah Palin during the campaign. Think of the late night comedians relentless pounding of her character. It would be different if they told the same number and same kind of jokes against liberals. But they don't - it isn't even close.
Letterman, in particular, has not given up smashing Bush/Cheney and Palin, even though Obama has been in office for 6 months. How is that anything other than laziness and mean-spiritedness? In his faux-apology, he implied that he shouldn't have to defend what he said because they're "just jokes". Is that an acceptable standard? Should we be able to say anything we want with impunity, as long as we call it a joke? Or does that standard only apply if you're ridiculing a conservative woman?
Don't get me wrong. It's a free country. Letterman can say whatever he wants. He just doesn't have the right to use the public airwaves to spew his hate and then get paid for it.
If this stands, if bullies can get away with mocking the statutory rape the daughter of a conservative woman, what's next?
It's time to contact CBS and its sponsors. It's time to use our dollars and our time as a weapon. It's time to fight back.*
Friday, June 12, 2009
Sponsor Contact Information
I generally don't participate in letter writing campaigns, boycotts, etc. But I have 16 letters on my desk right now, ready to be mailed to the board members of Mars, Kelloggs and Olive Garden. I'm taking the advice from the hillbuzz website, and I'll try to send out a letter each day to each of those board members until they withdraw their sponsorship of the Letterman show.
I've saved each letter in a file, so I'm planning on only changing the date each day and printing them off and sending them. Maybe I'll occasionally reword them. I'm sending them via regular mail. FedEx would be way too cost prohibitive.
The Hillbuzz site originally formed to back Hillary Clinton. I became aware of it closer to the election because of it's strong support of Sarah Palin. I just finished reading an article there on the difference between Republicans and Democrats, and the fact that Republicans back down way too quickly. Right now, CBS is telling its sponsors that this will all blow over quickly.
Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Maybe there are enough conservatives who are tired of being bullied by the main stream media, and they're willing to fight back.
Here is some contact information for some of Letterman's sponsors, as compiled by http://www.hillbuzz.org/:*
KELLOGGS COMPANY
One Kellogg Square
PO Box 3599
Battle Creek, MI 49016-3599
(269) 961-2000
(800) 962-1413
Write to these 6 people over and over and over again:
(1) James M. Jenness – Chairman of the Board
(2) A.D. David Mackay – President and CEO
(3) John A. Bryant – COO and CFO
(4) Mark R. Baynes – VP and CMO
(5) Brian S. Rice – SVP, CIO
(6) Gary H. Pilnick – SVP, General Counsel, Corporate Development and Secretary
UPDATE: MARS CANDY is owned exclusively by the Mars family. John Franklyn Mars is the company Chairman.
Products include: 3 Musketeers, Combos, Dove chocolate, Kudos, Mars Bar, Milky Way, Skittles, Snickers, Starburst, Twix, and Whiscas cat food
Write to these 2 people over and over again:
Chairman: John Franklyn Mars
President and CEO: Paul S. Michaels
MARS, Inc.
6885 Elm Street
McClean Virginia 22101-3810
(703) 821-4900
FAX: 703-448-9678
THE OLIVE GARDEN CONTACT INFORMATION:
Write to these 8 people over and over again
(1) Clarence J. Otis — Chairman/CEO
(2) Andrew H. Madsen — President/COO
(3) David T. Pickens — Senior VP
(4) Brad Richmond — CFO
(5) Valerie K. Collins — Corporate Controller
(6) Bob McAdam — SVP Government and Community Affairs
(7) Gene Lee – President Special Restaurant Group
(8) Paula J. Shives — General Counsel and Secretary
Darden Restaurants Office (address for all above):
5900 Lake Ellenor Drive
Orlando, FL 32809
(407) 245-4000
*I would recommend that parents check over this website before their children
I've saved each letter in a file, so I'm planning on only changing the date each day and printing them off and sending them. Maybe I'll occasionally reword them. I'm sending them via regular mail. FedEx would be way too cost prohibitive.
The Hillbuzz site originally formed to back Hillary Clinton. I became aware of it closer to the election because of it's strong support of Sarah Palin. I just finished reading an article there on the difference between Republicans and Democrats, and the fact that Republicans back down way too quickly. Right now, CBS is telling its sponsors that this will all blow over quickly.
Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Maybe there are enough conservatives who are tired of being bullied by the main stream media, and they're willing to fight back.
Here is some contact information for some of Letterman's sponsors, as compiled by http://www.hillbuzz.org/:*
KELLOGGS COMPANY
One Kellogg Square
PO Box 3599
Battle Creek, MI 49016-3599
(269) 961-2000
(800) 962-1413
Write to these 6 people over and over and over again:
(1) James M. Jenness – Chairman of the Board
(2) A.D. David Mackay – President and CEO
(3) John A. Bryant – COO and CFO
(4) Mark R. Baynes – VP and CMO
(5) Brian S. Rice – SVP, CIO
(6) Gary H. Pilnick – SVP, General Counsel, Corporate Development and Secretary
UPDATE: MARS CANDY is owned exclusively by the Mars family. John Franklyn Mars is the company Chairman.
Products include: 3 Musketeers, Combos, Dove chocolate, Kudos, Mars Bar, Milky Way, Skittles, Snickers, Starburst, Twix, and Whiscas cat food
Write to these 2 people over and over again:
Chairman: John Franklyn Mars
President and CEO: Paul S. Michaels
MARS, Inc.
6885 Elm Street
McClean Virginia 22101-3810
(703) 821-4900
FAX: 703-448-9678
THE OLIVE GARDEN CONTACT INFORMATION:
Write to these 8 people over and over again
(1) Clarence J. Otis — Chairman/CEO
(2) Andrew H. Madsen — President/COO
(3) David T. Pickens — Senior VP
(4) Brad Richmond — CFO
(5) Valerie K. Collins — Corporate Controller
(6) Bob McAdam — SVP Government and Community Affairs
(7) Gene Lee – President Special Restaurant Group
(8) Paula J. Shives — General Counsel and Secretary
Darden Restaurants Office (address for all above):
5900 Lake Ellenor Drive
Orlando, FL 32809
(407) 245-4000
*I would recommend that parents check over this website before their children
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Move To Remove Letterman
The website http://www.hillbuzz.org/ has some very detailed information on getting a boycott of Letterman's sponsors running. They want to focus on 3 companies, Mars, Kelloggs and Olive Garden (I think) and maintain at least a 30 day onslaught of letters to these sponsors. They also recommend FedExing the letters so that they'll go directly to management.
There's also a http://www.firedavidletterman.com/ site up and running.
There's also a http://www.firedavidletterman.com/ site up and running.
On A Much Lighter Note
Our dogs bark at knock knock jokes.
(To be fair, it's not at the "Knock Knock" part, but at the "Who's There" part. Still, it's pretty funny.)
(To be fair, it's not at the "Knock Knock" part, but at the "Who's There" part. Still, it's pretty funny.)
More Letterman
So, Mr. Letterman, you say that you would never have made a joke like you did about a 14 year old girl. Here's the thing. Whether it was your intention or not, you did. You made a joke about Sarah Palin taking her daughter to the Yankees game, yada yada yada. The daughter she took to the game was 14. The joke was about a 14 year old girl, regardless of your intention.
You, sir, are a man who makes millions of dollars a year to tell jokes. I'm not saying that it's always easy, but, by most people's standards, it's a pretty cushy gig. But, as part of accepting those millions of dollars, you are responsible for every word you say on the airwaves. Not knowing which daughter was at the game is not an excuse. It was your responsibility to find out.
My husband is a public school teacher. Every school day he's up by 5 am, sometimes earlier. Once he steps into the school building, he has to be on. He can't slack off, because the students and his supervisors hold him accountable. He's on his feet all day, performing in front of his students, and by the end of the day, he's exhausted. He doesn't make nearly as much money as you do, Mr. Letterman, but he's still accountable for every word he says. If he made a remark anywhere nearly as offensive as you did, he would have to suffer the consequences.
Why do you think you shouldn't be held accountable for what you said? Why can't you have the integrity to admit you were wrong?
I think I know.
As I mentioned in my previous post, like many other liberals, in your mind you think that since conservatives aren't like "us" they therefore must be "less than us." It wasn't that you didn't know which Palin daughter was at the game, you just didn't care. It's just a Palin. Since you feel you are so superior to her (and my) kind, what you said can't possibly be wrong.
By your incessant nightly bashing of Bush, Cheney, Palin, et al, at the exclusion of any even mild jokes about Obama, haven't you in effect been saying to the conservatives, "Lie down and take it." Why should a joke about a baseball player doing the same thing to a Palin be such a big deal?
You, sir, are a man who makes millions of dollars a year to tell jokes. I'm not saying that it's always easy, but, by most people's standards, it's a pretty cushy gig. But, as part of accepting those millions of dollars, you are responsible for every word you say on the airwaves. Not knowing which daughter was at the game is not an excuse. It was your responsibility to find out.
My husband is a public school teacher. Every school day he's up by 5 am, sometimes earlier. Once he steps into the school building, he has to be on. He can't slack off, because the students and his supervisors hold him accountable. He's on his feet all day, performing in front of his students, and by the end of the day, he's exhausted. He doesn't make nearly as much money as you do, Mr. Letterman, but he's still accountable for every word he says. If he made a remark anywhere nearly as offensive as you did, he would have to suffer the consequences.
Why do you think you shouldn't be held accountable for what you said? Why can't you have the integrity to admit you were wrong?
I think I know.
As I mentioned in my previous post, like many other liberals, in your mind you think that since conservatives aren't like "us" they therefore must be "less than us." It wasn't that you didn't know which Palin daughter was at the game, you just didn't care. It's just a Palin. Since you feel you are so superior to her (and my) kind, what you said can't possibly be wrong.
By your incessant nightly bashing of Bush, Cheney, Palin, et al, at the exclusion of any even mild jokes about Obama, haven't you in effect been saying to the conservatives, "Lie down and take it." Why should a joke about a baseball player doing the same thing to a Palin be such a big deal?
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