Tongue-In-Cheek: December 2007: Archives

December 21, 2007

A Translation Of The Larry Craig Press Conference genre: Tongue-In-Cheek & Video-Philes

The following video clip is from Little Britain, a sitcom that airs in the UK. In this particular clip, a well-known...and supposedly straight...politician attempts to explain his actions following being caught in a compromising situation...one that is very reminiscent of Larry Craig's infamous toe-tapping episode.

This episode preceded the Larry Craig scandal. I guess it just goes to show that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

If you enjoy British humor...with a gay twist...you can view some other clips from the show here, here, and here.

Tagged as: British Humor, Comedy, Daffyd, Gay, Larry Craig, LGBT, Little Britain, UK

Daniel DiRito | December 21, 2007 | 3:36 PM | link | Comments (0)
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December 20, 2007

The Evolution Of Candidate Huck-A-Bee genre: Hip-Gnosis & Polispeak & Tongue-In-Cheek

Everyone seems to be all abuzz over Mike Huckabee and his tremendous rise in the GOP polling. Well before his emergence as a top-tier candidate, Thought Theater suggested he was worth watching and could easily emerge as a formidable candidate.

Now that it seems to have come to pass, I thought it was time to have a little fun at the expense of the former Arkansas governor...especially in light of his background as a Baptist minister. I've especially enjoyed the seeming no-holds barred battle being waged by Romney and Huckabee for the souls (code for votes) of evangelical christians.

One has to love when the faithful engage in the politics of piety...a virtual race for the altar. In the wake of George Bush, there seems to be little shame in ranks of the righteous. In fact, they seem convinced that their next president should accede to the bully pulpit and complete the mission of savaging the separation of church and state. Let's hope the propensity of these fundy GOP voters to perform like a flock of sheep persists...and they hitch their holier than thou wagon to one of these bloviating believers.

If my antennae are right, it may be the perfect storm that sinks the ship of this current iteration of religious extremism and sends the movement (in lockstep like loyal lambs) tumbling off the cliff they so callously cleaved under the tutelage of Karl Rove and his self-anointed antagonists.

I have no doubt that counting these star-struck sheep, in what may be their faith infused finale, will undoubtedly assist me in sleeping like a baby. Let's hope it happens since the alternative is unthinkable.

In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy the following:

Candidate Huck-A-Bee

Tagged as: 2008 Election, Bible, Evangelical, Evolution, Faith, Fundamentalism, GOP, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Mormon, Religion, Religious Right

Daniel DiRito | December 20, 2007 | 6:55 PM | link | Comments (3)
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December 19, 2007

JibJab 2007 Year In Review genre: Tongue-In-Cheek & Video-Philes

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Daniel DiRito | December 19, 2007 | 10:44 AM | link | Comments (0)
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December 9, 2007

Mo Rocca: Who Will Drive Miss Daisy To The Chapel? genre: Gaylingual & Tongue-In-Cheek & Video-Philes

I've always felt Mo Rocca was one of the most underrated comics in the business. Perhaps that's a function of my interest in politics and the fact that Rocca is as knowledgeable as most of the news reporters we see on television. Even better, his skill at deadpan comedy in a political setting is unmatched.

Rocca has covered a lot of territory in is career; having worked as a correspondent on The Daily Show, worked on Larry King Live as a consultant/political historian, and now as a feature player on The Tonight Show. He also appears on PBS, VH1, The Food Network, and has a regular show on Sirius Satellite Radio.

His work during the 2004 Democratic and Republican conventions is some of his best. Besides being quite funny, his knowledge of U.S. presidents is extensive and the fact that he wrote a book on the pets of the presidents titled, All the Presidents' Pets: The Inside Story of One Reporter Who Refused to Roll Over, only adds to his comic depth.

In the following video clip, Mo points out that gay marriage was one of the leading wedge issues in the 2004 presidential election. He goes on to explain that drivers licenses for illegal immigrants is a current topic of discussion. That leads Mo to ask passers-by about the latest hot button election issue..."should gay illegal immigrants be allowed to drive to their own same-sex weddings?"

Feel free to share your own answers and observations.

Tagged as: Drivers Licenses, Humor, Immigration, LGBT, Mo Rocca, Same-Sex Marriage

Daniel DiRito | December 9, 2007 | 11:53 AM | link | Comments (1)
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December 1, 2007

Don't Be A Dick...Call Me Muhammadonna genre: Hip-Gnosis & Snapshot Thoughts & Tongue-In-Cheek

The case of British educator, Gillian Gibbons...the teddy bear teacher...has drawn attention to the extremity of Sharia Law...and well it should. While I lack first hand knowledge of the issues surrounding the case, it appears that Gibbons is guilty of little more than being committed to teaching her students.

Apparently, her students were asked to name a teddy bear as part of an assignment...and they chose the name "Muhammad". Attaching this name to an object is forbidden under Sharia Law as a form of idolatry...and an insult to the prophet Muhammad and the Islamic faith.

Gibbons actions subjected her to the possibility of forty lashes and six months in jail. In what some are calling an attempt at compromise, she was convicted of the offense and sentenced to fifteen days in prison and deportation. Since her conviction, a vocal segment of the Sudanese population has taken to the streets calling for Gibbons to be executed.

From The New York Times:

Hundreds of demonstrators in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, poured into the streets on Friday demanding the execution of a British teacher who was convicted of insulting Islam because her class of 7-year-olds named a teddy bear Muhammad.

Despite the display of outrage, witnesses said that many of the protesters were government employees ordered to demonstrate, and that aside from a large gathering outside the presidential palace, most of Khartoum was quiet. Imams across the city brought up the case in sermons after Friday Prayer, but few of them urged violence.

It seems that Ms. Gibbons and the teddy bear became enmeshed in the larger struggle between the Sudanese government, which routinely accuses its Western critics of being anti-Islamic, and European and American officials pressing for an end to the crisis in Darfur.

In early November, Sudanese officials said that peacekeepers from Scandinavia could not serve in Darfur, the troubled region of western Sudan, because of a dispute two years ago, when several Scandinavian newspapers published caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

United Nations officials have said that the Sudanese government was simply looking for ways to block or delay the deployment of an expanded peacekeeping force. This week, United Nations officials said that unless the Sudanese government started cooperating, the expanded mission might not be possible.

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Now I have no objection to people practicing the faith of their choice...and while I'm troubled by the fact that many people of faith do not practice reciprocity in that regard, this event points to the extreme methods by which some faiths seek to indoctrinate and control the lives of their followers. By erecting strict prohibitions, they establish what I would view to be a modern day, self-enforced, thought police...one which requires full conformity and exacts severe punishment upon those who deviate from the doctrine in the slightest.

Further, given the virtual genocide taking place in Darfur, one must wonder if religion is once again being utilized to further the prejudices of those who cloak themselves in their faith in order to obtain power and wealth. Sadly, history seems to reinforce the conclusion that nothing serves such purposes better than the instillation of an extreme belief system which can be manipulated to pit one set of values against all others in what is effectively characterized as a battle of good versus evil. This fomentation of conflict isn't limited to religious beliefs, though it could be argued that the practice is predicated upon a predictable formula that emulates religious fervor.

In the end, whatever the reasons, those who invoke this type of behavior, are all guilty of manipulation. Knowing as much, it is essential for others to speak out and defy that which is portrayed as convention. Doing so can be dangerous...but it is also necessary if one seeks to break the often deadly cycle and shed some much needed light upon the calculations and motivations of the perpetrators in order to unseat them from their hold on power.

Despite the furor created by the Muhammad cartoons, I'm of the belief that humor is an effective place to begin combating the extreme mind sets which so often accompany these fanatical faith based fabrications. Deification is a slippery slope...and one which ought to be challenged in the same manner one might confront a scientific hypothesis. Most importantly, those on opposite sides of the argument must be willing to accept and allow the other to reasonably and thoughtfully explore the subject at hand. Nothing less than freedom is at stake.

As I thought about this recent event in Sudan, I couldn't help but think of Madonna and the controversy surrounding so many of her songs, her music videos, and her concerts. The following graphic, provocative though it may be, is offered with that in mind.

Call Me Muhammadonna

Tagged as: Blasphemy, Darfur, Faith, Gillian Gibbons, Idolatry, Madonna, Muhammad, Religion, Religious Intolerance, Sharia Law, Sudan, Teddy Bear

Daniel DiRito | December 1, 2007 | 10:12 AM | link | Comments (0)
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