In Memoriam...

READER COMMENTS ON
"In Memoriam..."
(18 Responses so far...)

COMMENT #1 [Permalink]
... Larry Bergan said on 6/23/2008 @ 12:01 pm PT...

The wonderful WYNO is no longer with us.

My favorite joke of his isn't obscene. It's the one where he talks about driving saying that everybody driving faster then you is a MANIC, and everybody driving slower then you is an IDIOT.

I'm going to miss all of the jokes/truths only he could think of.

COMMENT #2 [Permalink]
... Steve said on 6/23/2008 @ 2:16 pm PT...

Truly a one of a kind, an ICON of his time. He spoke truth to power in the 60's & 70's and long after it was no longer "fashionable" to do so. I will miss his humor, honesty and humanity tremendously!

COMMENT #3 [Permalink]
... Bamboo Harvester said on 6/23/2008 @ 6:42 pm PT...

Rest In Peace ~ Mr. Carlin.

COMMENT #4 [Permalink]
... socrates said on 6/23/2008 @ 8:07 pm PT...

George Carlin was a great guy, no doubt, with a lot of humility.

His #1 quality to me was his honesty. That leads me to this post in his honour. Is there a plant at Raw Story?

link

Basically, there was a blogger named ~A who was at a place called Watching the Watchers. The now executive editor of Raw Story used to post at the same place. I emailed him a while ago asking wtf. Today I emailed Brad for a second time with this information.

~A had written a hit piece on Bev Harris back in late 2004. Here's a strange quote from ~A.

I'm doing the fifty states voting irregularity research, not with her

That sounds like Steven Hertzberg.

I emailed Larissa today asking her also about this story. I asked her if she was into the truth no matter what it may lead to.

You see, a couple weeks ago I noticed Raw Story linking to Wayne Madsen.

I'm asking wtf is going on?

But all one gets from any of this crowd is crickets. Add in the trolling going on and the lack of fair moderating, and something reeks.

Call this a tweak or whatever Brad, but the more I think about it, I don't see much if anything from you saying that elections were stolen.

A few weeks ago I provided you with an ip address that I felt was from someone I already knew. You confirmed that. Yes, I got good at troll busting.

I think ~A might have been Steven Hertzberg. We at least know that he worked with Ron Brynaert of Raw Story. We know that the trolling done to you was related to utilising shit written by Wayne Madsen.

I don't know, Brad. I'm just gonna say I don't understand you. I'm trying to believe in you. But there seems to be something missing.

Andy Stephenson and all that other stuff was scripted. His friend Ben Burch and himself used to post tinfoil at Democratic Underground. Stephenson even posted that he was in contact with Mike Vreeland, a dubious name. I'll stop here because this is turning into a ramble. What I'm saying is something has been going on over the years on all these forums, and you haven't had much if anything to say about it. In fact, when I asked you about Ben Burch, you praised him and disregarded the crap he has posted.

Maybe there's just too much coming out of me in an incoherent manner. Fine. Well, how about let's figure out who this ~A is, and who the f that guy at Raw Story is.

You know Brad, people can become gatekeepers without deliberately trying to.

Thanks for allowing tweaks.

COMMENT #5 [Permalink]
... Agent 99 said on 6/23/2008 @ 9:29 pm PT...

Ben Burch is a goddam bodhisattva! WTF is wrong with you? The White Rose Society is one of the best things to ever happen to the internet. Do you just imagine people who express opinions with which you don't agree are evil to cope with the dissonance, or what?

COMMENT #6 [Permalink]
... Soul Rebel said on 6/24/2008 @ 12:20 am PT...

Carlin. Dead. Wow.

My favorite piece of his was from the foreword to Brain Droppings. He said (without having it in front of me) - "The human game was basically up when the priests and traders took over. We are now circling the drain of what was a once-promising species. And don't call me a cynic. The real cynics are the ones who tell you everything is going to be alright. Furthermore, if by some chance you do all manage to sort it all out, leave me the hell out of it."

Man, this really really sucks. Truly legendary.

COMMENT #7 [Permalink]
... Ancient said on 6/24/2008 @ 6:30 am PT...

Happy trails through eternalty George...I can think of only one other person who made me laugh so hard in all my life.

COMMENT #8 [Permalink]
... michelle l. said on 6/24/2008 @ 8:41 am PT...

Not only was he an extremely gifted and creative person, George Carlin was a true American Patriot. It's sad to see him leave while this country is in peril and desperate for his brand of free thought. His life story and dedication to his beliefs and contributions to the human race for the sake of freedom, will be an inspiration for others in coming years. He's one who made America great, and will be remembered for his life's works in a free society.

Hopefully Heaven isn't "politically correct," and George can continue his brand of humor and wisdom, practicing his style of free speech in a happier, and less judgemental setting.

May his free spirit rest in peace.

COMMENT #9 [Permalink]
... Mark S said on 6/24/2008 @ 2:47 pm PT...

Thank you for posting the video of George Carlin on voting, Brad.

It also accompanies an essay I co-authored that was posted yesterday:

Plaints and Complaints: We Offer Our Socks

I know that you are encouraging people to vote so that you can collect evidence of a third stolen presidential election in a row, and the fact that the election will be stolen if we vote, is less important to you than collecting the totally useless evidence that it was stolen (are we supposed to take it to Congress? The Supreme Court?), so it is gracious of you to honor Carlin's memory with these videos.

COMMENT #10 [Permalink]
... chuck said on 6/24/2008 @ 4:38 pm PT...

shit,piss,fuck,cunt,cocksucker,motherfucker,tits.

COMMENT #11 [Permalink]
... Agent 99 said on 6/24/2008 @ 7:58 pm PT...

Chuck

It's just not the same when you do it....

COMMENT #12 [Permalink]
... Bamboo Harvester said on 6/25/2008 @ 8:23 am PT...

GEORGE CARLIN an appreciation
John Lightning

The next person to say “Rest in peace” about George Carlin, should get to join him in the eternal nothingness to which he has gone. Sadly, the wrong Geoge died but… well. Mr. Carlin will indeed be missed. He was a man whose blunt take on the human condition and our sick a bed world, always made infinitely more sense then 90% of the psychotic inanities parsed out by the professional cultural and political commentators more people paid attention to… sadly.

But that’s to be expected, especially if you’re dirty like George was. Comedians are often the most insightful of social critics, seers who cut through the layers of BS to deliver the truth in a manner the spinners simply cannot do if they wish to stay employed and cover their self important asses. They invariably fear upsetting the powerful and important, they must contend with the fact that they cannot offend, at least not too deeply. A comic like George was expected to do so, and did it with a relish and verve that you could feel with every outrageous utterance.

Unlike Tim Russert, a decent chap who upon his death has been deified as some sort of sainted guardian of truth and integrity, George Carlin actually was. No, this is not to knock Russert, but with each additional encomium, which each new panegyric of praise posited for what the late ‘Meet The Press’ host did, I realize that George Carlin was a man who actually deserves as much if not much more praise, a man whose cultural influence will probably long outlast Russerts. The body of work he has left behind is ample proof of that.

Unlike Russert’s style of questioning that rarely offended, George Carlin did not tipsy-toe around the issues he addressed. He seemed to owe nor require no favors of no one so he spoke with a blunt honesty that made his reflections on culture and people more satisfying than that of most of the ‘more learned’ commentators of our time.

Both men asked questions, but generally Carlin provided the answers to his own questions. And the timeless brilliance of his observations will serve as a template not only to comics, but to regular Jane’s and Joe’s for generations to come, that will watch his videos and listen to his recorded work, and realize what those of us who grew up listening to him full well know, that there was a certain genius to his work, a probing incisive edge that eludes all but the best social satirist.

In recent years, George seemed to rely more on those dirty words he helped codify into broadcast law, along with pure venomous anger and outrage, more than he had previously, and it somewhat diluted the impact of the keen observations that he mixed with the raw words and the insults and the rage he exhibited so fluently, albeit filthily.

But his humor never came without an almost fatal dose of truth, of what is called ‘righteous indignation’. He never failed to call out we the people for being the schmucks we keep proving to be. I do not refer to my nation as the U.S. of A-Holes for no reason. And George knew that we are just that. He knew that our own innate stupidity is at the core of why we as a nation, a people, a planet, are fucked!

He colored my comedic style, well, off colored it actually. No one comic voice has been more influential regarding what I do and how I do it, than Mr. Carlin. I’d say I owe him a debt of gratitude except he’s dead and I owe him nothing.

He made life more tolerable, more bearable by simply reflecting on life, in an unvarnished style that eschewed spin and slickness for a point of view that reflected reality… imagine that pal, reality!

So no rest in peace for George because he is dead, not resting, he is dead, as in over, fini, done. George did not buy into the God and religion bullshit that consumes most of humanity, so he surely knew well enough to make every day matter, knowing that when this ride ends, there is not another ride, a bonus round, some eternal payoff. He believed that and he unabashedly let us know it and pounded religion and belief as nonsense to be treated as such. Although George believed he would not be going to Heaven, to some eternal award, he also died knowing he would not be going to hell.

Fortunately in the course of his truly all too short life, he made his living making us laugh, and more importantly, making us think. His potty mouth dispensed a certain raw genius, born of the streets of Manhattan New York City, and the Irish Catholic upbringing that he called out for its pious phoniness.

With two LP’s that are essential listening to this date, two disc that are barely dated, that still resonate with the clarion call of honesty reverberating still, ‘Class Clown’ and ‘AM & FM’, he defined a new generation of ‘Fuck you, up yours’ comedy, forged from the empirical truths he learned from life. If you do not own them, get them and understand why the word genius surely applies. Or go to ‘You Tube’ and watch some excerpts from his estimable body of work.

He seemed to feed off of his ability to inform us about all the frauds among us, reveling in revealing the hypocrisy that is rampant in this world gone mad, exposing the bullshit artist and this democratic system we trust in, that keeps fucking us to that proverbial standstill. He never ‘drank the cool aid” (the type of clichéd phrase he would rail against), and he never bought into the ‘everything is beautiful’ version of America those who rule us want us to believe in.

A blogger referred to him as the Lennon/McCartney of comedy. Beautifully said. Because indeed, he was just that. On a planet where ‘the futures uncertain and the end is always near’ George acknowledged the madness and spoke truth to the liars, the crooks, the evil, loathsome SOB’s that take the quality out of the quality of life we all crave.

He could be just plain silly too, think back on his observations about sports, or the ‘stuff’ we basically buy homes to store, so we can accumulate even more stuff. For over 50 years, he set the bar high, and few have matched his prescience, and his ability to entertain while making you think, a lesson I hoped I have learned from a true original and a master of the comedic art form.

Because of his lack of fidelity to such American staples as God, country and the blind idolization of celebrity, he has been accused of believing in nothing, just a nihilistic elder entertainer of little value and merit. Well, nothing could be more distanced from the truth.

George Carlin believed all right. He believed in the type of free speech most broadcasters never dare to attempt. He believed in speaking his mind, stating the truth as he saw it, exposing the hucksters and con men, often harshly and bitterly. And thankfully he did so often enough to be relevant decade after decade.

His style made him hard for many to take. But his penchant for riffing on those little truths of life that pass most of us by made his comedy invaluable. The good laughs he provided were invariably accompanied by a good thought, a truism, something that made you think and reflect on this insanity that rules on this world were riding upon. I like that in a comedian. And it was an integral part of George’s greatness.

And the motherfucker left us with 7 words we cannot use on the air, well most people cannot use on the air (Thank You international shortwave!), simply by having used them himself. Those deadly 7 words. You all know them right? (In his standard running order, they remain: Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker and Tits).

So in his memory… I won’t say this is for you George, because he is still dead and is not listening as much as we would like to believe he may be… but as an appreciation, allow me to offer up 7 words that define George Carlin:

TRUTHFUL
HONEST
OUTRAGEOUS
ANGRY
DIRTY
BRILLIANT
MISSED

Our loss friends, our loss.

COMMENT #13 [Permalink]
... NewConstitutionalConvention said on 6/25/2008 @ 10:09 am PT...

Mark @9 and Brad:
Speaking of rigged elections, RIGHT NOW, the opposition party is considering pulling out of the Presidential Election runoff in Zimbabwe because the Election will be a sham.

“There is a huge avalanche of calls and pressure from (MDC) supporters across the country, expecially in the rural areas, not to accept to be participants in this charade,” Nelson Chamisa, an MDC spokesman, told the Reuters news agency this morning.
http://www.timesonline.c...frica/article4178267.ece

If boycotting rigged elections is good enough to expose the Fraud in banana republics like Zimbabwe, it should be good enough to expose the Fraud in Banana Republics like America®.

COMMENT #14 [Permalink]
... Agent 99 said on 6/25/2008 @ 12:12 pm PT...

NewConstitutionalConvention

What specious reasoning! Are you aware that the only reason the Democrats got "control" of congress in 2006 is because the voters turned out in bigger numbers than the rigging had taken into account? Do you think that decent people staying home is going to do anything but just lower the number of stolen votes needed to hold office fraudulently? You think Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric are going to make a peep about your little boycott?

NO.

Their entire play book is about cutting off hunks of "liberal" --- even just real American --- votes, and that's ALL your stupid boycott accomplishes. You're yelling, "Go ahead, folks! HAND it to the fascists. Perpetual war is perpetual PROFIT."

Really dumb idea.

COMMENT #15 [Permalink]
... Kathleen said on 6/25/2008 @ 12:21 pm PT...

George Carlin has been one of my gurus for years along with Ram Dass and Mother Theresa. Carlin cut through the bull within seconds with a sharp intellect, trash talk and the truth. He put it and keeps it all in in perspective!

Thank you George. Rest well in the big "electron".

We are breathing your cosmic dust up our nasal passages right now

COMMENT #16 [Permalink]
... Disillusioned said on 6/25/2008 @ 1:25 pm PT...

Bye Mr. Carlin, your humor and truths will be missed.

COMMENT #17 [Permalink]
... Phil said on 6/26/2008 @ 9:00 am PT...

I know this is a little late. BUT..

I found a George Carlin Tribute on COAST TO COAST AM WITH GEORGE NOORY

"George Carlin Tribute
In remembrance of George Carlin, we present a 2-hour free streamed interview that Art Bell conducted with him in 1999. "

http://www.coasttocoasta.../shows/2008/06/24.html#g

Clip 1 Win Clip 1 Real

Clip 2 Win Clip 2 Ram

Clip 3 Win Clip 3 Ram

Clip 4 Win Clip 4 Ram

Clip 5 Win Clip 5 Ram

COMMENT #18 [Permalink]
... socrates said on 6/26/2008 @ 9:39 am PT...

#5 Agent 99

Ben Burch is a goddam bodhisattva! WTF is wrong with you? The White Rose Society is one of the best things to ever happen to the internet. Do you just imagine people who express opinions with which you don't agree are evil to cope with the dissonance, or what?

Have you taken a good look at the attacks that took place against Bev Harris and BradBlog? Imho, those were not spontaneous movements.

I do agree with you that there is a lot of dissonance, and it can get pretty darn frustrating making sense of it.

Ben Burch used to make tons of posts piling on Bev Harris. People can check it out for themselves.

Google search for Bev Harris, BenBurch, and Democratic Underground

BenBurch had sources telling him when the US is about to attack Iran?

What about his friend Andy Stephenson being connected to Mike Vreeland?

There are tons of archives people can go through to see that I am not making any of this up.

On one thread, people can read how Burch told Bev to "eat shit." Are you saying that there wasn't a coordinated attack on Bev Harris? Folks can simply do a bit of digging and see how involved BenBurch was with those unsubstantiated attacks.

The origin of the attacks on BradBlog as "conspiracy chatter" is tied in with "Wayne Madsen" and the Curtis dog story. Wayne Madsen is a convenient strawman for anyone arguing that the internet is full of unsubstantiated claims and cannot be trusted.

I want to know why the executive editor was posting side by side with a Bev Basher. I want to know whether it is because of himself that Wayne Madsen gets linked to at Raw Story.

To repeat from above, a quote from the friend of Ron Brynaert.

I'm doing the fifty states voting irregularity research, not with her

Who the heck was ~A? Why didn't he use his real name like Brynaert did?

There is so much in archives that point to some sophisticated campaign to discredit and/or convolute the election integrity movement.

So "Ben Burch" archives progressive radio shows. That's nice. But what was he doing being so chummy with Bev Bashers? Why was he posting dubious claims based on his sources?

This ~A person actually made some posts on the BradBlogToo forum. Maybe it can be figured out who he really is. I'm more interested in him than Ben Burch anyway.

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