LENO sounds like a Fundie in this quote

[UTUSN]

**********QUOTE********
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08052009/gossip/cindy/aura_of_wickedness_prevails_183039.htm?page=0

JAY Leno: "Hurricanes, tornadoes, rag ing fires, mudslides, tsunamis, flooding, earthquakes, severe thunderstorms, swine flu, terrorist attacks, poverty, hunger, unemployment, what a great time to try and take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance" . . .

********UNQUOTE********



The rest of the column is about evil spirits as seen by many different (drug-addled?) celebrities.

[FLAprogressive]

1. I thought that was a part of a RW chain email that was debunked?

[meegbear]

5. You are CORRECT, oh great one!

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/hitnail.asp

[UTUSN]

9. O.K., let's go step by step.

1) The paragraph quote in the O.P.'s link does, indeed, attribute more to LENO than is strictly his, due to (by YOUR link) multiple e-mailing errors.

2) But your own SNOPES link DOES attribute the punch line about not removing God from the Pledge to LENO.

3) The error in the O.P. link doesn't change MY assertion that LENO sounds like a Fundie in the part of the quote that SNOPES determined is fully LENO's.

from your own SNOPES link:

**********QUOTE********

Origins: In September 2005, the U.S. was still reeling from the physical, emotional, and political fallout of Hurricane Katrina (and several other recent severe storm), and national debate was goi ongoing about the Pledge of Allegiance and the appropriateness of its reference to the U.S. as one nation "under god." That month comedian Jay Leno riffed on the emotional climate of American in one of his Tonight Show opening monologues:

SNOPES QUOTES LENO: As you know Hurricane Rita is heaqded toward Florida, Texas and Louisiana. Antother hurricane! It's like the ninth hurricane this season. Maybe this is not a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance. UNQUOTE of SNOPES/LENO.


....Craig R. Smith ... essay... ....However, only the last sentence originated with the lantern-jawed comedian; the rest (of the essay) is the work of someone else (Craig R. Smith)


********UNQUOTE********

[DevonRex]

2. I can't stand Leno. Yuck. nt

[UTUSN]

3. His wife is a fantastic Lib. I think he tries to appear to play it down the middle but

this quote makes me wonder.


Ah!1 My faithful UnRekk-er has reported for duty!1 So EARLY in the day, too!1

[Enthusiast]

14. He has a kitteh.

Just sayin'

[Political Tiger]

4. That's another internet hoax.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dubiousquotes/a/jay_leno_2.htm

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/hitnail.asp

[UTUSN]

10. See my Post #9 (above). My O.P., about sounding Fundie, stands. n/t

[Political Tiger]

13. Well, I've never been much of a fan of Leno

but I think this "fundie" sounding quote....or to be more accurate....punchline, was just another one of his lame jokes.

I believe this was all during the time when that guy (can't remember his name} was suing to remove God from the pledge, so I think Leno was just taking the current events of the day and trying to make a joke of it. I'm not trying to defend Leno because like I said I've never really been a fan, but I see no evidence that he's a fundie.

Either way, I do believe God should be taken out of the pledge.

[UTUSN]

17. I, too, believe his punchline was a lame joke PANDERING to his older wingnut audience

And *I* never intended to extend ONE quote to his entire life's philosophy, although his open door to Dennis MILLER and that ilk irritates me.

What I said was that the God/Pledge quote of HIS (thank you, SNOPES), SOUNDED FUNDIE. I didn't say HE IS.

Either way, I also believe God should be taken out of the Pledge, and in fact think that PLEDGES OF LOYALTY are not for me, either!1


And I myself am frequently guilty of posting responses (not referring just to you) without being precise about what the o.p. said.

[sharp_stick]

6. You'd think even a birdcage rag like the post

would think to check Snopes before putting this kind of shit down. Then again, it is the Post so nobody really cares.

[UTUSN]

11. See my Post #9 (above). & about the Rag,

Here's the Disclaimer I usually post whenever I use political tidbits from its gossip pages, when I'm challenged ad nauseum with the same content:



THE PROBLEM WITH A DISCLAIMER is its coming off as defensive, especially when it's preemptive. Trouble is, it's damned if do/don't: NOT including it first results in the predictable problems.

DISCLAIMER re: linking to the NY Post (for to head-off highly predictable, OT/hijacking posts):: Yes, it is a RAG. Yes, it is owned by NewsCorp/Faux's MURDOCH. No, he doesn't Dictaphone content to his gossip columnists. No, "gossip" does NOT equate to "UNtruth" (OR with "triviality" for that matter). These old time gossipers are more journalistically reliable than Tweety and such ilk. Frequently, political tidbits are here first, later to show up in more "respectable" venues. Keep friends close, enemies closer. Cherrypicking intel results in self-fulfilling FALSENESS. I got hooked on these gossipers when they were on the
E!1 network and, when they were cancelled, tracked them down and they happened to be at THE RAG (NY Post). ALL I read at THE RAG are the gossip and the horoscope. On Edit: If this disclaimer is NOT ENOUGH, if you don't like this o.p., PLEASE just click OUT without leaving your any-further-a(doo-doo)!1

[Jennicut]

7. Its a total lie. I think Leno is more liberal then conservative.

Its just his audience is more middle of the road to conservative, being older. Conan attracts the younger crowd.

[UTUSN]

12. What's a "total lie" --- that in MY OPINION the God/Pledge thingy sounds Fundie?!1

I also said that (MY OPINION), he tries to appear to be down the middle. Is THAT a "lie"? He tends to go out of his way to include Ahhhhnuld, Dennis MILLER, GHOULiani and many other (unsavory to me) types, ALONG WITH guests I politically like.

So if, as you say, "his audience is more middle...to conservative, being older," so then what I said about his trying to appear "middle" is correct.

It's the word "LIE" that I'm reacting to, and going out of my way to try not to take offense. Since the word "lie" is not attached to anything or anybody, I don't know what to make of it, but it sounds ugly.

[Jennicut]

16. No, it sounded like Snopes had debunked it but if not then who knows?

I do think he tries to play to his audience. I am not really into Leno...I only really watch Conan and Jon Stewart and Colbert of course. Leno is a bit dull in trying to appeal to everyone but I wouldn't say he comes off as a big time conservative at all.

[Kceres]

8. I read somewhere--and I can't back this up--that he considers himself

to be pretty middle-of-the-road politically. I got to where I just watched "Headlines" on Monday then turned him off.

[dorkulon]

15. I'd like to take the flag out of the pledge.

Why am I pledging allegiance to a cloth design? Do I have to follow anyone who manages to appropriate this symbol? Makes no sense.

[trayfoot]

18. I have ALWAYS felt that Leno was very much a

right-winger. I chose to watch Letterman on that basis.