George Carlin is a much bigger loss to America than Tim Russert

[scheming daemons]

Nobody cut through the bullshit of "the man" better than GC.

One of his quotes has been my signature line here since I joined DU.



Oligarchs, Aristocrats, and Emperors everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief that George won't be there to kick them around anymore.


RIP, George.

[Dbdmjs1022]

1. I'm not big on comparing people in situations like this , but I agree

I loved Tim Russert, but George Carlin was one of those people who comes along once in a very great while and changes the world for a lot of people. I'm proud to say that I'm growing into a cynical bastard because of GC, and loving every minute of it.

[iamahaingttta]

27. You loved Tim Russert?

Obviously, you didn't understand a single word that George Carlin said.

[book_worm]

34. you don't have to be insulting. Obviously people like different people

for different reasons.

[iamahaingttta]

41. That's true, and you're right.

However, the disconnect and unresolved contradictions within that person's psyche must be awful to live with!

[marias23]

124. Thank you for saying this.

I thought the Russert coverage was over the top. (Perhaps the news people were thinking of themselves?)

Carlin was a philosopher. RIP

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

2. fuck yeah, no doubt about that.

[GreenEyedLefty]

3. Much, much bigger.

I grew up listening to George. What a loss... <sigh>

[NC_Nurse]

4. My first thought when I heard this morning was that I hope he gets just as

much coverage and retrospective as Russert did.

It won't happen, but it should.

[shadowknows69]

5. I wouldn't pretend to judge anyone's worth in this universe

But on a personal note I agree. George definitely did more to expose the truth of things than many people like Russert whose job it was.

[cboy4]

6. I loved George Carlin....having said that, why would you

initiate a divisive thread over who is a bigger loss to America?

George is receiving far more love in death at DU than Russert did.

So I don't understand the point of this.

It's very obnoxious.

[mtnsnake]

21. I can't speak for the OPer but maybe it's because Russert got treated as if he was FDR or something

Nothing against Tim Russert at all. He seemed like a very likable guy.

It's just how fucked up the media is that it could eulogize someone like Tim Russert as if he was FDR, JFK, Muhammad Ali, or even the Pope.

Carlin, OTOH, had much more of a personal, long-lasting, and meaningful effect on my life than Tim Russert did.

[endarkenment]

31. Indeed.

It is an incredible contrast. The Beloved Toady and the Despised Jester.

[scheming daemons]

40. Thanks... that WAS my point...

[earth mom]

64. Yep, what clearer example did we need to see how screwed up the media is?!

Carlin spoke the truth and Russert did not.

[Orsino]

7. Carlin was only controlled by Carlin, Inc.

We got a lot more truth out of him, I think. Russert sometimes tried, I believe, but he was not and could not be entirely his own man.

[qazplm]

8. are we really doing this?

seriously? Comparing the worth of two people when they die?

You guys really think that makes sense or is the right thing to do?

Just praise Carlin, why drag someone else who just died into it?

[gaiilonfong]

9. What everyone seems to forget about Russert

those who say they loved him;

He was a BIG cheerleader for the war.
Libby told the jury at his trial that Mary McCheney Matalin said"Russert is the go to guy to get our point across'
The White House used MTP for their propaganda about mushrtoom clouds etc.

Shall I go on...

George carlin was a hero that spoke truth to power......Russert a shill

[Zavulon]

59. I'd like to know how many people on DU who slam Russert for being pro-war

also were more than willing to excuse Hillary for her IWR vote.

Just thinking out loud here.

[dansolo]

85. No, I am an equal opportunity slammer

Both Clinton and Russert, as well as Edwards, Kerry and Biden, get my ire for their initial support of the war.

[southern_belle]

10. Grow up. eom

[genna]

11. I believe we're all equal sons and daughters in God's eyes. n/t

I liked the strange sensibility of George Carlin. I didn't like what he had to say about faith.

[skooooo]

12. Uh...no.

Somehow I don't think God will see George Bush and Ghandi in the same light.

[genna]

113. When you see Him you can ask him whether they have more and better stature

My point is not that your good works make you divine or less so depending on how you live (that in and of itself is an article of faith).

My point is one life is equal to another. It is the reason most people who get embroiled in the abortion thing can't reason with an evangelical. The life on death row is equal to everyone else. The potential is still there to do whatever good works. Even that most heinous hateful who kills everyone is equal.

People easily use their own judgement to decide who is right and who is wrong. Cool, you have to in most social settings. However, I disagree that George Carlin's life was more substantial than Tim Russert. It is apples and oranges.

I avoided most of the threads on Tim Russert's life because most of the topics were: who cares, he didn't interview the way I like screw him, and can we get over it already... When someone dies, whether they disagree with me or not, I think it is remarkable and noteworthy.

[Arugula Latte]

47. That's what I liked best about him. He was one of the few people willing to speak the truth publicly

about religion. He didn't sugarcoat it, that's for sure. "Religion -- easily has the best bullshit story of all time. Think about it. Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man...living in the sky. Who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn't want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you. He loves you and he needs money."

Sort of a modern-day Mark Twain, who said: "Faith is believing what you know ain't so."

[earth mom]

65. Love that one!

:thumbsup:

[genna]

114. I read this this read about what Carlin had to say about Obama

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=6401290


Carlin is exactly right on a lot of lapsed idealists' perspectives. Who is more idealistic than those people who have faith? Especially with the disappointment and being removed from faith. I have listened to lapsed Catholics. They are well and truly disappointed with the whole thing and want to make sure they grab other people's idealism so we can all be in the same BOAT.

One of the reasons I liked to listen to Carlin and Bill Maher and many others is their explanation on why faith isn't so might truly be the best light into disappointment and a lack of hope.

Carlin speaking about Obama is having faith in a man who may or may not bring us any hope. I am just as interested in seeing how people are able to hold themselves together when they find out all the ways Obama is not perfect, will they say the whole hope thing has been a lie, or will they stretch themselves out more so they can catch a little more hope.

What happens to justice, mercy, kindness, and hope when it is delayed?

[goodinuf]

96. Fresh air interview today

I had some of the same feelings. Today (6-23-08) Fresh Air replayed an interview with George Carlin. About 3/4 (28 minutes) of the way into the interview he talked about what he felt about his place the universe. It sounded different than his "act" yet had his "strange sensibility." Among other thing in his answer he explained why there was nothing to be afraid of.

The link if you want to listen:
http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13

[Colobo]

13. Both Tim and Carlin were cultural icons in their own way.

[mrbluto]

122. Both dedicated to the truth.

One dedicated to sense speaking it.

One dedicated to make money spinning it.

Guess who was which.

[AllentownJake]

14. Totally Agree

As far as contributions to culture and society in general George Carlin has added more by alot.

He should have a state funeral. He was a national treasure.

[boobooday]

15. Carlin did more for free speech rights in the U.S.

Russert did more to infringe upon them.

So I totally agree with you.

[Hepburn]

16. Oh, shit....

...I have been in bed the last day or so cuz I fucked up my left knee...have not seen or heard the news. Do not get the newspapers any more either. So, I just learned today on the DU that...

...George Carlin died...:cry:

One of my most favorite people on the face of this earth. I will NEVER forget how hard I laughed ~~ tears running down my face ~~ when I heard "The Seven Words" for the first time.

George Carlin...an original...a fucking original...and a great guy!

RIP, Mr. Carlin.

[zulchzulu]

17. You and me both!

GEORGE CARLIN DIED?

Damn!

RIP George. Wow.

[Seabiscuit]

19. Oh, no! He died? I've been away from here, and away from the TV for a while.

I didn't know either.

When did he die?

[Hepburn]

25. He died yesterday, age 71 years...

...in Santa Monica, CA, (St. John's Hosp) of heart failure. Had been admitted the night before for chest pains and he had a history of heart problems.

:cry:



THE GOOD DIE YOUNG....RIP, George...

[Seabiscuit]

35. Thank you. n/t

[provis99]

139. well, George was old

He had a big spiel about how he hated the idea that people feared getting old. Especially zinged the idea that a person could be "90 years young".

The good die old, too.

[themaguffin]

18. Let's not do that.

[mtnsnake]

20. George Carlin was a national treasure who made us laugh like nobody else.

When you think of the word "Liberals", you better be thinking of Carlin. Nobody will ever be able to top Carlin when it comes to that rare combination of making us laugh and delivering important messages.

Russert was a nice guy, but it's crazy that he got eulogized for over a week and treated like he was a past president or something. If Russert got eulogized for a week, Carlin should get the same treatment for a year.

RIP, George. You were my favorite comedian of all time, a real master of your trade. This is TRULY a sad day, and there will be no replacements for you.

On edit: I loved all of George's routines, but one of my alltime favorites was his spiel that he did about golfers and golf courses some time ago. It was one of his funniest ever, and his environmental message was supreme.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

22. ABSOLUTELY

[zulchzulu]

23. MP3: Listen to George on Dennis Miller talking about the military

http://instruct.uwo.ca/mit/204f/audio/carlin-military.mp3

RIP George. You will be sorely missed, brother.

[crickets]

108. WOW

THANK YOU! I'd never heard that one, and it's a classic and a keeper. (Naturally.)

:thumbsup:

George, you were the BEST. Cutting satire at its finest.

[symbolman]

24. Goddam Right its a bigger loss, no question about it..

Ive never been so repulsed by the Media in 8 years of running Takebackthemedia.com than by the canonization of that Traitorous Corporate Sparrowfart..

Carlin was a Human Being, Russert was a Corporate Sludge product whose gravesite should have been designated a Superfund site..

But of course someone who actually shares TRUTH is not to be lauded by them under any circumstance, that's why Russert and others were able to bring us Bush as installed Viceroy.

Thanks for mentioning this, all you Russert Lovers need to wake the fuck UP.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[eldixon]

26. both

deaths are very Sad

[KittyWampus]

28. Only an asshole would start a thread with such a tasteless sentiment.

[endarkenment]

32. I am spartacus!

[sandnsea]

38. What's tasteless about it?

I agree. If anybody deserves wall to wall coverage, it's George Carlin. Everybody loved him, across the political spectrum.

[ieoeja]

61. George Carlin would have started a thread with such a tasteless sentiment.

So I find this rather appropriate.

[Reterr]

92. !

Perfect!

[Triana]

29. Yep. Carlin told the TRUTH. n/t

[DFW]

33. Here's Carlin's take on recent presidents:

"If there were only one cherry pie in the world, and Bill Clinton owned it, I might get a piece of it.
If Bush or Reagan owned it, you'd have to kill them to get a piece of pie. "

Find me a Russert quote that sums them up THAT well and THAT quickly. No such animal.

[Renew Deal]

36. This is a dumb post.

You can't compare the two. One was a newsman and the other a comedian.

[texanwitch]

49. Tim just said what he was told to say, Carlin spoke the truth.

I just don't get the hero worship of Timmy, he didn't earn it.

[Guaranteed]

73. He was hit and miss, with more hits than misses, as far as truth.

He wasn't that great.

[Guaranteed]

72. I agree. And Carlin, while an interesting man, was not really all that funny

or even that politically insightful.

[JVS]

111. I think it depends on era. His old stuff seems good. I liked his book Napalm and Silly putty...

but his act got less funny as he aged. Then again Andy Kaufmann probably would have been less funny if people had started acting like he was some kind of wizened sage.

Carlin's poltics, especially not voting since 1972, were idiocy dressed up as hip sophistication, and could be seen as a microcosm of how the right wing came to dominate politics after the hippies moved on because they considered it kids' stuff.

[rhett o rick]

100. That wasn't the comparason being made. Russert was loved by the rich and powerful. While Carlin

was loved by the rest of us.

[democrat2thecore]

109. That's absurd. Only the rich & powerful liked Tim?

You should have read the threads and posts right after Tim Russert died - before the purity police showed up to "correct" everyone.

[rhett o rick]

131. I stand corrected. Tim Russert was loved by the rich and the gullible. Better??

If you haven't noticed we are well into a class war. Some of the lower class don't understand this and want to pretend that all is well. They want to like the rich that are killing this country. Tim Russert may have been a nice guy, I don't know and you most likely don't either, but he didn't do his job. The media isn't supposed to be lacky's for the rich. He was one of them, he kissed their asses and never asked the tough questions. He failed us. But the establishment honored him as a saint. Of course they did.

Speaking of the purity police, to me they're the one's that won't allow anyone to tell the truth of the dead.

Here is how our corp-media asks questions of our government: "Mr. Cheney, why did we invade Iraq?". Cheney's response: "Because they where bad". Corp-media journalist (so called), "Well I guess that clears that up. How about you and the wife coming over for barbecue this weekend your holiness?".

Need I remind you that over 300,000 Iraqi children have been brutally murdered. And our corp-media is in bed with the killers.

If I sound bitter then good. Our media failed us. The Russerts and Gibsons and Snofalofagus are far worse the the O'Reillies, Limbaughs and Hannitys. They pretend to be fair while all along carry the water for their rich friends.

[democrat2thecore]

145. I just have to disagree. We can move on. -nt

[rhett o rick]

146. Ok and thanks for the polite discussion nm

[Faith No More]

116. No, one was a comedian,

the other was a joke.

[Medusa]

128. I'm not making any comedian, entertainer or journalist my hero

NONE of them deserve it. Not a single one.

[theboss]

37. Carlin was 71

Which is 119 in drug years.

This is a dumb game, but Carlin lived a full life and one wouldn't argue that he left a lot of work undone.

[tabasco]

39. Absolutely correct. Carlin had principles and kept them his entire life.

Russert was a gutless do-boy and Cheney's mouthpiece.

I am truly saddened that George Carlin has left us. I hope he is in a better place.

[Phx_Dem]

42. What is the point of

comparing dead people, other than one more opportunity to diss Russert? I guess we can only be sad about one dead person, so we have to pick the best dead man.

[scheming daemons]

43. Not dissing Russert at ALL. I'm just saying... if TJR deserved a week of wall-to-wall.....then...

Carlin deserves a month.

[Hokie]

69. This is a very valid point

Considering that there was a non-stop 6 day love fest memorial for Russert and Carlin will be ignored after today. It is very valid comparison to make.

[depakid]

140. They were media personalities

One we're better off without, another who demonstrated integrity and made us self reflect, even though he grew cynical toward the end.

In my mind, the contrast couldn't be clearer or more apropos.

[Rowdyboy]

44. I didn't realize it was a contest.....

I respected both men for entirely different reasons. I mourn the loss of both. Since I never knew either of them personally I have no reason to say one death affected me more than another. Both are sad. At least Carlin got a dozen more years of life than Russert.

[dave123williams]

45. Significantly larger loss.

Two big cats, for sure, but Carlin is a Titan compared to Russert.

Interesting today that the media focus on his death was not on the two generations of standups that he broke ground for; just the seven dirty words thing.

One wanker on MSNBC just now said that the significance of Carlin's Supreme Court case was that it re-affirmed the FCC's right to regulate....not that it drew a stark line between 'indecent' and 'obscene'.

I'm...so fucking sick of the MSM spin. Sick of it.

[bunnies]

46. I dont know which is more fucked up...

this post... or the amount of recs. wow.

[itsrobert]

48. Russert was the larger loss

He had to have at least 100 lbs on Carlin.

[samsingh]

50. i completely agree.

i'm going to miss George Carlin.

Great man.

[Blue_In_AK]

51. I know his loss affects me far more deeply.

George Carlin spoke truth. I will miss him.

[BrklynLib at work]

52. Could not agree more....

:thumbsup:

[ClassWarrior]

53. RIP George.

Tater Tits... Cheese Tits... Betcha can't eat just one!...

:D

NGU.

[jgraz]

54. So we should expect TWO weeks of wall-to-wall coverage on MSNBC

Yeah, right. :argh:

[scheming daemons]

56. Maybe on Comedy Central?

[sourmilk]

55. What more could Carlin want?

He's going to a place where he can kick the shit out of Nixon every day FOR ETERNITY.

R I P

[scheming daemons]

57. Um.... if you even knew 1% about who Carlin was, you would not have said that...

He was an unabashed atheist who believed there is no "place" to go after you die.

Other than in the ground to rot.


See his last HBO special. There is no "up there" or "eternity" according to Carlin.


If he could read what some people are writing about him (and he can't, because in his own words - he's DEAD... not "passed on" or "up there" or "in a better place"... DEAD), he'd be laughing at the irony of it.

[JVS]

106. IT'S A TRAP!

To find Nixon's ass, you'd have to be in HELL!

[mrbluto]

136. No! Carlin isn't going to hell!

Take what you said back! B(

Maybe a Nixon effigy.

Maybe he'll get to visit hell 9-5.

Yeah - that's the ticket.

He'll get to visit hell 9-5 and then go back to heaven and kick back after a hard day of razzing Nixon.

There.

Now I feel better.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

58. Agreed

Ornery MF that he was. RIP George.

[BklynChick]

60. definitely

[TexasObserver]

62. Yes indeed, and it's not close!

Carlin's life was a positive contribution to Americana.

Russert's life was to be an overblown water boy for the power elite.

[Reterr]

93. Dead right (pun not intended).eom

[BlueStater]

63. Posts like this make us seem like a bunch of assholes

They don't help our cause at all.

[Guaranteed]

74. Or a bunch of uncritical uber-liberals.

Carlin was right about some stuff but pretty close-minded at the same time. He was far from perfect.

[earth mom]

66. Agree with you 100% K & R!

Interesting how we rarely heard George on the airwaves in recent years. No doubt the powers that be didn't want the people to hear any kind of truth spoken!

RIP George... :cry:

[Zomby Woof]

67. No question

Absolutely. The media coverage will be inversely proportional to their cultural contribution.

[sniffa]

68. Not true. My Uncle Saul was more of a loss

He was a good guy.

[JVS]

105. I miss uncle Saul!!!!!!

:cry:

Official ranking:

Saul -- Huge loss. End of the world type shit, truly.

Carlin -- Meh, he'd done his thing. He wasn't doing groundbreaking work, and everyone has got to die. He belongs to the ages now, etc.

Potato Head -- Never cared for him. Next!

[Raine]

70. Disagree

I don't like ranking people's value against each other.

[emilyg]

75. Thank you.

[Generator]

71. My thoughts exactly

There must be a better place than this fuckwadtarding planet. Soon-we will all join him like it or not.

[D23MIURG23]

76. I think of Russert as a personal loss for his family and friends

including those in the MSM. I don't think the quality of our media will suffer much for his loss.

[Ken Burch]

77. Agreed. George Carlin may have been the closet thing any of us will see to Voltaire

He was the latest(and possibly the last) in a long series of blasphemous renegade Catholic comic and literary geniuses.

[Condem]

78. Sorry

Not even fucking close. Carlin was overrated.

[LibertyorDeath]

79. "Not even fucking close"

Is your post a Joke or are you or both.

0.0000000000000000001% of the World agrees with you

You Fucking Wanker!

Hope you enjoy your minuscule minority status slagging off George Carlin.

It's fucking Criminal.......

[Jade Fox]

80. Carlin was a giant who left an indelible mark on the culture.....

he lived in for 71 years, and he greatly influenced most of the comics who came after him.

No slam on Russert, but he's likely to be remembered most for the inappropriate circus the media made of his untimely death.

[defendandprotect]

81. Yep!! On the one hand we have Carlin . . a truth teller . . . on the other . . . Russert ---

[BlueStater]

84. I don't think you're in any position to judge Russert's worth as a human being

For all his faults as a journalist, Russert had a lot of family and friends including the liberal hero Keith Olbermann.

We really need to stop this shit. Seriously.

[stevietheman]

87. Judging is a part of being human, and Russert was Bush's soldier. It's history. n/t

n/t

[defendandprotect]

97. I'm commenting on his value as a "journalist" and member of the corp-press . . .

this has nothing to do with "family or friends" -- that's a PERSONAL loss and my

sympathies to them ---


Your sensitivity is misplaced ---

Your interest would be better concerned with our nation --- not a celebrity journalist -

I agree --- this shit you're posting should stop ---

seriously!

You might also begin by trying to tolerate other opinions ---

[BlueStater]

99. There's a difference between tolerating your opinion and respecting it

I don't repsect it which is why I spoke out. I thought it was tacky and you're certainly not alone in this thread either as far as tackiness is concerned.

[defendandprotect]

129. You didn't only "speak out" . . . you're saying "shut up" . . . . there's a difference --

which you don't seem to get ---

Who's asking for your "respect," anyway -- ?

You obviously don't understand up from down from what you're saying here --

Russert's "career" was based on kissing right-wing ass ---

that's what he did for a living ---

Obviously, you don't like hearing that --

but that's how he earned his daily bread.

CARLIN, on the other hand, was freeing people's minds from right-wing authoritarianism --

CARLIN, was a blessing to the planet ---

IF . . . we wake up in time.

[sellitman]

82. Why the fuck do you have to twist a tribute into something discusting?

Both men were Giants in their own right.

That's all that's nessasary.

[defendandprotect]

130. Yes . . . the history books will be reporting . . .

the 10 DAYS that Russert died . . . !!!

[trickyguy]

83. Truely the end of and era of comedy and scholarship. George knew

what was going on and was not afraid to say so.

[stevietheman]

86. No question, you are right. Carlin = GREAT; Russert = mediocre. n/t

n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

88. Russert worked for a TV network, naturally TV networks are going to pay more attention to their own

Now if Walter Cronkite gets less coverage than Russert when his time comes, that will be a travesty.

[Connonym]

89. If we're going to have a contest I'd like to submit every dead soldier

massive flooding and wild fires as being far more important than Russert or Carlin. I love Carlin but really there's a hell of a lot of worse shit we need to concern ourselves with than his demise because, dude, we ALL die eventually.

[JFN1]

90. Damn right

I cut my political teeth listening to Carlin - love that guy. And an incredibly nice guy - I got to meet him once in, of all places, Peoria, IL, after he did a show there back in '92 or '91. Down to earth, genuine, and in no hurry to distance himself from gushing fans (mostly me).

Sure gonna miss him...

[greyghost]

91. Carlin's loss is a loss to humanity.

[quakerboy]

94. Tim who?

I am still trying to figure this out. Why is this man any more important than any one of the thousands of soldiers who have died in the past 40 years? Why do I need retrospectives on this man over the many hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians killed in various countries over the course of my life?

[Danieljay]

95. For fucks sake, have some respect. Good God, whatever your opinions about either one...

death is death. Its tragic for both and its tragic for both of their families. Grow up.

[stlsaxman]

98. Ding ding ding ding ding!!!!!! and "The Understatement Of The Year" Award goes to....

"scheeeeeemiiiiiiiing daemoooooooooooons!!!!!"

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[anitar1]

101. I am sad that George is no longer here. He has been my

all time favorite radical. I love the guy. RIP--where ever you are.

[bjobotts]

102. Disagree. They'll miss him too as he could make them see themselves and laugh

[liberalla]

103. I agree! Carlin was an original. A ground breaker.

Russert was a manufactured talent/executive. Like most talk show hosts, he had his devoted followers. However, I don't think he offered an original or unique perspective in the political talk show derby.

I have great fondness for George Carlin. He was wonderful. May he "rest in peace" as he works on new material for his next audience.

[MrSlayer]

104. Hear Hear!

If Russert had the balls to tell the harsh truths Carlin did, he would be high in my esteem as well. Carlin is on the Mount Rushmore of comedians.

[Guava Jelly]

107. I agree! The only problem I have with Carlin is that he never voted

but still commented about social issues.
Besides that. Love the man

[Major Hogwash]

110. Hahahahahaha.

After reading all the comments made by George's fans in this thread, I was surprised that someone didn't say "Oh yeah? Fuck you!" with a New York accent the way George would have!

This is a great thread.
Thanks for starting it.
I have been bummed out all day thinking about George passing away.
It's like I've lost my father all over again.

[theFrankFactor]

112. Handily!

[AngryOldDem]

115. Ah...the zero-sum game continues on DU.

Honest to God, sometimes this place gives me nightmares of my junior high days when popularity was all and if you weren't part of the in-crowd you might as well not have existed.

How this got so many recs (other than the Russert jealousy/hatred/burnout factor) is beyond me, but that seems to be a common occurrence here anymore.

Don't build up one by tearing down the other. Ultimately, it diminishes both. No recs here for this.

[jules1962]

119. Gotta agree angryolddem

Nobility of the spirit is not measured by the depth of one's depravity; it is derived from the compassion of one's inner soul.

One definintion of liberalism is compassion. Not seeing much of that here.

[ShortnFiery]

121. No compassion for "the connected" who help breed abject poverty and fear.

At least we have an inkling regarding which personas will readily volunteer for Modern America's equivalent to "The Gestapo" should we fully slip over the edge into FASCISM. :scared: :nuke:

[ShortnFiery]

120. Instead of playing our nanny - why don't you just leave if we are so gawd awful bad?

WOW! The "nannisms" are EXACTLY what George Carlin (and many of us here) loathe.

What you fail to pick up on is that THE ULTIMATE BEAUTY of "free speech" is it's capacity to "Comfort the afflicted while afflicting the comfortable."

Russert was intelligent but a spring-butt for the ruling elite. The forgoing was not motivated out of jealousy but more out of disappointment and/or disgust that "the people" would elevate a journalist who works to keep Americans ignorant of the facts while spoon feeding them eloquent BULLSHIT.

Russert didn't challenge the Ruling Elites in this country because he socialized and received "his orders" from these ghouls.

Live with your head in the sand if you wish, but the truth is out there if you CHOOSE to not believe all that is fed to you via the M$M television cable networks.

Again, Russert was an intelligent, politically connected COWARD.

George Carlin was "an outcast" - but a man who was not afraid to reveal harsh truths.

Perhaps when Dennis Kucinich passes into the next world - he can share a suite in Heaven with George Carlin? ;) Now that would be one excellent "buddy team" for justice.

[BlueStater]

143. Last time I checked this forum was for everybody

Not just those who feel the need to rip on one dead human being while mourning another.

[ourbluenation]

144. no recs from me either. It's like comparing apples and oranges....

carlin was funny as hell and insightful. he also didn't vote which is funny since he complained so much about politics. the one, simple opportunity in having a say and he pissed it away.

russert was a journalist who pols from both side said was fair. he was a great father and hubby by all accounts but seemed to support the iraq war.

they both had ups and downs but comparing them in terms of loss is juvenile.

[ShortnFiery]

117. Yes, I was thinking very similar thoughts ... we obsess over "celebrity"

but barely note the passing of a man of true insight and GENIUS.

Although Carlin never finished college and smoozed with the wealthy and connected, I admire him exponentially more than "trained seals" such as journalists without the courage to challenger "the ultra-powerful" ruling class of this nation.

As much as I respect Keith Olbermann, IMO, Russert was "a coward" butt-boy for the ruling status-quo. The truly *heroic* courage was demonstrated via blunt hard hitting comedic genius of George Carlin. In other words, the unabashed speaking of TRUTH to arrogant POWER is the "true measure" of an American Patriot that our founding Ancestors would have treasured.

May God Bless and hold George Carlin dear ... he spoke the unvarnished *truth* through his comedy. :loveya: :patriot:

[izzybeans]

118. I can't disagree. I cried. "A real American hero." :he says in a deep ironic sounding voice:

Ah fuck it.

I'm just a big fan.

Fuck.

[raccoon]

123. I'd rec this if I could. nt

[OneBlueSky]

125. that may well be true, but why mention it? . . .

they're both gone, and whatever their contributions (or lack thereof) to American culture will become evident over time . . . now is not the time to do these kinds of comparisons, though . . . now is the time to wish them both well on their journeys and to extend condolences to their loved ones . . .

[WinkyDink]

126. I don't think either of them was.

[Phred42]

127. Excellent! I was just thinking that last night.

Good on ya!

:toast:

[Quixote1818]

132. Carlin forced people to think outside the box. A true genius! Much greater loss than Russert

Thank god his You-tube videos will live on and impact people for many years to come. I am sure he was one who did impact a large portion of the population to help this country become more secular and better ant critical thinking.

[chieftain]

133. A-FUCKING-MEN !!!. God I loved the man. RIP to the

funniest, most insightful commentator on contemporary American life.

[fadedrose]

134. Agreed, he was somewhat of a trailblazer....he had courage

[Runcible Spoon]

135. agreed. n/t

[NoodleyAppendage]

137. Agreed. But, Carlin wasn't a media insider, so his life doesn't count as much. n/t

J

[Jed Dilligan]

138. It's fucking bizarre beyond the point of lunacy

that these two men are even being compared. What, because they died around the same time?

:crazy:

[depakid]

141. The contrast couldn't be more instructive

Think about it.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

142. George the truth teller is dead. RIP, George.

But Al Sleet LIVES!!! :D :toast: :bounce: :toast: