Open thread 9/26/2024
I guess this sketch couldn’t be done today, and not just because Johnny Carson and Jay Silverheels aren’t alive anymore:
Jay Silverheels was a descendant of three Iroquois nations.
The New Neo
A blog about political change, among other things
When Late Night TV was funny, and not political. Carson was wonderful.
Just did a Wikipedia on Jay Silverheels. Interesting man. This clip shows that he had a great sense of humor. Died too young.
1. They later improved the set and the wardrobes. The matching get ups Carson and McMahon have are hideous.
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2. It’s a reminder that fifty years ago, foul language and explicit sexual references were disallowed, but humor was not. Better world then.
I so much miss the days when we could poke fun at ourselves without apology and laugh about it afterwards.
As some commenters at the Youtube remarked, Tonto was a true hero & a very handsome man. As a young girl during the TV run of The Lone Ranger, I actually liked him more than I did Kemosabe (whatever that word means).
This post references the video, without coming to any definitive conclusion (or revealing what Silverheels whispered to Carson).
https://slate.com/culture/2013/06/kemosabe-meaning-origin-and-history-of-tontos-word-in-lone-ranger.html
I’m fond of Cecil Adams, though, who sets Slate straight.
https://www.straightdope.com/21342134/in-the-old-lone-ranger-series-what-did-kemosabe-mean
Reminds me of an old joke:
The Lone Ranger and Tonto find themselves surrounded by hostile Indians. The Ranger asks Tonto: “What are we going to do, Tonto?” To which Tonto replies: “What do you mean “we,” white man?”
As with everything, there are people with viewpoints who explain jokes.
https://huntthedevil.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/what-do-you-mean-we-white-man/
FWIW, we are finally home from our summer mission in Wyoming, and glad to be back with our friends and family. I suspect it will take weeks to put the house to rights and get everything unpacked, as I intend to spend a lot of time taking naps and catching up with the news.
During the summer, I cut WAY back on my blog surfing, and I’m hoping to spend less time on the internet than I did last winter, but the prognosis is iffy on that.
As a side note, 1969-1970 was the last season I watched the Tonight Show.
My Dad and I would stay up late together when I was in high school, and it was some of the best time I spent with him. Everyone else was smart enough to go to bed at a decent hour.
As others here said, it was a show you could watch without worrying about language or topics, whether you were kids or parents.
After I left for college the next year, I had no TV, the dorms didn’t have TV, and I didn’t have time for TV anyway. After that, as a working mother, I had even less time.
And then Johnny was gone, and no one could take his place.
I would say the state of comedy today is somewhat interesting. The old mainstream outlets, the late night talk, comedy and sketch shows are of minimal relevance and will likely disappear completely within the next 10 to 15 years or so. In their place is a new generation of comedians who have gained massive followings by hosting their own podcasts on Youtube and using social media to promote themselves, and then putting out specials on the big streaming services. Guys like Mark Normand, Theo Von, Shane Gillis, Nate Bargatze, Tony Hincliffe, Tom Segura, Joe List, and many others have built huge audiences largely outside of traditional channels.
To be fair, most of these comedians are likely far, far too blue and crude for most people’s tastes around here (with the possible exception of Nate Bargatze, who works pretty clean with a sort of deadpan style). But they are all most certainly not woke and have thrived in the era of leftist puritanical cancel culture by refusing to bend the knee such scolds.
The indictment against New York Mayor Eric Adams has been unsealed. The charges include bribery, solicitation of illegal foreign campaign contributions, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The Black Bob Menendez?
Wow! That crime fighter in the WH ALWAYS gets “his” man!! (Unless that man is “The smartest guy I know”(TM), of course…)
Hold on! Is Adams really, truly Black??—I mean how do we really, truly know that he really, truly voted for Decent Joe??
P. S. The “funny” thing is that Turkey’s involved again! (Might remind one of the accusations made once upon a time against Michael Flynn and his son… No doubt a coincidence …)
Hey! Maybe Turkey really is an ally!!
at the time erdogan was very popular, he was obama’s most popular leader, a little less after 2016, thats when he did the ergonokon 2 purge against the sufi turkish leader who had helped islamicize the country, against the Kemalist military, he was a prime mover of the Arab spring against Egypt Libya and Syria,
Long story short, Adams was always against Guiliani when he was trying to save the city, I recall that from the Village voice, so I took that as a marker, maybe not
Al Sharpton in a sgts uniform but close
not Jumaane Williams, his successor well remember the cult leader in Network, thats not far off also see Isaac Hayes in Escape from New York
oh the head of the firm that Flynn, was working for has not been charged because he was senile sound familiar
Color me surprised that Jay Silverheels was actually Native American. Iron Eyes Cody and Sacheen Littlefeather were not.
Very funny and a good time was had by all.
isnt that curious, I think there are some classic carson on the pluto channel
Well, he was Canadian, First Nations (Mohawk).
https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/09/25/deterrence-not-working-against-houthis-yemens-vice-president-warns/
Progressives are a humorless bunch.
now my understanding is the lone ranger was actually based on bass reeves, who was african american or is that a misreading of things
well intelligence is not really what they are good at,
https://www.timesofisrael.com/pentagon-says-us-not-providing-intel-help-for-israeli-operations-against-hezbollah/
The Adams case is interesting. Did he commit the alleged crimes? I could see that happening. Is the indictment politically motivated because Adams strayed off the plantation? I can also see that happening. Is he a fall guy in order for the Ds to claim that “See!, The DOJ and the FBI are NOT biased!” ?
Probably all of the above. Interesting to watch the left eat their own, however.
The Lone Ranger was a great show. And Carson on Tonight is a true classic. I have a set of DVDs with the best of Carson on Tonight.
Kemosabe, that’s great. With a fireside roast, a little self-deprecating humor, does Diversity diminish.
As long as Biden/Harris is not helping Hezbollah. I’m more concerned about that but I suppose Israel has learned not to share anything with the Pentagon.
Did anyone else get an email from Medicare about open enrollment for drug plans? It sure sounds like a political ad and I don’t remember getting something like this last year, but I already deleted those emails. Sorry about the length of the message/comment, but I didn’t see a link on the Medicare website.
Can anyone else see the misinformation in this message? Trump did the lower MC price for insulin, which Biden reversed it. And the the “savings” for those drugs compare the retail price vs new MC negotiated price and not the current MC reimbursement vs the new MC negotiated price. When that list came out, I got on the MC website and input all those drugs into my drug list. The site then gave me the MC reimbursement and the savings were not that great. Medicare sets prices every year, so that claim is nothing spectacular.
Biden’s message from email:
“With Open Enrollment for Medicare around the corner, I want to make sure you’re aware of historic changes to Medicare that are lowering health care costs and ensuring that every American has the peace of mind that comes with quality, affordable health care.
Because Medicare benefits are getting stronger, it is more important than ever to look at your drug coverage for 2025 during Medicare Open Enrollment and make sure you are enrolled in the Medicare Part D plan that is best for you. You can learn more about these benefits and review your options at Medicare.gov starting in early October. Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15th through December 7th.
These historic reforms are a result of the Inflation Reduction Act that I signed into law and that Vice President Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to secure. This new law gives Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs does on behalf of our nation’s veterans and servicemembers.
Medicare has been able to cap the cost of insulin for seniors with diabetes at $35 a month for each covered insulin instead of as much as $400 a month. Recommended vaccines, like those to treat shingles, are free for people with Medicare prescription drug coverage.
Starting in January 2025, your total out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs will be capped at $2,000 a year, no matter how expensive your prescription drugs are. That means you will not pay more than $2,000 per year on prescription drugs covered under Medicare prescription drug coverage, or Part D — that includes expensive prescription drugs to treat cancer, chronic illnesses, and more.
And if you have had high drug costs in 2024 and have reached what’s called the catastrophic coverage phase, you won’t have to pay any more out of pocket.
These reforms not only save seniors money, they also save money for American taxpayers. In fact, taxpayers are expected to save $160 billion over the next decade because Medicare is now able to negotiate drug prices alongside other reforms — and we’re just getting started.
In addition to these cost-saving benefits that are in effect in 2025, Medicare recently announced that it has reached agreement with pharmaceutical companies for new, lower prices for ten of the most expensive and most frequently used prescription drugs in Medicare. These new, lower prices will go into effect in 2026, and Medicare will continue to negotiate prices for additional drugs each year for the foreseeable future.
These are just some of the ways my Administration has worked to help you save money on your health care costs and to provide a little more breathing room for you and your families.
Vice President Harris and I believe that health care should be a right, not a privilege. I encourage you to take advantage of these new, lower-cost benefits as part of stronger, better Medicare coverage that you deserve.”
As more information about the seriousness of the situation around threats to President Trump, it’s time for Americans to demand action.
It’s time for Biden to step up and make it clear to the Iranians and any other country that might benefit from the assassination of Trump that if Donald Trump is killed the US will consider that an act of war.
The shooter in Butler had three phones the FBI has still not cracked. The potential assassin in Mar-A-Lago had six phones according to Trump. Why hasn’t the FBI been able to crack these phones?
We can no longer give our government the benefit of the doubt that they seriously want to protect Trump’s life. Every crisis in the country results in more government control and authority over its citizens. Why are so many in our government seeming to be complacent about terrorist cells that have come across the southern border over the last 4 years? Is it because some in our government want another terrorist attack that will result in more government control?
It seems unfathomable that any American would use a major disruption/crisis for political/authoritarian gain. Is this what its coming to?
This is not a time for jokes: Trump senior adviser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7g7ytqIjOg
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/ottoman-american-empire
Senator Cruz running ads in Spanish against his Democrat challenger supporting trans in girl’s sports.
https://youtu.be/Jk-Q3FOmke4?si=tBbr1Re4J9RJ6wP6
quite fascinating analysis on badran’s point, I first came upon him in an american thinker piece on te Egyptian revolution,
One would hope that a certain NY DA would turn out to be involved too………..
Silverheels cut a fine figure. Where are the snows of yesteryear? I’m confessing to STILL watching Johnny Carson. And What’s My Line. And To Tell The Truth. Plus, my old school pal, a distinguished 70-something Jesuit historian, just shipped me the complete CD collection of Ramar of the Jungle. (“You steal Eye of Kreenah, you die!”)
A la recherche du temps perdu!
Sammiches get you ham sammiches
https://x.com/AlexBerenson/status/1839354506712363108
The July Badran post linked by sdferr is an eye-opener, connecting various strands of events, that up to now didn’t have any coherence that I could see, into a complex tapestry.
Whatever you thought Obama Inc. & Iran were up to, it’s worse.
However, I will be interested in seeing how the Exploding Pager Op and the current bombing of Hezbollah by Israel may cut some of those threads and ruin the Imperialists’ picture.
Jay Silverheels, great voice. I remember him in Key Largo.
What AF said.
Indeed, sdferr’s 1:34 pm link goes a long way to explaining events following Oct. 7, specifically the hog-tying of Israel’s offensive capabilities vis-a-vis Hamas and especially, until relatively recently, WRT Hezb’ullah.
But not only the events following Oct. 7.
Tony Badran clarifies the lead-up to the Hamas-Iran attack on that day** even as he explains 1) the extreme damage caused by Donald Trump to Obama’s overarching hubristic, destructive scheme; 2) the absolute necessity of ensuring that Trump would NOT be elected in November 2020; and 3) looking ahead, why Trump MUST NOT—and will not—be elected in November 2024…as if such things weren’t already pretty clear (though Badran completes the whole grotesque picture clearly and elegantly).
** N.B. For those wrestling with the mystery of why Israel was so woefully—and perversely—ill-prepared on (and for) the onslaught on Oct. 7, it has been, at least for me, difficult if not impossible to avoid the conclusion that Israel’s reliance on assurances from American intelligence reports helped orchestrate this catastrophe. Badran, soon after October 7, wrote (see link below) about American betrayal WRT events in Lebanon (i.e., Hamas/Iran planning and training) prior to the October 7 onslaught; but I don’t believe he ventured into the realm of “Biden”’s intelligence actually blind-siding Israeli intelligence and its military by persuading it to relax its guard on that darkest of dark days.
This (July) article seems to me to go a long way to support such a contention, reinforcing the view that my admittedly speculative piecing together of events, abhorrent as it is, is not only possible but is in fact very likely.
“Eyeless in Gaza“—
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/america-leaves-israel-eyeless-in-gaza
@ miguel > link to https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/09/25/deterrence-not-working-against-houthis-yemens-vice-president-warns/
That post is a very text book example of why sane people don’t turn to diplomats to get anything productive done.
The use of “calibrated strikes,” in this case against the Houthi pirates but of long and ignominious history, has never worked and never will.
The only effective deterrence to barbarian attacks is hitting back twice as hard.
Five to ten times as hard for the really obdurate.
The Yemeni VP’s complaints and suggestions remind me of watching parents with a recalcitrant toddler in a store, wheedling and asking for a cease-fire instead of taking the brat out to the car and instilling some actual discipline.
NOTE to the Woke: I raised five boys: correcting inappropriate behavior can be done without violence, but does require commitment and backbone.
As Israel is currently engaged in such an act of productive deterrence against Hezbollah, perhaps the Yemeni’s will take heed.
(Yes, I know the full situation is complex, with multiple countries stirring the pot, but the Israeli example of casting off the shackles of their “friends” is also not amiss.)
@ Barry – I read Badran’s “Eyeless in Gaza“ back in October 2023 and his analysis seemed cogent and highly likely at the time.
My favorite paragraph:
“It’s hard to argue with the notion that funding the security arm of an Iranian-backed pseudo-state run by a terror army that has murdered hundreds of Americans and targets America’s only useful military ally in the region is the furthest thing from a wise or sane investment. But the U.S. didn’t set out to fund Hezbollah’s auxiliary security services—not initially.”
With the on-going Tin Foil Hat Extravaganza of the USSS & other agencies appearing to be enabling, if not complicit, in two (or more) assassination attempts against a former president & current candidate, Badran’s view seems even more likely now.
It’s like living in an episode of The Twilight Zone authored by Tom Clancy.
isn’t it fascinating, this like the wrath of god operation, just on a larger scale
back to the dark comedy, vice is the model, although there are elements of scandal
https://thenationalpulse.com/2024/09/26/kamala-makes-up-book-of-the-bible-in-excruciating-off-script-moment/
I think she’s onto something, though.
After the Byrds hit the big time with “Turn, Turn, Turn” they probably should have at least toyed with the idea of changing the band’s name to “The Ecclesiastics”.
Well…for a month, maybe.
A week?
(A day?)
@ Liz
Got my “A message from President Biden on Medicare Open Enrollment” this morning also.
Get an “Open Enrollment for Medicare” message or two every year, but don’t remember any president having a message in it. Did think this one seemed politically orientated also…
Misinformation is all over the place right now – even here at neo’s. As far as prescription misinformation or facts goes—I don’t keep up with it since QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary) pays everything for me except $4.90 (90 day new price for 2025) generic, and $12.15 (90 day new price for 2025) on all others (rarely use it, but did have a roughly $345 prescription for Santyl that was like $11+++ earlier this month).
Wellcare sent my Classic (PDP) plan info even before the Open Enrollment info and this letter came out. Monthly premium is $0.00 and also $0.00 for yearly deductible. I’ll stay with this plan for another year…
Wasn’t “Ramar the Jungle” the same as “Jungle Jim”?
Hurricane rolling at me so not in a mood to read the article right now, but will post it here since some here do comment about it:
Forget ChatGPT: why researchers now run small AIs on their laptops
Liz: I also got that “A message from President Biden on Medicare Open Enrollment” email. Pretty blatant campaign ad with its “Vice President Harris and I believe…” editorializing. Even if its information were totally accurate, the email is highly inappropriate. But of course there will be no repercussions.
I also got the Medicare email. Highly inappropriate, in my opinion.
Karmi, all political disagreements aside, good luck with the hurricane. At last look it had 125 mph maximum winds and 23 mph forward motion. That’s going to be one heck of a storm surge.
@ Karmi – Be safe! This one looks really bad.
https://nypost.com/2024/09/25/us-news/hurricane-helene-live-updates-path-photos/
AesopFan – thanks, yes it does, and my Self has already had me prepare stuff that I don’t normally do…
Kate – thanks, and whatever source you use that said Apalachicola was more accurate than what I normally use. Kept looking, and finally tried AccuWeather which is saying St. Marks…
The center of Helene is probably around 180 mi from here and we’ve got gusts well over 40mph, possibly verging on the 50s. Toilet water has been oscillating, not to say sloshing, for 3.5 hrs now. She’s a bruiser, no question.
sdferr, I didn’t realize you were in the path of this. Best wishes.
And, ha! We just had a severe storm with tornado warning roll through our neighborhood in north suburban Raleigh, NC. No visible damage, fortunately.
Little guy likes to talk big:
Zelensky Tells U.N. Security Council Russia Must be ‘Forced Into Peace’
Does he have unlimited men and materiel? A blank check from NATO? An unchecked ego?
No, maybe, and yes.
Not path this go round, thanks be, just coastal sw fl.
“Misinformation is all over the place right now – even here at neo’s” – Karmi
This is rich, since most of the misinformation originates with Karmi.
Zelensky Tells U.N. Security Council Russia Must be ‘Forced Into Peace’
Zelensky made an incredibly stupid move by taking sides in our election. By endorsing Harris, he is practically guaranteeing that Trump, if elected, will stop support for Ukraine.
I am reminded of a similar move at Caracas Chronicles. Caracas Chronicles and the Venezuelan opposition needed and need support from as many Americans as possible. As such, neutrality in US politics would be advised. Like Michael Jordan once said, Republicans also buy sneakers. But CC Editor Francisco “Quico” Toro went off the deep end with TDS.
I doubt that Trump will throw Ukraine entirely under the bus because of this misstep by Zelensky, unwise as it was. He will put pressure on Russia, as he did before. How this would play out will depend on the situation as it exists after January 2025. I imagine the Ukrainian border incursions and strikes on Russian ammunition storage in Russia are part of the effort to make that situation as positive as possible.
Gringo:
Trump gets testy and mouthy about stuff like that, but I don’t think he changes foreign policy because of it.
O Canada!
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https://blazingcatfur.ca/2024/09/26/lunatic-ndp-mp-introduces-bill-to-criminalize-residential-school-denialism/#disqus_thread
Here is an extensive survey of citizens from European countries and Ukraine about the war.
There are a lot of contradictions, which I suppose is typical for a survey and is very dependent on how the questions were framed.
It very long, comprehensive but leaves scenarios unanswered. Would Europe keep funding the war if the US reduced it’s support? Conversely are Europeans OK with the war continuing as long as the US provides the majority of the military funding or would their support diminish?
The question on increased defense spending produced mixed answers: Support for increased defence spending because of the war in Ukraine. In per cent. Poland is the only country surveyed where a majority of respondents believed defense spending should increase because of the war.
On the question of trust that US will negotiate an end to the war without involving Ukraine: “Concern that the US will negotiate for a peace deal with Russia without involving the Ukrainian government.”
Ukrainians were evening divided with 47% strongly or partly agreeing to the statement and 49% strongly or partly disagreeing.
I’m not sure how we could negotiate an end to the war without Ukraine, since we could never force Ukraine to accept a settlement. Ukraine could continue fighting with the aid from the EU countries and they could increase their support to make up the shortfall from reduced US funding.
The meaning of sovereignty: Ukrainian and European views of Russia’s war on Ukraine
https://ecfr.eu/publication/the-meaning-of-sovereignty-ukrainian-and-european-views-of-russias-war-on-ukraine/#summary
Last I saw some 650,000 were w/o power in Fla – then my power went out at 9:38 EST. News trying to make big issue to last longer, so I’m guessing it has made landfall by now.
One site has GPS icon to click that looks like the southern eye wall has already hit land. Definitely strong winds here, but no info on how strong. Maybe strongest I’ve seen since going thru Hurricane Camille whilst in Mississippi…rain came thru block walls in that one.
Seems to be fast, so maybe it’ll be over by 1 or 1:30…
“You know it’s a serious hurricane when the local Waffle House is closed.”
https://www.mediaite.com/news/waffle-house-has-shut-down-all-its-locations-in-tallahassee-cnns-john-berman-reports-from-florida-capitol-bracing-for-hurricane-helene/
It came ashore about 10 miles west/southwest of Perry, Florida, at 11:10 p.m., according to Fox Weather. The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore relocated from the Tampa Bay area to Tallahassee earlier in the day, indicating that was the target.
There has been severe flooding in far western North Carolina.