Disqus - Latest Comments for JDFrancis

Re: Sanctimonious Liar Sarah Palin Should Apologize to David Letterman

JDFrancis — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:04:49 -0000

I don't think Mr. Letterman should change anything.

I think that we NEED people making jokes about our leaders. When Sarah Palin made the choice to run for Vice President, she asked us to accept her on the highest level.

If we are forced by various factions to censor ourselves regarding those who wish to rule us, then we are lost.

Sarah Palin asked us to trust her with the Presidency. She followed up by putting her pregnant, young daughter squarely in the public eye.

If we have to pull back to respect a figure that aims for our complete trust, then we have turned into the biggest douchebag republic on the face of the earth.

And, worst of all, we've made humor dirty. Humor reveals things that slip by in our daily lives. That's why we _laugh_ at humor. Laughter is necessary.

And there would not be any Sarah/Bristol Palin jokes if PEOPLE DIDN'T WANT THEM.

Do you think these late night entertainers tell Palin jokes just to amuse themselves?

We want to hear these jokes! We love it when the powerful are ridiculed! If the people didn't want to hear these jokes, they would never be told! Do you love your Hillary and Bill Clinton jokes? Well, then understand why the person who wanted to be a heartbeat away from our country gets razzed every now and then.

Sarah Palin never should have run for Vice President if she can't deal with the heat. She obviously can't handle any criticism... god forbid any criticism comes from one of our enemies.

Re: Sanctimonious Liar Sarah Palin Should Apologize to David Letterman

Mike Hicks — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:40:36 -0000

Unfortunately, in her mother's eye (as well as mine, as I have children), Bristol is still a child. I will agree with you in that situation definately does not afford her the luxury of making too many mistakes, nor preaching to the others the virtues of morality. It is one she has placed herself in. But going back to the Letterman joke. There is no denial that his intent was to go after Bristol. Unfortunately, he got it wrong, and Willow was the child at the game. Perhaps he should hire a private investigator along with his numerous writers so that he would know and understand which child to go after next time.

Re: Sanctimonious Liar Sarah Palin Should Apologize to David Letterman

JDFrancis — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:16:04 -0000

I reject the idea that these comedians have made fun of "the Palin children." None of these comedians have purposefully gone after anyone other than Bristol. Bristol is old enough to vote and serve in the military, and hasn't exactly shied from the spotlight.

I believe the real outrage here is the fake opportunism in pretending Letterman was talking about Willow, and the subsequent "pedophile" and "pervert" jibes. Obviously, Conan's similar joke where 7-year-old Piper was involved was even worse, but we heard nothing.

I respect the debate about making jokes at the expense of innocent family members, but in this case, it was opportunistic fake outrage that was the driving force behind the argument, with Letterman being the whipping boy when so many others on all sides could be substituted for him.

Re: Sanctimonious Liar Sarah Palin Should Apologize to David Letterman

Mike Hicks — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:48:05 -0000

Yes, it should be standard. Why do we feel the need to have to resort to using a politicians child for jokes?? In my opinion, the politicians themselves provide enough fodder for late night humor.

Limbaugh was wrong for bringing Chelsea into the fray. She, like the Palin children or the Obama children, did not ask to be placed into the spotlight.

The point I am making is that Gov Palin, on her own merit, should provide all of the jokes that Letterman would ever need.

How has it gotten to the point where the children of public figures have become free game? Correct me if I am wrong, but I haven't found any information on reporters, comedians, and the like, ever making fun of JFK's children when he was president. Nothing on Roosevelt's children; even Nixon's children. Why? I fully believe that it would never have been tolerated during those time periods, unlike today. Is it any wonder why the country is in the shape it is in?

There has been a line of respect that has been destroyed, and it has been instigated by both sides of the isle, democrats and republicans, liberals and conservatives. Is it any wonder why more and more americans have today, more than ever, registered themselves as independents?

Re: Sanctimonious Liar Sarah Palin Should Apologize to David Letterman

JDFrancis — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:20:38 -0000

By your standard, every late night comedian would have to retire, and Rush Limbaugh would have to quit for calling a then 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton the "White House dog."

Admittedly, a lot of the Bristol Palin jokes have to do with the Republican party's long standing opposition to birth control, as well as the propensity for many Republicans to be sanctimonious about family values (see John Ensign's behavior during the Lewinsky scandal).

I respect your belief that we should not make fun of Bristol Palin, but comedians have been doing this ever since Palin hit the national stage. If the Palins wanted this battle, it should have happened a long time ago, which makes this recent Letterman argument seem manufactured and arbitrary.

But we saw this before with the "lipstick on a pig" fiasco. Obama--like Letterman--wasn't talking about what Palin said he was talking about, but she used it as an excuse to play the victim card and get sympathy. Palin complains a lot, which doesn't strike me as very presidential.

Re: Sanctimonious Liar Sarah Palin Should Apologize to David Letterman

Mike Hicks — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:14:30 -0000

Doesn't matter who did the joke (or jokes), in my opinion it was in poor taste. Such a public figure such as Mr Letterman should always, always exercise better judgement. As a father, I could care less who did the joke, as I would be equally upset. Why is there such a need to go after the daughters?? They are not the persons running for office, or holding any type of office. President Obama's two daughters do not hold any office, and they should definately not be in any discussions when it comes to how an individual feels about the President or his policies.

If Mr Letterman, or any comedian, has resorted to reaching down this far down into the barrel for jokes, then perhaps it is time for those individuals to retire from show business. Politicians provide enough material so that their children do not need to placed into the fire.

Re: Sanctimonious Liar Sarah Palin Should Apologize to David Letterman

JDFrancis — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:40:09 -0000

I don't think the joke requires the daughter to actually be at the game to be told. I think it was more of an excuse to make an Alex Rodriguez joke.

Jokes like these are made all of the time. Conan O'Brien made this joke:

Saturday night, Sarah Palin is going to drop the first puck at the Philadelphia Flyers' hockey game. Then Palin will spend the rest of the game trying to keep the hockey players out of her daughter's penalty box.

Willow and 7-year-old Piper were at that game. Bristol wasn't even there, and Bristol was 17 (thus underage) at the time. Was Conan knowingly talking about hockey players raping Piper? Of course not.

Sometimes, comedians embellish a little bit to make a joke better. To hold each joke to some kind of rigorous fact-checking is absurd.

If you do want to demonize Letterman, then you need to go after Conan too.

Re: Sanctimonious Liar Sarah Palin Should Apologize to David Letterman

JDFrancis — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:30:48 -0000

I can't vouch for the rest of the left-wing, but I'll admit I get a little worked up (and sometimes a bit rude) when I see something I believe to be unjust.

Also, if you want to see some hate, watch the above video at the "Fire Dave" rally. One woman called Dave's son a "bastard" and his wife a "slut." Another said Dave wants to "rape children with his mouth."

Give me a break.

Re: Sanctimonious Liar Sarah Palin Should Apologize to David Letterman

JDFrancis — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:24:01 -0000

test

Re: Matt Drudge Attempts to Start Race War

JDFrancis — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:28:01 -0000

You are preaching to the converted here, but it Drudge's continued impact on the mainstream media can't be ignored. Just ask WaPo's Chris Cillizza.

It's a mystery to me too, really. I think more than credibility, he has influence over the mainstream media, and the fact that a man with no credibility is so revered says a lot about the current state of the MSM.

Re: Bigger, longer & uncut: The second Microsoft Seinfeld ad

Josh Cohen — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:00:06 -0000

I don't think these ads are going anywhere. They don't need to. Not all advertisements need be filled with conspicuous praise or enumerate the benefits of the product they're promoting.

Bill Gates is Microsoft. Having him play the character of lovable geek will make viewers associate happy thoughts with the brand. The last thing Microsoft needs is a tutorial of one of its new offerings. These advertisements do a fantastic job of pushing the company's image into a new, different direction.

The fact that Bill Gates doesn't officially work for Microsoft anymore is negligible. 90% of the people watching won't know that and the other 10% wont' care.

This also isn't the first time Seinfeld's been in a big budget commercial about nothing for a Fortune 100 company. His Superman series with Amex was amazing:

- http://www.wddg.com/projects/superman_seinfeld/

There was a touch more product integration in those, but not much. Giving people the opportunity to associate Amex with being awesome was way more important than any sort of product specs.

Re: Bigger, longer & uncut: The second Microsoft Seinfeld ad

JDFrancis — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:34:46 -0000

Yeah, they are extremely pointless. It's hard to see where they are going. I personally find them amusing, though, but that has nothing to do with marketing for Microsoft. They are definitely of Curb Your Enthusiasm-like, and that show, while critically acclaimed, didn't appeal to a wide audience. So from a marketing perspective, it's hard to see how this can be successful. But I find them outlandish and funny, and I assume it's going somewhere. Plus it does inspire a reaction, good or bad.

Re: Bigger, longer & uncut: The second Microsoft Seinfeld ad

parislemon — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:28:46 -0000

I'm actually pretty sick of the Mac vs. PC ads myself, but these are kind of pointless IMHO.

Re: Bigger, longer & uncut: The second Microsoft Seinfeld ad

JDFrancis — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:22:40 -0000

What, is Apple the McCain/Palin of technology now, nothing but negative ads? I'm a Seinfeld fan, so I support anything with Jerry in it and Bill Gates looking ridiculous. Apple's ads are pretty lame at this point, anyway. I actually root for PC over that smug Mac dick. And I use Mac.

Next time maybe they'll bring in Ballmer as a shady gym teacher.