cultural rot

Chris Knight's avatar

The long, long, long-attempted effort to relaunch V – yeah, the 1980s sci-fi franchise about the humanoid lizards come to steal our water, rape our wimmunfolk and eat us for lunch (literally) – is finally getting off the ground at ABC. The network has commissioned a pilot episode, presumably that will premiere this coming fall.

If handled right, this could be a terrific show that might pick up the same fans who are currently hooked on Lost (which will see its final season next year). Unfortunately, V creator Kenneth Johnson is not aboard for this go-round… and I’ve long thought that if he had been given complete control over his original concept, that NBC could have had one of the greatest television series of the Eighties. Alas! Too many suits ruined that…

And speaking of NBC television shows from two decades ago, June 11, 2010 is the ...

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Chris Knight's avatar

Yesterday this blog conveyed the news about famed moonshiner Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton (shown at right along with public defender Tim Moore) getting sentenced to 18 months in prison during a federal court hearing in Greeneville, Tennessee.

In the past 24 hours I have seen some positively unbridled fury from supporters of Popcorn Sutton, including on sites like Facebook (home to no less than three groups for people who believe the government should have left him alone to ply his trade in peace). The general consensus is that Popcorn wasn’t harming anyone, and that the federal government has set out to “make an example” out of him, lest anyone else think that they should assert some liberty on their own. There are even some individuals who are publicly suggesting that perhaps a “storming the Bastille” is in order. I’m not gonna endorse or condemn such thoughts… but I am gonna pass ...

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Chris Knight's avatar

Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, the legendary moonshiner and genuinely unique American character, was sentenced today in federal court in Tennessee to a prison term of 18 months, after earlier pleading guilty to the charges stemming from the raid on his still last year.

And adding insult to injury, Sutton “agreed to allow his moonshining photos and videos and criminal history to be used to further the education and deterrence goals of Project Safe Neighborhoods.”

In other words, rather than praising Popcorn Sutton as the living cultural resource that he is, the sons of bastitches from the government are going to force Popcorn to go fully against his unique sense of identity. The lesson here could not be more obvious: “Conform to the state or we will hurt you.”

No, I don’t have any sympathy for those assholes. If you want to see what is destroying America, look at the ...

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Chris Knight's avatar

How bad are things when paying for the swearing in of a new President of the United States requires bailing out by the United States government?

George W. Bush has declared an emergency in and around Washington D.C. in anticipation of what is expected to be the record number of people who will be coming to town over the next several days to witness the inauguration of his successor, Barack Obama. Doing so “frees up” contingency funds that usually go toward hurricane relief or for other natural disasters. In this case that same money is going toward the inaugural celebrations. Providing for facilities is expected to cost the city $75 million and the state of Maryland, $12 million.

Quite a few things that could be observed about what this says regarding the American people and their government…

Admittedly, presidential inaugurations have always been a bit festive. Probably none on record ...

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Chris Knight's avatar

Al Franken has been declared the winner of the U.S. Senate race in Minnesota.

You know, I’ve been known for pulling a stunt or two for sake of politics. But that picture of Franken is just wrong…

Think about it: this man is about to be granted the same esteemed privileges that in more enlightened times were only granted to great orators such as Daniel Webster, John Calhoun, and Henry Clay.

And it looks like Caroline Kennedy is going to become Senator from New York, based on nothing but her “royalty”.

Now do you people understand why I believe the Seventeenth Amendment was one of the most horrible things to ever happen to the United States Constitution, and should be repealed in favor of letting the individual state legislatures elect the senators?!?...

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Chris Knight's avatar

To quote that bard of our age Will Smith: “AWWW HELL NAWWWW!!!”

The state of Oregon has a problem, according to its governor Ted Kulongoski. In his words, “As Oregonians drive less and demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, it is increasingly important that the state find a new way, other than the gas tax, to finance our transportation system.”

So Governor Kulongoski wants to use Global Positioning System technology to impose a “mileage tax” that will “replace” the gas tax.

If his mad plan proceeds and you are an Oregon citizen, every time you take off in your car its movements will be monitored by your state government, and a tax will be imposed for each mile that you drive.

I’m gonna say it, my Worst Possible Epithet for Anything: This sucks donkey’s balls to no end.

If Kulongoski gets away with this, it’ll only be persisting the pattern that ...

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Chris Knight's avatar

The lesser angels of my nature are wanting to cry out that stuff like this, is enough to make me think – however fleeting and regrettably – that if the “neo-conservatives” of this country were wiped out to a man, that this would have been a much better nation for it.

However, as a Christian, I have to fight against saying that I agree with that urge.

Frank Gaffney, former Assistant Defense Secretary and now with the “Center for Security Policy” (whatever the hell that is) declared on Hardball with Chris Matthews yesterday that in spite of the overwhelming evidence that the Iraq War was begun on false pretenses, “My position is that it’s regrettable that any Americans died. It is regrettable that they had to die, but I believe they did have to die.“

Here’s the video…

I’ve thought for a very long time now that George W. ...

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Chris Knight's avatar

You know, Jesus beat and chased the money changers out of the temple because they had turned His father’s house into a den of robbers.

So what would His reaction be if he saw His father’s house turned into an automobile showroom?

A single photo demonstrates how screwed-up America has become…

Three vehicles – one from each of the major domestic auto makers – were brought to the altar of Greater Grace Temple, one of Detroit’s largest churches. They were there to help with an appeal to Heaven: that God might do a work in the souls of the President and members of Congress and move them to give Ford, General Motors and Chrysler a fat juicy bailout package.

Sayeth the Reverend Charles Ellis…

At one point, Ellis summoned up hundreds of auto workers and retirees in the congregation to come forward toward the vehicles on the altar to

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Chris Knight's avatar

A store clerk was trampled to death this morning after thousands of shoppers stampeded into a Wal-Mart in New York when it opened for “Black Friday” at 5 a.m.

And this was the scene at a Wal-Mart in Concord, North Carolina (about 2 hours away) when shoppers stormed the electronics section and fought for the last Xbox 360…

EDIT 5:06 p.m. EST: And now two people have been shot to death in a Toys R Us in California....

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