"The Daily Show": Week of 3/23/15

[trow125]

3/23: Ayaan Hirsi Ali (author – promoting book “Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now”)
3/24: Jon Ronson (author – promoting book “So You've Been Publicly Shamed”)
3/25: Kirby Dick & Amy Ziering (filmmakers – promoting documentary “The Hunting Ground”)
3/26: John Hargrove (author – promoting book “Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish”)
Week of 3/30: DARK!

 

A note about John Hargrove: I hadn't heard of his book, but based on the blurbs, it sounds interesting. Here's one: "The thin veneer of SeaWorld's fantasy that the orca are happy in their tanks is peeled back in this mesmerizing and compelling book about Hargrove's work as a trainer and his journey to become one of the few speaking out against the cruelty being conducted even to this day." (Ingrid N. Visser, researcher and founder of the Orca Research Trust) 

"Hargrove takes us inside his life as a former SeaWorld devotee, his 14 years as an orca trainer, and especially his deep respect and affection for the orcas he has worked with. No short phrases can adequately summarize the personalities and idiosyncrasies of the 20 orcas he performed with and cared for, but this book gives us great insight into their piercing intelligence and keen awareness. Perhaps most interestingly, Hargrove reveals the complex emotional lives of the orcas he came to know, and how they brought out his own feelings toward them." (Howard Garrett, Director, The Orca Network)

[Victor the Crab]

With the show being dark after this week, will we see a send off for Jason and maybe Samantha next Thursday?

[trow125]

THANK YOU, Ted Cruz. Thank you for announcing your run for the presidency today and not next Monday, when TDS will be dark. Truly you have given us all (the fans, as well as the writers, of TDS) a gift... of comedy.

[The Luvly Junkie]

trow125, you make a good point about Cruz's announcement scheduled this week, even though I am not a Cruz supporter. Glad to see Jonny-bun rip off the whole convocation. The Liberty U students requirement to attend is so ridiculous. That makes all my high school reunions seem more tame. And yes, the whole rehearsed kiss seems even weirder than Jason and Samantha's "first" and "second" base.

 

As for the 2 correspondents "Frenching" on each other, that better not be their last appearance. I'm really, really, REALLY expecting TDS will send the two off properly. And I agree with Victor, not only because their weekly hiatus is near but there has been no confirmed date for Jonny-bun's last day. I say it's better to start the sendoffs as soon as possible before we pull the leaking waterworks on Jonny-bun's last day. I don't think sharing 20-30 seconds on screen is enough for the two who have stayed on TDS the longest as correspondent. But who knows. Just seeing Sam and Jason tonight just reminds me that it'll be a long stretch to find a another correspondent couple.

[Bastet]

I thought Jason and Sam's bit was just dumb and gross, but on the other hand I laughed out loud at "Turn to the person to your right and sodomize them" as Jon's guess for what rule the students would be asked to break.

[Victor the Crab]

Congress loves supporting the troops when America is at war. But when it comes to taking care of them after a war, it's a big "fuck you, you're on your own!" But that's what happens when you love the military industrial complex, which gives these congresscritters campaign donations, more than you love the troops.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Victor the Crab

[attica]

Congress loves supporting the troops when America is at war.

 

I don't even think that's true: I think Congress loves supporting the defense contractors, war or no.

[trow125]

I was hoping Jon would mention that the Liberty students would have faced a $10 fine for not showing up to Ted's campaign kick-off (along with "four reprimands").

[dubbel zout]

Exactly; the troops don't make gigantic campaign donations, after all.

 

I got a weird vibe from Jon during the interview. I don't know if it was because of the editing or because he didn't agree with Ali's thesis. I don't think she explained that thesis very well, which was a bit surprising. She's no novice.

 

NBC news, at least, mentioned that the Liberty students were required to be at the assembly, so at least there's a tiny bit of reporting going on. (More reports might have mentioned it, but I saw only NBC's.)

Edited March 24, 2015 by dubbel zout

[gesundheit]

I got a weird vibe from Jon during the interview. I don't know if it was because of the editing or because he didn't agree with Ali's thesis. I don't think she explained that thesis very well, which was a bit surprising. She's no novice.

I was coming here to ask about exactly that -- I was so uncomfortable during that interview. I couldn't quite tell what was going on. Were they disagreeing? Are they in a fight? So awkward. I've really rarely seen it that awkward.

[ganesh]

Congress loves supporting the troops when America is at war. But when it comes to taking care of them after a war, it's a big "fuck you, you're on your own!"

 

It's been like this since the revolution though. I think TDS did a piece on it. So, it's hardly surprising. The VA isn't given the resources they need to do the job right. It's not that complex of an issue.

 

I think JS was hung up on the use of the word 'reformation' because it's a very specific western religious term. I wish there were more people like this woman. Saying the koran was actually written by men, etc. However, I think she's being a little short sighted claiming that most christians have evolved in their morality re: the bible. Because, not exactly.

[IndianPaintbrush]

I think JS was hung up on the use of the word 'reformation' because it's a very specific western religious term. I wish there were more people like this woman. Saying the koran was actually written by men, etc. However, I think she's being a little short sighted claiming that most christians have evolved in their morality re: the bible. Because, not exactly.

 

I think she can claim that Christianity has evolved more than Islam, and I say this as someone who hates all organized religion, Christianity included.  Christians don't kill people for drawing a cartoon of the prophet.  They don't execute people for leaving the religion.  They don't make women wear burqas and forbid them from having basic human rights.  I'm speaking generally here because of course not all Muslims believe those things, but there are certainly enough of them to warrant criticism. Ali is right that Islamic reform has to come from within if it has any hope of joining the modern era.

Edited March 24, 2015 by IndianPaintbrush

[ganesh]

Yes, but not to the degree that she was claiming. There's still way way too many people who want the rule of law in this country to be based on the bible. We're not killing people over teaching evolution in public schools, but there's still "debate" about it. Gay people are way way more marginalized than she's making out the situation to be. I'm criticizing her claim about the 'evolving morality' term she used. Clearly, not nearly as much as she's making it out to be.
 

 

They don't make women wear burqas and forbid them from having basic human rights.

 

Ok maybe women have it a little better. But there's laws severely restricting abortion. People still quote the old testament as to why they won't sell cakes to gay couples for their wedding. There's states where you can be fired for being gay and there's no legal recourse. There's less overall killings and no beheading, but still.

 

Just from me reading the news, I think a main problem is that muslims haven't gotten over their Sunni/Shia beef. That's part of the reason IS is still around. Sunnis don't want to go in and kill other Sunnis. Her point that it has to come from within is apt, but the reality is that it might take a pretty bloody intra-islam war to achieve that. In fact her (correct) claims about the bible being written by men, etc., I would suggest a lot of so called religious people don't believe.

[IndianPaintbrush]

Yes, but not to the degree that she was claiming. There's still way way too many people who want the rule of law in this country to be based on the bible. We're not killing people over teaching evolution in public schools, but there's still "debate" about it. Gay people are way way more marginalized than she's making out the situation to be. I'm criticizing her claim about the 'evolving morality' term she used. Clearly, not nearly as much as she's making it out to be.

 

But where did Ali make the claim that Christianity was perfect?  I didn't hear that at all.  She was simply saying Christianity has evolved more than Islam, which is true.  At least we live in a country where we can have open debates about these issues.  Many Muslims do not.  

Edited March 24, 2015 by IndianPaintbrush

[alexvillage]

 

They don't make women wear burqas and forbid them from having basic human rights.

This is not Islam or Muslim religion. This is cultural.

 

We don't see or don't care anymore about how much "christianity" is in our everyday lives. While the reprimands are not loud or very visible, if one strays from the norm, there are repercussions.

It is annoying. 

 

As for the extremists, if you are in the receiving end of extremism, that's the worst case of it. So, while we don't see much of the KKK burning crosses and spreading hate in the name of christianity, that's because of a cultural process, not religion itself. 

 

If you look at religion alone, they are all sexists and women are always in a "lower" position, or servitude and obedience (which come in many levels). Religion marginalizes 

[ganesh]

But where did Ali make the claim that Christianity was perfect?  I didn't hear that at all.

 

I didn't hear that either. They're both horrible organizations. My point was that I think using christianity as a comparative example wasn't apt. I'd say for the most part christianity has marginally gotten over itself. I think the use of evolved is in error. 

 

If you look at religion alone, they are all sexists and women are always in a "lower" position, or servitude and obedience (which come in many levels). Religion marginalizes.

 

That's basically it. I think the discussion for the most part is misguided. Making comparisons misses the point. 

Edited March 24, 2015 by ganesh

[Victor the Crab]

It's a good thing Jon Ronson was there to cleanse our palletes after the last couple of segments, the good news about the veterans notwithstanding.

[brgjoe]

Yep.  And sorry Jon, I don't see how you can take race out of this.  While there is some grandstanding on both sides of the isle, I maintain race is an issue here.

 

This is the first black president who has now nominated the first black female AG candidate who by most neutral observes is well qualified for the job.  And she can't even get a freakin' up or down vote!? 

 

Has there been any other attorney general candidate who has had to wait as long for said vote as she has?  If so, I would genuinely like to know.

 

Perhaps I am biased, naive, etc., but I don't think this would have happened to a white president nominating a lilly white candidate for AG.

[bluepiano]

Perhaps I am biased, naive, etc., but I don't think this would have happened to a white president nominating a lilly white candidate for AG.

 

No, I don't think you're naïve. The Republicans may have acted slowly on approving a white candidate, but what they're doing now is all about sticking it to the President, because they feel like he stuck it to them by nominating another black AG to replace Eric Holder. They are obsessed with race, and the truth is that never accepted Obama as legitimately being President. The complete lack of respect, or even just basic civility, shown by Republicans to this President over the last 6 years has been despicable.

 

On another note, the guest list this week is looking good to me, because before Monday I counted 6 of the last 7 shows as being actors/actresses plugging their new movie or TV show. Is there enough of that on the regular late night talk shows? Even though Jon is likely to do a better interviewing job that say, Jimmy Fallon or Jimmy Kimmel, that show biz self-promotion crap still bores me to tears. The only time I won't turn off the show for a actor/actress interview is when the guest is someone of legendary stature, like John Cleese.

 

In fact, even though Stephen Colbert Report was better with pop culture celebrities, because he stayed in character and acted completely unimpressed, I often didn't watch those segments either. So I'm not that excited at the prospects of his new show. (There were exceptions though. His Julie Andrews interview was a lot of fun, because he was giddy like a little kid and couldn't contain his true feelings.

Edited March 25, 2015 by bluepiano

[ruby24]

No, I don't think you're naïve. The Republicans may have acted slowly on approving a white candidate, but what they're doing now is all about sticking it to the President, because they feel like he stuck it to them by nominating another black AG to replace Eric Holder. They are obsessed with race, and the truth is that never accepted Obama as legitimately being President. The complete lack of respect, or even just basic civility, shown by Republicans to this President over the last 6 years has been despicable.

 

I agree with this 100%, but I'm pretty sure they've set records in holding up nearly ALL of the president's nominees for various positions, including federal court justices. They just do this to him all the time, no matter who he nominates, as a slap in the face whatever way they can. They're a bunch of assholes. I don't expect them to be any different when (knock on wood) Hillary is president either. We're gonna see some nasty, sexist shit.

[alexvillage]

 

Perhaps I am biased, naive, etc., but I don't think this would have happened to a white president nominating a lilly white candidate for AG.

Not naive at all

[wknt3]

They just do this to him all the time, no matter who he nominates, as a slap in the face whatever way they can. They're a bunch of assholes.

 

I think you just succinctly stated the thesis of the bit there. The Republicans are assholes and this particular bit of assholery isn't specifically racist. And the rhetoric distracts from the larger issue namely that they are a bunch of enormous assholes. I don't think that it's "both sides do it" to assert that you shouldn't be calling them racists you should be calling them assholes. This time at least since Jon has been happy to point out their racism in the past and I don't think he'd argue that racism is part of the reason for the vehemence.

[attica]

I don't think this would have happened to a white president nominating a lilly white candidate for AG.

 

I'm pretty sure they've set records in holding up nearly ALL of the president's nominees

 

They managed to zip through the white SecDef appointee, Ashton Carter, nominated months after Lynch, already on the job since mid February.

 

I actually think playing the race card is a canny move by Dems, whether or not it's an accurate assessment of the objections in play. It's a finger-wag that makes the obstructionists look bad in a way that can only be fixed by moving things along. The more the Rs say 'it's not race, it's [whatever nonsense]!', the more it looks like race. And not for nothing, it is a play directly out of the opposition's handbook. The Rs do shit like this all the damn time, and the Ds cave to it all the damn time. Turnabout's fair play. Why we pretend that the Ds shouldn't have full use of the high inside fastball as somehow undignified? Don't know. Brush 'em off the plate once in a while! It teaches them not to crowd the plate!

 

I love Jon Ronson. I will put his book on by TBR pile.

[marceline]

I'm just going to say it: I'm ready for Jon to go. Do I think the Democrats are trolling? A little. But - and I hate myself for having to say this - Charlie Rangel was right. The GOP definitely doesn't want to see another black person in that role. Having a black president and AG has sent the right wing into spasms because they don't believe that a government headed by people who don't look like them will protect their interests. That's why they always mention Obama and Holder in the same breath (usually with Sharpton), it's shorthand for fear of a black planet. I find it amazing to watch because minorities have had to put our faith in people who don't look like us all through American history. Yes, they're holding up the confirmation because they're assholes. That doesn't change the fact that they're also racists. 

 

The real problem here is that Democrats suck at going on offense. I'm perfectly happy for the Democrats to hold up the trafficking bill based on abortion because IMO, if there's any group of women who ought to have free, unfettered access to abortion it's sex slaves a.k.a. victims of long term, multiple rape for profit. That's what they ought to be talking about: trying to force women who have been raped hundreds of times to carry their rapists' baby. Not Loretta Lynch.

 

All that said, the thing that did it for me, was Jon's use of the phrase "race card." Somebody who takes racism seriously should know better than to use a term that was invented solely to dismiss any serious discussion of race. It points to the laziness that's crept into the show.

Edited March 25, 2015 by marceline

[Bastet]

I think you just succinctly stated the thesis of the bit there. The Republicans are assholes and this particular bit of assholery isn't specifically racist.

 

Except it inherently is, because one of the roots of their unhinged hatred of Obama -  and thus mission to block every move he makes - is racism.  Add in the fact she is black, too, and if confirmed as AG will be deciding when to investigate and charge, when, say, yet another white cop kills yet another black guy, and look out.

 

To look at just about anything in America and decide it has nothing to do with race requires real contemplation, and to say something these congressional Republicans do has nothing to do with race ... well, that's going to take a lot more evaluation than it seems anyone at TDS engaged in. 

 

I didn't care for the piece at all.  Yes, they are assholes of the highest order.  But one of the components of their assholery is their resentment that a black man became president of "their" America.

 

Also, I don't care that this anti-abortion zealotry is how it has been for decades.  That's the problem.  As a woman, I'm tired of being among one of the groups of people repeatedly told to be patient and wait; my rights will be traded away in yet another bill, because it's for the greater good.  I don't think a bill helping victims of sex trafficking is the time for Democrats to say, "Okay, you're right, we'll accept the status quo in order to get this passed."  I think it's the time for them to say, "No, this is a line in the sand.  If you're really going to take your hatred of abortion (or your fear of your anti-choice constituents, whatever the case may be) to such an extreme that you'll attach it to something as fundamental as this, fine.  But we're not budging.  So you're going to have to keep answering for it."

 

(Of course, as marceline said, Democrats need to articulate why the anti-abortion rider is more damaging than the usual to this particular bill.  They just get halfway and then ... drop the ball.) 

Edited March 25, 2015 by Bastet

[Wax Lion]

 

The more the Rs say 'it's not race, it's [whatever nonsense]!', the more it looks like race. And not for nothing, it is a play directly out of the opposition's handbook.

 

Yeah, so far all they've been saying is "It's not about race, how dare you say it's about race! It's about... look, squirrel!"

 

 

Turnabout's fair play. Why we pretend that the Ds shouldn't have full use of the high inside fastball as somehow undignified? Don't know. Brush 'em off the plate once in a while! It teaches them not to crowd the plate!

 

Yeah, that's where I get annoyed with Jon. When the D's take a shortcut, he calls them out for not being genuine enough. If they stubbornly stick to a principle, he mocks them for being weak-willed ninnies who can't get the job done.

 

At the very least, the Republicans are more than willing to play to racist worries in order to get votes which, yeah, makes their motivations racist.

[ktwo]

Yep.  And sorry Jon, I don't see how you can take race out of this.  While there is some grandstanding on both sides of the isle, I maintain race is an issue here.

 

This is the first black president who has now nominated the first black female AG candidate who by most neutral observes is well qualified for the job.  And she can't even get a freakin' up or down vote!? 

 

Has there been any other attorney general candidate who has had to wait as long for said vote as she has?  If so, I would genuinely like to know.

 

Perhaps I am biased, naive, etc., but I don't think this would have happened to a white president nominating a lilly white candidate for AG.

"Citing her qualifications as a U.S. attorney in New York, Obama said in his weekly radio address that the Senate's Republican leadership has engineered "the longest confirmation process for an attorney general in three decades."

In his radio speech, Obama noted that, as of Monday, Lynch would have waited longer for a confirmation vote than the seven previous attorney general nominees combined."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/21/obama-loretta-lynch-mitch-mcconnell-dick-durbin/25118785/

[bmoore4026]

Well, that story about the rape college was disheartening and frustrating.  What is it with some universities that just awaken a young man's predatory nature.  Is it being around similar men?  Then again, what do I know?

 

And for all you Californian previously.tv junkies, how are you handling the severe drought?  Are people leaving California a la The Grapes of Wrath?  How has this affected your bathing or showering?  What about cooking?  I'm asking this because I'm afraid the backstory of Urinetown is coming true.

 

And as for the "Pot Kingpin", all I can think of is that poor deer.  But if the vets say that the marijuana isn't hurting him (or was it her?), who am I to judge?........I can judge plenty, but I can't think of anything right now.  You all who are a lot more clever than I are sure to have much to say on this, along with the rape college.

[Victor the Crab]

Awwww, the deer looked adorable. I wouldn't judge that it's ingesting pot. Besides, anything those assholes Nancy Grace and Bill O'Reilly think is bad has to be good.

[ruby24]

Well, that story about the rape college was disheartening and frustrating.  What is it with some universities that just awaken a young man's predatory nature.  Is it being around similar men?  Then again, what do I know?

 

I think it's the fraternities. I honestly believe they should be disbanded, and I agree with Bill Maher actually on a point he's brought up for the last few years- that any institution that goes out of their way to exclude women and foster an all male environment inevitably turns to shit. With the rape epidemic in the military, in the Catholic Church and even in a place like Penn State with their football organization. It just brings out the worst natures in people.

[SpiritSong]

Awwww, the deer looked adorable. I wouldn't judge that it's ingesting pot. Besides, anything those assholes Nancy Grace and Bill O'Reilly think is bad has to be good.

Yes, you'd be hard put to find two bigger assholes and they are pretty reliable sources of when it's best to do the exact opposite of whatever they suggest. Bill Kristol would be another shining example of this.

Marijuana grows like a weed throughout much of the country and I have no doubt animals ingest it regularly. I doubt it does them any harm. Do they even have the cannabinoid receptors in their brains that humans and some other animals have?

Edited March 26, 2015 by SpiritSong

[brgjoe]

I thought those first two segments again were kinda lacking once again.  Yes, Jon, you enjoy putting a lot of penis jokes into every other line of dialog at times.  We get it.  I wish you would have delved more into Florida's "climate change" term-banning.  It's really insidious when you think about it.

 

And I thought the marijuana one wasn't all that great as well.  Though I admit I used to get angry when I heard people like Nancy Grace and BillO hype up the criticisim against it.  But now I pretty much laugh at it.  Especially when they bring in stuff like, "What..what about the children!?"  That's pretty much their last gasp effort to try and derail the legalization train.  They've lost.  And they pretty much know it. 

 

Last time I checked, Colorado hasn't gone to pot....so to speak.

[attica]

I loved how the Floridian legislators guffawed at the admin official who wouldn't say That Which Shall Not Be Named. Mocking works better than outrage.

[gesundheit]

The elderly beagle and that adorable deer turned a politically-angry morning for me into a great day. 

[stillshimpy]

 

think you just succinctly stated the thesis of the bit there. The Republicans are assholes and this particular bit of assholery isn't specifically racist.

Except it inherently is, because one of the roots of their unhinged hatred of Obama -  and thus mission to block every move he makes - is racism.  Add in the fact she is black, too, and if confirmed as AG will be deciding when to investigate and charge, when, say, yet another white cop kills yet another black guy, and look out.

 

Exactly, it is assholish and racist, all at once, specifically and additionally.  

 

I was really surprised that Jon viewed it differently.  The insane levels of disrespect shown to President Obama have to do with being African-American.  Sure, they'd have still been jackasses to a Democratic president, but they wouldn't have been so gleefully, wickedly obvious about it, with usually no attempt to conceal it.  

 

Hell, even the GOP is iffy on Ted Cruz, but Mr. Born-in-Canada is very unlikely to be at the center of some Birther scandal. 

 

 

Absolutely, they are a bunch of assholes.  They are also a bunch of racist assholes.  I should clarify that the "They" in this instance refers to elected officials under the flag of the GOP.   Even when they aren't personally racist as hell, they are pandering to racist elements in our society.

 

Then in an almost complete aside, I feel sorry for the decent Republicans of the world, because they must just want their own party back.  I'm clearly (probably visible from space levels of clearly) not a Republican , but whereas the elected officials in the GOP have inspired levels of disgust in me that defy accurate description, I am actually aware that there are Republicans who are just as appalled.   

Edited March 26, 2015 by stillshimpy

[peeayebee]

And for all you Californian previously.tv junkies, how are you handling the severe drought?  Are people leaving California a la The Grapes of Wrath?  How has this affected your bathing or showering?  What about cooking?  I'm asking this because I'm afraid the backstory of Urinetown is coming true.

I haven't watered my lawn for a while. I also flush #1 every other time. I sometimes turn off the shower while I soap up, but I usually don't, and I feel guilty about it. I make my son turn off his shower while he soaps up.

 

But there are lots of green lawns around. I get so ticked off when I see run-off going down the street.

 

Still, like was pointed out on the show, and elsewhere, it's agriculture that's the big water hog. Of course that's an important industry not just for the state but for consumers all over. I don't know how many farms, etc., use drip irrigation instead of spray, but that would help. Still, I don't know if there's a good solution.

[FartyPants]

I would like to give the benefit of the doubt to most of the elected senators and congressmen that they are not personally racists in that they do not believe that Obama is inherently inferior or bad because he is black.

However, there is irrefutable evidence that they have been exceptionally obstructionists to him and his policies

and here is my theory for why they are doing it

A big swath of their most ardent and vociferous supporters are in fact racists and hate the fact that their America is led by a black guy. They are more Obama haters than republican ideology supporters. And only way to keep them motivated and on the bus is to oppose Obama every step of the way, So they keep doing it, for the votes of their racist base

[dubbel zout]

I loved how the Floridian legislators guffawed at the admin official who wouldn't say That Which Shall Not Be Named. Mocking works better than outrage.

 

That was great. I felt kind of sorry for the admin official, though; he clearly knew it was bs but had to play along. At least he was in on the joke.

 

What is it with some universities that just awaken a young man's predatory nature.

 

It's not just some universities; it's all universities. 

Edited March 26, 2015 by dubbel zout

[attica]

Here's my armchair take on university rapes: Rape culture insists that women exist for men to have sex with them. Universities put lots of men who've internalized this message all together away from parents and into group housing (making connecting with available women instantly easy). Add alcohol and groupthink, and you've got lowered inhibitions and community support for inappropriate behavior. And after all that, the nearly guaranteed ability to get away with it with no punishment (and probably some high-fives). All very handy.

I feel sorry for the decent Republicans of the world, because they must just want their own party back.

 

I'd agree with you, stillshimpy, if I ever once saw a moderate Republican push back. They don't. If they disagree with the nuts, they just shut up and do nothing.

[ganesh]

That's the problem. I have no doubt that there's normal republicans who think climate change and evolution is real, but they won't stand up to the babies in the party that just stamp their feet and cry about everything. So I don't have sympathy for them. How about, 'we're not going to vote on repealing the ACA for the 53rd time. Let's do something else.' For all their talk of wanting to govern they've done worse.

 

In terms of the university sexual assault, it's clearly a systemic institutional problem and that means it basically has to get fixed from within. So I think the guy saying that a university president has to step up is pretty much how it has to go. Creating "awareness" only does so much.

 

Not to be a jerk, but if everyone knows SAE=Sexual Assault Expected, does anyone go to their fraternity parties? I mean, they shouldn't be getting away with this, and it's obviously not anyone's fault for actually going to a fraternity party, but you know what I mean? 

[bmoore4026]

...and I agree with Bill Maher actually on a point he's brought up for the last few years- that any institution that goes out of their way to exclude women...

 

Considering Maher's own views on women, this is so terribly ironic.

[ABay]

Oh, THAT'S what SAE means! I've been seeing the initials but never the phrase.

[ChelseaNH]

Officially SAE = Sigma Alpha Epsilon

 

My alma mater has a big frat culture, but I'd bet at least half of the student body never joined one.  I belonged to a co-ed house, so that's my idea of what's normal/desirable.

[Temperance]

I am heartbroken and almost crying...

 

watching Jason Jones's last show. I adore Jessica and
Aasif and Jon, but Jason is one of the greatest in my opinion and he has been doing some of the best stories lately. I am sad to see him go and he will be missed...

[The Luvly Junkie]

T_T... That tribute... It's hard to say goodbye, Jason Jones... Will we hardly find someone more physical, touchy, and internationally-available than you.

 

Just think, this is only the first of three departures on TDS. Feels like it's gonna scale down based on how long they've been there. Samantha (The Power Queen) Bee has been on the show as the longest-running correspondent and for sure she'll be even harder to say goodbye to. But I know saying goodbye to Jonny-bun soon will be the hardest of all. Now I'm running out of options as to who will take over as the new TDS host...

 

Also, I like the FOX News age comparison to congratulating themselves. May they all go jerk themselves off. 

[Victor the Crab]

Great tribute given to Jason. Jon seemed extremely grateful for all the work he's done over the years. He will be missed.

 

Yeah, Fox News gets something right (and even that's debatable) and they brag about how great they are? They're like a bottom of the order hitter who gets a lucky single and they act like they're a Hall of Famer. No Fox News, it's down to single-A for you bush leaguers. Jon's analogy of them at the end was spot on.

[jbrecken]

Surprised Jason's role in what became Rosewater didn't come up.

[peeayebee]

Maybe that would have been too self-congratulatory. 

 

I enjoyed seeing all those clips, but this farewell didn't have the emotional impact on me that John Oliver's tribute did. I suppose a big reason is because John got so emotional.

[wknt3]

Yeah, Fox News gets something right (and even that's debatable) and they brag about how great they are? They're like a bottom of the order hitter who gets a lucky single and they act like they're a Hall of Famer. No Fox News, it's down to single-A for you bush leaguers. Jon's analogy of them at the end was spot on.

 

Have to agree there. I wish they had a little more time since there was just so much to mock and it would have been nice to add an aside or comment to the effect of they were right about not rushing to judgment but peddling their own assumptions that ended up being unsupported or actively disproven (like George Zimmerman not being a crazy racist). Or more about how happy they are to push unsupported conclusions on just about every other subject ever. But it was worth it just for the punchline. And I understand why they wouldn't give it more time. Jason's only leaving once but Fox News is going to give them plenty of opportunities to mock their disgusting hypocrisy.

[HelenBaby]

 

Still, like was pointed out on the show, and elsewhere, it's agriculture that's the big water hog. Of course that's an important industry not just for the state but for consumers all over. I don't know how many farms, etc., use drip irrigation instead of spray, but that would help. Still, I don't know if there's a good solution.

Honestly I know this is a huge no-no to environmentalist in California but I don't see how this crisis is going to be solved without utilizing de-salinization plants. Especially if the country continues to rely on California grown produce.