Not Funny? SNL Completely Avoids Harvey Weinstein Scandal

Mediaite

. . . "There was no mention of the controversial Oscar-winning producer, not even in the Weekend Update segment. Anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che did however push for gun control in the wake of the Las Vegas massacre.

"SNL isn’t the first to avoid this scandal. Every late-night talk show host from Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Trevor Noah, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Bill Maher did not crack any jokes at Weinstein’s expense since the exposé was published Thursday morning.

"Tonight’s SNL was hosted by Wonder Woman star Gal Gadotand featured musical guest Sam Smith and Jason Aldean, who opened the show in honor of the victims of last week’s tragedy." . . .

Why Columbus Day Is Worth Celebrating/ "Indigenous peoples Day" update

But if you live in any number of "enlightened" progressive cities, today is "Indigenous Peoples' Day."

Robin Smith

. . . "Leftists are truly determined to destroy America’s remarkable discovery and founding. They use many tools to sully and rewrite history, one of which is called “presentism.”

"What’s presentism? It’s the approach to events of the past that views them through the lens of modern morality, behavior and ethics. This method takes events of history, such as the many expeditions of Columbus, and deconstructs them into vile categories of invasion and barbarism as measured by biased and politically correct intellectuals devoted to self-loathing instead of guarding world and American history — the good, the bad and the ugly — for the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. Put simply, the morally superior elites of today judge all events — Columbus’ discoveries, the horrors of slavery, various wars, etc. — as if they happened within the last few days.

"Let’s analyze a few facts about Columbus Day to truly appreciate the holiday in perspective." . . .

UPDATE: Why ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’ Is Far Worse Than Columbus Day

. . . "According to an eyewitness account of “indigenous peoples” at work—in this case, the Iroquois in 1642, as observed by the Rev. Father Barthelemy Vimont’s “The Jesuit Relations”—captives had their fingers cut off, were forced to set each other on fire, had their skinned stripped off and, in one captured warrior’s case, “the torture continued throughout the night, building to a fervor, finally ending at sunrise by cutting his scalp open, forcing sand into the wound, and dragging his mutilated body around the camp. When they had finished, the Iroquois carved up and ate parts of his body.”

Shocked? Don’t be. Cannibalism was also fairly common in the New World before (and after) Columbus arrived. According to numerous sources, the name “Mohawk” comes from the Algonquin for “flesh eaters.” Anthropologist Marvin Harris, author of “Cannibals and Kings,” reports that the Aztecs viewed their prisoners as “marching meat.” . . .

Do the anti-Columbus activists who claim Europe’s conquest of America is a sin really want to live in a world where it never happened? Where America is an illiterate, technological backwater of tribal violence and ritual human sacrifice? Of course not. The only reason their ideological idiocy has free rein today is because Europeans showed up in 1492.

California Sheriffs Are Openly Protesting Their New “Sanctuary State” Updated

Hot Air

. . . "The complaints from the sheriffs are nothing we haven’t heard before and their concerns are well founded. What’s not made clear here is precisely what they would like the GOP led Congress and the President to do about it. What sort of federal law would overrule the state’s ability to dictate the policies of its own law enforcement agencies and not run into constitutional trouble when it was inevitably challenged?

. . . 

"As to the actual policies which the sheriffs are protesting, two of them really stand out. One is the inability of law enforcement to notify ICE when they pick up known gang members, including MS-13, if they are snagged on non-violent charges. If they are on the registry of known gang members, ICE should be able to take that opportunity to get them out of the country even if they were only pulled over for an illegal right on red." . . .

Emphasis added, TD

Consistent with that:
It is no longer a felony to knowingly transmit HIV in California

Update: ICE warns California illegals not to get too cozy; new sanctuary state law won’t protect you"
 . . . Brown wrote, according to the Los Angeles Times. “[T]his bill strikes a balance that will protect public safety, while bringing a measure of comfort to those families who are now living in fear every day.”

"People living in fear every day? People like Kate Steinle who was killed by a criminal illegal alien in California?

"But if Brown thought his state’s law was going to stop ICE from enforcing immigration laws, he is mistaken." . . .

Jack Benny’s Comic Program; Remembering something wonderful

Terry Teachout

"The art of comedy underwent two radical transformations in the first half of the 20th century, both triggered by the emergence of new electronic technologies. With the coming in 1926 of network radio, vaudeville comedians who had previously performed their self-written routines over and over again in theaters across America were forced to depend on professional writers to supply them with a steady flow of fresh material for the weekly radio series that soon became their bread and butter. And with the coming of network television 21 years later, radio comedians had to develop ways of amusing audiences that could now hear and see them.

Photo added

"Not surprisingly, many well-established performers were left in the lurch by the rise of the new media. Moreover, some vaudevillians who, like Fred Allen, had successfully reinvented themselves for radio were unable to make the transition to TV. But a handful of exceptionally talented performers managed to move from vaudeville to radio to TV, and none did it with more success than Jack Benny, whose feigned stinginess, scratchy violin playing, slightly effeminate demeanor, and preternaturally exact comic timing made him one of the world’s most beloved performers. After establishing himself in vaudeville, he became the star of a comedy series,

"With the demise of nighttime network radio as an entertainment medium, the 931 weekly episodes of The Jack Benny Program became the province of comedy obsessives—and because Benny’s TV series was filmed in black-and-white, it is no longer shown in syndication with any regularity." . . . 

Take Back Your Brains

Naturally, ignoring the impossibility as a practical matter of repealing the Second Amendment, and the ineffectiveness of gun control measures, the usual culprits called for more gun control. Nick Gillespie at Reason took them on, arguing “policy cannot be therapy.”

Clarice Feldman  "Today, with ample evidence that young students are no longer taught critical thinking in school, and a tsunami of fake news, we have more reason than ever to take back our brains and critically analyze what we are told is happening and why. This week’s news underscores this point.

"It’s Not who we Are

"Did you believe, like Hillary, that the country was divided into a smart set who deserves to rule and unwashed, ignorant deplorables? 

"Two stories show how untrue this is:

"Las Vegas

The horrible slaughter in Las Vegas has unleashed the kind of wild speculation that seems to always follow seemingly inexplicable events. What we did learn was that a well-educated, high-ranking CBS official expressed publicly on Facebook that she had no sympathy for the victims attending the country music show: “I’m actually not sympathetic [because] country music fans often are republican gun toters.” She was fired and in the usual left-wing dodge when caught out engaged in reprehensible behavior claimed it was not reflective of “my actual beliefs.” . . .More at the link

"Hollywood’s Harvey Weinstein

. . . "Do you get the idea that the soi-disant* “champions of women” are their champions only when women are accusing the right, and spokesmen and politicians merely use this as a political cudgel against those they oppose on policy? I do. Compare the silence about Weinstein over decades with the non-stop coverage of one untoward remark by Trump ages ago." . . .

*"usually disparaging". Why not just say that? But I digress.

. . . Byron York examined the Russian meddling hoax, focusing on the claim -- much exaggerated -- that the Russians used ads on Facebook to sway the election for Trump. (This after claims of hacking vote totals, and collusion proved unsupported by fact.)

. . .  Day after day the media is forced to retract and make corrections -- sometimes doing so only online and not in newsprint. My favorite fake news correction this week was this one, from Politico.But there were more, of course. The NYT, for example, falsely reported that the Administration blocked Puerto Ricans from using food stamps to buy prepared food when, in fact, they waived the rule as soon as they could in the aftermath of the hurricane. 

. . . "Those with religious objections to contraception will no longer have to provide contraception insurance coverage for their employees; the Iran (non) deal likely will  be decertified this week; the market is booming; the number of employed rising; the hurricane-hit cities and islands are being repaired; Obama’s clean power plan energy restrictions are being lifted; NATO’s kicking in more of its share of the costs of that organization; ISIS is folding in Iraq under new rules of engagement; the sage grouse protection plan rules which are constricting Western state economies are about to be overhauled." 

Yes, we are making America great again." 

UPDATED: James Woods retires from acting after saying he's blacklisted because he's conservative. Wait! What? He's NOT?!

Update to bottom story:
James Woods: Here's The Funny Story Behind That False Report That I'm Retiring For Being Blacklisted  "As The Daily Wire has chronicled, James Woods is one of the few conservative voices left in Hollywood who's willing to push back against the progressive agenda promoted in lock-step by his colleagues. After decades of duking it out with his fellow celebrities, the 70-year-old actor appeared to have announced on Friday that he was officially retiring from the film industry — just a few weeks after saying that he'd accepted that he had been "blacklisted" in Hollywood because of his openly conservative views. However, after sitting back and watching the story go viral, Woods revealed on Saturday that the news of his retirement had been "greatly exaggerated.' " . . .

Fox News

. . . "Woods was a Hollywood favorite -- and a Democrat -- until at least 1998, when he broke ranks with the party after former President Bill Clinton's impeachment.

@Real JamesWoods  I was for years, until #Clinton was impeached. Every single #Democrat without exception stood behind a convicted perjurer. That was the end. 8:22 PM - Aug 21, 2017

"He said on Twitter that he switched parties because of his disgust with the former president. 

" 'Every single #Democrat without exception stood behind a convicted perjurer," he wrote on Twitter this summer. "That was the end."

"His luck in Hollywood turned sour soon after he became a Republican. He has not had a major role in a film in at least a decade." . . .

Politichicks:  Blacklisting in Hollywood still alive and well today

,. . . "Rarely has Hollywood rallied against a cause more so than the blacklisting that resulted from the McCarthy trials.  Because of this, everyone should be baffled as to why liberals aren’t rallying against the newest “McCarthyism” in Hollywood—firing artists because of their conservative political standing." . .  .witter Ads info and privacy

"He said on Twitter that he switched parties because of his disgust with the former president. 

"Every single #Democrat without exception stood behind a convicted perjurer," he wrote on Twitter this summer. "That was the end."

"His luck in Hollywood turned sour soon after he became a Republican. He has not had a major role in a film in at least a decade.

"The news of his retirement was included in a press release issued by Woods' real estate agent offering Woods' Rhode Island lake house for sale." . . .

<

The Unbelievable Stupidity of Those Who Believe that Laws Stop the Lawless

American Thinker  "Lady Gaga is the latest celebrity weighing in on the aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre by blaming lawmakers (aka Republicans) for not passing more gun control.  Yoo-hoo Lady G, no law would have prevented the slaughter because the alleged suspect passed all federal laws purchasing his legal guns.  Here’s a tip which I give freely (as someone who loathes guns and is not a member of the NRA): if you hear anyone urging Congress to pass more gun controls immediately, consider that person mentally deficient. That advice will be coming from celebrities, the media and politicians who probably all have armed security to protect them.
. . . 
"There are no easy answers to the gun violence that plagues us but the left seems to think that there is one -- if only we would ban guns. Another non compos mentis celebrity, Michael Moore, said that it’s time to get rid of Trump and the Second Amendment. Have any of these celebs noticed that these mass murders have occurred in gun-free zones that are actually a magnet for psycho killers?  It’s amazing how the left brings up the same worthless arguments when the gun victims are the same color as themselves. If they really are concerned with gun deaths then why isn’t this same call to arms being organized to protest the many deaths in Chicago where the majority are blacks and minorities? Has Black Lives Matter organized protests there? I don’t think so." . . .  Alicia Colon

Slate claims the tension between a president and his secretary of state has never been this bad.

Slate

"President Trump is (reportedly) very angry that his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (reportedly) called him a “f***ing moron.” Now Trump is reportedly weighing whether to replace Tillerson—mere days after undercutting him via pointlessly aggressive tweets about North Korea. Has the relationship between a president and his chief diplomat ever fallen so far, let alone so fast?

ISAAC CHOTINER

Isaac Chotiner is a Slate staff writer.

"To discuss Tillerson’s bizarre tenure, and much else, I spoke by phone recently with Aaron David Miller, the Middle East program director at the Wilson Center who served in the State Department for 25 years and advised secretaries of state of both parties. During the course of our conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, we discussed Tillerson’s mistakes at the State Department, why it’s so disturbing when a president and secretary of state don’t get along, and why Trump will never allow an effective person to run the department.

"Isaac Chotiner: Have you ever seen an equivalent to the Trump-Tillerson relationship among presidents and their secretaries of state?

"Aaron David Miller: No. I worked for half a dozen—Shultz to Powell—and for one of my books I interviewed every living secretary of state, including Alexander Haig. There is no precedent either for this kind of public tension, and no precedent for a secretary feeling compelled to respond to press reports the way Secretary Tillerson did the other day. And there is no precedent for open talk of resignation by a secretary of state, at least in the modern period. That also sets this whole episode apart." . . .

Giving 'Harvey Wallbangers' a whole new meaning

Earl of Taint

 Silvio Canto, Jr. Back in 1982, the Milwaukee Brewers won the A.L. pennant and lost a tough seven-game series to St. Louis.  The Brewers were known for home runs and scoring lots of runs.  They were popularly known as "Harvey's Wallbangers," after a popular mixed drink of the time.

This week, we learned about another Harvey doing a lot of scoring.  He also allegedly "Paid Off Sexual Harassment Cases for Years," according to the New York Times.  By the way, aren't these the same Hollywood characters who brought down Bill O'Reilly for probably doing a lot less?

We are talking about the story of Harvey Weinstein, or the same guy who donated to Mr. and Mrs. Clinton's campaigns, Democrats, and President Obama.

This is from Chris Cillizza:

The initial response from Democratic politicians is to distance themselves from Weinstein by returning donations from him. 

In the wake of Thursday's story, Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts all signaled they will be sending back Weinstein's money or directing it to a charitable cause.

You can expect lots and lots more Democratic politicians and organizations – Weinstein gave heavily to the Democratic National Committee, among others – to follow the lead of that quartet of senators.

And it's hard to see how Obama and the Clintons – Weinstein is a long time pal of Bill and Hillary – can avoid putting out statements condemning him for his behavior. . . . 

Trump: Tillerson could be 'a little bit tougher'

Politico  "President Donald Trump on Saturday said he'd like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "to be a little bit tougher" at times but insisted the two have a solid relationship. 

"The comments, delivered to reporters as he headed to a fundraiser Saturday, come after Tillerson held an impromptu news conference earlier this week to rebut an NBC report that he was on the verge of resigning over the summer and that he had called Trump a "moron." 

"He did not explicitly deny having used the "moron" term, though a State Department spokeswoman later said he does not use that type of language. 

"Trump on Saturday said he and Tillerson have had some disagreements at times but that they have "a very good relationship." 

"He added, however, that "sometimes I'd like him to be a little bit tougher." 

"The tension between the two men comes at a fraught time, as the U.S. tries to counter North Korea's growing nuclear powers and as Trump considers decertifying the Iran nuclear deal. 

"In his comments on Saturday, Trump also extended praise to his chief of staff, John Kelly, who has also reportedly been frustrated at times with his role.

"The president predicted that Kelly would be in his administration for the "entire remaining seven years" and said he is doing "an incredible job."

Why Is the Mainstream Media Suddenly Interested in Executive Branch Travel Costs?

Happy to defend the Obama admin’s outrageous expenses, they now attack the Trump admin

. . . "The leftist media has set up a rubric of which Saul Alinsky would be proud: we’ll do what we like, but you, you we’ll hold to your own standards. We are seeing this in spades right now as the leftist media runs wild with the travel costs of Trump administration officials.

"They are pointing out that Price and others are misusing their position to waste taxpayer dollars on military or private travel that cannot be justified.  While they are quite right to point this out, they are also revealing their extreme political bias by daring the right to defend government’s fiscal irresponsibility.

"Where was all this outrage when then-president Obama and wife Michelle took separate planes, replete with Secret Service details, to the same destination on the same day?

"This happened a lot, yet we heard next to nothing from the leftist media.

"While not an exhaustive list, same day separate flights for the Obamas include:

• Hey, let’s hit LA.  On separate planes, on the same day . . . at enormous taxpayer expense.
• How about heading to California?  On separate planes on the same day . . . at enormous taxpayer expense.
• And then there’s Hawaii, what president doesn’t need two separate planes (one for himself and one for his wife and the family dog) replete with top Secret Service protection to go to Hawaii for the holidays?
• What about Michelle Obama’s outlandishly expensive trip to Africa, with hairdresser and makeup artist in tow?
• But it wasn’t just the Obamas’ travel (and lavish entertainment) at our expense that was ignored by the now suddenly and rabidly fiscal hawk media.  They also ignored the same sort of travel by Obama admin officials that Price briefly enjoyed.
• Obama officials frequently took pricey non-commercial flights . . . to wherever, for whatever. . . .

 Obamas take shopping trip to New York  "President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama landed in New York Saturday afternoon, and after taking a helicopter from JFK into Manhattan, drove up the West Side Highway, where the northbound lanes were shut down by police for their visit, past Ground Zero, into the Village for dinner at the Village's Blue Hill restaurant. From there, they went north to Times Square, where they went to to see a production of "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" at the Belasco Theater on West 44 Street." . . .

None of your business  . . . "There was, of course, an ironic element of the trip. In February, Obama scolded corporate executives (while also costing Las Vegas some $130 million) when he said: “You can’t get corporate jets. You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas, or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers’ dime.”

Dr. Seuss museum mural to be replaced amid claims of a racist depiction

Fox News, among many others.

Below:  "Children listen to tennis star Serena Williams read Dr. Seuss books to children during "Read Across America Day" to commemorate the 50th birthday of the "Cat In The Hat" character at the New York Public Library in New York, March 2, 2007. Recently, the Dr. Seuss museum in Massachusetts agreed to remove a mural after complaints of racism."

. . . "The mural, located in the author’s hometown of Springfield, features illustrations from the author's first children's book, "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street."

"Three children's authors declined an invitation to the museum's inaugural Children's Literature Festival, which was set for Oct. 14 before being canceled. After the museum offered to take down the mural, the authors said they would attend, but the museum has not said if the festival is back on.

"Authors Mo Willems, Mike Curato and Lisa Yee signed a letter and posted it to social media explaining why they take issue with the mural's depiction.

" 'We recently learned that a key component of this institution honoring Dr. Seuss features a mural depicting a scene from his first book, 'And to Think That I Saw It on Mullberry Street,' and within the selected art is a jarring racial stereotype of a Chinese man, who is depicted with chopsticks, a pointed hat and slanted slit eyes," the complaint reads. "We find this caricature of 'the Chinaman' deeply hurtful, and we have concerns about children's exposure to it.' "  . . .