Category: Current Affairs
Thank you, Chris Dodd
When the Democrats — who I thought were the good (or at least the anti-Bush, and pro-Constitution) guys — took back Congress in the last election, I was overjoyed. I thought we’d see an end — finally — to the Bush administration’s recklessness and lawlessness that’s made me feel ashamed to be American. Of course, the Democratic leadership has been a pathetic, embarrassing, contemptible, miserable failure, and now we see that not only have they enabled Bush’s insanity, they’ve been willing participants, helping him and Dick Cheney feed our constitution into the shredder. Yesterday, for the first time in ages, I felt my faith in our government begin to return, and I have Chris Dodd to thank for it.
It’s been depressing to watch our Democratic congressmen — the very ones we all worked so hard to put into the majority — do nothing to slow Bush’s destruction of what it means to be American.
I still don’t understand why Harry Reid will honor Republican holds and do back flips to make Mr. 24% happy while he extends a hearty “F you” to Senate Democrats, the Democratic party, and now the vast majority of Americans who are begging congress to do something — to do anything — to stop this tyrannical lunatic before it’s too late to save our country.
It is outrageous that Senators Clinton, Obama and Biden are asking for our votes, but are unwilling to provide leadership now. If they won’t stand up for the principles we all hold dear when they’re trying to earn our votes, how can we expect them to do it once they’re in the White House? Leadership is doing the right thing when it’s risky and when it’s unpopular. (And how depressing is it that upholding your oath of office is risky and unpopular? How doubly depressing is it that the only people who think that — and the only people being listened to — are Joe Klein, the DLC consultants, and the rest of the pundit class?)
Well, as a complete idiot once said: Fool me once, can’t get fooled again.
John Edwards has inspired the hell out of me with his message of hope for America, but Chris Dodd has shown real leadership on one of the most serious issues we’ve faced lately with telco immunity. While the other Senators have talked a good game, Senator Dodd actually did something when his country needed him.
I wanted to share my letter to him here, in the hopes that somehow it will find its way into his hands.
Dear Senator Dodd,
I doubt you’ll get to see this personally, as you’re very busy campaigning and defending our constitution from, well, everyone in government, it seems.
I hope a staffer will convey my immense gratitude — not only as a Democrat but as an American — to you for respecting your oath of office, and standing up to defend the very values that have made America great.
I sent e-mails and I made phone calls yesterday, but you stood up on the floor of the Senate and did something no other Democratic candidate for president seems to be willing to do: you were a leader. You stood not only with the base of our party, but with the vast majority of Americans who want the recklessness of this lawless president brought to a halt.
Your real leadership has inspired me and many others I know who have lost faith in our government, but especially in the Democratic party.
Best of luck to you in the primaries, and thank you for restoring a little bit of my faith in America.
Sincerely,
Wil Wheaton
Pasadena, CA
Star Trek alumni support the WGA
“Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few . . . or the one.”
– Spock.
When I was a little kid, I loved this show you may have heard of called Star Trek. When I was a teenager, I worked on a show called Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was like Star Trek, but with jumpsuits and snazzier special effects.
They were both popular programs, inspiring and bringing joy to generations of viewers, while putting loads of cash into the pockets of Paramount and its shareholders.
Today, the WGA is having a Star Trek picket at Paramount to honor the people — like Harlan Ellison, John D. F. Black and Ron Moore — whose stories over the years made Star Trek such an important part of our culture, and inspired writers, actors, engineers, and others to reach out for the stars.
The picket is scheduled from 11-3 at Paramount’s Windsor gate. I’ll be there, and I hope you’ll all join me, at least in spirit, as we thank the people who made Star Trek possible, and fight for the rights of the next generation of writers.
Can media conglomerates afford to pay the writers?
As someone who hopes to be in the WGA one day, and as a current SAG member (and former member of the Board of Directors) I am in complete and total solidarity with the Writer’s Guild. It’s quite heartening to me, also, to see that so many people refuse to be fooled by the lies that the six companies who control all of the media have been trying to spread.
The AMPTP has been successful (and helped by the news media they own) in spreading FUD about the things the writers are asking for. This post at United Hollywood puts some important numbers into perspective:
"But can the corporations really afford to pay you what you’re asking for?"
Let’s
set aside for the moment the issue of what the congloms say in their
press releases to us (which is basically "There’s no money! Ever! And
if there was, we spent it all on other projects that lost money so it’s
gone! Forever! We’re broke! We’re having to rent our yachts!") and focus on some hard numbers thoughtfully provided by Jonathan Handel on the Huffington Post yesterday.He
writes an excellent (I think) and even-handed analysis that takes into
account the effect pattern bargaining will have in calculating real
numbers of what we’re asking for, and what it will cost the companies,
individually, to pay us.It comes, by his calculation, to $125 million per conglomerate per year — if we got every single thing we’re asking for.
That, by the way, is less than the $140 million Disney spent to fire Michael Ovitz for 15 months of work.
Also, Carson Daly is still an epic douche.
Also, also:
And finally, a meager contribution from the actor half of me:
Colbert Report writers on the strike
Yesterday, The Daily Show writers gave us their take on the WGA strike, and today the writers from The Colbert Report share some Truthiness:
Quoth John Scalzi: This is why it’s not smart to get into a snit fight (or labor dispute) with a writer. Because they write. Which means they know how to make you look bad.