My Hero Zero

With all the problems in society, all the scandal and corruption in america today, I think everyone needs a role-model. Someone they can look up to, emulate. People need heroes, and while guys in spandex flying around might work when you're 8, you gotta start looking to real people eventually. Problem is, it's getting harder and harder to find those good role-models. I'd like to share two of mine with you.

Jon Stewart- He's the host of The Daily Show, a "fake" news program where they take real news issues and then splash a healthy dose of comedy on it. On the surface, it doesn't seem like this guy would be too in touch with the actual political situations in america; I mean, he's a comedian!
Oh how wrong you'd be...
This guy is seriously in-touch, and should have a microphone stapled to his hand. People all over the internet are colling the Daliy Show one of the most important shows on TV, so it begs the question "why?" You could watch this video to find out. http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2678439?htv=12
He goes toe-to-toe with an extremely intelligent, articulate political author, and demolishes him with clear, concise comments and questions. He asks the exast same things WE THE PEOPLE would, were we given the opportunity, and articulates our thoughts into cohesive statements which tactically nuke politician's lies. Here's a quote, a perfect example of why The Daily Show is the people's lighthouse through the fog of political propoganda;
"What I rediculed the president for was, he refuses to answer questions from adults as though we were adults, and falls back upon platitudes and phrases and talking-points, that does a disservice to the goals that HE HIMSELF with the very people he needs to try to convince.(HUGE APPLAUSE)"
Great stuff...he gets straight to the heart of several issues, including the fact that the president is just a big freakin parrot in a suit. All he does is repeat the same "talking points" over and over as justification for everything he does, and Jon Stewart sees through it. That's the kind of courage and intelligence I was talking about earlier.

The second is Ronnie Earl, who is the DA in Texas that is prosecuting not only Tom DeLay, but several other companies he set up to contribute funds to other repubican candidates in an illegal attempt to completely obliterate the democratic party's prescence in Texas. This guy is plain good at his job; he established an anti-corruption law team and has used it liberally(dirty word, i know) over the last decade to bust illegal campaign contributions and corrupt politicians and corperations. But he's never faced an opponent like DeLay before. Delay has basically started a smear campaign against him, putting all kinds of personal attacks over his website. Thing is, when you're innocent, the first thing you do is DEFEND that innocence, not say "the other guy is really partisan, he doesnt like me". There's a great article about the history of Earl and his case against Texas political corruption i'll link to at the end of this. But i think this pretty much sums up his thoughts on the matter, in reference to corperate funding of politicians.

"If we can't tell who is behind these elections," he said, "why do we have elections? Why don't we just let the Texas Association of Business appoint our officials?"

Ronnie Earl

And oh, Here's a Thought... I'm going to stop capitalizing the first letter in president and america, because this is definately NOT what the Founding Fathers and the guys up on mount Rushmore intended. This is not America the Great, America the Free, nor is the the office of president the prestigious, respected, and honor-bound office it once was. The executive branch is becoming a joke with all the stunts the pull and illusions of grandeur it has. Anyone hear about the "live, give-and-take" interview with 9 soldiers in Iraq and the prez? Yeah, the whole thing was staged, and the soldiers were coached beforehand. Hell, the ONE woman they put on is in charge of public relations, and is said to hardly leave her highly forified compound. This is just absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable, that the Rove/Cheney administration would have to try something like this to make WE THE PEOPLE believe that the "War" in Iraq is going well and we're actually accomplishing something. Somebody with some authority needs to hold these idiots accountable; 2 people are in a position to do that right now, Ronnie Earl and Special Prosecutor Patrick who can choose to indict Rove in his leak of a CIA agent's name. If they don't, then they arent doing their job and should be removed from office. The evidence is there, now all they have to do is resist the pull of politics and DO THEIR JOBS!