gdp's Comments

Big Hollywood : BH Interview: Adam Baldwin On Saying Farewell to 'Chuck,' Being Openly Conservative in Hollywood

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:36:40 +0000

Politics aside, you cannot overstate the added value Adam Baldwin brought to "Chuck" in terms of bringing, building and connecting online to a fan base. In 2012 we take a lot of that for granted, but you have to remember that "Chuck" first aired in 2007, and was nearly killed by the writer's strike. Back all those years ago, twitter was barely a blip on the radar. But Baldwin had already spent years connecting with "Firefly" fans online, and understood the power of a fan base to create a swell of support and demonstrate a proof of audience, independent of studios or networks. It's also easy to forget that the core of Chuck's socially-networked, internet-enabled fans were Browncoats, who had followed Baldwin to "Chuck". And when those fans saw that a favorite show might be cancelled, they were prepared as no other fan base to take fast, aggressive and creative action to save it. So yes, the first two seasons of the show were amazing. Yes, Scooter Rosenbaum, Matthew Miller and others brought amazing writing talent to the show. But still, the show would have been cancelled if not for the fan base, and the fan base would not have been what it was without Adam Baldwin continuing to feed it, trolls and all. Baldwin doesn't get hired for his social media outreach. But credit where credit is due: there would not have been a season 3 (or 4 or 5) of "Chuck" without him in the cast.

Big Hollywood : Liberal Film Critics Put Streep's ‘Iron Lady’ Through Ideological Torture Chamber

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:28:14 +0000

"...British subjects taxed into poverty to support the bloated behemoth of cradle-to-grave socialism on that sinking island..." Oh, do continue. Oh, please do. :-)

Big Hollywood : 'Straw Dogs' Blu-Ray Review: Hollywood Praises Beta Males and Slams the South... Again

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:01:07 +0000

The last time a writer accurately portrayed himself as a hero, bullfighting was still a thing. However: you can have my MacBook Air when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. ;-)

Big Government : Faith in Big Government Doomed Corzine, MF Global

Fri, 4 Nov 2011 17:32:51 +0000

With all due respect, it was not Mr. Corzine's faith in big government that doomed him: it was his end-run around government regulation, when it served his purpose. As detailed in today's NYTimes, Corzine used his political influence to get the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to back off from instituting a proposed rule that "would have restricted a complicated transaction that allowed MF Global in essence to borrow money from its own customers." The firm then went on to borrow that money, found itself in trouble, and at some point actually dipped into client accounts to cover their positions. Whether those client funds are actually missing or end up being found in the system somewhere, clients were first locked out of trading, and now find themselves in the position of having to come up with the cash to re-cover their margins or else have counterparties sell their positions out from under them. Meanwhile the SIPC & bankruptcy court seem to be prioritizing the protection of large broker-dealers ahead of small investors in their every decision. So don't believe the nonsense about, "The system worked, we let MF Global fail." This disaster has already cost the taxpayers, and will continue to cost us more.

Commentary Magazine : The End of Corzine’s Disastrous Career?

Tue, 1 Nov 2011 19:16:58 +0000

"The state’s educational institutions are a mess, since the recipients of Corzine’s contract negotiations–the teachers unions–were awarded the funds that should have gone to textbooks, computers, and after-school programs." Funny you should say that: one of the pension funds that appears to have been defrauded by Corzine's MF Global is TIAA-CREF. You know, the teachers' union's pension fund. Oops.

Big Government : Rape, Gropes, and Assaults, Oh My: Mayor Bloomberg, Shut Down Zuccotti Park!

Tue, 1 Nov 2011 18:43:13 +0000

The women assaulted at #Occupy are experiencing exactly what happened to Western women assaulted by Palestinian "activists" in Bil'in. They first suffer the violence, and then suffer a second time when their protest-tourist compatriots pressure them into silence so as not to detract from "the movement".

Big Government : Police Arrest 30 at #OccupyPortland

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:16:08 +0000

We tried to recall Mayor Sam Adams, twice. HIs supporters pulled dirty tricks like going to businesses to "collect" our signed petition forms, so we didn't have enough signatures to get it on the ballot. In any case, he knew better than to run for reelection; Commissioner Randy Leonard, the power behind the throne, is also retiring; and many of us who genuinely like Amanda Fritz are tired of her nonsense. So we have a good chance to see a much-improved city hall voted in next year.

Big Government : Police Arrest 30 at #OccupyPortland

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:08:20 +0000

It's actually more to do with our weak system of government. It's easy for everyone to evade responsibility when there's no "here" for the buck to stop.

Big Government : Police Arrest 30 at #OccupyPortland

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 20:23:46 +0000

As a Portland resident, I can tell you, we're tired of Occupy Portland and want them to leave, but only two members of our city council are with us on that, in spite of the fact that they've done $18,000 damage to the two parks where they're camping, cost the city $186,000+ (so far) in police overtime, left trash to pile up, made a mess in some local businesses' bathrooms, vandalized and stolen from others, and chased away customers. The rest of the city council "have supported the protest 'despite a storm of criticism from nearly every economic class within and outside of Portland,'" said Councilman Randy Leonard (in The Oregonian), and my question at this point is, Why? Why are we allowing this clearly illegal activity to continue? Since when is camping in public spaces a First Amendment right? This part of downtown Portland is already full of empty storefronts, because shoppers were chased away by aggressive panhandlers that the city has failed to police. We're all just hoping that the upcoming elections will give us the chance to make a clean sweep of city government. We're a soft-hearted bunch and we're willing to do a lot to help get health care and other services to the chronically homeless, but Occupy Portland has finally exceeded our limits.

Breitbart.tv : #OccupySanDiego Media to Police: 'You're a F***ing Joke!'

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:12:43 +0000

Dear Officer Alan Pollok (sp?) Thank you for that impressive display of patience. You're a credit to the SDPD.

Big Government : #OccupyBaltimore Discourages Sexual Assault Victims From Contacting Police, Offers Counseling for Pe

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:06:36 +0000

And finally, reports of Peace Corps volunteers raped in-country, and discouraged by Peace Corps officials from reporting. This from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/us/11corps.html... All of these stories are part of a pattern: don't dirty our pretty little picture with your sad little story. Because anyway, you probably deserved it.

Big Government : #OccupyBaltimore Discourages Sexual Assault Victims From Contacting Police, Offers Counseling for Pe

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:02:17 +0000

I will also refer you to incidents of sexual assaults of foreign "peace activists" by local Palestinian "activists" in the West Bank, in which the foreign women were pressured by their fellow travelers not to report the crimes. The two stories below are from right-wing and Leftist media. More can be found in the blogosphere. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/... http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/mess-report/mess-rep...

Big Government : #OccupyBaltimore Discourages Sexual Assault Victims From Contacting Police, Offers Counseling for Pe

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:27:28 +0000

"for the survivor as well as the abuser." That says it all. If you think this attitude is unique, I refer you to Reed College, here in Portland, Oregon. Rather than report the assault, a student is expected to come before a student committee with her assailant, each telling their side of the story. Oh, how I wish I was kidding: http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/04/08/3973/portlan... http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011... As expected, the Portland Police Dept is not happy about this, and reminds Reed that sexual assault is, in fact, a felony.

Big Government : Conservative Judo: How to Fight the Smears and Take the Offensive

Wed, 5 Oct 2011 02:04:46 +0000

Schlichter stylebook, page 23: Never miss an opportunity to remind readers that Robert Byrd was a Kleagle. ;-)

Big Hollywood : Want to Know Why Hollywood Conservatives Stay In the Closet? Meet the

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 06:21:14 +0000

You know why we recognize Michael Vartan from "Alias"? Because the guy's hardly had a decent gig since! And not for lack of talent. Nope: as this video makes abundantly clear, it's for lack of representation by anyone even moderately pleasant. After viewing this, it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to take a call from this guy, let alone meet with him in person. How sad that an eminently watchable actor's career is being weighed down by his association with such a jerk.

Big Government : Patriotic Fervor Sweeps America's Zillionaires!

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:43:50 +0000

Fact: lighting cigars with $100 bills is in fact a conservative act. It is your way of saying, "I care so much about the value of American currency, I am willing to sacrifice this cash to tighten the money supply for the good of the nation." So don't send that contribution to Rick Perry. Use this opportunity to tell Fed Chairman Bernanke what he can do with his loose money policy, and light a cigar. Rick Perry's a real conservative. He'll understand.

Breitbart.tv : Obama Loses Cool At Black Caucus Dinner; 'Stop Complaining' And March

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:44:11 +0000

That's actually a very inspiring clip. I just wish he put that energy into something useful, like getting banks lending again instead of letting them use the bailout to prop up their balance sheets. Unfortunately, the only thing that seems to motivate him is elections, not the actual work of politics.

Big Hollywood : Alec Baldwin Twitter-Trashes American Military 'Leadership' While Defending Convicted Cop Killer

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:16:40 +0000

This is more true than you know. It's the avalanche of American pop media, the least admirable part of our extraordinarily diverse and productive culture, that leads much of the world to believe the worst of us. And Alec Baldwin is perfectly happy to make a living off of that, even as he declares his disgust with Hollywood on a regular basis. I'm not saying I blame him -- an actor's gotta act -- but I'm just pointing out that hypocrisy is his default setting. Along with boorishness. But I digress.

Big Hollywood : Alec Baldwin Twitter-Trashes American Military 'Leadership' While Defending Convicted Cop Killer

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:29:08 +0000

Alec Baldwin is not the first famous idiot to abuse a twitter account, and he won't be the last. I've been on the receiving end of one of these fools' lynch mobs, when someone with a fraction of Alec Baldwin's followers said, "Go tell so-and-so she's a f-ing moron!", and it was amazing, the rain of vile abuse a tweet like that could produce. For an entertainer, every gig eventually comes to an end. But the label of "that guy who's a jerk on twitter"...that tends to stick.

Big Government : Anticipating the Coming Convulsions as the Welfare State Dies

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:42:26 +0000

Brilliant, thank you. :-)