Courtesy of HuffPo:
Oliver called out the Ferguson police department’s racism, our country’s irrational militarization of police forces, and the governor’s selectively applied logic when punishing the maligned community, concluding that “this is a top down problem.”
“You took a community tired of being treated like criminals, and imprisoned them all in their own houses for a night,” Oliver said, criticizing Gov. Nixon.
He continued, delivering a scathing indictment: “If even the governor can’t distinguish between the good and the bad elements of the community, and decides to punish everyone equally, then that should go both ways. I know the police love their ridiculous unnecessary military equipment, so here’s another patronizing test: let’s take it all away from them, and if they can make it through a whole month without killing a single unarmed black man, then — and only then– can they get their fucking toys back.”
I'm telling you with this kind of amazing stuff coming from Oliver I am barely even cognizant of the fact tha tboth the Daily Show and The Colbert Report on currently on hiatus.
I so agree w/John Oliver as to the Gov of Missouri. I don't trust the guy as far as I can throw him and I sincerely believe they are 'using' (or forcing!) the black guy that they keep putting out in front to speak to the media. That poor fellow supposedly has the full responsibility of the National Guard and ALL the other police forces. There is no way he is in charge of them!
ReplyDeleteI really think so much of what they are doing is total bullshit and they'll go back to killing and being nasty to the black folks in Ferguson once the media is gone. We will need to keep close tabs on the racists cops in that state!
Way past time to arrest the white cop that killed the black teenager. Way, way past time! Video and witnesses are proof the cop was the killer! He cannot hide forever and his pay needs to be stopped. He doesn't deserve it and has not earned it due to being a cop killer and racist!
Never trust a politician named Nixon.
DeleteThe voter registration effort in Ferguson is the only bright light this week. Hopefully, everyone who registers now will vote in November. That is the only way anything can change for the better.
ReplyDeleteJohn Oliver needs to talk about Gaza. People are noticing his silence.
ReplyDeleteThose "people" of whom you speak are uninformed. Don't forget he's on HBO. The full series is on the HBOGO site if you're a subscriber. The show only posts limited videos on it's YouTube channel and the media doesn't report on everything he does.
DeleteHere's one of Oliver's segments on Gaza.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT6zdVj5wbQ
I honestly thought it would be funny, but for some reason, I just can't bring myself to laugh. Maybe it's too close to the event and I have a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach that nothing's changed since Treyvon Martin was killed by a wannabe white cop.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't actually funny, but very entertaining and revealing of what the real problems are.
DeleteI must admit, the tank-guarded pumpkins in Keene did make me laugh out loud.
DeleteOverall, it's more thought-provoking than funny.
Oliver hit it.
ReplyDeleteThis report is more informative than watching the 24/7 cable news coverage of Ferguson. It's cogent, leaves a lasting impression, and hilarious. I'm stunned by the consistent quality of John Oliver's show. He's set the bar high!
ReplyDeleteJohn Oliver has completely nailed the leadership vacuum that is producing the current uproar. May we soon be delivered of the two keystone cop police captains whose failed policing began the mayhem.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling the National Guard is being called in, because those in the know are already aware that the officers account is factual, and that he will be vindicated. But since the press ran wild with this story and their so called 'witnesses' to rile up their audiences leading to riots, they are now forced to stretch this whole thing out, and hope that they can calm the situation by buying time and possibly credibility with a Fed investigation. It is a powder keg.
ReplyDeleteFrom one of the witness videos that I saw, it looked like the policeman realized the enormity of his crime (the only word I can think of to describe shooting and killing an unarmed person) but then did not do what he should have done. Had the police handled the situation correctly, from the minute the boy was on the ground, this whole past week could have been avoided. But the policeman who shot the boy, the entire police force and the mayor panicked, the situation escalated and we see the results. The autopsy shows that the boy did not fight with the policeman and was not the aggressor. As in the tragic case of Trayvon Martin, the victim is being made into the perpetrator and who knows if justice will ever be done.
DeleteBeaglemom
5:41 nobody has any real information yet except for the investigation team. But I would agree that the police and local and state officials have not handled the situation well at all. There are also supposedly many witnesses who back the policemans story. It is all over the map.
DeleteIsn't that area pretty crime ridden?
ReplyDeleteAnd the ignorance level is through the roof. The looting is ridiculous. Protesting isn't a crime. Commiting CRIMES is a crime.
SMH
St Louis, the bigger city, is one of th emost dangerous for a reason.
Kristy, it's one thing to shat your igno-droppings all over every Palin thread anywhere in existence, but we are talking about actual IMPORTANT people, here.
DeleteGo away. Go educate yourself about who is actually doing the looting (neither the locals, nor the protestors) and learn about the oppressive cycle of poor education and healthcare that leads to cities like St Louis being "th emost" dangerous.
Gryphen, I TRULY applaud your commitment to free speech but in the interest of sanity (mine), trashbinning some of Kristy's air headed babble would go a long way. Let her nurse her crush on Bristol and obsession with Sarah on some other blog.
And on topic:
Oliver is quickly becoming my go-to for real meaty news- he gets better every week and a mere 30 minutes is not enough. Let's have a 60 minute show, HBO.
The Daily Show has become a university for brilliant humorists.
ReplyDeleteLook at some of the alumni:
Steve Carrel
Stephen Colbert
John Oliver
I wonder if John Stewart is just that good of a mentor, or if it's the production team there, but whatever the case - they do turn out some of the best political comics we've ever seen.
It's Lizz Winstead. She was the prime developer of the Daily Show. Read her book "Lizz Free Or Die" to see why and how she did it.
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