I blame Rupert Murdoch.

I hope you have the same criticism for Lorie though, who called our troops "stupid."

jp, when did Lorie call the troops stupid?

Or, are you carrying on your credo to be a narrow-minded jerk?

The sad part is that it was not even funny. They could have done a much better job. Its just comedy so I don't take it seriously...but it sucked bad. Family Guy did a much better job last week.

Man, the Simpsons need to be put out to pasture already.

It was a headline a week or so ago. Check the archives if you are interested.

It was bad. Two episodes in a row (also the Halloween episode) where their 'message' has trumped their being funny or being in good taste. At first I was just thinking, ok, they're making a joke, all in good fun. But it just went on like that, like John Kerry who doesn't know when to stop, for a full half hour. I was shocked, it just didn't stop. I just did a quick post about it on my site and figured, correctly, that a lot of other people would be blogging it, too. I'm thinking someone's going to have to explain themselves pretty soon...I can hardly wait..."Ummm...no, we weren't insulting the intelligence of our military, uh, Homer should have just been saying 'George Bush is stupid!' for a straight 24 minutes...that's what happens when we outsource our drawings!"

yo, jp2 is most likely referring to Lorie's post here, because jp2 is too amazingly stupid to understand in-your-face sarcasm and biting wit. (Not to be confused with "ankle-biting twit," a term I'm sure jp2 is far more familiar with.) Lorie no more called the troops stupid than the troops themselves did in that picture.

J.

Oh, I know Lorie never said such a thing. I was curious if jp was going to put anything thought into trying to back up his claim, or if he was going to go HuffPo on us and screech some unverifiable thing and then run off like a little girl.

I see that we have our answer.

yo, OF COURSE he wasn't going to bother to back up his claim. That's OUR job -- he makes the allegations, then lets others do his homework for him. It's the hallmark of a troll -- unsupported charges repeated ad nauseum.

He didn't bother backing up this one because he knew that anyone with a quarter of a brain (even halfwits would get it) would recognize Lorie's intent. That, as you see, excludes the trolls around here.

J.

Gotcha' J. I knew there'd be no real backing, and even if he did provide something, it would be easily destroyed. I'm just amazed that he finds any sort of value in getting his ideological ass knocked around as much as he does ... especially from a pud-knocker, like me.

I haven't seen the whole show, just the clips and thought they were pretty funny. I took the clips as much as their making fun of the slams against the military as against the military itself. Isn't it possible that last night's episode was akin to Lorie's "in-your-face sarcasm and biting wit"?

And even if the produers were slamming the military, let's not forget they're equal opportunity offenders. They've gone after plenty on the left.

just my thinking... but then again, I don't have a chip on my shoulder.

"It made our military recruiters look really sleazy and deceptive." "Sleazy and deceptive" describes the Simpsons.

and JP2. Stop being deceptive yourself. YOU KNOW that Lorie was being sarcastic by mimicking Kerry. Grow up.

I've watched the simpsons for a long time and they have a habit of making fun of everything. Australia was up in arms when that episode made fun of them. Brazil was upset when they tweaked them. Heck they even bad mouthed Bill Clinton in one episode. Here is what the cartoon Bill said "Well, I am a pretty bad president."

So lighten up. Geez

Okay, by show of hands...
How many have ever dealt with a military recruiter?

Okay, that many, well, many are sleazy and deceptive, having been an active duty member of our great AF during both Gulf Wars and been friends with many a recruiter, I feel I can say this, with toung planted both in and out of my cheek. Though I didn't see the episode (The Simpson's haven't been relavent since '98) I really can't say how they depicted them. I can say this, a lie of omission is still a lie, and thats what they are very good at, War? what war?... I have heard all the stories and seen the bonus checks, recruiter duty is one of the most sought after special duty assignments,
one: because it ensures you will not be going anywhere for at least 3 years,
two: no exercises to play in, no having to "don the gear" and sweat you ass off for 4 hours while they grade you, and
three: nothing like an expense account to motivate someone.

oops, he said "lousy" not bad.

Addressing the 'lighten up' crowd, particularly those that didn't actually watch it: Some of the episode was funny. At first it was 'look, they're skewering current events, OK'. But after about 45 minutes of it (including the last sketch from the Halloween episode), it was clearly too much. A dig here, a gouge there...that's the Simpsons, take it or leave it. But this was wall-to-wall for the entire episode. By the end my wife and I agreed that the episode just wasn't funny. They made no effort to include side stories, they made no effort to branch out from the 'people that join the military are stupid' talking point, we kept waiting for it, it just never happened. Frankly it reminded me of Ellen, it was a funny show at first, and most people didn't give a rat's bottom when she 'came out' on the show...but after that it just wasn't funny anymore as they focused exclusively on that story line without bothering to write a sitcom, it just become a 'lesson'. Last night's Simpsons forgot it was a sitcom and became a 'lesson'. What the 'lighten up' crowd needs to realize is that we're still watching the Simpsons, even after all the previous episodes where the military was skewered (off the top of my head the one were sideshow bob had a nuke in a blimp, Homer joins the naval reserves, and the one where Bart and Lisa go to a military academy) and that was funny. The jokes there were that the military is intransient, the military as a whole isn't very smart or adaptable, the military mostly just likes to blow stuff up, etc. The only message in last night's episode, repeated throughout, was that the people that joined, particularly now, are stupid. There just doesn't seem to be any other way to intepret the message. And I tried, believe me, I tried. If the first ten minutes had been about that, about aimless teens getting suckered by recruiters...fine. But it didn't stop, it just kept going like that without ever getting to anything else, like a scratched record..."suicidal teens welcome"? "Even the stupid teens are too smart to join"? It was just too much.

First, I am a huge Simpsons fan. (My office has Simpsons memorabilia all over it.) I think it's one of the most brilliant TV sitcoms ever. I watch and TiVo-it, religiously.

Having said that, I wasn't overtly offended by last night's episode but I was certainly taken aback at the unabashed military and policy slamming. It went overboard, for sure. (Maybe that was the point? The sterotypes were over the top, but the payoffs just never went anywhere that were really funny.)

Normally the writers are pretty good at offering both sides of an issue; offering a counterbalance as to not seem unfair or biased or mean-spirited. I kept waiting for that moment to happen last night but it never quite materialized. (As a whole, there weren't a lot of laughs last night, just a few--and that seems to be the norm for the last couple of seasons, really.)

Every recruit was an imbecile or braindead (Cletus pulling the pin on his "avocado"); the sheister recruiters were repressed homosexuals; Lisa was her usual moonbat self; Marge dipped into Lisa's leftist moral well, too (which is odd as Marge's character usually stays fairly neutral on political hot button issues); and Keifer Sutherland's character was just a tired cliche of military sargaents. All in all, just not a great or memorable Simpsons show.

Do I think it was the most apropos show to run in light of the recent Kerry comments? Nah, they could've held the show for a mont. Should they have aired it? Sure, it's their nose; let them cut it off. Could the writers have done better? Hell diddly-do yes.

Here's my overall verdict of last night's show: "Front-line infantry!"

(For those who watched the credits, you'll know what I'm talking about in that last line.)

I'll bet Soros and his intl banking cabal was behind this somehow.....

The Simpsons evenly dishes out the teeth. Anyone remember this episode?

Bill Clinton: "No, thank you, Lisa. For teaching kids everywhere a valuable lesson: If things don't go your way, just keep complaining until your dreams come true."
Marge: "That's a pretty lousy lesson."
Bill Clinton: "Hey, I'm a pretty lousy president."

"Simpsons are sleazy and deceptive" HAHAHHAHAHAHAH. THAT, my friends, is good humor. If you are trying to get real life lessons and info from the Simpsons and feel cheated, please, I want those stories....

The Simpsons have ripped just about everyone since it started. If you don't think it's funny or you get offended, there is the option called not watching it. America now has about 120 channels you can watch, and that's the basic package.

There is no way Lorie seriously called the troops stupid. jp2, admit defeat on that one.

The Simpsons evenly dishes out the teeth. Anyone remember this episode?

(And don't forget the episode where first President George H.W. Bush moves in across the street and befriends Bart! Great episode!)

But to your point point, suhnami, that's what last night's show didn't do: evenly dish out the teeth in the same show (which is a Simpsons calling card on "issue" shows.)

(And last night's recruitment show wasn't nearly as funny as when the Bart, Nelson, Milhouse and Martin form a boy band that uncovers a sinister plot by an Army colonel whose made a subliminal "Arabic" video with the chorus "nioj eht yvan" (Join the Navy). And the Backstreet Boys have a great line: "Those whackin' invertebrates will sting you....old school!". Great stuff. Last night? not so much...)

I didn't mean that simpons is even handed throughout one episode, but I see your point. The ones where they are indeed are better. In the Bill Clinton one it was a pretty brutal portayal of him without so much as a stab at the right. To me it was more shocking than funny.

Haha, the boy band one was pretty good too.

George Bush as a neighbor. That one has earned its place in the 'Classic' section. Gerlad Ford at the end was priceless.

That was, what, a 3 second jab at Clinton (not that there weren't others...remember the "fat, lecherous hillbilly elected" headline?)? Last night was 'people that join the army are stupider than Carney' for a full 30 minutes with no side stories and no deviation from that focus whatsoever.

It wasn't three seconds, it was two.

Point taken. A full storyline calling the soldiers stupid is pretty rough, by any standards.

"fat, lecherous hillbilly elected" - haha, that was funny

Best Subliminal Slam Simpsons on Clinton or Bush: Cleetus on the phone in the Oval Office: "Brandine, get my evenin' britches ready. We going to meet the Sultan of Bru-nai!"

LOL. Love that one!

Still, last night's episode suck-diddly-ucked, Flanders.

Why stop with the Simpsons? What about the treasonous caricatures of the military by Beetle Bailey or Sad Sack?

Get.

A.

Life.

I have to agree with ClashCityR, there are good recruiters and there are some "sleazy" ones. But they definitely rate above used car salesmen.

Gee, have we heard from anyone with recent involvement with a recruiter?

One son scouted around, talked to many, and cut himself a good deal with the USN. He graduated near the top of his A school and is happily on to another promotion.

Another, not quite as sophisticated, just talked to the Army recruiter. He got a crappy deal. But after a little advice, he pulled out, and the recruiter was kind and helpful (just in case he changes his mind again, I presume). The recruiter even helped him later beat a ticket for skateboarding downtown (THAT pissed me off, I thought he needed to suffer some consequences for his actions).

So in this case the smarter guy made it into the military, and the one who's not ready for it didn't.

Now, of course the USAF TSgt who ten years ago arrived at my front door, cold-cocked me and threw a bag over my head, then transported me to the middle of the Nevada desert, now I have two words to say to him:

Thank you.

I've spent a lot of my time commenting here defending the military (just ask Lee, he's usually on the receiving end).

However....

While they are the exception, not the rule, there are enough recruiters out there who actually ARE sleazy and deceptive, and their tactics and abuses are so far out there, that they tend to give recruiters in general a bad rap.

I went and sought out my recruiter, back in the day - nobody sweet-talked me. This was during the Clinton years, when no one wanted to enlist and they were offering ridiculously large bonuses. The recruiter in question was still a weasel, though; even the other recruiters didn't like him.

Well, Kim sure did embiggen this role with her cromulent performance. Wait, she just piggybacked on other people's posts yet again? What a Quimby.

Put that in your fife and smoke it.

mantis=the Patty and Selma of Wizbang posters.

;-)

Cough...cough

he makes the allegations, then lets others do his homework for him. It's the hallmark of a troll

Jay, then you must be the biggest troll of all. It's your M.O. to pose lofty questions to your idealogical opponents, only to dismiss any response they may have unless they've done the research to find the answers to your questions.

Did you ever find out how many employees stay at minimum wage for more than a year? Or are you still waiting for someone else to do your homework for you?

Brian, the point I was making about the minimum wage is that I am arguing for the status quo, and you are arguing for changing it. I interpret that as meaning that the onus is upon YOU to prove your case for change.

I spelled out what sorts of evidence would help you make your case in convincing me otherwise. But I don't think I have much of an obligation to convince myself. That's your part of the debate.

J.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we all recently see an actual video of a recruiter lying his ass off to someone?

I've never heard a story about anyone who has been to see a recruiter that didn't contain the phrase "And then they guy promised me___ which I know is B.S..." I've always understood that the way it goes is the recruiter lies his ass off, and the day you show you to sign the 753 forms is the day you hear the truth about what you will be expected to do and what you can expect from them.

What I'm saying is I thought it was common knowledge that recruiters lie like used car salesmen? Isn't this kind of reaching for something to be angry about?