Jon Stewart’s Dark Side Connection; The Stewart Trooper

Aside from blogging, I also enjoy collecting figures. I am not one of those “completionists” who must have every figure available, but I do enjoy picking up the occasional figure for my modest collection. It all started when I was in Nantong, China, when I had a fair bit of spending money with very little to spend on. It all started with a few Transformers movie figures, and from there I started collecting Star Wars figures as well. I quickly started following figure releases, bookmarking Seibertron.com and Rebelscum.com, two of the top resources for Transformers and Star Wars collectors respectively. JediTempleArchives.com is also a good resource, but this post is picking up on a story that was first posted on BathaSkull.com…

Earlier this afternoon at STAR WARS Celebration V in Orlando, ‘The Daily Show’’s Jon Stewart sat down for a one-hour interview with STAR WARS creator George Lucas in what was billed “The Main Event.” Hasbro is proud and honored to create a special gift for Stewart, which Lucas presented to him during the event – a one of a kind (NOT FOR SALE) 3.75-inch Jon Stewart Stormtrooper action figure! The figure, which is packaged on a unique blister card, includes a removable helmet and two interchangeable heads sculpted in Stewart’s likeness – one with a clean shaven face and the other styled with Stewart’s recent goatee.

Click the link to get a look at the figure itself, as it is a pretty good likeness of John Stewart. Suffice to say, this kind of action from George Lucas doesn’t surprise me. His comparison of Barack Obama to the Jedi from the Star Wars series during and after the election was downright nonsensical (one has to wonder now with his rising disapproval whether or not Obama is more like Anakin rather than Luke Skywalker) and definitely exposes Lucas as a left-wing ideologue. So if Obama is Darth Vader, it would be fitting for Jon Stewart to be one of many Stormtroopers. Let’s not pretend that Stewart isn’t one of this administration’s loyal soldiers, especially with such comments like his his recent ones criticizing Republican worries concerning rising taxes and deficits. ‘The Daily show’ might take a shot at a Democrat, once in a while, but it is more like “friendly fire”, then an all about “rebellion”. Definitely not the “rebel scum” he would want his audience to believe he is…

I know the big news for Star Wars fans is the alternate opening for Return of the Jedi that was shown at the Star Wars Celebration V convention last weekend, but I felt this story needed to be told. In my opinion, this figure is very much a metaphor for Jon Stewart’s place in the political arena. While George Lucas didn’t intend his gift to ‘The Daily Show”s host to be seen this way, it would be a laugh if other political commentator’s picked up on it. After all, this joke does seem a lot funnier than Stewart these days… Hilarious…

UPDATE: Two things to add to this post. First, the picture of the Stewart Stormtrooper from BanthaSkull.com. I feel my post is incomplete without it, but I do want to give credit to the website which had this story first.

The second update is a video from TheRightScoop.com. Jon Stewart, being the “Stormtrooper” that he is, attacked the “rebel scum” Glenn Beck over comments made about the Ground Zero Mosque. Beck has since responded and took the Daily Show host to task over his inability to distinguish his statements from those made by the mosque organizers and supporters.

Once again, this goes to that Stewart is a “loyal soldier of the Empire”… And yes, I can’t resist all the Star Wars references and puns…

WATCH THE HANDS!; Neverland Ranch to become a state park

One has to wonder whether or not NAMBLA will hold annual events there. Video of Rush Limbaugh discussing the story, via KingofdaWackos…

There seems to be some issue with loading this video, so if you are having trouble, here is the Youtube link.

The story does seem to be a month old, but seeing as how it was brought to Limbaugh’s attention, there must be some serious recent developments.

What to think? Well, it doesn’t seem well thought out. Michael Jackson was accused for sexual abuse of a child on a number of occasions, most notably the 1993 case and the more recent 2005 People v. Michael Jackson. To make him ranch, the alleged location of these and other abuses, doesn’t sound like the right course of action. I know he has a large devoted fan following, and even I have picked up his albums in the past (the “Michael Jackson Rule”, ignore the artist, enjoy the work), but I have a hard to believing Californians would be happy knowing their tax dollars are being spent preserving this residence. If you ask me, his people should set up a fund to preserve the Neverland Ranch, just as Star Wars fans have donated to save the famous “Lars Homestead” from the original film.

Just a waste of taxpayer’s money to preserve a site few outside of Jackson’s truly devoted followers and NAMBLA would appreciate… Mind-boggling…

A Worthless Declaration; The Religion of Peace is at it again…

When Tarek Fatah dismissed the recent declaration of fundamental Islamic values which was released Friday by the Canadian Council of Imams, he did so because it failed to address three key points. The most important of these points is that the declaration doesn’t denounce the theory of armed jihad. The “useful idiots” came out swinging, declaring that Tarek is a fanatic, using Islam to further his political career and that he was ignoring an important declaration which would help bring Muslims and non-Muslims in Canada closer together. These were definitely the rants of the naive and ignorant, those who refuse to accept that Islam isn’t a “religion of peace”. Suffice to say, Tarek was right as one of the signature of this declaration, Aly Hindy, the head of Scarborough’s Salaheddin Islamic Centre, had threatened Ottawa in 2005, demanding that they back off Muslims. This from the Globe and Mail, via JihadWatch.org. Hat tip to Blazing Cat Fur…

A controversial Toronto imam warned Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan at a closed-door meeting to stop “terrorizing” Canadian Muslims.

“If you try to cross the line I can’t guarantee what is going to happen. Our young people, we can’t control,” Aly Hindy, the head of Scarborough’s Salaheddin Islamic Centre, recalls telling the minister at the May meeting she held in Toronto with dozens of Muslim leaders.

The meeting was part of an effort by Ms. McLellan to reach out to Canadian Muslims amid complaints that the RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service are engaging in racial profiling.

The minister and her officials have been meeting community leaders to explain they are not targeting Muslims generally, only individuals with possible terrorist links.

By many accounts, the meetings have been positive and are contributing to a thaw in relations between Muslims and security agents, even if the exchange in May was a little heated.

Mr. Hindy, who has long complained that CSIS is spying on him, his family and his mosque, told Ms. McLellan that a young Muslim woman complained to him she was roughed up by Canadian spies while her husband was away at prayers. This allegation could spur reprisals because “our women are the most valuable thing to us” and “for a Muslim, honour is more important than his life,” Mr. Hindy said in a recent interview.

He made the point to the minister. Several people who attended shrugged off the imam’s remarks, but some Muslims and government agents later approached Mr. Hindy asking him to explain himself.

“The police came to me and said, ‘This is a kind of threat,’ and I said yes,” he said. “But it’s for the good of this country.

“And they said, ‘Do you know some of the names of those people you expect to cause some problems?’ And I said, ‘You just open the telephone directory.’ “

This is why it was so important to Tarek that any declaration by the Canadian Council of Imans including a denouncement of the theory of armed jihad. He has seen what is going on in Canada’s Muslim community, he has heard what these Imans preach in the safety of their mosques, and because of this, has found this declaration insincere. I might not agree with Tarek the majority of the time, but I do believe that he is at least sincere, especially in this. Having watched him on ‘The Michael Coren Show’, I know him to actually be a moderate Muslim, someone who is actually trying to bring together Muslims and non-Muslims. If he dismisses this declaration, I don’t see why other Canadians wouldn’t, especially with at least one of the signatures having threatened violence against our political capital…

Instead of embracing every token gesture, let’s actually examine what is being said and who is saying it. Instead of adhering to this nonsensical belief that Islam is the “religion of peace”, let’s pay attention to what is being said and who says it. Let’s also pay attention to the “red flags”, like the one raise by Tarek Fatah in this instance, anytime something of this nature occurs… Mind-boggling…

I’m not a teacher but I play one for protests; Palin protester not what she appears to be

On slow news days, everything and anything could become a major story. Andrew Breitbart’s Breitbart TV broke this one, and Hot Air’s Allahpundit picked up on it. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, while filming a segment for a documentary in Homer, Alaska, was accosted by a protester, Kathleen Gustafson, who put up a large banner which read “Worst Governor Ever”. As is the trend, the entire incident was caught on camera…

The left quickly jumped on this, trash Palin as they usually do because the former governor “rolled her eyes” when Gustafson said she was a teacher. Glynnis MacNico of Mediaite also attacked Palin, saying that she isn’t ready for the “rough and tumble world of political campaigns” (ignoring the obvious in that Sarah was both governor of Alaska and a Vice-Presidential running-mate). In all the posts criticizing Palin for, in my opinion, being respectful and responding to an irrational protester, no one bothered to put Gustafson herself under a microscope. Thankfully MacRanger of the Mac’s Mind did just that and discovered this protesting “teacher” wasn’t even a teacher at all. Hat tip to Ken Shepherd of NewsBusters.org for the information…

…A Kathleen Gustafson does appear on this PDF from the district. According to the document she’s not a teacher but a “Theater Tech” at Homer High School. I wonder how the school district would feel about her misstating or more appropriately impersonating a teacher…

…Additionally I could care less whether she performs in a drag queen band or for a play. What is significant is that she is president of the Board of Directors, Kachemak Bay. Family Planning Clinic (KBFPC) in Homer, AK, aka, abortion rights organization…

It would seem Gustafson isn’t ready for the “rough and tumble world” of politics. Her first mistake was lying about her profession, and in the age of internet blogging, she should have known someone was going to do a little research to find out the truth. What we have here isn’t a “hard working public servant”, but a true leftist ideologue. I also believe MacRanger that this event does appear to have deliberately staged. Matter of fact, the Mac’s Mind blogger is still following this story and it appears that Shannyn Moore, a Huffington Post writer known for her anti-Palin bias, may have coordinated this fiasco with Gustafson in an attempt to attack the former governor. Talk about becoming the news…

In any event, it would have been nice if those who jumped on this story would have done their homework. In the end, it makes them look far worse than they would have liked to portray Sarah Palin… Pathetic…

UPDATE: Doug Powers at Michelle Malkin’s blog is covering this story. He rightly points out that, instead of researching who Kathleen Gustafson really is, the mainstream media is obsessing over Sarah Palin’s “eye rolling” at the protester’s claim that she is a teacher. As Doug points out, many of Palin’s family members are/were teachers, so the former governor doesn’t have any issue there. Once again, if any of these “reporters” bothered to do their own research, they would have realized this, along with the fact that this whole incident was a poorly planned publicity stunt… Pitiful…

Praying for Christopher Hitchens

It isn’t a long post, but I feel it is important to write it. This first came to my attention when the National Post’s Araminta Wordsworth wrote an article discussing well-known atheist Christopher Hitchens’ battle with cancer of the oesophagus. I didn’t feel it was appropriate to comment on this then, butHot Air’s Allahpundit has been reporting on CNN’s Anderson Cooper’s interview with him, so I thought it necessary to say something on the matter. After reading a follow up post Allahpundit put up today, I felt it was important to make a comment about how this situation, as a person of faith, makes me feel.

Now, suffice to say, I am not the perfect Catholic. Lord knows I should try harder, but I have never hid my belief in God for the sake of acceptance. I am also not one of Hitchens’ fans, especially after his comments about Pope Benedict XVI, but my heart goes out to him and his family because of this. Seeing him in such a condition, contrary to what his supporters might think considering my religious opinions, truly does upset me. I would much prefer that he is humiliated in a debate with a theologian then on his death bed dying of cancer. He hasn’t done anything to deserve to be in such pain, and it actually warms my heart that so many people of faith, those he has lashed out against in the past, are praying that he wins his battle with this horrible disease. Does that mean that we are “better” for doing this? Not at all, but I do think it demonstrates what kind of people we are, contrary to what so many atheists would believe us to be.

Now, to address the question raised by Allahpundit’s in his most recent post on this subject, I would like to believe that a deathbed conversion, even one motivated by nothing more than fear of death, would qualify him for salvation. While I completely disagree with his opinion on Christianity, while I find his depiction of the Catholic Church utterly offensive, I don’t think that a man as intelligent and well-spoken as he is deserves damnation. I personally believe that God cares for all his children, and that even those like Hitchens, though they wouldn’t accept it, are watched over by him. As my former priest once told me, “God hates the sin and loves the sinner”. While he has denied God for his entire adult life, lashed out at those who have follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, I fail to see how these are crimes that couldn’t be forgiven. My beliefs tell me that he isn’t beyond saving.

In closing, I urge all those of faith, especially those who have been offended by Hitchens’ past writings and statements, to pray that he wins his fight with cancer. The power of prayer is a wonderful thing, and even if it doesn’t convince Hitchens’ himself to change his ways, maybe it will convince him and his supporters of our true nature, if not help him in his battle with cancer. It is the least we could do to help a fellow human being…

UPDATE: Another post from Hot Air’s Allahpundit concerning Christopher Hitchens and his continuing fight with cancer. This time, instead of clips, Allahpundit has posted an entire interview with the atheist author, Jeffrey Goldberg, and Martin Amis concerning death and prayer. I recommend my modest give it a look at keep praying that Hitchens does win his battle with this terrible disease.

Even if an acceptance of God does seem like a stretch for him, for Hitchens to admit that there is a possibility that a higher power does exist is good more than good enough for me…