U.S. Rep. Archie Bunker
by M. Stewart
I remember an old All in the Family episode where Mike Stivik got an out-of-town job offer and was preparing to move away with his wife, Gloria, and their son, which caused great conflict in the Bunker household. But at the last minute, the job offer was pulled and the Stiviks ended up staying in New York, prompting Archie to claim that he'd planned all along to pay their moving expenses.
After everyone heaped praise on Archie for the magnanimous gesture, he confessed privately to his wife, Edith, that he had no intention of paying for the move, but since the job offer was pulled, he could say that he had, so his daughter and son in law would think he was a great guy. Following a moment of confusion, Edith--one of television's greatest enablers--ended the program by thanking Archie for the thought.
Someone else must remember that episode of All in the Family too--namely, U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, whose office issued a press release yesterday claiming that if the federal government were to shut down, the congressman would "donate his salary for the time of the shutdown to eastern and southeastern Ohio veterans organizations." You can read all of Johnson's April 8 press release at his web site.
Well, it looks like old Bill won't have to donate his salary to those veterans organizations after all! By some miracle, a veritable deus ex machina, the Tea Party was able to make an 11th-hour deal with the Democrats and keep the federal government running. Of course, Rep. Johnson knew nothing of this when he had his people write the press release on Friday. It was a complete surprise. Willing to play the role of Edith Bunker, some newspapers published the press release in their Saturday edition anyway.
In other entertainment news, Charlie Sheen continued his "Torpedo of Truth" comedy tour at Radio City Music Hall in New York City last night. While the Jesco White of the jet set didn't get booed off the stage like he did in Detroit, reports indicate that the reception wasn't exactly warm. There were some boos and jeers from hecklers, but there were also some appreciative fans who paid over $100 to see Mr. Sheen talk about himself and his problems. But all in all, the night didn't go well for Sheen, unless you think ending with the audience chanting "Fuck you, Charlie" is an invitation to an encore.
But things were quite different in the once great state of Ohio, where a just a few nights earlier Sheen received the warmest of welcomes. According to TMZ, Cleveland fans went wild over Charlie, going so far as to offer him a standing ovation. Does anyone remember when Cleveland was known as a center of culture in the Midwest? I do, but that was a long, long time ago.
I remember an old All in the Family episode where Mike Stivik got an out-of-town job offer and was preparing to move away with his wife, Gloria, and their son, which caused great conflict in the Bunker household. But at the last minute, the job offer was pulled and the Stiviks ended up staying in New York, prompting Archie to claim that he'd planned all along to pay their moving expenses.
After everyone heaped praise on Archie for the magnanimous gesture, he confessed privately to his wife, Edith, that he had no intention of paying for the move, but since the job offer was pulled, he could say that he had, so his daughter and son in law would think he was a great guy. Following a moment of confusion, Edith--one of television's greatest enablers--ended the program by thanking Archie for the thought.Someone else must remember that episode of All in the Family too--namely, U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, whose office issued a press release yesterday claiming that if the federal government were to shut down, the congressman would "donate his salary for the time of the shutdown to eastern and southeastern Ohio veterans organizations." You can read all of Johnson's April 8 press release at his web site.
Well, it looks like old Bill won't have to donate his salary to those veterans organizations after all! By some miracle, a veritable deus ex machina, the Tea Party was able to make an 11th-hour deal with the Democrats and keep the federal government running. Of course, Rep. Johnson knew nothing of this when he had his people write the press release on Friday. It was a complete surprise. Willing to play the role of Edith Bunker, some newspapers published the press release in their Saturday edition anyway.
In other entertainment news, Charlie Sheen continued his "Torpedo of Truth" comedy tour at Radio City Music Hall in New York City last night. While the Jesco White of the jet set didn't get booed off the stage like he did in Detroit, reports indicate that the reception wasn't exactly warm. There were some boos and jeers from hecklers, but there were also some appreciative fans who paid over $100 to see Mr. Sheen talk about himself and his problems. But all in all, the night didn't go well for Sheen, unless you think ending with the audience chanting "Fuck you, Charlie" is an invitation to an encore.
But things were quite different in the once great state of Ohio, where a just a few nights earlier Sheen received the warmest of welcomes. According to TMZ, Cleveland fans went wild over Charlie, going so far as to offer him a standing ovation. Does anyone remember when Cleveland was known as a center of culture in the Midwest? I do, but that was a long, long time ago.
posted by M. | 9:49 AM
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