When George Carlin died recently, our world lost not just a comedian, but a man of considerable intelligence who educated his audiences nearly as much as he entertained them. I remember the first time I heard Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weather man, when Carlin, fresh shaven and wearing a suit, appeared on a national television variety program, popular in that era.
The Vietnam War and the sharp shift in the zeitgeist carried him off in another direction - bearded and wearing nothing but black, and he remained outside the frame making his shrewd observations about himself and us for over five decades. His monologue on the seven words which could not be said on television got him into considerable hot water, but it turned out to be an important contribution to our appreciation of the essence of free speech.
His specials on HBO were extremely funny, even as he ripped at our sensibilities with the sharpness of his observations. I cringed sometimes, but I laughed a lot, and underneath his bravado and anger, one could sense a man of considerable sensitivity and even kindness.
In homage to his long and brilliant career, I have decided to follow in his footsteps and refer hereafter to George W. Bush as "Governor Bush," the last position to which the Current Occupant was legally elected.
Feel free (literally and figuratively) to join me.
About Me
- Nicholas Nash
- White Bear Lake, Minnesota, United States
- Teacher, School Administrator, Professor, Public Radio Program Director and Broadcaster (kind of), entepreneur, theatre aficionado and a man determined to visit every working distillery in Scotland before, uh, long. Lives in an old farmhouse with a young scottish terrier, on a glorified pond, in a suburb of Saint Paul, Minnesota.