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Ben Shapiro
The Obama White House’s Plagiaristic, Silly Art
by Ben ShapiroWant to know the Obama Administration’s idea of what constitutes art? There’s no better place to look than the newly-reconstituted White House art collection. So what’s there? How about this gem:
Yes, it is boring and banal. It does look like your three-year-old’s recent construction paper cut-out from pre-school – the one she made with the rounded scissors. It’s Watusi (Hard Edge), by black painter Alma Thomas.
Now here’s Henri Matisse’s The Snail (1953).
Notice any similarities? How about now: (more…)
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White House Creates ACORN for the Arts
by Ben ShapiroOver the last week, Big Hollywood and Big Government have been extensively covering the August 10 conference call between the National Endowment for the Arts and a group of artists – a call on which the artists were encouraged to support President Obama’s agenda, with the tacit promise that they would be handsomely rewarded with government grants. The NEA representative on the call was then-Communications Director of the NEA Yosi Sergant.
Now we have new evidence that the White House itself has been using its sway to recruit artists – not just to support President Obama’s “volunteerism” initiatives, but to support basic planks of his political agenda, including health care. In fact, the White House has been tapping its extragovernmental political allies to work with artists with the tacit promise that NEA funds will be in the offing for those who join the Obama Administration political program. (more…)
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New White House ‘Guidelines’ Are Pathetic Revisionist History
by Ben ShapiroIn the aftermath of the revelations that the NEA sponsored a conference call with artists across the country in order to promote President Obama’s political agenda, the NEA and White House are running scared. Yesterday, Yosi Sargent, the NEA Director of Communications who headed the call, resigned. Also yesterday, the White House Counsel’s Office released what it called a “memorandum” designed to create “guidelines regarding our vitally important outreach efforts.”
Ready? Here we go.
WH_COUNSEL_MEMO_GUIDELINES_FOR_PUBLIC_OUTREACH_MEETINGS
First, the White House suggests that all NEA employees “avoid even the appearance of impropriety.” According to the White House, “President Obama has pledged to restore Americans’ trust in their government. Strict adherence to the rules is not enough – we need to avoid even the appearance of politicization in order to ensure people’s faith in the actions of the Administration. This means always asking whether an action under consideration could be construed as inappropriate.” Good advice, to be sure. But this would be too little too late – and it also conflicts with the facts. The clear implication here is that no laws were violated. (more…)
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At Least 6 Federal Laws and Regulations Violated By the NEA Conference Call
by Ben ShapiroYesterday, I posted about the NEA conference call’s clear and obvious violations of the Anti-Lobbying Act (19 U.S. Code §1913), which explicitly provides: “No part of the money appropriated by any enactment of Congress shall, in the absence of express authorization by Congress, be used directly or indirectly to pay for any personal service, advertisement, telegram, telephone, letter, printed or written matter, or other device, intended or designed to influence in any manner a Member of Congress, a jurisdiction, or an official of any government, to favor, adopt, or oppose by vote or otherwise, any legislation, law, ratification, policy, or appropriation, whether before or after the introduction of any bill, measure or resolution proposing such legislation, law, ratification, policy or appropriation …” The Anti-Lobbying Act, according to government handbooks, prevents government employees from engaging in “substantial ‘grass roots’ lobbying campaigns … expressly urging individuals to contact government officials in support of or opposition to legislation …. Provid[ing] administrative support for lobbing activities of private organizations …”
Violation of this law, in turn, violates 31 U.S. Code §1352, which, if read broadly, bans the use of federal funds for lobbying by the recipients: “funds appropriated by any Act [may not be] expended by the recipient of a Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement to pay any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with any Federal action …” (more…)
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Demand Congressional Investigation: NEA Conference Call Broke Laws
by Ben ShapiroIn the aftermath of the Andrew Breitbart/James O’Keefe/Hannah Giles-broken ACORN scandal, President Obama and his allies in Congress have distanced themselves from the community organizing goliath. Congress has cut off funds, and Obama has refused to speak about the matter. End of story, right?
Wrong.
There’s only one problem: the ACORN mentality – pinpointing and mobilizing particular groups in support of a radical-left agenda – is no longer restricted to government-funded private non-profits like ACORN. The ACORN mentality now dominates the government itself. Taxpayer dollars are being used by elected officials to encourage the deification of President Obama and his agenda. And one of the chief organs of the government propaganda machine is the National Endowment for the Arts.
Let’s start from the beginning. On August 25, artist Patrick Courrielche told the story of a conference call he attended on August 10. That conference call was hosted by the NEA, the White House Office of Public Engagement, and United We Serve. The goal of the conference call: “to help lay a new foundation for growth, focusing on core areas of the recovery agenda – health care, energy and environment, safety and security, education, community renewal.” The call would push “a group of artists, producers, promoters, organizers, influencers, marketers, taste-makers, leaders or just plain cool people to join together and work together to promote a more civically engaged America and celebrate how the arts can be used for a positive change!” (more…)
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G.I. Hans: The Rise of the Obama
by Ben ShapiroFor forty years, GI Joe has been a bellweather for America’s view of the military. If the new GI Joe movie is any indicator, we’re headed for a dry spell for pro-military sentiment under President Obama.
Originally launched in 1963 as a male version of the Barbie doll, GI Joe’s creators intended for the “action figures” to be a tribute to the armed services (prototypes included “Rocky,” the Army soldier, “Skip,” the sailor, and “Ace,” the pilot). GI Joe wore WWII or Korean War issue uniforms. For the next five years, GI Joes (including black GI Joe figures in particular areas) would dominate the market.
During the Vietnam era, Hasbro, GI Joe’s maker and distributor, decided to tone down the action figure’s military theme as a result of the Vietnam War. Instead, Hasbro shifted the marketing to “Adventure Team,” which included turning GI Joes into superheroes and having them fight “The Intruders: Strong Men from Another World.”
With the coming of Reagan, GI Joe regained his footing. Hasbro began marketing the product again as “GI Joe: A Real American Hero.” The action figure even spawned a successful TV series, which touted GI Joe as “the code name for America’s daring, highly trained special mission force. Its purpose: to defend freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world.” (more…)
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‘Broke: The New American Dream’ Review
by Ben ShapiroI received Michael Covel’s new documentary, Broke: The New American Dream [trailer - website] in the mail about a week ago, and watched it in one sitting. The film describes itself as “a vivid, honest, often humorous and always insightful look at our struggle with investments and retirement.” The film is vivid and often humorous – it is peppered with slivers of good advice from 1950s financial films and cartoons – and, in the mold of documentarians like Michael Moore, it focuses mainly on people and less on specifics. That said, Broke isn’t a complete breakdown of what happened and how we got here, or how we’ll get out of it.
Broke is an ambitious movie, covering ground from the subprime meltdown to the relationship between the stock market and the “irrational exuberance” targeted by Professor Robert Schiller. For all its ambition, the film does come off as a bit scattered, mixing personal stories with broader (and often vaguer) points about the nature of the financial markets. If you’re looking for a detailed analysis of real estate finance or an explanation of the mismanagement by the federal government and Wall Street, you’re not likely to find it here – this is more of a media critique, and a critique of the American mindset that we should “get rich quick” through the market rather than doing our research. (more…)
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Perez Hilton: Violence Isn’t the Answer, Violent Laughter Is
by Ben ShapiroPerez Hilton aka Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. is the worst. I’m not just referring to his much-publicized hit job on Carrie Prejean during the Miss USA contest. I’m referring to his entire career. His website, PerezHilton.com, is a parade of puerile garbage, a sleazy attempt to raise himself to celebrity status by tearing down other celebrities.
So it was not unsatisfying to watch his latest run-in with fellow Obama-supporter, assumed-name-fellow-traveler, Will.i.am. In fact, it was delicious. Perez Hilton/Mario got into a verbal confrontation with Will.i.am, which ended with gay Mario calling Will.i.am a “faggot.” Will.i.am’s manager then got into the act, punching Mario in the eye. To which Mario responded with an enraged and hilarious YouTube video. Because, after all, what better way to respond to being punched than to bitch about it on your blog? (more…)
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Troopathon 2009: Heroes Not Victims
by Ben ShapiroHollywood has, for the last thirty years or so, made military members the butts of jokes – they’re either crazy Vietnam vets (Rambo) or corrupt institutionalists (The Hulk). But most of all, they’re victims (see Platoon). They’re victims of uncaring governments, of obtuse generals, of racist politicians.
Such portrayal couldn’t be further from the truth. Since the end of the draft, America’s military men and women have courageously volunteered to defend our country; they have put themselves in harm’s way for a higher purpose than themselves. They aren’t selfish or stupid – or dupes, as John Kerry suggested (”You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don’t you get stuck in Iraq.”). They are heroes. As Orwell put it, “We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” And today’s soldiers have trained themselves to be rough and ready; they haven’t been coerced or forced. If the highest sacrifice is the sacrifice by choice, these men and women make the highest sacrifice every day. (more…)
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Rewriting the ‘Star Spangled Banner’
by Ben ShapiroThe Supreme Court has authored many, many stupid opinions. Perhaps the stupidest line in Supreme Court history, however, came from Justice Anthony Kennedy’s concurrence in Texas v. Johnson (1989). That case invalidated 48 state laws prohibiting the burning of the American flag, as well as a federal law. Kennedy explained the Court’s position: “It is poignant but fundamental that the flag protects those who hold it in contempt.”
Well, not so much. The flag doesn’t protect us from paying our taxes if we disagree with government policy; the flag doesn’t protect us from urinating in public. Burning the flag is a behavior, not a form of speech. And there are many forms of behavior that express viewpoints that are simply out of bounds. It is interesting that while it is well accepted that there is no right to secede from the federal government, burning the flag – the ultimate repudiation of American sovereignty – is a hallmark of liberal “free speech.” (more…)
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What Happens Next on ‘Lost’?
by Ben ShapiroThe season finale of Lost demonstrates that it is, indeed, the best show in the history of television. More on that in a moment. But first, the recruiting pitch.
For those who don’t watch Lost, now is a perfect opportunity to start – register with Netflix and watch the series from the beginning. Watch the first four episodes. If you don’t like the show at that point, then dump out with the knowledge that you have given Lost a fair shake.
But I would bet that you will be intrigued by the show. Stick with it. Give it the time it deserves. And most of all, trust the writers. They are tremendously creative and unpredictable, which is what makes the show so fun.
Okay, back to the Season 5 finale. Spoiler alert – I’m going to discuss plot points and in doing so, give my own theory as to what is happening on the show.
Here’s the theory. (more…)
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Wanda Sykes’ Gutless Performance
by Ben ShapiroHollywood’s favorite phrase is “speaking truth to power.” It charts just above “She/he is the love of my life,” “Though we’re not together anymore, we’ll remain good friends,” and “Hey, where did I leave my underwear?”
Hollywood slings around the phrase “speaking truth to power” as if it were cocaine at a Sean Penn movie premiere party. And they particularly love slinging it around at the time of the White House Correspondents Dinner.
A couple years ago, Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central was the beneficiary of the “speaking truth to power” Hollywood press machine. He headlined the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner, and laid ‘em in the aisles with brilliant lines like, “Over the last five years, you people were so good-over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn’t want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. … And then you write, Oh, they’re just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg!” (more…)
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Savage’s Badge of Honor
by Ben ShapiroThe British government’s decision to ban Michael Savage from entering the UK based on his political viewpoint and opposition to the global domination of Islamic shariah law puts Savage in the same company as Winston Churchill, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown in the same company as Neville Chamberlain. Savage, the recipient of the Talkers Magazine 2007 Freedom of Speech Award (Al Franken is a former winner), is an ardent advocate for liberty and freedom and the leading opponent of global Islamofascism.
During the 1930s, Neville Chamberlain pursued a policy of appeasement that brought Europe to its knees before Adolf Hitler. Even as Hitler planned his domination of the globe, the British Broadcasting Company banned Winston Churchill, Hitler’s leading political opponent, from the radio. Even after the beginning of World War II, the BBC censored Churchill, considering him too inflammatory in his description of the Germans. (more…)
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What Would the Media Say if Obama’s Frequent Hollywood Guests Were Oil Execs?
by Ben Shapiro
Barack Obama’s White House is beginning to look a lot like a Joan Rivers special. Celebrity after celebrity is showing up at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., demonstrating, as Obama has told us time and time again, that the President is indeed outside the bubble, interested in the common man, and a representative of the little guy.
Or not.
Last Monday, according to Politico.com, Tiger Woods sat down with Obama. Tuesday, Toby Keith stopped in. Wednesday, Usher chatted with White House staff about malaria. Friday, Forest Whittaker showed up. And that’s leaving out Brad Pitt’s recent visit to Capitol Hill and George Clooney’s briefing on Sudan. (more…)
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‘Humanly Impotent’: The Musings of Sean Penn
by Ben ShapiroDisparaging Sean Penn’s brainpower is somewhat like picking on Roseanne Barr’s lack of charm. It’s redundant and superfluous and altogether unnecessary.
At the risk of writing something redundant, superfluous and altogether unnecessary, I’m going to go for it anyway.
I’ll start with an understatement. Sean Penn is not one of the world’s more intelligent men. Yet his moral and mental deficiencies have not stopped him from posting his alleged thoughts over at Huffington Post.
His latest expression of genius bemoans criticism of President Obama – which is not particularly shocking, considering that Penn has had his nose so far up Obama’s posterior for the past few months that there’s a good argument to be made that he’s personally convincing Obama of the need to rethink his position on gay marriage. (more…)
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Borat, Keira Knightley, and the Case Against Shock Value
by Ben ShapiroThere were two big stories that emerged from Hollywood this week. The first was the release of the first trailer for Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen’s newest movie creation, a highly offensive faux documentary about a gay Austrian fashion critic touring America.
The second was the release of Keira Knightley’s new ad about domestic violence.
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Now these two videos have very little in common. Cohen’s trailer is an outrageous piece of shock theater. Knightley’s ad is a public service message designed to raise awareness of domestic abuse.
But what both have in common is a willingness to cross all lines of good taste and judgment. (more…)
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Response To Tim Slagle’s Response To ‘Rap is Crap’
by Ben ShapiroAt the risk of entering an infinite regress here, I feel it necessary to respond to Tim Slagle’s response to my “Rap is Crap” post.
Let me start by stating that I don’t hate all rap. This is quality:
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But seriously, as much as I admire Tim, rap is total garbage. I’m a member of the younger generation – I just turned 25 – and I still think it sucks.
That’s an artistic critique. That’s my personal opinion. But what’s unchallengeable is that the rap culture, which is granted enormous deference by the higher-ups of both political parties, does tremendous harm to this country. (more…)
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Rap Is Crap
by Ben ShapiroToday, Grammy-winning rapper T.I. (Total Imbecile? Thug Idiot?) was sentenced to 18 months behind bars for illegally owning machine guns and silencers. In the aftermath of his arrest, prosecutors informed T.I. that he could serve two decades in prison; he quickly agreed to 1000 hours of community service, touring around the U.S. talking to teens about the problems with drugs and gangs. MTV made a show about him called “T.I.’s Road to Redemption.” This from a guy who dealt drugs as a teen and got busted for coke in 1998.
Here’s the thing: no matter how many hours of community service T.I. does, it will never make up for the crap he puts into the minds of his listeners. His biggest hit is “Whatever You Like.” Here’s a sample lyric “Whatever You Like”: Late night sex so wet you’re so tight …Let me put this big boy in yo life / The thang get so wet, it hit so right. (more…)
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Partisan Hacks Using Comedy As A Shield
by Ben ShapiroAren’t comedians supposed to be funny?
That’s the question I had after watching two interviews this week. The first interview featured a buffoonish jackass interviewer who fancies himself a comedian because he smirks (Jon Stewart); the interview subject was a buffoonish jackass who fancies himself a militant financial analyst, and who is, in reality, a wimp (Jim Cramer).
The second interview featured a buffoonish jackass interviewer who fancies himself a comedian because he once made someone laugh. The interviewer, for some odd reason, also thinks he is a profound thinker on religion and politics; in reality, he’s more famous for dating porn stars than for his philosophical musings (Bill Maher). The interview subjects were Michael Eric Dyson, the sort of faux intellectual beloved by the academy (Dyson teaches at Georgetown University), and our own Andrew Breitbart. (more…)
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Hollywood’s Tax Cut Hypocrisy
by Ben ShapiroFolks in Hollywood like to portray themselves as champions of the people. They proclaim support for socialists like Michael Moore; they decry the growing gap between rich and poor.
Then they ask for tax breaks and pay raises.
States across the nation are attempting to attract television and movie filming with tax breaks for Hollywood. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D) has offered a $10 million tax incentive for filming. In Indiana, lawmakers overrode a governor’s veto of film industry incentives. Back in 2004, Maryland and Pennsylvania waged an ongoing tax break race in an attempt to woo filming of Annapolis, starring James Franco. Wisconsin and New Mexico have both given cash to the film industry. Texas is now considering rebates for filming in the state – as much as 15% to 20% of cost will be handed back to filmmakers. The cost: $60 million. Michigan offers 42% back to producers and studios in the form of tax rebates. Last year, those tax breaks cost the state $48 million. (more…)
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There it is!
by Ben Shapiro“Those who saw the signs of hatred, I think it is a good time for those who voted against gay marriage to contemplate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes. We need to have equal rights for everyone.”
Way to win over the opposition, Sean. And you can go to hell, you sanctimonious whiner. Perhaps in your magical little world, speaking to your best friends who already believe in gay marriage about gay marriage counts as courage. Perhaps in your magical little world, hanging out with Saddam and Chavez counts as courage, when they whisk you around town in limos while their citizens are murdered in secret prisons. Out here, the rest of us think you’re just preaching to the crowd, and that you’re an offensive political hack to boot — and not just that, you enable dictators who are guilty of human rights abuses of the worst sort. Nobody gets to get on their high horse about marriage after marrying Madonna.
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Meryl Streep
by Ben ShapiroIs it just me, or is Meryl Streep one of the most overrated actresses in history? Can’t remember who said it (help me out, guys), but a famous critic said about her that his problem with her was that you could see the gears turning in every emotion — she’s technically perfect and perfectly mechanical.
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by Ben Shapiro
This is always the most effective part of the Awards. Didn’t realize Nina Foch was gone — she’s great in “An American In Paris.” Wow, Roy Scheider’s gone too — always underrated. Richard Widmark, too. And Scofield was one of the greats. Defeaning silence from the crowd for Heston, who deserves better. Tough year.
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Good
by Ben ShapiroGlad to see the Academy’s knee-jerk anti-Israeli sentiment prevented enough of the members from actually watching this Israeli-made, anti-Israel film. Couldn’t be happier on this one, and I’m an Orthodox Jew.
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by Ben Shapiro
Is it just me or did a song called “Giant Ho” just win best song?
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Best Songs
by Ben ShapiroRemember when songs had tunes? That was nice.
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by Ben Shapiro
This is the longest show in human history. This is longer than Benjamin Button’s entire life, shown minute by minute.
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by Ben Shapiro
“Our silly gods cost the world too greatly?” Bill Maher, intellectual giant. So glad he could stop by. The brains of a billy goat in the body of a slightly lighter Joe Biden.
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by Ben Shapiro
This sure is an eminently talky Oscars. How about showing some clips rather than the filmmakers talking about the clips? If I want to watch somebody talking, I’ll watch Ann Coulter’s interview with Joy Behar again.
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