I Didn’t Quit Drinking to Get High On Hope and Change

With the holidays fast approaching, I thought it might be a good time to jot down some thoughts on drinking.  Or, more specifically, not drinking – booze or Kool Aid.

Recently, I celebrated my eighth year of sobriety.  I have 9/11 to thank for that; it was shortly after the attacks that I began attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous with regularity.  I’d been to AA once before, at 25, when a DUI arrest landed me in “the rooms.”  But at the time, I still had 15+ years of drinking to get out of my system, plus a mid-life crisis to go through that sent me flying out to La-La Land (which is where I was when the towers fell back in my home town).

I’m proud I haven’t had a drink since 2001.  After spending decades trying to flee my “issues” like an adolescent hamster on an existential wheel, the fog gradually lifted from my brain and I stopped running.

They say when you drink, you stop growing emotionally, that you’re almost in a state of suspended animation – normal on the outside, stunted on the inside.  Sobriety gets the spiritual gears moving again.  Suddenly, years of pent-up, delayed maturation caught up with me – real fast. (more…)

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Tags: 9/11, Alcoholics Anonymous, BDS, Big Book, Bill Wilson
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 at 5:03 am in Culture, Featured Story, Politics | 21587853 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cwinecoff/2009/11/23/i-didnt-quit-drinking-to-get-high-on-hope-and-change/I+Didn%27t+Quit+Drinking+to+Get+High+On+Hope+and+Change2009-11-23+13%3A03%3A43Charles+Winecoff

Mellencamp: First Amendment More of a ‘Collective’ Thing

You know, liberals should be celebrating. Their man, The Won, is in the White House. They have control of both the House and the Senate, and legislation such as cap and trade and nationalized health care may well become reality – European socialism without having to leave the comfort of home. The Brave New World is on the way. Rejoice in mediocrity for all!

So why are they so grumpy? I suppose it’s because the idea that anyone might stray from the reservation is anathema to them, and this little thing in our Constitution called the First Amendment kind of gets in the way of collective happiness and singing Kumbaya around the campfire.

John “Cougar” Mellencamp is the latest to notice that not everyone is part of the collective, and he’s mighty peeved, making this observation about free speech in general and bloggers in particular: (more…)

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Tags: Brave New World, first amendment, Freedom of Speech, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry
Posted Jul 10th 2009 at 9:03 am in Celebrity News, Politics | 180514176 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/pmeister/2009/07/10/no-room-in-mellencamps-pink-house-for-mean-bloggers/Mellencamp%3A+First+Amendment+More+of+a+%27Collective%27+Thing2009-07-10+16%3A03%3A52Pam+Meister

Troopathon 2009: Heroes Not Victims

Hollywood 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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Tags: John Kerry, Orwell, Platoon, rambo, stuck in Iraq
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 4:23 pm in Military | 168694No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bshapiro/2009/06/25/thursday-8/Troopathon+2009%3A+Heroes+Not+Victims2009-06-25+23%3A23%3A56Ben+Shapiro

Lonewolf Diaries: All Christians are Serial Killers

I’m tired of ignoring the elephant in the room, so I’ll just come out and say it. Christians are corny, out of touch, lonely creepers who generally end up becoming murderers or rapists…. At least that’s what Hollywood’s taught me.

Not to mention they’re all a bunch of minority-bashing fear mongers. Why does anyone continue to allow this hateful, extremist group to exist? Am I the only one who feels that they could stand to learn a lot from the peaceful, Muslim folk?

If I hadn’t been raised in such a logical household, the entertainment industry would have elicited only one reaction from me in regards to “Christians”; “Good God, these people are crazy.”

It all started with the flick “Carrie.” Who can forget Sissy Spacek’s loopy, evangelical mom citing Bible verses amidst insane spiritual tirades until she was finally skewered with every kitchen utensil in the cabinet…all to a disturbing orgasmic moaning session. The scene was used to drive the point home: Christians are dangerous and nuts, but they’re great to make fun of. (more…)

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Tags: "Carrie", "Kingdom of Heaven", Agnostics, Atheists, babel
Posted May 26th 2009 at 5:46 pm in Entertainment, Lone Wolf Diaries, Political Humor, Religion | 1438983 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/scrowder/2009/05/26/lonewolf-diaries-all-christians-are-serial-killers/Lonewolf+Diaries%3A+All+Christians+are+Serial+Killers2009-05-27+00%3A46%3A06Steven+Crowder

The Elizabeth Edwards Pity Party

Elizabeth Edwards has hit the chat show circuit to hawk her new memoir “Resilience.”  Her interview with Oprah airs Thursday.  Elizabeth has some important lessons to teach the young women of today.  The most important of these lessons is to be nothing like her, though I’m pretty sure that’s not the message she is trying to send.

Typically, when someone whines about his or her circumstances, I take a common sense approach and start by blaming the victim.  The fact is that bad things tend to happen to people who make bad, or at least dumb, decisions.  No money?  You’re probably not working hard enough.  Dead end job?  You probably didn’t get an education.  Creepy husband who cheats with a trampy party girl and humiliates you in front of the entire nation?  You probably chose to marry and stick with a creepy husband who would cheat with a trampy party girl and humiliate you in front of the entire nation. (more…)

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Tags: Elizabeth Edwards, John Edwards, John Kerry, Oprah Winfrey, plaintiff's lawyers
Posted May 6th 2009 at 8:13 am in Media Criticism, Politics | 1283742 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kschlichter/2009/05/06/the-elizabeth-edwards-pity-party/The+Elizabeth+Edwards+Pity+Party2009-05-06+15%3A13%3A13Kurt+Schlichter

Mainstream Media: All Bias No Thunder

President Barack Obama paid a surprise visit to the troops recently in Baghdad. For that I applaud him. The troops were buoyed up by a visit by their Commander and Chief. And that is a good thing. He also praised them for their service and commitment. Also a good thing. Then he went on to say that they had done a remarkable job in giving Iraq a great gift; the chance to govern themselves in a Democratic fashion. A free people now able to seek their own path thanks to the efforts of the U.S MILITARY!

Uh, come again? (more…)

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Tags: george w. bush, Iraq, John Kerry, Murtha, Obama
Posted Apr 13th 2009 at 2:03 pm in Media Criticism | 104958One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sspencer/2009/04/13/where%e2%80%99s-the-thunder/Mainstream+Media%3A+All+Bias+No+Thunder2009-04-13+21%3A03%3A59Spike+Spencer

A 12-Step Liberal Recovery Program

Most 12-step programs start out by requiring that people understand that they’re powerless over their addiction and that only by turning their lives over to a Power greater than themselves can they be restored to sanity.  Far be it for me to suggest that I am that Power, but clearly someone has to step in and try to rescue these poor liberal souls.  Even the most harebrained among them deserves that much.

First, though, they have to acknowledge that Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha, Dick Durbin, Charles Rangel, Harry Reid and Charles Schumer, are not moderates, but, rather, leftists with a Socialist agenda.  Furthermore, they must recognize that the New York Times, the Washington Post, the L.A. Times, CNN, the three major networks, the news magazines and the New Yorker, are not objective in their reporting of political events, and neither are Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann and Bill Maher, in their commentary.  If these entities and individuals are not on the payroll of the DNC, they certainly should be.  They certainly put in longer hours than Howard Dean. (more…)

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Tags: "under God", 10 Commandments, 12-step programs, abc, ACLU
Posted Mar 6th 2009 at 2:42 pm in Media Criticism, Political Humor, Politics | 7413869 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bprelutsky/2009/03/06/a-12-step-liberal-recovery-program/A+12-Step+Liberal+Recovery+Program2009-03-06+22%3A42%3A04Burt+Prelutsky

Mr. President, Is My Job Worth Saving?

Just in case you’ve never read my bio, I am a stand-up comedian and have been slinging jokes for over thirty years. I have had my ups and downs, worked the road for years, gigged in dumps and Vegas palaces, done TV and had a few shots at the big time. I have hurt my career by my personal behavior and I blame no one but myself for that.

I reinvented myself as a performer almost as many time as Dylan and I’m still standing. To quote my good friend, radio host Marc Germain, “I’m better than most and not as good as some.” (more…)

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Tags: AFL-CIO, Bahamas, Barack Obama, Barney Frank, Bob Dylan
Posted Mar 6th 2009 at 11:25 am in Entertainment, Political Humor, Politics | 73738103 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/03/06/mr-president-is-my-job-worth-saving/Mr.+President%2C+Is+My+Job+Worth+Saving%3F2009-03-06+19%3A25%3A48Jeffrey+Jena