EPISODE NUMBER: 5061 (May 5, 2009)
GUEST: Cliff Sloan, Paul Rieckhoff
SEGMENTS: Cinco de Mayo, Picking a new Supreme Court justice – Cliff Sloan, The WØRD: Captain Kangaroo Court
VIDEOS: Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone (Arriba)! First things first – in case you missed it, there’s been another puzzle released to the Colbert Nation. Just check out the bottom of this page at Donor’s Choose and lose yet another bit of your sanity. Sweet Jesus, Abrams, what are you trying to do, kill the Colbert Nation from within?! I just want to go back to the “pretty tie!” part of the fandom that I adore so very, very much (and how delish was that blue/grey striped number Stephen was wearing tonight?!). But I’m also a huge addict of puzzles, and shows like “Lost”. I’m all about watching and rewatching to find hidden clues and mysteries. I mean, Abrams, if you wanted to impress me at all, you should have brought your smoke monster on the show. THAT would have been impressive. Seriously, puzzles?! Worlds collide! Brain hurts! Need sleep! ABRAAAAAMS!
Now that I’ve gotten that little rant out of my system, on to the Episode Guide!
It’s so good to know that Stephen doesn’t like Cilantro either. Blech! Hate the stuff. And being deep in the heart of Tex-Mex country, it’s on EVERYTHING down here. I loved the Kool-Aid Sheikh Mohammed line. But it’s still hard for me to get my mind around what was done to some of those prisoners. There are some break out news articles about the kind of horror these people endured, and it’s just mind blowing that one human being could do that to another.
But onto happier topics – did I mention how much I appreciated Stephen’s tie tonight? What else did you like about tonight’s show?
- Hey code breakers, here’s a hint – try harder!
- The annual Mexican holiday that I believe commemorates the five jars of mayo that miraculously lasted eight night.
- And just in case people are tempted to touch the food, I’m covering all of it with cilantro. Tastes like soap.
- Plus to keep the fun going, I have a pinata! A Pinata in a Hazmat suit. He’s filled with Tamiflu.
- Poor guy never knew what borked him.
- Isn’t that reverse discrimination? Because if we don’t get a white male, there will only be six white males on the court, and they will then be a minority in every way but numerically.
- Next time, instead of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, we’ll face Kool-Aid Sheikh Mohammed. Oh yeah!
- Which raises the philosophical question – if a president passed a law requiring him to break that law, could he do it? Or did I just blow your mind?
- I think you’re clapping for the hummer.
- And by the law of double negatives, “nothing nothing” means everything. [Two Wrongs Make No Rights]
- [PRECEDENT: Rubber V Glue]
- Torture Fairy Tale FTW!
- Those things cost, like a buck fifty!
- SupportYourVet.org – Step up Nation!
- You know what? You? With a wig on? Rambo …!
man, you work fast.
just wanted to agree with you – that tie was heavenly.
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First, I happen to like cilantro. You just have to use it right!
But on a more serious note, I happen to like Justice Souter. He doesn’t align with any particular political party, he doesn’t subscribe to the idea that there are only two ways to read the Constitution, and he doesn’t let opinion polls dictate how he works. I read Jeffrey Toobin’s book The Nine (very good book, if a bit slanted – ok, more than a little bit slanted)and learned a few things about Souter. He owns a TV, but it’s not plugged in. He missed Rehnquist’s funeral because nobody could contact him in time, as he doesn’t check his email when he’s not in the office, and he doesn’t have a cell phone. So they had to send him snail-mail, which arrived too late. Also, when reading (which Justices do about 25 hours a day) instead of turning on a lamp, he’ll move his chair around the office to chase the sunlight as it moves. And my last bit of trivia: according to Toobin, for lunch he eats an apple, core and all. And that’s it.
You just can’t replace a character like that!
One thing that concerns me: I really hope Obama appoints a Justice, and not just a demographic. I’d hate to be the woman nominated, because I’d be afraid I was chosen for my gender rather than my credentials – worse if I were a minority, as apparently they get “bonus points” and a lifetime of Affirmative Action cracks. If the best, most qualified, honorable, independent thinker happens to be a white male, he should be nominated. (And while I know I have an androgynous screen name, I am in fact female.)
I thought Stephen did a good job with the subject. And I really appreciated that he had a guest on who had experience in vetting and recommending folks to the president, rather than a political hack saying that “empathy” is code for “pro-choice pro-gay anti-white-male socialist”.
haha! reCaptcha: studying David. Yeah, studying David Souter!
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id heard that some people think that cilantro tastes like soap, i think its a genetic thing. but i love the stuff, i put it on everything, sometimes i even nibble it straight. seriously, one of the hardest things living in japan for me is no cilantro.
and im totally bad at puzzles, my brain is way too linear. but good luck to everyone else, its fun to follow all the different trains of thought!
reCAPTCHA: smiling done. i guess that means its time for bed.
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Haha…when I finally found cilantro (Koriander) in Germany (at an Asian market), I started eating it raw. I’d never even liked it *that* much before, but then I missed it.
I’d be surprised if it’s not available at all in Japan. It’s a part of Indian and Chinese cuisine.
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That’s my understanding about cilantro, too; it’s a genetic lack of an enzyme that makes some people taste only soap when they eat it.
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Well, that would explain why I don’t like it!
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Hmmm. That’s interesting about cilantro. I love it but I know a lot of people who hate it.
Although I enjoyed the bit with Sloan and the interview with Rieckhoff, who is just awesome by the way, I had to vote for the Word. The torture fairy tale was the clincher! And I agree, DB, I can’t believe what was done to some of those prisoners. *shudders*
Oh, and the pinata in a haz-mat suit was full of win! :-)
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and just to add, if the supreme court appointee does happen to be a woman, its not like there is any way that she would be under qualified. with all of the brilliant, insightful, EMPATHETIC women out there, i am sure that they would be just as qualified as any man. and i do believe that it is true that the supreme court should be representative of all peoples of this great nation, so appointing a minority is something that would (hopefully) make the supreme court more in tune to the needs of this ever changing nation. this would not be a case of “affirmative action”, because it is possible that broadening the perspectives of the court system in exactly what is needed. now this might be an odd relation, but there was a recent episode of south park where stans father used the N-word, and stan tried to apologize to the black student on the show (aptly named token) by telling him he understands how terrible it was and how token must feel. after he was rebuffed time and time again, he finally realized that he will never understand what it means for a black man to be called a *igger, because try to sympathize all he wants, he can never empathize; because he will never have the same history, the same oppression, or the same internal struggles. so making the supreme court more diverse can only be a benefit. now if they could only appoint an atheist judge; however, the chances of that are less likely than a hispanic, lesbian, or just about anything else.
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For the record, I do agree with you. There are many qualified women, many qualified minorities, and I am prepared to trust (at least temporarily) Obama’s judgment in nominating a reasonable candidate of whatever race, gender, or creed. However, I fear that whoever is chosen will receive the Clarence Thomas treatment – it has been widely speculated, regardless of his Yale Law education and previous career, that he was chosen merely to ingratiate Bush 1 with the African American community (may I add that if that was the plan, it failed miserably). I’m not saying I like Thomas. I’m not saying I don’t find his opinions reprehensible, or his failure to actively participate in hearings anything short of inane. But it does strike me as disheartening that he is consistently referred to as an example of Affirmative Action success, of Republicans advancing the black community, rather than what he is – a qualified Supreme Court Justice. Fortunately, JJs Ginsburg and Alito have fared better in this regard, and Sandra Day O’Connor before them. I will merely suggest (as I don’t feel like discussing in detail) that the comparatively lengthy paper trails left by O’Connor, Alito and Ginsburg helped, as opposed to Thomas’ unusually short one. If Obama chooses someone from outside the typical judicial circle as has been suggested, that is to say someone with a more Thomas-esque paper trail, and that person is a woman and/or minority, that person will have a hard time convincing Senate and the general public of their non-biological qualifications. Right or wrong (WRONG), that’s the way it’s going to be portrayed on Faux News.
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I saw the code on the DonorsChoose page last night but I thought it was part of the original puzzle or that I needed to solve the original puzzle in order to decipher it. It’s been driving me crazy that I can’t figure it all out. I feel like I’ve come close a few times though. I’m beginning to wonder if there are multiple answers, depending on how you solve the puzzle. I know they aren’t going to tell us the exact country and date of Stephen’s trip, but I keep hoping I will be able to figure it out and there will be some sort of phrase or message so I will know I got it correct. Oh well. I guess I’ll just have to try harder…
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I wonder if they will tell us the answer one day. I really hope so! I hope they also tell us if we have gotten it right already. P.S. Great Show tonight!
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I keep expecting the answer to be something like “JUST KIDDING HA HA.”
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I’d laugh and be P.O’ed at the same time if the answer is “DRINK MORE OVALTINE”, or to be more Colbert relevant, “EAT MORE DORITOS”.
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“Drink More Ovaltine.” HAHAH! I was thinking the exact same thing.
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HAHAH! Classic! Wouldn’t surprise me one bit.
I think that’s what’s bothering me most – is this real, or a trick? Can it be solved? Or are the writers just jacking with all of us?
I like a good game, but I hate being fooled, and feeling like a fool. So I’ve been hesitant to actually try to solve the puzzle because I’d feel really stupid if in a week, Stephen said, “Just Kidding!”
There’s a trust factor when Stephen sends the Nation on a mission, but on the other hand, it’s a lot of work for the whole thing to be a hoax on the Nation. So I’ll let you guys have the fun. :)
ReCAPTCHA: analysts readers – You’re not kidding!
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Thanks for the tip about finding more clues on the DonorsChoose.org page — I hadn’t noticed it when I was there earlier. : ) You Rock!
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Great show all around but I esp. appreciated the supportyourvet.org discussion and the very pointed WORD. I read the Colbert Nation crashed their servers last night, way to go! Loved the kiddie moment in the WORD – by stripping away the double talk around torture Stephen brilliantly showed how worthless the “magic” paper – signing statements – really were as a moral/legal argument.
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Still too busy busy busy to comment much (sad, tear), but I really enjoyed last night’s show. Paul Rieckhoff is absolutely great, and it’s been far too long since he’s been on The Report (love seeing him with Rachel Maddow from time to time). The WØRD rocked the house.
And Stephen’s habit of referring to “still employed Bill Kristol” will never stop being funny to me.
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The WØRD was an absolute home run, from Kool-Aid Sheikh Mohammed to the children’s explanation of torture.
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I had to vote for the interview with Paul Rieckhoff because that t-shirt he brought for Stephen was hysterical.
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LOL. I love LOST<3 Sorry, I had to put that in here. Great Word tonight… I love the picture of Stephen dancingXD
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I loved that picture as well! I don’t see Stephen in all-black very often!
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Try harder… sounds like Dry hotter.
He’s going to a place thats dry, and hotter than New York!
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Has anyone made any more progress on the puzzle? I am totalyy PUZZLED OUT! I feel like I need Robert Langdon to help me figure this out (wink wink). **I am a big fan of those books btw**
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I have more than five notebook pages that are completely filled with attempts to solve the puzzle. I’ve tried all kinds of things with the codes and/or clues- some approaches were complex and some were simple. I actually thought I had it a few times but I could never get a complete answer. I’m taking a break for awhile. It was driving me a bit insane. In my MS and HS days, I would sometimes complete an entire puzzle/game magazines in one night. I hate not understanding what I’m missing this time.
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when is the last time The Word was in the second segment? that’s unusual. just like how twice in the past two weeks he told us who he’d be interviewing after the commercial break.
also, I like how the Words tend to sum up the point more at the end. it’s like a take-away message.
the interview was my favorite part though. I learned a lot, liked the guy because he had all the facts on the ready, and the shirt was cute!
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First time I saw The Word in the second act; it threw me off a bit, but nevertheless that was a very good nailing. Brilliant writing (double negatives + fairy tales!!).
Interview was fun, and that was a great shirt! :)
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