So, in Leno’s absence and Conan’s presence on the 11:30pm time-slot, I started searching for other comedians who could tickle my brain. Then I came across Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert.

I barely remember how I got hooked. Perhaps it was a segment, but I started watching. I will confess that initially, when I saw him in that suit, and all the “republican iconography” in his set, I was a little suspicious. He usually starts off by seemingly picking on the progressives, but upon hearing him deliver, I realized the brilliance of his lines. He puts a funny twist on the Fox News network tone, stressing its antithesis of the Fox “fair and balanced” take on events and politics.

Last March, walking from The Armory Show on Pier 92, west side on 54th street, looking for a cab, I came across the Colbert Show studios, and the long line outside its doors. I approached the young people with the clipboard at the door, and they told me I could sign up for tickets on the website. When I had a free moment in the late Spring, I went online looking for tickets. To my disappointment they were not available. So I signed up to be advised by email.

The Colbert Report team is very good at advising you when tickets are available via email. The trick is to jump on the email VERY QUICKLY. If you wait even an hour to do it, by the time you get there, chances are there will be none. The tickets are free, but they do go fast. So after a few failed attempts to rush to get tickets after being emailed, in late June I was successful getting them. I invited a friend who was as excited as I.

August seemed a long way, but completely a worthy wait. The Colbert Report team is diligent enough to remind you on the day of the show of your reservation, asking if you must cancel to click on a link, I suppose to open up seats for the standby line. Yes, there is a brave and daring standby line.

The show taping begins at around 7pm or so, but they advise that you get in line and meet your friends no later than 5:30pm. When I spoke to the young clipboard-holding staffer earlier in that cold March day, she advised it was best to show up at around 4pm or so. So my guest and I showed up at 3:30pm, imagining we’d be the first in line. What were we thinking? LOL! There were already about 20 people ahead of us.

The team is also very diligent in checking your government-issued ID and recording it. You must bring a printed copy of the confirmation email when they check you in at the line. The staff is really nice and really courteous. Given it was a very very hot day, they gave us water bottles, enough to keep us hydrated, but not large enough to have us running to the bathroom and losing our place on line.

I will confess that the wait from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm or so –when the line finally started moving– was a long one.

Recommendations here: bring something portable to sit on. You can also sit on the floor. So, don’t dress up, unless you’re a VIP and have quick access to the show. There was a couple in front of us. The poor girl was wearing heels and a dress. At one point she kept taking turns lifting her feet. Standing two hours on heels must have been painful. I was wearing comfortable sandals, and ended up sitting for a bit, but even on comfortable shoes, it hurts to stand online that long. Also, it’s best if you go with someone, this way you can hold each other’s place in the line in case you want to run across the street for a bite of food or a bathroom break. If it’s on an extreme weather day, make sure to bring the right clothing. You’ll certainly be standing out there for at about two hours or so. The Colbert Show has ensured that the waiting area outside is covered and the audience is not exposed to inclement weather. In the end, the wait is long, but worth it.

The Colbert Report audience waiting in line

Between 5:30pm and 6pm, when they are finally about to let us in, a young, handsome security guy came out to greet us and tell us the rules.

The rules for the live audience of the Colbert show are:

1. No cameras, no video taping while inside the show.
2. No weapons of any kind.
3. Everyone attending must have a government issued photo I.D.
4. Everyone attending must be at least 18 years old.
5. The person whose name appears on the ticket must be present.
6. Past 5:30 pm no one will be allowed to join the line.
7. No tickets are issued. Proof of reservation is a printed copy of the email. Make sure to bring it.
8. No yelling out and screaming obscenities during the taping of the show.

Basically, the expectation is for members of the audience to behave themselves. It makes sense.

Shortly after that introduction, we were given numbered admission passes. These are returned upon entry on to the studio. I took a snapshot of mine as a souvenir. Even the admission pass is funny.

Even the entrance passes are funny at The Colbert Report

I was very appreciative of the bottles of water they passed around as we waited patiently in the line. As I began to move forward I read on the wall along the line, a ton of great entries worth sharing here. So, given that I could not take pictures while inside the studio, I decided to photograph the mementos left on the wall by other Colbert fans. I photographed the ones that caught my eye the most. Check out the pictures below. It certainly tells of his fan base. And one important point here. The Colbert audience is VERY diverse. There were people of all ages, backgrounds, etc. So, any of Colbert critics who claim otherwise, are completely wrong.

Yes, it does say, "Stephen, be my baby Daddy." Funny!!

Colbert for President 2016. Why not?

I second that sentiment! Go Colbert Nation!

Hofstra Salutes Stephen - Do you think the Dean will approve? LOL!

Long Island Loves Stephen - Well, so do the rest of us.

Yes, it does say, "Len n Stephen" Well, Stephen. I had no idea! LOL!

Once inside, everyone goes through a metal detector and bags are checked by security. There is a picture of Stephen on the wall, where you can pose next to it and be photographed, “with Stephen”. The headliner picture here is from that wall.  After the excitement of photographing ourselves with Stephen’s friendly wall pic, we all continued to stand around and wait to be called into the studio itself. At least this time we were inside an air conditioned room. The Colbert team is very good at keeping us entertained and updated.  At certain intervals, a member of the staff would tell us what was going on inside and what to expect. There is a water cooler and bathrooms.  It is highly recommended you go before entering the studio. Why disrupt the show just because you have to go to the bathroom while they tape?

We began to enter the recording studio at about 7:30pm. Apparently going in this late was an exception. They usually start at about 7:00pm. They were running a bit behind schedule that day. In the meantime, to keep us entertained, there were videos of Colbert’s greatest hits being played in screens around the room as we stood around chatting and impatiently looking at our watches. Every half hour or so, a member of the staff would update us and continue to stress how appreciative they were of our presence and patience while they got ready for the show. It made the waiting more bearable.

There is this segment they show at the waiting room, where Jane Fonda flirts with him and even kisses him. I found that hilarious and endearing. I can also tell he likes having the super cool and legendary Gloria Steinem on his show. I liked him even more after watching those clips.

By the time we got into the recording studio and were in our seats, it was almost four hours of standing around waiting to see “the man” live: about two in the hot weather outside, and under two at the waiting room inside. My feet hurt. So, when you go, either bring a good book, good music in your mp3 player, or make sure you have an entertaining friend around, in addition to comfortable clothes and shoes.

As a member of the audience, I have a few suggestions to the great and diligent Colbert production team.

1. Providing seats is very important. I know you want to make sure people’s energy remains up, so seating gives people a break and renews them.
2. I think in the summer, besides the water, an electrolyte-rich beverage (gatorade-types) will certainly keep us energized and pumped. In the cold days of winter, I’d imagine coffee or hot chocolate can do the trick. You may already be doing that.
3. I understand you may have a budget for the show, so you may not have the funding for beverages besides water, so if we’re going to stand around that long, how about putting a snack and drink machine inside the waiting room?  Some of us wouldn’t mind having the option of paying for a snack or beverage. Truth is, after all that standing in the heat, I was exhausted and my energy was low by the time I finally sat in the studio. The wait is too long, but no doubt truly worth it.
4. My last suggestion, please have a souvenir shop. Perhaps inside the waiting room, you could sell Colbert stuff. It’d make the waiting experience that much better, the time would go faster, and I bet it would add some revenue to your show. I’m sure the staff wouldn’t mind the raise, especially those interns.

Other than that, once we were allowed in (and you’re allowed in by numerical order, according to your spot in the initial line– so it pays to be early), we were assigned our seating areas. Members of the production team shared with us how important we are to Stephen’s taping. I have no doubt about that, because a comedian feeds off the energy of the audience.  With Colbert is easy to laugh at anything he says. He’s just hilarious.

Once we’re seated, there is additional waiting time, but this time around there is a comedian doing an “opening routine” before Stephen comes out. The comedian is pretty good. Most of his routine involves speaking with the audience and keeping us engaged and laughing.

The best treat of the night is that Stephen comes out and spends some personal time with the audience and answers questions!!

They just requested that the questions be polite, not to ask for “things” or favors, you know, keep them clean and smart. When Steven finally comes out, we’re all pumped. He is so worth the wait. He takes the microphone and thanks us for being there, then begins to answer questions from the audience. I find that endearing. They warned us this portion would be “Stephen off character”. Truth is, Stephen is the character! I saw very little difference between the witty Colbert and Stephen with the mike taking questions from the audience. So many questions came to mind. I waited too long and the session ended without asking one of my many questions, to my regret. But I hope to return soon and get to ask him a question the next time.

Sadly I found out he rarely tweets himself, but he did credit his wonderful and witty staff for tweeting for him. It’s understandable. Most famous people rarely tweet themselves. The good news is that his staff does. So, our tweets to him are not wasted.

Watching the taping of the show, and participating as part of the audience was an exciting experience, as I expected. Colbert does not disappoint.  The wait was a bit much for me, but worth it. Perhaps this is coming from someone who avoids crowded places and long lines. So, keep this in mind when reading my feedback. Some people don’t mind standing in line. I noticed inside the waiting room, that aside from the general admission tickets, there were two other types of ticket holders: VIP ticket holders and red ticket holders. I imagine these are people who know someone in the show. They are usually the first to go in and get to sit on the front rows. I guess these people don’t go through the long wait in line.

One of the most endearing aspects of watching Colbert tape his show was watching him lose it at times as he starts laughing as he reads his own lines. Twice we had to cut and restart. Even those re-dos were perfect. The fact that he flubbered his lines, showed the guy is human and truly enjoys his job. I also learned that the audience is very important to him. We are his cue in many aspects. After every segment, his writers go up to the desk and they go over the script. He is not shy about taking the pen and crossing out lines and adding lines as they review the next segment. Also on the famous Stephen Colbert red bracelets bands, he randomly shoots them out to the audience throughout the taping. I missed one by an inch. But of course, I wasn’t throwing myself to catch it. I was hoping for a store of Colbert souvenirs where I would have gladly spent my money, but there isn’t one.

Colbert is impeccable in his manner, his style and his behavior. I was very impressed at the professionalism displayed by Stephen and his staff. They were all very enthusiastic and showed much appreciation of us, the audience. He’s lucky he’s that good that he got this New York City girl to wait. I think the last time I stood in a line that long I was in high school on a trip to Great Adventure. Not even for my i-gadgets!

So,  Stephen Colbert, you must be a very special guy to get me standing in line that long just to see you.

Despite the “Republican” facade, Stephen’s show and his type of comedy, appeals to the independent-minded. You don’t have to have party affiliations to enjoy him. Republican strategist Mary Matalin said not long ago that she enjoyed Jon Stewart but preferred Colbert. I hoped that she liked him for the same reasons I do, and not for the fact that he comes across as Republican, because he truly shows his independent colors. And if I were a fanatical follower of either party, or one of those people who took my politics a bit too seriously, I’d be afraid to watch Colbert because he makes the politicians and the parties look far from smart, especially the republican party and Fox News.

By the time the taping was over, it was a bit after 9pm.  I was thirsty and hungry. I think we all were. I saw a few cars outside the studio, but among them stood a long black limo. I wondered if it was Stephen’s or perhaps belonged to a special guest.

Overall, my first time experience with Colbert live, was just as I expected, minus the long, long wait and lack of electrolytes. I hope the Colbert team reads some of my suggestions and takes them into consideration. It would make the Stephen experience that much better, and the audience would be that much more energized. Not that we weren’t, but imagine the audience on a sweet snack after a long wait, and souvenirs in hand! We’d be very appreciative and happily demonstrate it.

Overall, it was a great job done by the staff. They were professional, friendly, energized and energizing. Stephen was even more awesome in person, especially when he showed his human side such as laughing or missing his lines. We the audience missed our cue once too. It was funny. Stephen looked at us with that look of his. We laughed and got it.

If you’re considering participating in the live Colbert experience as part of the studio audience, I highly recommend it. If you don’t like standing in lines for hours –like me– I highly recommend trying to get those VIP or red passes. I don’t know where they come from or who is the conduit, but I’m sure there is a way.  Overall, Colbert is worth the wait. I am sorry I don’t have more pictures of the experience inside the studio, but, I think the ones I collected and I’m sharing here with you will take you closer to what it was like being there.

If you have attended, I’d love to hear your comments. Please post them and share with the rest of us here.

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To brief you on what the Honduras situation last year was about, and its significance in the defense of democracy in Latin America, it was basically the dethronement of a Chavez ally, also known as President Zelaya, by the two other branches of the Honduras government, for breaking constitutional laws, in his quest to perpetuate himself in power, following the example of his buddy Chavez, and friends of the ALBA gang in Latin America. Honduras, as small as it is in size and GNP, it’s a key conduit right south of Mexico and Guatemala, and a valuable stop-over for drugs, weapons and people, as they are smuggled into Mexico and eventually the United States. For enemies of the U.S., Honduras is a valuable rest stop on their way up north. After all, it is small, it is classified as the second poorest country of the Western Hemisphere, and therefore it could be assumed that its government and citizens are corruptible. It was an assumption Honduras citizens proved wrong to the entire world.

Until June 28th of 2009, Mel Zelaya was the president of Honduras. And he exemplified the corruptible assumption. He, after all, had aligned himself with Chavez and his ALBA gang, and it was no secret that Venezuela-registered private planes would land in various clandestine spots in Honduras, with drugs, weapons and people. But boy was the world mistaken about Honduras and its people. The country may be small, there may be a high degree of poverty, and even corruption, but when it comes to democracy and Chavez, people know the difference well and they stood their ground when the time came and president Zelaya pressed them politically so he could imitate the example of Chavez and his ALBA buddies. On June 28th of 2009 we saw the Honduras’ spirit arise, and they legally fired their corrupt president.

Despite the international condemnation of this brave move, and despite the infiltration of Cuban, Venezuelan, Nicaraguan and FARC operatives into this little country, all financed by Hugo Chavez, to lead a so called “opposition” in support of reinstating deposed Zelaya, Honduras stood strong. Its citizens, led by their congress, supreme court and military forces, went to the streets by the thousands, as peaceful demonstrators, all dressed in white, carrying their country blue and white flag, and stood strong, despite freezing of sorely needed international aid, despite the chaos and thuggery set off by the Chavez-financed operatives that had infiltrated the country. Honduras citizens would prefer to go hungry than to bow to Chavez and Zelaya. They knew the implications of the situation if they gave in. They knew it better than the rest of the world, which simply comdemned their brave move as a “military coupe” without looking into the facts and Honduran law. Hondurans instead, would rather go without the international aid than be subjugated by Chavez and his strong international influence.

Aside from the language barrier, which hurt Honduras’ ability to tell their story to the world, Chavez and his influential ring, orchestrated an international media campaign to depict Zelaya’s dethronement as a military coupe, in order to gain international support and pressure little Honduras into putting their corrupt president back. It was important to Chavez to win this one. So he deployed his propaganda campaign that reached deep into credible institutions such as the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the New York Times, CNN en Español, and certainly El Diario, the highest circulation Spanish newspaper in New York.

While the above-named respectable institutions stepped back on their attacks on Honduras once the real story got out, there was one writer in El Diario who did not relent. In fact, her columns were harsh, attacking the Hondurans as well as the United States government supposed involvement, even though president Obama and Hillary Clinton were also denouncing the “military coupe”. This writer, Vicky Pelaez, of Peruvian origin, stood out as one of the harshest critics of Honduras’ defense of its democracy against Chavez. Reading her columns raised many red flags in my head and it made me wonder why was she even allowed to write such lies and communist propaganda, praising Castro and Chavez, under the banner of the well-read and respected El Diario.

Vicky Pelaez not only condemned the Honduras defense of its democracy, and attacked the United States government, but in her subsequent writings, continued attacking the U.S. government, while praising that of Hugo Chavez and his so called Bolivarian revolution, which is code name for 21st century communism.

I won’t bother translating her columns, full of the Chavez propaganda, an echo of lies coming from Venezuela and from Cuba. No one deserves to read that garbage and the typical resentful hate of chavistas who advocate extreme-left measures, to the point of supression of those freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the U.S. constitution. What’s really anger-provoking is watching these people, Castro/Chavez and their allies, who have perfected the communist style of silencing dissent, hide under our democratic values that protect the freedom of speech here, and use the same freedoms granted by our democracy, to fight the very democracy they advocate against.

Reading Vicky Pelaez columns often angered me as much as listening to Hugo Chavez. It is known that since Chavez is in power, the presence of Russia, Iran and China has increased dramatically throughout certain countries in Latin America, namely those that belong to the ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance). It is no secret that Chavez has spent millions of dollars purchasing Russian military technology, weaponry, has signed hundreds of agreements, including nuclear ones, with Russia and Iran. It is also known that he has opened visa conduits for Russian, Iranian, Hezbollah and Chinese operatives to come to America via Venezuela and the ALBA countries. To give you a quick background on ALBA, it’s an alliance founded by Venezuela and Cuba. Other countries that joined later are: Antigua, Bolivia, Domenica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Honduras, which after Zelaya’s ouster, officially withdrew from the alliance. Note that these countries serve as stops along a path to the north, especially those in the Caribbean.

All that being said, when I read about Vicky Pelaez from El Diario, being arrested for spying, I had that ah-ha! moment. Of course! It all made sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if she is a Chavez operative, probably recruited to aid his cause here in the United States on behalf of his allies, Cuba and Russia. It doesn’t surprise me that she has been part of this spy ring. Her columns were so incendiary, so anti-American, that I found it alarming that a paper with such high circulation and so well read here in NYC, by millions of Spanish speakers, especially immigrants from Latin America, could be influenced by her words. Her columns concerned me greatly.

Of course, those columns themselves could serve as her cover. I won’t be surprised if she claims that because of her writings she and her husband have been detained. It’s the perfect cover. She will claim that her freedom of speech has been violated and she has been falsely accused in order to be silenced.

It is my understanding that for 10 years she has been tracked by the FBI, and the evidence is there. I find it outrageous when people who come to this country, and who benefit of its democracy, take advantage of it to destroy it. I’m relieved she has been removed. She was a dangerous echo of the Chavez Castro agenda here in the United States.

My concern is during the years she wrote her propaganda in El Diario, how many people were influenced by her? How many likely recruited among the Spanish speaking communities in NYC?

It is such a fine line to walk as a government in a democracy. The first amendment guarantees us all the right to freedom of expression, but Vicky Pelaez exemplifies the extreme dangers when that delicate balance is lost. She was not only advocating for enemies of the United States in a highly circulated paper, but is now suspected of spying for foreign countries.

To quote Bill Maher in Larry King last night, “We no longer have to fight them over there, so we don’t have to fight them here. They are already here.”

The time for Chavez and his ring of ominous influence around the world needs to come to an end. He has aligned with countries with an interest to see the United States fail and our democracy end. I am appalled at the fact that Latin American citizens are now involved in these spy rings from across the world. It sickens me. Chavez’ presence in the south of our continent is a severe threat to democracies across the American continent, from north to south. He’s the gaping hole letting in those interested in obliterating democracy.

I ask our brave opposition citizens in Venezuela, what does it take?  Imagine living in a world like Cuba, and that is what could happen if we allow this man and his malignant alignments prevail. Castro has prevailed. Can we afford to let Chavez do as well?

1. For more information from local NYC papers, check out:

From the NY Daily News: Suspected Russian spy Vicky Pelaez, a Spanish-language journalist, led many lives

NY Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/06/30/2010-06-30_suspected_spy_led_many_lives.html

2. A Cuban “dissident” wrote his comments on Pelaez here. This will give you insights on her writings and her Latin American influence and ties:

Castro regime scribe (Vicky Pelaez) among the 11 charged in Russia spy case

http://babalublog.com/2010/06/castro-regime-scribe-vicky-pelaez-among-the-11-charged-in-russia-spy-case/

3. From CBS News: FBI: 10 Russian Spies Arrested in U.S.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/28/world/main6627393.shtml?tag=mncol;lst;6

4. From MSNBC.com – Venezuela’s Chavez welcomes Russian warships

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27907501/

5. And how is our congress here in the United States handling the whole situation? Here is input from someone living in Honduras with wise observations.

Left Steps Up Attack on HONDURAS; Members of Congress Drink Kool Aid! – http://bit.ly/9HTF3v

While on that topic of “the left” here in the United States. I beg you all in the left, to really think hard before blindly backing the communist-left of Latin America. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING AS THE LEFT HERE IN THE USA!

By backing Zelaya in Honduras, without understanding Honduras politics, its constitution and its laws, you are wrong to assume that things run the same as here.  You would be considered centrists in Latin America, or moderate left. Zelaya and allies are not like you. They are aligned with Castro and Chavez et all. They are against basic human rights guaranteed by our constitution.What’s more. It was Zelaya’s own leftist party who took him out. What does that tell you? Know your facts, please.

Don’t make a mistake and back the wrong horse, lefties in the U.S.A. If you don’t know the facts, don’t meddle. Of course, this is why conservatives quickly assume I am a Republican. I’m not. I’m an independent and I know the facts about Latin American politics.

I support progressives here in the States, but I know the difference between the Chavez left movement and the progressive movement here. I hope once you learn the difference, you will stand with the people of Honduras, and not with Hugo Chavez, Castro, Zelaya and all their anti-American alliances.

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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,

it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,

it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,

it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,

it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,

we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,

we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct

the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present

period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its

being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree

of comparison only.

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
English novelist (1812 – 1870)

I am appalled as I watch the news lately.

All these angry people, screaming at the top of their lungs, having so readily digested the lies fed to them by the multibillion dollar corporate interests which are set on keeping the status quo at all costs, via supposedly community organizations in favor of “citizens”, it’s shameful!

How can these people believe such outrageous lies and without fact checking, pounce on others, make a show of themselves in front of cameras, for the world to see their misguided anger and inexcusable rudeness?

Where was that anger when Bush, Cheney and company were trampling our constitution, lying for a profitable war that brought millions to their private companies’ coffers (Halliburton) and death to so many?

Where was this angry mob when the Republican-majority congress rolled over and green-lit every greedy, selfish, corrupt and misguided request of their Republican peers in the executive and legislative branches?

Shameful disrespect for our president - Photo Credit: Erica Stead - Huffington Post

These embarrassing angry mobs are made up of the same people who were happy to stay home and do nothing about the disastrous situation the Republican party was leading our country into for the past 8 years.

It seems so hypocritical to me now that there is a new president making changes and working hard at fixing the mess left behind, now that finally the democrats are truly back in power, only months after their inauguration, how everyone is throwing rocks at the administration, including the media, without giving them sufficient time and space to clean up and undo all the damage left behind by the previous administration.

Did they forget who started the fire on the house and kept it going until it burnt out of control?

The very members of this mob helplessly and lazily watched things burn and get destroyed in Washington by the Republicans and did nothing. Oh yes, they did one thing, many  voted for the same gang to keep burning and destroying what president Clinton and the democrats had left behind before the Republicans stole the election in 2000.

We went from a surplus in 1999 to a multi-billion dollar deficit by the time there was a change of power in January 2009. But that wasn’t all.

We were at the brink of a depression, a deep and fast-spiraling recession that had started over 12 months ago, but the Republicans kept denying and doing nothing about!

Photo Credit: WTSP.com - Click on the picture for source article

Where were these angry people? Why didn’t they ask for their “America” back then?

Where were these angry people when the WMDs were found to be a falsehood?

Where were these angry people when Katrina happened?

Anger unleashed - but is it the right time and place?

Where were these angry people when the man they called their president just flew over the largest natural disaster area as he watched from his plane window, so detached, as if it were a TV movie, not happening to his constituents?

Where were these angry people when Dick Cheney and his gang divulged the name of a CIA operative, committing treason and endangering her life and that of those around her?

Where were these angry people when Abu Graib occurred and the shameful pictures were shown and the Republican administration in a gesture of their trademark hypocrisy had the nerve to pick on the low ranking members of the military who were only following orders from the upper echelons?

Democracy at its best and its worst

Where were these angry people when their Republican-led congress passed every initiative and law suggested by the thugs running the country from the White House?

Where were these angry mobs when many attorneys in the White House staff were fired for refusing to yield to their political agenda?

Where were these angry mobs when the elections were rigged in Florida, when the count was unfairly stopped? When proof of election fraud was found in Ohio in 2006?

These people may not get paid to do this, but no doubt their biases & fears are being exploited

Oh! “Americans are cool.” I was told.  “They are respectful of the law and order and even if they don’t agree with their politicians, they abide by the democratic process.”

I’m not so sure I can believe this today, as I watch the nastiness, the malicious lines, the lies, the outrageous exaggerations (death panels, socialism).

Are people so desperate to believe anything the mouths of hate tell them, no matter how incredible, so they can have an excuse to hate and look to destroy an administration that is trying hard to put out the fire and fix the mess left behind by the very people they have supported?

They call this a process of democracy. I would like to applaud it but as much as I agree it’s an extreme form of democracy, I feel shivers down my spine because I see the hate and the anger. And like many, I find it disturbing.

How far are we going to let things go?

I try to understand where this anger is coming from. But I can’t excuse the behavior. I cannot understand why are they taking their anger out on the wrong people, on the very people who are trying to fix what’s wrong.

I can’t understand why they continue to be kind to the ones responsible for their woes.

It puzzles me greatly.

And then, I have to unfortunately recognize that the only reason for this irrational behavior, for these mobs to side with the very people responsible for the damage and to yell and scream at those currently in power who are trying hard to fix things, is one thing.

Race.

These mobs are not angry over what’s happened. They are angry that people who do not look like them, who may be of a different culture or color are now in charge and making decisions that will affect their lives.

They fear perhaps that the way they have treated those who don’t look like them, is going to come back and bite them. And so they fight hard and use any excuse, no matter how outrageous the lie, to call for death, for hate, for insurrection, for disorder, against those currently in power, who are trying hard to fix things, who were either powerless or not around –for the most part– when the Republicans (who for the most part look like them) ran things and drove the country into the ditch we’re so hard trying to pull ourselves from.

No doubt that the likes of Limbaugh, Beck and Dobbs (interestingly, white men) have done a good job bringing out the worse in some people, who I’m aware still make up a minority, yet large enough to grab the attention of the sensationalist media that thrives on chaos and ratings.

And I worry.

I do hope that the Democrats and truly independents, as well as those enlightened members of the media and the Republican party (or whatever is left of it) take notice, realize that this hateful and dangerous noise needs to stop. It needs to be diffused because standing in the way of progress is not true democracy, is damaging to the sorely needed process of rebuilding.

I worry because I don’t know who’s watching the mouths of hate, the mouths of those calling for insurrection, calling our still newly elected president a Nazi, among other awful racists and hateful adjectives.

Who’s watching?

Is anyone wondering how far is this going to go?

Guns, righteousness, hate, anger, lack of respect? It’s not a good combination.

He’s only been in power 7 months! And we’re already rating him???

Did we forget it took 8 years to get us into this mess?

I thought only the poor and the ignorant in Latin America could be fed a plate of lies by their so-called “thought leaders”.

North Americans have always been proud and considered themselves more “sophisticated” and “civilized”.  But I see there is really no difference when it comes to some people here in the States. I see the pro-Zelaya, pro-Chavez thugs, in Latin America, wearing red, armed with flags, hateful posters, with sticks, guns, spewing hate, calling for insurrection, insulting, screaming and taunting others into violence.  I watch these mostly white crowds do the same here in the States, and I cringe.

These are the tactics fed to the mob to unleash them to cause disturbances

I realize that as a human race, we haven’t advanced much from the mob that filled the Roman coliseum centuries ago and delighted on chaos, blood and killing those they didn’t understand.

Unfortunately a thought has begun to percolate through me and thousands of other citizens with whom I share here and in other communities such as Twitter, Facebook, business networks, etc… Having been raised partly in Latin America, race is not how I define someone, and so I have refused to consider race a factor behind people’s mean and irrational behavior, even if it was blatantly in front of me.

But today, after all I see on TV and in the faces of some of the older white folks around, the damaging thought is beginning to seep in my head. Could it be that because now women and minorities seem to be in more prominent positions in government, the less enlightened feel they can yell and scream because after all, they have no respect for them, even if they are now in positions of power?

Could it be that people’s racism has been exacerbated by the hateful rhetoric of the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Lou Dobbs, etc…?

A black family in the White House, a Wise Latina in the Supreme Court, a woman as Speaker of the House. Could it be that some people are getting nervous? And their fear of “losing” their power, “their America” is expressed in the excessive and misplaced outrage many years too late, way after the fire has damaged so much and the new administration is fighting hard at putting it out?

These “outraged” folks are now screaming at the firemen because the house looks messy and burnt?

It is obvious that the desperate attempts of the drowning existence of the fading Republican Party have finally found a cause to get people out. Something finally has caught on and enraged people. The “tea parties” sham didn’t catch on. The birthers were denounced even by some of the more enlightened conservatives.

Spreading lies and disinformation about Healthcare Reform  has been the bonanza of the birthers and the tea party crowd, because now the issues are closer to home, enough to bring many of these less enlightened folks out.

The corporate interests were only too happy to pour their millions behind the right wing groups to stir dissent, hate and fear, and send people, who were ripe for it, out like mad dogs after the very people –a very diverse team spanning all races and age range– who are trying to fix the system.

And it seems to be working.

I only hope that this fever pitch has reached its zenith, and more cool heads will prevail.

We NEED health care reform.

We NEED a public option.

And this CANNOT wait any longer.

I was inside corporate America when Hillary care was attempted. I saw the hate and the money behind the effort to defeat the Clintons’ attempts to break the status quo. I saw the joyous celebration of the high ranking corporate executives congratulating themselves on the defeat of Hillary care back then. I saw them get themselves in their limos and celebrate at the most expensive restaurants with the most expensive bottles in the menu. Money of the tax payers, of insurance companies, of hardworking Americans goes to pay these excesses, these multimillion dollar efforts to defeat initiatives for the people.

When are people going to get it?

These so called “citizen” groups are a front for corporate efforts to keep the status quo.

Can’t people see they are being used?

Their emotions, fears, anger and bias have been aroused with lies and are being steered against the very change we voted for.

It’s the old trick that I see typically in South America, used by the likes of Chavez, Zelaya, Correa, Morales, and Castro. Blame it on the other guy!

I really thought all Americans had been inoculated against that.

It’d be a shame when years later, quite too late by then, should these lies-based movements have any success at thwarting progress, people will finally see what our current administration is trying to do:  fix what’s wrong, and prevent the catastrophes that are likely to occur in our future if we keep going in the same path as the past 8 years.

Change is not easy, but it needs to happen.

Those daring enough to initiate change have endured the ignorance of those comfortable in the status quo:

1. Remember abolition? Wasn’t that the birth of the Republican party? How far have they strayed from their origins.

2. Remember the Woman’s Suffrage movement and what those brave women endured?

3. Remember the Civil Rights movement and what many brave citizens endured.

4. Norma Rae

5. Ghandi, Walesa, Mandela… yes, change is not easy on those comfortable with the status quo.

The anger needs to be directed to those responsible for the damage, not the ones who are trying to fix things.

People need to get over the race issue.

Is that too much to ask for?

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Look, I know and understand well that we are all too busy to pay attention to what goes on in Albany. In truth, I will confess I had not been paying attention myself. As a New Yorker living in this wonderful city, I have the silly mindset that NYC is the center of the universe. Of course I know it isn’t. But my point being, many of us live our lives not caring much about what goes on outside of the 5 boroughs.

Watching the local news last night, however, I was appalled to learn that the local Republicans in the NYS Senate are up to their dirty Republican tricks. According to the NY Times, Republicans had been the majority in the NYS Senate, until this past November when the Democrats were voted back in power, understandably so. But of course, the Republicans being, well, Republicans, couldn’t accept the WILL OF THE PEOPLE, who had clearly put the Democrats in charge. Of course no, the will of the people means nothing to these power-hungry, self-serving politicians.

They went around the voters and staged a coup in the Senate yesterday, gaining a new “majority” by luring two wayward Democrats with shady records. The first is the famous Mr. Monserrate from Queens, recently indicted of stabbing his partner, and –as per the Daily News– caught on video dragging her from his apartment– and the other, the famous Mr. Espada, who, according to the NY Times, is under investigation for tax issues. I wonder what made the Republicans select these two for their newly gained “bipartisan majority”. Let me guess. The Republicans must have thought, “Hey! These guys are crooked enough. They qualify to join us and will have no problem being lured in!”

I am furious. As a New Yorker I believe these two should be voted out of office in the next election, for they betrayed the will of their electorate, who wanted a Democratic majority. They have betrayed their constituents by switching allegiances. The Democrats had an agenda –which included giving tenants more rights, strengthening abortion rights and the legalization of same sex marriage, very important and controversial issues– which had a better chance in Democrat hands.

Of course, voting Espada and Monserrate out of office in the next election would be too late. By then, no doubt, the results of their actions would have had their repercussions, and without a doubt, will be irreparable and irreversible.

As New Yorkers, we need to unite and protest the betrayal of Monserrate and Espada. We should demand their resignation or removal. There are things at stake that will have no chance of passing under Republican control. In other words, the same BS we have been dealing with, all this time from the NYS senate, which for the past decades has been under Republican control, will continue, as we have fallen sleep at the wheel and remain oblivious to what is happening in Albany. I know we’ll start caring when it is too late and legislation that affect us negatively, enacted by a self-interest ruling party such as the Republicans, is passed, and then it’ll be too late to do anything.

If you are a New Yorker and care about issues that Democrats care about, call or contact the offices of Monserrate and Espada and tell them how you feel about their betrayal. (Click on the links.) If I were you I’d demand their resignation. If you’re more politically active than me, is there a way we can start a campaign to get them out?

According to the NY Times, Espada, which is now “president” of the senate, is next in line to become governor should something happen to Patterson. And this is the guy that is under investigation for tax evasion?

Is there something we can do?

I understand both of these guys are considered “powerful” in their counties, so if anything happens to me, you know who’s behind it. LOL!!!

Seriously, if there is anything that can be done, it needs to be done now. I know very little about NYS politics, I will admit it, but what I find appalling is the Republicans getting away with such shenanigans, and all of us remaining oblivious to it. They are counting on it. They can’t get away with it. It was not the will of the voters.

I just googled the situation and found that the NY Daily News covered this and had a poll on the situation. The majority –as of this evening– think Espada and Monserrate are, to quote the Daily News: “Traitors and backstabbers who should lose their seats.”

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one feeling this way. The question is, what can we do about this betrayal NOW. Anyone with any good ideas, please feel free to reply.

UPDATE: Jade, one of our readers just suggested we contact the Queens and Bronx Democratic County Committees. Thanks Jade!

1. Queens County Democratic Committee: I couldn’t find an url, so, here is the phone number: (718) 268-5100 and address: 7250 Austin St, Forest Hills, NY 11375-5355. They link to a generic Democratic site: http://www.democrats.org/contact.html

2. Bronx County Democratic Committee: OK. These guys seem better organized. Here is their webpage which has all the relevant info: http://www.bronxdemocrat.org/

For daily tidbits of this “opinionated” New Yorker, you can follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MariaNYC

Photo credit: NY Times

For the NY Times source article that originated this commentary, click here. Or copy and paste the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/nyregion/09switch.html

For tomorrow’s article follow-up on this topic, click here or copy and paste the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/nyregion/10switchsub.html

Yes, I am an avid follower of the NY Times and CNN.

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