Satirist Honors George Bush's Golf Sacrifice by Giving Up Satirical Column
By Steve Young
Created May 14 2008 - 10:34am
There can no more compliment to satire than for a reader to laugh
hysterically while throwing up at the same time. That is what we call
"satirical nirvana," and President Bush literally blew the roof off the
house of satirical possibility with his admission this week that he gave
up
golf in 2003 out of respect for U.S. soldiers killed in the Iraq war.
"I didn't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the
commander in chief playing golf," said Bush. "I feel I owe it to the
families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think
playing
golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."
When I was political editor at the Lampoon, I was told that one of the
prerequisites of good satire was that the reader might read it, thinking,
"This might be true." Hysterical, of course, but wholly possible. And it
was
always based on the truth. Truth that wasn't all that funny, because,
well,
although truth can be stranger than fiction.
And for the past 7 ½ years this President and his administration have
tested
satirists...
"Failed Arabian Horse Consultant Chosen To Run FEMA."
"Twenty-four Year Old College Dropout Approved by White House to Rewrite
Government Scientist's Research"
"Texas Sheriff Sees No Reason To Question Vice President Who Drank A Beer
Then Shot a Guy in the Face"
But sacrificing golf to be in solidarity with gold star families, and your
name isn't Tiger Woods... well, that's just pure comedy gold. And when
someone sets the bar so high in your in your business, you can either quit
or make it your life's work use that new bar as a challenge to create
something so wonderfully unique that it also increases the quality of life
for everyone who reads it.
I choose to quit.
At least for a week.
So it is, that I will not do my L.A. Daily News column All The News That's
Fit To Spoof [1]this week. While it is not near the level of President
Bush's sacrifice, I will also not accept my salary for the column.
It's the least I can do for the families who have lost loved ones in this
war.
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues.
I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an op****tunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are
at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
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