Ben Stein (1 Viewer)

[KenHigg]

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday
Morning Commentary, Sunday, 12/18/05.

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important? I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.

Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.

If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.

Next confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against.

That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto.

In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating his happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.

I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane
Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?"
(regarding Katrina)

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She
said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for
years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our
government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I
believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His
blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I
think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her
body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and
we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Biblesays
thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they
misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might
damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an
expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why
they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill
strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.

I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the
world's going to hell.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the
Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through
cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and
workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

 

[ColinEssex]

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the
Bible says.

Thats because one is loosely based on factual things and the other isn't

Col

 

[Kraj]

This is so unbelievably retarded that I could not possibly believe it was written by Ben Stein. I was wrong and I was right. Ben Stein wrote it, but only through:

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

After that, someone else added their own schtick. Interestingly, it was that exact point where I started to believe Ben Stein didn't write it. The intelligent, reasonable points that I agreed with were writen by him. The stupid, extremist crapfest that followed was not.

If anyone requires an explanation as to why the second half is so terrible, I'll be happy to oblige, but I thought it was more important to prevent Ben Stein's reputation from being sullied.

 

[MrsGorilla]

Thats because one is loosely based on factual things and the other isn't

Col

Yes, but which one?

 

[Bodisathva]

Funny how...

... last time I saw this rant it was written by Andy Rooney

 

[Rich]

The Biblesays
thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Is this guy an American ?

 

[BarryMK]

Is this guy an American ?

Forget Nick and Jessica whoever they are, who the hell are Ben Stein and Andy Rooney?

 

[Rich]

who the hell are Ben Stein and Andy Rooney?

World famous, world series superstars ?

 

[ColinEssex]

Thats because one is loosely based on factual things and the other isn't

Yes, but which one?

Isn't it obvious?

Col

 

[Kraj]

Forget Nick and Jessica whoever they are, who the hell are Ben Stein and Andy Rooney?

Andy Rooney is the old fart on 60 Minutes. Ben Stein is a frighteningly intelligent man who became famous playing bit roles in movies (most notably, Ferris Beuler's Day Off) and went on to host a unique game show where he competed against the contestants at trivia called Win Ben Stein's Money. He is also an author and accomplished member of the political community, most notably as the speech writer for former President Richard Nixon.

 

[BarryMK]

Thanks for the info Kraj. But....

Ben Stein is a frighteningly intelligent man - the speech writer for former President Richard Nixon.

Isn't that an oxymoron?

 

[Kraj]

Isn't that an oxymoron?

Tee hee...

That's the one thing I disgaree with Ben about: he remains an adamant supporter of Nixon. I wonder if Stein wrote, "I am not a crook"?

 

[Vassago]

This is so unbelievably retarded that I could not possibly believe it was written by Ben Stein. I was wrong and I was right. Ben Stein wrote it, but only through:

After that, someone else added their own schtick. Interestingly, it was that exact point where I started to believe Ben Stein didn't write it. The intelligent, reasonable points that I agreed with were writen by him. The stupid, extremist crapfest that followed was not.

If anyone requires an explanation as to why the second half is so terrible, I'll be happy to oblige, but I thought it was more important to prevent Ben Stein's reputation from being sullied.

I was thinking the same thing. No way Ben Stein wrote the rest of that.