Bloviating Bette

On Tuesday, a group of aging celebrities and second string artists got together in order to ostensibly raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This event, dubbed, "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy" was held at Madison Square Garden and also contemporaneously at the Radio City Music Hall. Tickets for the events, priced from $50-$1000 at Radio City and from $50-$500 at Madison Square Garden, sold out. The event was simulcast on Pay Per View TV. It had the potential to be a welcome and heartfelt diversion after weeks of tragic calamity.

Unfortunately, as usual, artists puffed up with self-righteous moral indignation decided to inflict the contributors with their intellectual musings. The most egregious was blowzy comedienne Bette Midler. Bette, wading to the stage, proclaimed, "I could sit up here and talk for hours about ineptitude, stupidity, blame, in-e-qual-i-ty, global warming, the dangerous destruction of the wetlands .... I am telling you these are not just dangerous times, these are disastrous times ... we're surrounded by disasters - the war, the hurricane, Fox News." Bette continued, "A terrible thing happened to me. Today, I got a letter from the Republican Party thanking me, thanking me for supporting this Administration's policies. I did what any self-respecting American of intellect and class would do. I wrote, "Go f--- yourself and sent it back - postage due." Continuing her unfunny diatribe, Bette said, "I would never pick on George Bush because, you know, he's a big fan of mine. He came to see me in the Seventies. A coke dealer of his got him some tickets." Ha Ha.

It is utterly reprehensible that someone tasked with raising relief funds for disaster victims would instead use this platform in order to attack a political figure with whom they obviously disagree. The utter vacuity of Ms. Midler's argument likewise does not hold water. While Bette blames the feds for "ineptitude and stupidity" it has been conclusively shown that the Governor and Mayor bear an equal responsibility in their failure to get poor people without transportation out of New Orleans in the face of a major hurricane. The "global warming" theory of hurricane strength has been discounted by every major meteorologist interviewed on television. And if Bette finds Fox News so distasteful (disastrous, even!) she can do what the left is always advising alarmed parents to do with the pornographic and immoral television shows invading the airwaves nowadays - just "turn it off". What the left really finds disastrous about Fox News is that - with its advent - they no longer have a deathgrip on the information that makes its way to the "little people" who are so unqualified to handle it.

Likewise, Ms. Midler's self-proclaimed "intellect" and "class" become laughable canards when viewed against her proud recitation of acts which are neither remotely intellectual or classy.

Set against the background of a truly honorable organization, the USO, these acts become even more repugnant. The USO, the United Services Organization, was founded by a federal order of FDR's, on February 4th, 1941. Its motto was to foster the "religion, spirit and education" of the armed forces. The USO quickly evolved into providing "comfort, morale and recreation" to the troops. The USO, and its participants, embodied "compassion, magnanimity, selflessness and service" towards their fellow Americans in uniform. During the years 1941-1947, the USO held 428,521 shows, with over 7,000 entertainers utilizing over 1.5 million volunteers. Legendary entertainer Bob Hope's first overseas wartime visit was in 1942, to Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. In 1943, Hope and his entourage entertained the troops on the battlefields of North Africa, Italy and Sicily. Truly great American performers joined him - Frances Langford, Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Doris Day.

During those dark days, Americans realized that we faced a global terror which threatened our families and our very way of life. Unfortunately, today many celebrities have no such cognition, or perhaps even cognitive powers.

Today's USO performers include Gary Sinise, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, NFL players, Toby Keith, Hootie and the Blowfish, NBA legends and Rich Little, among others. Nowhere to be found is Ms. Midler or another "entertainer", Cyril Neville, of the Neville Brothers. At the BATTBE fundraiser, his t-shirt proclaimed, "Ethnic Cleansing in the Big Easy". Too bad he never sang against real ethnic cleansing, conducted in Serbia against Muslims and in Rwanda against Tutsis, both during the 1990s during the reign of their exalted hero, President Bill Clinton. It is indicative of the modern leftist mindset to note that Mr. Clinton attended both BATTBE events, to rousing cheers.

Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.

George Costanze didnt hit her hard enough. Or maybe he hit her too hard. Sounds like Ms Midler's intellectual thoughts are just the "Wind Beneath Someone's Butt."

3 posted on 09/27/2005 2:14:29 PM PDT by feedback doctor (Liberals will only go to Wal-Mart for looting!)

"I would never pick on George Bush because, you know, he's a big fan of mine. He came to see me in the Seventies. A coke dealer of his got him some tickets." Ha Ha.

This is supposed to be a fund raiser for the Katrina victims!??!
You just wonder what kind of I.Q's she and the likes [the black lady, I forgot her name (?) when gestured at a political fund raiser in N.Y. indecent to different body parts, etc.] have when they open their mouths and speaks soooo intelligently???
I certainly would close my wallet immediately and NOT give one cent!!!

I think that was Whoopie Goldberg's raunch fest. Today's "celebraties" act like foul mouthed toddlers.

I did what any self-respecting American of intellect and class would do. I wrote, "Go f--- yourself and sent it back - postage due

I wonder if this foul mouthed has-been gave any consideration as to how many TV sets across the country would switch to another channel when these thoughtful words unexpectedly floated into their living rooms?

So she's like what, 70, 75? All her fans have died of AIDS by now anyway.

I think Whoopi Goldberg really did in John Kerry. She was beyond disgusting and then, after the event, Kerry thanked the performers for something like "their all-American spirit". I remember clearly because afterwards a Democrat friend of mine said to me "That's it - I'm voting for Bush". Now we have Hillary Clinton and McCain meeting with another lunatic anti-American, Cindy Sheehan. I don't want anyone in the White House who supports ANYTHING OR ANYONE that's anti-American.

I think you're right. The Democrats of my parents generation were decent people - today's Democrats are just warmed over leftists from the 1960s.

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