MovieChat Forums > The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2006) Discussion > the LOST parody skit at the beginning

the LOST parody skit at the beginning

posted 18 years ago by SpitfireLBC
29 replies | jump to latest

I completely understand that the Lexington NBC affiliate would be mortified by the LOST parody skit in light of the crash, but people need to understand that NBC wasn't being insensitive nor was Conan or the Academy. The parody was displayed at a bad time, but it's not like any of these 3 parties can pull the skit.

Some of you posters already know that I work in the entertainment industry, so I can tell you about things the general public doesn't always know. I've worked with NBC and I've worked on an award show before and I know that it takes a lot a planning, months ahead to get everything in order. The slightest change could throw everything off - that's why you see the winners getting kicked off or cut off as they make their acceptance speech. They go to commercial because companies have already paid the network thousands sometimes millions of dollars for the guarantee that their product will be advertised at the televised hour. NBC or any network cannot forgo the ad for the sake of time, because they will have to pay the company back which means the Emmy production will suffer financially. The host and the crew all the way down to the lowly production assistant will get financially screwed, because no production company likes to spend more than it has to or lose any more can than it possibly can.

Time, as well as money, is very crucial in these live productions. Just to change a word or a phrase on the script for the host or presenters to read off is a major effort. They are not just distributing the revised copy to the host or presentors. Numerous copies of the revisions need to be distributed through out the entire 300 to 500 person crew, especially the director, the camera people, the sound people, the lighting people, technical director and floor director so they'll know what the hell is going on. Plus, there is so much going on during the day of the awards show that not everyone may have heard about the crash. Yes, it does get that busy. We could be invaded by Al-Queda like that movie "Red Dawn" and half the people (crew and guests) wouldn't be the wiser because it is that busy.

I believe that there was no time to tape a new skit or re-edit the original to be less intense simply because of the activities going on in preparation for that show. The crew (grips, production assistants, carpenters, set decorators, caterers, florists, costumers, sound and lighting people, etc.) are all there since the night before - non-stop, pulling 18, sometimes 24 hour shifts, working for peanuts, to make sure that by 3 p.m. the following day, they are ready to air the Emmys live for the east coast and the rest of the world to get the first broadcast. And while we're watching the first half of the Emmys here on the West Coast, the East Coast is watching the last of the Emmys. That's how it works. There is no time for changes as large as pulling the opening skit. That time has to be accounted for. Dead air is suicide for any broadcast and no one is going to put a production through that. At most, NBC or the Academy's people could have put a disclaimer to forewarn the viewers, but as I've said, "there is no time".

My heart does go out to the people of Lexington and to the families of the victims, but as for everyone else - you all need to seriously calm the f_ck down. We are becoming waaaaaay too sensitive about anything pertaining to air travel these days. It's not like the Emmys and Conan pulled the kind of faux pas that Mayor Nagan of New Orleans did when he criticized Ground Zero and how 5 years have passed. That was in poor taste. He knew he had cameras on him and that in light of previous criticism of his administration any thing he said or did would be under scrutiny. He should have thought before he spoke. But the Emmys skit was clearly a parody of LOST and was the type of self-depricating kind of comedy Conan is known for. The case here with the Emmys is just unfortunate poor timing and a mark of embarrassment for Conan, the Academy and the NBC network. That's all.

[–] toldyousew 18 years ago

You should have thought before you typed, you 'alleged' entertainment industry
worker. You lost the argument with "you all need to seriously calm the f_ck
down." Right here you're showing you can't make it through a paragraph without major cursing and affixing blame to eveyone else, but people like yourselves.

Excuse maker ans poor argument maker you are

[–] SpitfireLBC 18 years ago

And you should go back to school so that you'll actually learn the concept of reading. Since it is evident that you can't count either - news flash - I made it through 3 paragraphs without using a cuss word in my initial post prior to the "controversial" paragraph that got your panties in a wad. You are aware that we are in the 21st Century and that swear words are heavily used by everyone...and it's not a big deal. Morons like you who go on the attack like what you posted just prove my point: people such as yourself do indeed need to calm the F_CK down.

[–] LittleMissSunshine1993 18 years ago

Actually spitfire, NBC could've pulled it/edited it out. They were ones airing the show, they had the power to do so.

[–] JimLoneWolf 18 years ago

First off, Shannon, where's your "outrage" about the idiot pilot and control people who screwed up and got 50 people killed?. To me, THOSE are the people who deserve a snarky imdb posting, not someone trying to shed some light on WHY this could have happened.

Second, did you even READ spitfire's post? They didn't know about the crash until it already aired. What's your next response? "Yes they did, I know they did. They are NBC. They know all!! They are MAAAAAGIC!!"

Ha ha, you are foolish.

Do you seriously think Conan and all the people putting on the show were paying attention to the news the day of the Emmy's? Its the biggest night in television, I don't think so.

Enough is enough. This was bad timing, not an intentional insult. If NBC had known about it beforehand, they most certainly WOULD have put up a disclaimer...so they OBVIOUSLY didn't know about it, as their apology attests.

In life, accidents happen. What should they do, start up an "official board of people who watch the news the day of an awards show to make sure nothing in the broadcast is insenitive to anything that has occured with the past 8 hours?" Get realistic...this was a one in a million chance, nothing more.

And you ought to be ashamed of yourself for making Spitfire feel like an jerk for trying to give you an insiders perspective on why it happened. Its not like HE was responsible.

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[–] LittleMissSunshine1993 18 years ago

I am upset that the pilots did make such a horrible mistake, but since there isn't a board here for them I would say this isn't the place to express what I am feeling in regards to them. Of course that said, we should keep in mind that it apparently was the co-pilot, who was the only survivor, who was piloting the plane when the incident occurred and I think when (if) he wakes up and realizes what has happened he is going to feel horribly enough (and who wouldn't if they had been behind the wheel of a plane that crashed resulting in 49 deaths).

I don't place blame on Conan. I place the blame on NBC for not pulling the skit or atleast editing it. And yes if you watched NBC, MSNBC or CNBC you'd know they were all aware of it since their coverage was very extensive.

And yes I did read Spitfire's post, but I only felt compelled to respond to only that one thing.

[–] coolguy5090 18 years ago

Why is it that whenever a tragic event occurs, suddenly everything must be edited so as not to "offend" victims and families of said incident? The same thing happened with 9/11. When movies were being released, shots of the Twin Towers had to be digitally removed, and almost any film involving a plane was pushed back in release. Not to mention, films and shows depicting plane crashes were pulled from the television schedule until further notice. It's *beep* ridiculous. The skit on the Emmy's was a parody of "Lost" and nothing more. Even if they had known about the accident beforehand, they had no reason to cut it. Any intelligent person could tell that I was a parody of a popular TV show, and not an insult to anyone. It's political corectness at its worst.

"Drama is life with all the boring parts left out" - Alfred Hitchcock

[–] JimLoneWolf 18 years ago

Whoa, Shannon. Hold on a minute.

Just because NBC NEWS covered the crash didn't mean the EMMY people knew about it!! Those are two completely different worlds you're talking about there. The News people do not put on the Emmy Awards, and most likely the networks honchos were busy preparing the show, not monitering the news program. It was a one in a million chance this would happen, thats what you shouldn't lose site of. They obviously weren't paying attention.

Thats a MISTAKE, not a malicious act.

PS Thanks for changing the tone of your original post to something a bit more respectful.

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[–] SpitfireLBC 18 years ago

Do you people who go on the attack like this seriously read everything or do you just pick on the words that you don't like and to hell with the context? Uh, hello? I said that there is usually no time to edit stuff out like this. I love how people get a digital camera and an editing program for their home computer and they think it's so simple to just edit footage. It's not that simple in the TV industry...especially live TV. The editor of any program or movie is not the one who makes the call to leave or take out stuff. NBC's panel obviously saw what most of us reasonable people saw: there was no direct offense to the Lexington victims. Because of that they are not going to go over budget, call in last minute studio time at their editing facility, and risk screwing up the schedule just because a few sensitive parties think that everything in the public domain revolves around their own personal dramas.

You have no idea what goes on behind the scenes at a network. They aren't just sitting there twiddling their thumbs waiting for things to work on. While you are sleeping there are staff members in contact with other news agencies working on upcoming story pieces, researching, while others are handling incoming stories from all over the world. Other groups are gathering footage to assemble into newsstories for the local and evening news. This is just the news branch of the network. The programming is another ball of wax. They have to not only focus on when and where something will be shown on the schedule, but have to gain rights to feature major consumer products on the sets of your favorite TV shows or they risk getting sued by companies like Kraft for not getting permission to have a jar of their mayo on the set of E.R. during a scene. They have to review contracts of the stars of a show and conduct negotiations with those celebrities. Everyone is busy.

It is not worth putting the production of the Emmys on hold, not fullfilling their agreements with the sponsors to air their ads at the time they agreed upon, and letting everything in the day's process come to a grinding halt on the chance that a few people/groups and 1 affiliate (who is expendable) might be offended by a skit that clearly has nothing to do with their tragic circumstances. People getting upset with the skit is like victims of 9-11 getting angry at the news or movies everytime pre-9-11 footage of the Pentagon, the World Trade Center, or a plane crash is shown. Tragedies happen, but the world cannot just drop everything and stop what it's doing. This is not to say that being insensitive is good either, it's just that what happened with the skit was never an act of insensitivity and people need to realize this.

[–] ambassador_of_sexy 18 years ago

Wah, wah, wah... boo freakin' hoo!

Everyone needs to stop being so god damn sensitive about every freakin' thing. This entire situation is a joke, and NBC shouldn't have yielded an apology to the whining bitches.

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[–] Piedradura 18 years ago

Good post, spitfire. What is happening to this country that everyone has become so wussy about everything? For pete's sake, channel that energy into something worthwhile that actually helps someone.

Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone

[–] LittleMissSunshine1993 18 years ago

I wish people could understand that its not about being wussy, IMO, its about having compassion and a heart for the victims and their friends and families and being considerate of them for atleast 24 hours.

Someone asked me elsewhere here if a few hours was not an appropriate time then what was? I told them I wasn't really sure, but I just did not feel it appropriate to air the skit (I'm not saying the should've cut it entirely, they could've edited it to the point of cutting out everything before Conan is on the beach and simply putting in a warning/explanation explaining the scene)the same day as this tragedy.

[–] glo-unit17 18 years ago

Were the famlies themselves offended,if not I think people should shut the hell up. The people who were close to those who died had much better things to do than watch the Emmys I doubt anyone who were close to anybody that died actually saw or was offended by it. Now you just have a bunch of @$$holes being offened so they can be holier than though.

"The only time politicians are telling the truth is when they are calling each other liars."

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] glo-unit17 18 years ago

Yes, I'm a teenager and I normally don't act like this, I show people respect and courtesy when I feel they deserve it. OK, so now were suppose stop and think at what might hurt someone's feelings, what next. And have you read your post you come off as someone who just chose to be offended so you can make a big deal about it and come off like your such a better person than all the inconsiderate jerks. Also I would probably think all the people who were bothered by this are holier than though because that's how they all come off.

So the fact of the matter is, that unless you truly know somebody and know alot about them then you shouldn't make assumptions about what they're like simply based on something they've said on ONE subject.

You said it not me.

"The only time politicians are telling the truth is when they are calling each other liars."

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] glo-unit17 18 years ago

At any rate, you apparently still don't get the point I was trying to make and if you can't understand basic humanity, kindness and feeling sympathy for another human beings loss and what they are going through then I can't help you.

Well, if that ain't the pot calling the kettle black. It also proves just how holier than though you are.

When did I ever say I didn't feel for them I know the loss had to be horrible for those people, but the only people who have spoken out about how inappropriate it are people who have no ties to the event themselves. Why might this be, oh could it be because the familles of those poor people have things better and much more important to do than being upset by a freaking skit that opened the Emmy's. I also find it pathetic that people get on their soapbox because they deem it inappropriate when they have no ties to the damn thing. There are better things to do than bitching about how inconsiderate NBC was and am glad most are doing better things with their time.

"The only time politicians are telling the truth is when they are calling each other liars."

[–] LittleMissSunshine1993 18 years ago

"Well, if that ain't the pot calling the kettle black. It also proves just how holier than though you are."

Funny you should say that, because I've never once heard you display any kind of feelings, compassion or sympathy for these people. Showing that I feel for these people has been one point I've consistently been trying to make since I first posted here in regards to this on Monday.

Oh and btw, not trying to be nitpicky, but its "thou" not "though" and should you not be in school?

And it really proves nothing except that as I just said that I feel for what these people are going through. It in no way proves that I feel as if I'm holier than thou and if you think that then you need a lesson on exactly what holier than thou means. It means that you think you're better than everyone else. I've never thought that and have certainly never said or implied that I was.

"When did I ever say I didn't feel for them I know the loss had to be horrible for those people"

Well actually no you never have said that you didn't, but you also never said or expressed that you did. From the moment you joined this thread I never saw you express that at all. The only thing you've expressed is that you didn't agree with me through a very rude post (which is fine that you don't agree with me, but if you're going to disagree with people you really should learn how to do it in a more mature manner).

"Why might this be, oh could it be because the familles of those poor people have things better and much more important to do than being upset by a freaking skit that opened the Emmy's."

So that's supposed to make it okay just because we think they're not watching (when we really have no clue what any of them were doing. I mean it is highly unlikely anybody in that situation would sit down to watch TV, but who's to say they didn't have it on)? I've lost people close to me (granted none in a catastrophic manner) and you try to progress as normally as possible and that includes having on a TV and yes, even watching it at times.

"I also find it pathetic that people get on their soapbox because they deem it inappropriate when they have no ties to the damn thing."

You will learn as you get older that just because you don't have ties to things doesn't mean you don't have a right to give your opinion, especially if that something is something that effects alot of people like the crash on Sunday did. You know, I didn't know anyone who died on 9/11 or have any real ties to it at all, but does that mean that I shouldn't have an opinion on it or deem what happened as being horrible? Sorry, but your argument here just doesn't ring true.

Look, you and I obviously aren't going to see eye to eye on this, so why don't we just drop it, because quite frankly its getting ridicoulous. I think we both should just agree to disagree and move on and not discuss this with each other anymore.

[–] glo-unit17 18 years ago

Funny you should say that, because I've never once heard you display any kind of feelings, compassion or sympathy for these people. Showing that I feel for these people has been one point I've consistently been trying to make since I first posted here in regards to this on Monday

Which was my point 2 posts and you know how I felt about the subject?

Oh and btw, not trying to be nitpicky, but its "thou" not "though" and should you not be in school?

Thank you I knew I was spelling it wrong, and I'm already out.

Well actually no you never have said that you didn't, but you also never said or expressed that you did. From the moment you joined this thread I never saw you express that at all. The only thing you've expressed is that you didn't agree with me through a very rude post (which is fine that you don't agree with me, but if you're going to disagree with people you really should learn how to do it in a more mature manner).

The only reason I took part in this tread is because I disagreed with your opinion not to express sympathy for the victims of the crash. You should also take you advice about not being rude to people. I was rude to you because you were rude to the OP, it seem like your a hypocrite.

You will learn as you get older that just because you don't have ties to things doesn't mean you don't have a right to give your opinion, especially if that something is something that effects a lot of people like the crash on Sunday did. You know, I didn't know anyone who died on 9/11 or have any real ties to it at all, but does that mean that I shouldn't have an opinion on it or deem what happened as being horrible? Sorry, but your argument here just doesn't ring true.

But your not giving your opinion on the accident yourself we all can agree that the plane crash itself was horrible, but your outraged about the fact that people close to the victims might have been watching and their feeling might have been hurt. See the difference.

Look, you and I obviously aren't going to see eye to eye on this, so why don't we just drop it, because quite frankly its getting ridiculous. I think we both should just agree to disagree and move on and not discuss this with each other anymore.

I'm a bored college student who is doing this because he's bored and letting off steam, fine.

"The only time politicians are telling the truth is when they are calling each other liars."

[–] SpitfireLBC 18 years ago

Thanks, NJDad. I totally agree. We are becoming a nation of lazy, fat, ignorant, overly sensitive, shallow morons who can't empathize and rationalize any thing. We care more about Paris Hilton taking a dump than we do about finding ways to be a better nation and better people since other countries look to us for answers. Like it or not, we are the dictators of pop culture and foreign policy. I cringe everytime I see displays of stupidity and lack of responsiblity in my fellow Americans (i.e. my critics in this post). Other examples of stupidity: Bush screwed our soldiers over and no one sees that this is a war we cannot win...at least not with violence. He feeds the general public this hoo-ha about "Freedom and Democracy" without regard to the fact that because we are Americans who believe in freedom, we must allow other the countries the liberty to live as they wish...not how we think they should. Then instead of being the intelligent and advanced people we should be...solving the world's problems, we cling on to religion as our entire foundation for reasonable thought and use inane concepts like "intelligent design" to explain what is clearly science and not some little man named Oz hiding behind the curtain. I'm surprised we just don't cut to the chase and bring back the gods of Olympus to explain that it's Neptune's fault for Hurricane Katrina. Or that Apollo is creating global warming! Our country is in dire need of getting its head out of its rear or we're going to go down the tubes for good.

[–] Piedradura 18 years ago

Unfortunate isn't it? I cannot believe how much time the news networks spent on the JonBebet not-murderer last week. PATHETIC!!! Not what Ted Turner had in mind when he created CNN, I am sure. Nancy Grace should be run out of town on a rail, that untalented, bitter witch - what a disgrace that she and her ilk have so much power in this country. And don't get me started on Bush. I despise that moron, always have. Maybe the Dems will be able to impeach him and Cheney.....too bad we can't impeach the media and the dolts who spend more time wondering why Paris and Nicole don't get along than on why the government betrayed the US soldiers in Iraq and the poor folks in New Orleans...

Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone

[–] JimLoneWolf 18 years ago

By God you're right NJDad. Nancy Grace is so full of hot air its sickening. Anyone who can't see the pure, indiscriminate hate in that womans eyes needs to have their head examined. She rails against people who aren't even guilty! But nothing ever happens to her. Or O'Reilly. Or Hannity. Or Limbaugh.
They say whatever they want and noone criticizes them due to the almighty deity called "ratings". You can bet the second O'Reillys ratings drop he'll be hit from all sides, I really hope it happens.

There is so much media in this country right now that noone seems to pay any attention to how often these people are wrong and then simply keep on talking as if those mistakes were never made. Why is the phrase "actions have consequences" only applied to regular people, never these media personalities and political fascists (i realize that term is loaded, but you know what? its becoming reality). They constantly judge US, but the second someone judges them (like Al Franken or Olbermann in the case of O'Reilly) they are dismissed as "smear merchants" and their networks are encouraged to fire them.

I remember a few years ago O'Reilly said there was a 2% chance of not finding WMDs in Iraq and if they didn't find them he would abandon Bush and apologize for supporting him. I guess that never happened, aside from an angry tirade on Good Morning America where he said something like "whaddya want me to do,get on my knees?" Uh,YEAH!!

I'll bet Shannon found out about the Emmy thing from the Drudge Report, thats where I heard about it. In fact, I'll bet that if the media hadn't picked this up and turned it into such a big deal, NOONE would have even complained because NOONE would have made the connection. Thanks Drudge, for keeping Americans at each others throats...what a great service he provides.

There is a MAJOR double standard in this country right now and it needs to stop. And yes, political correctness is, unfortunately, alive and well.

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[–] SpitfireLBC 18 years ago

Oh that JonBenet thing was absurd! Just on principle that Karr was an admitted pedophile, he should have been drawn and quartered and no trial or incarceration so that we tax payers won't be wasting money on him. If we had scarier penalties for violent, repeat offenders like him and other criminal monsters of our history, then maybe people would stop thinking that they are going to be as cool as someone on Prison Break or Oz if they go to prison. Maybe it would be an incentive to be nicer to each other, because to go the opposite way might entail death. Good people, some who were misguided by their lives tend to suffer instead of those who deserve to suffer for their crimes against innocents. I was raised in the hood and I know some of those people who go to prison for armed robbery, yet they never killed or shot anyone. They had the misfortune of being non-white and shown limited options about their life. Because of that, they are career criminals or wasting their life in prison because no one ever told them that they deserved a life better than that. No one ever gave them the chance to be better. People like the deceased Tookie Williams who made a terrible mistake as a kid with their lives and who have since then grown up and wanted to make amends for it. They just want to live a normal life like some of the rest of this country yet, because of one stupid, stupid mistake, they are made to suffer. Yet that weasel Karr gets a business class plane ticket to Colorado - WTF!?! Put him in cell with general pop and no other child will ever have to fear that maggot roaming the streets. As for Nancy Grace, uggghhh!!! That woman is just as bad as Anne Coulter. Vile! When Anne went and criticized the widows of 9-11, I was hoping that the widows would find her an whale on her! Talk about insensitive. She and some others in this country forget the pain that these families live over and over again every damn day of their lives since 2001. It doesn't end and it's probably not going to get easier for most, so everyone should lay off.

As for impeaching Bush and Cheney - not bloody likely....though I dream of it...but then again, you get Rumsfeld, so is that really any better? I think Junior has managed to survive this long (no thanks to Karl Rove), because of Rove and the Bush family name. I read a while back that the Bush family is deep rooted in the history of this country and are descendants of two figures in history, one of them being President Buchanan. I liken Bush's reign of terror as our President to the rule of terror as King of England in the days of Henry III or even Henry IV - both Hanks were idiots, but had the power of their families to keep their arses in their throne. It's quite sad that the fate of our country is in the hands of a moron! I used to be a C-student like Bush, but that was because I was bored with my classes...not because I didn't get them like he did.

NJDad, my new fellow poster friend, I fear this country is going to have to hit rock bottom before it understands the gravity of its actions and its influence on the rest of the world through its pop culture and foreign policy. So sad.....

[–] JimLoneWolf 18 years ago

I'm with you Spitfire. While I hate labelling myself anything (I'm not a politician after all), I often catch myself calling myself a Liberal simply because the Conservatives are simply too nuts for me.

"Intelligent Design" being taught in science classes? Is this a joke? Its not science!! Sounds like an excuse for the children of conservatives to not have to study as much stuff in these (admittedly) difficult courses to me. Think about it, just say "I don't believe in evolution" and next thing you know you're getting to take a special final exam without ANYTHING about genetics on it...and I remember genetics was the hardest stuff in Biology.

I ask, where does it all end? When will the endless fighting against stem cell research and other life-saving developments FINALLY break the camel's back? I guess not until 10 years when Japan and European countries can afford to grow new hearts and lungs for patients with conditions like cancer and heart disease while Americans have to pay an arm and a leg for the same thing due to "short supplies" caused by "reductions in public funding back in 2006". They'll wish their precious "tax dollars" had been used then, won't they! But they deserve it for being stupid. Its those of us who realize the importance of science NOW who will be screwed over when that day comes. And Bush? Ha! He'll be laughing, getting the best treatments possible due to his monstrous wealth while all the suckers that voted for him die from conditions that could have been defeated if only they hadn't let their stubborn and excessive devotion to religion shield them from the truth...that science is real, valuable, and essential for the 21st century...just as it has been for every other century it has existed.

If God thought science was evil, why would he give us the capacity to conceive of it? Wouldn't he wall us off from it the same way he does Heaven? Hmmm...

People need to wake up. If not for their own well being, at least for their childrens sake. I guess people only care about their children as far as sex and violence in the media are concerned, other than that, screw 'em!! They can die of cancer like the rest of us. NO STEM CELL RESEARCH!!!!
Idiots.

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[–] SpitfireLBC 18 years ago

thanks JimLoneWolf. I am tired of trying to figure out what I am on the political scale so I just simply call myself a true Patriot. I am pro-choice and I am for guns. I believe we should be doing a better job at homeland security instead of these bandaid b.s. solutions like not letting people have their friggin hair gel on the plane. It was okay for that day the incident occured...even the first week, but during that time the think tanks of this country should have been creating better and more intelligent solutions to address this security problem. Even so, I believe that our illegal immigrant situation is here to stay and the Minute Men are idiots and tarnishing the good name of the Minute Men of our early history. They are more of a nusaince than the illegals that they are being racist idiots against. Picking on harmless Mexicans who happen to look like they are Arabs simply because of skin color and hair features does not justify the ignorance of our fellow Americans and their not being able to distinguish the two races from each other. Conversely, I believe that my fellow Americans should quit whining while in line at the airport, pack intelligently, and not drape themselves with so much stuff so that when they go through the security checks, it's quick because all they had to do was take just their shoes, watch, keys and cell phones off and not a billion things because they want to look like Paris Hilton or Puff Daddy dressed to the nines. The reason why those lines are long is because people are wearing too much junk and it takes longer to check all of that junk! I think our country is better off keeping religion at home and out of the government and schools. It's one thing to go to a college and study theology, but to start off with theology in general education - ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! We are a diverse country made up of many people, cultures and beliefs, so unless everyone is willing to spend an hour each day of the school period sacrificing to Satan, praying to God, praying to Allah, setting up an altar honoring Buddha and honoring Hindu Gods, blessing their food in Hebrew, and having a ceremony to honor Mother Nature (the Wiccan's and Native American Indian's religion) - keep all religion out of the classroom. It's simple. Teach your kids that stuff at home and at your churches/temples/ceremonies on your own time not in the class. I am of the Christian faith, but I don't believe that my religious beliefs should be impressed upon anyone in a manditory capacity like that of a classroom. Take the line "under God" out of the Pledge of Alligiance - it wasn't supposed to be in there in the first place. Same goes for our currency - no more "in God we trust". Replace it with "in Liberty we trust", since that is what our country is about. Let's start teaching our kids the meaning of what it is to be an American (you know - Our Founding Fathers, the Star Spangled Banner, and being real about the citizens of our country who are not just white or Christian). Yes, this government may have been founded by white men, but this country was created by red, black, yellow, brown skin too. We must never forget that.

Coming back to religion and intelligent design, science is tangible where as religion is not. Man can prove the existence of matter, but the miracles of Jesus have yet to be proven. Faith is good, but it will only get you so far. Science is responsible for all the advances of mankind. Without it, we would not have better shelter, modes of transport, development of food, improvements in health, globalization through the internet, and a far easier life than early mankind. If we're going by the Bible's "history", thousands of years mankind walked the earth in what we now consider substandard conditions and impossible living circumstances, but when science and education were introduced to all mankind, humans thrived. Science has benefitted the human race more so than it's hurt it. The same cannot be said of religion. Thousands of years have gone by and Muslims and Christians still hate each other. Same goes for Jews against the Muslims and Christians. Because of that you have these Holy Wars and mankind got the Holocaust of WWII. Nevermind the fact that all these people have everything else in common. Religion has only managed to divide people. Give them more stupid reasons to hate each other. And for what? The alleged reward of virgins bestowed to you by Allah and God's promise of life everlasting? Did anyone bother to get that in writing and notorized? No offense to my fellow religious people, I'm just saying that we shouldn't invest so much in religion as we have for the last 10 years because it is only straining relations with other groups. You should fear this country becoming a theocracy rather than staying a democracy, because it's coming if we don't stop all this religious absolutism.

[–] JimLoneWolf 18 years ago

Yep, thats what I'm saying...I agree with pretty much everything you said, including the gun rights. I'm basically all about as much personal freedom as possible. If you don't have a criminal record, you have right to have a gun for protection or simply for recreation/target practice.

I also agree with you on the racial profiling. As long as the people who search people of Arabic descent at airports aren't abusive or demeaning to them, I feel they absolutely should be more thoroughly searched than the "little old ladies" we keep hearing about. I just watched United 93 and I have to say, eough is enough. These terrorists aren't white or black or Asian...they are MIDDLE EASTERN. Sorry, but THOSE are the people who must be focused upon at airports. I'm not saying they should ignore everyone else, but like Bill Maher said "at least tell me where I can hide my weed". Heh.

I don't really give a damn if they leave the pledge the same (I think the whole pledge/flag burning thing is a non-issue intended to help conservatives in the south win elections), although personally I think it would be better to spend those 2 minutes or whatever discussing what freedom MEANS rather than reciting the same mantra every day. I remember when I was in school we said the pledge every day without ever talking about what it meant. Seriously, I didn't ONCE actually THINK about what that pledge meant until after I had graduated, and thats a big problem in America. People just don't realize how lucky they have it and take everything for granted. Thats why there's so much ignorance in this country, everyone's in their own little bubble now.

Anyway, thanks for the response and keep fighting the good fight brother.

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[–] dragonfly_769 18 years ago

I completely agree, Spitfire. I get that people are upset about a plane crash, but the preshow skit was just a parody of Lost, it wasn't intended to be hurtful. The people who are making such a big deal out of the skit are WAY overreacting.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] neobowler 18 years ago

That skit was absolutely hilarious....simple as that.

It's going to be gone soon, enjoy it!!!

[–] rocko213 18 years ago

yea, doing stage crew for high school plays (ok, so it isn't the emmys, we still built a 3 story ship and lifted it 6'6" into the air for our Titanic production) I know too that even the smallest thing can disrupt the show. It was impossible to pull the thing, whatever, it's an award show that gave out a freakin award for an award show, its crap. Dont let the entertainment industry run your life.