Name:

I was previously a constitutional law and civil rights litigator and am now a journalist. I am the author of three New York Times bestselling books -- "How Would a Patriot Act" (a critique of Bush executive power theories), "Tragic Legacy" (documenting the Bush legacy), and With Liberty and Justice for Some (critiquing America's two-tiered justice system and the collapse of the rule of law for its political and financial elites). My fifth book - No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA and the US Surveillance State - will be released on April 29, 2014 by Holt/Metropolitan.

Monday, April 02, 2007

I happened to be in a place where an episode of the animated show, Family Guy, was being broadcast. The episode centered around a female character, Jillian, who was the new girlfriend of Brian, the family dog. Jillian is blond, very pretty, but also quite stupid, which was the source of most of the show's jokes. She said things like: "Oh my God, Brian, I was watching something on TV about this guy named Hitler . . . somebody should stop him" and "I know, the lemonade's good, right? I just wish they didn't have to kill so many lemons to make it."

In the relevant scene [which can be (though, for the point, need not be) viewed here], Jillian was invited over for dinner by Brian's family, and they were purposely asking her questions to elicit stupid answers that would entertain them. The following exchange ensued:

Stewie: So Jillian, what are your views regarding Homeland Security? Do you think that we should support what the President's is doing?

Jillian: Well . . . I just think . . . for starters . . . that sometimes the Government has things they can't tell us, and truth-ish-ly, we should just accept that.
This is the scene where this discussion occurred. Jillian is seated at the left:



Several days ago, right-wing blogs were excitedly discussing a rather ludicrous argument that took place on television program, The View, between Bush critic Rosie O'Donnell and Bush defender Elizabeth Hasselbeck, during which the following exchange occurred (at roughly 2:05 of the video):

Hasselbeck: I trust our government and I trust our allies much more than I trust our enemies on the War on Terror.

O'Donnell: Would you say you trust the Bush administration as much as you did when he first took office?

Hasselbeck: You know what . . . in a time of war . . . I think you are in a position where you have to trust your government.
This is the scene where this discussion occurred. Hasselbeck is seated at the right: