Finding Peace at Summer Camp

In my ongoing quest to find common ground between liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, let's go to camp!

Not just any summer camp. The Seeds of Peace camp where each summer, Israelis and Palestinians, and teenagers from other warring nations come together in an idyllic setting in Maine. To play sports, to laugh at the same jokes, and to engage in spirited, intense, yet respectful debate about the issues in the Middle East. Exactly what the "adults" on all sides have not been doing.

Just as teenagers are the people to turn to when your computer is acting up, they are also the ones who have a better handle on how to "fix" the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Consider this hopeful comment reported today by the New York Times:

"After the dialogue sessions have ended, everyone's really OK. We get together, we hug, we kiss," said Marian, a Palestinian from Ramallah who attended camp in 2007 and returned this year to help the newcomers."

For the past seven years, Palestinian-American comedian Dean Obeidallah and I(a Jewish-American comedian) have performed our comedy show "Standup for Peace: The Two Comedian Solution to Middle East Peace at colleges, theaters, Jewish Community Centers, synagogues and mosques across the U.S.

And one of our most gratifying and memorable performances was in 2005 for an audience of Israelis and Palestinians in their 20's who had returned to the Seeds of Peace camp in Maine 10 years after their initial visit. The same material we perform for American audiences was equally well-received at the camp. And of course, as usual, we crafted routines specifically geared for the Israelis and Palestinians in attendance. We still fondly recall the positive comments we received after the show from Israelis and Palestinians alike, who were thankful for a chance to spend an evening together laughing, and to walk away from the show with renewed hope for a better future. Dean and I especially cherish this quote from Vera Chang:

"I had the honor of working at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine for the Leadership Summit, where I was captivated by your Standup for Peace show. It was not only incredibly funny and entertaining, but also carried peaceful messages of understanding. It was truly amazing to witness the Israelis and Palestinians come together after the performance later that night and reenact jokes, making both sides laugh."

I think we can all agree that the status quo in the Middle East isn't working for both Israelis and Palestinians. The rocket attacks from Hamas and Israel's bombing of Gaza only contribute to a cycle of violence that keeps both sides further away from peace. The only way to achieve peace in the Middle East is to talk. Some people say, "We tried talking; it didn't work". That's like saying, "I tried breathing; I didn't care for it".

When it comes to breathing new life into the quest for Middle East peace, the best place to start is the Seeds of Peace camp. And the Israeli and Palestinian teenagers there right now, know the best way to bring about peace is to talk to each other, listen to each other, express their varying points of view, and in the end, as Marian from Ramallah says, "We hug and kiss."

Now that's the kind of common ground we can all share.

Hey, It's a Joke!

Every American, whether they are liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, has something important in common.

We like to laugh.

And at a time when economic distress and other pressing problems face our country, we need to laugh now more than ever. Yet some Americans aren't just not laughing at the jokes, they want to stop comedians from telling jokes in the first place.

Those who urge advertisers to boycott the Late Show with David Letterman because of his jokes about Sarah Palin's adult daughter, and who even seek to have Letterman fired, remind me of the reaction to Bill Maher's very different kind of comments on his "Politically Incorrect" show shortly after the attacks of September 11. And at the time, I had this letter published in The New York Times:

"The television stations that drop ''Politically Incorrect,'' and the advertisers that boycott the show, are the ones guilty of a lack of patriotism, not its host, Bill Maher. It would be chilling if one of the first casualties of our war for freedom was our right to debate all opinions vigorously, no matter how unpopular, here at home. Whatever the nature of Mr. Maher's misinterpreted remarks, his rights and those of his guests to exercise freedom of speech should not be silenced."

Not long after that letter was published, Maher's show was cancelled. Fortunately HBO had the good sense shortly thereafter, to hire him as the host of a new show.

Letterman's Palin jokes were like all jokes. Some people thought they were funny. Some people didn't think they were funny. And some people were offended. The same three reactions all comedians, including myself, can expect. In the past, if you didn't think someone on television was funny, you had a surefire option. Turn the channel. Lately, some Americans seem to be ignoring their remote in favor of an advertiser boycott.

So far, only Embassy Suites(a Hilton family hotel) has caved in to the pressure from a handful of Americans, and cancelled its online advertising for the Letterman show and CBS. Which drew the ire of the letter writer in me once again. To the Hilton office, I wrote:

"As a longtime Hilton Honors member and a former warmup comedian for the Late Show with David Letterman, I was extremely disappointed to learn that Embassy Suites was pulling its online advertising for the Letterman show. By giving in to the pressure of right wing groups, Embassy Suites and the entire family of Hilton hotels, is rejecting the democratic ideals of free speech this country was founded upon. If your online advertising for the Letterman show is not reinstated, I will exercise my democratic rights by not staying at any Hilton properties in the future."

That letter isn't funny. Because comedians like myself aren't laughing at the way Sarah Palin unjustly attacked Letterman and essentially called him a child molester. Letterman has been singled out for going after the Palin family, even though both Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien performed similiar jokes during the campaign. Letterman has gone way above and beyond the call of duty, by apologizing numerous times. I wish he simply could have said, "Hey, it's a JOKE!" But that would not have satisfied a publicity hungry politician willing to use her children, rather than her intellect, to stay in the public eye.

There are many issues we should be vigorously debating right now in our country. Whether a comedian has the right to tell a joke should not be one of them.

Sarah Palin Gets A Bronx Cheer

As a political comedian, I was thrilled that Sarah Palin was in New York over the weekend. But not as thrilled as the owners of the New York Yankees. Palin was at Yankee Stadium with Rudy Giuliani on Sunday, making them the first people to actually sit in those $2600 seats behind home plate. Not that they paid for the tickets. Palin may not like accepting federal stimulus money to help Alaskans, but she's happy to say "you betcha!" when offered free first row Yankees tickets.

Apparently when Giuliani first asked Palin to go to the game, she said no. Then she said it was a communication error, and that she had meant to say yes. Even though she wasn't sure if Giuliani had in fact asked her in the first place. Then she told Giuliani she wasn't going, until she found out he had invited Newt Gingrich to the game instead of her. But since Gingrich had been chosen as the keynote speaker for a Republican National Committee dinner on Monday, after Palin had said no, then yes, then she was never asked, then yes, then I'll just sit in the crowd and wave, Gingrich had to stay home and study for his big speech. Or Twitter about Sonia Sotomayor. So Palin wound up going.

I'm sorry Palin didn't get the chance to speak at the dinner Monday. And so is Tina Fey. Palin is fascinating and fun to watch. Newt Gingrich, not so much. In fact, I wish it was Sarah Palin and not Dick Cheney who was monopolizing the airwaves lately. Even though they both say things I strongly disagree with, I'm happy to watch Palin as she says those things I strongly disagree with. When Cheney speaks, the darkness and gloom overwhelms me so much, I have to turn the channel.

So I hope Palin doesn't act like a stranger, and visits New York more often. Maybe next time she can go to a Mets game and sit in the first row behind home plate at Citi Field. Those free tickets only cost about $600.

How To Reform Health Care In A Minute

As I was walking on the street today, I was approached by a friendly young person with a clipboard, a telltale clue that either my signature or donation, or both, were being sought. Since I was in a hurry, I quickened my pace, darted my eyes to the side, and hoped I could elude my well-meaning solicitor. Watching me go from 0 to 60, he let out a last ditch plea, "Have a minute to reform health care?"

My first thought was: Is that how long it takes to change our ridiculously expensive and inefficient health care system? A minute? Maybe instead of months of hearings and discussion groups, Democrats and Republicans could take a minute to settle this thing.
They could just say "Single payer. Just like Medicare. Universal health care. Government pays for it. Employers don't." And they'd still have 30 seconds left over to pat themselves on the back.

Health care reform really could get done that quickly, except that almost no one is even putting a single payer plan on the table to consider. Even the public program to compete with the existing private plans proposal is criticized by Republicans and Democrats in the pocket of the insurance companies, because it's (gasp) GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE!

Do those who hate the thought of GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE really LOVE what we have now? Do they sit around and think, "Boy, do I love Oxford! Oh, and that Aetna is pretty fantastic too."

I know what some of you are thinking. "That sounds like France-do you want us to be like France?" Actually since France's health care system was ranked No. 1 by the World Health Organization, my answer is "Yes!". And their baguettes are pretty good too.
"But that's SOCIALISM!. Do you want us to be like Norway" Well, considering the fact that Norway has been called the country with the happiest people, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea. I don't care if our health care system is socialist, liberal, conservative, Democratic or Republican. I just want every American to have access to the very best health care at a very affordable rate. And single payer, GOVERNMENT RUN health care is the best way to do it.

Insurance companies shouldn't run our health care. They should run the Defense Department. Because I'd like to see some non-covered expenses when it comes to war. When we plan to drop bombs that inadvertently kill Afghan civilians, it would be great if an insurance company could step in and say, "Uh-Uh. That's not covered. You can't drop those bombs."

Both Democrats and Republicans are missing the boat if they don't consider the single payer Government health plan. Some Republicans support universal health care only for stem cells. And some Democrats insist that a government run plan should keep the features of a private insurance plan. Sure, why would you want to eliminate that good 'ol waste, inefficiency, inaccessibility and unfairness of our present failed system?

And why doesn't corporate America jump on the single payer bandwagon? If GM and Chrysler didn't have to spend billions on health care, they might actually be able to make some money, instead of having to terminate dealers who've been with them for decades.

All I'm asking is that we give single payer government health care a fair hearing. After all, it's not healthy to keep good ideas from getting some air.

Rush To Judgement

One of the toughest gigs for a comedian is the White House Correspondents Dinner. Trying to make Democrats, Republicans, liberal and conservative reporters, and celebrities who don't read the newspaper, all laugh at the same time is even harder than getting John Boehner to smile. And your opening act is the President of the United States, who watches your show in a seat five feet away.

I thought Wanda Sykes did a great job Saturday night. She got steady, consistent laughs, and even some applause breaks. And when the crowd groaned on occasion, she got them laughing again by saying "Too much?"

The outcry about her Rush Limbaugh jokes ignored the fact that she joked about Democrats and Republicans and the President and Michelle Obama as well. And while critics focused on her morbid Limbaugh reference, they didn't mention her equally morbid reference to Presidential succession and Nancy Pelosi. And they left out the many witty jokes and insightful satirical remarks she made about torture and other topics.

Those who say Sykes went over the line with her Limbaugh jokes, should be asked how many times Limbaugh himself goes over the line with mean and often factually incorrect innuendo on his radio program. None of these critics are suggesting Limbaugh's words be silenced yet they think Sykes' jokes should have been censored.

Comedy is the most subjective of art forms. What one finds funny another might deem offensive. Case in point. Early in my career, I was performing on a show with Andrew Dice Clay, a nice guy whose stage persona includes material about women and ethnic groups, considered by many to be offensive. I am a political comedian who uses no "dirty" language and doesn't go after minority groups and women. Yet that night, I was hissed for my Reagan jokes and Clay got a standing ovation. That night, I was the offensive comedian.

I have worked with Wanda many times, and think she is a very talented comedian and a warm, funny person as well. Her humor tends to be blunt, pointed and in-your-face, as the Limbaugh lines attest to. She wasn't joking about September 11 itself, nor was she wishing for Limbaugh to die. These were jokes, over the top to be sure, but not over the line. Because the intent was to make people laugh, not to hurt anyone. And in the end, her jokes were the gift that keeps on giving for Limbaugh, who will milk her routine on the air for the next few weeks. Which is his right. Because both Limbaugh and Sykes are entertainers. To me, there is nothing remotely funny or entertaining about Limbaugh. And I find Wanda Sykes to be very funny, even if some of her jokes are not my kind of humor.

This is America folks. Laugh at what you think is funny. And if you're not laughing, turn the channel. But don't stop other people from laughing. Whatever we comedians say, in the end we're just men and women trying to make people happy.

But if you want to talk offensive and mean, let's go back to the 2004 White House Correspondents Dinner when President Bush narrated a slide show depicting him looking around the Oval Office for weapons of mass destruction. And like in Iraq, not finding any. The media assembled that night roared with laughter, as complicit then as they were in the run up to the war where they hardly challenged the Bush Administration's unfounded and manipulative case for war. There was little outcry then about President Bush making jokes about the fact that the whole basis for invading Iraq, weapons of mass destruction, was a false one.

Rush Limbaugh jokes may or may not be funny to you, but going to war under false pretenses and then joking about it, shouldn't be funny to anyone.

Torture Is A Four Letter Word

At the risk of being called a bad speller, I think torture is a four letter word. The outcry that greeted Fox anchor Shepard Smith's comments on The Strategy Room that "We're America, we don't f-ing torture", had more to do with uttering a four letter word, than courageously speaking the truth. When it comes to fundamental American values, Shep Smith knows that what's important is right and wrong, not right and left.

Contrast Smith's reasoned and principled views on torture to that of Sean Hannity. Hannity did a disservice to servicemen around the world but mocking the severity of waterboarding by agreeing to be "tortured" for charity. Our use of torture has been a rallying cry and recruiting tool for terrorists around the world, and exposes our own soldiers to the threat of being tortured themselves. Hannity probably also thinks playing video war games is the same as actually serving in the military, which he never did.

And what charity would want to benefit from the distasteful spectacle of a TV personality participating in a simulation of an act that is illegal under American and international law? The Dick Cheney Torture Fund? Hannity is smart enough to know that it's not torture if you're being doused with water by an intern on your staff, who you can be reasonably sure is not going to harm you. It's like watching a regular on a weekly TV series in a life or death situation. You know he's going to live to be on next week's show. If Hannity really wants to get the full waterboarding experience, he should have volunteered for "extraordinary rendition" from the Bush Administration and gone to a country like Syria. Maybe then he'd realize that waterboarding is torture and "enhanced interrogation" is getting good reception on your cellphone.

So thanks again Shep Smith, for telling viewers that torture is wrong, and America does not torture. And contrary to some captions accompanying the online video, Smith didn't "lose it" on The Strategy Room. He gained the moral high ground in the debate about what kind of country we want America to be.

Four letter words aren't obscene. But torture most certainly is.

Succeed, not Secede

Texas Governor Rick Perry hopes the notion of having Texas secede, will lead him to succeed in the GOP primary next year. And that, coupled with his refusal to accept certain Federal stimulus money, is what his rabble rousing performance at the April 15 tea parties is really all about.

Unlike South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, whose similiar stance on the stimulus money is principled and thoughtful, although misguided, Perry is exploiting the legitimate concerns of his constituents to pander to a miniscule minority who want to secede from America, instead of working to make America succeed.

There is nothing more American than taking to the streets to protest something the U.S. government has done. Just as I proudly demonstrated against the Iraq War, Americans have the right to register their dissent with our economic policies. But urging your state to leave the country is literally un-American. And, contrary to what some have said, the Texas Constitution does not grant the right of Texas to secede. Here are a few reasons why Texas should not seceed.

If Texas secedes:

George W. Bush would be the first former President to become a foreign citizen.

The Dallas Cowboys would have to leave the National Football League. And no more Cotton Bowl. The Texas Rangers would be renamed the Texas Seceders.

If you're a country, you can't get away with a slogan: "Don't Mess with Texas". It's just not very diplomatic.

If Rick Perry is unqualified to be Governor, imagine what he'd be like as President.

And finally, there won't be any more Fourth of July barbeques from Dallas to San Antonio to Houston.

So c'mon Texas. Don't break up with us. Your country needs you.