My new humor web site - shameless plug

Hi guys. Long time no see.


I just popped in to let everyone know that just for yucks I've set up a 'political humor' web site that y'all might like. Be warned - I approach things from a 'libertarian' bent, so there's plenty of digs at liberals there, although all in good fun.


Check it out at www.happyfunpundit.com (http://www.happyfunpundit.com) This is strictly a non-profit venture, so I hope Mason won't mind the plug.


Oh, poker content... Now that I've got some web space all worked out, I'll be eventually posting my Poker Digest articles plus a few others that I wrote and never bothered to submit. I'll post the URL to them when I get the chance to get them online.


Let me know what you think of the new page. And remember: Do not taunt Happy Fun Pundit.

This is great news, Dan. I look forward to it.

Dan,


Great site!


BTW, you and I and my friend who comes by to raid my fridge and watch PI agree on Bill Maher. I'n not sure Maher is much a libertarian even though he calls himself one. IMO he leans to the left left and invariably stacks his panel in that direction. I also wonder why conservative guests are often introduced as "conservative columnist/activist X" but the liberal equivalent never has a coresponding tag placed in front of his or her name. We expect it out of newspapers (e.g., conservative Senator X but never liberal Senator Y) but you would think Maher would put a stop to this.


I'm hoping all is going well for you and your family.


Regards,


Rick

Nice site, I will go back there again. Don't take this as criticism, but something you may want to consider is to have the links in your posts open in new windows (like they do here). This way, if a reader loses track of where he started your page is still sitting right in front of him. It helps him "remember his roots" or something.


Again, very interesting site, good luck with it.


-Glenn

I'll go check it out. I am pretty sure I'll enjoy it if you rip on liberals :-)


Kris.....definetely NOT a liberal

Dan Hanson writes in his website "Did you ever notice that many of the truly funny people in America today are conservatives and libertarians? Drew Carey, P.J O'Rourke, Dave Barry, Tim Allen, Larry Miller, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Norm MacDonald, Dennis Miller."


I can't laugh for the life of me with practically none of these guys. Especially P.J., whom I always picture with his mouth full of something or other. But that's just me.

Bill Maher is a chump. He has thebrain capacity of a 7-year old, and his level of humor is around what youd hear on a junior high playground. his panel is usually made up of liberals who have a good television presence and conservatives who represent the very worst in conservativism and are horrible on television. you get liberal public speakers, actors, artists, writers, etc. on the same show with jerry falwell, or pat robertson, or someone who is supposed to represent conservativism, specifically Christian conservatives, and they are the most whacked out representative sample of the pretty normal group they represent. its unfortunate, but the show isn't worth a damn unless you're a liberal and you want to laugh at people that nobody takes seriously and pat yourself on the back along with Bill Maher for being so smart and smug...


anyway, hes an idiot.

What I don't understand about conservatives is why they are so angry and insulting to anyone who disagrees with them. Why are you so afraid of dissenting views?


When a conservative is identified as such, it's becaue he is. When a conservative calls someone a liberal, he really means scumbag.


Also, why do you watch shows with a liberal bent? I could never sit through a Wm. F. Buckley show.


As far as the humor on this site, maybe it will get better.

the thing is, im not angry and insulting to those who disagree with me. i could care less. i dont like when the game is set up to make the conservatives look as horrible as possible, and then attack attack attack, and then pat yourselves on the back for being so obivously and overwhelmingly right. its like playing poker for fake chips and then stacking the deck. what's the point? everybody knows its not fair, you didn't outplay anybody, just a guy who was willing to sit and recieve cards that you designed for him to receive. same thing.


as for why i watch shows with a liberal bent, i would say this. i don't consider myself in any one clearly-defined political camp. i am interested in things, and sometimes flip to a show like politically incorrect. but then again, i hate the show so much, i don't actually watch it. not for long anyway. i rarely watch television, because the only thing worth watching anymore is the Simpsons, and Jeopardy.

Come to a Republican Convention or Lincoln Day banquet with me sometime. You will find the above-listed conservatives funnier.:-)

Yeah this is true, these far to the right guys are whacked out too. They are often so extreme about their religion and other generally republican-esque topics that they make themselves look really bad. I am registered as a republican and plan to stay that way for the foreseeable future but the last thing I want is some crazy fu-king right wing guy representing my side. Republicans would do themselves a favor to get rid of extremists and quit taking money from the bastards in the christian coalition.

On a final note as much as I dislike the far right guys, they are still a lot better then those in the far left, or even any left probably.


Kris

Thanks for posting this. I actually DID want to read some of your other stuff.


PD and other articles would be great.


How about a spot where the "loonies" can put mindless no-name attack posts about you?


Post a poker hand for us here sometime, too.

Well, that's the thing about humor - tastes differ. Nothing wrong with that.


But really... Dennis Miller? Dave Barry? You don't find them funny?


Political humor is a special breed of cat, because it's pretty hard to laugh with someone who is ripping a chunk out of your own belief system. So it's likely that a died-in-the-wool conservative is going to have a hard time laughing at Michael Moore ripping into some businessman, and it's going to be hard for a liberal to laugh while listening to P.J. rip a chunk off of public housing projects or liberal colleges.


Me, I like good humor no matter where it's aimed. I think Al Franken is hilarious, but I also think P.J. O'Rourke is hilarious. Good humor is rare enough that I hate to waste it by letting ideology get in the way.

I'd be glad to post a poker hand, if I ever played one. I seem to have fallen out of the habit. But I'm sure that will change, and I'll get back in the saddle at some point. Thanks for the nice comments.


As for the loonies... See, that's the nice thing about running a web site - you can say whatever you want, and the loonies can't do anything about it!

Thanks for the nice comments, Rick!


No, Bill Maher is about as far from being a Libertarian as you can get. And he's an incredible hypocrite. For instance, he's always going on about how environmentally friendly he is because he drives a hybrid car and therefore 'cares', yet he jets around North America attending parties, lives in Bel Air, and spends half his time at the Playboy mansion, a 30,000 sq ft. monstrosity that requires more energy just to heat the Bunnies in the Grotto than my car uses in a year.


But hey, sometimes he's funny. And on some things (the war, free speech, drug laws) he's pretty much right on the money in my book.


I think conservatives are starting to fight back, though. Consider this exchange that happened a while ago on "Newsnight with Aaron Brown":


Aaron Brown: "Some conservatives jumped on [Taliban fighter John] Walker, saying he is a product of cultural liberalism -- the California kind -- helping to turn an impressionable kid against his own country. Joining us from Salinas, California, one of those conservatives, Shelby Steele of the Hoover Institution. Mr. Steele wrote a provocative article the other day in the Wall Street Journal -- a column in the Journal. And here in New York, a columnist who thinks Mr. Steele is making an awfully broad generalization: Richard Cohen of the Washington Post. It's nice to have both of you here. Mr. Steele."


Shelby Steele: "First of all, let me interrupt you just a minute. Is Richard Cohen a liberal?"


Brown: "Yeah, Richard Cohen's a liberal. I think he would say that, wouldn't he?"


Richard Cohen: "On this issue."


Brown: "Okay. Everyone is now branded, I guess."


Steele: "Great. If I'm going to be, everybody's going to be."


-- Exchange on CNN's NewsNight, December 18.

Thanks for the nice comments. We're pretty much updating it daily.


I prefer links that open in new windows as well, but web purists say it violates user interface guidelines for hypertext. I may change it anyway and have links that are off-site open in new windows and links that are on-site stay in the default browser window.

Do you really believe that? Because I think it's exactly the other way around. There's an old saying that Conservatives think that Liberals have bad ideas, but Liberals think Conservatives are bad people. You know, heartless, greedy, selfish, mean, war-mongering... Whereas Liberals are kind, charitable, progressive, caring for the downtrodden, etc.


Me, I think making any assumptions about a person based on their political philosophy is ridiculous. I'll save my hatred for people that beat their children, steal, cheat, and lie.


There is too much real evil in the world to waste your dislike on someone just because they voted for a sugar subsidy or a block grant. People on both sides of the political spectrum need to lighten up. Which of course is why I started a political humor web site. The discourse has gotten ugly over the past few years (with conservatives deserving their share of the blame). I'm trying to show people that they can disagree and still have a laugh or two.


For instance, I'm a libertarian and I was in favor of GWB, but last week the 'quote of the week' on my site was:


<BLOCKQUOTE>

"The worst political theater of the week is Dubya dancing with Ricky Martin, Ricky rocking to the salsa beat with his hips in full swivel; Bush, arms akimbo, working a freaky hoedown sidestep."


- John McLaughlin, "The McLaughlin Group"

</BLOCKQUOTE>


That's a great quote, and who cares who it's poking fun at? Likewise, Al Franken almost always cracks me up, and I think he's a very nice human being, despite the fact that I agree with him on almost nothing.


Freaky hoedown sidestep, by the way, would make a good name for a band.

Conservatives are bad people. You know, heartless, greedy, selfish, mean, war-mongering...


You forgot conceited and narrow-minded.


/images/glasses.gif

Dan,


No matter. You know and I know that our views differ on politics, gun ownership rules and (a bit on the) economy. No big deal. I'm glad to see you posting again.


Take care,


--Cyrus