George Carlin

"George Carlin, a Grammy award-winning comedian whose routine about ``The Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television'' was the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court decision, died of heart failure in California yesterday. He was 71." http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aBhNCT4mvLpY&refer=muse

and a quote from Carlin.....

In one of his most famous routines, Carlin railed against euphemisms he said have become so widespread that no one can simply "die.""'Older' sounds a little better than 'old,' doesn't it?," Carlin said. "Sounds like it might even last a little longer. ... I'm getting old. And it's OK. Because thanks to our fear of death in this country I won't have to die � I'll 'pass away.' Or I'll 'expire,' like a magazine subscription. If it happens in the hospital they'll call it a 'terminal episode.' The insurance company will refer to it as 'negative patient care outcome.' And if it's the result of malpractice they'll say it was a 'therapeutic misadventure.'"


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I got to see old George LIVE once... it was Reno, NV....kind of a shithole setting. All in all the setting was classic. An old smokey run down casino, George and his honest, cynical wit...and me... 7 months pregnant with my first baby. It was July. It was hot....and stinky....and muggy, and I was exhausted, hating the world, and come to find out having the only contractions I would ever encounter. It was a me and George kind of a place. As for the performance...I'd seen him do better, but given everything it was perfect. My memories of it have probably changed for the better after hearing of his death.

I'm not really going anywhere with this...except to say this... George, your balls will be missed but not forgotten...you made the world a better place with your innapropriate humor... you loosened the stick that's shoved up the proverbial ass of America. Cheers!