An open letter to Jon Stewart

Dear Jon,

First let me say, in all honesty, I would take a bullet for you. It would be all dramatic too, I would see the gun and would push you out of the way screaming, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

As the mother of 2 toddlers, it is not something that I take lightly. I have no desire to die, but you are someone that I consider too important to lose. The world is a better place with you in it. You have been salvation for so many since Nov. of 2000. The honesty and humor of the Daily Show has been the only bright spot in what has otherwise been a very dark 5 years.

I love you. I loved you since I was 16 and I stayed up late on school nights just to watch you on Mtv. From the first time I randomly saw your stand up, I looked at you and knew that I would follow your career. On the last episode of the Jon Stewart Show, I cried when David Letterman complemented you and I laughed with you when Dave told his story about Paul Newman tricking out a volvo just for the hell of it.

Dave is one of my heroes too, and since he is one of the few comedians I’ve loved longer than you, I knew that he never does interviews. It was really cool of him to go on your show. I knew you were honored to have him there. I was so happy for you, even though your show was getting canceled, I knew having Dave there was a high point in your career and I was glad to share that moment with you.

I read your books, Naked Pictures of Famous People is brilliant. Vincent Vangough in the chat rooms is literally one of the funniest things I’ve ever come across. America the book is a classic, just the table of contents makes you laugh so hard your kidneys ache and you begin to worry about bladder control. Best history book I ever read, did make me worry about our eventual robot overlords though.

When I heard you were getting the Daily Show I was thrilled. Although I liked Craig Kilborn, I now had a reason to watch it every night. After the election in 2000, when everyone else on television was gushing over our "great new president" I could count on the Daily Show to point out the absurdity of it all. There was this one show, I can’t remember the date it aired, but it was before 9/11. Right when Bush started pushing the first bits of his crazy right wing agenda, you looked at the camera and said, "We have to put up with 4 more years of this shit!" I wanted to kiss you through the television.

After 9/11, when you told us that you couldn’t joke about Bush for while, I understood. You and the staff of the Daily Show walked that line perfectly, BTW. I cried with you when you talked about the view of the Statue of Liberty from your apartment window. And I thought your puppy as the moment of zen was just perfect. Without you I would have never have gotten through all that, I was 4 months pregnant with my first child at the time, I was an emotional wreck, but you helped me through it. Thanks.

With the election last year, you were great. The show was great. No one cuts through the BS like y’all. What can I say about Crossfire other than I was screaming with you. Those were my words too, you were speaking for me. So often in the last 5 years, I’ve felt like you were the one of the only ones with the courage to speak for me, for us, the debased and abused left.

The Daily Show is the best news on TV. It is simply the most important show on television. That’s a lot of weight to be on your shoulders, I know, sorry about that.

OK, now for the hard part, I’m getting worried about you. Have you given up? Are you tired, too? Did the execs at Viacom get to you or worse did the fuckers in this administration threaten you? Has the smog in New York gotten so think that you can’t see the Statue of Liberty anymore? Let us know, please. Things don’t feel right lately and its bothering me. Did we let you down?

I want you to know that I’ve been working hard. I worked really hard last year to get Kerry elected, I’m working really hard now to get the truth out. I’ve argued, I’ve protested, I’ve organized, I registered over 200 voters on my own, I’ve done tables, I’ve had people sign petitions, I’ve written letters, I’ve spent money that my family and I don’t have to help the cause. Some are out here fighting the good fight, I’m fighting the good fight everyday. I wouldn’t have done any of it without someone like you to inspire me.

I’m worried now, maybe for nothing, hopefully for nothing. But the really brilliant and biting and bright shining moments on the Daily Show are getting fewer and farther between. Guest after shit head neocon guest has been waring thin with me. I turn to the Daily Show to get away from the poisonous lies that the media and this administration spew. My friends and I have long called the Daily Show 30 minutes of the red pill. Thirty minutes of the real world. Thirty minutes of sanity. But now...

I’m worried, losing you guys and the honesty you inject into the national consciousness, would break a very fragile and tired heart. Maybe I’m paranoid, hopefully I wrong. I pray that I’m wrong, but the magic just hasn’t been there lately. Why oh why, have you been giving fascist assholes like Newt Gingrich, Tom Ridge, and Collin Powell yet another stage to spout their poison? I’m beginning to think horrible thoughts about the Daily Show just being a pacifier, the one thing that keeps us (the left) from starting all out revolution.

A big part me feels like maybe I am just being a judgmental righteous asshole, but in my own defense I’ve worked really hard for this cause, I’ve earned it. But then again, so have you, a thousand times over. Your contributions far outweigh mine, maybe that is why I hold you to such a high standard. You have been right, we’ve been right, about this administration from the very beginning, the war and their lies, and now is a great time to pounce. An ideal time to say again, what we’ve been saying all along, that they are murderers, thieves, and liars. It would make them weaker, it would help, but you’re not saying it and I want to know why.

I hate writing this, but I have to, just for my ego, if anything. Losing CNN and the New York Times was hard, but losing some one like you would too much.

Well, take care Jon, sleep well, cause no matter what happens because of your work for the last 5 years, you’ll go down in history as a hero. You’ll always be my hero.

But then again, with or without you by my side, by our side, I not giving up, I’m still gonna fight. Cause as much as I love you, I love my husband and my family more. I love my country too much to let this tyranny of evil men destroy it.

Thanks anyway for the past 5 years.

So stay strong, stay honest, for us, for you, for my children and yours. We need you, we love you.

Sincerely yours,

Melody

http://www.democraticunderground.co...