US Politics Video: The Daily Show on The Abandonment of the "9-11 Responders"

Last Tuesday EA's Lee Haddigan offered a detailed analysis of the power politics in Congress' "lame-duck" session, with battles over extension of tax cuts, the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" restriction on gays and lesbians in the US military, the DREAM Act to help children of immigrants, and the New START treaty with Russia.

In the partisan struggle between Republicans and Democrats, the GOP have gotten the tax cuts, and --- against Lee's expectations --- Don't Ask, Don't Tell is likely to be repealed. But this "progress" hides what could be a tragic and, let's say it, scandalous tale of politics.

On Thursday, The Daily Show took on the story that almost no media outlet in the US considered or dared to report: the filibuster in Congress that will probably kill off any prospect of assistance to the men and women --- firefighters, police, paramedics, machine operators --- who arrived at the scene of the collapsing and burning towers of the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001. Many of those responders have died, are dying, or are seriously ill.

The full episode includes The Daily Show's darkly humourous look at the Congressional politics and Jon Stewart's interview with 2008 Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, in which the standard plugging of a book is soon jettisoned for Huckabee's discomfort in handling Stewart's questions. But, for me, it is Stewart's interview of four 9-11 responders which is most illuminating and moving.

Watch the US version or the UK version.

Rally for Sanity Video and Transcript: Jon Stewart's Speech

See also: The Rally for Sanity: An Eyewitness Account "We Came Because We Were Tired"

And now I thought we might have a moment, however brief, for some sincerity. If that's okay - I know that there are boundaries for a comedian / pundit / talker guy, and I'm sure that I'll find out tomorrow how I have violated them.

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The Rally for Sanity: An Eyewitness Account "We Came Because We Were Tired"

As we walked back to the metro station six blocks away, we were joined by another portion of the same sea. Humans as far as the eye could see. That's when I realised what everyone was doing there --- they were tired.

Tired of being told to get together to change things. Tired of being told to gather round and decry the coming Apocalypse. Tired of being promised change, restoration, and God knows what and then losing that hope and finding the fear unfounded. But most of all, they were tired of being told what to do. They wanted to come together and do what they wanted to do, which was beautiful, sad, bizarre and, in some cases, pointless.

Will it make a difference? Does anything these days?

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