Nothing loosens lips ...

[NanceGreggs]

... like the feeling of a noose tightening around throats.

'Nuf said.

[The Wizard]

1. or seeing the guy

in line ahead of you getting a hot lead enema.

[thucythucy]

4. Just curious, but are you a Lenny Bruce fan?

I ask because he did a whole routine around the question: would you sell out your country?

This was in response I think to conservatives criticizing Gary Powers (the U2 pilot shot down and captured by the Soviets) for confessing to his illegal flight into Soviet air space.

He does a monologue of an imagined "patriot" who begins, "I would never betray my country!" And moves on to:

"What are they doing with that other fellow?"
"Why are they pulling down his pants?"
"Why are they heating up that lead?"
"Why are they putting a funnel up his ass?"
"They're not gonna pour that hot lead into the funnel that's in his ass, are they?"
"Holy shit! They just did!"
"Whatever you want me to say! Just tell me! I'll make shoe strings out of the American flag! I'll give you the secrets! Shit, I'll make up secrets! Just don't give me the hot lead enema!"

And then Bruce ends it with: "So if you can take the hot lead enema, you can throw stones."

Just my rough recollection of the routine. In the recording I used to have you can hear people laugh, but it's a very uncomfortable laughter.

[PatrickforB]

6. Yes. The government now knows that no one can ultimately resist torture.

They also know that torturing someone does not necessarily give anything like the truth, because someone being tortured will absolutely say anything they think the torturer wants to hear in order to make the pain stop.

You know, we really are a loathsome species. We are the only species I know of on Earth that, if we went extinct, every other living thing, and the Earth itself, would actually be better off.

That's pretty sad.

[MiHale]

9. I agree with you about humans...

We are the cancer of this planet…it keeps trying to get rid of us but…so far we’ve adapted but …it keeps trying.

[The Wizard]

8. You are correct

I thought he said he'd shine his shoes with the American flag, but being old, my memory could be failing.

[thucythucy]

10. It might have been both:

shoestrings and shoe polish.

Bruce was known for changing his routines night to night.

Have you ever heard his routine on the crappy comedian at the London Palladium? Absolutely brilliant send-up of hack comedians.

[The Wizard]

11. Haven't heard that one.

I read his autobiography on the trip home from Vietnam. It was enlightening.

[thucythucy]

12. Here it is. His impression of the riot at the end is amazing.

I had to Google some of the references. Bruno Hauptman's son... i did get "Leibowitz and the Scottsboro Boys"...

[The Wizard]

13. Made me think of Trump addressing the UN

when he said he accomplished more than any president in history, and the audience all laughed at the absurdity of his comments.

[thucythucy]

14. Lenny would have had a field day with the Clementine Caligula.

Probably would have been arrested for that as well.

[Walleye]

2. Also tends to focus the mind

[multigraincracker]

3. Give 'em just a little more rope and

that should do it.

[niyad]

5. you nearly owed me a keyboard.

[leftieNanner]

7. Is this post in response

To a specific set of lips?

Some new information today?

I'm still on my first cup of coffee.