"Reading Rainbow" Host's Colorful Rant

Oct. 5, 2012 -- quicklist: 1title:"Reading Rainbow" Host Makes Colorful Ranttext:LeVar Burton, former host of the long-running PBS kids TV show "Reading Rainbow," has strong words reacting to a remark that Mitt Romney made during the first presidential debate.

During the debate in Denver, Colo., Romney proposed to cut funding from non-essential government expenses, saying, "I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS."

Burton told TMZ, "I am personally outraged that any serious contender for the White House would target as part of his campaign the children of America in this fashion."

"Educators across the country, as well as millions of children and adults know that the programming on PBS has been responsible for significant improvements in education, literacy, math, science and life skills for generations of our children."

Burton continued, saying, "Defunding PBS directly punishes the less fortunate by removing this trusted and extraordinary educational resource available to all."

Burton claims that Romney would be stealing valuable educational resources from the children who would be affected by the cut.

"On behalf of America's children, I can't stay silent. I encourage you to join me in fighting this short-sighted and frankly mean-spirited attack on our children."

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quicklist: 1 title: Ashley Judd Goes on Twitter Frenzy text: Famed actress Ashley Judd went on a twitter rampage in response to remarks that GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney made regarding the 47 percent of Americans who pay no income tax. The speech, which was caught by a hidden camera at a $50,000 per plate fundraiser in Florida, shows Romney telling big wig donors that the 47 percent of Americans who oppose him are people who are "dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them."

Judd, a lifelong supporter of the Democratic Party and a delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte this month, tweeted in response to Romney's comments saying, "Really, Romney? You believe that? & you said it out loud? Oh dear. You do, & you did."

This tweet was followed by a slew of others, including "It's hard to serve as president for all Americans when you've disdainfully written off half the nation."

"Do you really think that 47% of Americans are entitled, lazy, and incapable of personal responsibility? Who are they?" Judd asked.

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quicklist: 1title: Chuck Norris Warns of '1,000 Years of Darkness' If Obama Re-Elected text: Action film actor and martial artist Chuck Norris issued a grave warning to America's voters this week: Head to the ballot box, or sentence your children to "1,000 years of darkness."

Norris, along with his wife Gena, filmed a two-minute video urging people to "unite for God and country" by casting their ballots against Obama this November.

"Our great country and freedom are under attack," Norris says in the video, first posted to World Net Daily. "We are at a tipping point and quite possibly our country as we know it could be lost forever if we don't change the course our country is headed."

Quoting former President Reagan, Gena Norris warns that the country has a "rendezvous with destiny."

"We will preserve for our children this last best hope for man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into 1,000 years of darkness," she said, quoting one of Reagan's 1964 speeches. "If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done."

While the couple never mentioned any candidates by name in the video, Norris was a strong supporter of former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich during the Republican primary race.

In an equally apocalyptic op-ed in January, Norris cautioned that "civilization is on the brink."

"We need a veteran of political war who has already fought Goliath, because he will be facing Goliath's bigger brother," Norris wrote in the WND editorial, adding that Gingrich "is the best man left on the battlefield who is able to outwit, outplay and outlast Obama and his campaign machine."

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quicklist: 1title:Clint Eastwood Interviews Empty Chair, Calling It President Obamatext:Clint Eastwood, legendary actor and director, went on the ultimate rant towards President Obama on the last night of the 2012 Republican National Convention. Clintwood, who pretended to interview an empty chair on the national stage that he addressed as "President Obama" ranted,

"I got Mr. Obama sitting here and I was gonna ask him a couple questions," Eastwood said as he gestured toward the empty bar stool.

"Mr. President, how do you handle promises you made when you were running for election?" he asked. "What do you say to people?"

But Eastwood, who cut off the "interviewee" said "I'm not gonna shut up. It's my turn."

And then, again, to the chair he asked, "What do you want me to tell Mr. Romney?"

"I can't tell him to do that," Eastwood responded in front of the crowd of delegates at the RNC. "He can't do that to himself. You're absolutely crazy. You're getting as bad as Biden!"

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quicklist:1title:Hank Williams Jr. Tells Crowd Obama Is 'a Muslim' Who 'Hates the Military'text: Controversial country star Hank Williams Jr., who caused a stir last year when he compared Barack Obama to Hitler, is at it again.

At the Iowa State Fair, Williams bashed Obama to a crowd saying, "We've got a Muslim president who hates farming, hates the military, hates the U.S. and we hate him!"

To make his anti-Obama message known, Williams recently released a 10-disc album titled "Old School, New Rules." There is no subtlety in the country star's politically charged song lyrics that blatantly boast "Hey Barack, pack your bags, head to Chicago, take your teleprompter with you so you'll know where to go."

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quicklist: 1title: 'A Game of Thrones' Author Rips on Republicanstext: George R.R. Martin, author of the novels on which the hit HBO series "Game of Thrones" is based, cyber ranted about "Republicans and their Teabagger allies" in a blog post on his website. Martin begins his blog post by clarifying that he is "way too busy these days for long political rants" but continues typing away about recent voter purges in certain battleground states. Martin says, "I would be remiss if I do not at least make passing mention of how depressed, disgusted, and, yes, angry I've become as I watch the ongoing attempts at voter suppression in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa, and other states where Republicans and their Teabagger allies control key seats of power."

Martin, an avid Obama supporter, continues his blog rant, saying, "The people behind these efforts at disenfranchising large groups of voters (the young, the old, the black, the brown) are not Republicans, since clearly they have scant regard for our republic or its values. They are oligarchs and racists clad in the skins of dead elephants."

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quicklist: 2title: Ted Nugent's Fiery Remarks About Obamatext: Musician Ted Nugent suggested the choice between President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney was a blatant as a choice between good and evil.

When asked by the New Times Broward-Palm Beach what bands would represent Obama and Romney, the Romney supporting rocker said, "Out and out politicians are anathema to rock-n-roll, so I hesitate to attempt to connect the two. But on important issues, I am saddened to admit that Obama represents everything bad about humanity and Romney pretty much all that is good. It is really that stark."

In mid- April, Nugent's disdain for Obama came to light when he made potentially threatening remarks towards the president. "If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year," he said. "If you can't go home and get everybody in your lives to clean house in this vile, evil, America-hating administration, I don't even know what you're made of."

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quicklist: 3title: Michael Moore Calls Obama Out on Issue of Gun Controltext: Filmmaker Michael Moore called out Obama on the issue of gun control after recent shootings in Aurora, Colo.

Moore, who directed a documentary about the 1999 massacre at a Colorado high school called "Bowling for Columbine," declared that the president has to be the "leader" on gun control issues and praised his speech regarding the shooting as "powerful." Although the filmmaker commended Obama on his speech, he also added a backhanded inquiry when he wondered what Obama would do if his two daughters had been in the theater where the tragedy occurred.

Moore said on "Piers Morgan Tonight," saying, "And yet when he brought his own children into it, when he said, 'You know, my two daughters go to the movies and what if it were them,' well, I guess if President Obama is watching right now, and I say this with all due respect: What if it were them?"

He continued, "What if it were them last Thursday night? Would you stand at the microphone the next day and say I feel your pain and, you know, the existing gun laws, that's what he said, the existing laws are enough. Is that really what you'd say, Mr. President? I don't think so."

Moore's temperament changed as he called for people to "rise up and say, 'Dammit, this is not the America I'm going to live in.'"

"And I am not going to come on another damn TV show, either, after the next one of these shootings, Pierce, because I haven't done it for 10 years," Moore's rant continued. "To be nice to you, and you're a good guy, and you made a good case to me to come on. But I'm sick of this. I refuse it. I refuse to live in a country like this, as I said before, I'm not leaving, so therefore what am I going to do? It's got to change."

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quicklist: 4title: Rob Schneider Tweets About Tax Returnstext: Funny man, Rob Schneider ranted on Twitter about ongoing requests of Mitt Romney to release all of his tax returns.

"Unless Romney is hiding a dead hooker in an overseas account. Don't hate the cheater, hate the system!" Schneider tweeted.The tweet was then commented on by a follower, "Are you suggesting he's cheating??" they asked.

"Romney, like most rich people, is getting away with as much as the system allows!" Schneider replied. "Life isn't fair! I'm short and balding! BUT RICH!"

"Why is Obama refusing to release his college transcripts??" another follower asked.

"My friend went to school with Obama at Occidental," Schneider replied. "She referred to him as that stoner from Hawaii!"

Making it known that Schneider doesn't have an issue with President Obama, Schneider said,

"I like Obama and want him to succeed! Like Romney, I just don't want to have to pay for it! I am a proud fellow member of the 1%!"

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quicklist: 5title: Roseann Barr Wants Obama to Stay Away From Her Pottext:"Obama's trying to take our medical marijuana over there in California, trying to send in federal troops to get our medical marijuana," comedian, Roseann Barr ranted on "The Late Show with David Letterman"

"And I'll tell you this, Obama: You'll get my joint when you pry it out of my cold dead fingers!"

The politically active comedian, who had an unsuccessful run for the presidency as a Green Party candidate, continued her rant explaining, "You know, it's not funny ...It's real medicine that a lot of people can't live without." Barr admits "I mean, it really helps with like mental illness and stuff which is why I use it."

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quicklist: 6title: Joan Rivers Bad-Mouths Politicianstext: Joan Rivers, known for her racy comments and outlandish language, opined about politics in an interview with Politico. Rivers claims that the polices of the Obama administration unfairly target the rich stating that, "I think if I work very hard, I should be able to gather the fruits of my labor. And I think if you're not about to work, you should get minimal and leave me alone. I think if you don't wear a helmet and you fall off your bike, you pay for the doctor." Shortly after proclaiming that she did not want to make a political statement, Rivers continued to rant about politician's saying that "They're all a bunch of garbage?I'm definitely in favor of a monarchy because they're there, they look good, and they always have good gift shops when you leave the palace. ? I feel that it's just all about party affiliation and it's all about voting the way your party wants to vote and it's not at all about what we should be about."

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quicklist: 7title: Jon Voight Bashes Obamatext: Actor Jon Voight read a letter bashing President Obama on a Fox News show in 2012. "The American people are witnessing the greatest lie that is cleverly orchestrated by President Obama and his whole administration," Voight said. "President Obama feeds people poison, giving them the idea that they are entitled to take from the wealthier who have lived and worked in a democracy that understands that capitalism is the only truth that keeps a nation healthy. ... [Obama uses] a socialistic, Marxist teaching, and with it, he rapes this nation."

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quicklist: 8title: Cher's Twitter Rant Against Romneytext: Barack Obama supporter Cher went on a cyber tirade in May 2012, when she Tweeted- "If ROMNEY gets elected I don't know if I can breathe same air as Him & his Right Wing Racist Homophobic Women Hating Tea Bagger Masters."

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quicklist: 9title: Alec Baldwin's Cyber Slams on Romneytext: Actor Alec Baldwin is no newcomer to ranting on Twitter. But this past May, Baldwin tweeted his opinion about the 2012 election. His insults began by calling Romney "a corporate puppet" whose election would result in a return to "lying thieves in the White House who make war under false pretenses in order to make $ for their friends."

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quicklist: 10title: Donald Trump's 'Birther' Talk About Obamatext: In May 2012, Donald Trump ranted about President Obama's birth certificate during a conversation with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "A lot of people do not think it was an authentic certificate," he said. "His mother was not in the hospital, there were many other things that came out and, frankly, if you would report it accurately I think you would probably get better ratings than you're getting, which are pretty small."

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