Carlin was right

"Life is a sum zero game."
~ George Carlin

Sadly, the one and only George Carlin will be awarded the posthumous Mark Twain award by the Kennedy Center in a few days. I'll bet that George would have had a gritty retort for that fact. It's a shame we will never hear it.

At least he lived his life during this age of technology. It will be hard to lose his image, his voice, and his messages (or did you think it was just "comedy") now that we live in a digital world. Not that some would rather his memory just fade away so future generations wouldn't share his comments, and dare I say...beliefs.

John Serba' column, George Carlin: Death of a skeptic, explains my attachment to this comedian. Serba writes that Carlin's "material was inspirational fuel for the disenfranchised, which seem to have increased in number in these times of social upheaval." Serba concludes, in part, by saying "No one questioned authority with such wit or insight; guys like Bill Maher and Bill Hicks carried the torch that Carlin lit."

There was never any tragic irony with Carlin, he knew his character, whether you agreed or not with his words and actions. Scan the 101 Greatest George Carlin Quotes if you aren't familiar with his words. Seems that on this day of mourning, Internet is now teeming with individuals like myself talking about this great entertainer and his passing. There's is nothing morbid in my writing, just outright honesty. And, that's a Carlin thing, a very good thing.

I've never been compelled to write a single sentence about my perceptions of the political and religious landscapes on this big blue marble amongst the stars. I didn't feel I deserved to add my voice to the growing noise that includes the over-fed media conglomerates, the idiosyncratic bloggers, and the rest of this wired-generation. Mainly, it was just easier to sit in the darkness and applaud George.

Throughout the years, and usually the day after a new Carlin skit would enter the mainstream, I'd poll acquaintances to find out who had heard or seen George's newest routine. It wasn't until today when my eyes caught the scrolling message of "Carlin dies at 71" that I realized all my friends, my real friends, had unknowingly passed my "Carlin Test" long ago. I don't know when it happened, nor do I care why it happened. But it did. And I'm ok with that.

Thanks, George.

Tonight, my friends and I will be talking about your life without calling you a crack-pot, an anti-American, or a persecutor of all things religious. Others who hear our voices may not be so kind. I'll throw out one of your quotes, and wait for the reactions. I'll chuckle thinking how you would have needed just two words for the haters, unless you coupled them with Chuck 'Em.

And, in the end, we will probably talk loud enough that a seed is planted in some disenfranchised ear far off in a dark corner. Maybe that will be all that is needed to lead them and others to your memories of this messed up world at http://www.georgecarlin.tv/