On Wednesday night’s episode of The Colbert Report, Stephen talked about the end of the world, the Syrian crisis and gun control.
The broadcast began with discussing Syria (again) and how Stephen didn’t know how he felt about military action. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hold Assad responsible for bombing his own people.
However, Stephen’s point of view was changed when he read a Canadian newspaper The Vancouver Sun and their report on how biblical enthusiasts understood the Syrian situation as a sign that Jesus Christ is returning to Earth and that the apocalypse is soon.
Stephen joked that he was prepared because he already had two of every animal in his meat arc. Yum!
Stephen showed a clip of Joel C Rosenberg, someone who was obsessed with the world ending. He wrote a book called Damascus Count Down. His book was about how a crisis in Damascus is what could lead to the end of the world. Rosenberg, on FOX News, stated that the world ending due to Syria could happen because it hasn’t happened yet.
He also stated that he knew that it was possible because he imagined a scenario where it would. Stephen mocked him for it. He took out Rosenberg’s book and read the final pages. He said that, because the end of his book ends with a wedding- the end of the world will end with a wedding as well.
Stephen then said that President Obama was a secret Muslim and now he had proof. He said that the president was refusing to bomb Syria to keep Jesus from coming back. He stated that he wanted the Syrian deal to fall through. He even mocked The White House for wanting to get the United Nations on board.
To help him understand why Obama didn’t want to bomb Syria, Stephen called out Andrew Sullivan to help. Sullivan is in favor of solving the Syrian crisis without the US actually doing the dirty work.
Sullivan wanted Russia and China to deal with it because the world has watched the U.S go into war-torn areas and make a complete mess over it. Stephen was offended and said that when the U.S does something, the world should realize that it is good, even if it isn’t. (USA! USA!)
Sullivan told Stephen that the UN should handle it and that it has kept the big powers of the world from getting into any world. Stephen rejected his claim because how could the US be a superpower if they couldn’t execute any of those super powers?
Sullivan did reply to his claim but The Colbert Report edited out what he said.
Stephen discussed the tragic shooting in the Naval Yard next. He said that he had changed his opinion on claims. He said that there needs to be stronger laws to save lives.
However, after a quick quip about how the US didn’t change gun laws after the Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting, Stephen said that he didn’t mean change gun laws. Something else.
He showed clips of FOX News anchors discussing how it was too easy for the shooter to get onto the naval yard. The reporters said that there needed to be harder background checks in order to get in. Yes, not background checks to buy the guns but background checks to get into the building.
The reporters also stated that there were “too many people allowed” onto the yard and that is what caused the shooting. Stephen compared this to the DMV but he was obviously talking about how he was for stronger background checks and a waiting period.
Stephen also showed a clip from FOX and Friends in which Elisabeth Hasselbeck (new Gretchen) talked about how video games are to be blamed for the shooting. Hasselbeck wanted to have a national registry of those who own violent video games and a record of how much they play them.
Stephen pointed out that FOX was in favor of background checks and a national registry. Interesting. However, Eric Bolling of The Five on FOX stated that whomever blamed video games was, to paraphrase, an idiot. Then Stephen showed a clip of who pointed out video games. It was Bolling himself. Oops.
Stephen interviewed Nicholson Baker about his book Traveling Sprinkler. The book was about having a garden of thoughts. The interview however, was dull. It was filled with sexual innuendos and lame jokes about penises.
It was a strong episode of Colbert and his sarcastic coverage of FOX News’s coverage of the Naval Yard shooting was spot on.