Stewart Mocks Media's Obsession With L.A. Mystery 'Missile' (VIDEO)

When Jon Stewart catches the media creating something out of nothing to fill the 24-hour news cycle, the result is always hilarious. Last night's "Daily Show" did just that and diagnosed the media's coverage of the recent mysterious vapor trail over Los Angeles as paranoid, presumptuous and completely ridiculous.

When the Pentagon or any other department of government failed to offer an explanation for the long plume of smoke or vapor caught on video by a helicopter pilot., the cable news networks expressed shock and outrage.

"I can't believe that cutting through our national security bureaucracy to find out about something that may not actually have happened takes longer than an hour-long news shift," Stewart said sarcastically. "Well, in the meantime..."

The speculation began. Stewart produced a slew of clips where the mysterious plume was called everything from an optical illusion to a Russian submarine missile to a meteorite. Stewart even produced his own speculation: "Giant sky c**k?"

Assuming that the media's hysteria is just California's way of saying goodbye to their action hero governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stewart added that whatever the thing was, it probably wasn't a missile. He figured that if the pilot recorded it for 10 minutes, and missiles travel so fast, wouldn't it have been in Hawaii by the time the recording ended?

For more, Stewart turned to Wyatt Cynac who added even more confusion to the story by suggesting there was a small boy trapped inside the missile a la Balloon Boy.

WATCH:

Comments

[Madagain]

07:51 AM on 11/15/2010

Dang,You know, the true shame here is that this thread ran out so quickly. I was having fun watching the MAN-UP baggers and republicans panic over a faux missle attack.

[DERRUFO4U]

01:57 PM on 11/14/2010

I sincerely urge you to see the last video I worked on, image presentation study of a NASA photo that for once and for all reveals ufos on a NASA photo that is beyond
doubt ... titled :
ACTUAL SAUCER SEEN NASA PHOTO by Derr115 at youtube.com .
Tell as many people as you can...reveal the truth to the world..You must become the Messenger for me...I cannot do this alone....you won't be making music or listening to it ever again if aliens invade your planet...the world not knowing the truth makes any invasion easier....Please tell everyone to look at what is obvious in the NASA photo ... Derr

[bela1963]

06:34 PM on 11/12/2010

Mr Stewart, the follwing is a joke:

Quebec is reponsible for the missile attack on the California Coast

Hey, pas ca s'iou plait!


A person from Quebec won $8.9 million from USA. On the poker table.


Quebec takes full responsibilty for the missle attack.

1. CANADIENS
2. It is spelt Canadian
3. Stop confusing the Americans
4. Hockey Rules
5. Vancouver Canucks rule, Montreal Canadians Suck
6. Stop Confusing the Americans
7. Speak French
8.Sarah Palin - aller se faire forutre
9,See Above
10 Glenn Beck is a lex-ami un trou du cul

Norad, Quebec is a problem

Forget about it.



Copywrite Hamar

[Madagain]

05:01 AM on 11/12/2010

If I was China, I would fire another of those slow sneeky stealth missles (SSSM) from the same spot. Then when all America is looking west attack the east coast. Has anybody looked east yet? Oh NO, Oh NOOOOO! The good news is that president Obama did not react to the Beckster this time. Just a bunch of panicky republican types.

[XPat100]

02:12 AM on 11/12/2010

This is the elevator of the Gods. Everyone knows we're being visited by aliens dressed up like bad Elvis imitators - I've seen them.

[axt113]

09:48 PM on 11/11/2010

There was no way a guy in a helicopter would be able to track a missile for that long, thank you Jon for showing the sanity that the news media lacks

[bertha112]

06:54 AM on 11/14/2010

We had the Rally (to restore sanity). Guess who didn't get the message? All together now..............THE MEDIA.

[Madagain]

06:24 PM on 11/11/2010

What the heck is this WMDs two. Oh no, not again, panicky America, get a grip

[Ish11]

05:41 PM on 11/11/2010

JS and crew go on, you make my LOLs, thanks.

[Madagain]

05:28 PM on 11/11/2010

Honest question. We have a National Emergency Broadcasting Network in the U.S.. In a real emergency will you bet your life on faux or NEBN?

[PDXScienceMom]

04:39 PM on 11/11/2010

To be fair, the first place I saw this Missile story was on HuffPost, and the SECOND place I saw it was on HuffPost. But kudos for HP for running the story that indirectly mocks them- that's the difference between real journalism and Faux news.

[GuiltD]

04:18 PM on 11/11/2010

Im sure Stewart is a good man, but seriously if you live in Santa Monica and saw it, you know in your gut that wasn't a plane. But this is coming from the guy that tells us to calm down, even though we are entering globalization via Government Sachs and the permanent government in this country is revealing its ugly head.

[otop016]

04:52 PM on 11/11/2010

So you seem to have it all figured out regarding this mysterious missile (borderline obsessive it seems to me)...Now that you know what happened, what is it you want? Do you want accountability? Was some law broken? Do you feel slighted because somebody didn't call you prior to launch? Are you mad because your local Piggly Wiggly was already sold out of canned goods before you got there? What man...?

[dennishastings]

05:14 PM on 11/11/2010

Love your snarky commentary. You seem not to be too concerned, so... why post at all, and why even read this garbage if it hurts your beautiful mind?

Lay it all our for us... it was just a plane, move along folks, nothing to see here, go back to sleep....zzzzzzzzz. Feel better now?

[GuiltD]

03:08 PM on 11/12/2010

Don't insult me just because Im interested in military intelligence.

[sinisterpics]

06:56 AM on 11/12/2010

Looks a bit like this 'missile' launched from London in 2007 no?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grertrude/3275535149/
No it was a con trail from a jet airliner.

[Steven Mantz]

04:02 PM on 11/11/2010

Stewart loves taking the energy out of any real issues.

[Madagain]

03:19 PM on 11/11/2010

The funny thing is this to me. I was in a clinic where I could not change the chanel of the TV set to faux. Faux was working the story like they always do, and all I could think of was, looks like if the missle came from the California coast, the Chinese, or Russians should be panicking, not us. If we are under attack wouldn't NORAD have more to do than answer 50 rightwing reporters questions, and broadcast on the "liers" network what we are doing to retaliate.

[Mark Morlock]

03:24 PM on 11/11/2010

God forbid something should make sense in the media. Thank you for being reasonable about this. I wish but don't expect Fox News would be the same. Faved and Fanned

[Madagain]

04:58 PM on 11/11/2010

Thanks Mark Morlock, I really cannot understand why so many people think it is cool to get wound up over trashy stuff like this. I personally don't like to panic.f&f

[CraiginPhoenix]

03:03 PM on 11/11/2010

Once again, Jon is right on the money, unlike the rest of the media.

Back before the 24 hour cable news cycle, the media would actually do it's job and determine whether something was a real story before reporting it.

Now they release a story and pontificate on the air about it, and then blame the government for not reacting to their 24 hour news cycle quick enough when it is realized that it is a non-story.

[GuiltD]

04:19 PM on 11/11/2010

Like I said before, I live in Santa Monica and that was no plane

[nofriendofrepublicans]

04:24 PM on 11/11/2010

I live in Orlando & have watched the space shuttle at least a dozen times. That looked more similar to a rocket than a plane contrail.

[Madagain]

05:03 PM on 11/11/2010

Hi GuiltD. On the tube it looked like it was headed up not down. What did it look like to you as far as direction, Up, Down, East, West?

[westreal]

02:54 PM on 11/11/2010

Wow. Rachell Maddow and Jon Stewart are now in the disinformation business.

[ginxy]

05:54 PM on 11/11/2010

There must be one h3ll of a cover up going on for that to happen.