Jon Stewart and We Are Change video inside

One month ago I was punched in the face by the executive producer of the Daily Show. I also had my camera damaged by another Daily Show writer, and had my shirt torn by Jon Stewart’s security guard. Jon Stewart and the writers and staff of the Daily Show were appearing at a popular book store in Manhattan to present and sign copies of their new book of humorous pictures and captions. I was moved to peacefully confront Jon and ask him a few questions after watching his show a few nights earlier. On the September 16th installment of The Daily Show, before a gushing and edge-free interview with notorious criminal Bill Clinton, Jon announced his “Rally to Restore Sanity”. He billed this as a rally for which people should “use indoor voices” and “take it down a notch for America”. It was clear that this “Rally to Restore Sanity” was, in part, to be a mockery of the now co-opted and neo-conned Tea Party movement and its successful rallies featuring Glenn “the Judas Goat” Beck and the Palin the Pied Piper of soccer moms. It was also designed to poke fun at the more vocal elements of the anti-war movement. Essentially, the Daily Show had cooked up a rally for wishy-washy people who believed that other people were “insane” for being enraged by a corrupt and out-of-control government that increasingly ignores We the People, while bowing to Wall Street bankers, corporate interests and the military-industrial complex. Jon’s rally was to be for those who think injustice, theft and mass murder should just be laughed off (and that sarcasm is what should pass for humor). Getting upset and then

Jon Stewart wikipedia
EXCERPT:
Stewart was born into a Jewish family in New York City. He and his older brother, Larry Leibowitz (presently Chief Operating Officer of the New York Stock Exchange)
Lawrence Leibowitz
Chief Operating Officer
NYSE Euronext Inc
New York , NY
Sector: FINANCIAL / Diversified Investments
Officer since July 2007

49 Years Old
Mr. Leibowitz was appointed chief operating officer in the first quarter of 2010. In this capacity, he is responsible for operations management, global cash execution and global listings. He previously served as group executive vice president and head of U.S. Execution and Global Technology from 2007 until 2009. He joined NYSE Euronext in 2007, having served as managing director and chief operating officer, Americas Equities, at UBS Investment Bank. Prior to joining UBS in 2004, Mr. Leibowitz held the position of executive vice president, co-head of Schwab Capital Markets. He currently serves on the board of National Stock Exchange of India and has also served on many industry boards and committees, among them the Market Structure Committee of the former Securities Industry Association (now SIFMA).

Larry Leibowitz (Jon Stewart's brother)
EXCERPT:
Introduction
Chairman Kanjorski, Ranking Member Garrett and Members of the Subcommittee, my name is Larry Leibowitz and I am Chief Operating Officer of NYSE Euronext. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today.

We commend the Subcommittee for your rapid response to the events of last Thursday. As you know, we have begun a dialogue with our regulators and other trading venues, and it has been very productive. We are committed to working with you and other market participants to restore confidence and enhance investor safeguards in the future.

Today I would like to discuss three things:

• First, the high-level causes of the events last Thursday;

Jon Stewarts brother says mom pretty happy with both

A bit grayer and world wearier, maybe, but there’s no mistaking the family resemblance between NYSE Chief Operating Office Larry Leibowitz and his kid brother Jon Stewart. Unlike the Daily Show host, Leibowitz mostly keeps a low profile, although he did find himself in the spotlight even before his appearance at the Reuters Global Exchanges and Trading Summit on Monday. The Wall Street Journal interviewed him in a story about the NYSE’s effort to turn some high frequency traders — who have been chipping away at the exchange’s business — into exchange floor traders.

Leibowitz may be sick of the Jon Stewart questions, but when pesky Reuters editors and journalists inevitably raised them, he answered them with relatively good humor.

“I know my mother’s pretty happy with both,” the NYSE’s resident electronic trading expert said when asked whether it was tough living in the shadow of the celebrated news comedian. Leibowitz allowed that it was hard to imagine two brothers who had chosen more different careers. At this point, they even have different last names, after Leibowitz’s younger brother adopted a stage name.

While Stewart hasn’t shied away from financial themes, especially in his much-hyped verbal smackdown with Jim Cramer, Leibowitz said his kid brother hasn’t been running to him to ask for advice, even when his show has tackled topics like short selling and high frequency trading. But he admitted that being an older sibling, ”I give it to him anyway sometimes.”

Would he ever go on the Daily Show as a guest? That would be a no. “I probably wouldn’t make a very good guest,” he said, noting he didn’t have any books to plug. “I have tried to fly under the radar.”