You may recall a few years back a man named Jon Stewart hosted a "news" program on Comedy Central called "The Daily Show." It was good for a few laughs, perhaps more than a few if you leaned left and enjoyed news clips being played out of context. But eventually, Mr. Stewart passed the show on to a new host and retired from it.
(Thankfully, he didn't try to take the show back later.)
Being retired from television doesn't mean he's stopped working. In fact, he's been busy pressing forward on issues that everyone can get behind. Some months back, Mr. Stewart testified before Congress to get more funding for first responders sickened by plunging into smoke and debris to rescue people on 9/11. He succeeded in encouraging legislation forward to do just that.
This week, he was back on Capitol Hill advocating for another group that desperately needs attention from Uncle Sam.
"Former 'The Daily Show' host Jon Stewart is lobbying Congress on behalf of veterans whose health has been harmed by exposure to burn pits, hoping for similar success to his efforts on behalf of 9/11 first responders. Stewart will join fellow advocates on Capitol Hill Tuesday in lobbying for legislation that would treat exposure to burn pits as a presumptive condition for any veteran of either war," The Hill reported.
For years, burn pits were used to incinerate all kinds of unwanted stuff--from waste to hazardous materials and even chemicals. And many people, including military types, stood around watching them burn, and maybe even unknowingly inhaling toxins.
Whether you like Jon Stewart's politics or not, you can't deny he's worked tirelessly advocating for people who desperately need someone with a big voice. In this country, his particular voice carries five minutes. Even congressmen want their photos with him. He's using his superpower for the greater good. And has been for a while.
You'll remember while 9/11 first responders died of cancer and other illnesses, Jon Stewart made trips to Washington to get survivors the funding they needed for medical care so they wouldn't bankrupt themselves trying to merely survive.
Perhaps one of the most sobering moments in recent television memory came from two episodes he did on "The Daily Show." In one episode while advocating for 9/11 relief funding, he had on a team of first responders, who were fighting for their lives, sitting around a large table to discuss their battle for health-care funding.
In a later episode, he called the team back to advocate for more funding. Only one returned. The rest, he reported, had either died or were in such terrible shape they couldn't make the trip. It was a somber moment.
Now Mr. Stewart is fighting a different battle.
"We did this to ourselves. The smoke, the toxins, those pits were dug by contractors hired by the [Department of Defense]. They knew about it," he said. "Their own reporting, internal reporting, shows the air quality, shows the variety of toxins."
Plenty of celebrities share their political opinions. But here's one who has repeatedly used his voice for suffering groups that really needed an advocate. Mr. Stewart has demonstrated good work a few times now. And it's worth noticing.