Simpsons Co-Creator Sam Simon is Dying; Here’s Part of Him That Will Live On

By
Greg Diamond
– August 6, 2013Posted in: Animal Rights, Fresh Juice
Two Sam Simons -- the man and the ship

Two Sam Simons — the man and the ship.  The latter is now in ship-shape, thanks to the former.

You know Sam Simon’s work: co-creator (with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks) of The Simpsons and of George Carlin’s TV show; director of various popular comedies; high-stakes poker champion and frequent Howard Stern Show guest; animal rights activist; married for a time to the beautiful actress Jennifer Tilly, which admittedly gets us far afield from the concept of “work.”

You may be less familiar with the fact that he is dying.  He was diagnosed late last year with terminal  colorectal cancer.  He was given three to six months to live.  For those disinclined towards math, that means that he’s already beaten the odds — but he can’t do so forever.

So, while he’s still alive, he’s getting some tributes for being a good guy.  Here’s an especially good one.  He has been a major donor to PETA, an organization controversially associated with tossing ink onto women’s fur coats.  It does some other things that are — or at least ought to be — far less controversial.  You know that old phrase, “Save the Whales”?  PETA has been doing that, disrupting the illegal poaching of Pacific whales by the Japanese fishing fleet.  It had been doing so with three boats.  Now it has four.  He paid for the fourth.

Along with many others, Simon tells two stories in particular here — one of the whalers sort of “giving PETA the finger” (except that it was a million times more horrific than that) and one of dog track owners doing their best imitation of Mafiosi — that may elicit sympathy for the animal rights cause from you even if you’ve never felt it before.  The stories he has to tell are set out before you; all you have to do for now, if you’re inclined, is as little as just to listen to them.  (And share on social media, I guess, if you want.)

There will be a follow up to this story, of course, in due time.  Hopefully that time will not be soon.

About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)