THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume V, Issue # 108, April 12, 2003
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
HOLLYWOOD COMMENTARY ON THE WAR IN IRAQ:
IS DUMBNESS A PREREQUISITE FOR STARDOM & NOTORIETY?
By Paul Walfield
Judging from the amount of incorrect assumptions, observations, and predictions coming from the Leftwing crowd down in Tinsel Town, dumbness must be a prerequisite for star- dom and notoriety.
Whether it is Janeane Garafolo or Mike Farrell telling all of the horrors that will befall America if we warred against Iraq, or the celebrities' inability to at first acknowledge the righteousness of liberating the Iraqi people from a brutal dictator or the failure of the Left's Hollywood elite to accept the cheering Iraqis' jubilation here and in Iraq to their liberation, Tinsel town abounds in dumbness.
Of course, it has to be assumed that the celebrities are, at worst, useful idiots and have no ulterior motives to appreciate the unique qualities that must encompass the multi- faceted personality that can pretend to be anyone on stage or in front of a camera and, at the same time, have enough gray cells left to attempt an opinion of their own.
Let's set the stage for a discussion of the problem. America is the world's sole super- power. America, in the last 100 years, has been involved in a couple of world wars and numerous smaller conflicts, freeing or keeping from being enslaved 100s of millions of people. America employed armed force to remove from power such brands of totalitar- ianism and radical authoritarianism as Nazism, Fascism and Baathism and, through re- solve, economic strength and military preparedness, prevented the achievement of world hegemony and domination by another brand of totalitarianism--namely, Soviet and Chi- nese-style thoroughgoing State Socialism (i.e., Communism). In the process of using the U.S. Armed Forces to defend itself and save the world from the military aggression and political tyranny of despotic political regimes, America occupied a number of countries, including Germany and Japan. After the U.S.A. ended its occupation of Germany and Japan, those countries were left as thriving, independent constitutional democracies.
In the last 100 years or so, America never colonized, annexed, or acquired a square inch of foreign soil in any of its military endeavors. America gives more in total dollars in foreign aid than any other country on earth. American advances in medicine and tech- nology have helped save countless lives the world over, and America is always the first on the scene to help any people across the world in the event of a catastrophe. Unlike virtually every other nation-state on earth, America's foreign policy is not just based on self-interest, but is also based on what is right.
America was attacked on September 11, 2001 and thousands of Americans were mur- dered. America went to war in Afghanistan, took out the Taliban and decimated the ter- rorists there. America brought the beginnings of democracy to that once ruthlessly ruled land and is hanging around to ensure peace and self-rule prevail there.
The war in Iraq is ostensibly waged to eliminate a despot and his weapons of mass de- struction. No one in recent history has caused more deaths and deprivation to the Mus- lim people than Saddam Hussein. It is reported that, in just the Iran-Iraq war, which was started by Saddam, over 1 million people were killed. America has the support of 16 of 19 NATO nations and virtually all of Europe, with the notable exceptions of France and Germany, in its effort to liberate Iraq.
The Iraqi people have, so far, greeted the American liberators with joy and friendship. The search is now going on for the biological and chemical weapons believed to be hid- den in Iraq.
Yet, for many across the world and for a certain intellectually challenged (i.e., ignorant and stupid) group here at home, a different picture of America and its endeavors was and is being drawn. Here is what the cream of the crop out in Tinsel Town are saying:
Janeane Garafolo in the New York Post on April 10, 2003: "I won't stick my head in the sand and have history roll right over me. I refuse to allow my government and the main- stream media to bully me into accepting a war that is immoral and illegal. If it means people make fun of me or think I'm a jerk, or I lose a job here and there, that means nothing to me."
Good ole Jane Fonda: "What it's going to mean for [America's] stability as a nation, for terrorism, for the economy, I can't imagine. I think the entire world is going to be united against us. I don't know if a country where the people are so ignorant of reality and of history, if you can call that a free world."
Danny Glover from the Lethal Weapons movies and now promoting MCI: "One of the main purveyors of violence in this world has been this country, whether it's been against Nicaragua or wherever...I've been an advocate for peace my whole life. But one of the main purveyors of violence in this world is this country."
Dave Mathews of the Dave Mathews Band fame: "the answer is not to bomb this great culture of Iraq out of existence to stop him ... It is criminal to put our servicemen and women in harm's way ... for the misguided frustrations of the Bush administration."
Ed Asner (you remember "Lou Grant"?) was quoted in a San Bernardino Sun article as saying that he wanted the Los Angeles City Council to act: "I pray that this council, which will probably be too late to save Iraq, will do what it can, which will be immeasurab- ly strong in what it does in trying to save our democracy."
Spike Lee, as reported in the BBC News: "The German and French governments should be commended. America doesn't have the moral right to tell other people what to do. To say the whole world has to fall into line is you-know-what. I hope more people will rise up."
Actress Rosario Dawson, following her triumphant role in "Josie and the Pussycats" and a couple of other memorable productions, said: "It makes me upset. I'm embarrassed. It's my hope that Americans won't jump on anyone having a dissenting opinion."
Dustin Hoffman (remember who he played in "Rain Man"?): "For me, as an American, the most painful aspect of this is that I believe that that administration has taken the events of 9/11 and has manipulated the grief of the country and I think that's reprehen- sible. I believe, though I may wrong because I am no expert, that this war is about what most wars are about: hegemony, money, power, and oil."
Actor Ed Norton: "It's nice being in Europe this week. Almost everyone in Germany and France is in sync with the governments... I almost forgot what it's like to be proud of my government. It's dismaying to see the unilateralism the government is doing. There aren't enough rational steps."
Actor Gabriel Byrne, made famous from his roles in "Enemy of the State" and "End of Days," said: "Osama Bin Laden has a beard in a face, that's who we're supposed to be after, how do we explain this insanity to Iraqi mothers? Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so if we offer a hand of peace we get a hand of peace. This war is about fear and greed. What's happening in American today is terrifying, for the world. People know that, if you attack them, then they will target you for attack, why not try negotiation? I believe in peace and non-violence. Why do we believe we think our society will last for ever. It didn't happen to the Greeks or the Romans. Why [would it happen] us?"
Helena Bonham Carter, following her role in "Live from Baghdad," said: [There's] "a feeling of not really being convinced of any proper reason for going to war with Iraq, of all people."
Director Martin Scorsese: "It seems to me that any sensible person must see that vio- lence does not change the world and, if it does, then only temporarily. There must be people who remember World War II and the Holocaust who can help us get out of this rut."
Meryl Streep, famous for her roles in "Death Becomes Her," "She Devil" and "De- fending Your Life," said: "If everybody that had two cars had a Prius instead of an SUV, we wouldn't be in the Middle East right now."
Robin Williams (remember Mork?) said, "We have a president for whom English is a second language. He's like 'We have to get rid of dictators,' but he's pretty much one himself." America is broke, basically, but Bush wants to wage a war that costs pretty much a billion dollars a month."
There are many, many more, but there are also some exceptions to the rule that Holly- wood types spew Leftist and anti-American drivel. The exceptions include some very talented individuals--Shirley Jones, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dennis Miller, Ron Silver, John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Kid Rock, and others who agree with 80% of the American people.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Liberals, Statists, Socialists, & Other Leftists
The Middle East & the Problem of Iraq
Page Two
Page One
The Problem of Rogue States:
Iraq as a Case History
The Middle East & the Arabs
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Paul Walfield is a freelance writer and member of the State Bar of California, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology
and post-graduate study in behavioral and analytical psychology. He resided for a number of years in the small town of
Houlton, Maine, and is now a California attorney. His articles appear in numerous periodicals and on numerous websites. He
has been the featured guest on KTSA News Talk Radio. CONTACT INFORMATION: Email:
paul.walfield@cox.net
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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