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A Chubby North Korean Dictator Brings Free Speech to a Halt
Townhall.com ^ | December 18, 2018 | Michael Schaus

Posted on 12/18/2014 8:23:05 AM PST by Kaslin

When did Sony get bought out by the French? Sony has decided cancel the theatrical release of their newest comedy after an apparent North Korean threat. “The Interview”, a Seth Rogen comedy about two inept journalists who are recruited to kill North Korea’s leader, found itself at the center of an international cyber-attack on Sony Entertainment earlier this month. Mountains of data from Sony’s secure records have been leaked by assumed North Korean sources, along with a rather chilling warning:

“The world will be full of fear,” the message reads. “Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from [theaters playing “The Interview”]. If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.”

Responding to the terroristic threats, Sony aggressively waived a white flag. According to Variety:

“We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public,” Sony said in a statement. “We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression…”

First of all, I would like to make it clear that I don’t read Variety. Someone sent me that quote. Second of all: No, Sony… You don’t stand by your filmmakers and their right to free expression. Heck, the entertainment industry is routinely shy about venturing into uncomfortable confrontations over free speech. I can’t help but notice that there aren’t too many Hollywood comedies making fun of Mohammed. (And when the radical Islamists get away with using threats of violence to censor their enemies, why should a little Stalinist-wannabe dictator in Asia be left out of all the fun?) I really hate to go here, but: If you don’t watch Seth Rogen in “The Interview” this Christmas, the terrorists win.

After all, what good is “the right to free speech” if it is only exercised when it is convenient or safe to do so? Freedom of Speech doesn’t really mean much when you are ordering a Grande Vanilla Latte…

One group of freedom-loving advocates are preparing to smuggle copies of the movie into North Korea. The least that Sony could do would be to make sure censorship is not incidentally achieved through threats of violence. Heck, make the film available for free on the internet. Put it on Hulu, Vudu, Netflix, Amazon, and even YouTube. Make it more accessible than it would be in a theater. Demonstrate to the ideologically repressive, self-aggrandizing, egomaniacs who run Asia’s pathetically incompetent Soviet era relic, that the world does not really care what meaningless demands they make.

After all… They aren’t the only ones with nukes. I mean, it’s not as if we’re dealing with Soviet Russia here. We’re talking about a wannabe Soviet Russia which doesn’t even have the necessary resources to produce decent vodka. Their major contribution to the Marxist/ Leninist experiment was proof that large groups of people can generally fake exuberance if properly motivated.

Of course, you almost have to wonder why North Korea feels emboldened enough to rattle their sabre in the first place… Well, in the era of Obama we are supposed to “normalize” relations with oppressive (and murderous) Caribbean dictators, relax sanctions on nuclear ambitious anti-Semites, and gift wrap northern Iraq for a band of terrorists who thought Al Qaeda was too warm and cuddly.

Wow… No wonder a little third world country, with the economic prowess of a rusted out VW bug, feels like they can push around a multi-national purveyor of free speech.

But let not your heart be troubled! President Obama is already considering taking action. Given Sony’s surrender to state-sponsored terrorism, the White House is seriously considering unleashing the most feared politically-correct weapon in the Liberal world: The strongly worded letter.

Then again, they better be careful how they word it. There’s a chance they might upset a chubby North Korean dictator.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Russia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: amypascal; clooney; georgeclooney; guardiansofpeace; hollywood; northkorea; pyongyang; sony
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To: Kaslin
I am not a Seth Rogan fan, and had no intention of seeing the movie. But it really hacks me off that this little P!$$ant thinks he can tell us what we can show in out movie theaters.

It seems to me that it would have been a good idea to park the USS Geo. Washington off the coast of North Korea right near Pyongyang.

A little phone call to "Dear Leader" saying that if ANYTHING, ANYTHING at all happens to a single movie theater in the U Sof A during the showing of that movie that we will pull the trigger and turn Pyongyang and the surrounding area into rubble.

Simple solution, but you have to have the B@KLLS to back it up.

21 posted on 12/18/2014 8:56:54 AM PST by verga
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To: verga

I’ve never heard of Seth Rogan and had no intention of seeing the movie. I still don’t. It’s just something that does not interest me


22 posted on 12/18/2014 9:00:59 AM PST by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Kaslin

Roger that.


23 posted on 12/18/2014 9:03:00 AM PST by RetiredArmy (MARANATHA, MARANATHA, Come quickly LORD Jesus!!! Father send thy Son!! Its Time!)
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To: Brother Cracker
Dear leader channeling Jim Trafficant

....but all the squirrels in NK have been eaten.

24 posted on 12/18/2014 9:03:48 AM PST by spokeshave (He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people,)
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To: verga

Not a particularly good idea.

North Korea is not a third world joke military like Libya or Iraq. They have a really serious military establishment.

Doing what you say without using nukes would not be a walk in the park at all.

Also Seoul, the capital of one of our major allies, is within artillery range of the Norks. Even assuming they choose not to launch an attack across the border.


25 posted on 12/18/2014 9:06:16 AM PST by Sherman Logan
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To: spokeshave


26 posted on 12/18/2014 9:06:16 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: Kaslin

I hope in her next interview that Hillary is asked if she thinks this is an offensive video and to compare it to the
Muslim cartoon that she labeled as offensive. She can be the new Roger Ebert of “offensive videos”.


27 posted on 12/18/2014 9:06:59 AM PST by sanjuanbob
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To: Old Sarge

Other fav song is also

Arec Baldwin you are worthless classic


28 posted on 12/18/2014 9:07:11 AM PST by SevenofNine (We are Freepers, all your media bases belong to us ,resistance is futile)
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To: Kaslin

I’m curious. Why does commentary on this guy always reference his weight and appearance?

Aren’t there other things about him that are somewhat more worthy of scorn?


29 posted on 12/18/2014 9:07:30 AM PST by Sherman Logan
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To: Kaslin

What I don’t understand is the cancellation in light of the fact that it’s pretty obvious the North Koreans were behind this.

They’re not terrorists. And they’re not dumb enough to attack some of our theaters.

I wasn’t going to see the movie anyway, but......


30 posted on 12/18/2014 9:10:53 AM PST by TangledUpInBlue (I have no home. I'm the wind.)
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To: Kaslin

SONY’s next project: ‘Birth of Islam’.


31 posted on 12/18/2014 9:10:58 AM PST by 353FMG
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To: Kaslin
IN DEFENSE OF SONY’S DECISION TO PULL ‘THE INTERVIEW’


THE THREAT

The threat from these terrorists cannot be taken lightly. The Guardians of Peace have already proven themselves sophisticated, resourceful, determined, and ruthless. While the hack itself is impressive, the rollout of the information through the news and entertainment media has been equally so. On top of stealing all that data, the terrorists have undoubtedly thought well beyond that. The terrorists are playing chess with Sony, and as of now they are winning.

You don’t trifle with people like that. You take them seriously, and when it comes to terrorist threats it would be reckless not to take them at their word.

How savvy are these terrorists? The fact that in the media Sony has taken more heat over these emails than the criminals who stole them speaks volumes. Therefore, it is not absurd to assume the terrorists had a plan to somehow cause chaos in some or all theatres screening “The Interview.”

How hard would it be to call in bomb threats to every theater during every screening?

How hard would it be to hack into these theatres to set off smoke and fire alarms?

According to Homeland Security, there is no chatter or intelligence to back up the threat of a 9/11-style attack against movie theatres and innocent patrons. But that’s of little comfort in this era of lone wolf terrorists who act all on their own motivated only by inspiration and a sick desire for fame.


32 posted on 12/18/2014 9:11:45 AM PST by Bratch
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To: Kaslin

See the death scene before it gets pulled from YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTiV_nydojM


33 posted on 12/18/2014 9:15:33 AM PST by doug from upland (Obama and the leftists - destroying our country one day at a time)
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To: mmichaels1970
I’m speculating that this isn’t as much about the threats of violence. I think the terrorists simply have much more damaging unreleased blackmail dirt, and Sony is using the violence threat as cover to keep it from getting out

Made me wonder how many Sony execs had kiddie porn on their computers.

34 posted on 12/18/2014 9:17:08 AM PST by fungoking (Tis a pleasure to live in the Ozarks)
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To: Bratch

See post# 22


35 posted on 12/18/2014 9:19:36 AM PST by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: doug from upland

it got pulled already


36 posted on 12/18/2014 9:22:00 AM PST by doug from upland (Obama and the leftists - destroying our country one day at a time)
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To: doug from upland

Well at least there should be a good Downfall Hitler parody from this.


37 posted on 12/18/2014 9:22:39 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: Kaslin

Let’s see how long the death scene lasts on this guy’s blog

http://bestshowsontvkasuwell.blogspot.com/2014/12/kim-jong-un-death-scene-interview.html


38 posted on 12/18/2014 9:25:56 AM PST by doug from upland (Obama and the leftists - destroying our country one day at a time)
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To: goldstategop

Cross-eyed


39 posted on 12/18/2014 9:28:37 AM PST by LoneRangerMassachusetts (antine)
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To: Kaslin

Must be the fear of Nuclear Tipped Keyboards.


40 posted on 12/18/2014 9:33:57 AM PST by Kickass Conservative (If you thought the Mulatto Marxist was bad, wait until the Menopausal Marxist is Elected.)
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