Posted on 09/03/2012 6:11:00 AM PDT by Travis McGee
The political left in America is outraged at Clint Eastwood's recent presentation at the GOP convention. The shock and disbelief of Rachel Maddow at MSNBC and the Blitzer gang at CNN is heavy with condemnation of this inimitable American icon.
The establishment media response has basically come down as follows: "Weirdest thing I've ever seen." "What was he thinking?" "Have the Republicans gone daft?" "The Democrats must have sent Clint to the GOP so as to sabotage their convention." "This was inexcusably disrespectful."
Yes, indeed, it was disrespectful. But what kind of humans allow themselves to be enslaved by a Marxist mandarin and his bureaucratic henchmen with a smile on their face and kind words about their enslavers? Craven humans, that's who! Obedient victims who, as Ayn Rand told us, "sanction their enslavement." And unfortunately, that is what the American people have become, obedient sanctioners who are willing to give up their freedom with a smile on their face and kind words for the usurpers in Washington who are so zealously destroying the freedom and sanity of our lives.
Did Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry play nice-nice with King George? Did they remain respectful to the tyrants who were ruining their lives? They most certainly did not. They declared the English tyrant to be a corrupt and criminal despot. They rallied their countrymen to spring up in rebellion. They stood up for their fundamental rights, as all courageous men and women do when faced with despotic bullies. They did what the valiant Chinese student did in Tiananmen Square when he stood in front of those monstrous approaching tanks.
If Jefferson, Adams and Henry were alive today, they would have been cheering Clint on with vigorous enthusiasm. But what do we see from today's mealy-mouth media? We see a rush to defend the tyrant mandarins in Washington and smear the rebel Eastwood. We see squawking and crying and yelps of protest. But what we really see is what lurks in the subconscious of the establishment media – fear that their emperor is as buck naked as Dirty Harry portrayed him. This is why the vacuities at CNN and MSNBC are so outraged. Eastwood pierced deeply. He showed Mr. Obama and the empty suit Biden up for precisely what they are.
This is what disrespect is, and why it is so important when a people are confronting tyrants. Those who obey their masters and play nice-nice with tyrannical regimes live miserable lives as doormats. Those recalcitrant rebels who boldly proclaim their disrespect for the despots of history have a chance to live in freedom. They might still get squashed; the tanks might still roll over them. But they at least know that they stood up for freedom and honor in their time. They know that they did the right thing, the manly thing, not the craven, accommodative thing. When bullies are breaking the cardinal laws of life and exploiting their fellow man (which is what the statists in Washington have been doing for over 80 years now), then there is only one course of action for honorable men – disrespect – courageous, colorful disrespect.
This is what Clint Eastwood did on August 30, 2012 in Tampa. He did the honorable thing – the manly thing. He heaped contempt on the statist mandarins in Washington. He did not lie down and play nice-nice with them. He did not try to compromise with them. He did not pacify them so as to be popular. He excoriated them with his words and his attitude.
In his advice to America's young men, the twentieth century poet E. Merrill Root wrote, "I would ask you again to dream and dare, and thus to ride again the stallion of manhood whose back is known only by those who with a brave heart grasp the mane of life and ride bareback and shouting even in God's thunderstorm."
Reality demands this from man but the collectivists are at war with it. Thus their feminizing of our men today. This is not by accident. The collectivists want a neutered man; it makes their drive for world domination all the easier. What is horrifying is that large numbers of obedient men now welcome this travesty. To be forceful, unflinching and self-reliant in face of life's vicissitudes no longer appeals. Modern psychology tells us that the virile Clark Gable / Clint Eastwood persona is unhealthy for society. Dustin Hoffman is to be preferred. Softness is correct; toughness is detrimental. But this is decadence masquerading as progress.
The crucible of life demands that men strive to fulfill their natures, that they stand heroically in face of adversity, that they defend the female and family with gallantry in face of the subtleties of evil. The real man welcomes this and refuses to apologize for his toughness and masculinity, his stoic steel will. For him egalitarianism and collectivism are living death. Early in life he knows instinctively that he hates the amoeba-like image of man with which Marxian-Freudian collectivism is trying to poison his soul. He loathes what the professors in college teach him. The real man senses early on that, in the words of General MacArthur, "there is a constant conspiracy against the brave" in this world. The herd mentalities of humanity wish to neuter manliness, for it stands in their way of collectivizing the world. Thus it must be purged from our lessons to the young. The real man resolves to fight this. He chooses to be in life what in essence he must be – a warrior for truth, a rock of granite, a seeker, a builder, a hero.
Clint Eastwood has exemplified such traits all his life. The weasels dislike him, and the naked emperors try to smear him with sociobabble. But there is a strain of man out there that knows his kind are the Atlases who hold the world up, that America was exceptional because she unleashed such men to climb as tall as they could dream. What we need so desperately today is for these kind of men to rise up and show massive disrespect toward the despots of Washington. Hoorah for Clint Eastwood.
[Nelson Hultberg is a freelance writer in Dallas, Texas and serves as the Director of Americans for a Free Republic, www.afr.org, an educational organization founded to promote sound money and fair taxation. Mr. Hultberg's articles have appeared in publications such as The Dallas Morning News, The American Conservative, The Freeman and Liberty and on numerous Internet sites such as The Daily Bell, Financial Sense Online and Safe Haven. He is the author of a forthcoming book, The Golden Mean: Libertarian Politics, Conservative Values.]
We supported Chick-Fil-A when Cathy stood up against the liberal Marxists gay manifesto. It’s time to do the same for Clint Eastwwod. When he has a new movie coming out we should all go to see it to pay back his standing up against the evil Left. Sure he may have rambled at times but who wouldn’t at 82?
“Trouble with the Curve” due out in September.
Resonates with me inasmuch as I lost my cool yesterday while defending Palin to a client of mine who mockingly said while discussing politics "well at least you guys have Sarah Palin!"
I asked her what she disliked about Palin and she said "everything you read and hear about her...."
I about exploded when pointing out that the MSM is biased against any political conservative to say the least and I could hardly get her to admit that.
Even though this client of mine loves to hunt and fish she claimed, turns out she was on permanent disability (go figure, this explains her political affiliation: entitlement mentality) and had met with Obama personally to discuss Health insurance.
Turns my stomach. I don't typically discuss politics while on the boat but if somebody brings it up you can bet I'm not going to smile and say anything kind about our enslavers. I say bring it on!
This single act of political performance art, without notes or teleprompter, will have a greater impact in 2012 than the SNL skit of Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin...go ahead, make my day.
Thanks for posting the link - great, great essay. So many good points.
Aye, Matt. The very one.
I haven't heard. What did he do, cut his pubic hair to ridicule the President's last name? Make a movie where he gets assassinated? No? Oh, wait....
Gruffness has a place in this world, as does strong, silent and deep.
Replacing emasculated men with macho, loud women does neither any good, but nature abhors a vacuum.
Over the course of my life, it has really struck me that women now fall into two basic camps: the I-can-do-anything-a-man-can type and even more of a sex toy trophy American stick insect.
I think it’s sad, disconcerting and downright disgusting.
I don’t appreciate Svengalis, either, but the compelling masculinity of a man who knows who he is and what he believes draws others to him as a leader. Men and women alike, unless the women want to BE who he is.
LOL! Not in NYC though. Or............maybe if they want to ignore hizonor mr, bloomberg’s edict about evil guns.
Helping keep mankind warm for 65 years.
Excellent take here by the author. The contrast of Eastwood with our emasculated culture is poignant. That the Left is countering with Eva Longoria and Sandra "are your condoms are belong to me" Fluke is telling.
But on your standing and cheering: this sounds like a vigorous, even strenuous activity, and such, should in an abundance of caution be regarded as potentially dangerous. I trust you were wearing a helmet for safety.
Thanks, TM.
w, A Must Read....
Somehow, your post reminds me of the adage about frogs wishing they had wings so they wouldn't bust their ass when they jumped up and then fell back as they tried to fly.
Something about relevancy...context...relationship of comment to original post...
More and More I am thinking Clint Eastwood’s 12 minute talk was a watershed moment. A time when the Emperor was shown to be naked. It was blunt and true. “You got to let him go.” That might have been the abrupt end of Obama. Even if Obama wins—he is gone from power. Yes, it was disrespectful—but it was an earned disrespect. The Truth, as Sam Houston (a great American and Texan) observed, Burns, but burns clean.
I firmly believe that if the hard news media was truly
objective then Obama’s ‘positives’ would be in the low
twenties which reflects the percentage of those who
consider themselves liberal. Unfortunately the education
system in the US provides the basis for the liberal slant
and the news media provides the daily re-enforcement.
E. Merrill Root wrote, "I would ask you again to dream and dare, and thus to ride again the stallion of manhood whose back is known only by those who with a brave heart grasp the mane of life and ride bareback and shouting even in God's thunderstorm."
I don’t have much new to add to what has been said here in this post and the responses that follow, except to join the chorus thanking you for posting this. Fine article about a truly fine moment, a defining moment, from Clint.
He nails it: The liberals think we are supposed to love Communism and cheer for it, but, instead, we denounce it and that scares them. Men must stand and never cower. I didn’t lose my firearms in a boating accident, they’re right here, right next to my voter registration card!
There is supposed to be a new Eastwood movie, one about a minor league baseball owner’s daugther taking over ownership of the team coming out soon.
“There was a time when men were afraid that somebody would reveal some secret of theirs that was unknown to their fellows. Nowadays they’re afraid that somebody will name what everybody knows.” Ayn Rand
You’re correct. Here’s what I posted yesterday on the media and academia:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2925663/posts?page=35#35
my friend calls his a murse short for man-purse and you are right about that.
A month ago there was major unrest in the downtown area adjacent to where he worked and even though handguns are banned in this city he decided to arm himself.
Nothing developed and after a week the danger was over so he carried on with his life.
Standing in line at the main Federal bank in downtown and next in line at the teller, he reached inside to remove his deposit slip only to discover his fully loaded and cocked, locked and ready-to-rock handgun - he said he came out of that bank looking like Moses coming down from the mountain.
Lurking’
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.