Stars turn backs on America's troops in Iraq

Guardian ^ | December 24, 2005 | Jamie Wilson

[West Coast Conservative]

During world war two American troops away from home for Christmas were entertained by Marlene Dietrich, Bing Crosby and the Marx Brothers. Even in Vietnam Bob Hope was guaranteed to put in an appearance. But soldiers in Iraq are more likely to get a show from a Christian hip-hop group, a country singer you have probably never heard of and two cheerleaders for the Dallas Cowboys.

Just as the seemingly intractable nature of the war has led to a growing recruitment crisis, so the United Services Organisation, which has been putting on shows for the troops since the second world war, is struggling to get celebrities to sign up for even a short tour of duty.

It is a far cry from the days following the September 11 2001 attacks, when some of the biggest names in show business, from Jennifer Lopez to Brad Pitt, rallied to the cause. "After 9/11 we couldn't have had enough airplanes for the people who were volunteering to go," Wayne Newton, the Las Vegas crooner who succeeded Bob Hope as head of USO's talent recruiting effort, told USA Today. "Now with 9/11 being as far removed as it is, the war being up one day and down the next, it becomes increasingly difficult to get people to go."

Newton said many celebrities have been wary of going because they think it might be seen that they are endorsing the war. "And I say it's not. I tell them these men and women are over there because our country sent them, and we have the absolute necessity to try to bring them as much happiness as we can."

[solitas]

Neat trick. I always wondered how to code that effect.

[durasell]

We're not disagreeing that much. Yes, once you make it in many lines of work you have more latitude in regards to behavior. However, the art world tends to indulge that behavior to a greater degree.

But yes, you have to deliver the work. The people I listed are extraordinarily disciplined when it comes to their work, it's other facets of their life that cause the mischief.

What I was not saying is that being a flake is a requirement for talent.

[goldstategop]

Who cares? The Hollywood Left was more concerned over the fate of a murderous gangbanger than they are over what our troops are doing in Iraq. I wouldn't wish these people to appear at my funeral. They have no sense of right and wrong and they're ignorant about patriotism. Our celebrities, contra John Kerry, are far from being the "heart and soul of America." They're the representatives of all that is benighted and soulless in our culture.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[oxcart]

From the article; "Some of the entertainers still willing to travel are die-hard true believers - rock musician Ted Nugent carried a Glock handgun to shows in Iraq last year and said in a radio interview that he manned a machine gun on a Humvee."

Ted is the man! He is the Antichrist for libs.

He has done the tv/reality show wanted;

http://www.tednugent.com/oln.shtml

And his hunting show Spirit of the Wild would drive any lib nuts if forced to watch it;

http://www.tednugent.com/spiritTV/index.shtml

Rock on Ted!

God Bless our Troops and Merry Christmas to all.

[gc4nra]

Maybe her! http://www.chely.com/

[rasblue]

I'm pretty sure Chuck Norris would go to Iraq for the USO also.

[M. Espinola]

Actor Pat O'Brien (in front of microphone) and group sing for troops in India, June 1944

Bob Hope chats with Sailors after a show on one of his USO tours in 1943.

[devolve]

Which "effect" do you want to use?

No HTML tag "marquee effect" (scrolling) on FR now

But there are many "scrolling" options you can create for websites; emails, and newsites -

I use a type of animated .gif that is not hard to do if you give it a shot and experiment - the other effects I add at a few other graphic toolsites.

I'm doing this with a circa 200 RCA 56K dialup WebTV "Plus" (MSN/MSFT-MSN-TV now) and online graphics toolsites

No hard drive or graphics software programs.

Tell me which type of animation effect you want
- I'll tell you how and where to do it.

[solitas]

No - just superimposing a transparent-background GIF on an image. Most websites you look at are rather cryptic but a posting page is rather straightforward (except for all the <div>'s) so I could see how you did it.

[devolve]

I use existing .gifs, .gifs I modify, split .gifs (such as banners or headers I put together and post just one alone or "stack them"), and table background graphics.

Table background graphics allow you to instantly locate existing images (&/or text) line-by-line on a larger image or bgcolor to fit a specific thread topic or message.

One large existing image uses lots more bandwith and is limited to its original design - unless you have one you can superimpose smaller images on them or use them with images that just seem to fit the thread or previous posts on a thread.

There is a current "Bush accused of being Dirty Harry" thread if you search for the thread title or keywords:

President Bush Is Dirty Harry

I had just modified an existing "Colt Walker" animated .gif - made it wider and higher - and added text - "Go Ahead" "Make My Day" the day before the FR thread was posted.

I used a table background - bgcolor='black' (or #000000) - and my older (modified) "GW2.gif" of President Bush playing the "air guitar" above my new "MakeMyDay.gif"

My post:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1546618/posts?page=46#46

Enter the above post URL here in this toolsite:

http://wtv-zone.com/experthtml/wtv-zone/index.cgi

Then find my post #46 (I would use ge=46 on my WebTV keyboard's "Find" key/window option to locate "page=46" on the FR thread webpage HTML)

Then look between (div) and (/div) above "page=46" for "devolve"

Then you can see my exact HTML code and tags and links

I use transparent .gifs as "spacers" - my "Cl.gif" to help exactly locate .gifs and text

I also use these (close up the characters):

& n b s p ;

To move images &/or text left or right one (1) pixel

WebTV cannot view "properties" or "Save-As" to a hard drive - so we use "work-around" tricks & tools developed usually by WebTV/MSN-TV users themselves

I usually image-link audio URLs to the graphic or in this case - right next to a "limited-loop" animated .gif - which should reanimate the .gif - as most revolvers are six shot handguns - I set the loops to six - the same as you can set webpage autostart/bgsound audios loop='9'

I linked a "Dirty Harry" .wav that had the exact words the previous poster had used - plus some of the "Dirty Harry" movie theme music.

My graphics or webpages are often like a short 10-30 second TV commercial of Clara Peller yelling "Where's the beef?" to sell a hamburger franchise (and later used embarrass a democrat running for President who used it - and it backfired on him)

In fact I have a LOUD Clara Peller "Where's the beef" on my WebTV "Signature" as an "autostart" audio.

I am told it scares small dogs and unwary PC users opening my email to them.

The Free Republic "Canteen" threads are loaded with table background graphics.

A table background is just like a checkerboard - you locate images &/or text in precise areas in lines.

I have a huge file of graphics and audios - and am always making more
I usually resize and crop images to fit quickly on a webpage or newsite post - often making 2-3 sizes of the same exact .gif

I also save previous or pre-made graphics and adapt them to quckly fit a thread topic

This post is image-linked to a mini-page:

Both my post and the webpage have table background graphics:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1546527/posts?page=92#92

I use more combined images now on .gifs as it is much faster to post on FR, webpages, emails

The problems with animated graphics is that it is neccessary to keep the file size as low as possible yet not cut image quality beyond a reasonable compromise

Lots of FReepers and lurkers on 56K dialup PCs or laptops &/or WebTVs like mine

Everyone does not have lightspeed connections

I figure if My dinky circa 2000 dialup WebTV "Plus" can load it - everyone else should do as well or much better

I picked this up from tutorial websites and from viewing the webpage code scripts of various types of websites -

From generic websites to Joe Wilson's silly website that John Kerry hosted and paid for

Start with one (1) simple:

(html)
(center)

(table background='?URL' bgcolor='?' width='544' height='380 or ?' border='0')(tr)(td)

(center)

(img src='http://?.photobucket.com/albums/?/account username/.gif' border='0')

(/td)(/tr)(/table)

(/center)
(/html)

That will center any .gif or .jpg or text in the center or the page - halfway down

That is a start

Use spacers or (td align='center' valign='middle') to locate .gifs where you want them

The less code used the better

Software programs usually use mouch more useless repeated code than is required

Keep it simple

Then add a 2nd image above or beside or below the first image

Think of chess pieces on a chessboard

Draw up a rough design on a legal pad or graph paper at first if you need to

It's simple "plane geometry" and some math

But what do I know

"You cannot do that on a WebTV!" some at MSN told me

But I run two large TVs as web monitors instead of one for PIP (or full screen - or not) on two channels using both DirecTV satellite and antenna feeds (always have backup systems)

Right now my left side TV is watching a movie "A Christmas Story" ["You'll shoot your eye out!"] on full screen and my right TV is writing this post with TV - FNC is "PIP" in the right lower corner - using a huge vintage stereo Marantz receieve/tuner/amp and stereo surround speakers

Otherwise I watch the Super Bowl and NASCAR at the same time I am surfing or on FR or making webpages

Slower connection times than a PC with more memory and faster web IPs - but no viruses, no email viruses or bugs or worms, no firewalls, no "scanning" for junk, no "popups" ever, no software to buy or update, no hardware failures to waste my time

Also no tiny PC screens and keyboards wired to a desk PC

A wireless keyboard gives you lots of options and freedom and also controls your TV channels and volume - It also helps keep your beer and nachos off of ("very" - per Mark Twain) expensive PC hardware

WebTV also lets you see your last channels and the current channel you are watching all at once - handy

You can email or post HTML and codes and links and URLs if you use (XMP) [post or webpage content here] (/XMP)

But FReepmail will delete any (br) &/or (p) tags if you send them - but not the other tags or URLs or links

[Semper Paratus]

I want these unpatriotic cowards called out.

[Timeout]

I thought they support the troops?

In reality, they only support them in coffins, wounded, or the ones who whine that they were lied to by their recruiters, or who complain that they only joined the guard for the college benefits. As for the soldiers who actually KILL terrorists...well, they're just brutish, macho, homophobic, redneck thugs.

And...as to the "celebrities"...let me make this perfectly clear:

I AM QUESTIONING YOUR PATRIOTISM! --- Deal with it.

[NewLand]

I AM QUESTIONING YOUR PATRIOTISM!

There is no question about the real answer...

[hershey]

Hmm, I guess this means Barbra and Gwyneth are noshows. Johnny Depp, too.

[solitas]

Thanks for the information - my posts never get so fancy. :)

"A Christmas Story" ["You'll shoot your eye out!"]

For you:
http://www.starz.com/features/christmasstory/
http://www.angryalien.com/

[TommyDale]

Is there a list of those entertainers who are supporting troops, and a list who refuse to help? That might prove interesting in a year when movie attendance, TV viewing and music sales are all down. Just publish the lists and let people support who they want. Boycott the commies into oblivion.

[not2worry]

Add Toby Keith and Ted Nugent too!

[Deb]

One of the most distressing things about how Hollywood has abandoned all patriotism or sympathy for our soldiers, is that the USO actually allows Al Franken to tour the Iraqi and Afghanistan bases, where he tells a few jokes and then informs the guys that they "were lied into the war" they're fighting. He bragged about this recently on C-SPAN and I still can't believe it.

[eddie willers]

He bragged about this recently on C-SPAN and I still can't believe it.

Wow.....a regular Jimmy Stewart.

[Howlin]

During world war two...

no need to read any further...