Posted on 06/18/2010 6:56:29 AM PDT by rhema
In a famous scene from the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night, a reporter asks Ringo Starr whether he's a Mod or a Rocker. Starr answers, "I'm a mocker."
Apparently, so is Paul McCartney.
To be fair, nobody ever called McCartney the Smart Beatle. (That was John Lennon.) But nobody ever called him the Stupid Beatle either (that was Ringo), not even when he behaved like one (filming Give My Regards to Broad Street, marrying Heather Mills).
But when he took the occasion of accepting the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song to insult George W. Bush"After the last eight years," McCartney said in a quip heard 'round the world, "it's great to have a president who knows what a library is"one couldn't help wondering whether the Cute Beatle's decades of smoking marijuana and not eating meat had taken a toll on his brain.
"There are many things of which Bush may be fairly accused," blogged the Washington Post's Charles Lane. "[But] those who smugly deride his ostensible ignorance often inadvertently demonstrate their own." Lane went on to point out that Bush, besides marrying a librarian, had made increased library funding a top priority as both the governor of Texas and the president.
Of course, neither marriage nor money makes one a bookworm. Reading, however, does. "Mr. Bush's 2006 reading list shows his literary tastes," wrote Karl Rove in a 2008 editorial. "Fifty-eight of the books he read that year were nonfiction. Nearly half of his 2006 reading was history and biography, with another eight volumes on current events . . . and six on sports."
Rove should know: Besides being Bush's deputy chief of staff, he competed with him twice in year-long reading contests. Bush lost the first one 110 to 95, in part because the Bible only counted as one book. His other excuse, wrote Rove, was that "he'd been busy as Leader of the Free World."
Therefore, McCartney was not merely wrong but egregiously so. Unfortunately, among rock stars such cluelessness gushes forth like BP oil.
On the same day that McCartney mocked Bush, the band Los Lobosfour of whose five members are of Mexican descentannounced it was canceling its June 10 performance at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. The reason: the recent passing into law of Arizona's anti-illegal-immigration Senate Bill 1070.
"The new law," read Los Lobos' statement, "will inevitably lead to unfair racial profiling and possible abuse of people who just happen to look Latino. As a result, in good conscience, we could not see ourselves performing in Arizona."
Los Lobos' twinges of conscience followed hard on the heels of similar ones recently suffered by Elvis Costello. "It is a matter of instinct and conscience," wrote the bespectacled singer-songwriter in defense of his decision to cancel two concerts in Israel. The cancellations, he said, were his way of respecting the "sensitivity" of Palestinians "in the wake of so many despicable acts of [Israeli] violence perpetrated in the name of liberation."
Perhaps, like Helen Thomas, Costello would like to see Israel's Jews "go home" to the very countries in which they were once threatened with becoming (to quote the title of an old song of his) "Pills and Soap." And perhaps Los Lobos really does think Arizona police are now authorized to abuse people who "look Latino" the way the Gestapo once abused, well, Jews.
But it seems more likely that they're simply not thinking very hard. Until they do, they should probably quit making like Paul McCartney and start making like George Harrisonthe Quiet Beatle.
“The quiet Beatle...” OUCH! lol
paul should be more worried about what is happening in his own country before he bad mouthes anyone in this one....
Entertainers are not paid to think. Consequently, they are not very good at it.
Anyone who looks to pop stars for political guidance has serious problems, anyway. Nor do I ask the landscape guy who does my yard for medical advice.
Hey, Elvis. Who constantly breaks the cease fires, hmm?
Ya freak'n limey doosh.
Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders in London some years back:
“Are we at war yet? Bring it on, I hope the Muslims win!
Down with the economic (excrement) this country represents!”
This group has always been on my contempt list. Finally the veil is being removed. They added to the culture in a negative way. I have nothing to say positive about them.
Paul McCartney is an over-rated idiot. I saw James Taylor and Carol King at the Garden the other night. They came of age during the hippie days. There was no political commentary from either of them (not one word about he gulf, save the whale, bush is an idiot, obama is wonderful — nothing). They just did what they do best - perform. IMO, McCartney doesn’t even come close to the song writing genious of James Taylor.
Given the Mohamhead hatred of music, rock music in particular, and the Mohamhead hatred of the lifestyle of the typical rock musician, they will be among the first to be lined up in front of the trenches with their heads for target practice, either by scimitar or by rifle.
To call such fools “useful idiots” is too kind.
GWB? An Icon to the leftists and muslims. THEY dont want the world to forget about the only man who acted against the muslim assailants and prospective ones.
Possibly the last of the great presidents of the US of A. Hopey (hopey change) not!
That other world? VERY lucky that GWB didn’t lash out with traditional war.perhaps he should have instead of suffering these wars of attrition. Tooo much of a measured response!
Ringo is the "mocker" and Paul is the "rod."
And no, I won't explain why on a family friendly forum.
The Liberal world is full of Forrest Gumps!
It would be interesting if someone asked McCartney how many books he’s read lately. I’ll bet probably read more books in one year of his presidency than McCartney’s read in his lifetime.
Exactly, how good would you look in a burkha, Chrissie...
He says, “Hello.” I say, “Goodbye.”
Are we at war yet? Bring it on, I hope the Muslims win!”
I had to laugh. At our local Peets coffee shop, there’s an absolutely stunning young lass who’s in her very early 20s. Friendly, bubbly, always a joy to see when caffeine deprived.
However, it was only recently she finally took the “Obama ‘08” campaign pin off of her apron. (I wonder what took her so long?)
But the real corker was when she was invited to a Ramadan feast, which she breathlessly had to review to everybody who came in the next day. She went on and on about how wondeful the food was, and how great the people were, summing up the whole experience with “I want to be a Muslim!”
I briefly considered explaining what the role of women are under Sharia law, but didn’t after second thought. After all, isn’t life for learning? I wouldn’t want to deprive her of any education...
I LOL'd too -- then I realized just how very quiet he is now....
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.