Ray Bradbury Hates Big Government

The Los Angeles Times ^ | 8/16/2010 | Bob Chamberlin

[GraceG]

Ray Bradbury is mad at President Obama, but it's not about the economy, the war or the plan to a construct a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City.

“He should be announcing that we should go back to the moon,” says the iconic author, whose 90th birthday on Aug. 22 will be marked in Los Angeles with more than week's worth of Bradbury film and TV screenings, tributes and other events. “We should never have left there. We should go to the moon and prepare a base to fire a rocket off to Mars and then go to Mars and colonize Mars. Then when we do that, we will live forever."

The man who wrote "Fahrenheit 451," "Something Wicked This Way Comes," "The Martian Chronicles," "Dandelion Wine"and "The Illustrated Man" has been called one of America's great dreamers, but his imagination takes him to some dark places when it comes to contemporary politics.

“I think our country is in need of a revolution,” Bradbury said. “There is too much government today. We've got to remember the government should be by the people, of the people and for the people.”

[GraceG]

I agree with Ray, the money is better spent on starting colonization than on hand out programs to idiots. Any colony buildingh effort will help lift up people, where just handing people money will make them idiots.

[Darkwolf377]

Already posted but so what? Bradbury is awesome.

The replies on the site show the inability of people to read what’s been written. There is no contradiction between Bradbury wanting a government that’s more responsive to the will of the people AND wanting humanity to go to back into space.

[wmileo]

I respect Ray Bradbury and have read more than one of his stories(The Gift of the Magi and The Ransom of Red Chief, Fahrenheit 451, Martian Chronicles ) when I was a teenager.

However there are more important issues creeping up on the American stage than going to the moon. OBAMA has bankrupted the country to the point that we may not be able to sustain ourselves much longer.

[P.O.E.]

Watching Fahrenheit 451 on TCM a while back, was struck by how much of the dystopia is already here.

Talk shows on huge TV screens admonishing us to be tolerant of those different from us, while outside the walls knowledge is being destroyed at a frightening pace.

[kbennkc]

Bradbury is awesome.

Agreed, however sometimes a little Fahrenheit 451 is just good house keeping.

Just some guy in the neighborhood.

[wmileo]

Opps!!!
The gift of the Magi and the Ransom of red chief are from O’Henry. My mistake.

[EDINVA]

Actually, ramping up the space program would be an economic stimulus. And money far better spent than on the deadbeats who suck up so much of the budget with ‘entitlements.’ Until we get ‘entitlements’ under control we are just throwing away what was the American wealth.

[Darkwolf377]

Ha Ha!!!!

I barely know the guy whose house was where I started my political career! How dare you suggest I might have met him, all I did was hang in his living room!

[NMR Guy]

“We have too many cellphones. We've got too many Internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now.”

“I was approached three times during the last year by Internet companies wanting to put my books" on an electronic reading device, he said. "I said to Yahoo, 'Prick up your ears and go to hell.' "

"And get off my lawn!"

[jboot]

Oookay, Ray is pi**ed at Zero. Got it. Funny thing is, I seem to recall him being a huge 0bamabot back circa '08. I was so annoyed I almost tossed my signed Martian Chronicles at the time. Does anyone else recall this?

BTW, he is spot-on now, whatever he was back then.

[wmileo]

Your are right but not with this POTUS. He announce that two power nuclear plants would start being built early on in 2009 with union workers. They will take 10 years and still be under construction and over budgeted.

This guy can't get anything done that is worth doing!

But he sure can get a great deal done that wasn't.

[luvbach1]

If I’m not mistaken I think at least one of the works you mentioned was written by O. Henry (The Gift of the Magi).

[Kieri]

I agree with Ray, the money is better spent on starting colonization than on hand out programs to idiots.

You're right. So much money goes to giving poor educations to make the poor even more so, the dumb even dumber and the ignorant more dependent. When spending goes up the first things to be cut are honors courses and programs for the bright and gifted. When did our priorities get so screwed up?

And I know the answer. They have to make sure voters are dumb. Can't have smart, thinking ones, can we?

[wmileo]

Correct both Ransom of Red Chief and Gift of the Magi were written by O;Henry. I caught myself on post 7.

But to the point, Bradbury complaining about Big Government after enthusiastically supporting OBAMA on 2008 is like a guy who never watched what he eats and then complains about being 60 pounds overweight.

[BenLurkin]

“We’ve got too many Internets.”

Old Ray was in his cups perhaps?

[luvbach1]

Good point re Ray Bradbury. Great writer but apparently was fooled by the anointed one.