Posted on 11/04/2023 11:43:37 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Dan Gordon, the screenwriter of “The Hurricane” and “Wyatt Earp,” resigned from the Writers Guild of America on Tuesday over the guild’s silence on the Hamas attacks on Israel.
A 56-year member of the union, Gordon is also a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces. He grew up in Israel and the U.S., and holds citizenship in both countries and in Canada.
He wrote a letter to WGA West leadership on Tuesday saying he will elect “financial core” status. In an interview, he noted that the guild had previously taken stands in support of Black Lives Matter and the #MeToo movement, and that its refusal to condemn the Hamas attacks is “appalling.”
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Writers who opt for “fi-core” status cannot vote in WGA elections, participate in awards, or enjoy other benefits of membership. They still pay a reduced dues rate and work under the same economic terms as apply to guild members. The guild does not allow members to rejoin after they elect “fi-core” status.
The Hamas attack on Oct. 7 killed more than 1,400 people. In the days following the attack, many celebrities and entertainment industry institutions — including the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA — issued statements denouncing the attacks.
The WGA, however, opted to remain silent. In a lengthy apology on Tuesday, the leadership of WGA West explained that they drew a distinction between domestic social justice issues — which they have spoken out on — and international tragedies, which they generally have not.
“We are American labor leaders, aware of our limitations and humbled by the magnitude of this conflict,” the leaders stated. “However, we understand this has caused tremendous pain and for that we are truly sorry.”
Gordon said the WGA has a moral duty to speak out.
“We’re not the union of pipefitters. We’re not the plumbers union,” he said. “We’re the Writers Guild. We stood up to McCarthyism. We stood up to fascism. It’s part of our job to bear witness.”
Some 383 writers have signed an open letter condemning the attacks and blasting the WGA for failing to issue a statement.
On the other hand, more than 300 members of the WGA, SAG-AFTRA and DGA have urged the guilds to reject pressure to issue a statement, which could be seen as endorsing Israel’s response to the attacks.
“While we fully appreciate the diversity of opinions within our guilds, we firmly believe that if our guilds release such statements, they must be rooted in a deep commitment to justice and human rights FOR ALL,” the group stated in its open letter.
The signatories opted to use initials, rather than their full names, as the organizers said they feared losing their jobs or being blacklisted for their stance.
Gordon’s letter of resignation from the WGA West follows.
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October 24, 2023
To Patrick Cannon
CC Ellen Stutzman
Notice of Objection – Election of Financial Core Status
Dear Patrick:
With great sadness I hereby resign my membership in the WGAw and elect financial core status. Accordingly, please notify me of the portion of dues owing and when it is due.
I have been a member of the Writers Guild of America west for 56 years. Lest anyone think I am no longer an active writer I will have had four feature films premiere this year including Irena’s Vow, the story of a 20-year-old Polish Catholic girl who hid twelve Jews in the basement of a German major’s house without his knowledge for almost a year during World War II. Her selfless courage and moral clarity saved them all.
On October 7th, Jewish men, women and children ranging in age from nine months to ninety years were slaughtered, raped, decapitated and burnt alive, while hiding, like Anna Frank, from ISIS-like terrorists who subscribe to a fanatical ideology no less explicit in its genocidal intent toward the Jewish people than that of Nazi Germany. This is from the Hamas covenant: “Judgement day will not come until Muslims fight Jews and kill them, when the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out ‘O Moslem, O Servant of Allah, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.’”
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What about that ideology is unclear?
The failure of the Guild’s leadership to issue even the mildest condemnation of the worst massacre of a religious minority in the Middle East since ISIS carried out similar atrocities against the Yezidis is appalling. It is corrosive to me as a writer and repugnant to every fiber of my being as a person of conscience.
I am resigning my membership not because I wish to work on non union projects nor cross any picket line, but because I no longer wish to be a fellow traveller with those who hide behind the fetid veil of a morally bankrupt wokeism and stand silent in the face of unadulterated evil.
Dan Gordon
Screenwriter – The Hurricane (Denzel Washington), Wyatt Earp (Kevin Costner), Murder in The First (Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon), Irena’s Vow (Sophie Nelisse)
"I am resigning my membership not because I wish to work on non union projects nor cross any picket line, but because I no longer wish to be a fellow traveller with those who hide behind the fetid veil of a morally bankrupt wokeism and stand silent in the face of unadulterated evil."
Meanwhile, those who "signed" the anti-Israel statement just used their initials -- they were too cowardly to put their names down. Of course, that means that there's no way to verify the count of (supposedly) more than 300 "signatories" weighing in on the side of barbarism.
“ We had no trouble, as we should not have had, weighing in after George Floyd was killed. We had no problem, as we should not have had, weighing in on the #MeToo movement.”
I think I see the problem here.
Bud, explain how McCarthy was wrong.
You aren't helping your cause.
Yeah, the guy has always been nutty.
Ignore him and his type.
McCarthy only cared about communists in the U.S. Army, not in Hollywood.
Accidental truth is best truth.
“I no longer wish to be a fellow traveller with those who hide behind the fetid veil of a morally bankrupt wokeism and stand silent in the face of unadulterated evil.”
In other words, as long as it was white people and American culture in the crosshairs, as long as it was women against men, he was fine with it.
I see no reason to accept a lie.
The leaders of Israel are responsible for instigating, encouraging and funding the terrorism against the wishes of the people of Israel.
Who are these leaders of Israel? Are they the ones spoken of in Revelation 3:9?
If the WGA was a for-profit corporation, that would be considered price fixing and a monopoly. Thank goodness for unions and other NFP's, to save us from the horrors of capitalizm!
I stand with Mr. Gordon.
Oh my. The left is splintering. Their house-of-cards is collapsing.
This is true, HUAC did look into the commies of Hollywood but McCarthy wasn’t in the House so he played no part of it.
However if you listen to the Red diaper babies you’d think he personally ran down Hollywood Bld with Bayonetta and hand grenades!
Maybe I’m being too charitable, but he didn’t just stand up for Israel — he said that he could no longer live with “the fetid veil of a morally bankrupt wokeism....” I interpret that to mean that he has had an epiphany, or has been pushed over the edge, and finally understands what he has been supporting over the years.
Given the extent of support for the woke ideology, we need to accept converts, even if they’re late, and even if there’s no real excuse for their past positions.
No, Netenyahu is not, neither is the Israli government. Some in the Israli deep state are.
The hypocrite isn't resigning from the Writers Guild of America for any other reason than he's calls himself a screen writer but 'The Hurricane' was 24 years ago and 'Wyatt Earp' was 29 years ago.
The man was done a long time ago.
As for his absurd claim that the Writers Guild of America "stood up to Fascism"; no, Hollywood has helped further its cause.
Screenwriter Dan Gordon Resigns from the Writer’s Guild Over Their Silence on Israel was the headline.
And neither have Hollywood’s Black power players condemned
the Hamas attack, despite some high pressure goading.
Knee jerk liberal, Shari Redstone, called together a slew of
Hollywood power players, including a few Blacks libs allowed in.
Redstone shared her anguish over October 7.
It was nothing short of amazing that in her “profound grief” over the attack on her beloved country of Israel, Redstone was still able to summon up riffs on diversity, inclusiveness, equality, virtue signalling, and assorted other liberal shibboleths.
Redstone’s media empire includes MTV and Comedy Central, which unceasingly
mock Christianity and spread LGBT propaganda, and other liberal America hatred.
She is one of the most powerful people in Hollywood, an observant Jew,
and a supporter of Israel, who says she’s been “reeling” since Oct. 7.
But oddly enough, Redstone still had the PC cojones to make sure
Hollywood’s Black artists were obeisant witnesses to her “grief.”
Yet, despite Redstone’s efforts, we still haven’t heard Hollywood Blacks condemn the Hamas attack.
How better to capture the arrogance and assumed superiority of the Left?
Elitists to their very core.
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