Posted on 02/06/2003 7:01:46 AM PST by txradioguy
Hoffman blasts Bush's war plans
Dustin Hoffman has become the latest US star to voice his opposition to war with Iraq.
Dustin Hoffman arrives for the Empire Film Awards /PA
Hoffman accused the Bush administration of "manipulating the grief of the country" after the events of September 11.
The president's real motives for going to war are power and oil, he said.
He spoke out after receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Empire Film Awards in London.
"For me as an American, the most painful aspect of this is that I believe that that administration has taken the events of 9/11 and has manipulated the grief of the country and I think that's reprehensible," he said.
"I don't think, like many of us, that the reasons we have been given for going to war are the honest reasons.
"If they are saying it's about the fact they have biological weapons and might have nuclear weapons and that gives us the liberty to pre-empt and strike because we think they might hit us, then what prevents Pakistan from attacking India, what prevents India from attacking Pakistan, what prevents us from going into North Korea?
"I believe - though I may wrong because I am no expert - that this war is about what most wars are about: hegemony, money, power and oil".
Hoffman pointed out that the US had once funded Saddam Hussein's regime even as he killed tens of thousands of Kurds. He added that he believed all politicians were incapable of telling the truth.
"If I was asked what is the most important aspect of being a politician, I would say getting re-elected. And when that's the goal, then all bets are off with the truth".
Hoffman, whatever his faults, is no dummy. He sees the publicity that other "stars" have gotten by being critical of the Bush administration and the war preparations. So, he takes advantage of a forum and spouts off provacative statements. He gets plenty of attention. Which is his ultimate goal.
You're wrong.
that this war is about what most wars are about: hegemony, money, power and oil".
As opposed to those wars about using the blood of American servicemen to cover Presidential semen stains, I suppose?
I couldn't agree more
The point that the Bush administration and the media failed to outlines is; A DEFEATED DICTATOR WITH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WILL CONSTANTLY ATTEMPT REVENGE! His regime must be taken out, to be able to reallocate the Iraqi wealth to serve the Iraqi people and not the ego of a defeated tyrant. The rest of the Moslem haters, their turn is next! Reform, or be killed! This should be done with the help of the international community, and with diplomacy of the likes of Powell!
Our friends in France, Canada, Germany, Australia, Mexico, …... must never be insulted by cowboys and neocons! I guess Bush learned to speak now without projecting the image of a bully. We must work with the our allies to show that revenge plotting by the Moslems underground MUST be eliminated. The Islamic hate and its funding must be stopped! The politically correct media, including the Bush White House should never shy away from saying ISLAMIC terrorists. Islam MUST reform, or be branded illegal. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've been a movie lover all my life, and lately these people have made it such a chore.
In an attempt to answer the question why does Hollywood seem to attract, or create so many far left views, I have a theory, and it has to do with the psychological effect related to HOW wealth is acquired. Simply put, HARD EARNED money, earned from sweat, dedication and acumen OVER TIME tends to provide the earner with more satisfaction than say, the opposite, which would be money earned relatively QUICK AND EASY.
It has now been revealed that lottery winners don't derive the happiness that we would all expect from such good fortune. Since the money is acquired from sheer luck, other family members feel they have more right to lay their own claim. The money seems to come with a great deal of guilt attached for the winners, creating the penchant to spend it unwisely. Many times misery reigns where a life of happiness is presumed.
If the inference that there is some connection between happiness with wealth and the quantity of luck involved in acquiring it, then more light can be shed on the Hollywood delemna by examining professional sports. Here is a group, just like Hollywood actors, who have found great and sudden wealth at a very young age, and have to deal with the same glare of lights and the taxing weight of fame. How many left-leaning pro sports stars can you name?Surely there are some, it's just difficult to conjure up a list of names. We could all rattle off ten or fifteen obviously socialist Hollywood stars without resorting to a google search.
So what's the difference?
There are an awful lot of talented people in Hollywood, and I don't mean to say that most of them have had not had to toil, sometimes more than a few years, but there is in my mind, a much higher component of "genetic providence" in Hollywood than in the world of athletics. To be able to hit a major league curve ball, shoot a three pointer with the accuracy of a laser, or throw a football to a perfect spot in the hands of a fleet receiver cannot be achieved without years of toil, repetitive practice, and intense determination against a whole regiment of like-minded competitors. It may not seem like it, but the achievements of pro-athletes have a high component of hard work, and almost zero parts luck. For the most part, the lefties we seem to hear from most were born into Hollywood. George Clooney and Ed Begley Jr. may indeed possess some talent, but even they must admit their good fortune at having had relatives who were already there.
It's not so much that they feel above us as they don't really feel they are LIKE us. Rich actors always have felt guilty, and the left's allure always has been good at assuaging it, providing a sense of worth through membership. The left provides the 'warm fuzzy' that cannot be acquired absent the utopian visions therein, speaking out about leftist causes obviously fills a great void, a vacuum created, I believe, by the trauma of unearned riches.
Check this out:
"I thought when they said it was the Empire awards, that they meant the British Empire giving them. So I wrote a speech, I worked on it, and then I realised it was a magazine."
He probably doesn't want the war in Iraq to spill over to neighboring Ishtar...
There is truth to what she says. Without oil, Iraq would be Ethiopia. Iraq has money to fund Saddam's palaces and weapons projects because the nation has money. Without oil money, they would be another poor nation. Without the weapons, Saddam wouldn't pose a threat. So yes we must deal with Iraq because they have oil but we do not have to deal with Saddam beacause we "want to take" his oil. We did not take the Kuwaiti oil fields either.
Look to the DC protests where the anticapitalist/antiBush protestors said that MLK Jr. is against this war (this was his son, MLK III talking) and that President Lincoln opposes this war.
The dead vote left besides, the dead have nothing to fear from nuclear, chemical, or biological attacks. They don't use oil or have to "live" under dictatorships either. Terrorism isn't a concern of theirs either. Health care. That's their hotbed issue. If only the military budget could be channeled into healthcare keeping people alive and reviving the dead...
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.