Posted on 04/16/2003 4:03:56 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
ABC's Peter Jennings sees an ominous new threat in the world. Not weapons of mass destruction or terrorism, but another vast right-wing conspiracy at home, specifically, the supposedly "well organized and aggressive efforts to make life very difficult for celebrities who speak out against the war."
Jennings ended Tuesday's World News Tonight with this plug for Wednesday's show: "That is our report on World News Tonight. Tomorrow on the broadcast, the well organized and aggressive efforts to make life very difficult for celebrities who speak out against the war. I'm Peter Jennings. Have a good evening, and good night."
I can't wait to hear how all the celebrities who were regularly appearing on cable news before the war were suppressed. And if people choose not to watch their shows or buy their CDs, that's the free market and the public just expressing its disagreement with their views.
Apparently Jennings doesn't consider it newsworthy to examine how celebrities erroneously predicted disastrous events would result from the war or whether some owe an apology, like Janeane Garofalo who promised that she'd admit it if she were proven wrong. (See item #7 below for more on Garofalo.)
That's probably because he too would have to admit that he was wrong.
Jennings' agenda is probably inspired by some recent whining from actor Tim Robbins, who was Tuesday's luncheon speaker at the National Press Club. On Monday's Today show, prompted by the Baseball Hall of Fame cancelling an appearance by him, Robbins contended that the message is that "if you would disagree with this administration you can and will be punished."
MRC analyst Geoffrey Dickens caught how on the April 14 Today Matt Lauer tossed up a bunch of softballs to Robbins, who used Baseball Hall of Fame President Dale Petroskey's decision to cancel an event marking the 15th anniversary of the movie Bull Durham in which Robbins starred, as an excuse to spout off about how he's being oppressed.
Robbins charged: "He basically says that if you do not agree with this President you don't have the right to this particular forum. You do not have the right to come to Cooperstown. Which is a very punitive and, and aggressive kind of way of dealing with the situation....And by doing it in the public way he did, by sending it to the AP at the same time he's sending it to me he's trying to, he's trying to send a message out which is basically, if you would disagree with this administration you can and will be punished."
Robbins echoed himself: "We're sending out messages to the public on an almost daily basis that they have no right to protest against this President." Matt Lauer cued up Robbins: "So when the Dixie Chicks say, 'I'm embarrassed by President Bush being from Texas,' radio stations pull their music and people stomp on their CDs." Robbins spun a conspiracy tale: "But let's not forget the connection between Clear Channel or the Bush administration or the connection between Petroskey and the Reagan administration and prominent Republicans that he's worked for including Elizabeth Dole. This is, this is an endemic problem and it's a terrible situation, a terrible message to be sending out."
If Robbins fears Elizabeth Dole, about as mushy a moderate as you can find, he really has insecurity issues.
Lauer tossed Robbins another softball pitch: "How did this climate get created, in your opinion?" Robbins: "We are fighting, we are fighting for freedom for the Iraqi people right now, so that they can have the freedom of speech, yet we are telling our own citizens that they have to be quiet at home, that they have to acquiesce to this president in a time of war. And he said, okay, he said, 'This war will be lasting a long, long time.' So when can we disagree with him?" Lauer finally challenged him: "You, you've said in the past you think this is a war based largely on oil. When, when you see the scenes of people celebrating in the streets of Baghdad and tearing down statues, does it change your opinion as to our need to go in there at all?" Robbins is still unmoved: "No, I am ecstatic that they feel this freedom. I hope that they, that we have the resolve to, to get in there and make it work. So far we've lost our focus on Afghanistan, it seems to me. And, and we have a terrible track record as far as our military leading to democracy. Look at Panama, look at Nicaragua. It's not, it's not in our best interest for some reason to keep it going."
Back for a second round after the 8:25am local news break, Lauer re-cued Robbins for his spiel: "What do you think about the climate we're living in right now where the Dixie Chicks records are pulled, where Madonna pulls a music video because she's afraid that people will misinterpret as anti-war, anti-troops?" Robbins: "Yeah, well it's, it's kind of scary. It's kind of scary because not, not because of me or Susan or, you know, the, her United Way thing being cancelled or the Baseball Hall of Fame. Those things are in, in the radar, we get, we get to talk about them, we get to discuss them and we get to, you know call Dale Petroskey to the, to the carpet on, on his actions. What, across the country this kind of stuff is happening on a daily basis. We were just down in Florida this weekend at a family reunion and almost everyone I talked to was telling me about something in a school, in a local district, that is not being reported, about, you know kids being intimidated for anti-war views, people being suspended for wearing peace signs. An event cancelled because they chose to pray for Iraqi civilians that were killed. Really crazy stuff. A disc, one of these, a talk radio person in the South calling for the murder of Hollywood celeb, a particular Hollywood celebrity. Crazy stuff. What is going on here?" Lauer: "You mention timing. I mean it seems as if the rules is if troops are engaged do not criticize." Robbins: "We will have troops engaged and we have had troops engaged for the last 20 years somewhere in the world. It's not, you can't go on that, on that basis. This war, according to the President, is going to last a very long time. Do we cancel the next election because we can't criticize this guy? Why, why are they so concerned? Why can't they engage in the debate of it? Don't they have points that they have to, that they can make. I mean the problem is we are dealing with a, with a situation where people are, are abdicating their First Amendment rights in fear. This is not what we, what this country is built on. We, we are supposed to be able to vigorously talk about issues and debate subjects."
How exactly are you being silenced when the most-watched national morning television show gives you a platform?
For a picture of Robbins and a rundown of his film roles, check the page for him on the Internet Movie Database: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Robbins,+Tim
Too bad ABC doesn't see jennings as the ominous threat to their ratings that he is. He's insignificant, just like the hollywierd pond scum he purports to "protect" with his compassionate story about how they are being SO mistreated. I wonder if being insignificant isn't what these idiots are all upset about - they can't stand not being celebrities in any field of endeavor, even those outside of entertainment for which they have less than no qualifications!
All Americans, even hollywierd pond scum, have freedom of speech just like I have freedom to stay away from their movies, and that's what I'm going to do (just like I stay away from ABC news), on my own volition, not because of any organized effort!!
Well, Peter, when they speak against the war, they make life difficult for the soldiers, their families, those who support freedom for Iraqis, and those who support the administration. Seems like fair play to me.
A great point, and totally opposite of the stance the same morons take regarding the 2nd Amendment. Not only is every gun-owner, gun-maker, gun-seller, and gun-user automatically guilty for virtually every crime in America, but their right that "shall not be infringed" must be erased from the Constitution entirely because of their supposed guilt!
Seriously, though...the ratings drop at ABC, the Dixie Chicks/Garafolo/Sarandon/Robbins backlash and dropoff in sales hasn't been caused by a specific call for boycott (a la Jesse Jackson in his shakedown efforts). This phenomenon differs tremendously from the lettuce and Campbell's soup boycotts of old, in that it has been spontaneous and unguided. In short, free-thinking Americans are individually deciding that their support of these people only serves to create the pedestal from which these Hollywood types are preaching. By withdrawing support, every-day Americans are practicing the very free-speech ideals that the Hollywood elite so cherish.
As we have learned in the campaign finance debate: money equals free speech. The more money and access you have to the airwaves, the more that your point-of-view can be broadcast.
So, take away their "celebrity" status, and no one will look to them for their opinion. Why should I be forced to support their work if I disagree with their opinion. Can't I have freedom of speech, too?
I expect Peter Jennings will be criticizing the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world the next time they stage an organized boycott.
It's as simple as this Peter: don't use the celebrity status created by the public's money as a platform to disseminate your leftwing opinions. You do that and people WILL respond the way they have. I mean, boycotting is a leftwing thing, isn't it, Peter? Don't like it much when people use it to send a message to you and your ilk!
Well organized?!?!
Who has organized ABC's rating decline? Rush Limbaugh didn't call me and tell me to switch the station.
Earth to Peter: not all of us are sheep--some of us might just listen to a news source if we don't like your editorializing.
Not at all. Free speech is the right to say what you want without being arrested, imprisoned or tortured by the government for your speech.
It does not mean that people who object to your opinions may not exercise their rights to speak and even “peaceably assemble” (remember that?) and urge their fellow citizens to shun you and your products.
Free speech applies to everybody: the protestor and those that protest the protester.
Tim Robbins Inc. -- all the Hollyweird-ites tossed into one pile -- is complaining that their Freedom of Speech rights are being violated. I ask . . . How? They get wall-to-wall coverage without making much of an effort and those of us who disagree with their BS have to work our tails off to hold them accountable. Robbins Inc. is just pissed off because the internet has given conservatives a tool to do the same thing to them that they've always done to conservative activists via the liberal newspapers, magazines, and TV news.
I didn't see Robbins Inc. coming to Charlton Heston's aid through the years. Or John Wayne's during the Vietnam War. Robbins Inc. has what I call "SELECTIVE OUTRAGE" and the majority of the American people see them for what they are . . . elitist jackasses who think they're the only enlightened species in the Northern Hemisphere.
Perhaps Jennings and Robbins Inc. hasn't realized it yet but the internet is the great equalizer and we're not taking their BS any longer!
In fact, it is a Marxist propaganda magazine.
I've heard that they are not married, just shacking up together like so many of the Hollyweirdos do. He doesn't even have enough conviction to marry the bi*ch but he has enough to critize America. These people just don't have a clue.
Profound and succinctly stated.
This misguided viewpoint has already been addressed by several posts in this thread. The right to free speech does not translate to the unlimited 'right' to say whatever you want, no matter how ill-informed, inflammatory, or offensive, without being subject to the negative consequences that naturally arise from what you say. Liberals like Robbins want some sort of guaranteed personal immunity from the negative consequences of their foolish and arrogant statements. No such thing exists for any of us, no matter what walk of life we are in. Robbins is an actor whose livelihood depends on his talent and his box office appeal. Therefore he is in a highly vulnerable position which due to its very nature is dramatically affected by public approval or disapproval. When you stop to consider this, then you must conclude that if he has even a modicum of common sense he would know to keep his political views to himself, especially if he holds views that are wildly at odds with the majority of the people who pay to see his movies. It is the nature of the industry he chose to be a part of. People don't care what he thinks about politics, and they don't pay money to hear his radical views. But, like many actors and celebrities these days, he just can't resist the urge to pontificate, regardless how ill-informed and disconnected from reality his views are. It seems like celebrities come to a point in their careers and their thinking where they honestly believe that it's time to "do more" and somehow elevate themselves above mere actor/celeb status and show the world how "wise" they truly are. Well, there are risks with that, and those risks are not at the hands of the administration or the government, but rather are simply in the court of public opinion. Private citizens and individuals have every right to (a) disagree with what someone else says, and (b) express their disagreement by refusing to patronize that person's business, or buy their products, etc. I would point out that this is not something vindictive, either - this is just a normal reaction that comes right from the gut. It's just cause and effect. If Robbins want an exemption from that dynamic of human existence, then he'd better think seriously about becoming a hermit for the rest of his life.
Must have been a chill wind.
You've hit on something here - the undercurrent of "eliteism" that infects those on the left. We (the unwashed masses) just don't have the intellect to handle unbridled freedom, you see. (Ironic isn't it - when this view is promilgated by the likes of Peter Jennings - a HS dropout)
We can match Tim Robbins view of a "chilling effect" in the land. Our chilling effect will occur if and when the left resumes control of all branches of government. The first thing to happen will be the restoration of the mis-named "Fairness Doctrine" - which will be the death knell of talk (alternative) radio.
I'll wager Mr. Robbins that our "chilling effect" will occur before his.
I don't know where Tim was, but his shack-up, Susan Saranwrap, was one of the celebrities that participated in "Stop Dr Laura." Hypocrites.
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.