Free Republic in the News: DC Chapter Freeps Tim Robbins

CNSnews ^ | 4/16/03 | cnsnews

[FreeTheHostages]

'Human Shields' Protect Reporters from Pacifist Actor
By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Congressional Bureau Chief
April 16, 2003

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - "We're here to protect you," members of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Free Republic told reporters gathered to cover an anti-war speech by self-proclaimed pacifist and actor Tim Robbins.

"We're here to demonstrate against Tim Robbins and act as human shields for reporters in case they ask a question that Tim Robbins doesn't like and he threatens to harm them like he did Lloyd Grove of the Washington Post ," said Kristinn Taylor, co-leader of the group.

Grove wrote about Robbins' "life-partner," Susan Sarandon or, more accurately, about the fact that Sarandon's 79-year-old mother, Lenora Tomalin, is a die-hard conservative Republican who supports the war in Iraq and President Bush. During the interview, Tomalin volunteered that she believed Sarandon and Robbins had "politically brainwashed" their son, Jack Henry.

That did not sit well with Robbins.

"My 13-year-old boy, who has done nothing to anybody, has been embarrassed and humiliated by a sadistic creep who writes, or rather, scratches, his column with his fingers in the dirt," Robbins said Tuesday.

Grove reported on March 25 that he had a post-Tomalin encounter with Robbins, at a party following the Academy Awards.

"As for Robbins, we said hello to him in a crush of partygoers that included his life partner, Susan Sarandon," wrote Grove, who refers to himself in the plural in his column.

After a brief but apparently pleasant conversation, Robbins apparently recognized Grove as the author of the Tomalin report.

"You wanted to be divisive and you caused trouble in my family," Grove quoted Robbins as saying. "If you ever write about my family again, I will [expletive deleted] find you and [expletive deleted] hurt you."

Robbins did not deny the threat when asked about it Tuesday at the National Press Club.

"I'd rather not talk about the specifics of it," he said. "When someone introduces something nasty you try to just not talk about it anymore."

The actor-activist attempted to portray Grove's quoting of Sarandon's mother as an attack on his son.

"I personally think that we should lay off the children," he said. "It's not their choice that their parents are saying what they are saying. They shouldn't be vilified in the press. It's just nasty, it's not nice."

D.C. Free Republic's Taylor noted that the comment involved Sarandon's mother giving a negative assessment of the couple's parenting, not Grove "vilifying" Robbins' son.

Taylor told CNSNews.com that his group hoped their services as human shields for reporters would not be seriously needed. But they wanted to point out, "the hypocrisy of the Hollywood elite who are on the one hand demonstrating for peace yet they have a lot of violence in their hearts, as evidenced by Tim Robbins."

Robbins' complaints about an alleged backlash against those who opposed the war also seemed hypocritical to Taylor.

"People like Susan Sarandon were supporters of and participants in the 'Stop Dr. Laura' campaign to get Dr. Laura's [Schlessinger] TV show taken off the air when Paramount was syndicating it," Taylor said. "Fair play for all?"

Given the opportunity to deliver a message to Robbins, Taylor joked that he would say simply, "Please don't hit me."

Several questions were submitted by reporters to the host of the event, who read heavily edited versions of the questions to Robbins. The actor responded to each of the edited questions verbally, without any actual or threatened physical violence.

[ChuckHam]

realize he owes the Free Republic he professes to love an apology.

I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

[YankeeReb]

It was me.
I am sorry.

I served eight years in the armed forces, voted for Reagan, celebrated the winning of the cold war and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and then, I took a nap. ...

Amen, I think we all got complacent in '92 and let Juanita Broddericks accused rapist ooze into the White House. Unfortunately we're all paying for that now. Hopefully we've collectively learned from our mistake.

[Paul Ross]

Sorry to see the forum abused by those who should know better...apparently still wishing to vote against the U.S. going to war in World War II, or opposing the clear malice towards us of the Soviet Union. But perhaps this email will let us forget about the schmuckiness, with a proper observation about Robbins/Sarandon:

A Chill Wind is Blowing-from the Political left by Robert Pappas

The First Article of Amendment of the US Constitution states in part, "Congress shall make no law. abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." So, where do political liberals get the idea that their freedom of expression is being abridged? The "usual suspects" are whining loudly, indeed wringing their hands, even "lighting their hair on fire" because the American public is choosing to turn its back to them, in short, they are free to speak, and the rest of us are free to ignore them.

In an Associated Press article, Wednesday, April 16, 2003; 6:52 AM

"WASHINGTON - One casualty of the war with Iraq is the First Amendment right to oppose it, actor Tim Robbins says.

Robbins and longtime companion actress Susan Sarandon are war opponents whose scheduled appearance at baseball's Hall of Fame was canceled last week by former Reagan administration aide Dale Petroskey, now the hall's president.

"A chill wind is blowing in this nation," Robbins told a National Press Club luncheon Tuesday. "Every day the airwaves are filled with warnings, veiled and unveiled threats, spewed invective and hatred directed at any voice of dissent."

If anyone believes Robbins, Michael "Arafat" Moore and the others of their persuasion, First Amendment rights have become a casualty of the war because they opposed it. But typical of political liberals, their leftist, liberal political "spin" doesn't stand up to even the mildest scrutiny. No law prohibited them from speaking their anti-war blather. No law proscribed their right to reveal the utter ignorance and anti-Americanism they chose to express. No law dictates that they retract their words. No law stands between them and the microphone or interposes itself between their fingers and the keyboard. On this score the Constitution remains intact and it is th ey who are wrong for being vicious, hate-filled sewers of invective.

The American mainstream has at long last begun to recognize and know them for what and who they are, self-aggrandizing, pseudo-intellectual hypocrites whose ignorance is exceeded only by their wealth. They whine, "foul," when others choose to exercise their Constitutional right to ignore them. Those pathetic, half-witted, would-be policy opinion makers are so arrogant that they evidently believe that others should be forced to be in their presence and that they are entitled to be heard when most do not care to listen.

Given their expressed views, those people are not "anti-war," they are anti-America. They should do us all a favor and seek political asylum in Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan or some other garden spot, like Kenya, China, Russia, or better yet, North Korea. With the slump in air travel there are bargains to be had, and one can hope that they will avail themselves of "choice" one-way fares.

Semper Fidelis

[Paul Ross]

This guy [Robbins] never actually graduated with anything resembling a real degree, did he?

[calvin sun]

Great picture Kristinn. But I don't recall the beard. Is it new since 2001?

[2rightsleftcoast]

It says on the UCLA invitation that he was class of '82.

[Mudboy Slim]

"Grove, who refers to himself in the plural in his column."

I thought Gollum was the only dude hoo does that...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

Paraphrasin' Mr. SaranWrap...

"You wanted to be divisive and you caused trouble in my country," FReepers quoted Mudboy as saying [to Robbins], "If you ever talk about my country again, I will [expletive deleted] find you and [expletive deleted] hurt you."

Robbins is a gutless PU$$Y, imho...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

Pithy enuff fer ya?!

LOL...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

Kristinn's had the facial hair fer a good little while...MUD

[cherry_bomb88]

*shakes head* Mud, you'll just never get it, will he, big 88????

lil 88

[Mudboy Slim]

"I personally think that we should lay off the children," he said. "It's not their choice that their parents are saying what they are saying. They [children] shouldn't be vilified in the press. It's just nasty, it's not nice."

How the HECK was Robbins' kid "vilified by the press"?! Whatta MarOOOOOON...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"Robbins' complaints about an alleged backlash against those who opposed the war also seemed hypocritical to Taylor. "People like Susan Sarandon were supporters of and participants in the 'Stop Dr. Laura' campaign to get Dr. Laura's [Schlessinger] TV show taken off the air when Paramount was syndicating it," Taylor said. "Fair play for all?" Given the opportunity to deliver a message to Robbins, Taylor joked that he would say simply, "Please don't hit me."

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA...Es Perfecto, El Capitan...MUD

[Mr. Silverback]

That's telling him.

Thank you. Every once in awhile having a bad day ends up helping me uphold the cause of freedom. :-)

[Mr. Silverback]

A little history refresher course from Ann Coulter on the Achille Lauro hijacking. So, Greybird, states that welcome, harbor, fund and train these sort of thugs are not a threat to the United States?

From "AT LEAST SADDAM WASN'T AT TAILHOOK!" By Ann Coulter

In 1985, Muslim terrorists hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro and threatened to kill the passengers and crew unless 50 imprisoned Palestinians were released by Israel. The terrorists doused American and British women with gasoline and taunted them with matches. They forced passengers to hold live grenades. When their demands were not met, the terrorists shot a wheelchair-bound American, Leon Klinghoffer, and forced other passengers at gunpoint to throw him overboard in his wheelchair...

...President Reagan was briefed on the daring plan [for F-14s to intercept an Egyptair 737 carrying the Achille Lauro hijackers] -- along with copious warnings from timorous State Department officials that the Europeans might have their feelings bruised, America would look like a cowboy, and it would only strengthen the hard-liners in Egypt. Asked if the operation should proceed, Reagan said: "Good God! They've murdered an American here. Let's get on with it."

Please note that Mr. Abul Abbas and his lackeys did not harm any Americans or damage any property "in the United States" which Greybird has cited as the only reason for U.S. military action. Of course, Hitler never killed anybody on our soil or damaged any of our stuff here...maybe we should have asked him nicely to rescind his declaration of war against us in December of '41!

[FourtySeven]

Wow.....he's gotten FAT since his Shawshank days, hasn't he?

[Greybird]

So, Greybird states that [those who] welcome, harbor, fund and train these sort of thugs are not a threat to the United States?

Greybird said no such thing. Greybird said that the proper business of the U.S. military is the defense of residents and their property within the United States. (I might extend that to international waters.)

Push this to mobilizing the military about hijackings or other heinous mayhem in other nations, or their territorial waters, and you have no logical stopping point. I don't believe that the Achille Lauro was in international waters when it was hijacked. If not, the owners, crew, and passengers were properly construed as taking their own risks, however great, and should have provided for them on their own.

By the way, a thoroughly Constitutional tool for dealing with such assholes does exist -- letters of marque and reprisal. (Essentially, "licenses" to kill or plunder in finding wrongdoers, with immunity from U.S. prosecution for doing so.)

[mjf]

The DC Chapter - after Bill Clinton left and the Get out of Cheney's house stuff I though you guys would slow down. But nope, you're still cracking me up out here in the heartland.

Wish I could be there.

[FreeTheHostages]

You want fun? Check out Bill O'Reily in 15 minutes. His guest: Ms. Susan Sarandon's Mom, a die-hard Bush supporter.

Whooo-ha!!

[RobbyS]

Rich, Whining, Self-Righteous, Hollywood-Leftist Bump. That about covers it.