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Excellent Charlie Wilson special web page by the Lufkin (Texas) Daily Newspaper
# Many articles and documents links, videos, photos, and resources

10/03/07: Ex-Rep. Charlie Wilson leaving hospital after Heart Transplant
# Retired U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson is leaving a Houston hospital ten days after a successful heart transplant. The 74-year-old Wilson will be discharged from The Methodist Hospital on Thursday. Wilson received a heart from a donor in Kansas on September 24. Wilson, who represented Texas' 2nd district in the House from 1973 to 1996, is the subject of an upcoming movie starring Tom Hanks. The film "Charlie Wilson's War" is scheduled for Christmas release, is about Wilson's efforts to arm Afghani mujahedeen during their war against the Soviet Union. Wilson, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, helped secure money for weapons, including Stinger missiles. Wilson was known as "Good Time Charlie" when he was in Washington.

June 2003: Charlie Did IT
# Comprehensive article with one section written by Charlie Wilson’s War book author George Crile

12/20/07: Houston Socialite talks "Charlie Wilson's War"
- Video interview by local ABC News with Joanne Herring (78 y.o.)

12/20/07: Article and video interview with Joanne Herring: Houston Socialite's Battle against Communism turned into movie - Local CBS News interview

12/16/07, Houston Chronicle article and video interview: Joanne Herring celebrates "Charlie Wilson's War

4/13/07 - Houston Chronicle: Joanne Herring has lots to say on many subjects. Just listen:

12/11/07 Houston Chronicle: Charlie Wilson's War makes a Texas-size debut

Local Houston NBC News Review: "Charlie Wilson's War a Big Winner (4 of 4 Stars)

Houston Chronicle CWW Review: "Stops 30 minutes Shy of Greatness" (3 or 4 Stars)

Charlie Wilson's War Official Movie Website

Women like Joanne pick the men, they don’t pick her. She got what she wanted from Charlie Wilson and that was that. As to Charlie during the time they were together the following quote comes to mind - “That guy's soft. Look in his face. The booze and the concha (cocaine) tell him what to do.” – Tony Montana, Scarface (1983). The hot tub scene in the movie reminded me of Tom ‘Hot Tub’ DeLay during his younger wild partying political days in Houston and Austin. At least Tom stop the boozing and womanizing when he became very religious, Charlie never did. Tom looks and acts fantastic at 60. I think Ms. Herring should become an honorary FReeper! and the GOP should turn her loose against Hillary Clinton. - NancyTx

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Here you go nancytx. I got it all fixed up for you. Let me know if it’s not alright. Thank you very much for all your time and input. Have a wonderful holidays! – TAB

I added a direct link to your above links and comments post to FlAttorney's FR "Straight Talk" page as follows: - TAB

Charlie Wilson’s War
12.21.07: Theater Movie wide release | 12.22.07: 2 Hour TV Documentary Premier: The True Story of Charlie Wilson
| Book (5 Stars) | Support Articles and “Dirt” | FR comments and intel | All FR Threads: Charlie Wilson (War)
Excellent resource links and videos for Joanne Herring and Charlie Wilson courtesy FR NancyTx

Hollywood Finally Stickes it To Mushy-headed Liberals, by IMDB DButcher: (with edit)

Charlie Wilson was an aimless and directionless Democratic Congressman into little more than hookers and blow until he was spurred to action by God-fearing conservative and commie basher Texan Joanne Herring. In uncompromising terms, the film lays out the moral failure and weak-willed incompetence of the Carter Administration (like the later military incompetent Clinton Admin) in recognizing the real threat that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan posed. Here was a Carter Administration that armed Afghan resistence with pop guns.

The film makes a very good point. Once a liberal Congress lined up behind Ronald Reagan, they brought an end to a global ideology that threatened world security. I thought it was particularly bold in the way that it endorsed the idea that covert action in such instances is very effective. The way it exposes how the Democrats in Congress weren't even willing to fund $1 million in building Afghan schools was a courageous tactic for this film to take, especially given Jack Murtha's role as chairman of that committee. Given that Murtha has been one of the more vocal critics of the current war, I could see how easy it would be to gloss over that fact, but it made no mistake of excusing the short-sidedness of Murtha's failings as chairman.

I know that a lot of conservatives are going to have a knee-jerk reaction to this movie and call it un-American. A lot of liberals are going to line up to look at this as a bold attack on Republicans. But, in the end, it shows that Rudy Giuliani has been fighting corruption and criminal wrong-doing since the 1970s. It shows that Carter was a weak leader and that until the 1980s, we brought the Soviets to their knees. It shows that great things happen when Congress lines up behind these principles and has a strong Republican leader in the White House to back the expenditures and effort.

God Bless Ronald Reagan. And God Bless a Hollywood film with the courage to show what can happen when men like Jimmy Carter are sent to the ash heap of history.

Counter Point: 12/20/07 Charlie Wilson's War – Make that Whopper (8:25 minutes)
# In this short documentary by filmmaker, Melissa Roddy, she counters mis-information presented in the movie "Charlie Wilson's War". This documentary includes interviews with first-hand participants in events surrounding the 1980s war against the Soviet Union, including Senator Gordon Humphrey (R-NH, Ret.); former Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Edmund McWilliams; Prof. Tom Johnson of the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School and CIA Chief of Station to Pakistan Milt Bearden. The movie, “Charlie Wilson’s War” states only that Ahmad Shah Massoud was the recipient of U.S. assistance during the 1980s. In fact, Congressman Charlie Wilson and the CIA recklessly supported a ferociously anti-American fundamentalist - Gulbaddin Hekmatyar - during the 1980s and early 90s. Ahmad Shah Massoud received a mere trickle of U.S. support during this period, and he was well known to be the most deserving. But then -- unlike Gulbaddin Hekmatyar -- Ahmad Shah Massoud was never involved with Osama bin Laden. Hence the basis for the movie's distortion.

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Your thoughts if you have viewed the movie. Need expert input on the validity of the information in the Counter Point video. - TAB

The hot tub scene in the movie reminded me of Tom ‘Hot Tub’ DeLay during his younger wild partying political days in Houston and Austin. At least Tom stop the boozing and womanizing when he became very religious, Charlie never did. Tom looks and acts fantastic at 60. I think Ms. Herring should become an honorary FReeper! and the GOP should turn her loose against Hillary Clinton. - NancyTx

*Lol*, me too on your Hot Tub Tom comment. Since Tom is 14 years younger than Charlie he must have borrowed Wilson's idea, haa. And, ditto on the Herring honorary FReeper and Hillary comment. Thanks for your outstanding input. Have a fantastic Christmas and New Year. - FlA