Mark Steyn MEGA PING!!
Posted on 11/12/2002 6:35:35 AM PST by Ryle
"From your lips ......."
Funny, but "earn this" is the line that offended me the most. It wasn't a reminder to the viewers, but a reminder to Private Ryan. That's who he spoke the line to. It's like Hanks' character is cursing Ryan because he was the one who forced them to come to that town and die. "Earn this sacrifice I made for you, you S.O.B." It's the ultimate in horrible guilt trips, and something I really can't imagine one person laying upon another person's conscience. You could even see the effect of that curse on Ryan as an old man, when he breaks down from the guilt and asks his family if he's been a good man. It was such a cruel thing for Hanks' character to say that I found it completely unbelievable.
Then what are they doing every day?
Here in New Joisey the other people in the audience weren't as respectful. During the opening scene where they guy who lost his arm and started looking around for it and picked it up, there was this one guy in front of me who started laughing hysterically like it was the latest fart joke. Then later on in the movie I had to yell at two teens behind me to shut up because they were making out and being very loud about it. After Lautenberg's victory last tuesday I will never have any respect for this cesspool I live in.
(Simply) Chretien has announced he will retire in 2004. By doing this he avoided a review of his leadership this coming February. But he also set in motion the Wanna bee's who are now jockeying for position and the other MP's and assorted hangers on and gophers are who are also kissing butts trying to find the most advantageous Wanna bee to be supporting.
Last week Harper's Canadian Alliance put forward a motion which asked for secret ballots when electing committee chairmen. A motion previously advocated by the big Wanna be Martin and a motion that took power from the PM Chretien who has been appointing these chairmen. Martin and his supporting MP's were caught. Vote for a motion Martin publicly has suggested or vote against it in support of Chretien. Chretien , in trying to save face, knowing he was going to loose, declared it a free vote. Fifty four Liberal MP's voted against Chretien , their own leader, with Harper's CA to pass the motion.
Chretien is looking for a legacy on how he will be remembered. The gun registry is a shambles they just want to forget and wish would go away. The military is starving while Chretien buys new personal government jets and throws money at Bombardier. Federal government spending on health care is down to 14% instead of the 50% it was.(before anyone jumps all over this , understand it is paid for provincially but it's still a raw subject) Chretien has announce Canada will ratify Kyoto but leaves out the part about that decision being Parliament's not his. The federal cabinet has had several members forced to resign over greed and ignorance based scandals . Chretien himself was caught in a scandel. The liberal appointed GG and her pink socked hubby/footman have become royalty preferring the title Excellency to being a servant of the people and representative of the queen. A recent bill for a new herb garden at their government provided mansion, Rideau Hall ,was 3000 bucks. Revenue Canada allows civil servants to deduct $62 a day for meals while long distant truck drivers are allowed $16.50. If I were a fan I'd stand back! The Liberal party is in disarray, paralyzed and nothing is being done.
I agree with your analysis. From what I've heard of Spielberg's political views, he doesn't seem to have much of a clue what the troops were fighting for.
Steyn is always a great read...imo.
I tend to agree with you but I have my doubts as to whether everyone truly did know. Frank Capra made a series of "Why We Fight" films for this very purpose. IIRC, they were mandatory viewing for trainees.
J. Glenn Gray, a soldier who fought in Italy, wrote a remarkable book called "The Warriors", and tells the story of how one day in the Italian mountains he met a man who truly had no idea what the war was about.
"It was quite beyond me, even considering language, to explain to this man why Americans, British and Canadians were fighting in Italy against Germans with Italians on both sides," he said (I'm paraphrasing ... no book handy here). It wasn't as difficult as that for some, but I do agree that the vast majority knew why we were fighting.
As for Hanks, I'd like to think he made up for Saving Private Ryan when he did "Band of Brothers", which is magnificent.
What did it for me was that this "incredibly realistic" movie let the rescuers go off on their mission without taking along a radio. Hanks' character was supposedly a seasoned combat veteran who surely would have known better than to make any of the multiple mistakes that he did.
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