Anti-War Stars
Robert Rouse
December 21, 2005
During the last Presidential election and immediately prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq there was a huge outpouring from the right-wing admonishing celebrities who decided to voice their opinions. It was almost as if they were telling these movie stars and recording artists that because they had gained some fame and fortune, that their rights as citizens had been diminished to no longer include freedom of speech. This is, of course, ludicrous. They have the same right as you and I to say what they feel when they feel like it.
The problem some Americans have with vocal celebrities is the fact they usually have a highly public soap box on which to stand. Yet the very people who chastise George Clooney or Tim Robbins would have no problem attending a lecture by Charlton Heston or a concert with Charlie Daniels. During the election I was fascinated by the number of people on the internet who claimed they would never buy another Dixie Chicks CD because of their opinions, one claimed he would destroy his copy of "Bull Durham" simply because of the stars of the film. I had never heard anything so ridiculous. It would take an act of God to keep me from watching "Ben-Hur" or "The Ten Commandments" every chance I get, even though Charlton Heston and I are eons apart in philosophy. Every January, I make an effort to listen to The Searchers' hit "Needles and Pins" in honor of the late Sonny Bono (yeah, that's one of those Dennis Miller type references that no one ever gets). And the fact I never watch reruns of "The Love Boat" has more to do with it being a bad show than Fred "Gopher" Grandy's politics.
When are celebrities allowed to spout their opinion? Is it when they're running for office as a Republican? In addition to the aforementioned Bono and Grandy, Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Fred Thompson immediately come to mind. Ralph "Pa Walton" Waite ran for Congress twice as a Democrat and lost (once to Sonny's widow). I have to accept that these guys are entitled to their opinions just like everyone else.
The reason I'm bringing up the past on this subject is because it has suddenly become almost mainstream for people to be anti-war. A complete turn from early 2003 and late 2004. It's almost as if everyone who used to remain silent is speaking (or singing) out. Dolly Parton released a CD covering several anti-war tunes, Burt Bacharach released the anti-war CD "At This Time", and now I hear that the Christmas episode of Doctor Who will include a thinly veiled message against the war in Iraq. I say it's about time (no pun intended toward the good Doctor). The tide has shifted substantially since March 2003. Polls are now showing that more people disapprove of the war than the other way around.
So now that anti-war sentiment is in the mainstream, now might be the best time to declare a military victory over Saddam and get the heck out of Dodge. I bet Bush might even get a bump in his approval rating that'll put him back over 40% and he might get a chance to take a recurring role on "The West Wing" - heck, even Richard Nixon got to say "Sock it to me" on "Laugh-In".
The problem some Americans have with vocal celebrities is the fact they usually have a highly public soap box on which to stand. Yet the very people who chastise George Clooney or Tim Robbins would have no problem attending a lecture by Charlton Heston or a concert with Charlie Daniels. During the election I was fascinated by the number of people on the internet who claimed they would never buy another Dixie Chicks CD because of their opinions, one claimed he would destroy his copy of "Bull Durham" simply because of the stars of the film. I had never heard anything so ridiculous. It would take an act of God to keep me from watching "Ben-Hur" or "The Ten Commandments" every chance I get, even though Charlton Heston and I are eons apart in philosophy. Every January, I make an effort to listen to The Searchers' hit "Needles and Pins" in honor of the late Sonny Bono (yeah, that's one of those Dennis Miller type references that no one ever gets). And the fact I never watch reruns of "The Love Boat" has more to do with it being a bad show than Fred "Gopher" Grandy's politics.
When are celebrities allowed to spout their opinion? Is it when they're running for office as a Republican? In addition to the aforementioned Bono and Grandy, Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Fred Thompson immediately come to mind. Ralph "Pa Walton" Waite ran for Congress twice as a Democrat and lost (once to Sonny's widow). I have to accept that these guys are entitled to their opinions just like everyone else.
The reason I'm bringing up the past on this subject is because it has suddenly become almost mainstream for people to be anti-war. A complete turn from early 2003 and late 2004. It's almost as if everyone who used to remain silent is speaking (or singing) out. Dolly Parton released a CD covering several anti-war tunes, Burt Bacharach released the anti-war CD "At This Time", and now I hear that the Christmas episode of Doctor Who will include a thinly veiled message against the war in Iraq. I say it's about time (no pun intended toward the good Doctor). The tide has shifted substantially since March 2003. Polls are now showing that more people disapprove of the war than the other way around.
So now that anti-war sentiment is in the mainstream, now might be the best time to declare a military victory over Saddam and get the heck out of Dodge. I bet Bush might even get a bump in his approval rating that'll put him back over 40% and he might get a chance to take a recurring role on "The West Wing" - heck, even Richard Nixon got to say "Sock it to me" on "Laugh-In".