# Politics and the Oscars and Hollwierd



## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

Missed Tributes

By Ben Stein

Published 3/6/2006 2:08:21 AM

Now for a few humble thoughts about the Oscars.

I did not see every second of it, but my wife did, and she joins me in
noting that there was not one word of tribute, not one breath, to our
fighting men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan or to their families or
their widows or orphans. There were pitifully dishonest calls for
peace
-- as if the people we are fighting were interested in any peace for
us
but the peace of the grave. But not one word for the hundreds of
thousands who have served and are serving, not one prayer or moment of
silence for the dead and maimed.

Basically, the sad truth is that Hollywood does not think of itself as
part of America, and so, to Hollywood, the war to save freedom from
Islamic terrorists is happening to someone else. It does not concern
them except insofar as it offers occasion to mock or criticize George
Bush. They live in dreamland and cannot be gracious enough to thank
the
men and women who pay with their lives for the stars' ability to live
in
dreamland. This is shameful.

The idea that it is brave to stand up for gays in Hollywood, to stand
up
against Joe McCarthy in Hollywood (fifty years after his death), to
say
that rich white people are bad, that oil companies are evil -- this is
nonsense. All of these are mainstream ideas in Hollywood, always have
been, always will be. For the people who made movies denouncing Big
Oil,
worshiping gays, mocking the rich to think of themselves as brave --
this is pathetic, childish narcissism.

The brave guy in Hollywood will be the one who says that this is a
fabulously great country where we treat gays, blacks, and everyone
else
as equal. The courageous writer in Hollywood will be the one who says
the oil companies do their best in a very hostile world to bring us
energy cheaply and efficiently and with a minimum of corruption. The
producer who really has guts will be the one who says that Wall
Street,
despite its flaws, has done the best job of democratizing wealth ever
in
the history of mankind.

No doubt the men and women who came to the Oscars in gowns that cost
more than an Army Sergeant makes in a year, in limousines with
champagne
in the back seat, think they are working class heroes to attack
America
-- which has made it all possible for them. They are not. They would
be
heroes if they said that Moslem extremists are the worst threat to
human
decency since Hitler and Stalin. But someone might yell at them or
even
attack them with a knife if they sad that, so they never will.

Hollywood is above all about self: self-congratulation,
self-promotion,
and above all, self-protection. This is human and basic, but let's not
kid ourselves. There is no greatness there in the Kodak theater. The
greatness is on patrol in Kirkuk. The greatness lies unable to sleep
worrying about her man in Mosul. The greatness sleeps at Arlington
National Cemetery and lies waiting for death in VA Hospitals. God help
us that we have sunk so low as to confuse foolish and petty boasting
with the real courage that keeps this nation and the many fools in it
alive and flourishing on national TV .


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## MOB (Mar 10, 2005)

Right on Zogman. Why are all the hollyweirds who said they would leave the country if GW Bush got elected still living here? Maybe they need help packing for a fresh start in Iraq, Iran or Afganistan?


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

MOB said:


> Right on Zogman. Why are all the hollyweirds who said they would leave the country if GW Bush got elected still living here? Maybe they need help packing for a fresh start in Iraq, Iran or Afganistan?


 :rollin:

Ha that is too funny! I wonder what they would say if they were asked what happened?


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## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

They are champions at spin and spewing hate. uke: Even better than MT :lol: who as of late cann't answer a simple question without getting sidetracked and digging himself a hole. Has any one else has noticed :lol: 
Now he is resorting to sending childish PM's. Anyone else been getting them??????


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## MSG Rude (Oct 6, 2003)

zogman said:


> Now he is resorting to sending childish PM's. Anyone else been getting them??????


I was the benificiary of a couple and when I asked him for an explaination I got this reply, "No, I like keeping you in the dark." Still can't figure it out.

Anyways, as long as he is playing inside nice and not out in the middle of the street it's ok....


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## Alaskan Brown Bear Killer (Feb 22, 2005)

Be carefull he'll make you out to be the bad guy like he did to me!


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

Alaskan Brown Bear Killer said:


> Be carefull he'll make you out to be the bad guy like he did to me!


ABBK I made you out to be the bad guy because you acted before as you do now. You make crude comments that have nothing to do with the debate that inevitably spark mud slinging and toss potentially meaningful discussion off topic.


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## Alaskan Brown Bear Killer (Feb 22, 2005)

> Because of their arrogance and self-importance anyone who disagrees with them must be either stupid or racist.


That quote defines what you were lashing out about; when your wrong about something see above quote! 8)


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