Stone: Bush Has Set U.S. Back 10 Years

I didn't realize celebrities had less 1st Amendment rights, or travel rights, than the rest of America's citizens. Thanks for pointing that out!

Casey, I agree with you hear, but I guess my question would be...

I care what Mr. Stone's opinion is because?

Was he a political analyst before he got into show business? I just don't see why this is newsworthy.

I didn't realize celebrities had less 1st Amendment rights, or travel rights, than the rest of America's citizens. Thanks for pointing that out!

This is ridiculous. Nobody said he didn't have the right. You're confusing criticism with censorship, and, frankly, I wonder just how a brain can accomplish that.

and, frankly, I wonder just how a brain can accomplish that.

I apologize for that crack. It shouldn't have been aimed at you, Mr. Hendley. I was thinking of how there was so much outrage on the left when the Dixie Chicks were dropped from country music stations after Ms. Maines' unfortunate remarks in England. At the time the cry was Censorship! I remember reading the retort that the confusion was between censorship and capitalism, meaning the rejection of their record did not constitute a rejection of her right to speak her mind. Apologies.

If celebrities can speak their mind about someone, why cant we do the same about them?

And, should we even care what this director thinks? He makes runs movies, not the country.

I didn't realize celebrities had less 1st Amendment rights, or travel rights, than the rest of America's citizens. Thanks for pointing that out!

Wow! That was kind of a knee-jerk reaction to the simple statement that I find it amusing to hear celebs bash the U.S. while jet-setting, no?

I re-read my remark and couldn't find any spot where I said anything about celebrities have less rights, the 1st Amendment, or "travel rights" (though I have to admit, I'm not exactly sure what "travel rights" are).

Thank you - my opinion as well.

This is the real essence:

"It's a waste of energy away from things that do matter which is poverty, death, disease, the planet itself and fixing things in our own homes rather than fighting wars with others. Mr. Bush has set America back 10 years, maybe more."

If we don't fight the war, there will not be an America, there will not be an "us".

You don't get it, do you? The Islamo-facists want us dead - all of us - all of us infidels. You, Tyson, me, Germans, Japanese, everyone.

We are fighting for our lives, Tyson.

Islamists cannot destroy America, nor will they have to. The Bush Administration is doing a heckuva job on it themselves.

We are fighting for our lives, Tyson.

Sigh...

You give the terrorists more credit than they're due. You also like to call them Islamofacists, but what the hell does that even mean? How can you be a religious facist? Rove coined that one because he knew the Christian base would think, "thems is islamo and thems is facists, an' those is both bad things, der-dee-der-doo, blessed be the Loard our God, Jeezus Christ, der-tee-der."

Only ten years? I was thinking more like 200 or so...

It's alright Pauline, you've done it for us.

You give the terrorists more credit than they're due.

It's not his fault. It's the tinfoil hat.

You accuse me of wearing a tinfoil hat, Dennis?

You are your ilk believe that the planes that flew in the WTC were radio controlled and that there were explosives planted in the towers to make them fall and that all the Jews that worked in the towers were given a heads-up and all took a vacation day on 9/11/01, and... shall I go on?

As for your comments, Colin...

You give the terrorists more credit than they're due.

Let's see, no one could fly for a week+ after 9/11 (a good friend of mine was stranded in Boston for a week thanks to those terrorist to whom I give too much credit), our economy was severly affected as a result of the attacks, and, in case you haven't tried to travel by air lately, it isn't as easy as it was pre-9/11. Ineffective terrorists - more proof that you don't get it.

You also like to call them Islamofacists, but what the hell does that even mean? How can you be a religious facist? Rove coined that one

As for the term islamofacist, it was actually coined by Michael Savage, not Rove. And here's what Wikipedia has to say about the term facist

Merriam-Webster defines fascism as "a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition"[3].

A recent definition is that by former Columbia University Professor Robert O. Paxton:

* "Fascism may be defined as a form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victim-hood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy, and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion." [4]

Paxton further defines fascism's essence as:

* "1. a sense of overwhelming crisis beyond reach of traditional solutions; 2. belief one's group is the victim, justifying any action without legal or moral limits; 3. need for authority by a natural leader above the law, relying on the superiority of his instincts; 4. right of the chosen people to dominate others without legal or moral restraint; 5. fear of foreign `contamination." [5]

Facists that are islamic ... islamo-facists ... works for me. That's what great about the English language - you need a work - and there it is.

And then this piece of intelligence...

because he knew the Christian base would think, "thems is islamo and thems is facists, an' those is both bad things, der-dee-der-doo, blessed be the Loard our God, Jeezus Christ, der-tee-der."

Umm, gee, that's impressive.
I call myself a Christian - can't be Latino and not be raised Catholic! - but I'm not bible-thumper like you portray (i believe that what you are trying to do).
Frankly, I used to be an idiot liberal democrat like you. Then I grew up.

Frankly, I used to be an idiot liberal democrat like you. Then I grew up.

I would argue that with language like that, maybe you didn't. Let's all please try and be civil here.

Jason, I couldn't have said it better myself!

Jason, Vesper,

You are right. My language was not civil. I apologize to Colin and to all the Newsviners for calling him names.

Would you then comment on Colin's words...

because he knew the Christian base would think, "thems is islamo and thems is facists, an' those is both bad things, der-dee-der-doo, blessed be the Loard our God, Jeezus Christ, der-tee-der."

I see that as uncivil and rude.

Frankly, I used to be an idiot liberal democrat like you.

See the difference? You called him an idiot. Yours was a personal attack, Colin's was just a rant..... I tend to rant myself, from time to time, but I don't call people idiots.

I apologized, Jim. What's your point given my apology? And do you not have a comment about Colin's words that I considered rude?

Colin's was just a rant.....

I think that was a comment about Colin's words... Rants can indeed be rude, the difference is they are not a personal insult. I guess that rude depends on your perspective... Since I dislike Rove's brand of politics, I thought his rant was pretty mild.... You, as a neocon, probably think Rove's style of in the mud politics is great and consider it rude that someone would rant against it. If you think someone is being rude, you are perfectly entitled to point that out, just don't expect everyone to agree with your assessment. I certainly don't....

Steve: That was essentially my reaction to that statement, too. Personally, I thought things were going pretty well during Clinton's second term and would think if Bush has set U.S. back 10 years, that would be a good thing (perhaps not exactly your sentiments, and I understand that). Anyway, I just thought that the ten years number sounded like someone spouting anger without thinking and that the result was pretty humorous.

Stone only has one trait?

A veteran of the Vietnam conflict, Stone served with the United States Army from April 1967 to November 1968. He specifically requested combat duty and was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division and the 1st Cavalry Division, and was wounded twice in action. His personal awards include the Bronze Star with "V" device for valor for "extraordinary acts of courage under fire", and the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster.

Hmmmm.... Personally, I think he is probably more qualified than most to speak his mind about the Iraq war....... Isn't that adorable.......

There does seem to be a certain amount of irony in people giving there opinions (i.e. – complaining) here to a set audience about someone else doing essentially the same thing.

No, the difference is we come here to voice our opinion. MANY celebrities use their advantages and the fact they are at an event NOT related to political discussion, and proceed to use it as a townhall

Well, I really can't comment on to the reason why Stone was at any given event, that's up to him. As for the reason we come here, I can only speak for myself and that I actually come here to get the news, post news items I find interesting, and occasionally discuss those items. I have many venues to voice my opinion and Newsvine happens to be a place where I keep that to a minimum (I personally think that far too many people here use this as a blog-with-a-built-in-audience rather than a source of news, but I just don't read their posts rather than complain every time they do so).

However, since Stone's a director who's work often deals with politics and war, I suppose his opinion on that sort of thing matters and some people would like to hear it. You or I may not be one of them, but that doesn't mean that it isn't newsworthy to others. I don't know that Stone cares what you think, either, but I don't believe he (or anyone else) is telling you when or where you should voice your opinion. If celebs wish to voice their opinion all the time, as soon as people stop wanting to hear it they will stop inviting them to events or asking what they think.

all I know is that the article clearly expressed my feelings perfectly.