Heston Left Cinematic, Political Mark

"From my cold dead hands!"

I'm going to go watch Ben Hur with a big tub of ice cream now *sniffle*

Oh man......Can I join you in that sniffle Andimia....I loved Ben Hur and Charlton Heston. Such a classic all around.

Less well-known but very impressive efforts by Mr. Heston include the classic Soylent Green (the last film of Edward G. Robinson) and The Omega Man in which he had on onscreen interracial fling with Rosalind Cash which was extremely rare for its day in the movies.

Oh yeah I have Omega Man I love that one...I'm gonna watch it tonight.

I think Bill's favorite movie is really Soylent Green, since both links went to it :-)

Darn and I have Omega Man on VHS, but no VHS player.....

Both Omega Man and Soylent Green are great flicks. I haven't seen the new version of I Am Legend with William Smith yet, but Omega Man is still fun like shelter from a storm for one. I haven't seen Soylent Green for a while, and IMDB says it takes place in 2022. I wonder how dated it has become? Personally, I imagine it has aged well.

I Am Legend

Get the DVD....Great movie....

Wasn't he in the one with the robots??

Ooopss Nope that was Rutger Hower. Pardon my spelling...LoL Disregard question and answer Andrea A's brain is on vacation today : )

Now this is interesting. Andrea A is having a chat with Andrea A . Dang that woman has some talent, talk about multi-tasking !

That was a private brain fart.....no fair

Sorry, but its not private any longer.....Would you like a .jpg screen image of that brain fart ? I could clip it to my column :-)

Oh You dirty rat, you wouldn't dare.

You want to try me ? Might even make for a avatar also....

Oo Don't get me started man I'm already talking to myself and on two threads, that's doubling the dual, or something like that but oooooo

Geez and next comes the munchies huh ? :-)

More like getting dizzy. My life is one big munchy...: )

Looks like AP's David Gemain hasn't caught it yet, as the article still says he's 84 but with a new title now, "Heston Left Cinematic, Political Mark."

but not so nice in his disposition toward his darker-hued countrymen.

That must explain why Heston marched for civil rights before it became "cool" for whites to do so and why he personally picked Rosalind Cash for a role in The Omega Man in which they had a brief onscreen interracial romance which was something almost unheard of for the time.

Julian Bond, Board Chairman, NAACP

Charlton Heston's civil rights credentials are seriously sullied by his bigoted and homophobic remarks and his attacks on racial minorities. The endorsement by white supremacist David Duke further threatens to erode the considerable respect many Americans felt toward Heston for his years-ago commitment to human rights.

That Charlton Heston seems to have been consumed by another—an angry man contemptuous of America's diversity and scornful of the tolerance which has made our nation great.

The NAACP condemns such expressions of hatred and calls on Mr. Heston to repudiate the support of extremists and those who call for "war" against peaceful citizens.

http://www.vpc.org/nrainfo/statements.html
Seems Heston changed to a rabid bigot after the movie was made.

Heston was not a bigot?

Rank-and-file Americans wake up every morning, increasingly bewildered and confused at why their views make them lesser citizens. The message gets through; Heaven help the God fearing, law-abiding, Caucasian, middle- class Protestant-or even worse, evangelical Christian, Midwestern or Southern- or even worse, rural, apparently straight-or even worse, admitted heterosexuals, gun-owing-or even worse, NRA-card-carrying, average working stiff-or even worse, male working stiff-because, not only don't you count, you are a down-right obstacle to social progress. Your voice deserves a lower decibel level, your opinion is less enlightened, your media access is insignificant, and frankly, mister, you need to wake up, wise up, and learn a little something from your new-America and until you do, would you mind shutting up?

That is why you didn't raise your hand. That's how cultural war works. That's what happens when a generation of media, educators, entertainers, and politicians-led by a willing President-decide the America they were born into isn't good enough anymore. So, they contrive to change it through cultural warfare of class distinction! Ask the Romans if powerful nations have ever fallen as a result of cultural division. There are ruins around the world that were once the smug centers of small-minded, arrogant elitism. It appears that, rather than evaporate in the flash of a split atom, we may succumb to a divided culture!

The Constitution was handed down to guide us by a bunch of wise old dead white guys who invented our country! Now some flinch when I say that. Why! Its true-they were white guys! So were most of the guys that died in Lincoln's name opposing slavery in the 1860's. So why should I be ashamed of white guys? Why is "Hispanic Pride" or "Black Pride" a good thing, while "White Pride" conjures shaven heads and white hoods? Why was the Million Man March on Washington celebrated by many as progress, while the Promise Keepers March on Washington was greeted with suspicion and ridicule? I'll tell you why, Cultural warfare!

http://www.davidduke.com/general/fighting-the-cultural-war-in-america_24.html

Jdoyle:

And he was incorrect how? He wasn't saying blacks were bad, or hispanics were bad, he was saying caucasians should not listen to the media and that being a "white guy" isn't bad.

Funny how whenever a white mentions race, he is a racist.

I wonder how that would apply to Julian Bond.

And because Duke supported him? So what?

Jeremiah Wright supports BO, as does Farrakhan, and other racists and haters.

Does that make BO a racist and a hater of America?

Thank you, JDoyle, for the useful link. I've just watched the CBS Evening News story about the late actor, and his "conservative" stance was soft pedaled. I appreciate your helping to spread an unfortunate truth.

Before you all get gushy over jdoyle, you should check out the link. VPC is a group dedicated to taking away all guns from law-abiding citizens. Would you not expect them to provide anything, no matter how false, against the President of NRA (which Heston was 1998-2003, when he resigned due to an Alzheimer diagnosis). Just about everything on their website (from which all the anti-Heston quotes come) is against NRA.

So wmolaw and caroaber, I suggest that you rethink the crap that jdoyle has posted and go to other websites and probably you will find more accurate information regarding one of the greatest actors of our time.

PS-I find it interesting that such postmortem venom flows from 'viners. Too bad.

So its Ok that he was a bigot and friends with David Duke: just as long as you could keep your gun.

Charlton Heston wasn't a friend of David Duke no matter how many times you repeat the lie.

Retlaw: If you re-read what I wrote, you'll see there's no "post-mortem venom" at all. I appreciate him as an artist, I just find it unfortunate that he became rather hardlined and spoke disparagingly about Black Americans.
I'm the owner of several weapons which I've used responsibly for over a decade, but I don't belong to the NRA. Nor would I be welcome in his fringe, judging from the comments.

Charlton Heston wasn't a friend of David Duke no matter how many times you repeat the lie.

Then why does his essay appear on davidduke.com? I'm not taking a stance here, just asking a question, because unless Heston gave Duke permission to post that or else originally wrote it under a Creative Commons license, Duke is committing copyright infringement by posting it on his site.

This idiotic assertion that Heston was somehow connected with David Duke is all the more asinine that it is being peddled at this time of Heston's death.

Heston was a Civil Rights champion.

Julian Bond is a pernicious racist hack who has sullied his own reputation and anything he has to say completely lacks any credibility with anyone familiar with his own lies and bigotry.

Smearing Julian Bond because he points out Heston's bigotry?

Unlike the AP which drools over Heston for "his large, muscular build, well-boned face and sonorous voice," I'm not from the school of thought that says you've got to pretend like you loved somebody after they died.

Heston started off his career as a liberal and an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement but later morphed into an arch-conservative on issues such as Affirmative Action, abortion and gun control. Heston campaigned for Reagan, Bush I and Bush II.

NAACP Board Chair Julian Bond once said of the former NRA president:

Charlton Heston's civil rights credentials are seriously sullied by his bigoted and homophobic remarks and his attacks on racial minorities. The endorsement by white supremacist David Duke further threatens to erode the considerable respect many Americans felt toward Heston for his years-ago commitment to human rights.

Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation once said of Heston:

I am shocked by Charlton Heston's intemperate remarks delivered before the Free Congress Foundation. Heston in one speech manages to display deep-seated bigotry and hostility while attacking feminists, African Americans, Hispanics, gay men, and lesbians. No wonder David Duke praised this speech. Heston's comments on feminists, who he characterizes as persons "who preach that it is a divine duty for women to hate men," not only malign feminists but show his profound ignorance of a movement that has made in the 20th Century vast political, social, and economic gains for women.

More from Ms Magazine editor Marcia Gillespie:

It's very sad and very telling that the actor, Charlton Heston, who is the First Vice President of the National Rifle Association, in speeches defends the right to bear arms while championing white power—most specifically the virtues of being white and heterosexual, prolife, fundamentalist, and antifeminist. Heston's views on recent history are as distorted as his attacks on those who advocate for gun control. He condemns Hip hoppers like Ice-T but has nothing to say about the skin heads, he ignores the rise of white supremacist and militia groups but calls for "cultural warfare."

http://www.gabbr.com/blogs/2008/4/9754/Charlton-Heston--actor--bigot--homophobe--women%E2%80%99s-rights-opponent--dies-at-84/

Go ahead, Jdoyle ... try to kick Heston's dead body using the bigot Julian Bond's foot. It says a lot about you.

Heston and all gun nuts are conservative to the point of idiocy, so whats your point?

Heston and all gun nuts are conservative to the point of idiocy, so whats your point?

Jdoyle, everytime I read one of your comments, I feel as if I've lost a few thousand brain cells. It's like drinking, but without any of the benefits.

In your knee-jerk blustering partisanship, you cannot wait to besmirch the reputation of a dead man. You atrempt to reduce Heston to a caracature. Shame on you.

Tom:

They have the victim mentality. They wish for the government to control all, protect all, do good for all. Of course, the @!$%# and whine when they actually get what they want!

It is a bizarre mentality. I can't understand it. I guess they have just had self defense and individuality bred out of them, either through evolution or environmental effects.

I wonder what Jdoyle defines as a gun nut? A person who owns a gun? Two? Collects guns?

Funny, gun owners who have a carry permit probably have the lowest rate of crime, usage of weapons in a crime than any other segment of the population, yet they are "conservative" nuts.

Do no liberals own guns? Funny stuff how Jdoyle is wiling to define/categorize people so easily, and on one issue.

But, that is the liberal way, you MUST agree with them on ALL issues, or you are a "right wing" conservative, a fanatic "neo-con," or a "gun nut."

Bizarre I tell you.

I don't care if people own guns.
HOWEVER the problem with the NRA is not only about owning guns: its about the fact they want no control on any type of gun, or restriction on what types of guns people can have.

..."they want no control on any type of gun, or restriction on what types of guns people can have..."

And, there is something bad about that????

And, there is something bad about that????

Yes there is.

all gun nuts are conservative to the point of idiocy

jdoyle, sorry, I must disagree with you here. You know how liberal I am on almost every other issue, as we usually agree on everything. But I'm a gun enthusiast. I'm a liberal gun enthusiast. So, it is possible to be rational and still be interested in firearms.

Kevin that comment of mine was a response to he b.s comment made by wmolaw.
As I have stated I don't think guns should be outlawed, but there needs to be some type of control over what types of guns are out there and who has them..

Jdoyle:

HOWEVER the problem with the NRA is not only about owning guns: its about the fact they want no control on any type of gun, or restriction on what types of guns people can have.

That's not true. In fact, automatic weapons are illegal, unless you have a class III license. There are many restrictions on what types of guns people can have, and many of those restrictions are not contested by the NRA.

You know not of what you speak, I am afraid.

Just one example:

Assault weapon ban of 1994

In 2004 the NRA successfully opposed renewal of the federal assault weapons ban of 1994, which banned many features of certain semiautomatic rifles and certain types of removable magazines, against a campaign to make the ban permanent and expand it. The ban expired at midnight, September 13, 2004.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rifle_Association#Assault_weapon_ban_of_1994
I think you are the one who doesn't know what he is talking about.

Jdoyle:

Are you attempting to say that the "Assault" weapon ban addressed automatic weapons?

If you are, you have no clue. Of course it didn't!!!!! They have been illegal since, I believe the 1940's.

The assault weapon ban was an absolute, idiotic joke. It showed the total lack of understanding and knowledge of weapons by our legislators.

Which features of "semiautomatic" rifles did it ban? LOL, you gotta look at it. All it did was ban COSMETIC variations of rifles which made them LOOK like "assault" weapons.

You gotta do better than that.

An M-16 with a polymer stock is no different in calibre or clip capacity than a mini-14 with a wooden stock.

Sheesh, ignorance abounds.

Here are some quotes, if you wish to learn more, google and learn.

The "Assault Weapons Ban" of 1994, a.k.a. the "Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994," is one of the great scams of the Clinton era. It is a masterpiece of double-speak and equivocation. In reality, the law banned rifles that had detachable magazines and two or more of the following characteristics: folding or telescoping stock, pistol grips, bayonet mount, flash suppressor, or threads to attach a suppressor, or a grenade launcher. Further, it banned the importation of foreign-built rifles having some or all of these characteristics, and it banned the ownership by civilians of high capacity magazines (more than 10 rounds) produced after 1994. (Notice that a rifle with a 100-round drum magazine and a grenade launcher could be completely legal under the AWB as long as it did not have a bayonet lug, flash suppressor, folding stock or pistol grip).

Notice also that AK-47's, M-16's, Uzi's and MP5's (real assault rifles and submachine guns) are not addressed by the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. Guns capable of automatic fire have been controlled by the National Firearms Act of 1934 for the past seventy years. Contrary to the overheated rhetoric of the gun grabbers, the AWB will have no impact whatsoever on the presence of AK-47's and Uzi's on our streets. It never has.

Look, if you research this issue, that law was all smoke and mirrors.

An AK-47 is nothing more than a rifle which is semi automatic that fires the 7.62x34 round. It is capable of handling a clip which can store many rounds of ammo.

The Ak-47

The Mini-30 manufactured by Ruger is the EXACT same type of gun, same round, same ability to handle large clips.

Mini-14 and mini-30

The AK just "looks" meaner, eh? It is the SAME gun, same calibre etc. Yet, the Mini-30 was not "regulated" under this stupid law. Why? Because it doesn't "look" like an assault rifle.

Pshaw, it was a stupid, idiotic law. Note also that it grandfathered in all existing high capacity clips. You could buy as many high capacity clips as you wanted during the time this law was in effect.

It was a stupid, worthless, window dressing excuse for an effective law.

But, hey, whatcha expect, it was passed under Billy boy.

The "Assault Weapons Ban" of 1994, a.k.a. the "Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994," is one of the great scams of the Clinton era

How about a source for this little gem?

Sure maybe it did not go far enough but that is not why the NRA stopped its renewal,.
They stopped it because they do not want any restrictions on any types of guns.

jdoyle is the kind of deep thinker who believes that Wikipedia is an authoritative source. He also believes that Julian Bond is a sane and rational statesman. I am still awaiting his views on the Sasquatch, the 9/11 conspiracy, and the fake Moon Landings.

jdoyle---your quote: "...but there needs to be some type of control over what types of guns are out there and who has them.."

I might agree with you, if I could be the person who determines what type and who has them. Agreed??

Probably not, and for the same reason that any sane person wouldn't agree--without knowing (before the determinations are made, as to how, why, whom, etc). Why would you expect NRA to support any gun control legislation when the goal of any legislation is to restrict, rather than expand, ownership. Clinton's 1994 gun control act (by whatever name you choose) was a farce; a do-good pat yourself on the back. It put several unneeded restriction on law abiding gun owners (and note the emphasis on law-abiding) while having negligible effect on criminals (those would be the ones who pay no attention to laws). Case in point: the law required background checks for gun purchases; while for most of us, this was a minor inconvenience, it didn't have any impact on criminals (who aren't allowed to buy guns anyway; except for two or three each year who attempted to buy a gun and were instant-checked, then police called to haul them away).

jdoyle-I think if you were mugged once, you would probably change your opinion and go after a concealed carry permit at the next opportunity. [:)

Why would you expect NRA to support any gun control legislation when the goal of any legislation is to restrict, rather than expand, ownership.

I wouldn't and that is why they are seen as gun nuts.

I don't give a crap about either one of them: the fact is Heston was a gun nut.

the fact is Heston was a gun nut.

When someone says, "the fact is," typically the reader then expects actual facts to emerge, rather an an ill-informed ad hominem attack, such as what you conjure up.

The fact is, Heston was an American icon: entertainment star, Civil Rights champion, and eloquent proponent of American's Second Amendment rights.

Tom:

What I find interesting is that may lefties believe that being a proponent of civil rights, and a supporter of the second amendment is mutually exclusive. How strange, but as I said before the lefties believe that you MUST believe all their tenets, or you are a right wing wacko.

I wonder how they square the fact that the original attempts at "gun control" were undertaken with a racist reason, to keep guns out of the hands of blacks?

jdoyle---I agree that Heston was a 'gun nut' (definition-a very sane and law-abiding person very interested in owning, shooting and discussing guns). Thank you. I am also a 'gun nut'.

Tom--I agree with your assessment of Heston and his achievements. He was a fine fellow.

wmolaw--are you a left-wing wacko or a right-wing wacko. I find it interesting that you assess the first attempts at gun-control being to keep the guns out of black hands. Where did you find this information and could you give me the source (and maybe a link). I find it incredible. Although, to be sure, most of the big gun grabbers now (Shumer, Feinstein, etc) don't have blacks standing with them. Also, where did you get the perception that to be a lefty, you must believe in all their 'tenets' and what would those tenets be?? Any different from the righty requiring you believe in all their tenets??

Retlaw:

I am neither.

As to having to believe all the tenets of lefties, to be accepted as a lefty, you must merely read the Vine to support that issue.

As to gun control having first come about due to race, here is an interesting article:

The Racist Roots of Gun Control

You can google as well, there are hundreds other such articles, many well researched and footnoted.

wmolaw--Thank you for the link. Coming from a relatively conservative state (NH), where concealed carry has been legal for decades, and where there also happen to be very few blacks, hispanics, or orientals, I tend to be somewhat unfamiliar with problems of other parts of the country. Around here, race has nothing to do with anything.

Kind of funny, me being a 'gun nut' from NH, Life Member of NRA, and then to find out that the NRA is a 'red-necked hillbilly' organization. Wow. I didn't know. But then those words from someone who believes that only police should have the ability to protect themselves. I guess that I should have expected that. Problem with ole 'photo' is: he's never been mugged.

Retlaw:

Yeah. I know, ignorance about guns abounds. Prejudices are rampant, and those who are most prejudiced know the least about firearsm.

Sidebar: no organization does more to promote gun safety than does the NRA.

Tom:

Quite true.

I make the mistake of taking jdoyle off the IL every once in awhile hoping against hope for something approximating a trenchant comment. I'm batting .000 in that regard so far so back to A ball he goes.

I other words Bill, you can't think of any way to refute what I post.
I thought so.

To refute requires proof which requires logic. Logic is useless against gun-grabbers who base their stance solely on fear. The options are join in their bickering or ignore them. As long as they're opposed, it doesn't really matter which.

caroaber
I can't find where C. Heston had bad things to say about 'darker-hued countrymen'. Maybe you could provide some direction.

And while Wayne Pierre may have provided more succinct statements to support his position, C. Heston did have the celebrity to help to get the NRA's information out.

Background checks, conducted at the time of firearms purchase, turn out not to be much of an inconvenience. Whether at the gun shop or a gun show, the background checks (NICS) rarely have cost me more than 15 minutes.

BTW-re: your colleagues who proudly display their bumper stickers. My advice is to remove them from private vehicles. They become a neon-light attraction to predators by announcing: possible handgun inside!! I don't have any NRA stickers on my car to avoid that kind of attention.

Comments #16.3, 16.12, and "Bowling for Columbine."

I am Afro-American, so while other moviegoers might've brushed off Heston's comments, I took notice. I'm glad he marched for civil rights, but the 2nd amendment is there for all of us, not just the groups who are traditionally represented by the NRA.

Caroaber:

I am Afro-American,

A trenchant comment. Being Afro-American and a police officer you probably know better than most that "gun control" was originally started so as to limit access to weapons by blacks.

Here is an interesting article regarding this subject.

The Racist Roots of Gun Control

(Peace officer, not police officer. The NYS Legislature is still mulling over giving those in my title full police status.)

Thanks for the link. And bear in mind the parallel between these restrictions and voting rights restrictions (poll taxes, literacy exams, etc.) . Even the current Supreme Court case regarding handgun restrictions in Washington, D.C. has implications for Black Americans. I try to keep abreast of developments.

(Peace officer, not police officer. The NYS Legislature is still mulling over giving those in my title full police status.)

I wish you luck, then. If we're all lucky, they will realize we still need peace officers, and we still don't need police officers.

caroaber---I'm sorry, I'm kind of lost: what is the difference between 'police officer' and 'peace officer'???