Fictional Killing of Bush Causes Stir

[ajax49]

Amen! You've said it very well.

 

[smelter]

I would like to see a lot of things happen to GW but harming him physically is not even on my radar screen. You're right GA, this is absolutely despicable and America needs to rise as one and condemn it!

 

[Spiff]

I don't see how you are concluding that the filmmaker is projecting his hatred of Bush. It seems to me the movie was made to shock in a realistic "what if" format. It could have been made during any presidency about any other president. It amazes me how people struggle with seperating fiction and truth.

Now if someone like Michael Moore made this movie, then I might tend to believe you. But Moore is a different kind of filmmaker.

 

[iman]

As I understand it, the killing of Bush takes place at the beginning of the film and sets the scene for what comes after. The film is about the reaction of Americans to Muslims after the assassination. Very few people have seen the movie, we will know more after it is broadcast on British TV.

No, I'm not in favor of assassination.

 

[snapcat]

I agree with Alfie that this movie is in poor taste. By embracing a liberal ideaology I do not sanction nor endorse harm coming to those people that I disagree with philosophically.

I'm sure some american distributer will pick this up for North American release if they believe a dollar is to be made. Hopefully the dollars will be few and far between.

 

[ComNavFdgPk]

I'm surprised that nobody has brought up the truly abhorrent feature about this movie: the fact that Dick Cheney would then become President! Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

 

[beafous]

Oh pish! I'm a liberal, so this may be biased, but we've had shows like that over here for years. This is nothing! I am very surprised that it has garnered attention from the American press. "Not the Nine O'Clock News" was a comedy show over here that used to make up joke news. One time, it did a breaking news piece about how Clive Anderson had shot dead Noel Edmunds and had taken over his country estate (although Americans probably won't know who they are: they're 2 good natured tv show hosts), but it was hilarious.
On the other hand we also have a documentary show that asks "what if?" and creates a fictional, but realistic documentaries from the future following some world changing event. (such as another major terrorist attack or a presidential assassination.)
I find that we are getting over-hyper with the fact that something like this happens and we all have to immediately come out and say "Oh my god! That is in bad taste! I don't support it!" Stop analysing it. They are not saying that they want him to be killed. It just is what it is. Settle down.

 

[beafous]

OH REALLY? Well let's not ever again make a film about terrorism, assassinations, rape, paedophilia, or war. Cus those things happened and they are bad things. I didn't realise that your country had a monopoly on tragic events.

 

[Ramindra]

In many ways I tend to agree with the sentiments expressed by the General. I particularly agree that political assassination achieves precious little - those who take a life in a power grab are usually no better (and often worse) than the assassinated.

However, the scenario as it is supposedly presented in the movie does (or should) make for the development of some interesting speculations after "what if" discussions.

What would happen if Bush were to be assassinated? How would the cards fall? At defence colleges and think tanks around the world, such speculative games are being played all the time. It is how contingency plans are developed. Ask Richard Perle and the current boss at the World Bank.

I suppose the major difference between the movie and think tanks and defence colleges is that the latter do not go public with their scenarios

 

[beafous]

I think that this is the objective of the documentary. The "General" seems to think that the movie is a some guys sitting around, making a film about what they want to see

 

[Sausy]

A film depicting the killing of any sitting president,republican or Democrat,is reprehensible and exploitative.Something rare liberals and conservatives seem to be finding common agreement on here.(Of course,Alfie had to put in the gratuitous Conservatives really wish death on their enemies while we liberals are pure as the driven snow in that context,but I'll take any morsel of common ground we can agree upon)!

 

[beafous]

I can agree that the film MUST be offensive, because as I can see, many of you are offended. Reprehensible? I should hope not. People shouldn't feel guilty about creating something because it might offend someone. People like Mary Whitehouse are always on hand to tell us (grown adults) what we can and cannot watch, based on HER own personal morality system. Well screw that.

I also live in Northern Ireland, so yes, I do know terrorism first hand. My own father was in Derry on Bloody Sunday when the British troops opened fire on the peaceful civil rights marchers.

I can understand why you are offended by it. The United States seems to have had an unfair share of political assassinations. I know, as you can tell by my avatar, but just don't take it personally. If the US made a film about a princess being killed in a car crash, I'm sure there would be people upset over here too. But I can only defend my own opinion and I have been.

 

[beafous]

Thank you so much General. I love to debate. Plus, this is a hot topic now. Huzah!

 

[vox populi]

I don't see why anyone is raising any American shackles about this sort of what-if poetizing.

He's a shit president, and if anyone deserved to be taken out by a lucky shot, it's George W Bush.

Why the fuck are you defending him? National honor? Get fucking real!

 

[iman]

I understand the distaste for assassination drama, having lived through too many of them. I still wince every time I hear a reference to the group "The Dead Kennedys", but I everything is fair game in drama and art.

Does anyone else remember "MacBird!", an off Broadway play (1966) that postulated that LBJ was responsible for JFK's murder or "JFK" by Oliver Stone that attempted to legitimize Jim Garrison's conspiracy theory of the JFK assassination?

This is just a movie, unfortunate as the premise might be.

 

[snapcat]

See, I knew there would be someone willing to pay a dollar to see this movie!

Those of us that disagree strongly with President Bush wish him many things. We wish him and those alligned with him to be soundly defeated in the elections. We even wish upon him impeachment and prison time.

We don't wish him to be executed.

 

[vox populi]

No one said that you had to wish his execution. Only that you might consider the consequences of his elimination. I still se no reason why anyone should aviod using that posibility as the basis for a work of art.

 

[jackoroe]

I've read and seen some "what if" stories. Most notably "The Fatherland". A story about what would have happened if D-Day were a failure. It takes place in the early 1960's. Kennedy is President. Joseph Kennedy, not JFK. It's also Hitler's 75th birthday which is a big holiday in Greater Germania as it became. Interesting premise. I'd recomend it to history buffs.

The point is that this is a "what if" story about the past. It is an interesting intellectual excercise. While this new film may be similar in nature, we cannot ignore the fact that it shows the assasination of a sitting president. That is intolerable. Many of us here have lived through assasinations of political leaders over the years. It is too hurtful to consider another, even if we may disagree with his policies.

I'm very proud that we have all come together as civilized people, to condem this film. And by the way, I do also condem Ann Coulter for wishing harm on anybody or anything. There's plenty of hate on both sides to go around!

 

[BenF]

Meh - if you don't like it, don't fucking watch it.

There's no need to get your knickers in a twist about it.

 

[evilest]

It's a ficticious piece! Like Ben said, if you don't want to watch it, then don't bloody watch it.