On torture, clueless wonders, courage, and 9-11

I’ve always suspected that watching an entire segment of ABC’s The View was pure torture, but never did I know how right I was than when I actually had to sit through several segements. Believe me, it wasn’t by choice.

I went and had the oil changed in my car before lunch, and the place I took my car to has a TV in the reception area, and normally they have it on a sitcom re-run, or something else lighthearted and funny along those lines. Not today. I cringed when I opened the front door and walked in, because the first voice I heard was Rosie O’s replacement, View co-host Whoopi Goldberg. Looking up slowly with an emerging sense of dread, I saw that in fact, the TV was tuned to ABC to that horrid, horrid program.

What was the topic?

The Iraq war, of course. As always, it was three against one, with the gracious Elisabeth Hasselbeck (whose bro-in-law is Bush supporter and Seattle Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck) having to defend our troops, the decision to go into Iraq, etc. She and Joy Behar were the primary debaters in this little drama, and I have to say if I had to listen to Behar’s voice everyday, I’d very likely go insane. She sounded like a walking advertisement for MoveOn.org.

To make matters worse, after they “moved on” from the Iraq issue, their next guest was actress Susan Sarandon, noted Bush-hater and vocal anti-war critic, who came out and made some crack about the Emmy awards and someone getting censored for saying “Allah” and how it was wrong, and that “her God” had a bigger sense of humor than that. Oh really? So Ms. Sarandon apparently believes that God laughs about things like someone praising Allah rather than Him. How wonderful for her, and others who think like her, who believe that God is whatever they make Him out to be. I guess that’s an easy enough way to blissfully ignore what you don’t want to hear, eh, Ms. Sarandon?

Sarandon was on The View to, in part, talk about her new movie “In the Valley of Elah” – in which she stars alongside Tommy Lee Jones. Here’s more about that movie. After you read about it, you’ll understand why Sarandon took the role:

For those not up on their Old Testament, “In the Valley of Elah” refers to the place where David slew Goliath. It’s an apt metaphor for the battle undertaken by Jones as a grieving father fighting his way through a bureaucratic quagmire in search of the truth and by the young men and women who are facing insurmountable odds of emerging physically and/or emotionally unscathed from an increasingly controversial conflict.

Jones’ Hank Deerfield is a former military MP who receives a call that his son, Mike (Jonathan Tucker, in flashbacks) has gone AWOL after returning from active duty in Iraq. When the elder Deerfield shows up in Albuquerque, N.M., to conduct his own investigation, it’s subsequently discovered that his son has been a victim of foul play.

In his efforts to find out what really happened, Hank initially butts heads with Emily Sanders (a no-nonsense Charlize Theron), a recently promoted police detective who is fighting a couple of battles of her own — against the close-knit military brass and for respect from her colleagues, who make unsubtle intimations about her relationship with her boss (Josh Brolin).

As Hank stubbornly soldiers on, Emily eventually lends her support. As the two begin to piece together the events that led up to Mike’s disappearance, Hank is also forced to take stock of his own belief system.

In part an adaptation of a Playboy magazine article by Mark Boal called “Death and Dishonor,” the Haggis version is an eloquently written portrait of a man clinging to logic during a time of confusion and turmoil.

With equal amounts bravado, anguish and, ultimately, remorse filling the crevices of his world-weary visage, Jones never has been better; Theron also effectively portrays the multifaceted dimensions of a single mother and small-town detective whose tough exterior conceals a considerable amount of vulnerable self-doubt.

Yes, sounds like another one of those self-loathing type movies Hollywood leftists like Brian De Palma (who, incidentally, won an award in Venice over the weekend for his troop-hating flick) enjoy making so much. And through all this, though, we’re supposed to believe that they really do “support the troops.” Right.

—–

On today, the 6 year anniversary of 9-11, let’s take a look at what’s happening in the world:

—- Via Tom Gross, check out what the BBC is telling children about the 9-11 attacks:

Why did they do it?

The way America has got involved in conflicts in regions like the Middle East has made some people very angry, including a group called al-Qaeda – who are widely thought to have been behind the attacks.

In the past, al-Qaeda leaders have declared a holy war – called a jihad – against the US. As part of this jihad, al-Qaeda members believe attacking US targets is something they should do.

When the attacks happened in 2001, there were a number of US troops in a country called Saudi Arabia, and the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, said he wanted them to leave.

Yes, the BBC is teaching children to believe that 9-11 is our fault. Not exactly surprising, but infuriating to know nevertheless.

—- Newt Gingrich has written a piece titled “What If? An Alternative History of the War since 9/11.” Consider it a must-read.

—- Yet another terrorist attack has been thwarted this month, this time by Turkish authorities. Captain Ed has the details. Democrats who don’t want to call this a ‘war on terror’ – are you listening?

—- Read this story about a group of extremely brave Dutch Muslims who have launched a campaign designed to help make it easier for Muslims to denounce Islam. Talk about courage! Wow. Reminds me of incredible outspoken critics of Islam like Dr. Wafa Sultan.

—- Gates of Vienna blogs about arrests in Belgium, stemming from the demonstration against the “Islamization of Europe” in Brussels, a demonstration that the mayor of Brussels banned, but is nevertheless taking place. Here’s more, via the AP.

—- Tim Blair takes on Aussies who were gleeful about the 9-11 attacks.

—- The USA Today asks “Is 9/11 becoming just another calendar date?.” Uh, NO.

—- Well, ok, it was and still is another day – for the far left, as Norman Podhoretz reminds us.

Comments are closed.