Screaming inside

Reading Time Magazine on the bicycle at the gym today, I saw a glimmer of hope in the article "The Lions Roar"- an interview with Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, and Robert Redford regarding their new movie, Lions for Lambs. Having boycot every Tom Cruise movie since the Hollywood-altering Nicole-Tom breakup, Tom surprised me with this:

"We tried to look at all these different views, from the left or right or in between, and see how they can be challenged, in every way."

After all, in the movie he does play a Republican Senator.

But it would soon go sour until I could all but throw the magazine across the room, which would disastrously call unwanted attention to myself on a Saturday morning at the Y. So I screamed inside.

STREEP Because we're afraid to speak. Even though we have the freest society, supposedly, I think many of us are afraid to speak up. And we vilify the people that do speak up. You're told you're not supporting the troops.

REDFORD If you're against us, you're not patriotic.

STREEP So to me this film is about the difficulty of standing up and saying what you think. Standing up is very, very difficult.

Why is it always the liberal side of the argument that gets the sympathy? When people say they are against the war, Conservatives accuse them of being against the troops and that makes them feel bad inside. Because they really do support the troops. Oh boo hoo!

That's not the argument the right is making. It's when as a society we forget the reason why we are at war- we forget about the pillars of freedom that have supported a democratic society and their rights to express varying opinions- when we turn the other cheek to the 9/11 bombings and the innocent lives that were taken because Islamist extremists want to murder us all - it is when a group of citizens decides that what we are fighting for isn't worth it- that's when the troops aren't supported, when you're not being patriotic.

Why don't we scream out from the right? We can't speak out either, because doing so means you're supporting an unpopular President, an unpopular war, you're against universal health care and therefore against helping people that can't help themselves, you want to take away programs that provide for the needy, and evidently support the takeover of the middle east, or any other nation that threatens the upset of peace. I am sick of the American media giving time to the "poor liberal who feels he can't speak out for fear of being called unpatriotic." All we have heard are challenges to patriotism- Barrack Obama without his hand on his heart, Harry Reid saying we've lost the war, Democrats calling Bush names I wish not to repeat, and all those from the left. What about the fear of being called a war monger, a nazi, a racist?

So pardon me, Meryl and Robert, if you feel you can't speak out. Perhaps those of you in the movie business should reassess what it is you wish to accomplish with your million dollar box-office hits that reach millions of viewers world-wide if you feel you can't speak out. Liberal hollywood has got your back if you want to be "unpatriotic."

I however, want to continue to support the troops, the war, and our freedom.

And one more thing before I go- We've got to pull these stars' heads out of their asses. I'm interested to see Ms. Streep's role in Lions as she did play a more conservative member of the CIA in Rendition, she has me interested...
But THIS kills me:

CRUISE Wars never solved anything--that's my personal belief--but I don't think that that's necessarily what the film is about. It does pose questions. It's not pointing the finger. Because so much was happening after 9/11, it was hard to get to the truth.

You know what was happening after 9/11 Tommy? We were hunting down the murderers, bringing them to justice.

STREEP But I think older people had this dull, thudding pressure. They were feeling, Hmm, maybe this is not what we think. And yet we went forward, in the face of all sorts of warnings that are now proven to be the truth. Americans have been anesthetized by good fortune. I recognize myself in every single one of the compromised people in this piece. This movie is saying, Here we all are.

I'm not sure I heard her right, "older people had this dull, thudding pressure...maybe this isn't what we think"???? If she's referring to the United States Congress that voted to go to war to find Osama bin Laden, or most importantly, track down So-Damn Insane, I will spare you the roll-call of Senators. However, I think we all know who voted for the war. Even if it was before they voted against it...

I know one thing, you won't catch me at the movies this time. Sorry Mom, I know you love Robert Redford, but you'll have to catch this one solo.