Two were satirical in nature. One was wishful thinking. The official responses to them could not have been more different.
Sony has canceled the release of the “The Interview”, a movie about the assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, in response to terror threats made by those who call themselves the “Guardians of Peace.”
A Sony spokesman said the studio “has no further release plans” for the $44 million comedy. The cancellation was a sharp defeat for the studio, which for months had stood behind the film and its plot as being within its creative rights, even as North Korean officials excoriated it as “an act of war,” and a group of hackers raided the studio’s computers and published mounds of private corporate data online in declared retribution for the movie. “The Interview” was co-directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
The decision to pull the movie was slammed by Barack Obama:
President Barack Obama said Friday that Sony erred in choosing not to release “The Interview” amid cyberthreats linked to North Korea.
“I think they made a mistake,” he said at his year-end news conference at the White House. Later, he added, “I wish they’d spoken to me first. I would have told them: Do not get into the pattern in which you are intimidated.”
The company’s decision not to release the movie sets a bad precedent, Obama suggested.
“We cannot have a society in which a dictator in some place can start imposing censorship in the United States,” he said. If a leader like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is able to inspire such concern over a “satirical movie,” he said, “imagine what they start doing” with undesirable documentaries or news reports.
Really?
Wasn’t so long ago when another wannabe dictator slammed someone for releasing a movie.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula made a movie called “The Innocence of Muslims” which allegedly insults Islam. Barack Obama did not applaud the courage of the film maker. Obama went to the UN to apologize for the movie.
“The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”
He had the film maker arrested. There is absolutely no question that had he not made the movie he would not have found himself incarcerated. Hillary Clinton guaranteed Nakoula was headed to the slammer:
After Benghazi, the administration was evidently filled with a fierce resolve — to bring Nakoula Basseley Nakoula to justice. Charles Woods, the father of a Navy SEAL killed in Benghazi, said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told him when his son’s body returned to Andrews Air Force Base: “We will make sure that the person who made that film is arrested and prosecuted.”
Lo and behold, Nakoula was brought in for questioning by five Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies at midnight, eventually arrested and held without bond, and finally thrown into jail for a year. He sits in La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution in Texas right now, even as the deceptive spin that blamed his video for the Benghazi attack looks more egregious by the day.
And then there was another movie – the liberal wet dream about the assassination of George W. Bush. Liberals loved it so much that they gave it an award at the Toronto Film Festival.
While clearly not pleased with the movie, the White House did not have anyone arrested.
Obama’s support of the First Amendment is distinctly selective. The depiction of the deaths of leaders of nations is acceptable, but criticize Islam and it’s straight into the pokey.
“Do not get into the pattern in which you are intimidated” said Obama.
Unless you’re criticizing Islam.
“We cannot have a society in which a dictator in some place can start imposing censorship in the United States” said Obama.
Unless you’re criticizing Islam. Some things supersede the Constitution.
As I’ve said before, you can’t spell “liberal” without the letters h-y-p-o-c-r-i-t-e.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.