(no subject)

[apocalypsos]

Disney Forbidding Distribution of Film That Criticizes Bush (You have to register to read the story.)

Jesus.

Okay, look. I don't like Michael Moore as a person, 'cause he's kind of a big dumb dork. However, his films amuse me. Documentary or entertainment, Bowling for Columbine made me laugh, made me think, and made me roll my eyes (but in a good way). I've been dying to see this movie, because, let's face it, I really don't like Bush and any chance to knock on him amuses the hell out of me. True or not, I should be able to see the fucking movie and judge for myself.

This country creeps me out these days something fierce. God forbid you should dissent anything anymore. Now they not only want a draft, they're thinking of making it for people 18-34 and including women. And according to that poll on CNN.com, one in five people think those soldiers shouldn''t be criminally charged for what they did to those Iraqi prisoners. (I'm sorry, what?! If Iraqi soldiers had done this to American prisoners, Americans would be calling for them to be hanged or something by now.)

UGH. That's it. I'm starting a new fucking country. Anyone with me?

Comments

[theliel.livejournal.com]

it'll all end in fire i tell you. fire and blood.

nothing good will come of this.

in the mean time, get out and vote!

[avariel-wings.livejournal.com]

You start a new country and I'll help you run it. Blair and Bush should both be thrown out of office.

[malhablada.livejournal.com]

I'm with you! Let's go. Let me just finished bending over for THE MAN and taking my last exam for the year, and then we're golden.

Are you wanting to take over an existing country and kick everyone out, or somehow use magic to create a new island-continent that you're the Queen of? Just let me know, so I know what kind of shoes to bring.

Over and out. :)

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I think we should create our own country, so we can get to pick out the scenery and climate and animals and whatnot. Seems only fair we should get to accessorize our new country however the hell we want.

And we can call it Bob. Or, you know, not.

[carolinecrane.livejournal.com]

You know, my dad's an Air Force man so whenever he and I have a conversation there's a lot of head butting going on. But even he thinks those soldiers should be drawn and quartered. I'm just thankful he can still think for himself, because a lot of those military drones really can't.

Michael Moore amuses me too in his bumbling, Everyman kind of way. It's kind of funny how all the freedoms we've had in this country for so long suddenly means we're all trying to control each other's freedoms. If, by funny, you mean really fucking scary.

[linaerys.livejournal.com]

I'm with you. I want to import some hot British men, while we're having a fantasy, but I'm afraid women will have to be in charge. Men have been cocking things up for 2000+ years now, and it's time to give them a rest.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I think we need to at least import a few other-accented guys. I could stand for Australian and the occasional Southern accent. Oh, and German ... I've got a thing for German accents.

But oh, yeah. Chicks in charge.

[jtersesk.livejournal.com]

I am so with you. I mean, come November, if B- Bu--- that guy -- gets re-elected, I'm leaving anyway, so what better place to go than a country run by you, TP?!

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Is Disney stalling on 'Columbine' because it criticizes Bush or because it's full of blatant lies and truth-twisting?

And silly shit like drafts get proposed all the time. Probably for publicity stunts.

And polls? I haven't trusted in polls for YEARS

[zeelee-penguin.livejournal.com]

Hell yes I'm with you. We can call it Troll-land. Or something. What should our flag be?

I loved Michael Moore's book 'Dude, Where's My Country?' I really need to get my hands on Stupid White Men.

[thornsilver]

Hey, a new country! What a cool idea....

Meanwhile, I think I am moving to Canada.

I'm with you!

[wal-lace.livejournal.com]

Although I do demand some kind of highly-paid government job, involving the minimum of actual work.

You know. Two hundred grand a year, and twice a week I just have to deny the existence of Mexico, or something.

Re: I'm with you!

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Done. You can be Vice President in Charge of ... I don't know, paper umbrellas or something. Just lie on the beach with a fancy drink and watch the money roll in. You can be on the brochures. :)

[paradoxymoron.livejournal.com]

luuuuuuuuuuuuurve teh icon.
So. Where do we sign up? :D

[schlo.livejournal.com]

Do you accept frenchies in your new country ? 'cause I'm with you...
But maybe it should be better to create a new planet, no ?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Sure. (Pssst. Bring wine, and lots of it.)

YES. Let's create a nw planet. Full of peace and love and harmony ... of course, the downside is, this planet will invade ours, because it's a festering rot that needs to be in charge of everything, but whatever. :)

[nycdeb.livejournal.com]

well, I did read the story and yes, Disney's decision is ridiculous at best, self serving craven-ness at least. That is - if it isn't some enormous attempt to generate buzz and then "cave" and release it closer to the election (but color me cynical). They may start hedging on this as soon as the film is shown at Cannes later this month.

I do wonder at the Times choice of wording though. "Forbidding" sounds like they've barred the film from release AND they've barred Moore from making a distribution deal elsewhere but they make a point of saying that he and Miramax are free to do just that so while Disney's decision is self serving craven-ness as I said, they haven't *forbidden* the film from release. They've *decided* not to release it domestically through a division of their company, and Miramax has sold overseas distribution rights already. I am SURE another distribution company would pick up provided that Weinsteins don't make the deal utterly and completely hellish (they have been known to do that after all).

Moore makes me insane. A lot of what he says, I agree wth 100% but by gosh, he makes it hard to side with him sometimes. What a wack job. I'm not a fan in any way shape or form of Disney, Eisner, or the way they do business and I am even less of a fan of Bush (the family, the administration or the man) but while there HAVE been attempts to actually censor Moore before -- when his revised books came out there was TREMENDOUS pressure on him to change a good deal of it and he almost lost his publishing contract defending his rights as an author to preserve it -- he is crying censorship here where from a legal standpoint it doesn't exist.

Moore says, "Should this be happening in a free and open society where the monied interests essentially call the shots regarding the information that the public is allowed to see?'"

It is a free and open society where Disney, a company with a blind eye on the bottom line is free to make decisions they feel are in the best interest of the company (and since it is Disney, a company with incredibly active (and recently riled up) stockholders - those interest are always going to be proft-driven in nature). They are not barring the public from the film. Putting obstacles in the way, yes. Insurmountable ones, no. It IS being shown in Cannes. It has been sold for distribution overseas and they are not intending to block Moore or Miramax from seeking distribution for the domestic market elsewhere (which I'm betting within the clauses of that contract they are probably legally entitled to do).

Now, that said - I'd love to have a film out there that draws the connections for people between Bush and the House of Saud (several recent books are available on the subject including one the index of which I assisted in the editing of) but the general public as we all know doesn't read all that much (not you and me and the majority of LJers who I've found to be more widely read than John Q. Public), certainly doesn't read current events titles or the newspaper for the most part and so a film might reach more of them. OK, it's not a summer action film but if enough buzz is created maybe they'll go to see it just to see what all the fuss is about.

Wow. That's a lot of writing for me before coffee kicks in. But a country founded and started by Trollprincess. Sign me up!

[septembergrrl.livejournal.com]

True or not, I should be able to see the fucking movie and judge for myself.

AMEN.

I'm sure even more people will see the movie becauseof this controversy.

Now they not only want a draft, they're thinking of making it for people 18-34 and including women.

I don't want a draft because I don't want a war, but if we're going to have one I think it should definitely include women. The exclusion of women has always struck me as being pretty sexist, especially since very little modern combat relies on brute strenght. And if my brother or my husband was asked to lay his life on the line and I wasn't, I cannot see that as fair to anyone -- my life and safety are no more or less precious than theirs.

[opportunemoment.livejournal.com]

The exclusion of women has always struck me as being pretty sexist.

... is a very good point, which I would be behind 100% if it weren't for the mind-numbing terror that grips me at the very idea of being drafted, which leads me to welcome even silly, sexist rules like that because frankly anything that would mean I wouldn't have to is good with me.
That said, I live in the UK, where drafting is unlikely to happen because there are too many sane people who would just tell them to fuck off.

[secretbutterfly.livejournal.com]

New country! I'm with you. Or jsut, y'know, a mass exodus to Canada...

[ljs-lj.livejournal.com]

[sarcasm]Oh, lovely.[/sarcasm]

...only want a draft, they're thinking of making it for people 18-34 and including women.

Can I just run away to Canada? (24 and female)

UGH. That's it. I'm starting a new fucking country. Anyone with me?

Can I be minister of education?

--LJ

[alopekis.livejournal.com]

See, this is what I've been saying for years! I keep threatening to move to Canada, but, you know, COLD. So I've been making plans with my friends and family to purchase an island somewhere tropical- perhaps the South Pacific- where I shall set up the Republic of Lis. We should combine our efforts- I'd planned to be Grand Poohbah, and I think I promised my sister she could be Minister of Pretty Pretty Actors, but I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement.

[minotaurs.livejournal.com]

Ernst Callenbach wrote an interesting little book titled "Ecotopia" back in the mid-70's, in which Northern California, Washington and Oregon seceeded from the Union. It sounded like a good idea to me back then, and even more so now. You can count me in.

[almightyhat.livejournal.com]

As a Nothern Californian, count me in on that one, baby. Can we allow everybody to marry everybody else? And legalize stuff? (And then tax the shit out of it, of course, because what better way to run your government than by tax money from recreational drugs?)

[djredhawk.livejournal.com]

UGH. That's it. I'm starting a new fucking country. Anyone with me?

I'm in!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

my friend issues passports to the only virtual country in the world ... if you are interested ...

[muffytaj.livejournal.com]

I'm starting a new fucking country.

Ohmygod yes please take me too. Please! I just want to get away from politics and asshats and people who think it's funny to run over small and furry animals.

[akacat]

I'm starting a new fucking country. Anyone with me?

Definately. Can we have a common sense requirement for immigration?

[ficangel.livejournal.com]

Now they not only want a draft, they're thinking of making it for people 18-34 and including women.

A sick, sociopathic side of me wants this to happen right before the election. Because how fast do you think comfy, SUV-driving suburbanites would give up their rhetoric and armchair warfare if it was their own little Young Republican marching off to do battle? Let's face it, we're used to a far more cushy lifestyle than the Vietnam vets. It would take less than a week of real sacrifice before the country turned on Bush en masse.

[gwen-louise.livejournal.com]

We have this place down the bottom of the world called New Zealand which is ok most of the time, but our flag really sucks, and to tell the truth, I'd rather be somewhere with a cool name that incorporates the word 'Troll'. I'd love to help build your new country. I can bring cute NZ guys with me can't I?

[fyrdrakken]

I'll bet that becomes an immigration or citizenship requirement -- bring at least one cute guy along who isn't already claimed by you.

[sleepyaardvark.livejournal.com]

Wait...are you saying, that, hypothetically speaking, if there is a draft that you don't think women should be included? And if that's really your position, exactly what sort of "logic" went into that anyway? Does it have any resemblance to our Earth logic?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I don't like including women because I'm one. No other reason, really. I don't want to go to war, but thanks anyway.