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| Will McAvoy [Jeff Daniels] In The Newsroom |
Will McAvoy [Jeff Daniels], the TV anchor in HBO's series Newsroom, took to slamming the American Taliban in episode 3 last Sunday. The series, as far as cable or regular TV goes, is by far written better than anything else, there is no comparison - as it takes real life portrayals - and is then incorporated into the show.
Typical, masterful Aaron Sorkin, is in this scene posted below.
VIDEO COURTESY OF HBO
Script from the scene in its entirety.
Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann thinks our troops are the best: "They are the best. This is the easiest thing to get behind. It doesn't get any better to help our troops when they are literally on the lines fighting for our freedom."
Presidential candidate Herman Cain will not apologize for having the biggest, baddest, greatest military on the planet: "And I don't apologize for having the biggest, baddest, greatest military on the planet."
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney would like the rest of us to support the troops even more than we already do: "I think it's time for American citizens and politicians to show a surge of support and for us to reach out to our neighbors who are serving in the military."
And presidential candidate Rick Santorum marvels as we all do at the selfless act of volunteering to serve in a time of war: "We have a culture right now that doesn't say serve. It doesn't say don't think about yourself. It says, 'Me, me, me.' It's a very self-absorbed, me-centered, excessive popular culture. And yet we have brave men and women who are willing to step forward because they know what's at stake. They're willing to sacrifice their lives for this great country."
Stephen Hill is a decorated captain in the US Army, where he's been a reservist for 20 years. He is this very night serving in combat in Iraq, as he was last night when he asked this question via YouTube at the GOP debate in Orlando, Florida:
"In 2010, when I was deployed to Iraq, I had to lie about who I was because I'm a gay soldier and I didn't want to lose my job. My question is, under one of your presidencies, do you intend to circumvent the progress that's been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military?"
(Boos from audience)
That was a big room full of Republican primary voters booing an American combat soldier who, as he was speaking, was in combat. The audience members who were booing were in Orlando. Soon they'll surely be in hell, though not soon enough.
Not everyone was booing. There were people in the audience who heard Captain Hill say that when he was deployed to Iraq, he was worried that if his sexuality was discovered, they might not let him go-- As opposed to most of us who, if told we were being deployed to Iraq, would go Corporal Klinger faster than you can pull on a yellow taffeta picnic dress.
I'm sure there were even some people in the building who stood up for Captain Hill, people who had the simple strength of character to turn to the fraction of a human in the seat next to them and say, "How many different kinds of disgusting do you have to be to boo a man who volunteered to fight and die for you?"
I'm sure those people were there. I'm sure there were many of them. But unfortunately, none of them were on the stage. Not one of these would-be commanders in chief took a moment to stand with a line officer. They let him stand alone.
Soldiers never do that. Leaders never do that. Witless bullies and hapless punks do it all the time.
The only president on the stage last night was Stephen Hill. Godspeed, Captain Hill, and come home soon. A grateful nation is waiting to say thank you.
That's News Night for September 23rd. Terry Smith is up next with The Capitol Report. I'm Will McAvoy. Good night.
It goes without saying that we’re all ignorant of all manner of things – the proper way to perform heart surgery, the top five poets in Urdu and Farsi, the agreed-upon hierarchy of distilleries in Scotland, a plethora of subjects. One’s person’s expertise is another’s ignorance.
Stupidity, though, is a different thing from mere ignorance. Stupidity is the condition of preferring ignorance over knowledge, which is what the American Taliban pulls on a daily basis.
Truly toxic stupidity, it seems to me, is not only when ignorance is preferred to knowledge, it’s when the very idea of knowledge itself is actively resented.
And that’s where Sorkin will always piss off those right of center. Sorkin, in his own way, actively resents any knowledge about stupidity and how it actually works in the world. And rightly so, as a consequence, huge sections of the American Taliban –actively resent him pointing out just how truly stupid they really are.
The above clip points to a callous, vile, destructive conservative party. This is the GOP that we have come to know and love. Conservatives despise HBO, Bill Maher, Aaron Sorkin greatly. Take Karen B comments to NFTOS:
another platform to portray over the top liberal views and exposing Sorkin as the hack he is........and always will be. Because the actors spout their lines off harshly and 'seriously', we are supposed to take this drivel as an important landmark in HBO and TV history...Sorkin, get over yourself!This scene is equivalent to the American Taliban scene from last year. I love these hard hitting truthful scenes - for they allow another nail to be hit squarely on the head of the rusty nasty nail - that is the GOP!
NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West
