Hollywood Appeasers: Another "peace" coalition by a bunch of left-leaning celebs but with a twist

FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | December 11, 2002 | Paul Bond

[SJackson]

Actors Mike Farrell, Matt Damon and Martin Sheen do not want the United States to go to war with Iraq.

Therefore, along with 97 other celebrities, they have formed a group called Artists United to Win Without War.

What the public didn't see at their Tuesday press conference is far more significant than the formation of yet another peace coalition by a bunch of left-leaning celebrities like Jessica Lange, Anjelica Huston and Elliott Gould.

What that significant development is, is the healthy dose of skepticism displayed by the mainstream press at Tuesday’s well-covered Hollywood event.

But first, the group’s statement, scheduled to appear soon in select newspapers:

"War talk in Washington is alarming and unnecessary.

"We are patriotic Americans who share the belief that Saddam Hussein cannot be allowed to possess weapons of mass destruction. We support rigorous United Nations weapons inspections to assure Iraq’s effective disarmament.

"However, a preemptive military invasion of Iraq will harm American national interests. Such a war will increase human suffering, arouse animosity toward our country, increase the likelihood of terrorist attacks, damage the economy, and undermine our moral standing in the world. It will make us less, not more, secure.

"We reject the doctrine – a reversal of long-held American tradition – that our country, alone, has the right to launch first-strike attacks.

"The valid U.S. and U.N. objective of disarming Saddam Hussein can be achieved through legal diplomatic means. There is no need for war. Let us instead devote our resources to improving the security and well-being of people here at home and around the world."

Now for the significance.

An NBC reporter immediately set a skeptical tone for the spirited question and answer session, asking group co-chair Farrell if Artists United to Win Without War isn’t made up of celebrities who were also against the Gulf War a decade ago. Wouldn’t the world be an even more dangerous place if Hussein was not ousted from Kuwait and U.N inspectors weren’t brought in to Iraq back then?

The deft former star of M*A*S*H* said he would have preferred it had the elder President Bush explored "options short of war" before expelling Hussein from Kuwait.

Then Sheen was asked by a couple of reporters why it is that President Bush would threaten war against Iraq if Hussein presented little or no threat to the U.S.

"I don’t know if we’ll ever get the whole truth from this administration – about anything," he answered.

Pressed again as to the president’s motives, Sheen attributed them to mere family pride. "I think he’d like to hand his father Saddam Hussein’s head," Sheen said.

Then there was this exchange between a reporter and Sheen:

"Would you like to see Saddam Hussein overthrown?" the reporter asked.

"I don’t know what you mean," Sheen answered.

"Removed from power," said the reporter.

"I don’t even know what that means," Sheen said.

The undaunted reporter pressed on. "Regime change," he explained.

"I’d like to see that come from the Iraqis, not the Americans," Sheen finally conceded.

Not wanting the other reporters to have all the fun, I asked if, assuming our military were to overthrow Hussein quickly and with few casualties, and then Iraqi citizens were shown dancing in the streets and praising America for liberating them from a torturous dictator, would the Artists United to Win Without War rethink their position? Would they consider they might be wrong, and say so publicly?

Sheen offered, "I’m always open to the possibility that I’m wrong."

The bulk of the answer, though, came from Farrell, who made the point that, just because some Iraqis might applaud such a removal of Hussein, doesn’t make it the right thing to do.

"The idea that somehow the end justifies the means, as you’re suggesting, is exactly contrary to the principles on which this country was founded," Farrell said.

"The idea you suggest, forgive me, is an inappropriate one," he scolded.

The best bit of levity came at the close of the hour-long event. It had been suggested by some of the dozen celebrities in attendance that Artists United to Win Without War was nonpartisan.

Asked to name a Republican among the group, Farrell claimed there were some, but quipped, "I don’t want to out them."

In a room full of skeptical reporters who clearly were not there to rubber-stamp Hollywood’s latest political effort, the very revealing joke went over quite well.

[boop]

Interesting. Hanks, Spielberg, and Harrison Ford are all registered democrats, but they refused to sign. I now have a twinge of repect for these people.

[free biscet]

Bonnie Rait

Let me tell you bout Bonnie Rait...

She always signs her name to thses communist causes (because that is what this group is).

Bonnie Rait went to Cuba a few years ago with a contingent of stupid artists that went to have a peace concert.

She hung out with Fidel (a dictator) and she put down the US blamed the embargo for all of Cuba's problems. She gave a large donation of dollars to a Cuban school...

Following this trip she went on one of the latenight network interview shows and when asked of her trip to Kuba she raised her hand in the air - with fist - and said, "you go Fidel!"

That's Bonnie Rait for ya!

[MoGalahad]

A beautiful, concise quote. Thanks, FreedomAvatar.

[freeperfromnj]

I didn't realize that. I don't usually follow their personal lives. I guess I wrongly assumed that most country singers are Republicans.

[agrace]

She refused to sign because she thinks they're wrong, Saddam runs Iran.

[chimera]

Um, what? We fought a war for our own independence, Farrell.

Good one. The country wouldn't have been founded/survived if we hadn't fought a war. Sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in.

But, this is Hollywood, where they probably fix things up with a phone call, maybe a quick cash transaction, or roll in the hay. The dirty business of fighting is foreign to most of these scumwads, except maybe for a little play-acting, and fighting with their agent for another couple of million $ for their next acting gig.

[TREGEN]

Mike Farrell, Co-Chair
Robert Greenwald, Co-Chair
Gillian Anderson
Edward Asner
Rene Auberjonois
David Bale
Kim Basinger
Ed Begley, Jr.
Theo Bikel
Barbara Bosson
Jackson Browne
Peter Buck (REM)
Diahann Carroll
Eugene J. Carroll, Jr.,
Rear Adm. U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Kathleen Chalfant
Don Cheadle
Jill Clayburgh
David Clennon
Jack Coleman
Peter Coyote
Lindsay Crouse
Suzanne Cryer
Matt Damon
Dana Daurey
Ambassador Jonathan Dean
(U.S. Rep. to NATO
Warsaw Pact)
Vincent D’Onofrio
David Duchovny
Olympia Dukakis
Charles S. Dutton
Hector Elizondo
Cary Elwes
Shelley Fabares
Mike Farrell
Mia Farrow
Laurence Fishburne
Sean Patrick Flanery Bonnie Franklin
John Fugelsang
Jeananne Garafalo
Larry Gelbart
Melissa Gilbert
Danny Glover
Elliott Gould
Samaria Graham
Robert Greenwald
Robert Guillaume
Paul Haggis
Robert David Hall
Ethan Hawke
Ken Howard
Helen Hunt
Anjelica Huston
LaTanya Richardson Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Jane Kaczmarek
Melina Kanakaredes
Casey Kasem
Mimi Kennedy
Jessica Lange
Tea Leoni
Wendie Malick
Camryn Manheim
Marsha Mason
Richard Masur
Dave Matthews
Kent McCord
Robert Duncan McNeill
Mike Mills (REM)
Janel Moloney
Esai Morales
Ed O’Neill
Chris Noth
Peter Onorati
Alexandra Paul Ambassador Edward Peck
(former U.S. Ambassador
to Iraq)
Seth Peterson
CCH Pounder
David Rabe
Alan Rachins
Bonnie Raitt
Carl Reiner
Tim Robbins
Steve Robinson,
Sgt., U.S. Army (Ret.)
Mitch Ryan
Susan Sarandon
Tony Shalhoub
Jack Shanahan,
Vice Adm. U.S. Navy (Ret.)
William Schallert
Martin Sheen
Armin Shimerman
Gloria Steinem
Marcia Strassman
Michael Stipe (REM)
Susan Sullivan
Loretta Swit
Studs Terkel
Lily Tomlin
Blair Underwood
Dennis Weaver
Bradley Whitford
James Whitmore
James Whitmore, Jr.
Alfre Woodard
Noah Wyle
Peter Yarrow
Howard Zinn



Congratulations to the winners of the all expense-paid month long vacation and tour to Iraq where they will experience pillage, rape, torture, and in some cases death.

[Cable225]

How many plan on boycotting the next two Matrix movies?

I like a good boycott as much as the next guy, but let's not get carried away here.

I do find some of the names amusing though -
Armin Shimerman - last seen being eaten by the transformed Mayor on Buffy four seasons ago
Gloria Steinem - Artist?
Marcia Strassman - done anything since Welcome Back Kotter?
Kent McCord - One Adam-12, see the has-been actor on the petition
Tea Leoni - ever been in anything worth watching?

[conservativemusician]

Wonderful quote.

That's one of the reasons TR is top 5 all-time on my Presidents list.

[Britton J Wingfield]

Tea Leoni - ever been in anything worth watching?

"Flirting With Disaster" was a good movie. She has nice legs.

I'm wondering if either her or her husband Duchovny signed merely to make the other (idiot) happy. Duchovny always seemed like an intelligent guy. Oh well.

[ao98]

I don't know the politics of her husband, but Tea Leoni was raised to be a leftist. Her real name is Tea Pantaleoni, and her grandmother was Helenka Pantaleoni, one of the leftist founder's of UNICEF. Tea is an honorary ambassador for UNICEF.

[EDINVA]

that's why we said "reruns" ... hahhaahaha, not much else with this bunch

[grammymoon]

post 125-

How could I have forgotten that!
LOL!

[Illbay]

This is just the same gaggle of "usual suspects."
I would have liked to have asked Sheen
if his distrust of the present administration
bore any resemblance to the distrust of "real America" for Bill Clinton.

[Spook86]

Ah...the usual suspects. Maybe James Woods or Arnold can circulate a petition and come up with a list of celebrities who back U.S. policies in Iraq. Of course, that would require some moral courage, a quality sadly absent in Hollywood. BTW, Admiral Carroll is a liberal suck-up who runs the so-called Center for Defense Information. Admiral Shanahan is obviously pissed off that he didn't get that fourth star, and (clearly) angling to be a technical advisor on the next Hollywood war flick...

[DoctorMichael]

Thanks for The List

..............Know thine enemy.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

If I'm not going to miss the next two Lord of the Rings movies just on the account of Viggo Mortensen and Ian McKellan, I can hack those two flicks as well. Hell, even Sam Jackson was on that list, which was utterly disappointing. He has not been one of the usual suspects so far.

Mostly, that was what this list was, usual suspects + has beens with a few surprises tossed in. Looking at the bright side, there were plenty of names left off.

[b-cubed]

"I didn't realize that. I don't usually follow their personal lives. I guess I wrongly assumed that most country singers are Republicans.

Dopey, everyone knows Bonnie Rait is a gospel singer.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Clint is no surprise, he's one that you'll never see with this ragtag bunch. Ford is a huge surprise, though, if that's true. He is one of the usual suspects, on the quieter side.

[rockfish59]

Another list for Joe!