Anti-war celebrities: Mike Farrell (a chat session at USA Today)

USA Today ^ | 2/28/03

[Andy from Beaverton]

Martin Sheen, Sean Penn, Barbra Streisand and George Clooney are among the celebrities who have spoken out against the impending war with Iraq. But do they have any real influence, with either the president or the American public? What are the up- and downsides of being a public figure activist? Chat with actor Mike Farrell about his opposition to the war.

[Andy from Beaverton]

...Limbaugh is being a hypocrite when he, an entertainer, criticizes entertainers for speaking out.
Limbaugh is a political commentator and that is what made him a celebrity.

I reluctantly supported Mr. Clinton's action on behalf of the protection of the lives of Kosovars who were being slaughtered.
One third of the 2,000 people killed in Kosovo were Serbs. More people die in this same time span in most of the Arabian countries today by their governments but we aren't going to war against them. Can you say wag the dog and protect the president?

[Question_Assumptions]

Do they ever explain how one is supposed to "win without war"?

[GOP_Proud]

< ...Limbaugh is being a hypocrite when he, an entertainer, criticizes entertainers for speaking out >

Yes, he's paid to entertain us with his opinion. You (Ferrell), on the other hand, are not.

[Argus]

If there is no war, they win.

[gaspar]

I have a hunch that the replacement for Donohue has been found: Dennis Miller. The guy makes a hell of a lot of sense and he knows the celebrity culture well. And though he despises much of it, he is like the guerrilla who can float around in a sea of unfriendlies.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

It's the guys like Mike Farrell that we have to be concerned about. He's articulate. Wrong, and woefully misguided and optimistic without basis (if that doesn't describe a liberal, I don't know what does), but articulate. The things he says SOUND reasonable to one who is uninformed. And far too many people in our country are uninformed. They actually look to celebrities to shape their opinions.

I'm reminded of the episode of "The Simpsons", when it's discovered that Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger are living in Springfield. The denizens of the town show up outside the gates of their home, holding up signs of worship. One reads, "You complete us!".

If we're not careful, these people will be our undoing.

[big gray tabby]

At least he's using his mind. But even though he presents his arguments in a reasonable fashion, you can still tell that they hinge on lefty lies.

I would have liked to ask him how he would expect us to Saddam to comply without the threat of force. He probably would have blathered on about the UN.

Altogether, if this were the level of discourse on this issue, I would have a lot more respect for their position.

[OpusatFR]

Everything he has said is easily found in any newspaper or report. He has absolutely nothing upon which to base an informed opinion against President Bush's handling of Iraq. In fact, he even misinterprets the purpose of the inspectors as "The issue of complying with UN mandates is for UN inspectors to determine." No. The inspectors inspect and issue reports. It is up to the council to determine if he is cooperating.

"As regards my opposition to the original Gulf War after the invasion of Kuwait, my belief at the time was that the only thing accomplished by the invasion that could not have been accomplished by diplomatic means was the loss of lives."
This is sheer nonsense from someone who has no conception of either diplomacy or warfare.

The rest is one person's opinion. He is informed as to the extent the public is informed. I do not object to dissent, but please, in the public sphere your words are not gospel. I would rather trust our National Security Advisor, Ms. Rice, and Mssrs. Rumsfield and Wolfowitz who are privy to sensitive information, than Mr. Farrell, who while a concerned citizen, is not.

The maintenance of an idealogical stance that flies in the face of all that Saddam has done for tweleve years does not enhance Mr. Farrell's argument. Rather, it damages it irrevocably.

[Republicus2001]

"Surfer" Mike should go back to Malibu...

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

People are right to describe him as articulate. He, as well as Jeneane Garofalo are the very best the Left has. They mix in humor with an even tone assurance that their stance is not only reasonable, that is in the best interest of all. (I think Mike even said that if we supported the inspections with patience, EVERYONE would be satisfied, yeah Mike like Poland was satisfied with Allied inspections of the 3rd Reich powered by the League Of Nations when it was found out he had duped them with dual use factories)

But my main point is that even though Mike and Janeane are articulate, if you scratch the surface, like a few of these questions did challenging him, or they did on Fox & Friends the other day to Ms Thang, you'll see they get conspiritorial. They get spooky, they start talking about malicious motivations of "Mr Bush" that can't pass the smell test.

No matter how articulate these people may be at reading their lines of the anti War Left, up against an informed opposition, they will make themselves look completely irrational. Another way to say that is that they will show how smart they truely are.

[SquirrelKing]

"The resolution of whatever problems exist vis-a-vis the U.S. and Iraq through the good offices of the United Nations offer an alternative that will not inflame those passions that have been stoked by the Osama bin Ladens of the world."

There is NO alternative. We were sitting fat, dumb and happy before 9-11. he and others are proposing we continue on the same track. An old Navy man once said, "If you want to go to war, indicate that you are an easy take". Now we are just finishing the fight. By toppling Saddam we will be sending a message to every other goat-snuggler with a grudge that we will not stand for it.

What a butthole. I used to like MASH...

[CFC__VRWC]

What a butthole. I used to like MASH...

Me too, but between Farrell, Alda and Robert Altman, I haven't been able to watch either the movie or the TV series for years.

[L.N. Smithee]

Irvine, CA: Mr. Farrell, in your interview with the LA Times in 1999, you supported the war in Kosovo on record based on human right violations. Why are you against the war now when the Iraqi leaders has prosecuted, raped, mutilated and murdered millions of people ? Is it because your friend Bill Clinton was in charge of the Kosovo war and George Bush who you hate is in charge of this war ?

Mike Farrell: Human rights violations, despicable as they are, are not the reason Mr. Bush is intending to prosecute this war.

L.N. Smithee: ...And? If this was in response to the "human rights violations" that everyone agrees Saddam is guilty of, it would change your mind?

Mike Farrell: While I was in the former Yugoslavia in 1992, and from that point urged U.S. and UN involvement on a peacekeeping basis, I reluctantly supported Mr. Clinton's action on behalf of the protection of the lives of Kosovars who were being slaughtered. I did not, however, support the bombing of Belgrade.

L.N. Smithee: Oh, reeeeally. Well, that's what happened, Mike. Bridges were bombed, and the waters that flowed underneath them were poisoned. Don't forget that little incident at the Chinese embassy, either. Did you speak out against Clinton while Belgrade was burning? And why did it take such a precise inquiry to get you to admit parting with Clinton ever so slightly on the Kosovo war?

Mike Farrell: I instead called for the imposition of ground troops to, again, act as peacekeepers. For your information, I would support a UN peacekeeping force to back up the work of the inspectors in Iraq at this point. What I oppose is an unnecessary, preemptive war that will endanger the lives of innocent Iraqi civilians as well as those of the members of our armed services. The prosecution of Saddam Hussein as a war criminal should in fact go forward, with the establishment of a war crimes tribunal for Iraq.

L.N. Smithee: Uh huh...say, Mike, have you mentioned in front of a microphone that the guy at the forefront of the group organizing those huge worldwide protests, Ramsey Clark, is on the legal team of Slobodan Milosevic?

Mike?

[L.N. Smithee]

They get spooky, they start talking about malicious motivations of "Mr Bush" that can't pass the smell test.

Nothing drives me nuts like listening to some talking head or reporter talking about "Mr. Bush" rather than "President Bush" or "the President." For all those ostriches who pretend that there is no leftist bias in mainstream news coverage, I would love to see a running tally on times the President is referred to as "Mr. Bush" versus the number of times they called the previous Chief Executive "Mr. Clinton."

[Oztrich Boy]

Mike Farrell: You clearly don't understand my position. I've never supported convicted murderers

Two words: "free Mumia"