Bill O'Reilly
Yes, you're entitled to your uninformed opinion
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
Although it was the least-watched Oscar telecast of all time,
there was a great irony in Roman Polanski winning the Best Director Award
for "The Pianist." Mr. Polanski could not have won this award without the
dastardly deeds of Adolph Hitler, and one wonders whether 'ol Roman would
have thanked The Evil One had a long-standing child rape charge not
prevented his Oscar appearance.
"The Pianist" is the heartbreaking story of a musician who survived the Holocaust, which of course was brought on by a psychopathic dictator and his fanatical followers, who imposed a reign of homicidal terror that ultimately resulted in the deaths of 55 million people. That dictator, Hitler, could have been stopped if the world had united against him in the 1930s. But as this column has pointed out, the world did not unite. It appeased. And look what happened.
Since Hollywood liked "The Pianist," so much, and since many actors are so outspoken about current historical events, I would like to give Susan Sarandon, Julianne Moore, Martin Sheen and all the other anti-war stars a short historical quiz. I want to ask them what they know about the Treaty of Versailles, the appeasement conference at Munich and the structure of the German police state as it compares to Saddam's organizational capacity.
Also, I want to discuss Saddam's human rights record with Richard Gere, who for years has been chanting with the Dalai Lama about freeing Tibet. Gere is right about Tibet; the people there are being spiritually crushed by the totalitarian Chinese. However, chanting may not be the most effective way to change that. But then again, Richard Gere lives in Los Angeles.
If the Hollywood crowd could pass my quiz and answer my rather boorish questions, I would apologize to them and listen intently as they told me that Hans Blix should have had more time to find anthrax in an uncooperative country the size of California. I would sit enraptured as Sean Penn explained the benefits of living under Saddam, Uday and Qusay Hussein. I would gladly pin the dove on Meryl Streep's lavish gown as she regaled me with her vision of peace and understanding in the age of Al Qaeda.
But most anti-war stars are not real big on confronting complicated historical questions. It is much easier to flash peace signs to like-minded compatriots at award programs and then retire to eat lavish dinners paid for by fawning sycophants.
In the midst of the verbal insanity streaming out of Hollywood, came one very cogent comment that passed virtually unnoticed. Renee Zellweger, an excellent actress, admitted that the war unsettled her but told one reporter that she wasn't going to speak out because she didn't know enough about the big picture.
Renee, thank you. You are exempt from the quiz, and I will tutor you free of charge.
All I am asking is that all Americans study up before bloviating about the Iraqi situation and the war on terror. Is that too much to wish for? Hey, Adrien Brody, glad you won the Best Actor statuette, but do you really understand the true nature of evil, the force that enveloped your character in "The Pianist"? If you do, I'm glad. If you don't, you might want to rethink that dove on your lapel.
I wonder if any pianists in Iraq are wearing dove pins? I
suspect that there isn't too much dissent against the Saddam government by
musicians and actors in Baghdad. Hey, Hollywood, those artists are people,
too. And soon, they'll be free. Unfortunately, chanting and dove pins will
have nothing to do with it.
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JWR contributor Bill O'Reilly is host of the
Fox News show, "The O'Reilly Factor," and author
of the new book, "The No-Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America" Comments by clicking here.
03/24/03: That's the way it isn't, Walter
03/17/03: This loyal Catholic believes that, humanistically, the Pope is one of the many Saddam enablers
03/10/03: The new Nazis
03/03/03: Hey, it's personal
02/24/03: A peace of the action
02/18/03: Cash for what?
02/10/03: Runaway train
02/03/03: Dissenting dishonest dissent
01/27/03: The Clooney Factor
01/21/03: Poverty-inducing entertainment
01/13/03: To protect and serve
12/30/02: Global double Crossing
12/30/02: The villains of 2002
12/23/02: Finding offense where none is intended is a form of selfishness
12/16/02: The Houston lesson
12/09/02: Somewhere Santa is weeping
12/02/02: A taxing situation
11/26/02: Talk is expensive when it comes to Bill Moyers
11/18/02: Sanity has left the building
11/11/02: The right stuff
11/04/02: The Attorney General blues
10/28/02: This ain't no game
10/21/02: It's only rock and roll, but it's brutal
10/14/02: The root of all evil
10/07/02: When children murder
09/30/02: THE TRUTH BE TOLD
09/23/02: The death of outrage
09/17/02: Singing a different tune
09/09/02: Answering my critics about the Roush case
09/03/02: Let's misbehave
08/26/02: Money makes the world go 'round
08/19/02: Long live the King
08/12/02: A friendly reminder
08/05/02: Heaven only knows
07/29/02: Blood money
07/22/02: Suffer the children
07/15/02: Reaching critical mass
07/08/02: Believe it or not
07/01/02: Charity begins at home
06/24/02: Spinning a tale and the case for "Stupid White Men"
06/17/02: Blank those Europeans!
06/10/02: What does Bono want from us?
06/03/02: On fighting evil
05/28/02: A Tale of Two Churches
05/20/02: Crimes against humanity
05/13/02: Silence of the lambs
05/06/02: Hide the children
04/29/02: 'Paul, Paul, Paul!'
04/22/02: Barbarians in the Church
04/15/02: Pray for peace, polish the weapons
03/11/02: Do no harm? Time to spank "Dr. Phil"
03/04/02: Promoting the general welfare
02/25/02: Who's responsible?
02/19/02: Lay it on them
02/11/02: Buy dope, fund terror
02/04/02: Back room deals
01/28/02: From boom to bust
01/21/02: The Fairness Doctrine
01/14/02: Hey, Paula, take it to the bank and hush up
01/07/02: And justice for none
12/31/01: All that's left
12/24/01: Santa is appalled
12/17/01: Fight the power
12/10/01: The black challenge
12/03/01: How things have changed
11/26/01: Waiting in the Bushes
11/19/01: The sign of the Cross
11/09/01: Hollyweird strikes back
11/06/01: The fear factor
10/26/01: Show me the money
10/22/01: See no evil
10/15/01: Peace, but no quiet
10/08/01: The air war
10/01/01: I don't understand
09/24/01: We are all soldiers, and we have a job to do
09/14/01: Evil on display
09/11/01: Family matters!
09/04/01: End of summer blues
08/27/01: Summertime -- and the livin' ain't easy
08/20/01: The rap on rap
08/13/01: The truth hurts
08/06/01: Amnesty for illegals: Bush's political investment
07/30/01: The big picture on Condit-Levy
07/24/01: Silence of the Shams
07/16/01: Condit, Kennedy and cable news
07/09/01: Heather needs a childhood: The unnecessary loss of innocence
07/02/01: What would have happened if Steven Spielberg had recut "Schindler's List" for German audiences so they wouldn't be confronted with "emotional issues"?
06/25/01: Freak dancing
06/18/01: Work or die
06/11/01: Soundbite nation
06/04/01: Paying through the nose
05/29/01: Graduation Day 2001
05/21/01: Accepting the unacceptable
05/14/01: The Clinton legacy
05/07/01: Kerrey's ordeal
04/27/01: Is the party over?
04/20/01: Racism in public education
04/16/01: The fleecing of America
04/10/01: People who need perspective
04/03/01: Dubya's bottom line --- and ours
03/27/01: Don't tell, don't ask
03/20/01: Greenspan with envy
03/13/01: Clinton and Jackson
03/07/01: All that's left in America
02/27/01: The Letterman experience
02/20/01: Bread and circuses
02/06/01: How the Clintons do it
01/30/01: The Bush dilemma
01/24/01: I have been investigating Jackson's finances for the past two years
01/17/01: Sifting Ashcroft's record