American Sniper

[KeithE]

[Haruo]

Jesus is not just about loving. He is also on record as having said that he came to bring not peace, but a sword. And he is not just about "family values; he said he came to bring intergenerational strife, turning daughters against their fathers and what have you. Haven't seen the film and don't expect to, at least not this year. Will read the interview to see if it provides any explanation of why shooting Muslims ought to be cause for celebration.

Okay now, I watched the clip. Todd didn't mention shooting "Muslims"; he spoke of shooting "godless jihadists". I don't think Jesus would applaud the sniper, but I also think your comeback, Keith, unfairly misquoted Todd.

[Dave Roberts]

Sadly, we have made Jesus a white, American, right-wing patriot. Using religion as a reason to kill your enemies predates the earliest historical records, as religious one-up-man-ship has been used to justify almost any atrocity of war. Snipers are a necessary evil of war who are forced to make life-and-death decisions on a far-too-frequent schedule. They have indeed taken out very dangerous persons who could have killed many others. They have also been mistaken and have taken out the innocent civilians. Their role is to function as highly-trained assassins. I don't think they are either heroes or villains. They are victims put into impossible situations and expected to always be accurate and right from 800 to 1,200 yards away. They are expected to save lives by taking lives. That's always the irony of war.

[KeithE]

[Sandy]

I'm not planning to see this movie. Aside from the fact that action movies like it are not really my preference, its a movie based on historic events, not a movie that documents historic fact, and that's a big difference. Not to take anything away from the life of the main character, this is a movie intended to make money by using a mix of people's prejudices, fear and hatred, blended with their perception of their own patriotism and their conviction of the rightness of their own cultural religion and the absolute wrongness of the other person's. I have better things on which to spend my hard earned money.

The Law, as specifically expressed in the Ten Commandments, says "Do not murder." Jesus clarified God's intentions with regard to interpretation of that by equating hatred of another human being with murder, and then declaring that "Loving your neighbor as yourself" was one of the two greatest commandments. It's possible, I guess, for God to have determined to use American snipers to bring judgment on violent, murderous Jihadists, but perhaps not. Either way, I'm not putting myself in position to declare that to be the case.

[KeithE]

[ET]

Great movie. One of the best I've seen lately. Like your Huntsvillian friend's experience, mine was similar. My son and I walked out with others in a quiet theater. The only other experience I've had like that at the movies was after seeing "The Passion of the Christ".

I don't follow Todd Starnes stuff except on rare occasion. He misses the mark enough that I don't pay much attention to him. I do take issue with Dave classifying snipers as "assassins". Actually I find it highly disagreeable. Assassins are not engaged in a war. Assassins unlawfully seek out and kill or try to kill an unsuspecting target who poses no threat. The targets of snipers are enemy combatants or others who pose a threat to the sniper's fellow soldiers.

I think the movie strongly portrayed the battles back home...the many wives that have to deal with the aftermath of what the guys go through. (The post WWII movie 'The Best Years of Our Lives' is similar, albeit set in post-war life.) I think it does our military a disservice that so few of the politicians that are responsible for sending them in harm's way have ever served, much less seen combat. Nor does it do our country good that so few of the general citizenry has ever served.

Somewhere in the last couple of weeks I seem to remember running across an article that dealt with with the movie and PTSD. It was speculating on the post-war experiences of the WWII generation and posing that those guys faced the same thing the guys do today. The soldiers come back from war scarred and changed, but the general populace jumps right back to normal life a few minutes after the welcome home parade has ended ---- the soldiers are left to deal with the aftermath largely alone or within a small group of fellow soldiers or family while the rest of the world moves on. The folks are anxious to move on from the war and leave the soldiers behind to deal with the issues they have that can be detrimental to them.

But the best thing that the movie has going for it? That so many Hollywood lefties are ferociously bad-mouthing it....that tells me it must be worth my money and time to see.

P.S. "The Imitation Game" is very good, also.

[Dave Roberts]

[Sandy]

[KeithE]

[Stephen Fox]

I may see the movie eventually cause Eastwood does good work. New Yorker says it is worth my times, ironically NYrkr reviewed same issue as Selma.

Todd Starnes is an ASS

The sad thing is the way Fox News is hyping this mess, taking it far beyond the merits of the film and the film does have merits from what I've read.

Most folks in the pew will go see Amerian Sniper before they go See Selma, the far better film; and most timely.

Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Marchers were far greater patriots than this sniper Kyle, though I consider him a patriot as well.

Todd is the Nazi, the Traitor in this mess; he and the gun advocates..

Read Azar Nafisi, an Iranian Woman on the Republic of Imagination. She is a far greater American than Todd Starnes has the capacity to be.

Starnes is in the category of George Wallace as LBJ takes him to the wodshed near the last scene of Selma.

Be a Christian American in the legacy of Martin King. Be a Patriot, See Selma before you see American Sniper. Set your films priorities in order!!!


BTW, if you've missed it, here is how the Tea Party is playing Selma in NE Bama: http://ncac.org/blog/no-ugly-talk-why-o ... ing-selma/

[Sandy]

[Haruo]

NCAC : "Of Mice and Mind"...

What's the best way to get them to correct their error?

[ET]

[ET]

[Stephen Fox]

Great quote from Clint Eastwood when he decided to go forward with the project. Very much worth the listen.

In March the Ron Rash adapted novel starring Cooper and Jennifer Lawraence should be in theatres. Hope many of you plan now to see it, Rash Baptist raised in Western North Carolina and the Piedmont

http://www.npr.org/2015/02/02/383062401 ... about-vets

[Sandy]

[KeithE]

Another Sniper's Attitude:

[url=http://www.salon.com/2015/02/01/i_was_an_american_sniper_and_chris_kyle’s_war_was_not_my_war/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow]Chris Kyle’s War Was Not My War[/url]

I personally admire Garett Reppenhagen’s thinking more than Chris Kyle’s blind obedience.

[ET]

[Sandy]

[KeithE]

[ET]

[Sandy]

The term "based on" doesn't imply that the script follows the narrative of the book. "Based on" means they used the character and circumstances of his life to come up with something entertaining. It's not like this is a documentary, which would investigate the facts of the book, and provide the audience with a visual version of the story. It's designed to be entertainment. If it were a documentary, even one that pushed a favorable view of the Iraq war, I'd have an interest in seeing it. Since I'm not entertained by violence, whether its a depiction of a murderer being chased down by the cops, or the US Air Force dropping atom bombs on the Japanese, I have no reason to spend my money on this one, either.

Most of the response to the critics of this movie has been name calling and personal attacks of the mindless dittohead Rush Limbaugh type, and not directed at the criticism itself.

[ET]