Clint Eastwood
I Thought I Knew Ya
Dear Clint,
Why? Why did you choose to
speak for and on behalf of the Republican party at their convention? No, I'm
not talking about the empty chair, the impolite references pretending Obama is
telling you to "____ yourself." I'm not talking about why you chose
to face the country with a performance that was not thought through clearly and
for which you had not properly prepared. I'm wanting to know why you would
stand up and say anything supporting this group of people and the political and
social platforms they are espousing.
Clint, I have been told that
you are pro choice when it comes to women's health care decisions. And yet
there you stood defending a Party that considers your position to be immoral.
Not wrong, but flat out immoral.
Clint, I have been told you
are in favor of gay rights including the right
for gays to marry. Yet, this Party whose ascendancy to power you regal
says your position here, too, is immoral.
Not only that. Your Party
enthusiastically endorses Tony Perkins and his Family Research Council who has
stated that pedophilia is caused by homosexuality and who opposes anti bullying
campaigns that target gay teens.
It's okay to bully gays!? Really,
Clint? These are your people?
Clint, you criticized Obama
for not getting out of Afghanistan
more quickly. But, Clint, he has a timetable for doing so. Yet the position of
your Party has been critical of his efforts in this regard referring to it as
"cut and run." And, if they were to have their way we could easily
find ourselves in more Middle East conflicts such as Iran.
Not to mention that it was
your Party that got us into Iraq
costing precious dollars and even more precious lives in search of non existent
weapons of mass destruction.
Clint, why?
I thought I knew your values,
Clint, from your movies.
In Gran Torino the
message seemed to be one that fosters an openness to American immigrants and
not the xenophobia often expressed by your Party.
In Invictus the power
of forgiveness was celebrated which seemed far afield from the speeches of hate
coming from the Republican podium.
In J. Edgar we saw how
the dangers of ego and the overstepping of government can result in diminishing
individual liberties in the name of national security. This has been a fear
expressed often by the left and defended by the right.
In Million Dollar Baby
we saw how decisions concerning end of life are not painted in clear colors of
black and white. Yet, here you stood proclaiming an alliance for a Party who insists
that such is a certainty. And, it is their certainty. Is it your certainty as well?
Clint, you stood before a
cheering throng whose convention motto was: "We Built It", which was
a counter point to Obama's assertion that we owe who, what, and where we are to
not only our individual efforts, but also from the support and help of others.
Clint, you come from an
industry that requires the work of ensemble acting blended with countless crew
members. You cannot make your films with out financing from others,
distribution networks, and a myriad of movie houses.
And yet here you stood behind
a banner that is the antithesis of your life's work.
So, Clint, I don't know what
to think.
I know you're very wealthy
and the very wealthy will be benefited more by the Republican agenda than by
the Democratic one. But I can't believe you would put personal greed over
personal values.
Perhaps you are simply
unaware of the policies for which the Republican party stands. Perhaps it is
just the fact that you have always been a Republican and, therefore, will
always be a Republican. Perhaps you are unaware of how it has been taken over
by the extreme right. Perhaps you were unaware of you Party's platform and
assumed it reflected the Party of its past.
Well, Clint, it doesn't. It
is no longer the Party of Lincoln.
Or, maybe I have been wrong
about you. Those pictures and values I admired did not really reflect who you
really are. On that point I hope I'm wrong.
And, if I am wrong, then why,
Clint, why?
Sincerely,
A Disillusioned Fan
