We welcome your feedback.MIKE SMITH ON BRANDON JONES, MATT'S RAIL: "BUSH-SPEAK" Nole,
Couldn't help but drop this note after reading Brandon's letter and Matt's response (Re: Letter combo immediately below.---N).I think what Matt is doing is pretty brave, since, if I remember right, he supported Dubya in 2000. I didn't trust the man [Bush] then and certainly don't trust him now. If the President's actions (or lack of action) has changed Matt's mind then I'm all for him. And I take issue with Brandon referring to the "half truths" in "Fahrenheit 9/11." I have yet to learn that anything Michael Moore has presented was untrue.
Now it seems that our intelligence was crap, so Bush can now say he was just acting on what he had. But if he knew that we hadn't really done any kind of investigating of Iraq since the late '90s, you think he might have had someone attempt to verify the information before he sent our young men and women off to war! I'm writing this in a very agitated state, so I may be coming off as the typical "angry man."
A young man who used to work for me has been in Iraq for over a year. Twice his unit, within days of a scheduled return to the states, has been held over. Now he is less then a month from coming home. Twice this week, the area he is in has been attacked by mortars and small arms fire. The first attack took out EVERY TENT IN THE COMPOUND except his. 2 dead, many wounded. The next attack was similar, with a different part of the temporary base targeted. His mom sent me a picture of the damage and it's damn frightening to know how close he came to losing his life. I think that's what's got me mad over this whole issue. More than 900 of our soldiers have lost their lives and for what? I honestly think their parents will not be comforted by a "my bad" from the president. I know I wouldn't be.
Matt, keep pointing out whatever you want. And if anyone wants to do the same thing on John Kerry, I welcome it. If we don't have truth, we don't have anything!
Michael [Smith]
BRANDON JONES ON MATT'S RAIL AND "BUSH-SPEAK" Matt
(Re: the last several issues of "Matt's Rail" featuring a "Bush-Speak" section, critical of George Dubya's rhetoric as laced with falsehoods, also the public's perceived ambivalence. --N) First, let me say that we do care that our leaders lie, if fact, they lie so much that we manipulate the reasoning behind impeaching Clinton who lied under oath. We’re a nation who will forgive, especially for a blow job, but he STILL cannot say he’s sorry for LYING.Before you continue to chest pound about the “lies of Bush” beware that most accounts of Iraq and the Middle East are contradicted and confusing. It’s easy to pick out the one source that will prove the point of view, as Michael Moore has done, it’s harder to get to the truth. In fact, David Kay’s report outlined reasons why we may never know the truth, only those close to Saddam know the truth. Money, corruption, and lies permeated from the Iraqi government to mislead the intelligence communities, not just Bush.
For example, from a press release in late September, 2002, just after the initial reports you cited:
http://www.nci.org/02NCI/09/iraq-pr9302002.htm
I had long argued that the IAEA should never make the statements that they released. If you believe in Area 51 or other government experiments, can you tell me how Saddam’s passion for power didn’t enable him to have some sort of lab, underground or otherwise, for weapon development. Actually, an underground facility would be safer, harder to detect, easier to conceal to the truth from the Iraqi people.
The IAEA had released reports of Saddam’s efforts to get nuclear weapon technology. Finding centrifugation, tubes and lenses (used in nuclear technology) proves they were TRYING – six months away is not very long.
I find it interesting that the media interviewed and wrote articles about Iraq until it’s NOT an issue now. There’s no WMDs so forget it. In fact, we’ve found remnants all over the country that we blew to bits. Defining WMD or stockpiles is the problem, because I don’t believe he had a hundred missiles – probably a dozen or so. We found eight missiles, that had the heads removed and never loaded, but they don’t meet the criteria of a WMD. If Saddam bought some uranium, would they be now? Eight missiles that can reach 400 miles.
Yes, Matt 400 miles. We know he couldn’t reach the US mainland. But we’re a little concerned about Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and our soldiers and citizens all over the Middle East
Note radioactive that is/was available:
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/topstory/7946/7946notw6.html
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/world/article744707.ece
I’m not saying that I’m pleased with how this has all played out, but I’ll say this: The enemy of my enemy is my friend is a load of crap.
Trying arguing pro-John Kerry to me rather than anti-Bush. Convince me how I’ll be better with Kerry as President. You want to journalize the lies, try reviewing the last 15 years or so of Kerry’s voting patterns in Congress.
Just like Michael Moore, the anti-Iraq rhetoric is full of half-truths. Instead, I want the person that will stand up and say “I can do better.” “Here is my plan.”
And, by the way, that plan can’t just hand things over to the UN.
Brandon Jones
MATT DRINNENBERG RESPONDS:
Brandon,
I wouldn't for a minute try contradicting you because the things you say are accurate. If my intent was to praise Kerry, then I would name the article fitting of that formula. My position, as stated over and over and over again on PCR, is that I am a die-hard Republican, and I can't for the life of me understand why many of my fellow Republicans continue to support this man [Bush] in spite of reality, and doing so because they consider him a good Christian man.The words that came out of GW's mouth are his words. I did not put them there. The report I alluded to in my column, which Bush states he read, simply does not exist. True, the IAEA has many reports and claims, stating many things. As information is gathered, reports are updated. But the report cited by Bush was not from 1991, '97, '98 or '99. It was supposedly current and new and he alluded to it specifically as he tried to minipulate the minds of those he spoke to. And, again, it still does not exist. Not very Christianlike in my opinion.
And to acknowledge Saddam's missiles couldn’t reach the US mainland, while saying we’re a little concerned about Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and our soldiers and citizens all over the Middle East completely IGNORES the point behind this particular issue.
Bush was quite emphatic when he spoke about those missiles. He said the proof we had was irrefutable, which is another lie. And his great, as told to us, worry, was that Hussein could use those against the United States of America, not Kuwait or Saudi Arabia. Your point and concern there is more than valid, and I again agree with you completely. That was a major issue, but NOT what Bush hung on to win the support of the people of this country.
He said Saddam was an imminent threat, a clear and present danger to the United States of America, and he wasn't. Was/is Saddam a maniac and an evil man? Clearly that is the case. But there are now, and have always been, those types of leaders in the world, and as long as this planet revolves around the sun, there will be.
What was clear and present was more information against what Bush said than there was in favor of it. And much of the information, as you yourself point out with your links, was contradictory and unsure. But he wanted Saddam, plain and simple, so he decided to let our soldiers die for something other than their purpose, which is to protect the United States of America, not the people of Iraq.
WILL MORIATY ON THIS ISSUE OF PCR Re: PCR #227 (this issue),
Oddservations
In the bucket of ironies that is this Crazed Fanboy writer's life, there was Andy Lalino's superb article this week on the difference of quality and coolness of movies from 1974 and movies of today. I hope he will consider databasing more information of that type as well as he is his Dr. Paul Bearer endeavors. Fascinating stuff, Andy!Alright, I fully buy into to what you said there.
Today's movies in general suck by comparison.
My heartstrings were particularly tugged by the mention of the movie "Impulse". My sister, the late Merry Moor Winnett, did artwork for that movie. I remember clear as a bell in the summer of 1973 my mother and I driving her to the old Causeway Inn out on Rocky Point where William Shatner and others were staying while the film was being shot. She did art pieces that said "Karate Pete" on them. The film was originally titled "Want A Ride Little Girl?"
Next we move to Vinnie Blesi's article about the old "Twilight Zone" magazine:
Twilight Zone Magazine
Again, spectres from my past. One of the editors of TZ magazine as well as "Night Cry" was a former friend of mine, Alan Rodgers. At the age of 16 Rodgers printed period in 1975 (The all-lower case spelling of the fanzine title "period" is intentional. --N), the first fanzine I was ever involved with (see PCR Issues #76 through 79). That same year in period # 3 he created the character "Kanlon" who, in my solo work on the character, will be appearing in this publication shortly.In 1977 I teamed up with "Blondie" artist Denis Lebrun and merged characters from "Kanlon" with characters from Denis's Tampa Times comic strip "Aw Heck". The result was a story called "Go to Heck" and it appeared in the Summer 1978 Number 2 issue of "Advent", published by, class, anyone? Vinnie Blesi!
Part Two of the feature was continued three years later as "To Heck and Back" in my own publication Zeta One Reticuli. That publication also featured the beginning two chapters of Alan Rodgers novel "Not Too long Before the Fall". Three more chapters of "Not Too long Before the Fall", which included artwork by Nolan Canova and Scott Van Sickle, were in another publication of my own under that name in the Summer of 1982. A second and final edition of the series was slated for publication in 1984, but I never received back from Alan Rodgers artwork done by Scott Gilbert that was a key ingredient to finishing the story.
I visited Alan at his former home in Hoboken, New Jersey and his office ("Can you direct me to the "Twilight Zone" please?" I literally asked a New York cabbie) in Manhattan in February 1984 (I even met Rodgers and his wife at three in the morning at the Newark Airport in 1983 on my trip to see Denis Lebrun in Vermont in July 1983! it was as hot in Newark at 3 A.m. as it was here. Burlington, Vermont, three hours later was freezing at 58 degrees!)
Andy and Vinnie, thanks for bringing back some incredible memories!
Will Moriaty
MIKE SMITH ON "I, ROBOT RAP" Nolan,
OK, I guess if Steve can write from half way around the world I can add my two cents.I sincerely doubt Andy meant anything offensive (Re: "Do the I, Robot" and the PCR Lettercol, same issue.---Nolan). I've never met the man but in reading his stuff the past few years I took his rap in the spirit in which it was written. I will say that, in my mind, the main difference between William Marshall and Will Smith is the times we lived in then and now. The films Marshall did were aimed primarily at a black audience. Marshall was an award-winning Shakesperean actor, but chose to make a living in the days of the "blaxploitation" films. Same with Richard Roundtree, Fred Williamson, Ron O'neal and others. To be honest, with the exception of "Ali," where you obviously needed an African-American actor, I never thought that Will Smith had taken a "white" role. I was very apprehensive of a feature version of "Wild Wild West," but only because I loved the original show. Of course, I was a big Artimus Gordon fan, so I didn't really care who played Jim West. I have more trouble with the stupid hydraulic spider then I do with Will Smith trying to fill Robert Conrad's too tight pants.
On the other hand, I don't think Vinnie, Will or Steve overreacted. In their minds, Andy had gone overboard and they have the right, just like any other reader of the PCR, to write the Editor and comment as they wish, whether positively or negatively. The beauty of the world we live in, at least in our little part of it, is that, unless you're Whoopi Goldberg or Linda Ronstadt, you can express your thoughts without risk of retribution. I could care less if Will Smith was black, white or plaid. The man has gone from rap to television to the big screen and has worked hard into becoming one of our better young actors and he continues to grow as an artist. Talent is talent, no matter what the color.
Let's all get jiggy with it!
Michael [Smith]
READER TO ED TUCKER: I SAW DR. PAUL BEARER'S HEARSE! ED,
I am a past and present cast member for [the Tampa Busch Gardens annual Halloween Event] Howl-O-Scream. I was just at this year's auditions and sign ups! (2004) While there a saw DR. PAUL BEARER'S HEARSE with my own eyes parked outside of the wardrobe/audition hall! It has been repainted, although I don't know if it is "original", it does still bear the "Dr. Paul Bearer" markings. They did at least have that much respect!!! It will most likely be used again this year at the "Mortuary" haunted house!Jason Good
Nolan here--- Thanks so much for your correspondence! We are all interested in the history of this important Creature Feature fan artifact. The last I remember hearing was the Hearse was still with Busch Gardens, but had been repainted to appear in another show (likely the "Mortuary Haunted House" that you saw), but was nearly unrecognizable. I am glad to hear you can at least still make out some of the original markings!
I forwarded your email and this reply to ED Tucker and these are his comments:
ED TUCKER RESPONDS:
Nolan, thank you for passing along this E-mail from Jason Good. I have been in touch with Mr. Good and preliminary discussions seem to indicate that Busch Gardens may not have repainted Dr. Paul Bearer's hearse to look more generic after all. Mr. Good does remember seeing the logos on the car and I have sent him a picture of the hearse from when it was officially on display which he promises to compare on his next visit. This story just gets curiouser and curiouser since Busch Gardens specifically stated it had a "paint job" and "may not be recognizable". It seems strange that they would leave the logos on it and still say it was unrecognizable and I also have a hard time believing that they could have restored it back to it's previous condition and may intend on displaying it again this year. I will keep you and the loyal readers posted.READER ON TOM STIMUS Tom Stimus! We were discussing him in the office today and I decided to see if I could find out the latest.
Your 2001 article indicated he disappeared in the '80s. (Re: "La Floridiana", subject: "Tacky TV Ads"; Appeared at the time La Fla was on the frontpage of NPCR, Issue 74---N)
He had a Ford dealership in Forsythe, Ga. - brought Dusty Rhodes along with him. Specialty was conversion vans - Tom -BANG ON THE HOOD - #1 Stimus.
Also found his name (not sure if the it's the same person) associated with Bradenton Speedway in Fla.
Also found a bankruptcy case involving his name and a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership (In re Tom Stimus Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc., 134 B.R. 676, 679 (Bankr.M.D.Fla. 1991) )
What a character!
Ken [no last name]
Ken, thanks so much for writing! The article you found from the PCR 2001 Archives featured a "La Floridiana" section by PCR staff writer William Moriaty that recalled "tacky TV ads from the '70s and '80s" especially as it related to a Southern approach. I am certainly glad you enjoyed it and found it useful---I had to go back an re-read it myself!
I sincerely appreciate the Tom Stimus update and will feature your email in this week's PCR Lettercol. We feel our publication is a team effort, not only between the regular writers, but by the readers/fans themselves. Welcome aboard.
I will forward your letter and my reply to PCR staff writer William Moriaty, as he may find it useful and include thoughts himself.
Thanks again for writing. ---Nolan
To send an email to Letters to the Editor write to: Crazedfanboy1@aol.com. Any emails sent to this address will be assumed intended for publication unless you specifically instruct me not to. I can and do respond privately, if that is your preference. Frequently, it's both ways.---Nolan