Tom Hanks And The (Possible) HBO Mini-Series

[William Kelly]

Getting things back to the topic of this thread....

No one-including Bugliosi, Posner, DVP or Tom Hanks-can make an effective case for Oswald being the lone assassin, because the official record proves that was impossible. However, what we should be worried about are two things; the star power of Tom Hanks, and the increasingly stupid American public.

What made JFK such a successful film, and so important to our cause, was Oliver Stone's fame and the fact so many high profile stars agreed to appear in it. An indepedent film, made by even a well known director, wouldn't have had nearly the impact without all those stars. Tom Hanks is a mega star, and his name alone will attract viewers, no matter what his thesis is. Fortunately, it appears as if Hanks is confronting the reality of just how difficult it will be to film a convincing argument from all the historical inaccuracies in Bugliosi's huge book.

If Hanks is able to film anything based on Bugliosi's book, it won't matter how good a production it is. People will watch, and a certain number will believe it, because they simply don't know the subject matter and, as noted above, are just incredibly unwilling to think for themselves. P.T. Barnum would drool over the prospect of dealing with today's public.

Yea, Don,

Let's get back on topic here.

While Bugliosi, Posner, DVP and Tom Hanks are all Americans who I disagree with, they certainly aren't "stupid," and I take offense that you continually insult Americans, and wonder how you can be a moderator without noting on your profile what nationality you are, and how the other moderators let you repeatedly insult Americans?

As to your assertion that the American public are so gullible and "are incredibly unwilling to think for themselves," especially about this subject, since Bugliosi said that his purpose was to convince people of the truth of the Lone Nut scenario, he has failed, as over 80% of Americans still know there was a conspiracy behind the assassination of President Kennedy.

And I politely request that you tell us members of the stupid American general public what nationality you are, and I ask that the moderators explain how you can be accepted among their ranks while repeated asserting your personal bias that Americans are stupid.

Thanks,

Bill Kelly

Bill,

I happen to fully agree with Don's opinions, after all, Budweiser is the "king of beers" and Coors Light is also curiously popular in these United States. Maybe "shallow" is a better word than "stupid" when attempting to describe the majority of our countrymen, but my experience is that the French voters run rings around most of us when it comes to identifying and voting their own best interests.

Isn't a clear sign of stupidity manifested in the crisis of wealth inequity in this country? The wealthiest 20 percent of U.S. households owned 87.7 percent of all private wealth, per a study by the Levy Institute released two years ago. The triennial, Federal Reserve studies of wealth distribution fully support that statistic.

The reaction to this is manifested in the actions of the governor of New Jersey. Championing policies obviously further weakening the consumer class. It is a wave of "reform" pushed successfully since Reagan's first term, and the haves are now triumphing politically and economically over the have nots, while an astounding number of our misinformed countrymen cheer for more of it.

So Bill, even thought the actual crisis is the fact that 20 percent of households own 87.7 percent of the wealth and the bottom 50 percent own just 3 percent, doesn't it seem a sign of stupidity that so many embrace the idea that domestic consumption can somehow be stimulated by supporting a political solution intended to lessen wealth inequity? Did I mention that the French enjoy a model, state engineered, univerasl healthcare system, or that the minimum wage in France is $13 per hour and the poverty rate is half what it is in our great country?

I watched Newt Gingrich propose defunding the NLRB in a farcical "debate" recently held at a New Hampshire college. Wasn't it after the creation of the NLRB to uphold the labor reform legislation enacted in the mid 1930's that Americans last experienced a lessening of wealth inequality strikingly similar to what the French people have managed to effect through their thoughtful voting decisions?

In response to your demands for fuller disclosure, here is a link to my maternal grandfather's genealogy.:

http://wc.rootsweb.a...keats&id=I06065 His mother's direct ancestors landed in Massachusetts in 1632. emigrant John, his son, Thomas, his son Nathaniel, his son Benjamin, his son, Abel (revolutionary war veteran), his son Janucey, his son, Orrin, his son, William, his daughter, Emma, her son, my grandfather, Edward.....

If I recall accurately, your were asked to join the moderation team of this forum, but you declined to volunteer your time.

You are a smart guy, and it is my privilege to be able to interact with you, but in this instance, I hope you can sense my reaction

to the sentiments you directed at Don while I attempt to avoid posting what is on my mind in any more detail.

Have a happy and save 4th of July.

Hey, you guys are right, most Americans really don't give a crap about the revolutions going on, or whether we - the United States - should support them or our old friends the dictators, and for the most part, those who get the smallest portion of the big money pie really don't care or want a piece of the bigger chunks.

And since Tom and Don, both American moderators, can trace their lineage in the USA back to the 1700s they should know that the US interests in Tripoli began in late 1700s when North African Barbary pirates began to plunder American ships and enslaving their crews and demanding ransom and tribute. In response the stupid American public responded with the simple slogan, "millions for defense and not one cent for tribute," and Congress reluctantly approved the budget for the construction of a fleet of warships and a Navy to go fight the pirates.

And today, while that budget is obscene, and we don't need a nuclear force any more, or invasion armies, we do need a Navy and special ops corps to protect Americans from bullies and tyrants. Life Youseff Karamanli, the tyrant of Tripoli who was the first foreign leader to declare war on the USA, by cutting down the American flag outside the US consulate in Tripoli. He remained in power after we defeated him in battle because of the liberals in Congress who didn't want to finish him off. So over a century later, when the American Navy put into Tripoli, and held a memorial service at the graves of American naval heroes from the first Barbary War, the mayor of Tripoli - Youseff Karamanli - a direct descendant of the tyrant, was still in power.

So today, are we going to assist the democratic revolutionaries who only want what we have - freedom, liberty, justice and democracy, or are we going to listen to those who know little about the history of our two nations, and let al Qaeda and the Islamic extremists take over and reimpose a security state?

As someone who has studied the situation in Libya for the past decade, and with personal interests there, I know where my allegiances are.

Those who are merely against war and for peace at any price, also give up the ideals that we considered worth fighting and dying for in 1800.

And indeed, Happy July 4th to everyone, especially our British, French, Canadian and Australian allies, and those who have fought with Americans for those ideals whenever they were threatened.

Americans weren't always viewed as the warmongers and imperialists, but those who could be depended on to be on the right side of the fight.

BK

Edited July 3, 2011 by William Kelly

[David G. Healy]

Getting things back to the topic of this thread....

No one-including Bugliosi, Posner, DVP or Tom Hanks-can make an effective case for Oswald being the lone assassin, because the official record proves that was impossible. However, what we should be worried about are two things; the star power of Tom Hanks, and the increasingly stupid American public.

What made JFK such a successful film, and so important to our cause, was Oliver Stone's fame and the fact so many high profile stars agreed to appear in it. An indepedent film, made by even a well known director, wouldn't have had nearly the impact without all those stars. Tom Hanks is a mega star, and his name alone will attract viewers, no matter what his thesis is. Fortunately, it appears as if Hanks is confronting the reality of just how difficult it will be to film a convincing argument from all the historical inaccuracies in Bugliosi's huge book.

If Hanks is able to film anything based on Bugliosi's book, it won't matter how good a production it is. People will watch, and a certain number will believe it, because they simply don't know the subject matter and, as noted above, are just incredibly unwilling to think for themselves. P.T. Barnum would drool over the prospect of dealing with today's public.

Yea, Don,

Let's get back on topic here.

While Bugliosi, Posner, DVP and Tom Hanks are all Americans who I disagree with, they certainly aren't "stupid," and I take offense that you continually insult Americans, and wonder how you can be a moderator without noting on your profile what nationality you are, and how the other moderators let you repeatedly insult Americans?

As to your assertion that the American public are so gullible and "are incredibly unwilling to think for themselves," especially about this subject, since Bugliosi said that his purpose was to convince people of the truth of the Lone Nut scenario, he has failed, as over 80% of Americans still know there was a conspiracy behind the assassination of President Kennedy.

And I politely request that you tell us members of the stupid American general public what nationality you are, and I ask that the moderators explain how you can be accepted among their ranks while repeated asserting your personal bias that Americans are stupid.

Thanks,

Bill Kelly

Bill,

I happen to fully agree with Don's opinions, after all, Budweiser is the "king of beers" and Coors Light is also curiously popular in these United States. Maybe "shallow" is a better word than "stupid" when attempting to describe the majority of our countrymen, but my experience is that the French voters run rings around most of us when it comes to identifying and voting their own best interests.

Isn't a clear sign of stupidity manifested in the crisis of wealth inequity in this country? The wealthiest 20 percent of U.S. households owned 87.7 percent of all private wealth, per a study by the Levy Institute released two years ago. The triennial, Federal Reserve studies of wealth distribution fully support that statistic.

The reaction to this is manifested in the actions of the governor of New Jersey. Championing policies obviously further weakening the consumer class. It is a wave of "reform" pushed successfully since Reagan's first term, and the haves are now triumphing politically and economically over the have nots, while an astounding number of our misinformed countrymen cheer for more of it.

So Bill, even thought the actual crisis is the fact that 20 percent of households own 87.7 percent of the wealth and the bottom 50 percent own just 3 percent, doesn't it seem a sign of stupidity that so many embrace the idea that domestic consumption can somehow be stimulated by supporting a political solution intended to lessen wealth inequity? Did I mention that the French enjoy a model, state engineered, univerasl healthcare system, or that the minimum wage in France is $13 per hour and the poverty rate is half what it is in our great country?

I watched Newt Gingrich propose defunding the NLRB in a farcical "debate" recently held at a New Hampshire college. Wasn't it after the creation of the NLRB to uphold the labor reform legislation enacted in the mid 1930's that Americans last experienced a lessening of wealth inequality strikingly similar to what the French people have managed to effect through their thoughtful voting decisions?

In response to your demands for fuller disclosure, here is a link to my maternal grandfather's genealogy.:

http://wc.rootsweb.a...keats&id=I06065 His mother's direct ancestors landed in Massachusetts in 1632. emigrant John, his son, Thomas, his son Nathaniel, his son Benjamin, his son, Abel (revolutionary war veteran), his son Janucey, his son, Orrin, his son, William, his daughter, Emma, her son, my grandfather, Edward.....

If I recall accurately, your were asked to join the moderation team of this forum, but you declined to volunteer your time.

You are a smart guy, and it is my privilege to be able to interact with you, but in this instance, I hope you can sense my reaction

to the sentiments you directed at Don while I attempt to avoid posting what is on my mind in any more detail.

Have a happy and save 4th of July.

Hey, you guys are right, most Americans really don't give a crap about the revolutions going on, or whether we - the United States - should support them or our old friends the dictators, and for the most part, those who get the smallest portion of the big money pie really don't care or want a piece of the bigger chunks.

And since Tom and Don, both American moderators, can trace their lineage in the USA back to the 1700s they should know that the US interests in Tripoli began in late 1700s when North African Barbary pirates began to plunder American ships and enslaving their crews and demanding ransom and tribute. In response the stupid American public responded with the simple slogan, "millions for defense and not one cent for tribute," and Congress reluctantly approved the budget for the construction of a fleet of warships and a Navy to go fight the pirates.

And today, while that budget is obscene, and we don't need a nuclear force any more, or invasion armies, we do need a Navy and special ops corps to protect Americans from bullies and tyrants. Life Youseff Karamanli, the tyrant of Tripoli who was the first foreign leader to declare war on the USA, by cutting down the American flag outside the US consulate in Tripoli. He remained in power after we defeated him in battle because of the liberals in Congress who didn't want to finish him off. So over a century later, when the American Navy put into Tripoli, and held a memorial service at the graves of American naval heroes from the first Barbary War, the mayor of Tripoli - Youseff Karamanli - a direct descendant of the tyrant, was still in power.

So today, are we going to assist the democratic revolutionaries who only want what we have - freedom, liberty, justice and democracy, or are we going to listen to those who know little about the history of our two nations, and let al Qaeda and the Islamic extremists take over and reimpose a security state?

As someone who has studied the situation in Libya for the past decade, and with personal interests there, I know where my allegiances are.

Those who are merely against war and for peace at any price, also give up the ideals that we considered worth fighting and dying for in 1800.

And indeed, Happy July 4th to everyone, especially our British, French, Canadian and Australian allies, and those who have fought with Americans for those ideals whenever they were threatened.

Americans weren't always viewed as the warmongers and imperialists, but those who could be depended on to be on the right side of the fight.

BK

AMEN....

[Cliff Varnell]

“Boy, do we want to do it,” he said. “But there’s really only one way to it, and that’s to have a substantial amount of time so you can go in much, much deeper than ever before and you’re not just repeating what have become the mythical highlights of those four days. That gets to be very expensive, and that gets to be a problem on the corporate level. I can’t say we’re definitely doing it.” "

Reads like a white flag. This is not going to happen.

HBO isn't stupid. Maybe no one at HBO knew anything about the Kennedy assassination before

the project was brought to them but as soon as figures north of a hundred mil were bandied about I bet there was some serious due diligence done at the corporate level and RH was found wanting.

Lone Nutters are intellectually abused on a daily basis on the internet; Bugliosi bombed trying to defend to RH in his book tours; the public doesn't buy the premise.

"problem on the corporate level" = "HBO doesn't want to do it"

I'm a betting man. I say Hanks' project never gets off the ground. Any takers?

[Cliff Varnell]

P.T. Barnum would drool over the prospect of dealing with today's public.

But no, it won't happen in America because most Americans are too complacent, and like things just the way they are, except they want more money and cheaper gas.

Maybe "shallow" is a better word than "stupid" when attempting to describe the majority of our countrymen, but my experience is that the French voters run rings around most of us when it comes to identifying and voting their own best interests.

Americans love to trash other Americans...I know I do!

Although I decry the aggressive strain of stupidy unleashed in our body politic by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, I find hope in the fact that for three consecutive election cycles a party in power in either the White House or Congress was kicked out. I this is likely to continue in 2012 with the Dems getting kicked out of the Senate and the Reps getting kicked out of the House.

The problem is not enough of our fellow citizens vote their best interests, if they vote at all. The dummies.

[William Kelly]

Bill,

I didn't think it was a secret- I'm an American, and I can trace my roots back here to the mid 1700s.

I wasb't calling Hanks stupid- but I think the majority of the people, at this time, unfortunately are. Maybe dumbed down or brainwashed is a better term. They've proven to be incredibly easy to fool. I'm not qualified to judge the collective brain power in any other country, but I know Americans, and that's my assessment.

As a populist, what makes it more difficult for me is the fact that I still feel a great affinity for "the people." Kind of like the way Winston Smith described the proles in 1984; he was desperately rooting for them, and realized they could overpower the Party in sheer numbers with little effort, but recognized how unable they were to do that.

That's where I am, I guess- waiting for the people to wake up and take control.

Like they have in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yeman, Libya and Syria?

I don't think the American revolution is over, but is just caching on.

But no, it won't happen in America because most Americans are too complacent, and like things just the way they are, except they want more money and cheaper gas.

BK

In your opinion, Bill, what do you believe the protesters will get if the regimes that they are protesting against all fall?

Do you think they'll get to keep their nationalised oil, water, education, transport, banks, telecommunications?

I'm guessing the privatisation of their banks and assets have put a few extra shillings in the U.S. coffers and I can't wait for the photographs of the first Bedouin tribes calling in at their nearest Saharan McDonalds. Here's hoping they make it a Camel-through.

I don't know what will happen, but I do know that whoever gets the oil money, they won't give a million dollars to pop stars to perform at private parties like Gaddafi did.

Every country is different, and will resolve its problems with their own unique solutions, and one would hope that they maintain their pronounced goals and missions to establish some form of democratic government without a security state, and an open economy in which everyone has the opportunity to benefit, and not just political cronies.

And as for the HBO production of Bugliosi's book I too say it doesn't happen, and the whole thing was a set up to pay off Bugliosi.

BK