Shhh! Hollywood Silent as Free Speech Takes a Beating

Recently the entire Muslim world exploded in rage and riot, supposedly inflamed by a low-budget spoof of Islam called “The Innocence of Muslims.”

In a coordinated attack, a large group of terrorists killed four American personnel including the U.S. Anbassador, J. Christopher Stevens, at the Embassy in Libya. Immediately, President Barack Obama was apologizing to 2.3 billion Muslims around the world … exhibiting more outrage at the filmmakers than at the terrorists who committed the murders. But few thinking Americans believe the attacks were anything other than a smokescreen for the extremist agenda. Not uncoincidentally, the attack occurred on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

And liberal Hollywood is thick with silence.

Odd, since – if there’s ever been a sector of this country that revels with bluster and ballyhoo over the First Amendment, it is surely the Hollywood community. They’ve championed for years the unfettered freedom of filmmakers to express themselves however they wanted; on any scale, and on any subject, in any fashion the filmmaker desires. Nothing is off-limits, and anyone and anything can be held as a subject of adulation, revelation, or denunciation. Or satire.

Anyone … even the Lord Almighty.

And woe be to anyone should they attempt to censor for any reason one of the Sacred Fold of Filmmakers – (which is anyone who makes a film — of any length, on any subject and on any level.)

From the scatalogically sublime Spud Kowalski’s “Doodoo In My Pants” (yeah, I made that up) … to Brian DePalma’s “Carrie” –that searing horror film that, of course, proves all Christians are whackos … Film-as-Art, and the filmmakers who create that art, are held to a standard that defies restraint of convention or even gravity. Hollywood filmmakers exist in a realm high above the petty notions of constraint that pester and annoy us mere mortals. These self-disciplines are unnecessary on Mt. Olympus.

And … again, not uncoincidentally … “the gods” love to beat up on God. Christian themes and values and traditions have been mocked and ridiculed for many years by Hollywood. It’s become popular sport in H’wood. People who are offended by this are promptly invited to shut up and take it … to stuff their hateful indignance and to kindly auto-copulate if they “can’t take a joke.”

The assumed freedom of the filmmaker to express any sort of idea on film he wants is sacrosanct in liberal Hollywood. The first amendment is one of their most prized and precious rights as civilized citizens.

Unless, of course, the filmmaker mocks Muslims. Then – all bets are off.

The “double standard” is an annoying condition when values and beliefs don’t transfer to every situation. What applies to one situation doesn’t apply elsewhere … if you just don’t “feel” that it should. And reason and logic are rarely invited to the discussion – only emotion.

And so the Middle East is yet again in turmoil … Americans are murdered … and the Obama administration maligns the filmmakers of the spoof – a poorly produced, badly acted, silly-scripted piece of sophomoronic satire that nobody would ever have seen had it not been for the rabid reaction of rage from the Muslim world. And does the Hollywood community rally to the defense of the filmmakers?

Crickets …

The deafening silence belies a simple truth – the President is embarrassed and floundering … and he’s their guy. The President is appearing feckless, impotent and worse, surprised, by the eruption of violence in the Middle East – and his shaky stance of appeasement and uncertain responses are doing little to lend Americans confidence.

And Hollywood is mortified. Their guy ain’t lookin’ so good. The once-fragrant scent of the Arab Spring has turned rancid and is starting to stink. The Muslim Brotherhood, that Great Question Mark which replaced Obama’s selected villains, Mubarak and Gaddafi, turns out to be a bunch of unmanageable, murderous thugs.

You could have knocked me over with a feather.

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