Dan Rather Movie “Truth” Bombs at Box Office. Americans Don’t Buy the Lie…Again.

Redford-truth-Poster-640x480I remember growing up in the 1960s, during the Cold War. Every news story that came out of Russia, through their state-controlled News Service, Pravda, was a lie. Lie after lie, told in such a brazen fashion, that if you did not have access to other news sources, you would have sworn it was the truth.

Every lie that was told, was told with the express purpose of masking the inner corruption of the Politboro, or Government, of the Soviet Union, which in turn was designed to reinforce the pablum that they fed their working-class citizens, or the Proletariat.

Since the ascent to the presidency of William Jefferson Blythe Clinton, thanks to the New Media, it has become more and more apparent that the United States of America has a Pravda of its own: The Main Stream Media.

Self-identified “Broadcast and Print Journalists” foresook the ideology of objectivity for subjectivity a long time ago. The main reason Americans began to notice was the advent of cable and satellite television, and, later, the World Wide Web.

In the past, the MSM would only interject themselves overtly, every now and then, as in the case of Dan Rather’s blatant falsification of George W. Bush’s National Guard Service Records in 2004.

Speaking of that fiasco,

The Christian Post reports that

In its failed attempt to validate discredited CBS reporting on President George W. Bush’s alleged preferential treatment in the Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, the new movie “Truth” is flopping at the box office and failing to convince viewers that news anchor Dan Rather got his facts straight.

Months before the 2004 presidential election, CBS’s “60 Minutes Wednesday” ran a story which claimed that Bush, the son of a congressman, was given special treatment during the Vietnam War. It alleged that Bush was taken into the Texas Air National Guard to avoid being sent to Vietnam, that he failed to complete his assignments and that he had been released early so that he could go to business school.

However, the report was based off National Guard documents and memos that were widely believed to be forgeries. As the narrative didn’t include opposing views concerning the documents, many believed the report was a partisan attempt to smear Bush and cost him re-election. The report ultimately resulted in the demise of Rather’s career and also cost producer Mary Mapes her job.

Based off of Mapes’ book Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power, the movie “Truth” was released in over 1,100 theatres in the U.S. last weekend. However, the film doesn’t settle the question of the documents’ authenticity and instead runs with the premise that even if the documents weren’t real, Bush was still given preferential treatment.

Although Sony Pictures Classic acquired a star-studded lineup — Robert Redford as Rather, Cate Blanchett as Mapes and Dennis Quaid as Colonel Roger Charles — the film has tanked thus far at box offices.

“Truth” was just the 16th highest-grossing movie of the weekend, earning a mere $875,935. Combined with proceeds from the previous two weeks when the movie was out on limited release, the film has grossed just $1,126,512 in the first three weeks since its release.

Additionally, moviegoers and critics have not been impressed with the film. An average of nearly 1,000 viewers on IMDb rated “Truth” with only a 5.9 out of 10,  while Metacritic gave the movie a 66 out of 100, Meanwhile, Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 58 percent.

With the film still relying on documents allegedly taken from the personal files of Bush’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Killian — which typewriter and typography experts deemed to be forgeries — some critics claim the movie doesn’t have the right to call itself “Truth.”

“The movie came across as self-serving tripe, with the insulting audacity to call itself Truth. That’s the marketing equivalent [to] pissing in the audience’s ear, and telling them it’s raining,” one critic for The Rebel wrote. “Audiences don’t mind stupid movies as long as their entertaining, but they won’t pay to see a stupid movie that also calls them stupid.”

William Campenni, a retired engineer and 33-year Air Force/Air National Guard fighter pilot who served in the same unit as Bush, wrote a lengthy op-ed for The Daily Signal explaining how it’s impossible for the Killian documents to be anything more than fakes.

Campenni explained that he first came across the alleged Killian documents months before the CBS report when he stumbled on a blog called “The AWOL Project,” which was run by a Democratic activist from Philadelphia named Paul Lukasiak. He further explained that the blogger did “yeoman’s job in assembling released Bush Air Force records and relevant Air Force regulations.”

“He distorted and dissembled them to reach egregiously wrong conclusions to incriminate Bush,” Campenni asserted. “It was like examining the Old Testament in great detail and then concluding that Moses was an Egyptian who helped the Pharaoh cast the Jews into barren lands in some ancient holocaust.”

“Those of us who actually were in the Texas Air Guard quickly pointed out other discrepancies and impossibilities in the memos exclusive of the typos and fonts … wrong dates for exams; orders to report on a date the base was closed; use of outdated serial numbers; and our personal knowledge of Jerry Killian, his actions, and his behaviors, which conclusively flagged these memos as sick frauds,” Campenni wrote.

The Liberals who run “Hollyweird” are totally disconnected from the average American’s belief system of ethics, values, and faith.

All of the great movies and television shows my generation watched while we were growing up, reinforced those values.

We knew that the Lone Ranger and Tonto would beat the snot out of the bad guys, and rescue the rancher’s daughter. We knew that James Bond would defeat SPECTRE and get the beautiful Bond Girl.

We smiled in admiration when we heard that Superman fought for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way”. We threw our rubber tomahawks at the trees in our front yards, just like “Daniel Boone”. We knew that John Wayne would rescue Dean Martin in “Rio Bravo”.

And, all the guys in the 1970s wanted a red Gran Torino with a white stripe down the side, just like “Starsky and Hutch” drove.

You want to know why Americans go to see the Marvel-produced Superhero Movies and movies like the new James Bond Film, “SPECTRE”, which had a $75 million weekend?

They are throwbacks. They are entertaining. There is plenty of action with a great story line wrapped around it, and GOOD TRIUMPHS OVER EVIL.

We go to movies to be entertained, not to be lectured to by a bunch of snotty-nosed, America-hating, relative morality, situational ethics-loving Liberals.

Americans have to deal with enough ugliness trying to survive under the harsh reality of America under Obama.

And, the overwhelming majority of us knew that Dan Rather and his crew  at CBS were a bunch a lying weasels, back in 2004, when they tried to discredit

President Bush, and stop his re-election, by any means necessary.

Like what Politico tried to do to Dr. Ben Carson last week.

But, I digress…

Americans have to pick and choose very carefully the movies they go to, simply due to the high price of tickets, refreshments, and gasoline and Obama’s stagnant economy.

There is a reason that Redbox is so popular.

Once again, in the case of the ironically-named movie “Truth”, Liberals overestimated their popularity among average Americans.

…And, their intelligence.

Until He Comes,

KJ

America and the Son of God

American FreedomI have been writing a lot lately about the Culture War going on in our nation and the war between Christianity and those who would rather our nation ignore the “Faith of Our Fathers”, because if we do, we are a more subservient to the will of those who stride the Halls of Power.

Unfortunately for “The New Pharisees”, us darn American Christians are still alive and well, by the Grace of God.

According to The Hollywood Reporter,

Church groups are seeking to take over entire theaters for opening night screenings of Son of God, the upcoming movie about the life of Jesus Christ.

Various religious organizations throughout the country have been buying out screens and distributing tickets to groups of thousands of people for “Theater Take-Overs” on Thursday, Feb. 27, the night before the film’s officially released, according to production company Lightworkers Media.

Crossroads Church in Cincinnati is bringing thousands of people to a Cinemark theater, where Son of God will be showing on 13 screens at the same time.

“Our church bought out every screen in the theater,” Crossroads’ Brian Wells said in a statement. If anyone comes to the theater to see another movie that night, they’ll be out of luck, unless we have a few extra tickets to give them!”

There are a few other theater buyouts for Son of God scheduled at Cinemark locations throughout the country, according to the theater chain’s marketing and communications head James Meredith.

“It’s very interesting to see this level of excitement around the movie,” Meredith said in a statement. “The interest level for meetings, events, screenings and buyouts seems to be on par with that of major blockbuster, tentpole or franchise movies.”

Mega-church pastor Rick Warren is buying out screens in eight different theaters throughout Orange County.

“I’ve seen most of the films about Jesus produced in the past 50 years, and Son of God is the best,“ Warren said in a statement. “We’re excited Jesus is back on the big screen, and we’re going to fill the theaters. I want every other faith leader in America to do the same. Whether you can buy out a whole theater, or just one screen, now is the time to show up. This is a rare opportunity to bring the story of Christ into our mainstream culture. We want to see Jesus in movie theaters where sight and sound can open up our senses and let grace come in. The message of the Gospel deserves to be on the big screen – and this is our chance to see it there.”

Other churches and organizations, ranging in size from 10,000 to 4 million, are distributing tickets for a “Theater Take-Over.” Some pastors will also buy out screens showing the film in Spanish and Korean. There’s even a Catholic “Theater Take-Over” planned for Miami.

Various business leaders throughout the country are also donating tickets to churches and non-profits.

Son of God is a version of the hit Bible miniseries, featuring new and used footage, focused just on the story of Jesus Christ. The Bible averaged 11.4 million viewers during its five-week run on the History channel and became the top-selling miniseries on DVD of all time.

What a concept.  A movie about the life of Jesus Christ, aimed at attracting the 75%  majority of Americans who proclaim Christ as their Savior.

Why, next thing you’ll be telling me is that a well-known Hollywood actor will also produce a movie about the Life, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, with English sub-titles, which will stay in release for 156 days, and bring in a worldwide gross of $611, 899,420.

Oh, wait…

I am a Christian American Conservative. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I will not apologize for the greatest country on Earth.

There has been a lot of conversation during the reign of Barack Hussein Obama The First, within the ranks of American Conservatives. In-fighting about what political philosophy and attitude to take. Should Conservatism be abandoned for the same kind of pseudo-intellectual arrogance and snarkiness that the Liberals practice with regularity and glee?

Or should Americans embrace Conservatism? Which kind of Conservatism? Fiscal? Social? Beltway/Moderate/Independent (a.k.a. Squishy)?

The Republican Party has been practicing “Squishy” Conservatism since the Clinton Administration. We are currently living with the consequences of that. Practicing this political philosophy of relative ethics and relative morality is akin to building a house on shifting sand.

Americans do not tolerate vacillating leaders for very long. Look at the problems besetting The Magnificent One, Barack “Scooter” Obama. Few Americans, except for his Far Left sycophantic base, are still buying the “Hope and Change” he is selling. And, they are upset with him because all of his promises of a “Socialist Paradise” have proven to be empty ones,

He even tried to reach out to the rank and file of his party and the Independents (one or two) who still might support him by attending church a few times over the years, such as on Easter Sunday when, once again, he held a photo op at Allen Chapel, a historic African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded shortly after the Civil War. These actions came from the man who once said, “Whatever we once were, we’re no longer just a Christian nation…” and who regularly worships at the Sanctuary of the Holy Basketball Court and kneels at the Sacred Putting Green. But I digress…

Conservatives have a great opportunity ahead of us this November. But we will blow it if we do not present a united front. Our country is under siege from enemies, internal and external, that want to turn the “shining city on a hill” into a third-world barrio. We don’t have time for Internet Flame Wars, questioning the legitimacy of each other’s Conservatism. Nor do we have the luxury of wasting time ridiculing another Conservative for being old-fashioned or Christian. It’s time to man up. The barbarians have knocked down the gate and they are ransacking our homes. They have burdened future generations with a tax burden that may be insurmountable.

For our children’s children’s sake, we must politically repel these invaders who wish to make us subservient to their failed ideology.

It is time for America to reclaim Our Heritage and, there is only one way in which we will be able to succeed: and that, is through the Power and Grace of the One Who Made Us and Bestowed Upon Us this Sacred Land.

I wish to leave you with the words of the greatest American President in my lifetime. There are those who say he wasn’t a believer. I beg to differ.

“Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.“

“If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

“We are never defeated unless we give up on God.”

“We have the duty to protect the life of an unborn child.”

“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.”

“Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure.” – President Ronald Reagan 2/6/11-6/5/04

Until He Comes,

KJ