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Ralph Peters
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Wars of Blood and Faith
Ralph Peters

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Conservatives Are From Mars, Liberals Are From San Francisco
by Burt Prelutsky
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FROM THE PHONE BOOTH: The Smallest Space in  Hollywood

	FINEFROCK

Destry Hides Again
A Liberal Rewrite of RAH [Reluctant American Hero]
by Steve Finefrock - Hollywood Forum [scriptwriter] 10/15/07

If left to the Left, the classic American western tale of young, affable Tom Destry would play radically differently.  Played both by Jimmy Stewart and Audie Murphy, and central to that beloved Western-spoof Blazing Saddles by Mel Brooks, Destry is the classic Reluctant American Hero [RAH], hesitant to act, even as a lawman, until absolutely required – but, when that moment comes, DOES HE ACT.  With firmness, toughness and a complete resolution of the dilemma.  

First eschewing his guns, Tom soon calmly demonstrates that, yes, indeed he can shoot extraordinarily well.  The brief, peaceful demo gives a warning-shot to the villains, but they don’t get it.  His calm manner leads them to dismiss his abilities, and more importantly to dismiss his resolve.  Sound familiar?  Japan in ’41 – ditto for Adolf, later Saddam [twice], minus some demerits for Vietnam and Korea [expansions started by Dems, resolved or ended by a Republican].

Sometimes a villain doesn’t ‘get it’ – indeed, so do our own id-driven idealogues on the left.  The RAH doesn’t’ get a rah-rah by the left – unless it ends before the expected, and desperately desired, coda.  The left would write Destry Rides Again either short of the climax, with Destry riding out of town and leaving his guns in a sealed steamer trunk – or, after a perfunctory confrontation of the villains, withdraw after partially wounding them, and leave the town to their not-so-tender, wounded mercy.

Central to American doctrine under LBJ, as taught in my now-ancient AFROTC classes, was that one’s NOT using power leaves the enemy uncertain what we can, or might in fact do.  Thus, LBJ felt restraint would intimidate the Soviets!  Indeed, our RAH did so when he demonstrated his gun skills, but only with someone else’s weapon – his own weapons hidden away under his bed upstairs in the hotel.  Neither LBJ, nor Destry, found a mere, minor demo sufficient to deter the devil.

LBJ proved wrong – his slow-escalation didn’t drain the Cong, but did a slow-bleed on American resolve.  His ‘demo’ of periodic bombings followed by pitiful peace feelers only gave feelings of ever-greater confidence to the enemy.  He failed to reach Destry’s coda – taking down the enemy.  Completely.  Effectively.  Dramatically.

Today, the left’s rewrite of Destry would send him leaving town, citizens left vulnerable to the devils, after merely aggravating them – Strike the king?  Then you better kill the king! – and guaranteeing ever-nastier oppression of the Iraqi people left behind.  

The left is hiding under its bed, disassembling its six-shooters, asking the nation – nay, DEMANDING the nation to join them in quivering retreat.  Oh, pardon me Aunt Murtha and Nannies Pelosi and Clinton – that would be quivering RE-DEPLOYMENT!

This liberal fourth-act diminishment of our RAH is getting a rah-rah from doubting citizens, tired and perplexed at why the Mission wasn’t completely, and quickly Accomplished.  That doubt is softening, resolve faintly returning.  Bit by bit so far, but maybe sufficiently in due time.  So that Destry will ride again, instead of hide again and again and again – the repeated retreat that is the mantra of the left.  Re-deployment is thy name, lefties – cowards in fighting real evil, but oh-so-courageous when fighting Karl Rove!

Thus the ‘message’ should you view either Destry film – with Stewart or Murphy.  Or its shimmering shadow hinted in Blazing Saddles and some slight suggestion in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [also Jimmy Stewart, Reluctant American Hero, albeit of a different stripe].  As in Liberty the villain doesn’t shrink at a slight challenge – he has to be slammed hard, or killed.  Unchallenged, the bully behavior continues, grows, metastasizes.  Talk won’t walk when the villain stands and challenges decent people.

Decent people need a RAH, but one which promptly abandons the reluctance in due time, gives due to duty, and pulls the guns from under the bed as Destry did, and keep the ammo flowing until the job is completed.

And it ain’t done – not yet suitable to re-deploy.  Time is past to achieve less reluctance, and more hero.  And more ammo.  And a potful less of redeployment. ExileStreet

copyright 2007 Steve Finefrock

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