George W. Bush's "The Expanse"

[Dorian Thompson]

It's "white trash" angry to be despondent and angry that your sister was killed? Wow. I guess I was white trash angry too when my friend got killed a couple of years ago. That was the farthest thing from white trash angry I've ever seen. What was Tucker supposed to say? "Oh, let me go find the murderers of my sister so that we may exchange in thoughtful dialogue about how they are misunderstood." Give me a break. A person goes through "I don't wanna f******g discuss it" anger before anything else when a loved one is murdered.

Look, the episode wasn't perfect but now that they've changed direction it's wrong because the parallels are supposedly too close? I don't get it. It was a heck of a lot better than the episodes we were getting mid season, that's for darn sure.

 

[Aragorn]

Posted by slappy:
Next time I have an original thought, I'll keep it to myself, the Dixie Chicks, and Jeneane Garofolo.

The same Janeane Garofalo that said she'd go to the White House and personally congratulate President Bush if any Iraqis were joyful and thanking American troops for being liberated from Saddam? And then didn't go through with it?

 

[Bad Bishop]

Posted by slappy:

The episode reeked* of Bush administration propaganda.* We have the "let's get these bastards" run-and-gun thing going complete with the emotional blackmail using innocent deaths. Sound familiar?

*Typos edited

You're kidding, right? In case you haven't noticed, Star Trek and its spinoffs have been force-feeding us with an idealized, candy-assed vision of the Democrats in Space for over 35 years. Suddenly a script is produced, one which reminds us again of a catastrophe too close to home, and it is labeled "propaganda."

Whatever! If this really represents a new direction for Enterprise then maybe Season 3 will really kick ass! Archer will have to become tougher and more decisive. The Expanse is no place for Carteresque hand-wringing.

(Of course, there's always the faint possibility that the producers will pull back from this new, more aggressive stance. Here's hoping that aging Woodstock vets in the Trek audience don't wield too much influence.)

If you'll pardon the expression, let's roll!

 

[Guest]

Posted by Aragorn:

Posted by slappy:
Next time I have an original thought, I'll keep it to myself, the Dixie Chicks, and Jeneane Garofolo.

The same Janeane Garofalo that said she'd go to the White House and personally congratulate President Bush if any Iraqis were joyful and thanking American troops for being liberated from Saddam? And then didn't go through with it?

That's the one. Pretty gutless, huh?

 

[Guest]

Posted by Bad Bishop:

(Of course, there's always the faint possibility that the producers will pull back from this new, more aggressive stance. Here's hoping that aging Woodstock vets in the Trek audience don't wield too much influence.)

Oh, it's pretty much a given that they will. Look at how 24 went from being a story about the good guys trying to stop a terrorist attack to, "Oh, those countries we're about to attack were set up by evil oil interests!"

(Mind you, 24 rocked, but it's funny how Hollywood can never get past its own liberal propoganda.)

 

[USS Canadys]

Posted by slappy:
The episode wreaked of Bush administration propoganda. We have the "let's get these bastards" run-and-gun thing going complete with the emotional blackmail using innocent deaths. Sound familiar?
<snip>
Of course we have the whispers of a mysterious Xindi "weapon of mass destruction". Ooooooh. All the more reason to kick their ass, right? Sound familiar?

First of all slappy, that's "reeked," not "wreaked." And as for "whispers of a mysterious Xindi 'weapon of mass destruction'" -- since when does a weapon used to slaughter seven million people "whisper"?

 

[Kanenas]

gee a pearl harbor analogy NEEEVEr happens in the mooooovies.

What about starship troopers? south america got bombed there.

that was pre 9/11

What about starblazers?

Its a simple enough plot theme, sucker punch starts fight, good guys finish fight. Just because it happens in real life does not reduce it because somebody has their political underware in a wad.

Schools must be sissified even worse than alarmists could even know if reality is causing concern on a TV show..

(hmm then again, the texas democrats walking out of the legislature could be compared to hitler's nazi party walking out of the german parlament just before WWII in the CBS tv "docudrama")

 

[Hegemon]

I thought the parallels were very evident in this case.

Very similair as to how 24 handled David Palmer as the anti-Bush and beat you over the head with it.

 

[Mr. B]

Seems like an awfully weak link to me, you could just as easily attach this to Pearl Harbor or any other unprovoked attact through history.

 

[Captain Francis]

I think that the parallels are there to 9/11... or Pearl Harbor... or something else... it's just that 9/11 is what's currently fresh on people's minds that it automatically makes the link in their brains. This plotline is not unlike any of a great number on assorted movies and TV shows (some were meantioned earlier in this thread)

As to speculation on what will happen... not what I WANT to happen nescessarily... but what I THINK will happen...

I think by the end it will either turn out that the Xindi end up wiped out in the future because of their attack in the past... or they end up NOT being destroyed and everyone kisses and makes up because they find out that each side is technically innocent and it was all a big misunderstanding. (because the Xindi acted in self defense and it turned out they were the ones who would have caused themselves to be wiped out by sending the probe in the first place)

Now... B&B... exceed my expectations... please.

 

[Jack Bauer]

It does parallel what's going on now after 9/11 or Pearl Harbor or any other similar situation. This ain't original.

 

[J Archer]

the only Expanse I can think of that relates to Bush is that great Expanse of space between his ears

 

[PhoneMonkey]

Posted by J Archer:
the only Expanse I can think of that relates to Bush is that great Expanse of space between his ears

The whole "George Bush is stupid" spin is tired. It's no wonder liberals have fallen off the political map.

 

[scarab]

How some of you survive in the real world is beyond me. This thread is beyond ignorant. It's idiotic.

 

[Bock]

Shuoldn't this really be in TNZ? It could get very nasty very quickly.

I saw the similarities, but there were plenty of differences as well. Sure, Tripp wanted to go toast somebody. If one of my sisters had been killed in an unprovoked assault (along with 7 million others) I'd want revenge, too. But I didn't get the "let's kill everyone we find and we'll feel better" attitude some here seem to have imagined.

By the way, that's not what's driving U.S. administration policy, either.

Wanna fight about it? Take it to TNZ.

 

[tafkats]

Now, if this were REALLY an analogy to 9/11...

- Earth's government would immediately begin curtailing its citizens' civil liberties

- Admiral Forrest would embark on a propaganda campaign to convince people the KLINGONS -- an existing enemy who it would be convenient to do in -- were directly connected to the attackers

- A year later, a large propoertion of Earth's population would somehow actually have become convinced Duras himself -- or some other convenient Klingon villian -- masterminded the attack

- Archer would be sent to Q'onos to unseat the Klingon government, thus actually creating the alternate timeline people have been going on about for so long


(off to TNZ.....)

 

[slappy]

Look, I apologize to anyone I might have upset with the Bush comparisons. Yes, it was a politically loaded comparison (true, nonetheless). People seem to forget that I actually think this was a good episode.

This would be better in TNZ, but I would rather it be closed.

 

[AboveAll]

Posted by PhoneMonkey:The whole "George Bush is stupid" spin is tired.

It amazes me how thin skinned some people are. Say something that disagrees with their political views, and they come into the thread, gunz-a-blazing, trying to destroy them damn liberals.

Bush is not stupid - he's the epitome of anti-intellectualism. That's not spin. It's a conclusion based on years of observed behavior.

If you disagree, the least you could do is present intelligent reasons why, as opposed to hurling insults at people.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Posted by Bad Bishop:
In case you haven't noticed, Star Trek and its spinoffs have been force-feeding us with an idealized, candy-assed vision of the Democrats in Space for over 35 years.

You're being "force-fed" nothing. If Trek's politics offend you, you've never been required to watch it.

People in the CIA are pursuing a "re-evaluation" of their own intelligence reports about WMD in Iraq, BTW, motivated largely by concern on the part of professionals there over the way that intelligence gathering was corrupted for political ends. Translation: the U.S. Government lied to us about all this; business-as-usual. It'll take years for that to become clear, of course...

 

[scarab]

Posted by AboveAll:

Posted by PhoneMonkey:The whole "George Bush is stupid" spin is tired.

It amazes me how thin skinned some people are. Say something that disagrees with their political views, and they come into the thread, gunz-a-blazing, trying to destroy them damn liberals.

Bush is not stupid - he's the epitome of anti-intellectualism. That's not spin. It's a conclusion based on years of observed behavior.

If you disagree, the least you could do is present intelligent reasons why, as opposed to hurling insults at people.

How do you argue something as shallow and insipid as "Bush is stupid?"
What's next? "Bush is a pooter-head?" "Bush is a fart-face?"
For the one millionth time; disagree with the man if you like, but base it in something resembling reality and facts. How is it proven that he's anti-intellectual? Because he's not the best orater? And I'm not even saying that he's well read, which is fine by me(and I have a master's in English Lit). Some of the most successful people I know wouldn't know Proust from sushi. As a matter of fact, anti-intellectual on these terms would probably be a compliment. Some "intellectuals"(as they like to see themselves)quite often can't see the forest for the trees when it comes to dealing with issues in the real world as opposed to the world of postulates and theories.

There are other skills and abilities that one can bring to the table. Not to mention that he has surrounded himself with intelligent, qualified people which is a sign of intelligence, not a weakness . He would be stupid if he surrounded himself with a bunch of "yes" men and pollsters, which would show that he didn't know how to make a decision or come to an informed conclusion.
So he's stupid for wanting tax cuts? Must be alot of stupid people out here in the hinterlands. You don't have to agree with the agenda, but it doesn't make the other side brain dead.
He's stupid for the war on terror? I thought he wanted to control the world's oil supply. I figured that would fall under the "evil" column. And there are only evil men in the States. The diverse cultures that make up the balance of the world's population want nothing more than our understanding. Why are we so blind?
And by the way, thin skin has nothing to do with it. Snide ignorance and disingenuousness does.