The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Odd Behavior

11.14.07 @ 12:01AM

GREEN IN THE FACE
Re: Philip Klein's Jack Bauer's Creator Speaks:

Philip Klein's piece read: "'To me, the liberal movement is old and repressive,' he said. 'If you want drinking, smoking, and red meat, you have to hang out with Republicans.'

"That's the advice Joel Surnow, the executive producer of the hit television series 24..."

Excuse me!

24 now has gone "green" in loud and unending show promos. Jack has made public service announcements that we have nothing to fear from Islam and can sleep tight in our beds. The writers and producers have gone out of their way apparently to appease CAIR and other hate America, pro-jihad groups by not using Arabs as villains, even the head choppers and even shown how we should "understand" them?

Oh, please this desperate attempt to summon back the "faithful" is pitiful when viewed against the show promos we have been exposed to over the last year...
-- Craig Sarver
Seattle, Washington

I found it interesting to read "Jack Bauer's Creator Speaks" and learn that Joel Surnow (the creator) claims that 24 is a conservative show. The fact that Jack Bauer follows no law but his own, and frequently violates a wide variety of rights, is not, by the common understanding of the term, conservative. That he is willing to protect this country and recognizes the threat posed by terrorism does, I grant, put him far outside the mainstream of any in the Democrat party.

But having a widely successful show, and arguing that it allows him the freedom to do what he wants, why does series creator Surnow write stories straight out of the liberal Hollywood playbook? Sure there have been a few Arab Islamofascists portrayed (often with plenty of caveats and sops to the CAIR crowd -- such as last season's terrorist stand-in for UBL who wanted to find peace), but generally they are red herrings for the (fill-in-the-blank group of) rogue military, intelligence, Freemason/Luminati/Halliburton/Neo-Nazi death cult that has somehow infiltrated the White House and is plotting a coup -- all of whom are always led by right-wingers in the mold of Richard Nixon, Dick Cheney or other liberal bogeyman. How is 24's past story line of Serb war criminals, Russians looking for past Soviet glory, or a sinister shadow cabinet planning to unleash nukes on a U.S. city any different from the cartoon villains depicted in Ben Affleck's Sum of All Fears or the bad guy right-wing military unit in Die Hard 2, The Rock or some other nonsensical liberal hokum?

If you want me to believe that it is a conservative show, how about having a terrorist plot involving real terrorists -- Al Qaeda types perhaps? And maybe they're being aided in their plan to destroy America by a female Democrat Senator with thoughts of running for President hoping to embarrass the Republican administration, or a cabal of shadowy global financiers who operate a variety of 527 organizations, which may be fronts for anti-Americans world-wide, or a group of rich pampered lawyers representing G'tmo inmates interested in advancing their own egos regardless of the consequences to the country. Something like that would be a conspiracy I'd be interested in seeing portrayed.
-- Chris Booth
Herndon, Virginia

Mr. Surnow, as quoted by Mr. Klein, is absolutely correct. Conservatives have behaved exactly like their radical, liberal counterparts now controlling the Democrat party.

Conservatives spent enormously and foolishly, having the federal government do things that need not be done at all.

Conservatives grew venal and corrupt, being driven by polls and power.

Conservatives created a double standard for living. One for us and one for them.

And yes, conservatives became hypocritical too. Just look at the bathroom behavior of a senator.

All-in all conservatives transformed themselves into radical liberal Democrats.

Letter to the Editor

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