While I will most likely agree with the sentiments of thecritiques of this
posting I hate to see another addition to the long list of fanatical
boycotts in which the protestors seeks to bar or eliminate a
film/book/music/performance/etc... solely based upon hearsay instead of
actually reading/viewing the text.

I would expect you to at least view it before you start organizing boycotts?

Crash
Satanic Verses
American Psycho
Last Temptation of Christ
Henry Miller
James Joyce
Williams Burroughs
Kathy Acker


I know just off the top of my head these works were constantly attacked
during my brief lifetime without a decent reading/viewing ...

Couldn't you at least watch it if you were planning on attacking it?  Am I
crazy here?

Maybe this escapes the notice of most Europeans but movie reviewers are
about as reliable as the neighborhood glue-sniffer guarding the store
till--in other words they lie according to the audience/profit that it may
gain them ... one more time ... any self-respecting critic/protestor should
view the film and attack it on its images/words/ideology...

Michael


>From: David McKnight <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: David McKnight <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: FW: Protesting Black Hawk Down
>Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 23:28:08 -0000
>
>
>
>shining a spotlight on ridley scott's new film...
>
>peace
>
>David
>
> >>Dear Folks,
>
>On Thursday night 15 folks from Peace News, Aldermaston Wimmins Camp, Youth
>CND, War Resisters International & London Catholic Worker vigilled outside
>the London premierre of "Black Hawk Down" at the Empire Theatre in,
>Leicester Square.
>
>I held my "Killng the Poor- Hollywood Provides the Theory - the Pentagon
>Provides the Practice!" sign and had many good interactions with various
>folks from around the world who were passing through the Square.
>
>A good one with a guy fromn the Kings Own regiment returning from Kosov@,
>another with some young Somalis, good ones with American tourists and a not
>so good one with a young man with short hair who ran out of things to say
>and punched me in the mouth.  A cop detained him but I got him released
>saying I would accept an apology.  Other folks unfurled a banner in front
>of the celebs entering the theatre and threw "heroism or terroism"
>confetti.
>
>Ewan McGregor star of the film said it was about "informed gung hoism".
>Director Rdiley Scott said it wasan anti-war/pro-military film.  No
>liberals in fox hlesI guess!!!!
>
>What follows is more info on the filmand a call for demonstrations in the
>U.S. utside ts screening..............
>
>Much peace
>
>Ciaron O'Reilly
>
>
>
>Dear Folks
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Action Center"
>To:
>Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 1:30 PM
>Subject: [IAC] Protest "Black Hawk Down" - NYC &
>nationally
> > PROTEST "BLACK HAWK DOWN"
> > Money for Jobs and Human Needs, Not for War and
>Racism!
> >
> > IN NEW YORK CITY
> > Wednesday, January 23 @ 6 pm
> > Union Square Theater: 13th St. and Broadway
> >
> > AROUND THE COUNTRY
> > Call a picket line at your local theater today!
> >
> > WHY ARE WE CALLING FOR PROTESTS AND BOYCOTTS
>AGAINST
> > "BLACK HAWK DOWN"?
> >
> > This movie is a blatantly racist attempt to
>create support
> > among the U.S. public for a new war against
>Somalia.
> > According to the Bush Administration, Somalia is
>at the
> > top of the Pentagon's list of countries to be
>the next
> > major target of the so-called "war against
>terrorism."
> >
> > In his review of "Black Hawk Down," New York
>Times movie
> > reviewer Elvis Mitchell wrote that the movie
>"converts the
> > Somalis into a pack of snarling dark-skinned
>beasts . it
> > reeks of glumly staged racism."
> >
> > What actually happened in Somalia in 1992-93?
> >
> > On December 12, 1992, the U.S. sent 28,000
>soldiers into
> > Somalia under the cover of the United Nations
>Operation in
> > Somalia (UNOSOM) in what they said was a
>"humanitarian
> > mission" to bring food to starving people. The
>invasion
> > came when a several-year drought that had taken
>tens of
> > thousands of lives was actually abating. At the
>time, the
> > evening news showed images of thousands of
>starving
> > Somalis. What people didn't see was U.S.
>troops - not
> > delivering food - but instead engaged in daily
>gun battles
> > and bombing raids in heavily populated
>neighborhoods. In
> > ten months, more than 10,000 Somalis died as the
>U.S.
> > engaged in aggressive military action against
>those who
> > resisted.
> >
> > Resistance among Somali women, men and even
>children to
> > the foreign troops became widespread. The
>Somali people
> > have a long and proud history of resistance.
>They fought
> > for the freedom of their country from Italian,
>French and
> > British colonialism - and they resisted the U.S.
>attempts
> > to recolonize their country.
> >
> > In the beginning of the military intervention in
>1992,
> > Colin Powell, at the time the chairman of the
>Pentagon's
> > Join Chiefs of Staff, called the invasion a
>"paid
> > political advertisement" for the Pentagon at a
>time (less
> > than a year after the end of the so-called Cold
>War) when
> > Congress was under growing pressure to cut the
>war budget.
> > Powell opposed calls that that money be used
>instead for
> > jobs, education, health care, housing and other
>social
> > needs, and instead sought to maintain the
> > $300-billion-plus military budget.
> >
> > In reporting on the U.S./UN Operation in Somalia
>(UNOSOM),
> > the human rights organization Africa Rights
>stated that
> > troops "have engaged in abuses of human rights,
>including
> > killing of civilians, physical abuse, theft .
>Many UNOSOM
> > soldiers have also displayed unacceptable levels
>of racism
> > toward Somalis ." These abuses included opening
>fire with
> > machine guns against unarmed protesters, firing
>missiles
> > into residential areas and outright murder
>civilians,
> > including many youth. The report states "UNOSOM
>has
> > become an army of occupation."
> >
> > Pro-war propaganda
> >
> > Since September 11, Bush administration
>officials have
> > held meetings with Hollywood representatives
>regarding the
> > content of the movies and other material they
>produce. In
> > an October 17, 2001, meeting, Hollywood heads
>"committed
> > themselves to new initiatives in support of the
>war on
> > terrorism."
> >
> > "Black Hawk Down" is just one of those movies,
>made
> > hand-in-hand with the Pentagon. Weeks before
>the release
> > of "Black Hawk Down," the Motion Picture
>Association of
> > America held a private screening for senior
>White House
> > advisers, and allowed them to make changes.
>Defense
> > Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Oliver North,
>among others,
> > attended the movie's Washington DC premiere.
> >
> > Hollywood spends hundreds of millions of dollars
>on
> > pro-war, racist films like these - $90 million
>on "Black
> > Hawk Down" alone - while millions of people in
>New York
> > and around the country are facing layoffs,
>evictions, cuts
> > in health care, attacks on their pensions and
>more.
> >
> > A new war in Somalia
> >
> > "Somalia Possible Target" is now a common
>sentiment echoed
> > in newspaper headlines and statements of Bush
> > administration officials. In some ways, a new
>war against
> > Somalia has already begun. In November, the
>U.S.
> > government shut down the Somali-owned Al-Barakat
>money
> > transfer company, which provided the only way
>for Somalis
> > living out of the country to send back
>much-needed funds,
> > known as remittances, which are often vital for
>family
> > members' survival. Up to eighty percent of
>Somalis -
> > which is hundreds of thousands if not milliosn
>of people -
> > rely on funds sent by relatives livng outside of
>the
> > country. This exposes the pretext given by the
>U.S.
> > government for the 1992 intervention - said then
>to be a
> > mission to help starving people - because now
>the U.S. is
> > imposing measures that will cause Somali people
>to starve
> > because they are unable to afford food.
> >
> > The U.S. also shut down Somalia Internet
>Company, denying
> > all Internet access to Somalis, and has severely
> > restricted international telephone lines. This
>is really
> > the beginning of a strangulation of the country.
> >
> > Since the U.S. government cannot implicate
>Somalia in the
> > events of September 11, they are attempting to
>justify a
> > new military assault by implying that the
>Pentagon has
> > unfinished business, that they have a "black
>eye" and must
> > return with a vengeance. This is the goal of
>"Black Hawk
> > Down."
> >
> > All those who believe in justice for the people
>of the
> > world must take a stand against U.S. threats
>against
> > Somalia, Sudan, the Philippines, Iraq, Colombia
>and
> > everywhere else. We don't know where the next
>war will
> > be. The Pentagon has announced that it's
>wartime all the
> > time and they will select the targets. But we
>do know the
> > U.S. public is being prepared to justify another
>bloody
> > incursion into Somalia.
> >
> > Protest and boycott "Black Hawk Down" and
>organize to
> > build the anti-war movement.
> >
> > CALL ISSUED BY: New York A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now
>to Stop War
> > & End Racism). For more information, call
>212-633-6646,
> > email [log in to unmask] or see
>www.InternationalANSWER.org.
> > If you are organizing in your area, please let
>us know!
> >
> > ------------------
> > Send replies to [log in to unmask]
> >
> > This is the IAC activist announcement
> > list.




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