BAMF of the Week: Clint Eastwood

By RU Contributor Antonio Aguilar

In the wake of R. Lee Ermey’s firing, I had to take note of another Hollywood Icon standing up anyway and expressing some political views that aren’t popular in Hollywood; Dirty Harry himself, Clint Eastwood. Now, I realize that for some people, Clint Eastwood’s views might not be popular. It’s not his views that make him Hero of the Week, it’s his willingness to express them and not care what anyone thinks.

America has become a nation of people walking on egg shells. To quote a recently passed icon, Ray Bradbury; “There is more than one way to burn a book… Every minority… [and he listed a TON, from racial to religious] feels it has the will, the right, the duty to douse the kerosene, light the fuse.” Anything that might offend (with very few exceptions) is banned, pulled from the air, and the offenders are punished.

Does that mean that something like Mein Kampf is somehow a great work that deserves to be read out loud in the public forum? Hell no! Free speech is free speech, but as the Supreme Court has found, is has to have merit and something that is patently offensive doesn’t always make the cut. You can’t stand on a street corner screaming “Fuck you!” at everyone who passes, and you can’t read that racist bag of shit to a class of school students either. But, political or moral opinion? Well, that’s different. Adults expressing their political or moral beliefs in a proper way and getting penalized for that because it might offend someone? America, grow some thicker skin for Christ-sake! If my mention of my particular deity of choice and the previous “F-bomb” offend you then you are part of the problem and need to grow some thicker skin too.

And so we come to Clint Eastwood and his speech at the Republican National Convention. Clint Eastwood is a Hollywood icon, and an anomaly. In a city that is largely liberal, he stands out as an occasional conservative voice and he doesn’t let anyone deter him from expressing his opinion. Sometimes he’s liberal, sometimes libertarian, and sometimes conservative. I might have a little bias, being somewhat Conservative myself, but I think everyone has to admit that it took some balls to go out there in probably the most visible stage of the week and express ideas that might make it hard for him to ever find work in Hollywood every again (not that I think he really cares).

It’s refreshing and encouraging to see someone who works in Hollywood to stand up and express views that are unpopular with most of that place, and not give a shit what they might think. To do so at the RNC in a very heated political climate, in front of the whole world when another famous actor just got fired for doing so in a much more private setting, took a lot of courage (when it really shouldn’t have, unfortunately).

It would be great to have more people in America with the courage to publicly say what they think, and to not care what the rest of the world might think. If we had more of that then maybe we wouldn’t have the cluster in Washington that we have right now. We might remember something that he said in his speech, “We own this country…. politicians are employees of ours.” We might not have to worry about what kind of repercussions we might face for exercising the very first of our civil rights. This is America, damn it, not a fucking gulag.

6 Comments

1. 

   Tony

   September 8, 2012 at 5:47 pm

   Excellent choice. No one has ever had to guess what Clint Eastwood thought. He’s been very outspoken for as long as I can remember. We definitely need more like him.

   Reply
2. 

   Jack Mandaville

   September 8, 2012 at 7:18 pm

   “This is America, damn it, not a fucking gulag.” I’ll be using this one on people.

   Reply
3. 

   Cecilio Mendez

   September 12, 2012 at 9:11 am

   The whole world is so full of “political correctness” that is almost impossible to say something without someone claiming offense. As a firearms instructor (NRA Certified) for more than 30 years, I am reminded not to use profanities during my classes because I am ALWAYS teaching. Well, this is Ranger Up and you guys are my kind or people. My preferred kind. Without further adue, I will say that Mr. Eastwood was fucking right! I don’t give a hoot-in-hell who is offended by what he said and I give a shit about whatever they feel. And I don’t give a fuck if this post is edited and shortened… to fill the allowed content space. Go get some cojónes!

   Reply
4. 

   Richard Jacobson

   September 12, 2012 at 10:02 am

   I agree with Mr Eastwood, being a Veteran I took a Oath to Defend our Country Against Enemies Foreign or Domestic. Well I believe it is a Call to all Veterans to Defend Freedom again. So to all Veterans VOTE for Freedom. As we said in the Airborne. ATW

   Reply
5. 

   SnakebitN

   September 12, 2012 at 11:22 am

   This is the way I want my Bucketlist aftermath to go : Clint Eastwood pull the trigger,narrated by Morgan Freeman,eulogy given by Jack Nicholson,cremated ashes dumped out on a HALO jump.A final kiss by abeautiful woman ie: Salma Hayek,or Corte de Pablo,Abbie(NCIS)and maybe the featured Marine Shannon or the girls of Ranger Up.I better stop the list is endless.

   Reply
6. 

   S.E. Coon

   September 15, 2012 at 12:47 am

   I took an oath to defend the constitution, maybe the Corps does a different oath though.

   Reply