Jon Voight on the Iraq War, Bush, Cheney, WMD, ect...

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Jon Voight on the Iraq War, Bush, Cheney, WMD, ect...

Posted: 4/19/2007 12:03:23 PM EDT

I don’t put much stock in what actors say but this is different an actor that does not see the world as a coloring book. Below is part of an interview Jon Voight did…

www.radaronline.com/features/2007/04/jon_voight_1.php

Patriot Act
Jon Voight understands that America is under attack. Why don't you?
By Adam Laukhuf

Few actors can deliver a menacing glare as convincingly as Jon Voight. And, as Radar learned, he strikes a pretty imposing figure off screen as well. The Oscar-winning star of Deliverance and Midnight Cowboy has appeared in over 70 films, but his most recent role, as a fundamentalist Mormon leader in September Dawn (in theaters May 4), seems to have held particular resonance for the actor. Based on the Mountain Meadows Massacre of September 11, 1857, in which Mormons mercilessly slaughtered 137 settlers traveling peacefully across Utah, the film, according to Voight, is rife with parallels to 9/11 and the current state of religious extremism. Radar caught up with him on his return from a visit to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center with a group of New York City firemen, where he met with soldiers freshly wounded in Iraq. The experience was a powerful one for the 68-year-old, who was eager to discuss the threat of Islamic fundamentalism, critics of the war on terror, and Dick Cheney's bad rap

You recently visited with wounded troops at Walter Reed. What were your impressions?
I was deeply impressed by them. Most I spoke to were young people, around 20 years old. And they were really very eloquent, very positive, very respectful. You have to be proud of the children we're turning out from looking at this group of people. For me, I would much rather hear from these guys than the people who are presenting the news on television on a daily basis.

Were you able to gauge the mood among the troops—have they lost a sense of mission?
These guys say, well, it's possible to win it. And I'll tell you one thing they said that was very remarkable: the increase in troops that has been recommended by the president, they say anybody who's over there knows the value of backup and we should be behind this. When you're out in that situation in danger, you want to know you've got backup. Only one guy said he wasn't going back to Iraq, and he had been wounded a couple times. But all the other guys wanted to go back. One young woman, a very attractive young woman, had her leg amputated. But she says she's going to find a way to get back into it. She just reupped and she said they would find something for her to do.

Do you think it's possible to win the Iraq War?
Here's what I think: this is a real war, extended beyond the borders of Iraq.

As in the more general war on terror?
The war on terror is real. People would have you believe it's not real. This is not Vietnam. This particular situation is not the same wherein we can walk away and just leave destruction behind us. No, we can't. Anyone who has paid attention to what [Iranian President] Ahmadinejad is saying, what all the mullahs are saying in this country and in England, and in all of the Arab world, this is serious—they're calling for the destruction of America and all democracy and that's what's going on. We could lose this war.

Was the Iraq war part of the war on terror before we got there?
I'm interested in talking about this, but it's been so politicized, it's very disturbing, very dangerous. My view of it is this: they say our president lied to us. Well, he didn't lie to us, everybody else had the information he had, and they voted for that tactic. And the idea of weapons of mass destruction, whether they were in fact removed to other places, to Lebanon, to Syria, that's still in play, we don't know the full answer of where all that stuff went, because they had it, they have the pieces. Now, whether someone else has them or whether we're playing a careful game not to reveal that we know where things are, that's another big aspect of it. The Administration's in a tough spot, because if they say they know where these pieces are, and they can't get at them, they're alerting other energies to know where they are.

So you think the Administration might know where the WMDs are?
We've got to be careful here. I want to have a conversation with a citizen who is trustworthy. I don't want to be talking to somebody who's going to use what I say to cause a sensation and make a few bucks.

This is a question and answer interview, so we're not going to take anything you say out of context.
I've got to know what your intentions are, what your purposes are. Because people call me up about my family matters and stuff like that, and they're only interested in selling a newspaper, they want to make things sensational, they don't give a damn about my well-being, or my family's well-being, or anything, and I don't like it. And these considerations, when I'm talking about our United States, this is serious business, and people are continuously using this stuff for nonsense—people are politicizing this stuff for their own ends. It's one of the biggest dangers we have right now. The irresponsible use of innuendo and falsehoods. It's a very big danger.

We really just want a fair interview, nothing more. We try to talk to people in the public eye who are interesting and ask them about topics our readers care about. I think most people have strong opinions on this subject, and they might want to hear yours, considering who you are.
The question for me is: who are you and where are your sensibilities? If you're part of a left-wing bias and want to turn what I say in favor of someone on your agenda, I would say I don't want to talk about it with you. It's difficult for me ... because I see so many people go in the wrong direction. I see it all the time and it's very, very disturbing. What's being said in so many places in the country is just dangerous.

While you might not hear people say, "I don't support the troops", the country and the media on the whole are increasingly caustic and critical of the president and Iraq. Does that bother you?
It's a tidal wave going in this direction. It's sad for me. The attack on George Bush I find to be reprehensible. From the beginning it was politically motivated, and it's been very successful, the disrespect for our president and for our country and for our government. I have a great regard for our government. We have all sorts of checks and balances that are afforded to us by our constitution. We have a lot of wonderful hardworking people in the government. Once it gets to be partisan, it takes the energy in another direction. There was a big movement to impeach Lincoln during the Civil War, but it is not healthy at this time when we are fighting a very vicious enemy that has made it very clear in their attacks on American embassies and the Twin Towers, and on our forces what they intend.

So I imagine you're a supporter of the Patriot Act?
Yes, I'm a supporter of the Patriot Act. I support protecting us and investigating anyone who indicates they're going to be dangerous to our country. It's one of those things; it depends on which side you're on politically. If we had these things in place we could have anticipated 9/11. We're not interested in investigating someone who's doing something appropriate. We don't have time for that. That's nonsense. I certainly hope we're paying close attention to all those people crossing our borders who might be dangerous to us. We know for sure there are cells in the United States that are ready to erupt. We know that Hezbollah is here; we know there are cells from different terrorist organizations that are here and operational and that there are others waiting too. So listen, it's a serious business. It's wartime, guys. Because we don't have a continuous attack on our shores, we can get complacent. We've got to all be alert now, we've got to be a part of it and be supportive of our troops for sure.

Outside of Iraq and the war on terror do you think the other criticisms you hear about Bush are fair?
Like what?

Well you have the handling of Katrina, there's the Valerie Plame leak ...
There are mistakes made in politics right and left. When something happens and we don't respond, we've got to fix it. When you've got a government office that is supposed to be available in extreme disasters and they don't come up with the goods, they are not responsive and they're incompetently run, yes, we have to correct that. And then we have to go beyond that. We've got to be on our toes all the time. And in those ways, people can come up to the bat and fill in and do amazing things and others fall to the wayside are revealed to be unable to handle the crises. But this wholesale criticism of this man, just laying everything at his feet, is inappropriate. I went down to see the guys at Walter Reed, and I was interested in checking the conditions to see that these guys were being taken care of—and they were. You can be very proud of the people at Walter Reed and all the people who are surrounding the troops; This is some real rough stuff these kids are going through, there are some really difficult things to looks at. You know, serious injuries. So my eyes were open going down there.

What else did you take away from the experience?
Someone said the president has been here and Dick Cheney comes down here regularly—I think he said every six weeks he comes and sees every person. Well, that's pretty terrific. So when you look at Dick's face at different times you can see what he's carrying, his understanding, his compassion. The stuff like that that you read is real. I mean these guys are concerned people. Somebody said to me—a wounded soldier who was against Cheney and Bush—and he said, "Cheney's a really nice guy," like he was so surprised to see that the guy was a good guy. You understand?

I imagine he's less gruff with wounded troops than reporters.
It all gets distorted. Rumsfeld was maligned and villainized; he's a hardworking guy, doing the best he can. He's got such a huge responsibility, and if he makes the slightest error, people's lives are at stake. So, you don't think he carries a big weight? He does. Now they've gotten rid of Rumsfeld. Well okay, maybe he didn't have the answer, maybe there was a fresh answer required. But you've got to respect the guys who are out there, working hard as public servants. These guys are good guys. People don't like the war because we don't seem to be winning it. And these people think that if we just walk away everything will be fine, but that's not the case.

Even if you disapprove of the war, it seems pretty clear that simply pulling the troops out might not be the best option.
More than that, the war does not end. When we look around and see the evidence of what is being done and the preparations that are being made to disrupt our country and to destroy it. This growing cancer of fanaticism, it's like 1938—it's very, very similar.

Islamic fundamentalism?
Whatever you call it, the things that are being said are very similar. It's a matter of whether we recognize that or go into a cocoon and make our own little drama. Do you know what I'm saying? We're debating things instead of recognizing that the real fundamental aspect is that we're at war with a very vicious, very clever enemy.

<snip>

Posted: 4/19/2007 12:05:36 PM EDT

[#1]

I read that. Big props to him for going against the grain and taking an unpopular stance.

Posted: 4/19/2007 12:12:28 PM EDT

[#2]

Good for him. I had no idea he was on the right side of the political spectrum.

Posted: 4/19/2007 12:15:16 PM EDT

[#3]

His agent's phone is going to be silent for a long, long time now.

Posted: 4/19/2007 12:16:27 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
His agent's phone is going to be silent for a long, long time now.

Could be.

Tom Selelck hasn't worked as much as he should have.

He's been good in the Jesse Stone movies on CBS.

Posted: 4/19/2007 12:18:03 PM EDT

[#5]

Good for him.

HH

Posted: 4/19/2007 12:23:48 PM EDT

[#6]

Way to go Jon!
Now why did you sell your car to George Castanza?

Posted: 4/19/2007 12:24:04 PM EDT

[#7]

Wow, I've gain a whole new level of respect for the gentleman.

Posted: 4/19/2007 12:36:48 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
Wow, I've gain a whole new level of respect for the gentleman.

That would be one way to say it.

He's pro 'Patriot act'...

Posted: 4/19/2007 12:53:10 PM EDT

[#9]

My son, and a group of other Marines were invited to some sort of party or dinner while he was at Camp Pendleton preparing to deploy to Iraq. He was quite suprised to meet Mr Voight there.

Posted: 4/19/2007 1:02:37 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Well I just wanna go on record saying I'd fuck his daughter eight ways to Sunday!

Amen!

Posted: 4/19/2007 1:25:49 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Wow, I've gain a whole new level of respect for the gentleman.

That would be one way to say it.

He's pro 'Patriot act'...

So.

Have you even READ the Patriot Act?

I have.

What EXACTLY and specifically do you object to?

Posted: 4/19/2007 1:27:43 PM EDT

[#12]

NRA has him listed as an Anti.

Posted: 4/19/2007 1:29:13 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
NRA has him listed as an Anti.

Yeah, has anyone verified this? I thought he was way, way left.

Posted: 4/19/2007 1:38:19 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Wow, I've gain a whole new level of respect for the gentleman.

That would be one way to say it.

He's pro 'Patriot act'...

So.

Have you even READ the Patriot Act?

I have.

What EXACTLY and specifically do you object to?

Yes, I have and I specifically object to what is contained in Title II: Enhanced Surveilance Procedures.

Mainly because many of the agencies this section empowers have already demonstrated their inability to follow the laws and their willingness
to 'interpret' laws to their own benefit as they seem appropriate. BATFE anyone?

Posted: 4/19/2007 1:41:31 PM EDT

[#15]

Whatever his views are, I will always want to bang his daughter.

Posted: 4/19/2007 1:51:26 PM EDT

[#16]

This fucking guy was in the movie Heat for god's sake. What more do you need! Oh yeah his daughter is fucking Hot. Crazier than a pet coon, but still hot.

Posted: 4/19/2007 1:54:57 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Whatever his views are, I will always want to bang his daughter.

beat ya to it...check above...so I guess that gives you sloppy seconds

but then again....I get a lot of sloppy seconds from her....Billy Bob...Brad....

Posted: 4/19/2007 1:59:14 PM EDT

[#18]

Its not on snopes.

Posted: 4/19/2007 2:06:34 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
It's nice to know that he feels much like I do on this subject, however that's about all the article is good for.

Why is it that we decry the credence given to celebrities when they front for liberal causes (such as actors addressing Congress about global warming), but cheer for them when they agree with us? Sure, it makes you feel good by association, but he's no authority on the subject and I can't see lauding him as such.

Homer Simpson: "Celebrities--Is there anything they don't know?"

Could it be that you can see the man actually put some thought into what he is saying as opposed to the likes of Sean Penn who just keep regurgitating the same old shit, over and over? The likes of Sean Penn just keep repeating the mindless kumbaya bullshit that anyone with a brain knows is utter nonsense.

Posted: 4/19/2007 5:08:13 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Whatever his views are, I will always want to bang his daughter.

beat ya to it...check above...so I guess that gives you sloppy seconds

but then again....I get a lot of sloppy seconds from her....Billy Bob...Brad....

Damn you to hell!!!