George Clooney writes on Huffington Post - LOVE THIS MAN!!!

[im10ashus]

I am a liberal. And I make no apologies for it. Hell, I'm proud of it.

Too many people run away from the label. They whisper it like you'd whisper "I'm a Nazi." Like it's dirty word. But turn away from saying "I'm a liberal" and it's like you're turning away from saying that blacks should be allowed to sit in the front of the bus, that women should be able to vote and get paid the same as a man, that McCarthy was wrong, that Vietnam was a mistake. And that Saddam Hussein had no ties to al-Qaeda and had nothing to do with 9/11.

This is an incredibly polarized time (wonder how that happened?). But I find that, more and more, people are trying to find things we can agree on. And, for me, one of the things we absolutely need to agree on is the idea that we're all allowed to question authority. We have to agree that it's not unpatriotic to hold our leaders accountable and to speak out.

That's one of the things that drew me to making a film about Murrow. When you hear Murrow say, "We mustn't confuse dissent with disloyalty" and "We can't defend freedom at home by deserting it at home," it's like he's commenting on today's headlines.

The fear of been criticized can be paralyzing. Just look at the way so many Democrats caved in the run up to the war. In 2003, a lot of us were saying, where is the link between Saddam and bin Laden? What does Iraq have to do with 9/11? We knew it was bullshit. Which is why it drives me crazy to hear all these Democrats saying, "We were misled." It makes me want to shout, "Fuck you, you weren't misled. You were afraid of being called unpatriotic."

Bottom line: it's not merely our right to question our government, it's our duty. Whatever the consequences. We can't demand freedom of speech then turn around and say, But please don't say bad things about us. You gotta be a grown up and take your hits.

I am a liberal. Fire away.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-clooney/i-am-a-liberal-there-i-_b_17119.html

[hyphenate]

1. Amen!

We need more people like Clooney in the country right now. None of those who stop speaking up when times get a little tough! No more people agonizing over the possibility that they will be detained at Gitmo for speaking up, either!

[liveoaktx]

2. Love that "Gotta be a grownup and take your hits!"

[im10ashus]

9. That's they way it should be.

Time to bring the word "accountability" back into politics.

[glarius]

3. Look up "liberal" in the dictionary and you will find nothing but good!

I always say look it up in the dictionary when anyone bad-mouths "liberal"....Some of the descriptions are....advanced, altruistic, ample, bounteous, broad-minded, charitable, copious, enlightened, flexible, free, generous, kind, magnanimous, open-hearted, progressive, tolerant, unstinting.
Anything to be ashamed of there?....I think not!

[Bandit]

4. The Grown Ups are finally starting to speak out.

When the immature took over and proclaimed themselves the Adults in Charge The whole world shuddered.

[oasis]

5. If O'Reilly hates him, then Clooney's gotta be a decent guy. (n/t)

[im10ashus]

7. That's a good litmus test, IMHO!!!

If the falafel master is opposed, then it's probably a good thing.

[valerief]

6. I love it when really rich people publicly declare they're liberal

It could start a trend among them.

[Bombero1956]

8. conservative in dictionary

resistant to change ,unimaginatively conventional,traditional or restrained in style. That's them alright, stuck in the dark ages.

[AllieB]

10. I hope George runs for office someday

He's charming, articulate, and pulls no punches!

[Dawgs]

11. Does anyone remember that list of Republicans vs. Democrats(appearances)!!

Well eat on this Freepers!!!

[dancingme]

12. two threads already on George

but we can never have enought Clooney

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x645209

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x644251

[journalist3072]

13. "I'm proud to say I'm a liberal" by John F. Kennedy

Reading George Clooney's post (which I absolutely loved; I'm so proud of him) reminded me of John F. Kennedy's definition of liberalism!

"What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?"

If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then … we are not that kind of "Liberal."

But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal."

- John F. Kennedy, September 14, 1960

[hopeisaplace]

14. Love him, "he's too sexy for my shorts"

...maybe not :evilgrin:



edit: I want to add, that being from Canada, I just don't
get this "liberal is a bad word" campaign that goes on down
there in the good ole' us.of.a...I know your media really
works to promote this crap..but I still don't get how people can
buy into this garbage. For me the word "Conservative" is a VERY
DIRTY WORD. Even though, I'm "reserved" as a mom (family person etc),
I refuse to use the word in a sentence to describe the way I feel about
ANYTHING. I will actually go out of my way to avoid using the word
"conservative" in a sentence, (even when the sentence has nothing to
do with politics). Don't laugh, I've actually gone to a thesaurus online
to find another word for conservative that I could use in it's place. lol.

I would be embarrassed to be called or deemed Conservative.

[libhill]

15. Draft Clooney for President

n/t