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The pretend peacemakers

By Ben-Peter Terpstra - posted Friday, 7 October 2005


Punk rockers are angry with George W. Bush. But Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong is very angry. “There is a war on terror which is basically a war on fear. It is playing with our fear,” maintains the BMW convertible-driving star.

Great detective work Billie! Now, I’ll run it by Sherlock Holmes and Madonna for clarification. Then, I’ll pass your thoughts onto Red China via express mail - stamped CONFIDENTIAL, of course!

So where does little Billie get his facts from? Well, the punk rocker is promoting Michael Moore’s book Dude Where’s My Country? “Yes, that’s clever!” I thought. “The fat man with the cap and camera has all the answers Billie.”

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I don’t know about you but it feels like the right time to teach the pot-friendly MTV crowd a history lesson.

With the Los Angeles Times and Michael Moore increasingly unwilling to publish positive stories on Iraq, you have to feel sorry for these celebrities. They’re only as open-minded as the newspapers and books they read.

In another related story, Madonna has shared her views about Iraq too. “Violence begets violence,” sniffed the millionairess. Meanwhile, discerning fans are wondering what the material girl thinks of America’s annihilation of Hitler’s Third Reich.

While celebrities are advancing pro-appeasement positions, those outside the entertainment industry see things differently. In Iraq, for example, the Kurds are experiencing a revival of their music traditions. To be sure, that’s good news!

There was a time when Kurdish artists were routinely persecuted for simply being Kurdish. The freedoms they enjoy today, however, were unimaginable in the old Iraq. In the “pre-quagmire days” one was shot in the head for singing the “wrong” songs.

The President hasn’t banned Madonna and Billie Joe Armstrong from touring, singing or acting like idiots for that matter. They’re perfectly free to pontificate. Indeed, Madonna has made a fortune by throwing herself at people - wildly, boisterously and always from the pro-appeasement camp.

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Not all celebrities, of course, spit on soldiers. There are some male artists who practice the second greatest commandment even if they do wear higher heels and more make-up than your mama or Madonna.

“My memory is not short,” explains Gene Simmons, the former KISS front man. “I’m alive because my mother is alive, and my mother is alive because America liberated her from the Nazi concentration camp.”

Are you listening Billie?

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About the Author

Ben-Peter Terpstra has provided commentary for The Daily Caller (Washington D.C.), NewsReal Blog (Los Angeles), Quadrant (Sydney), and Menzies House (Adelaide).

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