Oprah/ Moore/ Clooney/ Heston

When waking today I originally wanted to share a post about thoughts and feelings.  about overthinking and uncontrollable emotion; hence, balance. Then I realized that this would be a poor choice as I am slightly off balance today.

So today I want to post something that has been bothering me for over a decade. With a few intertwined stories that are related to character.

Over 10 years ago there was a horrible shooting at a high school in Columbine.  At the time Charleton Heston was the head of the NRA. Prior to this unfortunate event Mr. Heston was diagnosed with Alzheimers, dementia, and several other diseases that had manifested from these two autoimmune diseases. 3 days after the shooting, he had went to Columbine for the NRA to speak about gun control and of course, promote the NRA. With these diseases he was not in his right mind. Throughout the media it was said to be irresponsible on the NRA's part, yet Charleton received the brunt of the criticism.

Remember, this is not about the politics or beliefs of mine about the NRA or gun control. However, I will state this, I will speak of hunting for food. During my youth, many people would have not survived if they could have not hunted for their food. But enough of that.

I have family all over this world. I have 2 homes in Michigan, though I do not like the state of Michigan at all, so why bring up Michigan? Because of Michael Moore who grew up in the state. After Charleton had come back from Columbine, Michael Moore was on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Now I must interrupt myself before I go on. I was driving one day and listening to talk radio. Charleton Heston was only given a few months to live at this time. George Clooney is the guest on the radio show and he said that because of Charleton Heston's belief in guns and representing the NRA that he deserves to have Alzheimers and now I paraphrase that his death will be that of karma.  

Back to Michael and Oprah; Michael Moore had went and bought a lifetime NRA membership. He used this to get into Charleton Heston's estate and manipulated Charleton into an interview. After about an hour Charleton caught on, in his diminishing capacity and asked Michael and his cameraman to leave.  He showed this video on the Oprah show. And then the plundering began.  Oprah and Michael took up in arms ( pardon the pun) the disrespect that the NRA but more importantly Charleton showed for the victims of the Columbine shooting.  They then went on to state that the NRA was manipulating Charleton Heston. And then badgered Charleton for not knowing better, even with having such horrible diseases. Yet, who's the manipulator? NRA? Or Michael for conning his way into a dying man's home? Creating propaganda, chaos, and essentially controversy for a man's last days on this planet, and Oprah for allowing this and taking part in this, and spinning this so that it supports their own conclusions.

On a side note: Remember, Oprah is the woman who laughed and smiled when interviewing Tom Cruise when he jumped insanely on the couch, then joined into the media frenzy of bashing Tom the very next day. Or the fact that she supports and voted for President Obama, but had stated that she had attended the same church that Obama had went to for 20 years and did not stop going until the media uprise when running, but said herself that she stopped going after two years, when she said that the position of the leader of the church Reverend Wright was and is (and paraphrasng) crazy and full of insanity.

Michael Moore grew up in the state of Michigan.  Eventually living in Flint, by the Detroit area, running a newspaper where my aunt was the editor-in-chief. Living in this state, Michael would understand the importance of guns and hunting. He now has a home that is about 2 miles from my and my wife's summer home.  This is a man who manipulates, cons and deceives to create his own success through the abuse of others.

Oprah is a woman who has become very successful by being passive aggressive. In this anecdote Charleton was the unwittingly star of his own demise.  People who jump on the bandwagon every time it passes by, and throw men like Charleton Heston under the bus even when suffering from a horrible disease that took his life, and George Clooney who wishes a man's illness and death because of his personal beliefs.  If we took an average man for instance a construction worker, maybe a brother or father, what would you do if a person said their illness was deserved because they believed in something you didn't. And isn't this attitude of these 3 people the same attitude that caused the Columbine shooting in the first place. The fact is that we look at people as gods and slaves or perhaps winners and losers.

I must apologize as the story is scattered, I am having a difficult day because of my illness.  But to all those who read this, I believe you are smart enough to understand. I said I was not going to get into my belief about guns but I will say something short. I am not against guns. I am against who gets to use them and what they are for. It is very simple; if we are responsible with a weapon that is powerful such as these, well there would be no problem. But we must look at our history and take in all accounts to make decisions about this.  For instance the war on drugs has done more harm, landed more people in jail or prison, for a few people's need to be recognized as they need a purpose.

So it comes down to this, we are responsible for our own actions.  We do not roll over people. Take advantage of them. And we definitely do not use someone's illness to benefit for our own personal success through ignorance.

To Michael, Oprah and George and maybe even the NRA, you should all be ashamed of yourself. Because of these people's worldly success we look at them as infallible. As omniscient and omnipotent, but I look at them as children crying over the fact that mommy and daddy won't give them a cookie.

Do not be impressionable or easily offended, and before you speak of something, you best have enough information through educating yourself to base an opinion through your words that come from facts not speculation.


Sincerely,
Joshua Jet Vaughan

Post Script: I know Michael Moore personally and I do not like him. In Northern Michigan there is a place called Traverse City, though most people would consider this a town.  There is an old State theatre that had been renovated, and Michael had started a film festival in TC. I had met President Obama in a bar in Traverse City having a beer with Michael Moore. My wife and I had donated a fortune to Michael's cause of bringing the arts to Northern Michigan. My wife, Anna Bella, had done more hands on work in her youth for this community than Michael has done in his entire life. This is not about receiving credit, this is about Michael is the only one that gets it and accepts it. Which is why the film festival is failing. People such as Madonna, Robert Redford, Tom Selleck, Tim Allen, who personally and politically have different beliefs, backed out of this festival because Michael made it about him and his politics which is what we all knew it was for to begin with, and if you did not, now you do.  So my final point, these people have reached great success. Their dignity and character is lacking, yet many still look to them as their yardstick.  I refuse to believe that hurting others is the only way to be successful and make progress in this world. And I can not idly stand by and do nothing, how about you?